RP:The Living Dead

From HollowWiki

Part of the Hour of Wolves Arc


Summary: Queen Hildegarde and her friend and ally Xzavior -- alongside Lisbeth -- discuss the bizarre rash of drug-related problems which have begun to plague Frostmaw. For now, there are no answers, only questions... and some of those questions are dubious and unsettling.

Frostmaw: FeeFighFeauxFum Alley

Hildegarde stood in the alleyway with her halberd in hand, fingertips touching the frosted debris of ancient carts and other such marketplace rubbish as she investigates the scene. A giant lays upon a bundle of refuse, not quite passed out but in some kind of passive state. Lisbeth is keeping her eye upon the passive giant, wary of letting her Queen come to any harm. “This isn’t the first one,” Hildegarde murmurs to her Captain, lifting her fingertips from the broken and old cart to lift them to her nose for a cautionary but investigatory sniff. Whatever it was, it didn’t warrant further sniffing. Maybe it was nothing at all! “What is happening to my kingdom?”


Xzavior had been traveling around the place for nostalgia's sake and happened upon the ally if just by chance. However, he was able to scent a familiar queen from not too far away and decided that heading this way may be an interesting prospect. Coming to see the giant and Hildegarde standing there with her Captain, he expanded a bit on her question, "What do you mean by that Silver? What's been going on?" He's always had an interest in this place, despite having recently avoided the place during the war.


Hildegarde, fortunately, did not leap right out of her skin! Lisbeth, on the other hand, drew her sword and held her shield aloft at the sudden appearance of Xzavior. It is only with the slight gesture of her hand and the welcoming smile upon Hildegarde’s face does Lisbeth lower her weapon and her shield, if only slightly. “Xzavior,” the Queen greets fondly, “how good it is to see you again.” It had been far too long, after all. “Ah… I don’t know. Some kind of substance has made its way to Frostmaw. These people keep taking it and, well, it does something to them. I do not know what but… well, they like to take it,” she tells him, gesturing at the seemingly zombie like giant. “No one knows what it is called, other than ‘spice’. But it doesn’t seem to give these people a spicy response. They walk around like the living dead.”


Xzavior had looked over to Lisbeth cooly as she went to raise her weapon. He sort of deserved that for having appeared so abruptly. Giving a return smile, the naga came closer to the giant to get a better look at what was going on, "As it is to see you again my Queen." He offered before muttering, "Strange..." Then out loud, "I'm guessing there's not much you know about the whole thing then?" Thinking of something at all there might be to help them along, with what few details they had, he had a hard time thinking there was. "How long has this been going on for actually?"


Hildegarde shook her head in reply, “No, not really. I don’t know what this ‘spice’ is or how they’re getting it,” she said gently. “And… I must weigh up the decision to allow this import and see if it will result in people becoming careless and thus revealing information or do I stamp down upon it now and possibly send the rats into hiding?” A difficult decision to be sure. “It is hard to say how long it has been going on for, but I can’t imagine it’s been very long. Any longer and it would be more obvious, I should think,” she said thoughtfully, reasoning it out in her head.


Xzavior gave a hum of thought about her swayed opinion on keeping it or not. "Where I feel like the people wont be too inclined to say anything, I'd like to say that I think keeping this stuff around would be too dangerous. If anyone happened to slip this into the soldier's food or even your own, it'd leave quite an opening. However, I dont think stamping on them right now. They may just move locations or come back later. As said, just my opinion." he didnt want to tell her how to do anything, he was just thinking aloud amd offering his view.


Hildegarde wouldn’t be too bothered if someone slipped it into her food, poisons and the like barely influenced her kind! Fortunate were the dragons. “I am not inclined to let my people suffer. But I must decide if their immediate suffering will prevent the suffering of many and for much longer down the line,” not an easy decision ever. “It’s a complic--” she began to explain further when the passive giant suddenly rose up from his resting position in the cart and shoved Lisbeth with a force that seemed unnatural to any giant! Lisbeth tumbled over and landed squarely on Hildegarde, seemingly flattening the Queen and knocking her head against the graffiti strewn wall of the alleyway. The giant snarled, huffing and puffing like a raging beast as he turned his wild eyes to Xzavior.


Xzavior looked over to the queen and bobbed his head side to side. He could understand the decision she was thinking of making. He just would rather kill the snake at the head. So to speak. However, he wouldnt get to voice that before seeing the Captain go flying across his vision. Unable to stop Hilde from getting hit in responce he snapped back to the giant before sliding back and gathering magic, "And good morning to you too..." he muttered before making sure the giant's focus was on him and not the other two. "Care to dance?" before lundging forward with an ice encrusted hand and aiming for the giant's knee. Even out any size difference if he could.


Hildegarde is busy underneath Lisbeth trying to push the giantess up off of her! Xzavior is left to contend with the substance abusing giant before him, who froths at the mouth like a rabid creature. He makes largely incomprehensible noises, things that don’t even make sense but he’s yelling it anyway! Xzavior is so little in comparison that when he lunges forth, the giant scoops his arms downward in a hopeless bid to catch the snake-man and swipe him away. Of course, Xzavior is too little and too quick for the giant to catch him and thus just under his knee is struck with an ice encrusted hand which causes him to cry out in pain and buckle slightly. Hildegarde has, fortunately, managed to crawl out from under Lisbeth and take hold of the Captain’s shield. With a mighty cry, the Silver wallops the shield against the small of the giant’s back which sends him sprawling forth. “Xzavior!” she cried out as she walloped the giant, evidently wanting to warn the naga about the soon sprawling giant. The giant collapses face forward in a heap of exhausted muscle. His violent burst was short lived.


Xzavior felt the ice crack around his hand along with something else along his arm. Nothing too bad but still hurt. Hearing his name be called he quickly moved out of the way before watching the giant fall. As soon as he hit the ground, Xzavior would make sure he wouldnt cause too much trouble with another one of those outbursts and restrained the giant's arms to the ground till told otherwise. "Not my smartest decision... Yea. Getting rid of this stuff sounds like a good idea. Sooner rather then later."


Hildegarde looked at the restrained giant and sighed softly. It was unusual to say the least. “We need to notify the guard. They can get this man to a safer place.” The Silver looked at Xzavior, “Thank you, friend, you did well there. Can I trust you to keep him secure and make sure Lisbeth is well whilst I find the guard?”


Xzavior nodded simply and looked tocthe Silver. "He wont be going anywhere any time soon. I'll make sure of it." he had already started towards the giantess. "Go on. I got this." giving her a reassuring smile he went to move Lisbeth in a more comfortable position.