| Logs |
2010 March 28
| When The Bough Breaks |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Bough Logs |
Fifth Movement, Insanity Coda
The moment of discontinuity for Mikal and Norris passes in a flash, and suddenly there's no time to reflect on what they experienced in Qin. The sixth redcap is launching himself at Norris, gibbering wildly - and hungrily -- trying to sink his pikestaff into Norris's side.
Norris crafted well. His sturdy new armor saves him from being gut-stabbed by an incredibly puissant blow, but he still gets stuck in a tender spot, making the armor dig into even his sturdy flesh. He reels slightly from the attack, a fire kindled in his eyes as he bares his teeth at the redcap. So much for not getting angry.
Jareth is feeling like he's electrified, shivering with the intensity of the emotions of battle. And it looks like Norris could be in serious trouble. He takes the best aim he can with the vajra and strikes at one of the redcaps heading for his packmate. Jareth's bolt lashes out with a thunderous report, but it narrowly misses the redcap. The redcap doesn't even seem to notice; his eyes are still wild and hungry.
Mikal fires again at the furthest-away redcap. T he arrow whistles through the air, and smacks into the redcap heavily, slapping it back onto it's back. But the redcap isn't quite dead yet; it continues it's 'charge' by crawling, very slowly and in pain, but the madness in its eyes is still there.
Like a small, foul-smelling wave, three of the charging redcaps -- their fourth now crawling towards Norris as if to bite his ankles -- have reached Norris. This close, they smell of dried blood.
Jareth swears under his breath. He's not even aware that the language he's swearing in is French. He aims the vajra at the redcap closest to Norris again and swears he's going to practice a lot more in the coming days.
The lightning bolt sizzles past the redcap to score the ground. It also makes Jareth swear even more loudly. This time, he's not even sure what he's saying.
Norris pulls back his rakshasa's mace, looking the wild redcap in the eyes, and unleashes his strength.
Mikal raises an eyebrow, up on the top of the rock. She's pretty sure that was... ancient Sumerian swearing! She grins quietly to herself -- such a colorful language! -and goes back to concentrating on her next shot.
Unfortunately, the Redcap has the advantage, even hurt, in that he's short, and the smith is elevated...Norris misses wildly.
Another of Mikal's arrows whistles through the air, but it just barely nicks one of the redcaps across the cheek. Oddly, if anything, this makes the look in the redcap's eyes even wilder, even as a thin rivulet of blood starts to seep down his cheek into his beard.
Mikal tchs silently to herself -- focus! Now she's going to have to repeat a shot at one target; her pack needs her to be more precise than this. She draws and nocks another arrow, her wings flaring out and causing a small rumble in the air as she reaches for inner calm during aim.
Raphael darts forward once more, a snarling and lethal-fanged missile aimed at the redcap which successfully dodged Norris. His jaws snap closed, blood spurting from the redcap.
The redcap that gets chomped by Raphael screams, or a sound that seems like a scream, as it crumples into a bloody heap.
The now-bloody-mouthed raptor wolf bares his shark-toothed grin at the remaining redcaps in a foaming snarl of rage, crouching ready next to the big, sturdy warrior.
Norris is relieved to have the wolf at his side, watching his back, as it were.
The remaining three redcaps show no caution whatsoever. Two are launching themselves at Norris, while the third is attempting to skewer Raphael.
Both redcaps jab at Norris with their pikestaves, snarling and laughing and growling and gibbering, but one misses cleanly, and the other misses dramatically, stabbing the boulder itself and causing a brief flare of sparks as his weapon strikes stone.
The redcap attempting to menace Raphael likewise misses spectacularly, his showy attempt at making Raphkebab ending with him almost dropping the pikestaff.
Mikal murmurs silently to her half-brother, [Don't dodge left, please, big brother] as she aims her next arrow.
