RP:Ambush in the Hunting Grounds

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Part of the What Lurks Beneath Arc



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Chapter 5: Ambush in the Hunting Grounds

Satoshi lives up to her name of 'Ghost' with the way she seemingly drifts across the snow, nary a bootprint left in her weaving wake. "It's got to be around here somewhere~," the bard hums to herself, or to the ermine perched and alert on her shoulder, as both look about the area with narrowed eyes. Obviously, the snowy duo is searching for something and seem an odd mix of agitated and adventurous in the process.


Cerinii unfortunately, wasn't quite as ghost-like or graceful as Satoshi. She was submerged in most of the snow, her body weight too heavy to be above the thicker snow. She waded through it, metallic arm swinging forward every so often to clear away some of the snow. Her overly-pointed ears perked at the sound, calling out, "Snow Maiden! Hello!" Mind you, the yell may have sounded more strained than usual. If Satoshi got close enough, she'd probably see the purple bruising about her throat and wrist.


Satoshi's ears perk up at the familiar hailing and she turns with a grin already in place. "Ceri-dove~! What in hellfire brings you out here~?" Backtracking across her former path, the foxkin approaches the avian, her smile fading as she grews closer and spies the dark marks her Herald is wearing. "...what did you get into, hrm?" Unconsciously, the minstrel's left hand twitches at her side, droplets of glistening water forming along her palm and fingers as that newly acquired urge to heal is piqued by the sight of the injuries.


Cerinii looked upwards at the Snow Maiden, grinning widely, "Well, you of course! Heh, nein.. I was here to scout around for evidence of more burrows. Y'know." She eyed the water droplets quietly, interested. "Snow Maiden, you seem to be leaking..." She murmured with a level of concern, not really answering Satoshi's question. Her wings unfolded and her torso shook, making a greater hole in the snow. She then scrambled out of the hole, dusting off the snow.


Satoshi follows Cerinii's gaze to her water-coated hand and simply frowns. "Oh, hellfire." She gives her hand a sharp shake then, banishing the droplets only to have them return seconds later. "Eh. Pests. Not 'leaking', dove. New magic, doesn't know when to leave me alone." A narrow-eyed glance goes to the translucent katana on her hip as if the words are meant for and can be understood by the gently humming blade. The meek tone Ko'tar's constant song takes suggests it very well -does- understand, which elicits a nod and smirk from the foxkin as she looks back at Cerinii. "Funny. I'm looking for burrows too. At least, I think so. Ol' frost-for-scales has been upset over -something- hunting the hatchlings up here. I'm guessing it's our little... friend, again."


Cerinii inclined her head, "I see.. New magic, how interesting." She grinned, a twirl of her cane before it was resting upon her shoulder. "Hm. I haven't heard much about more giants und people going missing.. Perhaps the curfew is working or I have missed something.." She gave Scorpious a gentle tap, allowing the tiny scorpion to shudder and whirr into life before scuttling up onto her shoulder. She eyed Satoshi quietly for a minute, before asking, "So... I suspect ein main burrow will be here, somewhere.. Do you think it would be anywhere near here?"


Satoshi nods slightly even as her eyes continue searching the already inspected snowbanks. "I assume so... Cryothain's den isn't far from here, and I don't imagine one would get far above ground with one of her brood before she caught them. She's a good mother, for all her grumbling." It's as close to a compliment Satoshi's likely to give the cantankerous frost dragon. "I never thought I'd say this but... Damn this constant snowfall! We can't find a burrow like this, if it just gets buried anew in moments!" Hands clench into fists, the water gathered on one freezing into a needly glove with the foxkin's frustration. She prides herself as a predator, but this one has managed to elude her endlessly while taking what was hers, and it's pushing her to wit's end.


