Omni5876

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Fer followed the thrown stone’s trajectory and heard the very audible smack. However, it seemed his arm was not as accurate as it had been. The man was not knocked out or incapacitated but at the very least he had managed to stir the hornet’s nest.

He cursed under his breath really wishing that he could have his old bow. It would have been possible to have his arrows hit a few necks by the time the bandits knew what was happening. Still, as it was it seemed he would be able to at least pull some attention. He picked up another rock in his hands and was ready to fling it again when he heard and saw his holy friend answer the challenge.

His under handed ways were lost to Auriel. He sighed, the girl was much too honorable for her own good. Still, there was something exhilarating about hearing her firm voice and her resolve. She was used to leading men and facing down devils. Unfortunately, men such as these had no soul and their minds were so corrupted that they were little better than animals. Just like animals, the best thing to do was to beat them into submission.

Even a modern fighter such a Fer who was used to the sound of gun fire and bringing death from afar, could appreciate the beauty and grimness that close quarter fighting was. Auriel’s movements were sharp and efficient. The bandit was obviously experienced but was no match for a true master of the art like Auriel.

It was not until she knocked out the other man and heard her yell that he cursed himself for not taking advantage of the distraction. Once the men started to rush her he threw his next stone. There was not much aim needed as he threw it towards the crowding men. He went for strength this time and put his back in to the throw hoping it would be much more painful when it hit. He moved to the opposite side of the barn. His plan was to eventually be found out and be chased. He would then use the opening to one of the animal holing pens which he had rigged. He hope to incapacitate at least another one with his trap and to pull some numbers from Auriel.

This plan would also pull the men away from where Cole would eventually emerge leaving their backs to him. Also, the bandits did not know that they were fighting the Cardinal Heroes which would be extra shock and prove useful as they would not be as wary. Instead, Fer would continue to fling his stones, an angry bandit is a distracted bandit.

To Claim a Starting World

The large man made his way slowly through the village. His make shift sled bumping and clipping against the stones that made up the road. Here was a clear symbol of civilization. A mark that wilderness ended here. His feet were used to walking on the wild places of the earth and even to his booted feet, which he already hated wearing compared to being barefoot most of the summer, the texture of coble stone felt alien. He shambled on, his eyes beneath shaggy eyebrows and tick hair moved side to side identifying and remembering that not much had changed in the village. He had been in Norn on and off through his years and had actually seen many of today’s adults grow up. Many knew him or of him but few ever dealt with him. He noticed the smith at work and made a mental inventory to see if perhaps he would need a few more arrow tips or upgraded knives. His own had been used almost to the point of getting too thin. Depending on the return for the sale of his wares a few days time from now, he might upgrade.

His eyes stayed fixed on the smith who toiled about the fire. If the big man offered him a greeting the wild man would return it. Arn wondered if the smith, Hod, knew that he was the very definition of civilization. His fire crafted wares that allowed humans to be the reigning species. That his furnace created items that allowed creatures without tooth or claw to rule over much better predators. Heck, even prey was better suited to survival than humans were. The young of deer or bunny possessed better instincts that a man youth ten or more winters old.

As if to make his proverbial point, his eyes settled on a group that would have been carrion for wolves. Arn had not quarrel with anybody. It was true he did not trust anybody, but he did not go out of his way to make life hard for them either. The same could not be said of the young thug that tried to stare him down. He had known the offspring of the mead hall’s owner’s daughter, Wersk, since they had returned to the mead hall. The lad had often directed insult and perhaps some sort of blame(?) towards Arn. Children were often trying to prove their superiority, strength, and courage. The bearish man was perhaps an easy target. This time however, the malice of youth was starting to shift to the cruelty of adulthood. Some instinct inside Arn made him turn to face the lad when normally he would just ignore him. The wild man’s eyes rested on the other’s. The lad would find caution and warning written on Arn’s eyes.

He did not look away from a perceived threat despite the other lad’s attempt at assistance and apology. He knew Oskar, the lad had a sensible head on his head and would sometimes approach Arn with a greeting or question. As a young boy, he had asked about Arn’s wares, or totems or even his tattoos. It was perhaps of this small familiarity that he felt a pang of annoyance at Skal teasing Oskar. Arn started to rise to his full height, easily beginning to tower over the boys. He was surprised that the older delinquent came to Oskar’s defense. Perhaps there was some hope for the leader yet. Oskar may yet change the ways of the group. Only the heavens knew how many times the boy’s sensible head had spared them death or injury. In an unforgiving world as theirs, the consequences for dangerous situations were often final.

He still kept his eyes on them and watched the group pass. He then spit on the boy’s spit and stepped over it, his sled eventually erasing their exchange. This would also erase it from his memory. As a survivor of the wild, Arn had no space in his brain for situations such as these. As he made his way to the spot where the group had been, his eyes fell on the sight that they had been spying. Despite having faced danger and sometimes very real chance of death, Arn still felt a shudder as his eyes fell on the dark robed figure talking to the village had man. He did not know why, like many of his race and region, he was wary and perhaps even to a fault, of magic and the arcane. Unlike his peers, Arn did not think that magic was unnatural. It was actually some innate instinct that made him be wary of a deeper respect for the essence that seemed to inhabit every life force.