With the feeling that he's managing to prove that he really is a lover and not a fighter, Jareth takes aim again. The redcaps have, thankfully, made idiots of themselves for the moment, so he doesn't feel quite so bad. The fact that this blow hit stuns Jareth and he grins as the lightning bolt strikes home on the atrocious critter that made such a showy mess of not hitting Raphael.
The lightningbolt strikes the redcap, and with a "Yiii!" of surprise and hurt, the redcap staggers back, smoking. Literally, smoking, its hair on end. It no longer looks quite so mad, and in fact it looks like it's going to edge back carefully and quickly from the nice toothy puppy and the nicer person-with-the-lightning-stick.
Norris shows mercy to the one whose morale has broke. He pulls back his mace and unleashes at one of the still-mad redcaps.
Jareth looks almost stunned at the good results of his strike.
As it turns out, he struck one of the yowling fae with an underhanded blow...his blow so mighty, and the redcap so light, he catches air with his attack, the recap squeaking as he knocks him several yards away. "Fore!" he calls out, in a moment of impishness. Clearly, one of his past lives enjoyed golf.
Mikal smiles faintly at the surprise and relief on her lover's face when the lightning bolt hits home -- and laughs softly at Norris's joking. The small, bright-winged woman takes a breath then, turning her aim slightly to target the one remaining uninjured redcap.
The redcap looks mad and insane just before the bull-headed maul hits. The weapon strikes the vile little creature, and it's just barely imagination that has the sound of a bull trumpeting as the weapon strikes. The redcap goes flying, head over heals at least three times before hitting the ground. Miraculously for it, it survives... but it looks seriously disoriented, not at all insane, and quite, quite ready to get the hell off the green.
Norris blinks, when he realizes that his maul has sound-effects. He makes a note to give the weapon a more close inspection when he has a moment, raising it to defend against the last mad redcap...
Mikal nods in satisfaction as her arrow thuds home into the tiny body. The redcap is still conscious, but she knows it will not survive long. Both Norris and Raphael are there, after all, and even if they weren't she suspects strongly redcaps are more than willing to cannibalize those individuals weaker than they. Instead she looks around carefully, checking to see if there are any other redcaps near that might be thinking of attacking.
The last redcap takes the arrow to its center of mass, and it really, really shouldn't be doing anything exerting. Yet it does; in one final mad action, it tries to shove its pikestaff into Norris's side.
Raphael snarls and lunges for the wounded redcap, his jaws agape -- but it squeals and leaps off the boulder rather than face the furious raptor wolf.
As Mikal looks around the clearing, she notices immediately... there are more redcaps in the trees. A LOT more. Too many to count. But they're all remaining at the treeline, noses and beards quivering. They do not look like they're readying to attack, but... the scent of blood in the air, combined with the litter of their compatriots' bodies, is making them confused. Mikal thinks she can spot a clear path, however, where the redcaps are not nested.
The redcap that Raphael struck at, makes one last attempt to bleed Norris, jabbing with his pikestaff even as the exertion overwhelms him.
The redcap's aim, already fouled when he dodged Rapahael's bite, goes just a bit wide; and with that the redcap collapses into unconsciousness.
Mikal shakes her head disgustedly at the number of vermin in the trees -- it would take a forest fire to clean the little monsters out. While she'd love to tidy up here, regretfully that's not her job, and so she calls quietly down to her companions, "Mount up, Norris, Jareth! We must leave immediately -- there are many, many more of the nasty little monsters in the trees."
Jareth doesn't waste breath asking questions. He simply does his best to mount up while keeping his weapon drawn.
Mikal is already winging down to land lightly, standing on Iron Antlers' back. She points, "That way -- follow me, please! Raph, stay close to Jareth. Norris, can you cover our backs?"
The gryphkits churp to each other nervously as they gather in Iron Antlers' antlers, looking around nervously.
Norris looks at his bull-maul...not even blooded, though it's not a weapon for blood-letting anyway. Still, it's a good thing. Blood might draw the redcaps to them. he grunts in response to Mikal, and urges the horses down from the boulder. "I will." he assures grimly.
