Forge--Serpent

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

 

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Fafnir moved through the gloom with his familiar. The forest was quiet as the grave, but he knew that somewhere deep inside his target slithered through tree tops and across the leaf strewn ground. Every step of his own was muffled from the sheer aomunt of leaves.

Brynhildr moved stealthy above her bonded. She had protected him since she had stumbled upon his basket. For some reason, she had known even then that there lurked the heart of a fighter. He was not the most skilled or the strongest, but it was the strength of his heart that drew her. It was unfailing in it's love for his family. No matter the cost, no matter what he had to do his heart was stronger than others. It made him feel almost immortal to her.


As she leaped from branch to branch, she kept her eyes searching for the fell beast they were after. A task that they had chosen to hone Fafnir's skills. He was as of yet untested, untried and that would not do in the wars to come. Wars with which he'd fight against his sister.

Against his family torn apart.


It came out of nowhere, the serpent, one moment there was a sudden unearthly stillness and the next it was wrapping itself around her. She never got the chance to scream.

Fafnir attacked with blinding fury when he saw the creature attack Brynhildr. He would not let her fall. He lashed with teeth and hooves, his wings beating about the head of the serpent to try to kill it.

HP Fafnir: 50-9= 41
HP Serpent 40-5= 35  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

His heart beat like a drum of war and he embraced the bloodlust that rose up in him. She was his family, his friend--he would not fail. His teeth tore through slippery skin and he shook his head while he kept his grip. There was a shredding sound, a sickening pull of skin and then she was free.

Brynhildr fled a few feet away to catch her breath. She'd been so close to blacking out, to fading into unconciousness and eventual death. She had come so close, too close. Fafnir would never forgive himself if something happened. Because that big heart was both a blessing and a curse.

As she gulped down air she watched him fight and when she could, she lunged for the first opening she'd seen. Her huge teeth bit into the softer flesh underneath, the blood filling her mouth with a coppery tang.


HP Fafnir: 41-9= 32
HP Serpent 35-5= 30  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir: 32-9= 23
HP Serpent 30-8= 22

The serpent was fast and heavy. It's body wielded a weapon because of the sheer heaviness of it. It was longer than he was tall. It was hideous in a way he couldnt even put into words. But there was no time for breathing between attacks.

Fafnir had to go on the defense, the serpent seeming to lash and thrash with more fury the longer the battle. He was so busy trying to dodge the heavy coils that he missed the mouth lunging for him.

Blinding pain shot through his shoulder as he felt the creature's fangs sink deep. Was it poisonous? He was not sure, but he knew that he was bleeding heavily. He felt dizzy with it and the leaves on the floor became slick with it.


He slipped in his own blood and it was perhaps the only thing that saved him as the serpent lunged for his throat. By sheer luck, it flew over him and he fell into his own gore. For a moment, he saw stars before the canopy of leaves appeared over head. He forgot hat it was like to breath, but he forced himself to stand

Brynhildr was buying him time, running amongst the coils of the foul thing with a vine clenched between her teeth. She wound it tight, the thorns presssing hard into it's flesh causing it to suffer from a thousand tiny puncture wounds. She was wearing the serpent down, letting the blood out so it would become weak with it.

She was utterly fearless. Her body nothing but a blur between the darting attacks. She did it all for the love of Fafnir. He was like her own son, a kindred spirit in a world of strangers. She pulled the vine tighter and tighter as she wove in endless knots.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir: 23-9= 14
HP Serpent 22-1= 21


The serpent was slowing, but it used it's body to throw Brynhildr into a tree trunk. For a moment, everything stopped as the serpent tried to turn, to weave it's way free from the vines that bound it. But it only tangled more as that gaping maul came to try to swallow her whole.

Adrenaline shot through her body and she darted high up into a tree. Fafnir was standing now, but he was weary an his body was coated with blood. She had to do something for him soon, they had to regroup if they were to survive this.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir: 23-9= 14 HEAL to 50-9=41
HP Serpent 21

Through the foggy haze, he saw her coming to him. Within her tiny claws she held wads of moss. She pressed it tight to his neck, her voice a soothing whisper to him. His blood slowed and the moss absorbed what still bled, staunching the wound. His head clearedd a little. They had to end this soon. His heart filled with courage as the tiny claws clung to the moss presse into his neck. It was time to make a stand, time to end this. Now.


