Auger and Dan ran through the twisted trees, their heavy breaths leaving clouds behind them. It was already cold, making every movement even more difficult. Auger hopped over a fallen log and reached to grab onto Dan, pulling him up and over before they broke out into a run again. He pulled up his menu and winced, the dark cracks on his UI blocking the log out button. He clicked his tongue, pushing panic down and focusing on the situation. They had to get away from this place. They had to run. How had this place become so fucked up so quickly?
The sound of children laughing sent a chill up his spine, they were still close. How were they so close? When was the aggro going to break off? Sweat dripped off his face as they passed an upturned tree, a hollow beneath it forming a safe space. He quickly grabbed onto Dan's wrist and dove, his friend gasping in surprise as they hurtled into darkness. Dan was quick on the up-take though and quickly weaved an illusion around them, protecting the entrance of the hollow so they could hide better.
"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck Auger?!" Dan wheezed, holding his head as he trembled in the rear of the hollow. He reached out and seemed to be working his menu. "What the fuck? Why won't it let me log out?"
Auger's chest rose and fell as he tried to open his inventory. No dice, still. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Those things weren't faerin."
"No shit!" Dan snapped, "They were like piranha with wings! Ellen... why'd she have to die like that? Oh god..." He gagged, burying his head between his knees.
Auger slapped his friend's arm, "Breathe! That thing can't find us in here."
Dan gasped and coughed, running his fingers through his head, he was too panicked to think straight. It was no wonder. What the hell had they seen? They'd been traveling from Vintergard and had decided to hit the forests just at the edge of the territory hoping to do a little hunting as a party when suddenly the trees had become... wrong. The leaves were glowing and the bark had turned a dark blue. There was bad magic in the air no matter where they turned and it was beginning to set Ellen on edge. She'd tried to use divine magic to purify it but the corruption just came back right away. That attempt had been their first mistake.
The Faerin that found them had offered to take them through the forest after they paid respects to their leader. It didn't seem like a bad deal, they could even get a quest. Stupid in retrospect. Of course it was a trap. Then they saw her in the middle of a small lake amidst the twisted trees. It was a tiny island with a large curved tree looming over it. Beneath the tree was a woman that glowed in a pale light, drifting about like mist. When she'd come closer, crossing the water, it was the most ethereal experience he'd ever had. Beautiful. He'd used his UI to check her name and it had come up that she was a Starcalled. But the Faerin seemed to treat her like a lander. UI-locked? He wasn't sure.
He'd started to question her, and that's when things went horribly wrong. What he saw in her eyes when he looked into them. Those pink, glowing eyes, it was like looking into an endless sea of nightmares where twisted, horrible, and unknowable things reached out towards his mind. Terror. This thing wasn't a player. Not a normal one. He'd tried to use his messenger to tell the others they needed to get out of there and had noticed that his UI was covered in strange black cracks. They tried to run. Ellen died first when the faerin jumped on her. They'd been running ever since.
"The cracks are fading, I think we're almost out of her area of effect," Auger said hesitantly.
"What kind of fucking mastery messes up a UI? I thought we were done with this after that bitch Szofrit!" Dan whined.
"There's gotta be a drawback," Auger said firmly, "It probably affects her too."
Footsteps. Heavy footfalls. Not like faerin. The woman didn't walk on the ground either. They both looked up and then at eachother before peering through the illusion. It was a Lander! He looked a bit tired and was carrying a woodsman's hatchet. Maybe he could guide them out.
"Hello?" The man called.
Auger was the first to move, he crawled out of the hole and waved. "H-hey! Don't go any further sir Lander! There's a dangerous creature in the forest beyond this point!"
The lander froze and looked around warily. "Who are you?"
"I'm Auger, a starcalled, my friend and I are a bit lost. Could you lead us out of the forest? I'll pay you in coin," Auger insisted as Dan scuttled out of the hole, desperation in his eyes.
The lander scratched his head and shrugged, "Sure, I could go for some coin. Name's Jacques."
Ishtar watched Jacques murder the two players through her crystal ball, lounging beneath the curved tree. A small smile stretching across her lips as the corruption strengthened the lander to the point where he could overpower the two harried starcalled. It was a good test and Jacques would get his first taste of the gift she'd offered. He'd never be satisfied with that level of vengance, though, his hate for the starcalled having consumed his mind a long time ago. She stretched languidly in the air as the corrupted faerin approached, the tiny beings floating around her and giggling at the horrendous sights within the ball.
"Is my guest here yet?" She asked softly, dismissing the ball as she rolled over in mid air, kicking up a leg. The amulet hanging around her ankle jingled.
"The Starcalled known as Rael entered the forest a short time ago, mistress," One of the starcalled chirped, its rabid gaze twinkling.
"Be polite to her and guide her to the lake, she's a very special guest and I want no harm coming to her, understood?" Ishtar said, holding up a dainty finger. The creatures quickly nodded and flit away in the direction of the incoming guest, preparing to offer her a royal welcome under the starlight. Ishtar glanced back at the spot where the starcalled girl had died, already cleansed of the blood and death. Good. No need for an awkward reception. Her lip twitched, that fellow had figured out the drawback of her UI Corruption pretty quickly. She couldn't use her menus when interfering with others. He'd spread word about her existence and she'd probably have to move. She wasn't strong enough to deal with a raiding party, but she could keep an eye on message boards to know when the time to escape was.
