Post by forg3ttablexs0ul on Feb 16, 2021 17:44:01 GMT
Something didn't sit well with Hal'Kox; that was all he could figure out as he pondered their situation to himself. He eyed the blue glow obsessively as he licked at a spot where a tooth was missing near the front of his snout. Something was different about it, but his limited knowledge of the wilds in this part of Tavoria was proving to be a disadvantage here. As he raked his mind for an answer, the crickets stopped singing. The frogs grew quiet, and the only noise around them was the small stream in the other clearing. The primal instincts deep in the Lizardman warned him of something near. As he narrowed his eyes, the glow disappeared, and the shrubs that hid its source began to shuffle. Hal'Kox inverted the grip oh his Macahuitl as he took gentle, quiet steps toward the treeline. As he leaned into the trees, a new smell intruded his nose. It was a smell of burned sages and incense. His tail dropped with a thud, his jaw gaping slightly as a dark, cloaked figure rose from the shrubbery. The hilt of a sword- silver with dark leather wrappings- poked over his shoulder from a slit made in his cloak.
Hal'Kox stepped back quickly, ignoring all sense of quiet and stealth as each step rattled the leaves around them. He returned his Macahuitl to his back before adjusting his hand wraps, tying them tightly around his knuckles. He sipped at the air with his nose, getting the general direction the curse again before looking at Taj and Laitha, and motioning for them to step back a bit. With a slight nod, he turned his gaze to the trees. There were lots of bushes and whatnot. He couldn't move those easily, so he would trust them to tread carefully. The trees all seemed pretty young and thin. There was only one thick tree that would cause issues, but that wasn't in the path he needed to take. He could do something about this. With a deep grunt, The hulking Alpox threw a fist into the first tree. It felt as if it surrendered in his presence, and gave without a shred of resistance. The stumps would still be there, sure, but getting rid of most of the problem should be good enough, he thought to himself. With every punch, and every inch of progress, the scent of the curse grew stronger. The approach would give them away to whatever it was that waited for them, but the anticipation of the coming meeting made him want to waste no time. Besides, if that person was actually what Hal'Kox believed them to be... something was very, very wrong.
With one final grunt, he punched his fist into the last tree, and its collapse revealed a large glade. Near the middle of the grassland, he made note of 4 wagons, all battered and destroyed, and a large gathering of tents. shuffling figures moved like ants between the tents, and there were a few mangled bodies of animals and people laying around. The air was thick with the stench of dead; this was definitely their destination. He couldn't take an accurate headcount from here, but there didn't seem to be any of the more dangerous undead ones -some could use blades, or were changed and given more arms, or thicker skin; the curse was a mad scientist with cadavers. Luckily, the animals that had died there were not changed either. There were most likely just unlucky and found themselves consumed by the cursed ones. However, there were still those tents to search. Who knew what was hiding here. He took a deep breath as he readjusted his hand wraps. he could feel the warmth of the blood on his knuckles, but ignored it, drawing his weapon once more as he stood tall and sauntered toward the camp. In his peripheral vision, he witnessed the figure breaking the treeline. For now, though, his focus was on his target, not the new arrival.
--
Crunch, crunch, crunch
The sound of their boots on the grass gave cadence to their quiet prayers. A gauntlet broke from their cloak, and armored fingers rubbed against a sacred rosary. The Goddess guided them here on this day. Visions of darkness had plagued them for weeks and days, and their prayers had led them here. They were unsure of the greater task, but darkness grasped this place. By Holy hands, this place would be cleansed, and this plague cured. Their eyes fell on the small party. They appeared to be present to cleanse as well. Good. The Holy Light guides all on their path, and it led them all here. Surely, this couldn't be a coincidence. Perhaps the Light would show its guidance to them later, but for now, The purge of this infestation was required.
Hal'Kox stepped back quickly, ignoring all sense of quiet and stealth as each step rattled the leaves around them. He returned his Macahuitl to his back before adjusting his hand wraps, tying them tightly around his knuckles. He sipped at the air with his nose, getting the general direction the curse again before looking at Taj and Laitha, and motioning for them to step back a bit. With a slight nod, he turned his gaze to the trees. There were lots of bushes and whatnot. He couldn't move those easily, so he would trust them to tread carefully. The trees all seemed pretty young and thin. There was only one thick tree that would cause issues, but that wasn't in the path he needed to take. He could do something about this. With a deep grunt, The hulking Alpox threw a fist into the first tree. It felt as if it surrendered in his presence, and gave without a shred of resistance. The stumps would still be there, sure, but getting rid of most of the problem should be good enough, he thought to himself. With every punch, and every inch of progress, the scent of the curse grew stronger. The approach would give them away to whatever it was that waited for them, but the anticipation of the coming meeting made him want to waste no time. Besides, if that person was actually what Hal'Kox believed them to be... something was very, very wrong.
With one final grunt, he punched his fist into the last tree, and its collapse revealed a large glade. Near the middle of the grassland, he made note of 4 wagons, all battered and destroyed, and a large gathering of tents. shuffling figures moved like ants between the tents, and there were a few mangled bodies of animals and people laying around. The air was thick with the stench of dead; this was definitely their destination. He couldn't take an accurate headcount from here, but there didn't seem to be any of the more dangerous undead ones -some could use blades, or were changed and given more arms, or thicker skin; the curse was a mad scientist with cadavers. Luckily, the animals that had died there were not changed either. There were most likely just unlucky and found themselves consumed by the cursed ones. However, there were still those tents to search. Who knew what was hiding here. He took a deep breath as he readjusted his hand wraps. he could feel the warmth of the blood on his knuckles, but ignored it, drawing his weapon once more as he stood tall and sauntered toward the camp. In his peripheral vision, he witnessed the figure breaking the treeline. For now, though, his focus was on his target, not the new arrival.
--
Crunch, crunch, crunch
The sound of their boots on the grass gave cadence to their quiet prayers. A gauntlet broke from their cloak, and armored fingers rubbed against a sacred rosary. The Goddess guided them here on this day. Visions of darkness had plagued them for weeks and days, and their prayers had led them here. They were unsure of the greater task, but darkness grasped this place. By Holy hands, this place would be cleansed, and this plague cured. Their eyes fell on the small party. They appeared to be present to cleanse as well. Good. The Holy Light guides all on their path, and it led them all here. Surely, this couldn't be a coincidence. Perhaps the Light would show its guidance to them later, but for now, The purge of this infestation was required.