The Last Heroes' Guild Arc 1: "Nuglar Mountains"

[Almighty.Person.Me]

A full moon rained faint light on the World’s capital. In the center of the city, Cyfalaf, was the Government’s Tower. It was intentionally built to rise above all other buildings in the city. Just a short ways east was the cathedral. In the old days, when this was a cathedral city, it was the largest building and the city’s center. But a new government brought with it new ideals and bigger buildings.


Southwest of the Government Tower was a second tower. It was shorter than the first, but still taller than the old cathedral. And, unlike the government tower, it was not enclosed from the outside elements. There were no walls or ceilings. It was simply a spiraling staircase that led up to a large, open platform.

Twelve people marched up the winding steps to the platform and to an unknown fate that could only be described as detestable. Three of those people worked for the World Government. One was the leader; what an important even this must be for him to leave the comfort of his silver tables. Another was his royal shield bearer; the poor soul charged with protecting the Leader at any cost. And finally, the head mage; an extremely old lady who clearly didn’t need to be walking up 1,500 steps in the middle of a cold night.


The other nine were the greatest of the World’s heroes. Ten individuals who had laid their lives on the line countless times to protect the population. To protect the very people who walked with them. And, many times, simply to protect each other. They were The Heroes’ Guild, and they were the last of their kind.

At the front of the line was Anifail the Beast. Anifail was a member of the Amryfal species and the leader of the Heroes’ Guild. The Amryfal are a formidable species known for having multiples of important body parts.


Anifail had four eyes, four ears, no nose but four nostrils, and most importantly: four arms. He was no taller than your average human, but rather bulk. And each of his hulkish four arms were attached to hands and those hands belonged to each of the four swords resting on his back.


Anifail seemed rather on-edge tonight, which would only make sense given the circumstances. Each of his four eyes constantly darted back and forth in various directions. Treisgar, the hero standing directly beside him, did not like the way their leader was looking.

As the group reached the large, open platform at the top, the Government officials walked to their seats and the heroes assumed their position in the middle of the platform. They were well aware of what was happening. The group had already been given their instructions multiple times and had been warned that deviating from these instructions could mean death.

Treisgar continued to scan his fellow heroes. Some were very young and impulsive; he looked to Jack and then to Anri , others were very old and powerful; he then looked to the twin dragons, and still others were capable of powerful magical feats; he inspected Merl and finally Page. Nobody seemed comfortable, not even Treisgar, but none were acting as curiously as Anifail. All four of his eyes continued to move around and now his palms were opening and closing. Treisgar could see the sweat forming on his four arms, though it was a rather cold night.


The floor of the platform was covered in hundreds of runes. The heroes stood in the middle of a large circle. Each of the government officials stood just outside of this circle and somewhat close to the edge of the platform. The leader stood in the middle with his shield bearer on his right and the head mage to his left.

Benadur, the leader of the World Government, began to speak. “Mighty heroes!” He rose his arms high as though he were addressing a crowd at a colloseum. “Oh, how we appreciate the great things you have done for this world!” He continued to speak, but Treisgar diverted his focus to Anifail, who was beginning to growl and grind his teeth.


“Anifail. Please. Calm yourself. There is only one way to escape this situation alive and that is through their limited mercy.” Treisgar spoke to their leader and placed a hand on one of his four shoulders. He could feel Anifail’s anger growing. He only hoped that he would not incite it in the rest of the group. There was no way Treisgar could hold them all back.

Again, Treisgar looked to the dragons and then to Jack. They all seemed focused on what Benadur was saying. Thankfully. Treisgar decided to look ahead and see what what the Leader was rambling about now.

“...Which is why I have extended this great mercy and honor to you people.” Benadur turned to face the ledge of the platform and the rest of his city while continuing his speech. “ I had considered simply ki…”

With that, Anifail lost his composure. He roared a beastly roar and unsheathed all of his swords in a single swipe. Before Treisgar could attempt to contain him he had left the confines of the circle and launched towards the leader’s exposed back ready to strike.

The “clang” of metal striking metal echoed through the emptiness. It was unnatural, eerie, and worrisome. Anifail had not struck the leader. Benadur did not turn towards the commotion.

“Shield boy…Kill him” The leader spoke softly and casually as he turned around to face the attacker and the rest of the guild.

Anifail’s attack had somehow managed to strike the large metal shield of the shield bearer. The bearer said nothing, but quickly released his shield and performed exceptional incantations with both hands. The incantations were complete before the shield hit the ground and before Anifail could pull back his arms for another strike.

The incantation with his left hand sealed Anifail within a protective bubble. The incantation of the right hand created a similar bubble that followed the curvature of the circle surrounding the heroes. The second bubble was to prevent any supporting attackers from making a move. Even Treisgar was on edge and ready to attack, but the bubble would not be broken by force.

The shield bearer began to clench his left hand. As his fingers grew closer together, so to did the edges of the bubble around Anifail. The bubble pressed against his limbs. He dropped his swords. His arms began to come together and so did his legs. Inside the bubble were the sounds of bones breaking and Anifail roaring, but no sound could escape the bubble. Very few things could.

Benadur looked to the elder mage and waived his hand without a word. She walked towards the large bubble that enclosed the heroes and began to speak a powerful incantation. There was a distant sadness in her eyes. She could hardly bare to look towards Merl, someone whom she had watched often and respected dearly. Meanwhile, the bubble around Anifail began to constrict tighter and tighter.


The elder mage finished her incantation and the runes along the platform’s floor began to glow. By this time, Anifail’s bubble was barely the size of a quarter. Death had already become his friend. Treisgar felt rage and sadness dwell within him together. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He could barely imagine the rage felt by others like Jack, who were more prone to such feelings.

A small hole opened within the heroes’ protective bubble. Just small enough for the elder mage’s voice to reach their ears. She spoke only five words:

“Save them. And Save us.”


With that, the bubble was filled with a blinding light. The world shook and all sounds vanished from existence. And then they were standing on a cloud. No a pillow. No it was neither. It was a thick blanket of snow.

The heroes were in a New World. And within this new world they found themselves upon the snowy grounds of the Nuglar mountains. They were nearly half way up the slopes of a massive mountain. Greener grass was a short journey downward. Snowy peaks a long journey upward.

