09-19-2013, 10:02 AM
'You don't have to tell me twice...' Nyx thought to herself, scarcely wanting to believe what she saw.
She was tired. She'd gone from not casting any spells to throwing out blood bolts like they were nobody's business. In case you weren't already aware, using your own life force as mana is not the optimal strategy. It's risky witchcraft, to say the least – and boy, was she paying the price.
Then, something caught her attention: the wand dropped by the mage Whirda disarmed.
Nyx wasn't accustomed to using wands, but that one was going free and sure as heck didn't involve her severing old wounds or shedding blood, so it had to be worth a shot! Risking a glance between the mage's corpse and the advancing warband, Nyx mustered her strength and dashed out, seizing the wand before pivoting and sprinting to catch up with Whirda.
Her body cried out in protest. Her muscles ached, her heart pounded against her ribcage and she could feel the age-old gash on her palm throb with every heartbeat. She was also beginning to feel a little dizzy, but she pushed aside any thoughts of fainting and instead focused on fleeing from the goblins.
Adrenaline kicked in as the goblins' footsteps closed in on them. The blood mage urged her body to keep going, to push past the pain and exhaustion and just keep moving. Stopping would be suicide. Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as one of her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the floor. She scrabbled at the ground, nails tearing at the earth, then scraping against bark as she desperately tried to stand. There was no time for this.
Whirda risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Nyx stumbling and falling like a baby deer, the goblins stalking towards her like a pack of hungry lions.
“Just go!” Nyx yelled, waving a hand dismissively. Her other hand seized the wand the goblin mage had dropped. She brandished it at the approaching warband with more conviction than she felt.
An owl picked that precise moment to swoop in out of nowhere and seize the goblin leader's staff, still held high in triumph. The beast's claws wrapped around the staff and neatly plucked it from the goblin's grasp. Neither the leader himself or any of his followers had time to react before the counter-attack was upon them.
To Nyx, it seemed as though they'd come from nowhere. Some of them appeared from the treetops – some came sprinting from behind the trees – others... she couldn't even guess where they had originated from. One thing she was certain of was that they were elves.
“What in the...?” she murmured as arrows flew around her. There were flashes, almost like fireworks – this, Nyx attributed towards there being mages within the group. The goblins, not having expected such a strong resistance, were powerless to defend themselves. They dropped like flies, and all she could do was watch.
Casting a glance up at Whirda, the two shared a look before the white-haired female shrugged. She didn't know why they were here, either.
Nyx felt firm hands on her elbows, trying to guide her into standing. She was clumsy on her feet, and quickly fell back down, her face flushing red as her knees hit the dirt. This was definitely not the first impression she wanted to make. It was then that the elf trying to help her stepped into view. She had pale skin and ivory hair that was neatly tied into a ponytail. Not a single strand was out of place. Judging by the fitted leather armour she wore, Nyx suspected she was some kind of scout or ranger.
The elf squatted in front of Nyx, pulling a flask from her hip and offering it to her. “Drink,” she said. It wasn't so much a question as it was an order. Nyx regarded her with some suspicion, but obeyed, tugging the lid from the flask and taking a sip just to taste. The water was cool and fresh – and after swallowing, she didn't want to carve her own insides out, so she deduced it was safe.
“Thank you,” she replied, wiping her mouth and handing the flask back to the elf. She smiled, turning and offering the same flask to Whirda.
“You look like you could use a drink, too.”
She was tired. She'd gone from not casting any spells to throwing out blood bolts like they were nobody's business. In case you weren't already aware, using your own life force as mana is not the optimal strategy. It's risky witchcraft, to say the least – and boy, was she paying the price.
Then, something caught her attention: the wand dropped by the mage Whirda disarmed.
Nyx wasn't accustomed to using wands, but that one was going free and sure as heck didn't involve her severing old wounds or shedding blood, so it had to be worth a shot! Risking a glance between the mage's corpse and the advancing warband, Nyx mustered her strength and dashed out, seizing the wand before pivoting and sprinting to catch up with Whirda.
Her body cried out in protest. Her muscles ached, her heart pounded against her ribcage and she could feel the age-old gash on her palm throb with every heartbeat. She was also beginning to feel a little dizzy, but she pushed aside any thoughts of fainting and instead focused on fleeing from the goblins.
Adrenaline kicked in as the goblins' footsteps closed in on them. The blood mage urged her body to keep going, to push past the pain and exhaustion and just keep moving. Stopping would be suicide. Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as one of her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the floor. She scrabbled at the ground, nails tearing at the earth, then scraping against bark as she desperately tried to stand. There was no time for this.
Whirda risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Nyx stumbling and falling like a baby deer, the goblins stalking towards her like a pack of hungry lions.
“Just go!” Nyx yelled, waving a hand dismissively. Her other hand seized the wand the goblin mage had dropped. She brandished it at the approaching warband with more conviction than she felt.
An owl picked that precise moment to swoop in out of nowhere and seize the goblin leader's staff, still held high in triumph. The beast's claws wrapped around the staff and neatly plucked it from the goblin's grasp. Neither the leader himself or any of his followers had time to react before the counter-attack was upon them.
To Nyx, it seemed as though they'd come from nowhere. Some of them appeared from the treetops – some came sprinting from behind the trees – others... she couldn't even guess where they had originated from. One thing she was certain of was that they were elves.
“What in the...?” she murmured as arrows flew around her. There were flashes, almost like fireworks – this, Nyx attributed towards there being mages within the group. The goblins, not having expected such a strong resistance, were powerless to defend themselves. They dropped like flies, and all she could do was watch.
Casting a glance up at Whirda, the two shared a look before the white-haired female shrugged. She didn't know why they were here, either.
Nyx felt firm hands on her elbows, trying to guide her into standing. She was clumsy on her feet, and quickly fell back down, her face flushing red as her knees hit the dirt. This was definitely not the first impression she wanted to make. It was then that the elf trying to help her stepped into view. She had pale skin and ivory hair that was neatly tied into a ponytail. Not a single strand was out of place. Judging by the fitted leather armour she wore, Nyx suspected she was some kind of scout or ranger.
The elf squatted in front of Nyx, pulling a flask from her hip and offering it to her. “Drink,” she said. It wasn't so much a question as it was an order. Nyx regarded her with some suspicion, but obeyed, tugging the lid from the flask and taking a sip just to taste. The water was cool and fresh – and after swallowing, she didn't want to carve her own insides out, so she deduced it was safe.
“Thank you,” she replied, wiping her mouth and handing the flask back to the elf. She smiled, turning and offering the same flask to Whirda.
“You look like you could use a drink, too.”