Cerinii was pacing now, ignoring most of what Satoshi said. Not to be rude or anything, she was just.. thinking. Getting into the groove of being a mad scientist; a genius to some. But then it was that. 'We can't find a burrow'. She grinned, raising her cane with an almost triumphant, "Aha!" She chuckled, "Why did I not see it before!" She eyed Satoshi, beginning to thump the end of her cane against the snow, in a slow and steady sort of way. She grinned, "Worms. Worms burrow into the ground. They are attracted to vibrations, that's why you always see them on rainy days or why the birds tap about the ground to get them up."


Satoshi watches the cane's rhythmic thumping, her right hand unclenching and unconsciously tapping out the same tempo against the bell hanging from her katana's hilt. "Are you saying," the bard speaks slowly as her thoughts work themselves out, "we're dealing with some sort of worm? Can't be the usual frost worms. They're not so... secretive. And they bellow when they ambush their prey. We..." Satoshi's features darken slightly as she looks at the scientist, "we have to find it, Cerinii. Ayras has been missing. He went to find the children that had disappeared. If it took one of my knights too..." The bell beneath her fingers jangles violently as if to finish the sentence.


Cerinii shook her head, "Nein. They are not worms, if they were worms they'd be easy to solve and they wouldn't particularly go after children unless they were young." She smiled, "I'm saying they work in ein similar way. Vibrations! Sound!" Her right foot began thumping along, seeing as it was metallic and heavier than her other foot it would make more noise. She eyed Satoshi, "We must be ready for the worst to happen if we call them out. You must tell me now if you wish to stop."


Satoshi's answer doesn't come in the form of words but rather the abrupt manifestation of Asorial into her hands, the scythe's black-ice surface crackling as if in delight at the promise of coming violence as its haft is struck against the permafrost to match Cerinii's rhythm. A look of stubborn determination is etched on Satoshi's face as she steadily brings Asorial against the ground, and for a moment it's almost like her old bloodlust has been awakened once more, that familiar gleam of predatorial light blazing in her eyes. The Snow Maiden is out for revenge, but for once her violent temper is maintained by a coldly focused, clear mind, making her the calculating hunter rather than the former wild animal.


Cerinii continued on, her rhythm intense and matching Satoshi's. She eyed Satoshi quietly, focusing on the area around the Snow Maiden. She wanted to see where this burrow was.. where these things would be coming from. Although they couldn't hear it over the howling winds, those beasts were already screeching as they scrabbled up the burrow and out to the surface. Cerinii didn't notice at first, those slender pale shapes quietly and smoothly exiting the hidden burrow behind Satoshi. Her cane and leg continued, until she heard it. That.. that loud, invasive sniffing at her back. She stopped ubruptly, even shuddering with fear. Oh, Cerinii didn't fear things. But this.. This was frightening. Those pale shapes crawled towards Satoshi, sniffing loudly as they got closer and closer. Cerinii decided then that it was time to move. "Snow Maiden! Behind you!" Clichéd I know, but it's straight to the point. She brought the cane back, allowing the hooked end to snake around the head of the monster. She jerked it forward, allowing the forehead of the creature to smack against her left shoulder, which had a degree of metal plating about it. It screeched, that horrific, offending screech to those sensitive ears.


Satoshi's moving even before Cerinii's warning comes, a predator's instinct making her all too aware of the bloodthirsty gazes suddenly upon her back and provoking her into reaction--with her own nervous shudder preluding her movements. There's something truly wrong in the feel of those looks. Scythe in hand and blade shifted downward, Satoshi turns abruptly on a heel with fangs bared and words snarled, " 'bout time~!" Asorial's shrill whistle as it's swung through the air in a wide arc is a harsh counter-sound to the screeches, the noise becoming all the louder and almost mocking as the pale creatures dance nimbly out of scythe range with one gaining no more than a slash across its torso. "What... in hellfire are these?!" the frost singer hisses to her winged companion as she takes a cautious step back, brandishing Asorial at the strange creatures to keep them at bay.