"Now what?" Treisgar thought to himself. He then turned to take count of the heroes, hoping everyone had survived the teleportation magic.

 

[Average]

They actually did it. Was the first thought page had after witnessing the death of his leader. To actually banish the strongest individuals of our world to some...wait..."We're in another world... aren't we," Page finally let out after realization dawned on him. "Is this even possibly? I mean, Marigold's Guide to extra-planar travel was theory, plain unadulterated, untested magic that culminated to ramblings of a mad man but....what in the hell. We're actually in another world..." Page muttered each word quickly and softly to himself, as if logic decided to be the most illogical way to be thinking at this very moment. He stepped forward slowly, each step sinking deep into the snow that he just noticed was even there. As he neared the edge of the mountaintop that overlooked a small, green forest he could vaguely hear Tresigar voice addressing the group. Page took a deep breath, and slowly turned his head back to the monk.

"What now?" he started with a slightly raised voice. To him, the simple two word question of "what now" was just same as asking him if his mother was a tea kettle and if she could serve them tea. "Sir, not to be the one to state the obvious, or the negative, but do you not understand the gravity of what just happened," Page shot back. "We, no, they, went as far as to prove the theory of a very powerful and very demented mage just to banish us all in some whatever the hell this godforsaken land is!" He continued with each word being said more furiously. "Furthermore I'd like to also point out that we're on a BLOODY MOUNTAIN with no ounce of comprehension as to where said mountain is. NOT ONLY THAT ANI...."

Page's excessive yelling suddenly slowed and died to a stop as he realized a tear was slowly sliding down his cheek. He had almost forgotten what conspired while they were on of that accursed tower, with the grief finally hitting him hard in the heart. He stood there letting out a few more tears, wiping them as they fell. "Anifail is dead," he finally choked out silently. "Our leader...he's gone..betrayed.." a this point the boy was just talking to himself, too confused to form any coherent thoughts on the matter. For all the work he has done to become a hero without magic, without what he thought was his worth to the world..and for it to be taken away in an instant. He sighed a very, very long sigh letting out all the anger and sorrow he that was pent up from a moment ago. He gave Tresigar and the group a very empty look. One with eyes red from crying in the frost. "If you ask me...what now..then I have no fucking idea. Our situation sir, is very ineffable"

 

[Bernar]

It was a dream. It had to be. Jack felt relieved as he woke up. The soft mattress was embracing his body as he opened his eyes.

Something was wrong. He could see the clouds...as if...

He jumped up, almost panicking, and looked around. All around him were mountains and snow. It wasn't a dream. Anifail was dead. Not that they were friends, but he was just beginning to like ...that thing. Jack's head was spinning. He had no idea whether it was because of the magic used to give him a big, planetary kick, or the shock. Maybe both. Where was he? Where was everybody else?

He took a few deep breaths. As the irony of the situation started to sink in, Jack let out a lunatic kind of laugh. He shook his head. They had just been given their prize for saving the whole damned planet, several times. He immediately regretted joining the guild and cursed his bad luck. He went from reject to hero and then back to reject in a matter of three years. Impressive, really.

He checked on his gear. At least that seemed to be where it should. He activated his mask for a moment. Everything was working properly up until he tried to use two functions at the same time. The vision zoomed in and out, out of control. Weird. Though not the worst news of the day, for sure.

He was just about to go look for the others when he heard a voice. It was Page. Jack walked around the line of trees and saw Page yelling at Treisgar and waving his hands around as if he was trying to fly back home. Jack approached the group.
"Hey guys. I think they misunderstood. When I asked for a vacation...well this is not exactly what I meant." he said in a very light tone.

 

[Dragon Painter]

This was not what was supposed to happen. They came out of hiding to help the world--it wasn't supposed to abandon them now. The walk up the steps had been devastating enough, the twins clasping hands tightly. It was not something they ordinarily did, but it had not been ordinary circumstances.

The teleportation had been instantaneous. Painless. A blink of an eye, really. But the very moment after...they both felt to their cores that they were in a different world. The moment the bubble around them dropped, the pair let out a loud gasp, jerking as if struck. Ellyxia jumped to the left, away from the group, knowing she would not be able to hold her form together, as Nymbryxia hurled herself to the right for the very same reason. The magic....this world's magic was far too different. Strange. Twisted. Their human forms were mere facades held together by magic, and when suddenly that magic is changed, the facade drops.

Nymbryxia let out a shout that melded in to a loud roar as a giant green dragon burst forth in a flurry of claws and wings and scales. Ellyxia was quiet, a mere scuffle in the snow as her own human form melted away. Within their true forms, no magic was being used, the new magic of the world no longer striking at them. They were silent as the both of them, with their immediate problems resolved, had a moment to reflect.

"I'll char them alive should I ever see them again," Nymbryxia spoke softly. And a softly spoken Nymbryxia was a dangerous one. Her words carried across the area like a whispered promise, the wind from the mountain doing nothing to diminish it. Finally, the hulking form that was Nym moved, slowly getting to her feet. She was glad she had jumped aside--seeing Jack lying in the snow near where she'd been, she could have accidently squished him. She looked around at the group, automatically counting and checking for injuries, as well as glancing over her sibling, who seemed just fine.

Nym looked over to Page when they heard his voice, his shouts likely echoing what many of them felt. Her own heart ached--they'd been tossed from their home. Their world. The place they had fought tooth and nail to protect. The world Elly had convinced Nym to leave her lair and clan to fight for. Looking over to Elly, she could see the white dragon had not moved--her far-away expression was even further away than normal. She was having a vision. A relatively long one, by the looks of things. But it took only a few more seconds for Elly to snap out of it, blinking her unseeing eyes before getting up. There was great sadness emitting from the Seer as she turned to approach the gathering group, Nym following suit.

"Now...We cover our bases. Like we always do. Figure out our surroundings. Take this one step at a time," Nymbryxia said, her logical mind kicking in as one her age is prone to doing. Extending a wing, she used to to block the wind that was blowing around the group. "First, we make sure we are all here and alive. Assess any injuries."

