[u][center]Roc Mission[/center][/u]
[b]A Roc Start[/b]

The horses set aside for the day’s ride to Leaper’s Plateau stamped their hooves nervously, their nostrils snorted and breathed heavy mist into the warm air. At their barrel bellies hung two days’ worth of supplies as well as extras like sleeping bundles and water skins to farther add comfort to the long ride. Among the unsteady animals was Eural, a young man about between his early twenties and late teens. His blond hair was a mess and his clothing just as scruffy, crumbled by long nights of sleeping within them and covered in layers of dust. 

Once he noted the group which had arrived, he smirked. “Well, if we’re all done chatting let’s be off shall we? It’s a day’s ride to and back but it’s over tough territory and if we’re lucky, the Roc might be away when we arrive.” 

Once they mounted, he led them through the gate and across the grey plains. The travel pace was likely extended farther by the slow set pace because of the balista which was a large, and in Eural’s opinion pointless machine to bring, hulking thing which required several horses to tug its wagon. Mages… always over complicating things he thought in a reproachful manner during his ride. Though not a word passed through his lips. 

[b]Several hours later….[/b]

Half way into the journey, their horses had left the grisly sight of demon heads tacked up like a morbid mini forest and buzzing of flies almost deafening behind them. However the scent seemed to follow and was almost too much to tolerate, Eural forcefully brought his horse slowly to a halt, preferably downwind of it. His beast, including the others, had become rather unsettled. Their tails flickered nervously while their heads seemed to scan the horizon, seeming to see something none of them could yet nothing seemed to be heading their way. Actually, the most unnerving part was the total absence of animals at all. Never had a bird sang its beautiful song nor had the glimpse of white tail deer that darted across the plains. It was if everything was scared into dark silence. 

He dismounted, his leg dropped hard into the ground. “Alright, we’ll give the horses a rest here and take a light lunch. We can also determine our strategy too with how to deal with the Roc. I much rather not waltz up on it before we all know what we’re doing. Nothing screams dinner like lined up horse meat to a Roc.” 

With practice ease, Eural unlatched his bag and a bundle to cushion his chosen seat on the ground. Wasting little time he had indicated where the others should sit then crashed himself. He chewed on some hard tack bread, washing it down with ale, while he took a small reed from nearby for a writing tool. He quickly sketched out on the dirt the position of the key markers, the plateau, the road, and where they were currently. 

“Alright, here’s what we’re dealing with. The Roc is a big ass bird. It’s large enough to lift a full size wagon, draft horse and all, right up off its feet and across large distances. Its eye sight can see in time of broad daylight but it can’t see at night, or in twilight. Flaps of its wings can reach to about several miles per hour which is like a full mage’s gale for an aeromancer if we managed to ground the bitch. Weak points are the eyes and wing joints, though the later will take great force to damage and you need to be close. Watch out for beak, feet, and talons. The beak and talons will shred you, the feet will crush you. Last location was the road just before Leaper’s Plateau so its stands to reason that’s where her nest is. So, any questions or ideas on our approach?” Eural asked, slightly in a mocking pleasant voice.