Cloudied Skies [Knightly Quest]

[6xdestroyer 1610]

Spoiler

Some music if anyone wants it I guess

 

 

 

Heavy hooves crunched the permafrost beneath them as the horse trotted in the empty valley. To either side were mountains that seemed to be competing amongst themselves to grab the few stars scattered in the sky above. The only life in the valley was the lone horseman and his torch as the darkness desired to devour them. The silence was a welcomed gift to the seasoned soldier as he reveled in thought.

 

He made out the base of one of the stone behemoth’s and said a quiet prayer to thank God for letting him see beyond just the radius of his torch. Jozsef tugged on the reins of the chestnut brown mare, bringing her to a stop with a whinny.  He slid off the horse and began walking to a cluster of young evergreens and hibernating brush. He took off his light mail and began to work from rote memory as he established a small camp, just enough room for his single person tent and small fire. He slung the saddlebags and hog tied deer from his large Carnatian warhorse and set them close to the cackling fire. After setting up various mantraps and rope snares around the campsite he took his blade and dragged himself into the tent. Like the last hours of the journey, the night was quiet.

 

He awoke to the howling of wolves far distant but still discomforting. His breath was that of steam as he went to check his snares. A white rabbit was thus his rather quick breakfast as he rearmed and deconstructed the camp. He began to follow the mountain’s base, looking for signs of his target.

 

He’d been told by the remnants of Fennic traders he’d met along the roads earlier in his journey that this was the proper valley. The place they’d lost one of their companions and two horses to what they only could describe as a hulking pale yellow-green mass of flesh.

 

Finally, towards midday Jozsef spotted a rotting carcass and trail of blood leading along the edge and followed it. Soon enough a large cave appeared, the outside coated in dried blood, bones and various crude drawings. He quickly reared his horse back a distance and set about preparing his trap.

 

Jozsef unloaded his horse both deer and various trinkets, going to establish camp downwind and far enough from the cave that he’d not be surprised. Unaware of whether he had weeks or days before the beast must feed again, he hurried, fairly diligently in his work. He set about cutting down the young trees and sharpening them into spikes. As the sun began to set over the massive stone walls that surrounded the valley, Jozsef grumbled. He drove the spikes in a circular formation around his small camp and baited a rope trap once more, hoping to avoid the stale bread and jerky he’d brought in case. There was no brush nor time for a fire, it was a cold night in the tent, even under the many furs he’d brought with him.

 

One again he was lucky, it seemed the valley was full of rabbit. Jozsef split a spike and tried to make a small fire to cook over, but failed as the wood was too damp. He scarfed down his hard bread and jerky as he pulled the remaining spikes from the ground, angry at himself for the wasted time. He left his horse and gear at the camp as he made the short trek to the cave’s head. Nothing seemed to have been moved. “Good,” he thought to himself. Jozsef began scouting the area.

 

The cave was deep into the mountain, he could not see how far down it reached. On the side from which he came, the valley was open, on the other was a dense forest. He nodded to himself, this would be his best chance.

 

He returned to camp and began hauling the crudely sharpened trees into the forest, his steed dragging them in twos. Sweat began to cover his brow as he made two swinging log traps along his carefully planned route. The water repeatedly freezing against his face. Soon enough he noted that the sun was setting, and he returned to camp. He tried once more to make a fire but was once more successful. Another cold and restless night ensued.

 

Josef awoke early, when the ambient light of the sun filled the sky but lacked its source. The morning meal was the same, though the bread seemed harder so he washed it down with some ale. He took the four metal bear traps and began setting them upon the route he’d early planned for his escape. With the sun now high in the sky, Jozsef returned to camp and deconstructed it. He moved his horse towards the end of his ambush route, hiding it in the thick brush. Jozsef drew the four crossbows from their clips on his saddle. He hoped they’d be worth the annoyance of their constant dangling and clanking.