As Nym spoke of the now, Elly couldn't help but reflect upon her vision and the word's from the old mage who had banished them. Save them. And save us. Just what did that mean? Their guild had done much saving and it had gotten them the boot. But there had to be more to it for the old woman to say such a thing. What she was mainly concerned with, however, was this them she had spoken of. Who were them? And why had her vision been such a jumble? She was not a Seer of the past, and yeah, flashes of the past had come up with flashes of the future. This would certainly require some reflection--once such reflection could be afforded, she decided, as she instead turned her full attention to the group.

 

[WiZ]

Gah!
Merl, dazed from the portal, could barely stand up after the transportation. Moreover, he had a piercing headache that felt like the tip of a spearhead punctured the middle section inbetween his brows.
Where are we?
What happend to Anifail?
What in the world is going on?
All these questions raced through his head, but Merl remained calm, as usual. He gathered all his strength, or what little strength he had left and arose from the cold, snowy ground.

This was truly the worst day to be sent through a portal to Lord-knows-where. Merl was wearing nothing but his hat, imbued with the Incarnat Crystal, his sorcerer's robes, leather boots and linen trousers, not to mention his trusty Runic Mage Gloves.

Although Merl was still recovering, he wasn't about to freeze his exceptionally well rounded butt cheeks off on this damned pillar of ice and snow. One wavering leg at a time and clutching his forehead with both hands, Merl started down the glossy white slopes off the mountain. Glancing over his shoulder, all he could see was the frantic Page with the reflecting Glasaf monk known as Treisgar, the Twin Dragons who had just burst into their true forms and the hooded man who called himself Jack. He had no idea what the others where up to and, frankly, he didn't care. He was getting off this rock, whether they followed him or not.

 

[ChelonianCommander]

Shish Krim Baub led his team of 8 Nugs through the snowy mountains, all of which carried nug sized spears and axes. As the wind picked up, Shish sniffed the air and stopped gestured for the group to stop. He lifts his head high and sniffed once again. The Grunt has been up and down this area and have killed at least one of every creature on Nuglar at least once, but this scent he smelt was new to him.

<Something wrong Krim Baub?> Asks a Chef Priest.

<Scent, smell scent that scent.> Replied Shish and his hunt mates did just that. They smelt the air and each one picked up the unusual scents.

<New! I smell something new new!> Said another Hunt Mate and Shish slaps the Hunter across the face.

<Quiet, quiet! Be quiet quiet! Alert, do alert not alert the prey.> Said Shish <Now listen, we listen…> The hunting band stayed silent for a bit and they hear several people talking, what language they didn’t know but it meant one thing.

<You hear hear that Krim Baub? The speak prey speaks. Not nuglish though. It means eat they eat have good heads eat to eat right?> asks a Hunt Mate and Shish nods.

<It means they’re smart. They’re smart meat makes you smart when you smart eat it. Plan now here’s the plan.You, you, you and you follow me. We shall go flank around and flank the flank prey.>" Said Shish and the group obeyed. They split up into two groups, one of five, the one with Shish in it, and another of four. <Go north, and we shall go east. Encircle taste the prey taste and we shall see what it tastes like.>

<Eat, you think we eat can eat it?> Asks a Hunt Mate.

<Bleed, if it bleeds we can. Remember, if we can bleed it, we can eat it.> Said the Chef priest and with that the Hunting Band splits apart, trying to get a jump on this new prey.

 

[Otomos the Crazy]

To say that Anri knew what was going on would be a lie. She didn't know what just happened. All she knew was that she was told to follow, and she obeyed. She was told to pay attention to the three other adults, and she obeyed. Now one of the others is dead. The big monster-thingy that looked interesting. Next thing she knew she was no longer where she was before, but now someplace very different. It was cold, but her clothes kept her somewhat warm. Warm enough to focus on the recent request asked of them.

“Save them. And Save us.”

Anri knew not what the others would do, but she herself would follow through with it.

Speaking of the others...They had mixed reactions towards the recent events. Some were baffled, some were confused, and some had simply been annoyed. Yet others screeched and roared to the heavens in anger and despair for the fallen comrade. The ground shook, and the snow shifted.

Anri had a bad feeling. Several, in fact. One that made her feel paranoid, as if unseen eyes bore down upon her. The other was a small, subtle tingle that rushed down her spine from her shoulders. As if something huge was about to go down. Maybe it was just the cold.

Anri brushed the snow off her clothes as she got up. The first thing she did was look around. Not because she wanted to gain her bearings, but because she was curious. She scanned all around the place, until her one eye caught on to a sight. A small, furry thing was rustling around a bush that had learned to thrive in the climate. A berry bush, from the looks of it.

A stomach growled, and an eye stared hungrily. Anri had to skip a meal to follow the others, and she was hungry. There was a meal in front of her, and she couldn't be happier to see it. Roasted mystery meat, covered in a sweet berry sauce...She was so happy that she could scream!

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"

The ground shook, and the snow shifted... and maybe the all the noise had finally angered the mountain enough to shake down an avalanche to shut everything up. Who knows? It all depends on what Fate decides now.

 

[seaciel]

Of course, they thank us by banishing us to a new dimension, was the first thought that came to Tirnel's mind as she scanned the snowy mountain, trying to see beyond the wide expanse of mountains covered in white. After saving the earth how many times, this is how they repay us.

Anifail was dead. They were in a new world. And the air felt wrong. Tirnel always considered herself as a calm person. Coming from the rather well-known Moon Elves, she is an epitome of one: calm, collected, logical. But right now, Nel didn't feel like it. Never in her life had she wanted to scream. She wanted to rage. Rage at the people back in her original world. She wanted to break through her facade. But she couldn't, and she wouldn't. Because they had to figure out where they were, and the best way to be able to do that is to stay calm.

She watched Page as he yelled at the monk, Treisgar, his arms waving in the air. She watched as Jack approached them, silently listening as a joke came from him. She watched as the twins suddenly burst into dragons, that would explain why they felt rather contained, they were wearing human skin. She watched as Merl got up from where he was and prepare to possibly leave.

And she certainly felt the several eyes watching them as they stood there, confused, betrayed.

Someone is missing, Tirnel suddenly took notice of the absence of the other female in the group, Anri. How that managed to escape her, she will never know. Not that the others also knew that she was there, simply watching over them, trying to figure out what to say, and what to do next. She was snapped out of her reverie when she her the girl shout. Nel had to restrain herself from slapping a hand to her face. Did nobody tell Anri that it is rather dangerous to shout in the middle of a snowy mountain? Guess not.