(rolling for damage in this post for next post--no damage done this turn because of healing 10/31)  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir= 41-9=32
Stupid Serpent= 21-1=20


Fafnir bared his teeth as he angled himself to get a weapon. He took a branch and snapped it in half, to use the sharp points as as a weapon. Brynhildr had tied the moss to his wound took to the trees. She hopped for branch to branch above him. In the great stories, this would be the time for a rallying speech as everyone took a breath before the final minutes. But this was not a legend or a story, it did not have to end any certain way.

So he did not speak words as he angled his makeshift spear before him. He had no army behind him just a fierce and constant friend. His muscles tensed as he lunged.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir= 41-9=32
Stupid Serpent= 20 Temp blinded 10/31 use

In his head the battle song came, the fierceness of his ancestors coming through. He was a warrior, smart and cunning. He feinted to the left just as Brynhildr took her opening.

In her tiny claws was a bag of powder that she threw with deadly precision. It crashed right into the serpent's eyes. It let out a hideous scream--it must have burned. She hoped that it burned, that it would blind it forever but she knew that was unlikely. They had a few minutes at best that it would last. She gathered up anything she could find to hurl at the serpent from every direction she could, to confuse it about where she was.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir=32
Stupid Serpent= 20 Temp blinded 10/31 use, turn 2 of blind.

It thrashed so wildly it was hard to land any blow. But at least it bought them breath, a chance to regain their senses. It gave them the time they needed to regroup. The more it thrashed, the more it bled. It showered down on them like rain, as though the clouds had been split open like the belly of a beast.

Fafnir drove the spear hard at it's side. The wound was only a graze, but the serpet slowed. He watched and waited for his next opening as it leaned first one way then the other, he got into the rythmm of it and threw the spear like a javelin.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

Nyx Queen of Darkness

HP Fafnir=32
Stupid Serpent= 20-2=18 Temp blinded 10/31 use, turn 3 of blind.

The spear flew true, burying itself several inches into the serpent's body. Blood flew everywhere. It's body had slowed to near non-movement. Brynhildr had jumped on it from the trees, tearing at it's eyes to blind it permanately. Fafnir watched as she squeeze one of the serpent's eyes like a grape squashed between her claws. The fluid exploed like a water balloon.

Fafnir grabbed another branch and slammed the thick branch into the snakes head. He would bash it's skull in. Fury filled him as he raised the branch again and again. The serpent lunged at him again, in it's death throes.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

HP Fafnir=32
Stupid Serpent= 18-1=17


The serpent missed with it's deadly strike. He was exhausted. It had been a mistake to do this alone with only Brynhildr to help. She was fierce, but this creature was way too powerful to have taken on alone. He had learned his lesson well. It was valiant to fight, to try to stregnthen himself but not to the point of foolhardiness. He had to realize his limits, train himself more. Work smarter, not harder.

It hurt his pride to do it, but he blew the whistle to summon the forgemaster for help. He realized his own weakness, which was a strength in itself to know one's limits.  

[Nyx Queen of Darkness]

1 x Whistle [ Summons The Forgemaster to deal 20 damage ] ( Consumes 1 turn ) [Does not reset after use!]

KILL SHOT


The forgemaster came and finished off his foe. He was paid the gold he was owed but he did not leave from the area of the fight. The ground was soaked in blood. Fafnir's bleeding shoulder had stopped but it was beginning to ache as the adrenaline wore off. He was tired, so very tired.

Brynhildr scampered down to him and wrapped her tail around his legs as they looked at the beast that had been felled before them. The woods were still unearthly quiet as they stood. She knew that he was processing this whole thing, that he was struggling to reconcile that he had not been enough without the help of the forgemaster. He'd weighed himself and had found himself lacking. She knew the blow that it gave him, worse than anything physical.

A lesson forged in pain in blood. She knew now that he would train harder, the arrogance that he had shown against this foe would not happen again.

If this had been her, coming for his brother then he would be dead. He was not enough even with all the strength of his heart and mind. The body lay there as he stood, vowing that he would never be so foolish again. Stronger. Harder. Faster.

He turned to leave the woods with Bryhildr. The weariness not only in his body but in his heart. Then she he thought so often of was his sister, his own flesh and blood. She was also the enemy. When it came, it would not be easy. But nothing was ever easy. But he had chosen long ago the broken brother over the vindictive sister.

It was enevitable that one day they would meet in battle. He would be ready then when the time came. He knew what he had to do. So he turned home to rest, to find peace in his mind and train more so that he could be the stallion he wanted to be.