Private Providence Forward Unto Danger

[Iselda Blackthorn]

Tension hung in the air surrounding Iselda Blackthorn as she stepped into the wilds of Providence. This was the first time she'd made a foray from the low level area of Eastern Brisshal into a place known for danger. The lore descriptions of Providence emphasized the harsh lands in between cities, the clear and ever present danger. It was supposed to be the kind of thing that Iselda found exciting, but in truth she found it borderline terrifying. Was she really prepared? Had she done enough training to hold her own out here? The enemies in Eastern Brisshal had grown easy, almost too simple, and it was time to move on. She would never become the beacon of justice she was meant to be at this rate.

Her heart stuck like a lump in her throat, pounding in her ears with each beat as she stepped past the border, the words "Providence Outer Realms" flashing in her HUD. Iselda's hand tightened on the hilt of her saber yet outwardly she appeared calm. Despite the worrying description, it looked surprisingly idyllic so far. Beautiful mountains spanned as far as the eye could see, and the drop in temperature was a welcome change after the sometimes sweltering environment she'd just been in. She hugged her coat a bit tighter around herself as she took a few more steps.

This... wasn't so bad. She could handle this. Iselda took a few more deep breaths and willed herself to calm, glad that no one could see her at the moment. Still, she could imagine this wouldn't last. When would the first sign of danger rear its ugly head? Iselda thought perhaps she could hear the faint hints of a commotion, but she still couldn't be sure.

@Aerial

 

[Aerial]

Y'know. The day had been going really well. Until it didn't. That's how it usually went, especially in the world of Terrasphere.

Sadly, she could only blame herself. It was her hasty decision to pick a racial trait without reading the effects that lead to these unpleasant experiences. At the same time, how was she supposed to know one tiny little roll would cast such a dismal curse? (Besides, uh, besides people who read the description). Exactly! No one!

Her mind desperately tried to reroute the blame: the text had been too tiny, the cost to reroll was too great, and the world hated her. Unfortunately, the who didn't really matter. At least, not right now. Not when she had managed to find herself amidst a violent display of nature. Male mountain goats jousted with one another, each refusing to back down as they tried to win dominance and affection.

Why are there so many? Aerial didn't want to harm the innocent creatures. It wasn't her fault she tripped down the cliff and into their arena. Deft feet dodged sharp horns.. but for how much longer could she continue this dance?

Eyes widened when a figure materialized on the horizon. A savior arrived. Between rugged breaths, she called out,

"Hey, hey! Could you- Could you distract these fellas so I can get out of this chaos?"

@Iselda Blackthorn
ooc:// sorry for the delay!​

 

[Iselda Blackthorn]

As Iselda walked, it became clear that what was the vague hint of a commotion was, in fact, an actual commotion. It almost sounded like... animals? Periodically, a spinechilling sound like two hard objects colliding rang out. Iselda felt a deep sense of trepidation settle in her gut. What in the world could that be? She didn't particularly want to find out, but there was no way she could get stronger, physically or mentally, by running away. Steeling her courage, she turned in the direction of the noise and walked towards it.

What she saw... was unexpected. There was a veritable horde of mountain goats jockeying for dominance. This world had things like this too? Someone put an incredible amount of effort into programming the AI... Wait, did mountain goats even have a fighting season? Of all the strange ways for Iselda to be reminded that she needed to touch grass... Perhaps more important than all of that was the young woman frantically dodging the flurry of horns rushing past her. What in the world was she doing there? The situation was downright hazardous!

@Aerial called out to her, asking for help with surprising nonchalance for someone in the middle of an outright melee. A distraction... Well, as long as it didn't involve fighting a whole flock of goats, Iselda could manage that. She drew her saber and struck a noble pose, holding the weapon in front of her in a fencing salute. "Fear not! I, Iselda Blackthorn, will ensure your safety. Stand fast, you vermin. The real alpha has arrived at last. Have at you!" she declared, even poking the closest one in the rear with the saber. It wasn't enough to cause more than a single point of damage, but it certainly got their attention. Honestly, what in the world was she doing?

That seemed to do it as the entire herd turned to face her. Iselda could see her life flashing before her eyes. No. Brave! She must be brave! Drawing on her Astramancy, she attempted to predict the movements of the group. She managed to dodge out of the way of the first few charges, even parrying some aside with her saber. Iselda glanced toward the damsel in distress, hoping she'd managed at least some degree of success.