His unease was reduced a bit as he saw the crow allow itself to be fed. Crows were actually very crafty and intelligent birds. He often viewed them as harbingers of change and understanding. It perplexed him why the people of the village were so of put by them. Even now, he could see that Vosker had apprehensions. He felt drawn to the scene but he knew that in civilized company, one had roles and rules that had to be followed.

Instead he, made his way to the back/side door of the mead hall. He really needed to sell of his meat as soon as he could so that the buyer could profit before it was spoiled and so that he could get paid for it too. He had been making business with Frenn and his eldest son for years. He knocked in what had turned into an identification knock. There was a tap, a rap and a triple tap. It was loud enough so that the anybody in the back room would hear. While he waited for the door to be attended, his eyes stayed on the visitor. Her figure stood out amongst the villagers. The big man adopted the behavior of a bunny or other small scurry creature as he saw the pair across from him. It was painfully obvious the man was looking at them.

To Claim a Starting World

@LadyRunic I would most definitely rather hold off. Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. I hope you get better.

To Claim a Starting World

@LadyRunic Cool thanks for that. from what I am reading, Arn is as old or older that some of these figures so would it be wrong to assume almost everyone in the village knows him or of him? I mean he does come every other winter or so depending on the success of his catches right? Also, should I wait for your reply or should I go ahead and post?

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Fer gave a slight smirk. Despite the impending hard fight that was sure to befall the party, he could not help but be tickled by Auriel's maternal and firm direction to action. He did a mock salute. Despite this, he was also excited to see her in actual combat. She had been their coach and advisor all this time. She had kept to the sidelines to try and let the Heroes develop on their own. This time however, he was sure that she would be front and center dealing death and mayhem. No matter what one's beliefs and moral compass, death was death and weapons knew nothing of mercy or control. A gaping would would be the same weather it was delivered by a saint or by a demon. Some primordial sense inside Fer wanted to see the usually calm in controlled Auriel in the heat of battle. His cheeks reddened a little.

He made his way to the outside listening to Cole's veiled concern for him. He patted the sword on the shoulder. "Hey man, I am confident of what I am able to do. but even if I am not, you worry about the fight. Once we are in it, keeping tabs on everybody will be really hard." He knew from first hand experience how harrowing and chaotic battles where. There was a saying no plan survives first contact.

He gave Ariel a wink and set about trying to fashion whatever trap he could that would not require very much time and would be simple enough. He ended up able to make only three which where on the doorways between fences. As the door was opened, a branch under tension would be released and strike anybody about thigh or groin level. This would at the very least cause the bandits to move slowly which would give Fer some time.

He was finishing up the last one when he heard Cole call out a warning of approaching enemies. Fer made his way towards the edge of the barn and peeked around. He saw the horse and picked up a few decent size stones. If he hit the horse at the back, it might run wild and hurt some of the closer. The distance was too great however and instead he picked another target, something closer, like a bandit who sported no helmet.

He hoped that his arm was still in good order. He aimed carefully and let the rock fly. The man's eye would be the target. The force would be enough to seriously wound the man. The battle had begun....

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

@Whoami be safe. you got lots of catching up to do lol. I expect a solid 1600 word essay with bibliography

To Claim a Starting World

@LadyRunic no pressure, I just assumed it would make the interactions and the descriptions better but I can play blind too.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

sorry for the late post. I honestly thought I had posted but it was drafted only.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Fer had not been present for the summoning of the bow so he had no reference to what Cole was referring to. However, he shared his misgivings. A bow would definitely provide the firepower to even out any handicap that his lack of offensive capability brought to the table. He also wished the Spear would be present. It would perhaps be a better paring than Cole due to the reach. Either way, it was just the two of them and he was sure that they would not let any one get hurt and that thanks to their magical weapons, would be able to emerge at the end. Not unscratched perhaps but emerge at the very least.

The shield followed the gaze of the farmer as he saw the silo near the house. Like Cole, he knew that height was an advantage but it could also be a downside. He shrugged his shoulders at Cole’s suggestion. He had no problem being the focus of an attack. After all, that was literally his entire reason for being in the party.

“I have no issue drawing them in as you fall from the heavens like righteous punishment for their deeds.” The sarcasm was obvious in his voice but it was not meant to be a hidden snipe against Cole. “Auriel could flank them if necessary which would stir the pot and cause even more confusion on their ranks.”

He cracked his neck. “Also, I may not be able to use weapons but I don’t think that the shield will have any trouble if I set up traps. I used to be a hunter and trapper in my own world and we would not need much. It would create even more confusion and perhaps incapacitate few.”
He started looking around for any tools or stuff he could use. He turned to the farmer. “I will replace any damages that happen to your farm. Now where do you keep your tools, rope, a shovel and we are going to need a few sticks or small branches that can be sharpened .” His mind started to run trough possible scenarios and traps in his repertoire that might be useful.

To Claim a Starting World

@LadyRunic Since Arn has been here a few times before and @Cyrania basically lives in Norn, could we have some sort of lay out and common folks we would encounter? Not an all inclusive list just perhaps a general idea so we can craft the posts. I think the only one who may not have much knowledge of the place would be @Blizz