The longest range in Lambastia, the Tuun Mountains cover up much of the northwest. Unlike the harsh Fe'gan Mountains, the Tuun Mountains have varying temperatures, from very mild to slightly colder depending on where you go and which sections you explore. (+3 Offense)

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A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 12:57 PM

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Shaya was surprised as the coach didn't stop at the castle door; instead, the large double doors opened wide, and the entire coach team - horses and all - was let inside the building. As the doors closed behind them, Shaya shivered - it was cold here, and she assumed they must be somewhere near the mountains. How far had the coach gotten in the short time they had been travelling, she wondered, and what were the 'alternative routes' Drake had spoken about?

"The entire castle has been fortified so that nothing from outside can get in without permission" Mick whispered, hovering by her ear so that his little translucent body cast an eerie glow upon the inside of the coach. "The inside of the castle is divided into separate buildings; the coach, coachman and horses will be kept inside tonight, and released in the morning, weather permitting" he continued, darting to the window to peer through the gloom.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 3:12 PM

Shaya sighed, and shivered; the coat she wore wasn't as thick as it had once been, and in any case it certainly hadn't been designed for wherever they were - and wherever it was, it was cold.

"What exactly did he mean by training?" She asked eventually; the coach hadn't stopped yet, and she was beginning to wonder how big the castle actually was.

Mick frowned, and turned away from the window; he couldn't see anything out there anyway. "I assume he means physical training, as well as tactics, knowledge - he'd be looking to make you an apprentice, of sorts."

Shaya nodded; she hoped it would be much less long-term than it sounded, but already she felt suffocated - and she hadn't even seen her prison yet.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 3:48 PM

Shaya leaned against the carriage wall and sighed; she curled her tails around her for warmth, and also for comfort. She had really messed up this time, and she was sure she would be paying for it for a good long time.

Finally, the carriage stopped; she could hear the Cavallion snorting, and the absence of the clatter of their hooves left the chamber they were in feeling very empty. She shivered again, this time in fear, and got to her feet, ready to get off the coach. Mick drew in close, and together they went through the door the coachman had opened for them, stepping into complete darkness.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 4:46 PM

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Drake stepped forward into the dim light given off by the inside of the coach, and smiled. In one hand he held the black cane that he never seemed to be without, and he tapped it on the floor once.

"Welcome" he said, "to our humble home." At this, the hall was suddenly lit by soft, glowing lights, which began to grow brighter until Shaya could see all around her. She gasped, as she realised they were in some sort of natural fortification - the chamber was in fact a large cavern, with buildings as far as her eyes could see all situated at different heights.

"I see you've redecorated" said Mick, casting an approving eye over the area; "It seems - functional" he added, pausing to gather his thoughts.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 4:50 PM

Shaya couldn't help herself; she stared, and stared, and the more she stared the more she saw. Towers that looked so spindly they must be a great distance away, and squat huts with smoke curling out of chimneys, and guards patrolling, wearing the same armour as those outside, though with a slightly different crest - presumably to distinguish them from those of the outside patrols, she assumed. It was as if an entire citadel had been hidden inside a mountain - and a very cold mountain, at that!

"Where are we?" she asked, awestruck, as her teeth began to shiver again. Drake chuckled, and beckoned her to follow him along a cobbled path as the carriage was led towards what seemed to be the stable.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 4:56 PM

"We are inside the citadel built by my loyal vampire hunters to house our trade. Nothing gets in unless we want it to, and nothing gets out without our permission." Drake seemed oblivious to his ominous choice of words, but Shaya shivered - so it was a prison after all, she thought glumly.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" cried Mick, noticing at last the pallor of Shaya's lips. "Drake, please, take us inside - you and I don't feel the cold, but she certainly does, and that coat is not suitable for the Tuun Mountains weather."

Shaya gasped; they had caught the coach on the outskirts of the Whisper Forest that morning - how was it possible that they had made it to the Tuun Mountains so quickly?
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/27/2017 4:59 PM

Drake chuckled at the gasp that escaped Shaya's trembling lips. "There are many ways to get to where you wish to go, and sometimes, a vampire can help... pass the time, shall we say." He smirked, and turned to lead them towards a large building with the glow of a fireplace flickering in the glass windows.

