forum I summon thee @Young-Dusty

Started May 08, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

She circled back around, grabbing handfuls of moss as she went. Knowing that moss burned quick, bright and wild, she set some balls of it on fire and threw them at the water, melting some of it, ignoring the sparks and small flames licking at her bare arms.
The rest of the moss went to a line between her and the Deorn.

Rick nodded. "Nice!" Having completely destroyed the den by that point, he made a torch of his own and came to stand beside Tanrial. "We can get outta here any time," he muttered, "But I think we should finish makin' ourselves clear first. Let's try to make him retreat–He'll know we're trying to reclaim the land if we do that."

(Wrong rp XD)
"I'll follow your lead." She squared her shoulders, making herself seem taller next to her burly companion. The bough was still burning strong, and she brandished it diagonally in front of her. "There's more moss slightly behind us. We can throw it directly at him, see if it scares him off slightly."

(lol it happens XDD)
Rick scooped up a clump and hefted it, then set it on fire and pitched it directly at the young Deorn. It leaped aside in surprise, landing in the water with a large splash. Rick picked up some more moss, straightening to make himself as tall as possible.
"You might as well just pack your bags and leave, pal," he called. "You ain't wanted around here, and we're gonna keep pesterin' you until you clear out."
The Deorn didn't stop hissing. Then, unexpectedly, it spoke. Its voice was strange and rough, but sounded like that of a teenage boy. "Who are you people?"

"We're defending the people who you're bothering, kid. That's all you need to know."
She kept her voice soft and not unkind, though her expression remained stony.

"Why do you care?" The creature snarled. "You're not even from around here."
Rick shrugged. "Well for one thing, we care about our own species, and for another thing we're gettin' paid to do this. Now are you gonna leave quietly or not?"
The Deorn's claws dug into the mud. "No. I just got here and this place is mine now. I'm not leaving!"

"Listen. It was yours when there was a trace of you. Now? It's as if you'd never been here. You can't lay claim to a place that, as you've said, you've just arrived here."

(well that took a little longer than expected)
"Now get," Rick growled, taking a threatening step forward. "This ain't the place for you."
The Deorn moved back slightly, almost without seeming to realize it. His fur was still bristling, but now his head was tucked into his shoulders and his body language was leaning more towards defensive rather than domineering. Rick saw their chance and took it.
"Now!" Lifting his torch, he threw the burning stick as hard as he could, directly at the Deorn. "Throw yours too, Miss Charlotte!"

(it's alright)
Charlotte hesitated, watching the young Deorn scared into submission. This wasn't what she was used to. She had never hurt these creatures, only tended to them.
But now, it seemed it was necessary. Rick had thrown his, telling her to do the same, and hadn't she said she'd follow his lead?
She threw. The stick flew forward with burning speed, whizzing past the Deorn's head and straight into the lake, leaving a significant but not fatal burn mark on the side of the creature's head.
"Scram."

The Deorn yelped as the flames touched him, and it seemed to be the deciding factor. Without hesitation he dove back into the river and swam off, disappearing with a flick of his green fins.
Rick watched him go, then let out a breath and wiped some soot off his face. "Nice work. Deorns don't tend to come back for more once they've been driven off, so I think that probably did it. Let's dismantle some of his territory markers just to cover all bases, though."

((btw I was thinking that maybe this Deorn will end up joining their traveling group, if I can think of a way for that to work. Would that be okay with you?)

(this still a thing?)

She set off without a word, making straight for a row of bushes where huge tufts of fur stuck out of the leaves.

Rick lagged behind to throw water on the reed fire, then trotted after Charlotte. "That was honestly easier than I expected. I figured at least one of us would get hurt or it would end up takin' all day, but it went just fine. I'll have to lower the price I was planning to ask for from Mister Charles."

Charlotte gave him a side-eyed glance, but said nothing.
They both walked towards the spot they said they'd meet their friend, slowing down as they approached.

Albert wasn't there, but his house and rickety barn were just over the hill, so Rick shrugged and headed in that direction. "I guess he wasn't likely to offer us much in the first place, seein' as this village ain't exactly the wealthiest around. I wonder if this guy has a family? That'll shave down your savings pretty quick."

"What do we do, then? Just leave?"

"Nah, we should at least let him know we got the job done. If he's willing to talk about payment after that, great, otherwise we'll head out. Sound good?"

"Yes. Okay. Let's do it."
Charlotte silently fell into step beside Rick, following him towards the village.

When they got to Albert's house, Rick walked right up and knocked on the door. A moment later, a thin woman in an apron came to greet them. "You're those people Albert asked over, aren't you?"
"I think so, ma'am," Rick replied. "Is he around?"
She turned and led them inside with a nod. "Albert? Those travelers are here."
Albert came out of the sparse living room and waved, a hammer and box of nails in one hand. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Smoothly. Your problem is solves, the Deorn isn't coming back," Charlotte told Albert, still standing a few steps behind Rick.

Albert's shoulder's relaxed and he let out a relieved breath. "Oh, good. Thank-you, thank-you so much. What do I owe you?"
Rick paused, then shrugged. "It was such a quick job, and neither of us got hurt, so I'd say you don't owe us hardly anything. Maybe some extra rations for the road, and then we'll be off."
Albert's wife, who'd been listening from the doorway, now straightened and walked to the kitchen. "Both of you sit down, I'll pack you a good supper."

Charlotte then pushed past Rick, decisively walked into the house. She gave both Albert and his wife a warm smile, holding out her hand to his wife for her to shake. "I'm Charlotte."