 

He began drawing their strings back one by one and loading them before he hid them behind trees, with each crossbow being placed a few steps behind the previous. Confident with his work, he began to drag the rotting deer carcass towards the cave entrance.

 

Jozsef watched the cave closely as he tried to restrain himself from throwing up at the smell that radiated from the Olog’s lair. He hoped his deer would wake the hungry beast. He left the deer near his route into the nearby forest and moved closer, going to pick up a rather hefty stone. As he went to throw the stone into the cave he heard repeated thunderous booms. Quickly he drew his bow and retreated to the nearby tree-line, crouching in the snow.

 

The stench of the massive creature was masked only by the horror of its appearance. Standing at what he figured to be nearly ten feet and what he assumed was hundreds of pounds was the feral Olog. It’s tusks and teeth were warped and mangled, stained red by their years of goring. Its skin appeared like that of thick leather the color of a muddied moss. Its eyes were crusted holes with what appeared to resemble a boar’s pupil.

 

The creature roared something deep and guttural as it picked up the deer like a feather and tossed it into its rotting maw. The valley was filled with the gross and awesome snapping of bones as Jozsef reached to his quiver, nocking an arrow. As the creature feasted roughly fifty yards from him, Jozsef slowed his breath and took aim before firing for its right eye. The arrow missed its target but sunk shallowly into the thick-skinned shoulder of the beast.

 

It yelped a confused roar as it turned its gaze away from its meal and towards Jozsef. The soldier attempted to nock another arrow and fire for the Olog’s knee as he rose and began to slowly tread backwards into his established route. This arrow sunk true, penetrating the tough leather of the Olog’s left knee and driving the arrow tip into its cartilage. It didnt seem to bother the beast who now began lumbering towards the Jozsef.

 

He turned and began to jog away slowly into the forest within just enough length for the creature to see him. While the was beast watching its next meal, Jozsef watched the ground, careful not to spring any of his traps.

 

It was only a few minutes before Jozsef slid beneath the thick rope of his first trap, hoping the Olog would be too preoccupied with him to notice, or simply just not care. Moments later The Olog sprung the wire and the sharpened tree swang horizontally, ready to impale the Olog in its leftern ribcage. However, to Jozsef’s surprise, the Olog was able to deflect the trap with his left arm, goring the bicep of the creature and serving only to enrage it further.

 

Nearly trapping himself on the beartrap he’d set just a few steps away in his worry, Jozsef continued running, the feral giant now charging at him. Saliva was flung to and fro as the Olog pursued in full bloodlust, the metal crunching around its ankle but seeming to not distract it at all. With another deep roar, the beast simply tore the trap from the ground and continued on. Jozsef turned to look over his shoulder, the creature covered in blood flowing from its many wounds, most heavily its arm. What had previously been a sight to evoke nausea now evoked a primal fear in Jozsef.

 

As he turned back to watch the ground, the emotion of his visage turned from disgust to utter concern and perhaps even fear as he questioned whether he’d be able to take down the beast. For a moment questions of his pride and foolishness in accepting this quest began to cloud his head. He shook his head to force the voices out, this was not a time for retrospection. He neared the second of the spears and rolled beneath the rope once more, his light mail battering against his sweat drenched body. He nocked an arrow in his shortbow as he watched the giant charge him. Once more, the trap was sprung as the tree-like legs of the Olog pressed upon the rope.

 

Jozsef inhaled and steadied himself as he watched the Olog slowly realize the similarity of the trap and attempt to turn in preparation to bat away the incoming spear. Jozsef drew back his whistling arrow and fired, aiming for the neck of the beast. The arrow sailed over the creatures right shoulder, but was enough to distract the Olog as the tree drove itself into the left ribcage of the giant. While it appeared to be more blunt damage than it was piercing, it’d seemed to have drawn more of the beasts crimson lifeforce.

