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- >Day Meditation in...
- >You actually don't know where you are.
- >You are Anon Ymous, monk of the realm.
- >Even here.
- >Wherever here is...
- >You thought that meditation would help find some answers, but it has come up with nothing but replaying the same moments that got you here.
- >Accepting the request from the townsfolk to check out some commotion in the forest.
- >Going to check out said forest, and finding that there was a massive cult of wizards practicing magicks.
- >Foul magicks, indeed.
- >A massive fight with said wizards.
- >Many of them were felled by your fists.
- >Not enough, apparently, as they cast you far off into Kols knows where.
- >You don't recall any of their incantations, so you couldn't go off of their words that crafted the spell.
- >Possibly another spell weaved into the spell that cast you away?
- >No matter.
- >It's not as if you can't survive on your own.
- >The earth will provide, all you have to do is keep moving.
- >You finish your meditation, and pat down your robes to get rid of the excess dust.
- >After doing so, you decide to find the nearest river.
- >Which has a host of benefits, but the greatest is that if you travel down the river, you will eventually reach civilization.
- >You begin to calmly walk, intent on finding the river, but not obsessed with it.
- >While walking, you hear the crunch of leaves underneath your feet.
- >Wait.
- >You stop walking, and the crunching stops.
- >But not immidiately.
- >Your brow furrows.
- >Rogues? Highwaymen?
- >No, they would've struck already, mistaking you for a common traveler.
- >Wizards?
- >You frown slightly.
- >Any number of possibilities could be what is following you.
- >You continue walking, the crunch of leaves resuming.
- >And so does the second set, almost matching yours.
- >You stop again, feeling a grim sensation in your bones.
- >You hear a slight shift in the leaves behind you, and a gust of air.
- >You spin around to meet your attacker, and are shocked when you see it.
- >You figured it would be something like a wolf, or possibly a bear.
- >You did not expect an amalgation that appears to be a mix of lion, scorpion, and bat.
- >Instincts kicking in, you roll out of the way.
- >Just in time, too, as you hear the beast's tremendous weight crash down upon where you had stood moments before.
- >You start to raise your fists, but drop them.
- >Hold on a second.
- >You've dealt with animals before.
- >And you've calmed them, too.
- >Maybe it'll work if you try it on this...thing.
- >You clear your throat, raise your hands in a placating gesture, and begin to speak.
- "Hello creature, I wish ye no harm. I am merely a passerby in your territory. Please allow me to leave."
- >There is no need for senseless vio-
- >SWOOSH
- >You barely duck out of the way of the monster's scorpion tail.
- >You frown, and scan over the beast.
- >It's mane is ratty, it's ribs are sunken, and it's eyes are bloodshot.
- >Fuck.
- >It's feral.
- >Your frown deepens, and you raise your hands, half-curling them.
- "If that's the way you want it, foul beast, then you shall have it."
- >The beast doesn't appear to listen to your words, and growls ferociously.
- >It curls up for another pounce, and releases, bounding towards your location.
- >But you were ready for it this time, jumping out of the way.
- >It snarls, and begins to pace around you, lashing it's tail occasionally to the side.
- >It recklessly charges you, to which you easily sidestep, and start rapidly punching it in its wide open side.
- >The beast yelps in pain, and tries to swipe at you with a claw.
- >You once again jump out of the way, but this time upwards, landing on the beast's neck.
- >You get a handhold on it's mane as it tries to shake you off.
- >You manage a glance at it's side, and see that you haven't even scratched it.
- >'What is this thing made of?'
- >The beast ceases its shaking, confusing you.
- >Why would it-
- >You forgot about the tail.
- >You feel another burst of air pass close to you, and a very small slicing sensation over your right shoulder.
- >You grunt, feeling the burning venom seeping in through the wound.
- >You've never faced this creature before, so you don't know how lethal the venom is.
- >It might be very, it might be not at all...
- >Either way, this beast is a menace to the townspeople.
- >...if there is any nearby, that is.
- >But, that does mean you have to take care of it.
- >You dodge a stab with its spear of a tail, and seat yourself upon its neck once more.
- >The blows earlier had no effect, but maybe...
- >You get an idea.
- >You stand up on its back, but remain hunched over, having your backside lifted in the air.
- >'Sorry arse, you'll have to be the bait.'
- >You feel its muscles tense, and the tell-tale SWOOSH of its tail cutting the air.
- >You drop down at the precise moment, and watch with grim satisfaction as the beast's very own tail impales itself in its neck.
- >A spray of blood comes from the beast's throat, and it begins to charge you...
- >...but it's losing blood too fast, and its proud charge slows to a trot, which eventually ends up with it collapsing to the ground.
- >You turn to walk away, but you hear a whimper from the beast.
- >You turn around, and it has this look in its eye.
- >It's strangely...
- >You don't know what you would call it, but humans have a term for it.
- >It's strangely...human.
- >That's what they say...right?
- >You shake your head, and return your vision to the beast.
- >It's starting to whimper, pleading you with words it cannot say.
- >Its eyes do more than enough, though.
- >It wants its suffering to end.
- >You sigh.
- >You never really liked to see anything in pain.
- >You walk over to it, and it lifts its neck slightly, as if acknowledging defeat.
