The Southern Continent (part 2)

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Jack Rothwell
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina and Alleece led the group up the hunting trail shoulder to shoulder, avoiding eye contact. Some five minutes passed in uncomfortable silence before the younger kobold leaned in and whispered something side-mouth in the kobold tongue.

"<Sooo... you screwing any of them?>"

Tamina jerked in surprise, flushing scarlet at the sudden inquiry.

"<Alleece!>" She glanced back hurredly, and resumed in quieter tones. "<Alleece, why in the spirit of conflagration would you ask me a question like that?>"

"<Well, there was that young human you ran away with...>"

Tamina's cheeks could have lit coal, Alleece grinned and chuckled.

"<What? You thought I didn't know? I saw how you were looking at her...>"

"<That was... well... it didn't end well. And, to answer your blunt accusation, no, I'm not.>"

"<Why not? It's a good-looking bunch.>" Alleece turned and waved at the trio some twenty feet behind them, saving the biggest portion for Udo. "<The blonde one's pretty handsome.>"

"<I'm not listening...>"

"<I like men who're a little thick round the middle, makes them cuddly.>"

Tamina clamped her hands over her drits and began singing a hunting song.

"<Then again, I know what your type is...>"

"<....fight like a dropla! Run like a galdy!....>"

"<I found out firsthand two summers ago on the eastern trail after all...>"

"<...feeding all the happy gah, and something-something algae!>"

"<You like the elf, don't you?>"

"<Ahh! Alright! Fine! Yes! She's breathtaking! Can we...>" A coughing noise from behind made Tamina stop. She looked back at the inquiring expressions of her companions and made a squeaking noise.

"Umm... just having a discussion. Nothing to worry about." She managed.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

Udo saluted back with his spear when Alleece gave him a wave (he was carrying staff and spear like ski poles, so he didn't have a free hand just to wave). Although he was trying really hard to concentrate on possible threats in the jungle, the byplay between the two cute gahs -- complete with song! -- was hard to ignore.

"Kobold girl talk," he sidemouthed to Khoo. "It's a lot more fun to listen in on than the other kind!"
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Graybeard
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Graybeard »

Khoo just smiled politely and nodded at his odd countryman, something he'd had plenty of practice in doing while working at the restaurant. Of course, with the Translation spell up (why hadn't Udo done the same?), he could understand everything that was going on, at least the words. The cultural component, now ... well, that wasn't quite so easy to grasp. But that was all right. He just sat back and took it all in; pulling out the crystal ball to record his notes would be rude, but he was getting enough of a sense of what was going on that he'd be able to extract some key things later ... and sell them to a no-doubt-adoring Crystal-net readership.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

Udo hadn't done the same because he didn't know that spell. His school had been a few steps down the scale from Sashi Mu, and Translation was no part of his battlemage training. Whether Khoo would use his secret understanding, to matchmake or make mischief, remained to be seen. But from the look of things, it would most likely just populate his crystal-net posts. From which, of course, it would never drift back to affect the parties involved, because that never happens.
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Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

"<You like the elf, don't you?>"
"<Ahh! Alright! Fine! Yes! She's breathtaking! Can we...>" A coughing noise from behind made Tamina stop. She looked back at the inquiring expressions of her companions and made a squeaking noise.
"Umm... just having a discussion. Nothing to worry about." She managed.


I smile. I haven't met a language yet I could pick up, and while my study of Kobold is only beginning, the word for 'erufu' is ni universal. So is Tamina's blush. And, with the bits of the language I have picked up - not to mention body language, another universal - I can follow the basics of the conversation. Tamina's friend teasing her about relationships. Something about a human woman - Jamie, I assume - and then Udo. A negative, and then the friend asking about me. And Tamina confirming her interest. I'm not quite sure what that long word was, but she spoke it with a slight sigh - a good sign for me, I think.

I quicken my pace slightly, closing the distance between us. As I do so, I review the handful of words I've learned. Grammar is still a bit tricky, but...

"<You also, I much like,>" I say in pigin Kobold. <"You also..."> I repeat the long word, as it seemed complimentary.

-- Drusia

OOC: In case it wasn't obvious, the 'long word' that Drusia can't translate is 'breathtaking'
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

Tamina's blush resurfaced in a tide of glowing crimson at Drusia's bold declaration, while the younger kobold laughed out loud.

"Y-you... I didn't..."

"<...didn't know elves could speak kobold?>"

"<Shut UP Alleece.>" The native made herself meet Drusia's eyes and smiled shyly. The other kobold appeared to lose interest. She turned away and stared into the distance with a frown on her face as Tamina continued. "I'm g-glad. Maybe when we go back we can..."

"Galdy."

