A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

[Tassadar]

Nillien had wandered the desert for a day, growing weaker and weaker under the blazing sun, until finally night fell. She eventually found her way to a band of traders in the middle of the night, who upon seeing her exhausted condition took her in, and offered to take her as far as the edge of the desert. Having no other option, she agreed.

Two weeks later, she sat in the corner of a tavern, alone, penniless, and afraid of what the future might hold. It was then that she heard of the appearance of the dark portal in a town not two days away. Having no better option than to try her luck in gaining wealth to support herself from looting the town and killing the monsters that had attacked it, she set off.

Two days later, she approached from the Southern road, thick forest on either side. It was mid day, and she believed that she should reach the town by evening if she kept moving. She could see the high stacks of the strange Badarian machine-buildings up ahead, and knew she was not far. Suddenly, she heard a shifting in the forest off to her left.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Nillien's eyes shoot open in surprise and more than a little fear. She may have set off to fight monsters until she could make a living, but there's a difference between saying you're going to do something and actually doing it.

Quickly, she shuts her eyes and begins to concentrate, not being skilled enough in her powers to actually manage her energies with her eyes open. In her minds eye, she is just a large blue flame in the middle of the road she had been walking through. Fully trying to open her spiritual senses, she tries to perceive anything coming towards her. In the mean time, she splits off a bit of her inner flame and concentrates it in her right hand, the spiritual energies ready to burst forth as they are needed.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 60

Perception: Success

Nillien sees in her minds eye that a strange green-something, looking more like liquid than anything else, is what made the noise. The source of it seems to be massive, and is a ways into the forest, tendrils of it reaching out in all directions, but especially toward the road. She quickly realizes that the bushes were only a diversion, however, as two tendrils of it seem to be coming at her from the opposite direction. Opening her eyes, she sees two thick vine-like things along the ground reaching toward her, already almost at her feet.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Wha....? EEEEEEE! Nillien shrieks closing her eyes again so that she can use her energies. Immediately she thrusts the hand she hand built up the energy in palm open towards the vines in a violent manner, letting the flame ripple out from her hand in a wave of energy.

Not wanting to be take by surprise, she opens her eyes again immediately afterward. Eye's desperately shifting between the vines and the bushes.

(Spending five energy to use 'Holy fire' in a twenty foot, 90 degree cone, from her body.)

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 55/60

To-hit: 3 + 44 + 1 = 4 = hit.
Damage: 1 x 5 + 5 = 10 damage.

Nilliens fire burns searing white as it touches the tendrils, burning them away. Her fire continues into the forest, and she can sense where the fires path stops touching the tendrils, which curve around her in both directions. She can also feel a great many more, coming from the source of the plant-like tentacles.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

After the initial reaction, more panic sets in as Nillien quickly turns while closing her eyes again to hurriedly split off a chunk of her power. pushing it into her hand she quickly flings it out towards the mass of the creature, trying to mentally guide the flaming orb of spirit energy out of the way of trees as it streaks towards her target.

(If it isn't within range, I'll alter this post. Anyway, Holy fire 6 with a single target.)

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 49/60

To-hit: 18 + 44 + 1 = 64 = hit.
Damage: (5+5) x 6 = 10 x 6 = 60 + 5 = 65 damage.

Nilliens bolt of holy flame races through the forest, not harming anything save the evil thing which she senses. The bolt strikes the thing dead center, and she can feel the entire thing wither and die.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Whimpering a bit, Nillien realized this is why she came out here. Plus, she needs to check every corpse for things she could sell, or rather, she does if she wants to leave here as soon as possible. With those thoughts in mind, Nillien begins to push her way through the bushes towards where the thing was. Maybe it was one of those great machine things driven crazy by the madness of the place. Nillien really doesn't understand how they work anyway, maybe one had been built to act like this? Anyway, she makes her way towards where the corpse is to see if she can retrieve anything valuable from it.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 49/60

Nillien makes her way through the thick brush, getting a few minor scratches and making a great deal of noise as she did. She quickly got to where she had felt the presence, and found a tree with black bark, a great gouge born into it where she had hit it. She could see a pulsating red sphere, and recognized something her mother had once told her of, a darkheart. A piece of pure corruption which had taken hold within a living thing, and extremely valuable to the right person.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