For now, she'd enjoy this new lair until she found another. Contenting herself in the moment she floated into the air and drifted about, her bare, glowing body dancing beneath the moonlight until the faerin brought her very special guest. The storyteller @Rael.
The sound of children laughing sent a chill up his spine, they were still close. How were they so close? When was the aggro going to break off? Sweat dripped off his face as they passed an upturned tree, a hollow beneath it forming a safe space. He quickly grabbed onto Dan's wrist and dove, his friend gasping in surprise as they hurtled into darkness. Dan was quick on the up-take though and quickly weaved an illusion around them, protecting the entrance of the hollow so they could hide better.
"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck Auger?!" Dan wheezed, holding his head as he trembled in the rear of the hollow. He reached out and seemed to be working his menu. "What the fuck? Why won't it let me log out?"
Auger's chest rose and fell as he tried to open his inventory. No dice, still. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Those things weren't faerin."
"No shit!" Dan snapped, "They were like piranha with wings! Ellen... why'd she have to die like that? Oh god..." He gagged, burying his head between his knees.
Auger slapped his friend's arm, "Breathe! That thing can't find us in here."
Dan gasped and coughed, running his fingers through his head, he was too panicked to think straight. It was no wonder. What the hell had they seen? They'd been traveling from Vintergard and had decided to hit the forests just at the edge of the territory hoping to do a little hunting as a party when suddenly the trees had become... wrong. The leaves were glowing and the bark had turned a dark blue. There was bad magic in the air no matter where they turned and it was beginning to set Ellen on edge. She'd tried to use divine magic to purify it but the corruption just came back right away. That attempt had been their first mistake.
The Faerin that found them had offered to take them through the forest after they paid respects to their leader. It didn't seem like a bad deal, they could even get a quest. Stupid in retrospect. Of course it was a trap. Then they saw her in the middle of a small lake amidst the twisted trees. It was a tiny island with a large curved tree looming over it. Beneath the tree was a woman that glowed in a pale light, drifting about like mist. When she'd come closer, crossing the water, it was the most ethereal experience he'd ever had. Beautiful. He'd used his UI to check her name and it had come up that she was a Starcalled. But the Faerin seemed to treat her like a lander. UI-locked? He wasn't sure.
He'd started to question her, and that's when things went horribly wrong. What he saw in her eyes when he looked into them. Those pink, glowing eyes, it was like looking into an endless sea of nightmares where twisted, horrible, and unknowable things reached out towards his mind. Terror. This thing wasn't a player. Not a normal one. He'd tried to use his messenger to tell the others they needed to get out of there and had noticed that his UI was covered in strange black cracks. They tried to run. Ellen died first when the faerin jumped on her. They'd been running ever since.
"The cracks are fading, I think we're almost out of her area of effect," Auger said hesitantly.
"What kind of fucking mastery messes up a UI? I thought we were done with this after that bitch Szofrit!" Dan whined.
"There's gotta be a drawback," Auger said firmly, "It probably affects her too."
Footsteps. Heavy footfalls. Not like faerin. The woman didn't walk on the ground either. They both looked up and then at eachother before peering through the illusion. It was a Lander! He looked a bit tired and was carrying a woodsman's hatchet. Maybe he could guide them out.
"Hello?" The man called.
Auger was the first to move, he crawled out of the hole and waved. "H-hey! Don't go any further sir Lander! There's a dangerous creature in the forest beyond this point!"
The lander froze and looked around warily. "Who are you?"
"I'm Auger, a starcalled, my friend and I are a bit lost. Could you lead us out of the forest? I'll pay you in coin," Auger insisted as Dan scuttled out of the hole, desperation in his eyes.
The lander scratched his head and shrugged, "Sure, I could go for some coin. Name's Jacques."
Ishtar watched Jacques murder the two players through her crystal ball, lounging beneath the curved tree. A small smile stretching across her lips as the corruption strengthened the lander to the point where he could overpower the two harried starcalled. It was a good test and Jacques would get his first taste of the gift she'd offered. He'd never be satisfied with that level of vengance, though, his hate for the starcalled having consumed his mind a long time ago. She stretched languidly in the air as the corrupted faerin approached, the tiny beings floating around her and giggling at the horrendous sights within the ball.
"Is my guest here yet?" She asked softly, dismissing the ball as she rolled over in mid air, kicking up a leg. The amulet hanging around her ankle jingled.
"The Starcalled known as Rael entered the forest a short time ago, mistress," One of the starcalled chirped, its rabid gaze twinkling.
"Be polite to her and guide her to the lake, she's a very special guest and I want no harm coming to her, understood?" Ishtar said, holding up a dainty finger. The creatures quickly nodded and flit away in the direction of the incoming guest, preparing to offer her a royal welcome under the starlight. Ishtar glanced back at the spot where the starcalled girl had died, already cleansed of the blood and death. Good. No need for an awkward reception. Her lip twitched, that fellow had figured out the drawback of her UI Corruption pretty quickly. She couldn't use her menus when interfering with others. He'd spread word about her existence and she'd probably have to move. She wasn't strong enough to deal with a raiding party, but she could keep an eye on message boards to know when the time to escape was.
For now, she'd enjoy this new lair until she found another. Contenting herself in the moment she floated into the air and drifted about, her bare, glowing body dancing beneath the moonlight until the faerin brought her very special guest. The storyteller @Rael.
