Mists over the Musarde, Chapter Four

[ewancummins]

Bennedict groans, unleashing a vile curse in Lamordian as he walks further into the cellar to look around for any sign of who or what moved the dead pimp.

"ALAIN!" he calls out. "Someone was here after all. Be on your guard! Shout if you hear anything!"

Bennedict searches the cellar quite thoroughly, taking his time to really look hard into every nook and cranny. He finds everything in order and all in its place, except for the missing body and its covering. There are no recently made footprints in the dirt floor, save those of Cirdan [clearly identifiable by the impression of weight and armored boots]-made last evening when the body was first deposited. There are no drag marks. There are no scraps of cloth caught on the short set of stairs, no hidden tunnels, no mounds of freshly turned earth. There is absolutely nothing to indicate that anyone has been down here since Gaston was laid out with a mouldered scrap of tapestry for his shroud.

[steveflam]

"Shit!" exclaims the dwarf.... and tosses aside his bow to cast Ray of Exhaustion at the boar.

[ewancummins]

"Shit!" exclaims the dwarf.... and tosses aside his bow to cast Ray of Exhaustion at the boar.

Norzak's ray strikes its target.
The great boar seems to be suddenly drained of energy, worn out and moving slowly- but still potentially a killer.

[ewancummins]

near the stream in the woods

The boar rushes Cirdan, taking another spear wound from Cirdan but catching the knight with its great gleaming tushes. It hurls Cirdan up in the air like a bloody doll! Wat draws back on his bow so far that the wood might almost snap, and lets loose an arrow- the shot strikes the boar right in the flank, sinking feather-deep into the beast! Still, the huge boar rages on, despite magically induced fatigue and multiple bloody wounds...

[ewancummins]

Norzak runs as quickly as his short legs will carry him and leaps onto the back of the huge pig. He slips and almost falls beneath its hooves, but manages to grab hold of its hairy spine ridge and haul himself back into position. Crawling foward atop the raging animal, he stabs it in the head- a solid hit. Though the wound must surely be a mortal one, the boar continues its bloody rampage!

Now, it turns its mad fury on the dwarf, rolling in the dirt to crush him! Norzak isn't caught beneath the animal's bulk, but only barely does he escape, and not without being bruised and battered.

Norzak can hear Cirdan shout as he attacks, and scream as he's knocked sideways. Wat's bow thrums and an arrow chunks into something- maybe the boar, maybe a tree. There's too much dust to see!

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio crumbles one of the more fragile lumps in his hands and watches as the pieces fall to the ground. "If you are having any ideas," he tells Jon, "I am listening. Otherwise, I am thinking we had better dig."

He takes out a dagger, and begins digging a hole into the depression, looking for any signs of life or unlife.

[ewancummins]

Dorgio crumbles one of the more fragile lumps in his hands and watches as the pieces fall to the ground. "If you are having any ideas," he tells Jon, "I am listening. Otherwise, I am thinking we had better dig."

He takes out a dagger, and begins digging a hole into the depression, looking for any signs of life or unlife.

Digging into the black earth of the depression, Dorgio soon comes across more bits of old, charred wood. He also finds, after several minutes' digging, a layer of gravel- oddly blackened on top and lighter on the bottom of the stones. Beneath that, more dirt.

[JMaytr]

Jonathan helps Dorgio dig in the earth. Seeing the layer of stones Jonathan pauses.

"I have a bad feeling about this Dorgio..."

[ewancummins]

in the woods, by the mysterious pit

No sooner than Jon speaks, but he hears a noise coming from the woods at his back, the sound of crunching twigs and leaves....

[JMaytr]

Jonathan turns quickly, knife in hand, guarding Dorgio with his own back.

[ewancummins]

Jonathan turns quickly, knife in hand, guarding Dorgio with his own back.

Jon sees a doe flit through the edge of the clearing. The animal seems as startled as Jon. She's gone in a flash.

[ewancummins]

battle with the Father-of-Swine!


Norzak stabs, half blinded by the swirling clouds of dust and debris kicked up by the huge, angry boar. He feels, more than sees, the blade strike home, sinking deep into the animal. Hot blood sprays all over his right arm and his face, blinding him temporarily. A great weight crashes down on him, pinning his legs to the earth and knocking the breath from him!

The great mass atop Norzak's lower body shudders, then lays still.

Once the dust has settled and Norzak's eyes are clear of blood, he sees that his lower body is caught beneath the unmoving bulk of the great boar.

Wat rushes over, jabbering excitedly. Cirdan limps up, bloody but still able to walk, and prods the pig with his spear. It doesn't move a muscle.

[steveflam]

Norzak grins up from beneath the huge boar at Wats and Cirdan. He remembers Cirdan's wounds though and asks him "Ye gonna be awright, elf? Thass a nasty wound, bub. Soon as we git ta Benn or Dorgio they'll heal ye." The dwarf, with the help of Wats and Cirdan gets free of the dead boar.

Grinning at Wats he says "Not bad fer me first hunt, eh mac? I want a souvenir o this! The bugger is bigger n me! Hahahahahahaah!!!!!!!!"

Inwardly, the dwarf sends a message to his shadow Try ta git Dorgio back here now, tha elf needs healin fast!

[ewancummins]

Wat spends a full minute simply staring at the huge dead animal. Perhaps he's overcome by the great success of the hunt...



Crazy dwarf! Can't he read lips? I clearly mouthed the word 'NO!' I can't believe that we are alive and this huge beast is dead. It's a miracle.

[ewancummins]

Cirdan looks upon the fallen boar.

''Bigger than you, Norzak? Gods and Dead- it's bigger than all three of us put together! ''