"<I said sh->"

"GALDY!"

Tamina's rebuke died in her throat, as the other humanoid's warning finally reached her brain. She wheeled around to where Alleece was pointing the tip of her spear like an accusatory finger. She saw sleek shapes charging through the undergrowth, at least a dozen, and heading directly towards them. She squeaked, and unlimbered the bow she'd liberated during the stop to her home, and fumbled for an arrow.

"No time to hide! Can smell us!" As she called to her comrades the first of the diseased-looking felines leaped into view with a snarl. Tamina released the arrow with a whistling noise and took the creature in it's throat. The rest of the pack were close behind it.

"Don't let 'em bite you!" The other kobold yelled, dropping into a predatory stance with a feral-sounding hiss.
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

Udo was a little slow to see that Drusia was hitting on Tamina, and even slower to see that Tamina was responding -- picking up on social cues was by no means his strong suit. As his brow furrowed and his attention turned --

GALDY!

-- that he could get. With a "c'mon!" to Khoo, he came pelting up to the ladies, and jabbed at the foremost galdy with his spear, slashing its side. Another leaped straight for him, but he threw up a shield with his staff, on which its claws could find no purchase. As it hit the ground, he gave it a gut-stab that would prove fatal in time. Right now he was using the staff only for defense, because blasts were noisy and might draw attention. But if things got desperate, he'd let 'er rip. He kept close to his companions so they couldn't get surrounded.

His eyes swept the nearby path and trees, to see whether these things were fighting as individuals or as a coordinated pack - and what they were doing would determine his next move.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Jack Rothwell »

The galdy spread out as they approached, seeking to encircle the travellers and attack them on all sides. A pair of the creatures lunged forward, as if to provide a distraction for the attack pattern. Tamina took a second galdy down with her bow and hit the dirt in a roll which took her out of the path of the other high-leaping predator. Alleece took the galdy in it's side with an accurate thrust before it hit the ground. Droplets of venom stained the earth as it fell.

Tamina came back to her feet side by side with her clansman, seeing the last pair of the creatures finish the job of surrounding the group out the corner of her eye. The pack was down to nine, and the kobold's knew that the animals where ferociously persistent, even the magic-user's amplified roar would be little deterrent. She didn't want to believe that a feline-looking species was cold-blooded, but the dead, black eyes, and the snake-like way their lips peeled back when they hissed, was a convincing argument for it. It was little wonder that the Ralkin used these monstrous creatures for shock troops. If Tamina had had time to consider the matter she would've taken the sudden confrontation as a sign that that they were on the right path to finding the group.

"Get back to back!" Alleece's voice, the group needed little convincing.

OOC Of course back to back'll work with 5 people if one of them is really hard to surround.../OOC
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Alberich »

At Alleece's word, Udo shoved the unarmed Khoo into the middle of the ring. A forward galdy ran for the wind-wizard's back, but Udo blocked it with his force shield and stabbed it in the side, then kicked it as it tried to bite him. Luckily, its teeth didn't penetrate his boot. It took him several more jabs to drive it back. He could broaden his shield to cover a good part of the ring, but couldn't run out to take the fight to the surrounding dog-sized monsters. That would take someone with different powers.
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Drusia
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Re: The Southern Continent (part 2)

Post by Drusia »

What rotten timing. Ah well. Udo makes the first into the fray think better of it, giving the rest of us time to regroup. For most, that means circling up. For me, that means drawing my Durus and noting the largest concentration of them.

"Tighten the circle," I instruct the group at large, "I'll be back in a few."

At least this time I'm not fighting Eli as well as a Galdy horde. Also, it's nice that I'm fully rested and haven't just teleported two people a fairly long distance. I'm fresh and ready.

I gate and spin. Five galdy's - galdi? - hit the ground in roughly fourteen pieces. As the survivors turn towards me, I gate to the side, pinning two between myself and Tamina. I slash through both, killing one and pissing off the other. It turns, exposing it's back to Tamina. I don't even wait to see what she does to it - I know enough about her fighting capabilities to know that it's already as good as dead. Instead, I gate again, flanking another galdy with Udo. It loses a leg, and I gate again to assist Tamina's friend whose name escapes me at the moment. I bury my steel dagger in that one's back before turning my Durus on another one that's charging up behind me.

I roll beneath it, opening it's abdomen as I do so - and narrowly dodging it's spilled entrails. I wouldn't want galdy guts in my hair. Ick. I bounce back to my feet and look around.

That took a little less than twenty seconds. I feel like I've run a mile or so. Hopefully there aren't too many more.

-- Drusia

OOC: Ah, Drusia's favorite thing - a bunch of melee focused targets concentrating on other people. Backstab, backstab, backstab. ^^
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