The big fey stag is already picking his careful way down the boulder, Raphael urging the horses along to follow. Mikal glances back and smiles at Norris, "Thank you!" then turns her attention to picking a safe path out of the forest as swiftly as possible.
Jareth is nervous and instinctively reaches out with his Second Sight to the forest around them.
To Jareth, there is the faintly sick aura from this area, where the goddesses fell; there is not so much of a sense from the forest, outside of normal for any forest in the middle of the day. The redcaps are there, in great numbers, but he is not able to tell exactly how many or where.
To Mikal, on the other hand, it seems as if the redcaps are purposely giving the group a wide berth now. In the direction she points, the redcaps are moving out of the way, making the path out even wider and redcap=free.
Norris looks over at a fallen redcap...slinging his mace, he takes one of the pikes, then and bloodies it in the corpse of a fallen. Taking it out, he studies it. "For you, my brave sister. And for the wily huntress. For Valfreyja, and the mighty steed of the heavens." he murmurs. He hurls the pike into the crevase, and mounts his horse.
Mikal nods grimly as she sees the wariness of the redcaps, and sets their pace at a careful but determined slow canter through the trees, rather than the headlong gallop of fleeing prey. She plans silently as she rides -- it took them more than a day to get here through the forest, but they did take a somewhat roundabout route due to not being able to see enough for a straight line. She therefore keeps her wings manifested for as long as she can -- they should last until the next Dawn, after all -- and periodically rises into the air for sightings of the huge rock of Uluri, keeping the path they're taking as direct and clear of blockage as she can.
Hopefully that will speed up their return from about a day and a half to somewhat less -- Mikal has absolutely no desire to spend another night in these gods-forsaken woods.
Jareth calls a halt as soon as Mikal feels they're safely away from the redcaps and looks his packmates over for injuries or damage he might have missed in the heat of the battle. The part he doesn't verbalize is that by running his hands over them, he's reassuring himself of their presence.
Norris's solarplexus is badly bruised, and he winces as Jareth probes. "Got me good, there." he rumbles ruefully.
The redcaps spread apart to let the group through, and as they pass through the forest, the redcaps on the edges spill out into the grove. The percussion is now a little fainter, as the creatures close in on their fallen and bleeding kin. The ones in the grove have begun to softly chant, a sound that paradoxically gets louder as the mortals leave the grove behind them, as more and more of the redcaps enter the grove....
>"Here it comes just like a storm
Bathe in it and be reborn
Time to let the world know
Welcome madness, say hello...."
Mikal frowns but recognizes the wisdom of Jareth's halting. She stands watch on Iron Antlers' back, an arrow nocked, while Norris is fixed up. When it's her turn she smiles and simply hugs Jareth, murmuring, "They never got to us, beloved. I'm fine."
Jareth lays his hand on Norris' chest and looks up at the much larger man, "Do you want me to try and heal it?"
Mikal shakes her head again at the chant, promising herself that she will, if possible, return here someday to clean out this infection of the forest. The natural entities which scavenge the dead and dying do not bother her -- that's a part of the cycle of life and death, after all. This disgusting madness, however, is not natural at all to her.
Norris nods ruefully. "If we didn't have to ride, it would be allright, but not giving it time to heal properly, your touch would be much appreciated." he rumbles. Reaching out and touching Jareth's cheek fondly.
Jareth smiles a bit and murmurs the prayers he's come to associate with being able to help the injured.
Jareth feels the prayers and his will working on the injury and smiles when he can tell that the bruise is gone. He lays a kiss over the place of the injury and turns to Mikal to check her out. When she assures him that she's fine, he kisses her on the forehead and hugs her tightly, almost painfully so, "I have to make sure for myself, lapin."
Mikal sighs softly and relaxes for a few heartbeats against Jareth... then smiles ruefully up at him, "I love you, mon beau chat, but I'm going to ask you to save a more complete check for later, please? I want to get us all safely out of this forest first."
