Legend of Ransera

Frost 1st 122 AS, 10:15 AM

Pulling his heavy fur cloak over himself Myles shrugged it into position roughly fastening it to his dented breastplate. Then he stooped and fastened the girls cloak around her neck, she’d grown at least an inch since they’d met, and the crystal sprouting from her head had grown slowly but surely as well. As he tied a smart bow for the girl she stared at him unblinking, something she often did when he drew near like she was searching him for something, or just staring through him, he was never sure.

He'd weighed the risks of leaving her in the room or taking her with him wherever he went for most of the journey and with the way the world only seemed to be getting more and more dangerous had pushed him to decide she was safest at his side for the time being. Moving his bedding from in front of the door Myles unbolted the two locks on the door and opened it enough to peer out. Seeing nothing but a dark empty hall Myles sighed and opened the door and stepped into the hall again scanning it for anything amiss. Finding nothing he motions to the girl to follow him, closing the door behind him and locking it Myles turns to the stairs, the girls hand already lightly gripping his own.
The quietness of the massive city was unnerving, never would he have expected a place that dwarfed Zaichaer to be so quiet, and yet the shadow that had fallen over the world had caused such. Creeping down the stairs Myles and the girl made there way to the front of the dingy inn they were staying at. The only denizens of the small bar and dining area was a single alcoholic, the proprietor and an old mercenary he’d hired to keep watch of the place with him. They all eyed Myles and the girl as they entered the room, her condition was impossible to hide so they all just gawked, as they often did. Still a look back to Myles kept most tongues held. Nodding to the owner behind the bar Myles laid a gold coin on the counter as he passed. “I’ll be back today” “Sure” the man responded. Stepping into the were light of the dawn Myles again cast his eyes about ever agitated and on high alert.
The streets were empty, the northern half of the city they stayed in laid quiet, no birdsong no people, just the light howl of the wind. Where food stalls should be sat shuddered wagons and carts, no criers yelling news, not even any patrols of soldiers. It wasn’t a secret this was the poorer side of town but the absolute lack of any security was disheartening. Myles had been lucky so far to avoid the creatures that had spawned from the shadows but he’d witnessed the aftermath of their ilk already and had little interest in seeing them first hand.

The two moved in relative silence down the street eyes darting to any storefront that showed signs of life, and so far he’d seen none. Adverts still clung to walls, the occasional newspaper wetly plastered to the cobblestones showing a date several days prior. It was as if the denizens of the city hoped that hibernation might save them from this dark winter.

Trudging onwards ever alert for food or danger Myles moved towards the center of the city looking for any signs of an open store or place he could acquire rations. As much as he craved sweets he also needed to restock their depleted supplies if they wanted to have a chance of continuing their journey should the empire prove fruitless. He still had leads to follow but they were dwindling. Looking from storefront to storefront from alley to alley Myles pulled the girl around his mind somewhere else and his instincts guiding them, the sound of her feet behind his and her hand in his own anchoring him to reality and preventing him from despairing about the increasingly grim state of things.

A tug at his hand shook him back to alertness, the girl had stopped and was now staring intently at an advert on a boarded-up restaurant. It advertised pancakes dressed with cream and fresh syrup. The sight made his own stomach growl, as he cursed the talented hands of the artist that wrought the sign.
In spite of the boards on the windows the front door was slightly ajar, a silver bell gleaming at the top of the cracked door. Stepping towards the door his curiosity peaked Myles reached for the handle but stopped just shy of it. The silence suddenly broken by a low growl from inside the shop….

Myles and the girl had just taken a step away from the slightly ajar door of the restaurant when the growling from within the shop became louder. Suddenly, three creatures with wolf-like shapes burst out from the door, lunging at them in an attempt to ambush Myles and the girl. Paranoia proving providential once more Myles had already begun moving before his mind told him to.
Myles quickly pushed the girl behind him, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword. He drew the weapon, its blade ringing out as he prepared to defend them. The first creature launched itself at Myles, who swung his sword in a wide arc, striking the beast across the chest. The sword connected with a heavy thud, and the creature staggered back, growling in fury.
But as Myles and the girl watched in horror, the wound he had inflicted began to heal before their eyes. The creature reformed, its shape twisting and warping until it was whole again. Myles cursed, realizing that a mundane sword would not be enough to defeat these shadow beasts.
He quickly positioned himself between the creatures and the girl, his sword held at the ready. The beasts began to circle around him, their eyes glowing with a malevolent light. Myles focused on protecting the girl, keeping his body between her and the beasts as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his sword held steady.
Suddenly, the creatures lunged at him in unison, their sharp claws reaching for his flesh. Myles fought back with a flurry of strikes, his sword clanging against their claws as he sought to keep them at bay. He was outnumbered and near overwhelmed, but he refused to let the beasts get past him to the girl.
With a roar of defiance, Myles swung his sword in a wild arc, striking the creatures with all his might. They staggered back, howling in pain, but again they began to reform, their shapes twisting and shifting as they prepared to attack once more.
Myles took a step back, his breathing ragged. He was tiring, and he knew it wouldn't be long before the beasts overpowered him. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl, who was watching the fight with wide eyes. He knew he had to get her to safety, even if it meant sacrificing himself, still he could think of few realities where his death wouldn’t be quickly followed by her own.
Again they leapt their obsidian claws and teeth glimmering with violence. Preparing himself to defend against another onslaught his mind still racing for a solution to these beasts Myles shifted his weight again and readied his sword for the next dance of parries and blows. For a moment Myles caught his desperate expression reflected on his blade. However as the beasts lunged the light changed to a vibrant purple, from behind him Myles felt a lance of pain pierce his back nearly extinguishing his consciousness in an instant from the mind shattering pain suddenly coursing through him. Violet Lightning had sprung from the Dragonshard on the orphans brow arcing through Myles and from him to the three monsters, and in an instant it was over. Barely able to stand after he experience Myles staggered barely able to keep his footing, his limbs spasming and twitching as his nerves tried to recover. Still his sword was in his hand, clenched with nearly seized up muscles, a strange, static still clung to the blade, arcing across a pattern of corroded metal that had formed as the energy surged through it.
The shadowy creatures… now two in number were finishing cannibalizing what had been the third of their number, they seemed to have restored their form in doing so. Still they were keeping there distance as if reassessing the threat they faced. Still the growling continued and they again lowered themselves preparing to pounce. A glance behind him was enough to reaffirm Myles determination, the look of fear on the girl behind him something he’d seen too often. Roaring once more Myles met the two lunging creatures with a wild slash from his blade. The crackling blade cleaved through the monsters now the blade ringing with a wicked metallic shriek as it carved through their umbral forms dispelling them back to wherever they’d come from. The sheen of static had disappeared from his blade but the black webs of charred metal and corrosion had stayed making the blade look warped. Fitting it back into its sheath Myles dropped to a knee as an aftershock of pain coursed through him. The girls hand found his again as his muscles twitched with pained displeasure. Straightening himself and summoning the vigor to hide his pain Myles forced a Smile for the girl before him. “Well, I hope they left some pancakes for us, the nasty monsters”

Review

Name: Myles

XP: 8 Points, no Magic
Lore: 6 Lores
Injuries/Ailments: Voidrillium Poisoning. For the next 15 days, Myles will experience surges of uncontrollable strength that come and go without warning. Once they pass, they will leave him utterly exhausted and in need of rest to recover. His temper will be much shorter for the same duration.
Loot: Pancake Breakfast!

Notes: The things we do for pancakes. I wonder if he would do more for waffles? A good thread, and Myles is very fortunate he has such a strong constitution in the face of the Voidrillium!