 

Birds scattered from the nearby trees and perched snow fell upon the dried ground. Jozsef was sure he even saw the mountains tremble. The guttural roar wracked Jozsef’s head as he tried to cover his ears and stumbled back, slipping on a pebble and falling on his back. Recovering slowly he watched as the beast grabbed its side before turning to look at the fallen soldier. Realizing imminent death, he scrambled up and began sprinting back, his bow left discarded where he’d fallen.

 

The warm blood of the giant feral beast flowing to the ground and leaving a steaming and dark trail as it continued its last ditch charge. The second bear trap caught the other leg of the beast, this time halting the charge as it struggled to pull its bolting from the ground. Jozsef paused, hoping it to be true, but once more the screws were torn from the ground. Jozsef continued to run but slowed his pace after gaining some distance, noticing the beast struggling to push on.

 

The man stopped, drawing his sword, Pyre, from the sheath at his right hip. He looked to the sky above and prayed to GOD and his northern Saints to not take him this day. With that done he charged at the bloodied olog. The feral olog readied itself to bat Jozsef away as he charged but the soldier quickly changed his side of attack and slid against the icy ground, bringing Pyre upon the creature’s left thigh. The thick flesh separated beneath the blade as it severed a large artery.

 

Finally, with bloodlust alone not enough to keep it standing fully, the olog collapsed onto its left knee, snapping the arrow he’d earlier placed there in two and causing the kneecap of the beast to shatter under the weight. With the beast immobilized, Jozsef stood from his slide and now, on the back side of the beast, raised his sword to bring it down upon the beasts neck.

 

As he walked towards the beast, it turned, roaring in pain and bloodlust as it did so, and channeled its strength into a punch to the knights right leg. Jozsef, unexpecting this show of defiance was sent stumbling. He shouted in pain as he tried to rise from his fallen position. He looked down, the mail was crushed and he felt a warm pool forming on the outer part of his thigh. He tore off one one of the rabbit furs he’d had on and made a makeshift tourniquet. He watched from a distance just outside the Olog’s reach as it struggled to stand on its gored leg. He crawled towards two large sticks nearby and wrapped them around his leg to make a crude and ineffective splint.

 

He stood shakily, using his sword to prop him up and walked towards the beast, carefully examining it for threat of another surprise attack. Both the wounded warriors locked eyes, the olog snarling but now surrounded in a huge pool of blood it knew that even with its multiple hearts, it would not survive this onslaught. Jozsef ran at the beast and raised his sword high his primal rage helping mask the immense pain. Reaching just a few steps before he could strike the final blow to the skull of the monster, his leg gave out and he stumbled right onto the stomach of the creature, cutting his face on it’s ancient tusks in the fall.

 

His sword fell to the ground and Jozsef panicked. The Olog, slowly realizing that this was not part of his attackers plan, began to paw and scrape at Jozsef with its remaining strength in its right warm. Jozsef, realizing he’d not get the clean kill he’d so hoped for moments ago, drew his dagger and began sawing it in a square formation upon the beasts stomach, it’s blood and organs slowing seeping out and onto Jozsefs mail and tabard. Steam clouded the view from his right eye, his left being battered and bruised from the tusks.

 

The two warriors struggled and writhed against each other for what Jozsef thought could only be hours. The paws and attacks upon his back got lighter and lighter until eventually Jozsef felt the life fade from the ancient giant. He released his white knuckled grasp on his dagger and rolled over such that his back was now atop the stomach of his prey. He looked into the sky above for a few moments, it was cold, gray and dark, but he smiled. At least he would live to see a clear sky another day.

 

 

OOC INFO

This story was written using a dice roll for any large/important choice or action. While I didnt use a set formula (i.e. # = success1,success2) I did heavily rely on it for adding some flavor to the story. Any feedback is welcome, hope at least one person enjoys.

[helldiving 5793]

Ser Rodrik would await patiently for Joszef’s return – Knowing that the task was a dangerous one, but knowing that the warrior would return victorious nonetheless. 

[osumanduas 1442]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.