 

[Almighty.Person.Me]

"Now what?" Treisgar thought to himself. He then turned to take count of the heroes, hoping everyone had survived the teleportation magic. One was missing, but luckily it was only Jack. The twins had reverted to their natural dragon states. That didn’t seem like a good sign.​

Treisgar had visited many mountain ranges. His own monastery was located near the base of a rather large one. This one; however, did not seem familiar.

He felt a slight tingle on his chest. Treisgar looked down the front of his robe and noticed something odd. The runes on his body that usually gave a faint blue glow had changed in color to red. Something strange was going on indeed. Perhaps Merl or the twins had a better idea of the situation. He hoped it wasn’t what he knew it was.

Just then he heard the rising voice of the guild’s scribe, Page. Page had bounced his own question back to him, but Treisgar still had no better answer. He watched and listened as the young lad unleashed his emotional queries. Treisgar was able to extract the meat from the conversation.

“Whatever the hell this godforsaken land is”
“No ounce of comprehension as to where this mountain is”

Those words of Page’s rung true in his head. They were completely lost.

Treisgar then turned as he heard someone approach from behind nearby trees.

"Hey guys. I think they misunderstood. When I asked for a vacation...well this is not exactly what I meant." Jack had said in a very light tone.

“Welcome back, Jack.” Treisgar replied in an almost disappointed tone. “Page was just telling me how lost we..” Before he could finish his sentence the ground began to shake beneath his feet. It was a brief incident, but a rather clear warning. This mountain was not a safe place to be.

The dragon’s large wing dropped to block the strong winds. Around the edge of the wing he could barely see Merl waddling down the mountain.

“I think Merl has the right idea. We need to leave this mountain. Let us gather our wits once we are on solid ground.” Treisgar closed his eyes for a brief moment and silently entered his first phase of meditation and concentration.

This was an ecstasy-like state. It provided him with feelings of bliss and happiness when he would otherwise feel pain or sadness. It wasn’t enough to completely overpower the pain of the cold snow slipping between his barefoot and wooden sandal, but it did help.


Just as he took his first steps towards the waning Merl he heard an excited shout from Anri. The ground began to shake more violently than before. Treisgar lifted his robe with both hands and picked up the pace down the mountain, offering one last piece of advice for Anri,

“Take your meal to go if you want to live. Stick close to the twins if you fall behind. We need to move quickly.”

He could hear, in the distance, a top layer of snow coming undone. The bending of trees grew closer as the avalanche of snow started its journey down the mountain and towards the heroes.

 

[Average]

Page shot daggered eyes towards Jack. He didn't quite find their situation amusing, nor did he think trying to make it as such was a novel idea. On a good day the scribe would retort back, however this was far from even being an average day. Page relaxed his expression, deciding confrontation was not worth the effort and listened silently to Tresigar's statement about what they should do next. However, like a child that just threw a tantrum Page was bit hurt inside as to how simply his outburst was answered. It was childish sure, but the lad was still barely an adult. Old enough to understand the workings of how to act yet not old enough to act as such. Slowly, he sighed in resignation and gave the monk a tentative "Aye sir." Tresigar was right after all. Both in words and demeanor. Out of everyone in their current party he was the one Page trusted the most. While the monk entered into a state of meditation Page started down the path Merl took. To be quite frank, trusting or no, he found Treisgar's ability to be quite unsettling. As the scribe walked down he took note of who was currently was on that mountain.

There was Jack, who to Page, was too jolly for his own good. There was Merl, who like was earlier stated, off the beaten trail. And there was the twin dragons that seemed to be struggling with this world. He found the two Dragons to be the other two beings he had any trust to. He recalled earlier that the warrior of the two, Nym, was making logical commands about assessing the situation. Page clenched his fist a little bit. It's annoying, he thought. Not to the commands, but rather the inferiority Page felt towards his present guild members. Two dragons, a century old monk, an all powerful mage, and even admittingly Jack. That last bit was especially frustrating to accept. Regardless, envy wasn't going to solve his self esteem, especially when you're comparing yourself to dragons. At least one of them is cute, he joked to himself. His thoughts were quickly fractured by a sudden shrill. Oddly enough it sounded ..... gleeful? At that moment the mountain itself seemed the move violent, with the snow reacting in kind.

As if their situation wasn't shitty enough, now the mountain is trying to us, was Page's immediate thought after hearing Treisgar's commands. He quickenened his pace but stopped briefly next to where the Dragons stood. He realized just now the troubles the two were facing with their forms and thought it better to give some advice about their current troubles shifting. Quickly, he spoke as fast and clearly as a man about to get trampled by an avalanche can. "Er, um, Miss Elly, Miss Nym, I don't want to be presumptuous about your knowledge of extra-planar side effects, but according to Maringold's theory the magic flow of the two world fluctuates differently in power, however the runes themselves shouldn't be terribly different. I'd advise the two you to get use to the flow quickly to change form as flying through these winds or running through a forest with your...um uh..figures would prove fatal." His words were delivered rapidly, and sounded more like a plea than command. In honesty he liked the two, it's not everyday you meet kind dragons, nor do you ever find one attractive. With that being said the scribe gave a quick head bow of respect, took one last look at the coming avalanche, and bolted away with the rest of the party. This was going to be one hell of day.

 

[Bernar]

It was a terrible rumble, an obvious omen of what was coming. Jack looked up the mountain as the unmistakable sound of snow crushing trees announced the beginning of an avalanche. "Thank you Anri, this is exactly what we needed." he said sarcastically. He looked back in time to see Treisgar picking up his gown, he was already running down the mountain along with the others. "You can't outrun an avalanche you fool!" he yelled at him but his words were swept away by the wind and the crushing noise of the mass of snow coming their way. "Not at your age, anyway." he said more quietly, almost talking to himself.


He zoomed in towards the peak. The avalanche was not too wide, not yet at least. It could be done.

"250 feet."

He then turned and started running to the side, following the path which he came from. He glanced at his comrades feeling anxious. By the time it reaches them, which is going to happen pretty soon, the thing was going to be too wide to dodge.

"200 feet."
"They will be fine. The twins are with them." he said out loud, trying to convince himself.