Shaya gasped with relief upon entering the building. The warmth cut through her, and made her tremble even harder, but it felt good to be thawing out. She stretched her cramped legs, and followed Drake to a large table in the centre of the room.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 3:44 PM

Drake clapped his hands as they sat, and a bowl of steaming broth was immediately placed in front of each of them. Shaya couldn't help it, the smell of the soup coupled with the warmth she could feel radiating from the bowl made her groan. She was in fact extremely hungry, and assumed they had been on the coach for far longer than she had initially thought.

Mick hovered beside her shoulder, content to be silent for the time being. He was glad of Drake's help, but something about the vampire always set him on edge a little.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 3:48 PM

"Tell me, what do you think of the soup?" Drake asked, looking at Shaya with a penetrating stare. Shaya swallowed nervously, and winced as a large - and hot - chunk of potato made its way down her throat.

"The soup is delicious, thank you" she responded cautiously, surreptitiously trying to look into the bowl as if something suspicious would float to the surface. Drake grinned widely, and gestured around them as he spoke. "Everything in the soup has been grown in this very cavern - we have facilities here to allow us to survive, and indeed flourish, with little to no contact with the outside world" he said grandly, missing the face Shaya pulled at his final words.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 3:51 PM

Shaya couldn't help it; the growing sense of unease within her was only getting worse by the moment. "Little to no contact? Surely you need to go out and about sometimes" she said, inching her seat further away from the table.

Drake grinned again, showing his two pointed fangs as he smiled. "Why would we want to, when everything we need is right here?" he asked pleasantly, making sure to stare her in the eyes.

"Enough of this nonsense; Drake, please stop - you're scaring her, and that will only make her training more difficult" snapped Mick, annoyed at the vampire's antics.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 3:55 PM

Drake bowed his head, somewhat abashed; "Forgive me, it has been such a long time since I last had a guest" he said, much more pleasantly than before.

"Given your antics, I'm not surprised" snapped Mick again, clearly with little patience. "We're here because we need help - she needs help - and you want to help us." He gestured towards Shaya with his head, and pawed his hoof at the table top. "You and I are already technically dead - there's not much that thing can do to us any more; but she's not, and she's in great danger."

Shaya's face turned grim, and she pushed the chunks of vegetables around with her spoon.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 4:00 PM

Drake frowned, and looked sharply at Mick. "Always business, as usual - very well, let's talk seriously then." He pulled a leather-bound pocket book out of his coat pocket, and placed it upon the table where it grew in size until they could all read it clearly.

The book was filled with sketches of the hag they had met in the forest, and Shaya shivered as the sketch focused one beady eye on her. "Don't worry, it's only a drawing - she can't see you through it" whispered Mick by her ear.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 4:03 PM

"This - creature - that you awoke is a long-forgotten abomination, that has slumbered for centuries" stated Drake, tracing the text with a fine fingernail that was pointed and sharp. "It feeds on the living, and all who touch it are consumed by death - you were very lucky it did not reach you" he said, glancing up at Shaya.

Shaya shivered, and thought about just how close she had come to the old hag's clutches. "How do you guard against it - and how can I be sure it won't find me here?" she said, stumbling a little on the last part. She was actually afraid, now, and seeing the hag in a bestiary of sorts made the whole situation much more real.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 4:07 PM

Drake smiled gently for the first time that evening, as the trembles of her voice pulled at something long forgotten in his heart. "Don't worry, you are safe for the time being. The entire cavern is warded with enchantments, and there are repellent herbs planted everywhere to prevent accidental mishaps. She will not find you while you are here - which is why you have to prepare yourself, for when she does, she will be angry at having been thwarted for so long."

Shaya shivered, and nodded grimly. How on earth was she supposed to prepare to face something so deadly?
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 03/28/2017 4:10 PM

Drake and Mick continued to discuss the hag's species and weaknesses into the night, and Shaya felt her eyelids drooping, much like the wax that ran freely from the candle onto the holder. She yawned, and tried to stifle it as her companions turned to look at her for the first time in a while.

"Apologies," said Drake, "I forget you mortals still need to sleep." He stood, and gestured for Shaya to follow him up the stairs in the corner. He pushed open a door on the upper landing, and Shaya was greeted by the sight of a bed piled high with pillows and blankets, and a fire in the fireplace.
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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