Norris breathes easier now, and is entirely better. He smiles, watching the two together as he reseats himself. They should make haste away again, but he gives them a moment together before reminding them.
Jareth nods and swings back up into the saddle, grinning over at Norris in thanks.
Mikal bounces lightly up onto the fey stag's back again, waving the little Pack onwards.
The group makes their way back to Uluru. It is a good day-and-a-half journey, but as the light of day is fading from the Mirror, the come upon the brilliantly-lit walls of the vast plateau, and the almost ramshackle airship station. Their approach is sung out even as they come into view of the station. And more than a few of the gryphkits' littermates wing by or near, and the mewl-chirping conversation gets quite excited at times. Tautoru emerges from the station as they come up, waving. Papa Guede is with him. "Hello!" Tautoru calls out. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Guede asks, solemly, "Did you find the place were the goddesses fell?"
Norris tends to the grey, petting him fondly as he sits on the smith's shoulder. "That an more than we hoped for, honored one." he assures
Mikal is letting the tired animals walk -- they hustled to get out of the forest, riding with no pause for the night. While Mikal was willing to take a break once they were well into the desert, it has still been a long and exhausting haul for the horses and the fey stag. They've certainly earned the right to take it easy on this last stretch.
Mikal smiles and waves, "We did, aye!" As they get closer she adds more grimly, "We also found at least one... what did you call them? Monsters of emotion? We destroyed it, but there's also a terrible infestation of redcaps in the forest, and I'm afraid it will take fire and a determined assault to root all of those little vermin out."
Tautoru nods grimly. "Tulpas. Aye, they're in this corner of the Dreamtime." He smiles, then, "I'm glad you took care of it! If left unchecked, they can be unmitigated horrors for leagues around. As for the redcaps... that's unusual. We don't get many redcaps down here, usually they're up near Yggdrasil."
Ghede asks, "Perhaps they were drawn by the site where the goddesses died?"
Norris nods. "Rabbit posited the same thought, yes."
Mikal looks puzzled, "Near Yggdrasil? How peculiar! They're not Norse at all." She wrinkles her nose in disgust, "I'll be glad to get rid of as many of them as we can, once we've settled our quest satisfactory. For now, can we have water and shade for our animals, please?"
Jareth nods, "The tulpa was... horrifying. It was a good thing to cleanse the place of it."
Mikal nods in emphatic agreement!
"No, they aren't, but the Celtic aethyrs tend to be in that area, a bit closer to the Mirror though. They don't normally come down near here." Tautoru nods, smiling, "I'll get water and food for your mounts. Oh!" he adds, as he spies the three gryphkits. "Uhm, the Grand Old Dam was wondering where three of her grandkits had gone off to...."
Mikal grins as she gently scritches the ears of the little kit on her shoulder, "They followed us. We're sorry she worried, although we're happy to give them a good, adventuresome home if she's willing."
Jareth is not even consciously thinking of the kitten he's holding cupped to his chest, one finger stroking the top of its feathery head.
Tautoru laughs. "You'll have to explain it to herself, I think! In the meantime, let me get your mounts some water and food. There's some food in the station too if you want any! I'll be right back." Tautoru goes to tend to the mounts, leaving Papa Ghede with the mortals. He fans himself with his hat. "Well! Seems like you had quite the adventure, I'm seeing! I'm glad you could go; that sight's always been hauntin' me ever since I've seen it.
Mikal smiles and pats the loa's arm, "It's thanks to you that we were able to find their message, Papa. You have our gratitude." She looks at Norris, adding, "Once we're settled, let's take a closer look at both items, yes?"
Norris nods sagely. "There was a lot of unresolved matters tended to there, sir." he agrees solemnly to Papa Ghede. He grunts affirmation to Mikal, absently remembering that he'd forgotten about his bull-mace as well.
Ghede nods soberly, though he smiles quietly to Mikal. "You're very welcome, child, very welcome. Is there anythin' I can get you? Or will you be seein' the Grand Old Dame now?"