Then the sound of the incoming avalanche regained his attention. It was close. Too close.

"150 feet."

He ran between the trees, the cold breeze opposing resistance to his body was annoying him. The noise was growing stronger every second.

"100 feet."

He tried to accelerate but the snow was making it impossible to run fast enough. He jumped over a fallen tree, realizing in that moment that he was not going to make it. Jack landed maladroitly and sprinted ahead, he was running out of pure desperation and, just as he tried to pick up the pace again, he stumbled on a rock that was hidden by the snow and rolled on the ground, his run forced to a stop.

Jack cursed his bad luck.

"50 feet."

He looked up to see how long he had left to live, and he noticed a crack in the mountain wall. He quickly got back up on his feet and as the mass of snow was right on top of him, he threw himself head-first into the cave. He made it by the skin of his teeth. Jack rolled on his back, trying to catch his breath, and looked at the white cascade that almost killed him.

 

[ChelonianCommander]

Shish's team of 4 hunters, including the Chef Priest, made their way through the forest, using the sound and direction of the wind to mask their scent. The team didn't need to get close when they saw their prey. A group of manlings, but that wasn't impressive. Manlings barely got any meat on them, but was excited for another reason. With the Manlings, was not one but TWO dragons. The group didn't talk, as that might alert the creatures, but with a simpler form of sign language.

[Dragons! Two Dragons Dragons fit for hunt!] Said Chef Priest

[Fine day, this fine day, is a fine day indeed fine day!] Replied Shish. [Feast we shall feast like feast Blugruk the Eternally Wealthy Morbidly Obese Sitter of Shields who Rules Over All Nugs for weeks feast! Bring spears, the spears up front. Fall we shall fall the fall beasts and then eat we eat!]

[And the manlings?] Asks the Chef Priest

[Appetizers, appetizers. We eat them, then the dragons.] Replied Shish. In the back, a younger Nug, a recent addtion to the hunting team started at the two's sign language and was confused.

<I understand don't understand was is going on.> Said the New Hunter. And with a frown Shish facepalmed.

<Stupid just cause of that stupid I'm naming this plan after stupid you. Cause you're stupid. Now distribute the spears.> Said Shish and while the spears were being passed out the New Hunter was smiling and quietly giggling to himself.

<Why are you so happy?> Asks a Hunt Mater

<He named the plan after me.> Replied the New Hunter. When all the Nugs had a s;ear, a wooden projectile as thick as a human's arm with a similarly large iron tip, Shish waited until he could see the second team. Soon the second team came into view, waiting for his signal. The grunt signaled the team to equip their spears and target the green one, as it was easier to see. Shish waited for the ready signal, and when he received it he nodded and motioned to his team.

<When charge everyone's ready we charge charge, throw our spears and kill the manlings. We tribe run away, lead tribe dragons to tribe and kill them. Now ready ready, get ready.> Just before Shish gave the go-ahead, the hunting team heard a loud 'FOOOOOOOOOD!!!' . While this won't scare any normal Nug, the resulting shout caused an avalanche.

<Angry angry the angry Butcher is angry at us!> shouted the Chef Priest

<Not now! Tree Nugs the trees!" Orderd Shish and the team responded as each one found a thick and sturdy tree, and wrapped their arms around it, using their thick spears to stay on as the avalanche swept over them. Normally this would be a death sentence, but to Nugs, who had lived and grew up on these deadly mountains, this was merely a sign. For a short time the Nugs felt the snow rush past them, a crushing force that would kill even a Nug, but they held on until the snow eventually settled. After the calm Shish looked around to see his team was still alive. Thankful to the Host, he sent out five low growls that echoed through the area. After a couple seconds he recived three of the same growl. <Damn. One's dead. Chef Priest, answers I want answers, was that a sign answers?> The chef priest talked while shaking snow out of his large pants.

<Obviously yes, yes yes.> Replied the Chef Priest. <Gifts these gifts people must have gifts been gifts of the gifts gods!>

<Is that so? So....we do not eat them?>

<Dead, one is dead because we were going to eat them. We welcome need to welcome them welcome into the tribe and show them to welcome the Head Chef Priest!>

<Hmmm...don't know but...Butcher, the Butcher has spoken. Wait, wait here. Chef Priest with me.> Shish planted his spear into the ground and took a deep breath. He adjusted his great axe, just in case and signaled the other team to do nothing, unless said otherwise.

 

[Dragon Painter]

At the first cracklings of snow descending, the ears of the twins flickered towards the sound, Nym looking towards her. Her eyebrows rose, seeing that all their commotion had caused an upset on the mountain, little Anri's shout being the final push it needed. "Well goodness, we are not catching much of a break here," Elly grumbled. As Page paused in front of them, both dragons looked to him, nodding slowly. "No offense was given. We always appreciate advice. Thank you, Page," the white dragon spoke.

As he ran off, Nym smirked, though made no comment. Instead, she glanced around, taking note again of their numbers. There was Merl, Treisgar, and Page fleeing one way. Jack ran another. Both Anri and Tirnel were near enough to them that, should they need aid, she could certainly do so. But the pair tried to not interfere much with their guild members. They were all highly skilled individuals that didn't need to be treated like damsels in distress by two old dragons. But regardless, they were always prepared to lend a hand.

"El, I don't advise running, as we'd likely just cause three more of these," Nymbryxia said, humor in her voice. It was a lot of snow, but it wouldn't be enough to take down the dragons. Perhaps bury them up to their shoulders and make things a bit difficult, but fire certainly made it easy to get out if need be. "Anri, Tirnel, we should probably follow example and get to a much safer position," she added before turning to lumber down the mountain. Eventually, as predicted, the snow swept around the dragons, slowing their progress but not stopping them.

"Page is correct, of course," Ellyxia piped up, making conversation as the pair was catching up to the group. "The sooner we are able to take human form comfortably again, the better. A pair of dragons in an unknown world where there could very well be none would be a bit more than eye-catching." As she spoke, Nymbryxia was scanning the area, and halted when she saw figures moving out from the tree line. Ellyxia, sensing her sister's sudden tension, hushed, and they both shifted closer to the guild.