Cerinii kept jerking the cane back until she felt the gooey bloody splatter against her neck and hair. She cried out with rage, much like a barbarian might. She growled, turning with some grace for once! Her metallic leg kicked against the body of the now dead monster. She brandished her cane at the other creatures now facing her... Too many really, for a cane to deal with. She called to Satoshi, "What do we do?! I see nein logical path out of this, I have little weaponary!" Her wings flared out, as if bigging herself up to the creatures. Maybe making them look at her as a more tantalizing meal..


Satoshi smirks at Cerinii's words. Where the avian might be without weaponry, the foxkin is standing on a veritably arsenal. And with Asorial in her grasp, her supply of mana's on an entirely different level. "What do we do? Throw snow at them, dove, I'll do the rest~." With her remark comes a whistle, low at first before rapidly building and mingling with the howling wind, to carry the music-borne spell into the snows gathered around them. A shift in the whistle's pitch and the ground beneath the crawlers' feet solidifies abruptly, from soft snow to a sheet of ice without the faintest flaw to provide any traction. With enemy footing compromised, Satoshi can embed Asorial in the ground beside her and focus on a secondary spell, singing arcane words as she moves about scooping up snow and hurling the handfuls at the creatures. Each little snowball needs only an impact with ground or flesh for the spell to trigger, causing tiny eruptions of icy shards and breath-constricting chill.


Cerinii nodded at Satoshi's suggestion, not bothering to over-think it or anything. She was certain Satoshi knew what she was doing. She dropped to her knee, cane set aside quickly. Metallic hand scooping up snow and pelting it as quickly as possible. Scorpious had taken the time to scuttle down his mistress and settle into the snow next to her. His metallic stinger scooped up tiny amounts of snow, attempting to also pelt them at the creatures. She kept her wings outstretched, just because she could really. But look! Scorpious! Throwing snow! How cute.


Satoshi spares a second in her process of driving off the screeching haunts to eye Scorpius. Useful little bugger, isn't he? Lady Frostmaw can't quite help a grin at his attempts, at least. "Just a bit more~," the minstrel sings, a glance going toward the skies. Somewhere over the din, she's caught the sound she's been waiting for: a distant, outraged roar. Not much longer now and Satoshi won't be the only one here seeking revenge. The crawlers have two options: continue to try and kill the pair of stubborn prey, or withdraw to try again later, when the prey is less aggressive. Satoshi herself is hoping for the latter, so that the creatures can be traced to their burrows before Cryothain shows up and begins her avenging rampage, eliminating any chances of finding the other stalkers.


Cerinii kept flinging snow, Scorpious also flinging the snow that he could. She called to Satoshi, "They seem to be retreating!" She grinned, watching as the creatures backed away during their screeching bouts. As one turned to leave, she noticed something. Something that subterranean creatures wouldn't normally have. She even forgot to fling snow, until a loud screech reminded her. She used both hands now, even if the snow was so cold it made her fingertips burn with frost.


Satoshi kicks one last flurry of snow at the retreating back of the creature she slashed earlier, allowing herself a cold chuckle when it's struck and sent scrambling away from the arcanely chilled frost. "Blizzards and hellfire. I don't like those things. And I thought we had just -one- hunter to deal with, when it's actually a pack... Maybe even a horde." Another draconic roar, closer now, interrupts the Snow Maiden's verbal musing and she looks toward the avian. "Shall we follow them? Or return to town and work out a plan?" What's this? Forethought? Satoshi's journey outside of Hollow truly has changed her to the very core.


Cerinii watched as the creatures retreated completely, standing upright after picking up Scorpious. She set him on her shoulder, turning to face Satoshi. Her cane was fine on the ground for now. "Nein.." She whispered. Absolute shock on her face for some reason. "It's.. It's ein whole city." She rubbed the back of her neck, "To follow after is suicide. We must plan."