Mikal blinks, then glances at her packbrothers, "What do you think, guys?"
Norris retrieves Artemis's hunting spear, and Athena's masked helm. "I'm well enough. Let's have it done."
Jareth smiles slightly, "We should probably chat with the Dame and let her see that her grandkits are no worse for wear."
Mikal nods to Norris and smiles shyly as she slips an arm through Jareth's. "OK." She laughs a touch nervously as she adds, "What's the worst that can happen, after all... right?"
Ghede laughs softly, "I'll have some food for when you -- an' the kits -- get back." He points with his hat a large crevasce in the side of Uluru, maybe about half a kilometer away. "That'd be her nest there. Don't worry, she's stern, but she's a kindly lady."
Norris looks at the grey, who he's taken to thinking of as Ferro, though he's not officially named the kit. "You're getting bigger." he rumbles, reaching up and putting the helm on the gryphkit - not really, as the weight would be too much even for Ferro, but holding it up so gryphkit eyes peer through Athena's eyeholes. This tickles him for some reason.
Jareth transfers the kit that seems to have adopted him to his shoulder, knowing it will likely nestle under the fall of his hair where he's unfastened it from its ponytail. He grins at Norris' whimsicality.
Norris says, "The gryphs probably wouldn't take well to helmets, I bet. Keep clawing at the straps."
Mikal looks at her gryphkit, whispering to it, "You have such beautiful eyes... the same color as my sacred lapis lazuli measuring rod. Would you like to be named Lazuli?"
Norris takes the helm from Ferro's confused face. "You had a measuring rod? What for?"
Mikal tilts her head at Norris and smiles faintly, "In a desert land where fertility is entirely dependent upon the river's flooding, it is of critical importance to know precisely where your land starts and ends... so you can grow as many crops as possible. The measuring rod and line were my gifts to my people, to restore order to the chaos of flooding and uncertainty."
Norris ohs! "How interesting. I had never thought of that. Or rather, it makes entirely a great deal of sense, but I wouldn't have thought that sort of thing to be in your purview."
Mikal grins at Norris, bobbing her head once, "Thank you!"
The mortals make their way to the crevice. It is dim inside, but even in the setting light they can hear a deep, rumbling sound from within. Faintly, they can make out two very large yellow eyes, peering out at them.
Mikal peers out warily from behind Jareth. In a very small voice she whispers to her packmates, trying to lift her spirits a bit, "M-m-my what big eyes you have, g-g-grandmother!"
Norris understands, of course, the loyalty of Inanna to her people, but had never inquired as to the nature of her relationship to them, save for her twin sacreds of war and love. But then he's distracted by the large eyes...unlike the others, he was not here, before. “Uhm...is that normal?" he queries.
There is the sense of almost infinite patience from within the cave, as the Grand Old Dame waits for them to enter. At the same time... the Grand Old Dame does not seem exceptionally happy. There is a short, sharp bark/chirp/hiss from within the cave, and all three of the gryphkits jump in place. The eyes move, as the Grand Old Dame rouses herself, and they get bigger as she walks to the front of the cave. And bigger... and bigger....
Mikal squeaks nervously and backs up a bit more behind Jareth.
Jareth grins at Mikal's joke and waits, reaching out to hold Mikal's hand. He uses the other to soothe the gryphkit on his shoulder. He hasn't thought to name it yet.
Jareth calls out carefully, "We came to let you see the grandchildren that followed us. They are safe."
Norris strides forward...even under those intense eyes, he's not feeling particularly nervous. "They do like to climb, though! Pretty curious kids, they are." he drawls, his curiosity piqued.
After a few moments, the Grand Old Dame, matron of the gryphons of Ayer's Rock, emerges from the crevice, peering down at the mortals, cocking her head to the side at Jareth as he speaks. With a huff, she sits on her haunches.
