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Post by William Jason Fredericks on Jun 16, 2010 8:03:38 GMT -5
Fredericks ignored Shiyal's comment about helping and shrugged at the rest. When Aurora spoke about leaving he turned and crouched down over his bowl to check on his work. He then stood, drew another knife from his belt and said, without looking back at them, "Probably best if you get 'er out of 'ere 'fore I move on to the next step."
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Post by Aravind Shiyal on Jun 16, 2010 10:56:11 GMT -5
"Yeah, probably."
He took Aurora by the arm and turned to head back, the way she'd come. If she's cooperative, they'll probably be back to Kahlen and Mellianne in under a minute.
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Post by Aurora Lumina Robinson on Jun 16, 2010 12:09:24 GMT -5
"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't show up, professor. Thank you." Talking helped calm Aurora's nerves. Her mind was still reeling from everything, Fredericks and Shiyal's words floating around chaotically. "The man with the knife said that the sound we heard was prolly a practical joke, but he didn't hear it - it was a really scary sound. What do you think made it?"
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Post by Aravind Shiyal on Jun 16, 2010 14:30:03 GMT -5
Aravind briefly considered showing her how he made the noise, but didn't want her to bolt again, so he merely shrugged. "Not so much a joke as a warning. I didn't think you'd take off so quickly-- or hurt yourself in the process."
As they re-entered the trail, he was reassured to see Mellianne looking so much better. "Glad you're both alright," he told them. "Aurora ran into Groundskeeper Fredericks."
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Post by Mellianne Joss on Jun 16, 2010 15:10:15 GMT -5
Mellianne wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, but she did know she was glad she hadn't run into the groundskeeper, least not towards sundown and in the middle of a forest. She was pretty sure he was alright, but he was a little creepy.
She turned to Aurora. "You alright? I got worried when you suddenly ran off into the woods like that."
Mellianne's head finally stopped hurting enough that she could take down the shield and she did so, but she wouldn't be able to do anything else with her powers until after she had rested up a bit.
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Post by Kahlen Jeanne Nox on Jun 16, 2010 15:43:28 GMT -5
Kahlen ran up to Aurora and hugged her, relieved that she seemed alright. "I'm glad he found you. We were really worried."
Kahlen let go of Aurora and picked up her bag. "Are we in a lot of trouble, professor?" Kahlen asked sheepishly. He didn't look very pleased to find them in the forest in the first place, and she thought he probably wasn't too happy about having to run after Aurora.
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Post by Aurora Lumina Robinson on Jun 16, 2010 16:43:04 GMT -5
Aurora, newly shocked, only returned Kahlen's hug half-heartedly before turning to Shiyal. "Wait, you made the sound?"
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Post by Kahlen Jeanne Nox on Jun 16, 2010 17:08:37 GMT -5
Kahlen turned to look at Shiyal, then at Aurora. "-What?-" she squeaked. The noise was terrifying. Did the professor try to scare something away?
If he did, Kahlen didn't want to find out what it was. She re-positioned her bag and shifted her weight on her feet.
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Post by Aravind Shiyal on Jun 16, 2010 23:58:30 GMT -5
Aravind shrugged and nodded. "I didn't realize how frightening it would be; there's no animal in this forest that could make a sound like that." He paused, biting his lip for a second. "Actually, I've never met an animal that -could- make a sound like that, at least without any training. There are a few raptors that come close, but none around here.
"Anyway, no-- you're not in trouble," he said, looking at Kahlen. "It was really my fault, for not letting the students know that entering the forest without supervision could be dangerous." Glancing at Aurora and Mellianne, he added, "Although you two should have at least known better than to not notify a professor-- and Aurora, I'm a bit disappointed that you let panic override your better senses. I know you'd be smarter than that in a normal setting; if you met, for instance, Verin, in a part of the school you didn't know well, and you were with two other students, would you bolt off without stopping to consult?"
He realized, belatedly, that maybe using another student as an example of danger was a bad idea, but it was the first thing that had come to his mind-- rumors the school over were about the demon, and how he terrified pretty much everyone.
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Post by Mellianne Joss on Jun 17, 2010 0:04:19 GMT -5
Mellianne sorta blushed and tried to look small. She really should have thought of notifying a professor before entering the woods. "Sorry sir."
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Post by Aurora Lumina Robinson on Jun 17, 2010 0:08:40 GMT -5
Aurora flushed, as she always did when confronted by her mistakes. Although at this point it was a little difficult to tell with how red she was from bruises, cuts and general nervousness.
"Who's Verin?" She had seen him around but didn't know him by name. Even if she did know him by name, she hadn't been present for most of the drama he'd created so far.
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Post by Kahlen Jeanne Nox on Jun 17, 2010 13:04:15 GMT -5
Kahlen turned a bit red from embarrassment. "Thanks, sir, for not giving us detention or anything. I suppose I should have realized that the woods would be dangerous... And yes, noises like that are pretty scary."
Kahlen sighed at the mention of Verin. He probably was dangerous, but his boasting about his abilities bordered on irritating. "Verin's the demon kid," she said to Aurora. "The annoying one who thinks humans are stupid."
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Post by Aurora Lumina Robinson on Jun 17, 2010 13:16:49 GMT -5
Aurora still didn't know who they were talking about, but didn't want to appear ignorant so kept anymore questions to herself.
"Can we go back to the school? I don't want to stay here anymore."