Satoshi gives Cerinii and incredulous look. "A -city-? Beneath us? How can that be? How..." The foxkin stumbles back a step, a thought striking her with almost physical force. "The bank! They're digging!" As she speaks the words, Cryothain thunders into the air above them, roaring an infuriated challenge to all living beings in the area while winging in tight circles, unable to land easily among the trees below. The dragon's usual foul temper doesn't change in the slightest as she eyes the pair beneath her, as if ready to accuse even Frostmaw officials of hunting her cherished brood. Satoshi glares right back at the saurian, defiant despite the massive difference in size between them. "Shut it, Frosty. We need to get back, and you're taking me there, like it or not!"


Cerinii nodded, "Ja.. The cities fell long ago, Satoshi." She murmured gently, looking to the Snow Maiden, "It's easy to say that the mountain caved in after the city fell.. Trapping mein kind down there.. Und we live ein very long time." She paused, "They must have changed, to.. to suit their environment." She heard the roar, pointed ears perking and face visibly cringing with distaste. "Hmph." She watched Satoshi's retort with some amusement. Not everyday a cat talked so boldly to a massive dragon.


Ovouri was following the behemoth of a dragon, it was in fact exactly what brought him upon the two officials. The stalking is left off, and the deviant slips from the trees above to appear like a phantom beside the queen. His alternate persona seems to rule in this day and a steady change has taken hold of the youth. His height seems to match that of Satoshi's his shoulders having broadened to some degree. It is however the froze, almost apathetic look upon his features. Ovouri holds the strain of one older than his years, his facial features more clearly sculpted, holding the look of one numb to life. He bows in the slightest to the Ice magus. " Ello, M'lady."


Satoshi manages to refrain from jumping in surprise at Ovouri's sudden appearance beside her, and it's only when she moves a hand for that customary pat upon his head that she stops, blinking. "You've grown, Vivi." An affectionate rap of knuckles upon his skull follows, along with, "I hope you've let that grow too. Keeping studies up and such. Actually..." the bard's words trail off as she watches Cryothain huff in annoyance and flap away, spitefully leaving the foxkin behind. Damnable dragon... "Right. Ahem. You've got excellent timing, Vivi. There's... some particularly nasty beasts in the area, and we need to get back quickly. What say you to being our escort, squire~?" A look goes to Cerinii then, with promise to discuss this further once they're in relative safety, before she looks pointedly at the dead crawler left behind. "Do we take that with us...?"


Cerinii had already moved to take the corpse from the snow, making a note to lift her cane too. She heaved it up onto her left shoulder, body sinking slightly into the snow after working hard to get that balance. She grinned faintly, "They aren't that heavy.. But still, the extra weight is not beneficial." She paused, "Ah, would you mind lifting up mein cane? It's difficult to carry both, you see." She eyed Satoshi, murmuring, "Did you notice those.. wing like things? Featherless. Like bat-wings. But still.. Wings."


Ovouri offers a subtle blink at the touch before gracing the feline with that obvious change to his demeanor, a half-smirk that is pure innocence. " Vi, can look at you face to face now. " There is something of a laugh carefully placed in that happy sentence before he eyes both the crawler and in the same fashion Cerinii. " I'll guide you both back if you need, m'lady. Ov can take on Frostmaw stuff, no problems." He's taken to speaking in third person it seems, though for what reason is yet to be ascertained. Just as simply as this is said does the strange male draw a curiously familiar looking blade; Oblige. It doesn't bode well for any-beast intending to hinder his escort. "Need Vi to help?" He offers as a secondary thought, blinking again at Satoshi.


Satoshi stoops to retrieve Cerinii's cane, Asorial dissolving back into its dormant state in the same movement--likely to sulk about the presence of Oblige. The foxkin's katana seems less moody than the scythe, however, giving a trill of delight when Ovouri's blade makes an appearance. "Shh," the bard instructs Ko'tar, resting a hand lightly on the hilt to calm its ever-present song. "Right. My taller knight, lead the way and keep us safe, hm~?" Twirling Cerinii's cane once in a mimic of the avian's earlier gesture, Satoshi brings it down to point toward the path out of the snowy woods.




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