The Grand Old Dame is a big girl. The best that anyone can compare her to is that she makes horses look like ponies. Six feet from shoulder to ground, it's also clear that her wings will not carry her aloft anymore, but in those huge yellow eyes she has more than enough personality. She might not be able to fly to the top of a mountain, but it looks like she can get the mountain to come to her.
She studies the three gryphkits sternly. They look extremely sheepish, each one, not quite meeting her gaze. Her glance flicks to Norris, and she makes a sound which could probably be interpreted as 'Are they, now?'
Mikal blinks startledly at Norris, raising a hand to... to do what, she's not certain. Warn him, hold him back? She doesn't know, so she just clings nervously to Jareth's hand.
Jareth smiles and keeps his eyes slightly off of the Grand Old Dame's gaze, not sure if she'll behave like a bird or a cat and not wanting to antagonize her. He squeezes Mikal's hand gently. The gryphon is enormous and awe-inspiring. He says, "We'd be honored to be their guaradians if they followed us, but we'll not steal your grandchildren."
Mikal nods once, peering wide-eyed from behind Jareth.
Norris uhs. Big. Very big. "If there's a one more impressive than you, madam, I'm not recalling them right now." he rumbles. Seriously, even one such as Uriel pales in comparison to the impressive majesty of the venerable gryphon. "Please accept our apologies if you were put in any distress, however. By the time we realized we were being followed, we were well on our way. And once we knew who followed... it's in the nature of the young to want adventure, and we had every confidence in our ability to protect them. But they are your children, and if you'd rather they not walk the roads we do, it is entirely understabable."
Jareth looks over at Norris and grins at the big smith's eloquence.
Mikal blinks at Norris, then turns her gaze back to the gryphon. What an interesting thought! She studies the huge creature, wondering how the Anzu Bird would compare.
The Grand Old Dame looks first at Jareth, then at Norris, for as long as they speak. Then she leans down -- and down, and down -- until her beak is inches away from each of them. The gryphkits aren't scared, so much as deeply chagrined like any child caught doing something wrong might be. The Dame seems to sniff each of the mortals deeply, then straightens, giving a snort and shaking her head as if to clear her sinuses. Then she gives what can only be an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh, and chirbles something that makes the gryphkits chirp and merp happily and excitedly.
Jareth grins at the chirping, voice low, "I think she just told them they can come with us..."
Mikal grins at that, tilting her head to whisper to Lazuli, "So, it's all right? You can come along now?"
Norris is suddenly self-conscious. He likely smells like armor, which is never very aeromatic.
While the gryphkits don't seem possessed of quite so much expression in a single chirp that the Grand Old Dame is, they express their happiness by curling up on their humans, nestling in their hair, rambunctiously preening, or otherwise being about as giddy as feline-avian chimerae can be. The Dame herself looks tolerant, yet also quietly pleased and amused herself.
Mikal giggles as she watches the little dancing aerial spiral of her gryphkit, then turns and says to the huge gryphon, "Thank you, ma'am!" Her eyes are shining with happiness just as much as Lazuli's are.
Norris blinks and laughs as an eager Ferro knocks off his skullcap to comb his brown, tangled hair with claws. "Hey, now, are we going to be a stylist when we grow up?" he protests with not much seriousness at all.
Jareth laughs as the kitten nips at his hair a little bit and then climbs up to sit square atop his head. He winces a little at the tiny pinpricks of the claws, "Careful there, peu coeur corageaux!" He smiles and carefully inclines his head to the enormous, impressive beast, "We're honoured you trust us, lady."
The Grand Old Dame favors the mortals with a look that could be a smile, then she stretches, bones cricking audibly, before turning and ambling back into her nest/cave/lair.
Norris phews, scritching Ferro's head. "Crisis averted. Thou shalt not make the mighty mother angry."
Jareth smirks and much older eyes smile out of his face, "That's a good plan."
Mikal chuckles quietly at that, gathering her newest little friend into her arms and gently scritching his ears. Without looking up she murmurs softly, "Oh, yes."
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