 

[Almighty.Person.Me]

He could hear, in the distance, a top layer of snow coming undone. The bending of trees grew closer as the avalanche of snow started its journey down the mountain and towards the heroes. All the while he continued in a downward-left beeline towards a rather slender tree sprouting through the snow near the cliff wall.​

“You..can..run….you’re cool” He heard Jack yell at him over the howling wind. Such niceties was rather unconventional. He turned his head slightly to see Jack running towards the same cliff wall, but further up the mountain, closer to where they had landed originally.

“Thanks, Jack! You’re...yeah!” Treisgar didn’t have time to for Jack’s compliments. The avalanche was growing in width and in speed. He reached the base of the tree and began climbing frantically. Finally at the highest point, he turned to see the status of the coming disaster.

The dragons seemed fine, though covered quite a bit with snow. Jack was just rising back to his feet and jumping towards a crack in the cliff wall.

“Why didn’t I notice that cave?” Treisgar thought to himself.

He looked to his left towards the cliff edge: his goal. He needed to jump from this tree and grasp the cliff perfectly. He could then pull himself up and hopefully avoid the avalanche, which was much weaker at the edges. Weaker, but still strong enough to take this tree with it.

Treisgar needed to reach his second phase of meditation. A level of concentration that allowed his mind, limbs, and organs to work in proper unison. It greatly improved his accuracy and coordination. But he didn’t have time to achieve this through will alone. He needed magic to aid him.

“Breathe” he whispered, touching the runes along his face. He took a quick breath and the runes lit up with a faint glow. Something was wrong though. Much like the runes on his body, this rune was now glowing red instead of blue.

“Oh…wha..” Something was very wrong. His mind was swimming. Treisgar felt as though he were deeply intoxicated. The ground around him was spinning in circles and the avalanche was growing closer. He fought an urge to vomit.

“I got….you!” He mumbled and grumbled and pointed his wooden pole at the target on the cliff edge. Treisgar felt strangely confident in his abilities at this moment. He could do this. He could do anything. He jumped.

His face smashed into the side of the cliff, immediately knocking him unconscious. His body began to fall to the ground, but the snow and rocks of the avalanche met him halfway. The tree was torn up behind him and flipped through the snow by his side.

As the avalanche came to an end Treisgar was left buried beneath the snow. The only sign of him was his wooden pole, which he was still gripping tightly and pointing outward. His body had shifted beneath the avalanche so that it now pointed up and above the snow. A beacon of sorts and his only hope for survival.

 

[WiZ]

As the once great sorcerer Merl descended down the mountain, he heard a loud scream coming from behind him. Shortly after, a soft boom, followed by a louder crackle, came from the peaks as a sheet of snow began speeding down the slopes.

"Well, karma," Merl said to himself sarcastically, "you've really outdone yourself this time, haven't you?"

The avalanche was quickly approaching. Some of his guild members were hiding anywhere they could while others, like the ancient draconic twins, where ignoring the icy maelstrom altogether.

Merl wasn't thinking very well, after all that fall earlier really joggled his brains. What could he do? He could easily just curve the path if the snow around him, but that would require touching the avalanche and, since it was moving so fast, Merl wasn't too keen on getting his hand blown to bits. Maybe he could create a barrier of snow, but that wouldn't last long.
"Aha," Merl exclaimed.
Looking around, most of the others didn't look like they needed much saving.
"Time to act heroic."
As the mountain top tsunami approached the sorcerer, he started to chant a small rhyme while placing his arms gently on the ground.

"Seall an sneachda,
Seall an sneachda,
Tighinn nuas,
Seall an sneachda
Feumidh mi mo chòta
Seall an sneachda
Tha e fuar
Tha e fuar!"

Just as he finished the last line, a spearheaded pillar of ice and stone emerged from the mountainside, towering over Merl.
The avalanche was upon him, but thanks to his wits and magic he was able to shield himself from impending doom by creating a barrier that curved the path of the snowy storm around him.

Unfortunately for Merl, there was something wrong with the magic in this world. It was skewed, distorted in a way he couldn't have foreseen. As the winterous wave struck the barrier, it collapsed without warning and thwarted Merl into the oncoming avalanche.

 

[Otomos the Crazy]

It seems that Fate has decided to allow the mountain to let out its frustration towards the noisy newcomers. The snow rushed down from the peak, threatening to end the lives of those who were unfortunate enough to be completely unprepared or couldn't think fast enough. Sturdy trees held their ground, and some animals had successfully fled, but there were some that were simply caught by the snow.

As for Anri, she was also running, but not because of the Avalanche. She was running to catch her meal. She was hungry, and she wasn't going to let the thing get away. The others had given her some sort of advice or comment, but she couldn't quite remember what they said. She was still focused on the animal. She ran towards the animal as a predator chasing her prey, a smile on her face. Even as the snow caught up, Anri refused to change her focus. She got closer and closer and closer, until she leapt at the creature.

She caught her prey, but began to roll uncontrollably down the mountain. Snow gathered around her body as she descended, forming a nice ball of snow that rolled into a hole just as the Avalanche was about to catch up. It collided with a wall, and forced Anri to lose her grip. The animal scurried off in another attempt to escape. The reward for taking the chance to flee was a knife lodging itself into its body.

Anri walked up to the food, and smiled. When she opened it up, however, she frowned. For however delicious it seemed to have looked before, Anri found that her knife had nicked its bladder, and now the whole thing was ruined. Somewhat disheartened, Anri simply retrieved her knife, cleaned it with a thick cloth, and placed it back. She looked around, and took up her rifle. The Avalanche covered up the hole's entrance, so she'd have to navigate her way through the cave.

 

[seaciel]

And there's the avalanche, Tirnel thought as she scanned the mountain for any possible escape route.

Nothing. Unless she managed to jump over the rushing snow, the only safe place was up. But that was out of the question. So Tirnel started scaling the trees, still keeping an eye on the strangely quiet ad focused Anri. Nel jumped in surprise, however, when Nym suddenly addressed her and Anri, saying something about getting to somewhere safe.

Well, that is what we are doing now, Nel thought, jumping from a tree to a rather large pile of snow.

"Anri!" For the first time in hours, Tirnel finally spoke, her voice hoarse from not using it almost all day. She had lost track of Anri now, the different noises the others made are quite distracting. So she tried a different strategy. Pulling out her sturdy string, she wrapped it around one of her arrows' head and prepared her bow to shoot. Where do I shoot this? I need somewhere secure, but this is a mountain.