I guess listening in on my sisters lessons had some payoff after all. Nillien thinks before reaching to grab the darkheart so that she could put it into her satchel. First, though, she felt the need to be a little careful, so as she reaches for the heart, she closes her eyes and draws a small sliver of her power to coat the skin of her hand. Hoping the layer of energy could protect her from the heart, she finally opens her eyes and grabs at it.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 49/60

Nillien feels a vague coldness when her fingers grasp the darkheart, but other than that it is completely inert. She pulls it from the tree, the object being about the size of a dried fig in her hand, and blood red.

(Add 1 Darkheart to inventory.)

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

After placing the stone into her pouch, Nillien shakes her hand a few times to try and rid herself of the feel before mental shaking herself. The idea of going farther, especially when she was just attacked before she even got into town, terrified her. However, because of the cruelty of her tribe, she knows she has no choice but to go onward. Aside from doing this, she has no real way to take care of herself.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 49/60

Nillien quickly returns to the road, and moves on. After another uneventful half hour, she reaches the mines that she knows are just South of Artmirst, carved into the hills to the right of the road. In another half hour, she should be at the town. She hears a strange cry from somewhere nearby, like some kind of animal, but is unable to figure from which direction it came.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Stilling her body, Nillien begins to look about nervously. Closing her eyes, she siphons of a small portion of energy into her hand. Then, keeping her eyes closed so that she can call out her energy at a moment's notice, she begins trying to feel the area, looking around slowly, trying to see if she can see the spirit energy of anything else nearby. At this point, however, she would also settle for another cry where she could tell which way it came from.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 60

Perception Check: Failure

Nillien stretches out her senses, but is unable to locate anything in the area besides the plants and a few small animals. What she most definitely can feel is the corrupting influence of something off in the town seeping into the ground. The feel of it makes her cringe, and suddenly she very much wishes that she was back home with her family.

The cry comes again, and sounds closer this time, but she is still unable to determine the exact direction from which it came. It seems to be coming off from her right, however.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Turning to her right, Nillien begins to carefully make her way to the sound. Either it's a monster, something she'd rather not think about, or it's someone screaming as they try and escape a monster, which is the slightly better idea. Either way, Nillien would rather face a monster out here than in the center of that.

Eyes open as she moves towards where she thinks the sound is coming from, Nillien makes sure she doesn't let her carefully prepared portion of energy slip from her hand back into her core. She wanted to be able to respond as quickly as possible if she was attacked.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 60

Nillien steps off of the road out into the vast clearing around the mines, her energy held ready. She kept walking toward where she thought the sound had come from, and suddenly the cry comes up again. It is much closer this time, and distinctly not feminine. It seems to be coming from one of the small buildings surrounding the mine.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Nillien stiffens. If the voice wasn't female, then it had to be a monster. Steeling herself, she starts heading towards the building... or at least tries to. After about two steps, Nillien stops again, scared of what might be inside. Then images of the empty spot on the land where her people's camp was supposed to be flash through her mind. She has to do this, she doesn't have any other choice now. Moving forward again, she heads to the building she though she heard the sound from. Once there, she tries to see if there is a window she can peer through. If not, she will move to the door and try to softly crack it open to look inside.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Spoiler

Nilliens Status: HP = 31, P = 31, EP = 60

Perception Check: Failure

Nillien is unable to see anything through the strangely foggy window. The cry repeats itself, and this time she is clearly able to identify that the source is coming from the building in front of her. It's about forty feet long and fifteen wide, and only one story tall. An office, or temporary storage facility perhaps?

She carefully cracks open the buildings flimsy wooden door, but is unable to see inside due to the room being filled with steam. It wafts out as she opens the door.

 

[Pheonix Alugere]

Re: A Desert Girls Tale (Pheonix Alugere)

Carefully, Nillien opens the door before trying to move out of the way. Hopefully some of the steam wold pour out, and, if she is lucky, the monster might come out while she hides to one side of the door. If it does, she might gain some sort of advantage, otherwise, hopefully she'll just be able to make do by reducing the amout of steam.