- >You raise your fist, and plunge it towards the wound in the beast's neck, wrapping your stubby fingers firmly around the beast's spinal cord.
- >A short jerk later, and you hold a small piece of it's lifeline.
- >The beast's whimpers cease as it spasms slightly, slackening immidiately.
- >You walk away from the beast's carcass.
- >..Or do you?
- >You just realize that it has become nothing but dead meat.
- >Which is also known as dinner.
- >You smile and retrieve a dagger from your side-pouch.
- >You work over one of its rear legs, it tearing loose after some effort.
- >You heft it over your shoulder, and begin your search for the river.
- >But grunt, and collapse.
- >It wasn't that the leg was heavy, or anything.
- >Your eyes widen.
- >The poison...
- >It appears to have a short activation time.
- >You feel yourself starting to slow down, and throw the beast's leg off of you, rolling so that you face upwards, lying on your pack.
- >Is this it?
- >Is this how you die?
- >...
- >No.
- >Your addled mind remembers that you have healing herbs in your satchel.
- >You can't recall whether or not they contain a antidote...
- >But they'll have to do.
- >Slackening muscles race for your side pouch, ripping it open.
- >You dig through it quickly, and grab hold of something that feels plant-like.
- >You tear it out of it, and confirm it as the herbs you remembered.
- >You shift your robes as much as you can, and reach towards it with the herbs, holding it in place.
- >For a second, it appears to be all for naught, you laying there feeling worse and worse.
- >But as soon as you're ready to give up, the herbs take effect, the curtain on your mind lifting.
- >After you feel well enough to stand, you do so.
- >And you also recall the herbs that you had in your pouch.
- >'Meridian's Mystical Moss', the peddler called it.
- >You need more of it.
- >You heft the leg of the beast again, and something catches your eye.
- >Is..is that...?
- >More of the herb the peddler sold you, just sitting right there on a nearby rock.
- >You drop the haunch, and start to gather up as much as your pouch will hold.
- >Which is, admittedly, not much.
- >After gathering the herbs, you note the position of the sun.
- >It appears it will become sunset, soon.
- >No reason to try not to make good time, though.
- >You shift the beast's haunch onto your shoulder again, setting off in a direction.
- >This time, you actually make it to a river.
- >You sigh, and set the leg of the beast down.
- >You shift your shoulder, rubbing your sore shoulder.
- >You surprise yourself by it returning back bloody.
- >You almost facepalm, but realize that the same hand you were going to facepalm with was covered in blood.
- >So, you therefore decide to clean your robes off.
- >You strip out of them, remaining in your pair of shorts, but your chest bare.
- >You walk over to the river, and lower your robes into it.
- >...
- >After washing your robes in the river, you hang it on a nearby branch to dry.
- >Now...about that haunch.
- >You need fire to cook it.
- >Which you don't have one built, currently.
- >You grunt, and set about getting various supplies to build a fire.
- >Which meant alot of stick-gathering.
- >And punching tree branches.
- >Good way to work off stress, but not exactly time-efficient.
- >After some time ,you gather enough wooden fire-starting materials and arrive at the place you have determined as you camp for the night.
- >Setting up a small amount of tinder, you reach into your pouch, manuevering your hands to get your fire-rock and its accompanying tiny bar of steel.
- >You scratch the two implements towards the kindling, sparks leaping towards it.
- >It starts to catch fire, and you start to blow on it, slowly coaxing the fire to life.
- >You start adding little pieces, and in short time you have a comfortable fire built up.
- >You smile at it's much appreciated warmth.
- >Just in time too.
- >The sun appears to have set in the time that you were taking.
- >Now, about that haunch...
- >You bring it over into your lap, and retrieve your small dagger.
- >You begin to cut off the hide that covers the beast's haunch.
- >Your stomach grumbles, clamoring for the fuel that is the beast's leg.
- >But you quiet it down, and shear the beast's hide from the leg.
- >You take two sticks that look like two big Y's, and set them up on opposite sides of the fire.
- >Balancing the leg on them, you start to slowly turn the leg while it cooks.
- >Your mind starts to wander as you lose yourself in the roasting of the beast's leg.
- >You recall every moment up until now.
- >And you realize that something feels...off.
- >There is something even about the air.
- >It feels like it's full of magic.
- >Not even at the wizard's camp did you find even this massive a source of magical power.
- >It doesn't sit right with you.
- >You can't detect anything sneaking up on you that may be able to cast spells.
- >The fact worries you.
- >What if a wizard got the jump on you again?
- >They can do some serious damage, even if you are paying attention to them.
- >You mind continues to muse various circumstances, but are broken out of it, being that you realize that the beast's haunch is cooked.
- >You remove it from the fire, and hold it in front of you.
- >Without much grace (You're a dwarf, for Kols' sake!) you dig into the haunch, which tastes wonderful.
- >...Or it may be that you haven't eaten anything except this, but that's beside the point.
- >Although, there is one thing missing.
- >Ale.
- >Never before have you missed it like now, when you don't have access to it.
- >Well, it's as they say: Absence makes the heart fonder.
- >...or something like that.
- >After polishing off the haunch, and throwing it far enough away from your campsite, you lay down in front of the fire.
- >Eyes slowly drifting shut, you doze off into the dreamscape...
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