She eyed a protruding section of a cliff on the other side, she took a leap of faith and shot the arrow. She watched as the arrow sailed through the air, and hitting the target true to its mark. Tirnel tested the strength and security of the arrow stuck in the rock formation, but she knew that it would be okay, her arrows were specially made to pierce through anything besides magically enhanced armor, after all. With that in mind, Tirnel jumped and prayed that she would land properly. Or at least somewhere with snow.

Tirnel landed safely on a pile of snow, but she didn't expect to fall under because it was too high piled up on the ground. She wasn't heavy, but she fell in quite deep. And in her inability to see through the thick, cold snow, she didn't see the rock under her head until she just felt it. Ah, I hate snow. I just hope the others are alright, were her last thoughts as she lost consciousness.

 

[Average]

About a minute into running down the mountain Page realized two unfortunate facets about himself. The first thing , he was carrying literally ever single piece of adventuring gear that he could fit in his bag and pockets. This included a small alchemy kit, about 20 or so magelocke vials both in his ammo belt and bag, his magelocke and both its pistol and blunderbuss varients either hostered or slung with his backpack, the almighty Guild Logs; both the field and stationary variants, an assortment of other miscellaneous tools, and underwear, because you can never go wrong with an extra pair of underwear . Unfortunately, the second fact about his predicament wasn't so accomadating either. Page, unsurprisingly, wasn't that fit. His physique might be considered above average for a scribe, and on a good day and without a boatload(or at least what he considered a boatload) of equipment he may have made it out of this day just fine. However, this was neither a good day, nor was he without extra baggage. The scribe struggled to make distance between him and snowy death.

Despite what seemed like a stupidly dangerous thing to do in such a situation, Page took a glance at his surroundings. Jack was nowhere to be seen. The bastard probably bolted another direction, Page thought, and cursed to himself for not thinking of the same thing. He spotted the twin dragons a ways back, their large frames seemingly undaunted by the oncoming cascade of snow and debris. Further forward was probably Merl, who had a considerable head start being the first to consider leaving the mountain. Tresigar was also nowhere to be seen. Knowing the monk's physical capabilities, he probably managed some inhuman feat to get himself to safety. Briefly, he even heard what seemed like a bow string snapping somewhere above him. Must've been Tirnel, Page managed to figure out while still frantically running towards the bottom of the mountain. She was one I didn't account for...wait...no wasn't there that little bra....as soon as he finished that thought the scribe saw her. Somewhat closer to him but a bit ways off was the 12-year-old Hero in training Anri chasing what seemed like a small furry creature. At that moment Page couldn't help but hate every living child and cute rodent that ever existed on this world and the last. The source of this cold, exhausting death run became apparent, and the lad couldn't be more infuriated. So much so that Page found a new source of inspiration in keeping pace, one that even overruled the one that was very nearly going to end his life.


His new goal? Killing that girl of course. Not literally mind you, but metaphorically, whatever that could mean was lost in the scribe’s thoughts. To Page, that was all the rationale he needed to chase this overly erratic child. Invigorated with a brief new reason for living, Page pushed his lanky body further and raced towards the girl. He even made solid progress...that is..until by some twist of fate... Anri became a human snowball. Further Infuriated at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, Page pushed his body to its absolute limit in continuing the chase. He was exhausted, tired, scared, and above all else, driven by anger. At Anri, at that stupid rodent, at their entire situation since being banished. All of it ineffable. With a last bout of effort Page closed his eyes, let out growl in defiance, and continued forward towards the human snowball. He got closer, and closer, until finally he got into arms reach of the snowball. Page didn't even bother to think about how he could even stop a giant snowball. He was to blinded by his goal of metaphorical murdering the girl.


Unfortunately for him the chance wouldn't come so easily. Just as he was about to lay a hand on the snowball, a sudden mass of snow would envelop Page. For a few minutes the scribe lost his bearings, not knowing where he was or what he was doing. Something about metaphors perhaps? Eventually the events before would disrupt his sense of stupor, He realized soon after that snow still enveloped him. For a moment, Page panicked, thinking he'd had been buried alive in his own frozen grave. Quickly, however, he breathed slowly, calmed himself, and started to act rationally. First, he checked if he was missing anything. To his surprise, all was lost was a few vials from his belt. Next, he slowly pushed his hand forward to test the depth of the snow above him. Part of him was still fearful of what he might discover, but it was better than accepting his current situation. Thankfully, his fears were misguided. He pushed his arm through fine, and found open space. Ecstatic, Page mustered what strength he had and emerged from the snow. Wiping the leftover snow from his cloak and tunic, Page scanned his surroundings. To his surprised he was in a cave, with the entrance being blocked by a heap of snow. It didn't take long for his surprise to turn bittersweet. Standing a short distance away from him stood, with her back turned, Anri, the girl who almost killed half the guild with the simple exclamation of food, who gave him the first and only marathon of death he would ever want to run, who...... Page took a deep breath thought... is still a kid. With that, all the anger that Page built up since coming to this world dissipated. There were other things to prioritize, other times to get mad. This wasn't one of those times. What was important was keeping his fellow guild member safe, even if she was a reckless 12-year-old that could possibly even kill him. Before she could move any further into the cave, Page cupped his hands between his mouth called "Anri!" In hopes to finally get her attention.

 

[Bernar]

Once the avalanche had stopped, the entrance to the cave had been buried, effectively blocking all the light from the outside. Jack could only hope there was another exit, and that it wasn't too far, he hated caves with a passion. He thought about the others.

"Is everyone safe?"

Though he has only known them for a couple of years, he cared about them. When your life depends on someone for a certain period of time, you just develop a sense of comradery and start caring whether you like it or not. And he did not like it one bit. It just added useless worry and made him feel anxious even though he was fine. Which didn't make sense to him.

He looked inside the cave. It was dark. Almost pitch-black, if it weren't for the vaguely luminescent rocks, he would be unable to see a thing. Then he heard noises coming from...who knows where. These caves produced a terrible echo, the noise could be coming from around the corner or from miles deep down the cave.