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Post by Kahlen Jeanne Nox on Jun 17, 2010 15:58:27 GMT -5
Kahlen suddenly felt tired. "Yeah, I agree. I don't think any of us want to go to the clearing now."
She looked at the end of the trail and could see the main building. "A nice shower would be nice. My legs seem to have gotten covered in dirt." A brief glance at her shoes would show that Kahlen had not paid much attention to where she chose to stick her feet.
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Post by Aravind Shiyal on Jun 18, 2010 19:57:23 GMT -5
Aravind nodded. "Yeah, it's probably a bad idea to keep going on to the clearing at this point." He strode over to the fallen branch and, steeling himself, heaved it off the trail with a grunt.
"All set?"
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Post by Mellianne Joss on Jun 18, 2010 20:04:29 GMT -5
Mellianne nodded, and set her empty water bottle in her bag and settled it on her shoulder. "Yes, sir."
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Post by Kahlen Jeanne Nox on Jun 18, 2010 20:40:27 GMT -5
Kahlen had already shouldered her bag and was anticipating leaving soon. "Yep," she replied.
She watched in fascination as the professor lifted the branch out of the way. It looked rather heavy.
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Post by Aurora Lumina Robinson on Jun 19, 2010 2:37:15 GMT -5
Aurora wrapped her arms around herself and trudged back down the path after the rest.
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Post by Aravind Shiyal on Jun 19, 2010 19:22:56 GMT -5
((So are we done here? Should I lock it?))
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Post by Verin Vetis Malphus on Jun 19, 2010 19:36:23 GMT -5
Some time long after everyone had left, Verin landed deep in the forest carrying the bag of flesh and a shovel he had "liberated" from somebody's shed. He'd taken some pains to conceal himself this time, unusually, although the wings were a dead giveaway to anybody who knew him. With one last glance around, he sank the shovel into the dirt and began working, whistling a cheery tune all the whjile. Well, the tune was cheery. the lyrics definitely were not. If he were singing the words, it would probably be to drive humans mad or to celebrate some great battle.
As he finished the work, he smoothed over the soil and sighed. He didn't often have to conceal his activities. As he walked back he took a minute to admire the forest at night. And how much better it would look aflame. Suddenly, there was a tug on his... essence, for want of a better word. Blinking once, he found himself in a completely different location, at the foot of a massive throne with a shadow sitting straight-backed on it.
"You should know better than to ask for help from Gods, you know." The voice had a strange quality to it, it was not telepathic and yet it seemed to come from a constantly and randomly shifting position. It was a voice to make you paranoid. "Oh. You must be the one who answered my request. Well, what's your condition? I'm sure we're both very busy people. Well, God on your part." Verin replied, trying to appear bored. If you grovelled in front of these kinds of Gods, it usually only made them want to hurt you more. "Straight to the point. You will be useful indeed." "Am I going to like where this is going?" "Would you like this conversation in any outcome?" "... Good point. Continue." "I am the God of nameless death. As you can guess, it is hard to acquire followers when I am by design without visage or personality. For this reason, you will be my vassal on earth, until a suitable replacement is found. now go out there. Enjoy yourself like you used to. Kill some people, eat their souls. It does not matter, as long as they only have time to fear their impending doom.. And each one that falls will strengthen me." "I'm afraid I'm busy...." "You will do this, or I could always inflict greater punishment upon you. Or leave you to the ravages of the curse that nearly claimed your life. Kepp in mind that I am fair to those who follow me, and merciless to those who fail me. In time, there will be rewards for good service." "Well... I don't see I couldn't fit killing more people into my schedule." Verin shifted a little, but tried to remain composed. To show weakness was to invite punishment. "Excellent, excellent. You shall have the entirety of your magical powers back. But know this - as an agent of darkness, the light will pain you and weaken your abilities. It is a tradeoff for the power you will yet recieve. Now, off with you. And happy hunting."
Verin returned to this world to find himself on his knees. Presumably he'd left his physical body behind for the audience. As he walked along, he realised there was now even more work to be done. Constant, unending work.
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Post by William Jason Fredericks on Jun 19, 2010 19:41:00 GMT -5
((Guess this happens after they leave but before Verin))
Fredericks quickly finished his work with 'Frank', removing the liver, gall bladder, spleen and lungs and adding them to the bowl with the blood. He removed his knife and the rest of the remains fell to the forest floor with a thud. He made a scooping motion with his left hand and a large section of the forest floor obliged, hovering a couple feet off the ground. With a flick of the knife in his right hand, what was left of Frank tumbled into the hole. Fredericks over-turned his left hand and the dirt fell back into place. Fredericks mumbled a few words, smoothing the plants around the edges, leaving Frank's 'grave' looking no different than the rest of the forest floor.
Leaving his bowl for a moment he walked over to where Aurora had entered the break in the forest. Breathing deeply through his nose again he quickly located one of the branches where she had cut herself. Leaning close he stared at a small drop of blood left on it for a moment before his tongue darted out quickly. He grimaced. "Burnt sand."
He set off, following the path back to where the students had had their encounter with Shiyal. When he arrived he set about, sniffing the air. It was easy to find the remains of the water shield and he lapped up a small bit of water. "Spring rain." At the center of the ring made by the shield he found where Kahlan had been stading a lot of the time. He picked up some grass and chewed on it for a moment before mumbling "Tulips". Nodding to himself once he was satisfied that there had been no one else (other than Shiyal who had already been accounted for) he turned and headed back to collect his bowl.
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