Fleeing

[Mia Novendot]

Get out of here you little brat! You are one of them!

Scarlet, I am the same I have always been!

Liar! Leave now, get out of here before I report you to the guards, go!

Mia’s head still rang with the shouts of her sister’s voice back in Avaren, a few days ago that was and it was clear as day. Since the announcement of the heathens in Avaren, she had been on edge. Living with her eldest sister had been fine, but she always knew that when things got tense she would do weird things. And she knew that her sister was someone who supported the church and the crown, so if Scarlet ever caught her like that…then Mia was in trouble. And of course it had happened at dinner one evening. Her sister was yelling at her for not cleaning the house while she had been gone and it had turned into a screaming match. When it rose up to the climax, Mia had waved her hand and one of the plates on the table had gone flying only to smash on the wall.

The look on her sister’s face would haunt her forever.

Scarlet had immediately turned on her and told her to leave the house and to never return. She believed Mia to be one of those heathen creatures that everyone was so worried about, and in her fear the girl had ran. She got far out of Avaren, knowing if she entered she was at risk as everyone else seemed to be. Alone and merely thirteen years old she had crossed the land with no aid from her magic (seeing as she doesn’t know how to use it) going through forests and over rivers. And Mia looked worn out. Her red hair that fell to her shoulders was pulled back to avoid it sticking to her neck from the sweat as she ran. Blue eyes were defeated and looking towards the ground as she trudged over the land in the mountains. All of her clothing was travel-worn, and she had seen better days.

Where was Mia going? She didn’t know where. Many other mages would be taking the same journey as well soon too, though they knew they were going to the city of Aesir. She didn’t know of that town, magic was supposed to be a myth. Mia was a stout believer in the God they worshipped in Avaren, she didn’t think the common folk could do magic. But she didn’t believe the mages were heathens, and actually worried for them. Ah well, nothing she could do but keep walking and hope to find somewhere for shelter soon.

Blue eyes turned towards the sky and saw the sun setting in the distance. Nightfall would be soon, the scariest time for an unarmed traveler. So far things had been uneventful, but would they remain that way?

[Gnoll Cutthroat]

Gringle had only had a human cub once in his life. He remembered the scene vividly: a caravan passing through the mountains, with a few women and children on board. He had been there with a Marauder, and the two of them ended up fighting over the third young child - Gringle ended up winning, because the Marauder fell off the cliff. Oh well.

So then, technically, Gringle ended up having a human cub... three times in his life, for he had gotten his share, the debated share, and the Marauder's. However, it was all on one occasion, so it should count as one time in his life... but there were three of them, and he was so full he didn't eat for the next week. So yeah, he had eaten human cub three times in his life.

Scratching his furry head, this is what Gringle thought of as he watched the young human girl passing along the mountain path. Luckily, his partner at the moment - another Cutthroat named Rogrond - had gone back to their village for supplied, and would only be back in the dead of the night. Right now, Gringle had the perfect opportunity to add a fourth mark to his delicious tally. Pulling out a fiendish-looking sailor's cutlass, the Gnoll hopped nimbly out of his rocky outcrop, landing neatly a few feet in front of Mia. He bared his teeth.

[Mia Novendot]

Of course things couldn’t go right!

When the gnoll jumped in front of her, Mia instinctively stumbled backwards and tripped over her own feet while uttering a cry. The beast looked terrible. These are the heathen creatures, not us. She thought for a moment before backing up to get space. He had a sword, oh God. She was unarmed and her magic was going to do her no good here because she didn’t know how to use it! Was there a worse situation? Exiled by her sister and her land, and now going to be attacked by a monster, what a life. “Get away!” She yelled, but being a little girl it probably didn’t mean much coming from her. Mia’s hands scrambled on the ground until she found a large stick which she promptly threw at the gnoll’s head with a loud and hollow clunk.

No good.

Mia was trembling now and it could be heard in her voice. “I am warning you, stay away!” Almost in desperation she closed her blue eyes and waved her hands at the gnoll like she had when she had sent the plate flying that day, hoping for it to do something of that matter again. She actually looked quite ridiculous, and Mia cracked open one blue eye to see if it was doing anything.

[Gnoll Cutthroat]

He took a step back as the stick smashed harmlessly into his hollow skull, knocking his small brain around. After a small pause, when he was sure the tiny clump of tissue was back in its original position (he shook and patted his head a few times to make sure), Gringle bared his teeth again, only this time more menacingly. Crouching low, the Gnoll prepared to charge into the girl, aiming to cleaning her insides in one expert swing of his sword. However, his luck seemed to have run out.

As he lifted himself up for the sprint, he seemed to be going.. backwards. He was supposed to go forward, where the girl was. This confused the poor Gnoll terribly; as limited as his knowledge of physics was, he knew that a Gnoll accelerating in a certain direction should go in that direction, not opposite. Formulae involving velocity and pi swam through his head as it collided with something very hard; Gringle toppled to the ground, his head burning like an Olympic torch.

With a confused growl, he stood back up and backed away from this girl; as much as he wanted to sink his teeth into the tender meat of her side, he doubted it would taste good if it had the ability to make his teeth fly around. With his sword positioned defensively in front of him, he continued to move away, ever on the alert...

[Mia Novendot]

It worked!

…

How did it work!?

Mia watched with amazement as the gnoll was struggling to go forward and was instead going backwards. It was that which forced her to keep her hands where they were instead of dropping them in pure fright. Her face drained of all color that was there still and her head felt like. What the heck was going on. Only God can perform these miracles…this magic. I am a heathen! She thought with dismay as the gnoll backed off with his sword and teeth bared. That was enough for her.