Jack activated the night vision on his mask and started walking towards the source of all that noise. Maybe it was just the mountain. The cave twisted and turned, always going downward and, after only a few minutes of walk, Jack saw a light coming from around the corner. He pulled out his bow and and arrow, ready to kill. The source of the light was some sort of fire, only, it was not a real fire. There was no smoke coming out and the flames were too...still.

Magic. he thought to himself.

By the fire was sitting someone. A man. Jack looked around, but there was no way to avoid that person, if he wanted to find an exit. He heard those noises again, and some sort of scream, in the distance. He stopped. What made the situation even more eerie was that the man by the fire seemed not to even notice those noises. Everything in Jack wanted to just walk back and dig an exit through the snow. But he knew it was not an option. It could take him days to dig his way out. Be he sure did not want to confront a wizard nor he wanted to find out who was the source of those noises.

His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed that now the man by the fire was looking directly at him.
"What?" he muttered in disbelief.
The man arose from the ground, his eyes never leaving Jack for a second. It's in that moment that Jack realized the man's mouth was covered in blood. And there was something similar to a body laying by the fire.


And then the man smiled, an evil kind of smile, showing his bloody, sharp teeth. He started waving his hands, some sort of magic, for sure.
"Hey you! I do not wish to fight. Just let me pass. There is no reason for us to fight." Jack said, trying the easy way out. This was not his kind of fight, out in the open against that monster. But the 'man' ignored him and completed his...whatever he was doing.

All of a sudden, from underneath the ground a second silhouette appeared. Jack cursed under his breath. That thing was made of metal. It looked like an armor with two dark holes where the eyes were supposed to be, and another one, slightly larger, in the middle of its chest.

Jack nocked the arrow and switched from night vision to the aim system. He aimed right at the hole in the armor's chest and released the arrow. It darted through the darkness of the cave into the are illuminated by the magic fire. Jack quickly switched to night vision again. He hit the target. The armor suddenly stopped moving, it looked down. A second later its arms fell off, then the head, and then it collapsed on the floor, turning slowly into dust. Jack sighed in relief. The monster looked disappointed.

"That was a nice trick. Now let me pass, I won't hurt you." he tried again.
The cloaked figure smiled again and said "You leave me no choice." and it unsheathed two short swords from its back.

"Hey I gave you plenty of choice!" yelled Jack. As always, his lack of seriousness almost cost him his life. The monster, who was at about thirty feet away, sprinted at an incredible speed towards him, closing the distance too quickly, slashing from the top down with both swords. Jack wasn't ready, he blocked with the bow and let himself fall backwards. This caught the creature by surprise, whose momentum made it fall with Jack. He brought his feet up and kicked the monster in the stomach, making it fly over him. As he rolled back to his feet he noticed that his opponent had managed to do the same. Impressed, Jack threw the bow to one side and pulled out his daggers.

"Alright then you son of a bitch!" he said, visibly angered. The adrenaline took over his body as he charged the monster. The blades met with a metallic clank, as Jack's muscles pushed against them. Jack slashed and hacked with blind fury, quick and unpredictable, without giving his opponent a chance to counterattack. The swords may be longer, but they are heavier too. Although his enemy was clearly very quick, he could barely keep up with Jack. As his feet expertly danced on the rocky floor, their blades locked again. He let go of one dagger and punched his opponent right in the face. The creature staggered backwards and Jack took his dagger back.

They circled, studying each other, waiting for an opening that was bound to not present itself. They were both good fighters. Jack was hoping to end that fight in a timely fashion, he could nit afford to drag it for too long. He noticed a rock on the side and, as they kept circling, he walked towards it. Jack 'tripped' on the rock and looked down, observing his enemy with his peripheral vision. As he expected the beast did not hesitate to take advantage of what probably looked like an incredibly lucky event. Jack spinned on himself and threw both daggers towards his opponent, who had both swords raised, ready to descend on Jack's head. The monster bent backwards dodging the deadly blades by a hair, sliding on its knees towards Jack.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed. He took one quick step towards his enemy and jumped over him. As the creature came to a stop, Jack ran and picked back up his weapons. This was not going to end well, he thought.

The creature clapped with its swords, laughing. "You are good!" he said. "I have not had this much fun in a long time."

Jack looked at him with amusment.
"Why, thanks. You are good too. You might actually make me break a sweat before I manage to pull your lungs out of your chest, my friend." he said. He switched to thermal vision for a moment. His enemy had no body heat whatsoever. Though it could have been because of his armor and clothes. Jack had a similar one. The creature laughed again.
"Maybe some other time, friend. I have duties to attend to."
Jack couldn't believe his luck.
"Worry not. I completely understand. These corpses won't eat themselves."
He waved his hand casually towards the fireplace, now extinguishing. The monster smiled sheepishly.
"You have no idea, do you? Well, I should go now. We will meet again." With a wave of a hand, the monster dissolved in some kind of vapor and blended with the mist.

 

[Dragon Painter]

Well, when they thought they were coming up to the guild, it turned out they had all gone separate ways or, unfortunately, couldn't get out of the path of the snow. "Oh dear. We should probably find them quickly before hypothermia sets in or they run out of oxygen," Elly said, worry lacing her soft voice. Nym nodded and the pair split up to search, listening intently with their heads closer to the snow. Elly's hearing, heightened from the centuries of blindness, was quick to find poor Treisgar, nosing her way through the snow. She was very careful in pulling him out of the snow, making sure she didn't leave any of his gear behind, laying him across her back.

Nym kept watch as well as searching, not having forgotten the figures she had spotted earlier, and never moved far from her sister. She eventually found Tirnel, who seemed to have fallen in to the snow instead of being buried. By the bit of blood coloring the snow brightly, she seemed to have received a head injury. "Ellyxia, Tirnel will need some assistance," she called out as she carefully scooped up the elf with her claws and returned to her twin.

Elly, by that time, had also found Merl. "I can smell he tried something with magic, but he must be having a hard of time as it as we are," she said as she dug the man out, placing him next to Treisgar.

"I haven't seen the others, though I heard some shouting from Page. The echo sounded like they found a hole of some sort to duck in to," Nym mentioned as she also set Tirnel next to the other two. Ellyxia shifted her wings, tucking them close to her body to cover the others and protect them from more wind and snow, letting her body heat warm them. "We'll have to find them, but they're likely safe enough. For now, I'm a little more worried about the company we may have."