Location: Local Inn > Manor Entrance |
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They're coming, Elise!" Marrok's heart was pointing in his chest. He could hear the hunters' footsteps growing louder with each passing second. "Run!" But she was petrified, hiding behind a wild oak, unable to move. "
Elise, please!" Marrok pleaded. He could hear his own pulse within like war drums whose vibrato served to instill panic and it was working. Marrok was out of options. They couldn't run anymore. They couldn't embrace their fear. They had to fight.
His blood went from warm to fiery hot as he bared his teeth toward his approaching doom. Four dark silhouettes emerged just over the shady hill, their eyes glowing red as they peered down upon him. The evil fiends cackled like crows, laughing at the boy and his efforts to save his sister. Marrok could hear his bones crack, his musculature adjust and transform. His hands were no longer the home of his fingers but, instead, gnarled paws with razor sharp claws. His humanoid canines were replaced with long feral teeth that came to a point. His hate and anger rose up from his stomach and into his throat before exploading out of his mouth in a monstrous, defiant roar.
Knock, knock, knock!And then it was gone. All of it.
Knock, knock, knock!"Oy! You have some sort o' critter in there?! We were explicit about tha rules of this establishment! No pets or animals!"
Marrok sat up in his bed. Not his bed, just
a bed. He quickly looked around the room to try and get his bearings. His satchel was hanging on the doorknob just across the way. The walls were very near to the bed with just a small chest in the corner of the room reserved for a guest's clothing. A guest's... He was in an Inn. Visions of his activities the night before were slow to return to his memory and once he looked at the night stand, he understood why. Upon it was a jug of ale or, rather, an empty jug where ale used to reside. It had found a new home within Marrok's stomach. Beside the jug sat a note.
Marrock brushed his long dark hair out of his face and furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't recall that note being there before. He quickly snatched it up and gave it a read. A refuge for the extraordinary, a haven from the vicious Normal. The perfect next spot to continue his quest to find his family...
"Ay, now, I'm not tellin' ya again! Open this door and get whatever wretched beast ya got outta this place! And you can go along with it after you settle up!" The voice behind the door sounded angry and deep. No doubt the innkeeper was a man of large stature. Marrok had no intention of finding out for sure. He leaped out of bed, allowing the blanket to fall to the floor, before darting across the room to his hanging satchel. With the flick of a wrist, he pulled it onto his arm and eventually around his shoulder as he made his way to the window. It was time to take his leave. If the innkeeper came into the room and didn't see any animals about, it wouldn't be long before he discovered the true source of the predatory roar and surely no good could come after that realization.
Unfortunately, the window was fixed to the walls and his room was on the second story. Marrok winced a bit. This was going to hurt. Like an athlete, Marrok hit his ready stance, preparing to dash forward and a second later he did just so, leaping into the air and tucking in like a cannon ball before crashing through the glass with a loud clash and falling to the earth far below. Another loud crash was soon to follow behind him. As he looked up from the dirt street he could see the furious innkeeper shouting down profanities from the ruined windowpane, no doubt having kicked through the room door just moments before.
It was time to leave that behind, though, and head forward to the next adventure. Onward to the Manor!
* * * * *
The trek took weeks but he found himself among the trees and couldn't help but take comfort in the scenery. A small blue bird sat atop his shoulder. A brave and curious fellow who decided to accompany him on his journey only moments ago. Eventually the duo found themselves at the edge of a clearing and just ahead they beheld the sanctuary Marrok had been seeking: The Manor.
Marrok stood for a moment and just looked on, trying to take it in.
"
What do you think, little fellow? Could this be a trap?" he asked his new feathered friend. The bird seemed to huff as if expelling a nervous sigh. "
No matter, though, right? Even if it is a trap, surely you are mighty enough to protect me, eh?" The blue bird whistled in response but immediately took flight, returning to the woods from which it came. "
O-kay. Right, then. Solo it is."
Marrok's every step was slow and methodical as his eyes darted every which way, ready to spot some sign of trickery or deceit. By the time he got to the front doors, he was pleased that he encountered no such thing thus far. Who knew what could be waiting on the other side of this sanctuary's entrance. One thing was for sure: He wouldn't find out by standing out here. With that, he swallowed hard, placed a hand on the knob and opened it wide...
1x Laugh