With a thump the girl’s hand fell at her sides and she fell down in a swoon, both of her blue eyes closing and any magic she was performing stopping. In short, Mia was out cold. Poor 13 year old girl, couldn’t handle the stress and this new…realization.

Well, looks like she needed help if she didnt want to end up the gnoll's dinner.

[Gnoll Cutthroat]

And, unfortunately for her, she was too far up in a rarely-traveled mountain to even hope for help. As such, it looked like she would make a fine meal - and, out cold as she was, Gringle doubted his teeth would be in much trouble. Gathering up his rapidly returning courage, the Gnoll came to her limp figure and, grabbing her by the legs, dragged the girl over to his campsite. With the night approaching, he would have a fine dinner - all that was left was to get a good enough fire going.

Leaving Mia bound securely at his camp, the Gnoll went out across the desolate rocky surface to another part of the ridge that had trees. There, he collected enough twigs and logs to make a respectable bonfire; with these, he returned to the camp and, using various woodland Gnoll techniques, created a small campfire. As he added more and more wood - this one would have to be big, for the tender young girl wasn't exactly as small as the other three he had eaten - he pondered on how long he would cook her...

[Verdan]

Verdan had never been to the mountains. From what he had heard, they were quite a scenic place, and it was true. The sun was brightly shining overhead, bathing the world with a warm light. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and everything seemed ever so perfect. As the mage made his way up and down the rocky slopes, Verdan dreamily gazed at the beautiful surroundings, ignorant to the fact that nearby was a little girl in distress, running aimlessly through the mountains, hoping to get to Aesir.

Before Verdan knew it, the Chariot of Fire had made its path through the sky and was descending down below the hazy line of the horizon. Not good. Not good at all. He thought as the gathering darkness snapped him back into the worrisome world of reality. Understanding that he would have to spend the night in the mountains, since it was not wise to travel in the darkness, Verdan began gathering whatever sticks, underbrush, anything flammable that he could find into a small pile under a small outcropping. Just as he got a cheery little fire going, Verdan heard the sounds of a struggle somewhere in the silent reaches of the mountains.

Hurrying over to the location of the noise, the Scholar saw a soon-to-be gruesome scene: a girl was laying nearby a Gnoll who was gathering the necessary supplies for a fire. Knowing the nature of Gnolls, Verdan guessed that he had arrived precisely at dinnertime. Figuring that it would be a good idea to save the girl, Verdan drew a strange character in the air in front of him and muttered an incantation before boldly stepping into the ring of light, making his presence known to the creature.

[Gnoll Cutthroat]

'...once the leg catches fire, put it out with a flick of your wrist and eat it while it is still smoldering.' As the cooking fire grew, Gringle recited his tribe's cook's favorite recipe for little girl; saliva ran from the sides of his mouth like waterfalls. Soon enough, the flames were great enough to allow him to cook the entire girl lengthwise. However, he still needed a long, sharp stick which he could run through her mouth and out her rear, allowing her to hang over a fire on two bipods. Gringle stood up to go searching once more, but a certain sight made him quite angry.

There, standing in the light of his fire - his fire - was another human a boy who seemed to be quite a few years older than his dinner. Not bothering to find out what business the boy had when he was getting ready to dine, Gringle pulled the deadly blade from its bone sheath and approached Verdan. He was only twenty feet away - a distance he could easily cover in a half-second sprint - when he stopped and crouched low, getting ready to attack.

((off to make "pelmeni", be back in an hour or so))

[Verdan]

Verdan looked at the creature, which was now ready to pounce. He raised his hands a curved his fingertips, ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice. He himself crouched down slightly to mirror the shape of the Gnoll. "Here, kitty kitty... Here, kitty..." he spoke in a mocking tone, loud enough for the hyenaman to hear him, wondering whether the creature was intelligent enough to understand. Maybe taunting was not the smartest idea at the moment, but it was sure the most fun.



((Ooh. Badass.))

[Gnoll Cutthroat]

Whatever the stupid pinky was saying to him, Gringle didn't like it; it was too high-pitched, too human. And his breath smelled; the Gnoll could smell it from twenty feet away with disgusting ease. His teeth bared, he suddenly leapt, carrying himself as swiftly as a river would. In a half a second flat, the Gnoll was less than a foot away, flying with his plated shoulder at the mage with enough force to knock down a wooden straw cardboard wall.

[Mia Novendot]

The last thing she remembered was...passing out...

That was the thought coming to Mia as blue eyes fluttered open and she looked around her. The 13 year old girl was immidiately frightened when she saw that she was indeed in a campsight and with that stupid gnoll still. As well as the fact that she was bound by ropes. That was bad, and she couldnt move, just whimper with panic where she was. And since her hands werent free for her, there was no chance that she would be able to cast magic on that gnoll who was...fighting with someone.

That caught her eye quickly and she gasped when she saw another person was there. Mia screamed out in a hoarse and obviously scared voice to the man, not knowing or really caring who he was, she just didnt want to be killed by this gnoll. "Help!?" The young girl was frightened and struggled against the ropes to no avail.

Her hope rested with him.

[Verdan]

Verdan had expected the hyenaman to charge at him, the mage having intruded upon the creature's campsite. With a grim smile, the scholar watched the Gnoll approach him. He was ready to step aside when the monster got close enough. Unfortunately, the girl regained consciousness at a most untimely moment.

Help!?

Hearing the scream, Verdan involuntarily turned to look at the source of the sound, averting his gaze from the attacking Gnoll. Before he could understand what happened, Verdan was struck directly in the center of his chest by an armored shoulder. However, nothing seemed to happen to Verdan, except a faint crackle and the barely visible outline around his figure disappearing. Verdan smiled before taking several hurried steps back, simultaneously lobbing a diffused ball of energy at the gnoll.