IC: The Sun Never Sets, IC thread for The Sun Never Sets Options

[phlapjack77]

Friend, please help me to guard my pack from misfortune.

Astrally and physically, we may be in danger from something in this forest.

If this predator is hunting us, we will need your aid.

Smohalla's mental link to the spirit convey all of these thoughts in an instant.

Through the link also flows all that transpired recently concerning the infected hunter.

[Tecumseh]

You step gingerly into the forest, glancing about for flashing teeth. Hiking is immediately easier with the spirit's guard power. Your steps are steadier as you no longer have to worry about tripping on roots or wayward rocks. You now have more time to keep your head up, surveying your surroundings, rather than staring at the forest floor looking for every pit and rut that wants to twist your ankle. The shifter is a little surprised by your new pace.

The spirit, proud of its contribution to the cause, sends Smohalla a mental reminder than one of its innate gifts is to speed the movement of creatures in its terrain. While it might not be able to accelerate your travel so much as a plant spirit would, it thinks that it can smooth the trail considerably for you, and maybe even add a little propulsion for an extra boost. It would be like jogging, but with no more exertion than walking.

You've traveled maybe a hundred yards when the watcher Smohalla sent to watch your right flank snaps. It bursts like a balloon, its energy swirling back into the astral realm like a puff of smoke vanishing in the wind. The disruption ripples through Smohalla and reaches the spirit via their mental link. The beast immediately sets off to the right, searching the woods for the source of the attack. Whatever's hungry hasn't given up yet.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla considers the options, noting the Beast Spirit's reminder.

He decides the time for running is not yet come.

My friends, it seems the hunter is still hunting us.

It has shown it's presence on our right side.

Be ready.

[pbangarth]

"Got it." Stogie shifts his attention, physical and astral, to the right. Jake, keep watch to the left.

[AtroposReborn]

Without a word Ellesar drops to one knee and takes aim to the right. His mind automatically focuses on his combat instincts.

[phlapjack77]

Our spirit friend is currently searching the right side area.

I am concerned that this was a distraction.

Attacks from another direction could be it's goal.

Smohalla pauses with a brief smile.

At least, that's what I might do, hunting prey that is dangerous.

[AtroposReborn]

"Then we probably shouldn't be all staring blankly to the right. Any good hunter knows to attack the weak spot. So then...." Ellesar pauses, contemplating, "Where is our weak spot?"

[pbangarth]

Stogie considers Ellesar's question. Jake checks to the left. Stogie checks to the right. Astral perception and quivering, wet nose are at full alert.

[Tecumseh]

Stogie takes a moment to thoughtfully consider the age-old question, "If I were a bloodthirsty man-eater hunting a pair of well-armed individuals sandwiched between two shapeshifters in the deep forest, what would I do?"

The answer he quickly comes to is, "I wouldn't, because it's a tactical mess," but that doesn't fully account for the desperation felt by a sentient being that's hungry enough to hunt during the day even though it's allergic to sunlight.

The two most likely candidates of what's stalking through the forest are a Dzoo-Noo-Qua (an Infected troll) or a Wendigo (an Infected ork). Both are quite large so it's a little alarming that there's no immediate sign of it. Either it took out the watcher at a distance (which is possible but challenging, since the trees are so dense that it limits the line-of-sight), or it attacked on the astral, or it's concealed. That's an alarming thought.

Stogie knows that all wendigos are magicians or mystic adepts. Dzoo-noo-qua aren't magical by default but that's no guarantee that it isn't. Either way, it could mean the hunter is magically cloaked and/or paired with a summoned spirit of its own. That's a relief. You'd hate to be killed and eaten by anything but the very best.

If Stogie were the hunter, he thinks that he would probably try to attack the front or the rear. Attacking the middle could quickly lead to envelopment, as the hunter's right and left flanks would be presumably enveloped by a pincer movement by the vanguard and rearguard. Given the thickness of the trees and their branches, it's also conceivable that an attack could come from above. That's an interesting possibility, Stogie thinks to himself silently, his eyes drifting up the the treetops swaying in the wind above him.

[pbangarth]

Stogie responds to Ellesar, "Front and rear seem the weakest to me. Less chance of getting surrounded." He looks up. "Or it could go all cougar and hit us from above, and try to get out quickly. I'm a little worried about how the watchers are disappearing. Magic seems more likely now."

[phlapjack77]

Hearing this, Smohalla mentally checks on the status of the watcher he assigned to guard the trees above them.

He feels vulnerable, down here on the ground. He decides to try to gain more information.

Looking up, he scans the trees above him for signs of wildlife.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar considers Stogie's words. "An aerial attack? That would certainly be otherwise unexpected. I'm not too fond on the idea of sitting and waiting to be attacked, especially from the sky." He steals a couple of quick glances to his left and right, as if looking for something unseen.

[Tecumseh]

There is a tense moment in the woods as everyone concentrates on their senses. Jake sniffs the air, Ellesar listens for sounds of movement, Smohalla scans the trees looking for birds. He can't see a single one.

Stogie switches his sight to the astral. His mind takes a moment to shift; there's always a small lurch when opening your mind, especially in such a vivid setting as the forest floor. Stogie's keen abilities of perception allow him to sort through the tangle of life and vibrant colors better than most. The air around him has a stifled, static feeling, reflecting Smohalla's active jamming of the astral energy surrounding your group.

The shepherd can't stop thinking about the question of how he would attack the group, figuring that the answer will be the quickest way to find the predator. The answer comes to him - a moment too late - in a burst of clarity. The group has been following the shifter along a narrow, overgrow trail. Doing so has naturally led the group into a straight formation. That means that Smohalla is blocking Stogie's and Ellesar's line of fire to the rear. Not only that, but Smohalla isn't even looking behind him so that he can provide counterspelling to the group in front.

Stogie whips his head around. There they are, barely a dozen meters directly behind you: a troll and an earth spirit. The spirit is concealing them and, for good measure, the troll is blanketed by an invisibility spell.

The troll is a fine hunter and knows when he's been spotted. The invisibility spell falls away; a flash of energy erupts from the troll's hand and rolls toward the group.

Stogie stares down the spell. It starts off as a powerful wave but it breaks on the shore of Smohalla's protected space. Ellesar and Smohalla are caught in the wash but the effect is muted. It feels like a buzzing gnat flew into your mouth or your ear, or that a small cloud of dust is making your nose and your eyes itch. Stogie hardens his mind; the spell bends around and passes him by.

Smohalla's beast spirit sees that the group is under attack. It rushes forth on the astral, closing the gap in an instant. The troll's earth spirit responds just as quickly, intercepting the beast spirit and locking into combat. They look evenly matched to begin, each committed to unraveling the astral fabric of the other.

The troll dips into a crouch, readying to spring forth.

[pbangarth]

Jake has been here before, though he has never seen anything as nasty as this troll. He figure's he can best serve watching for ambush elsewhere, and moves to check the front of the line. He remembers to use the feel-good that Stogie gives him, and thinks, "I big!"

Stogie curses his tardy thinking, but old hunting skills come through. The troll is visible, so Stogie goes to normal sight to get a better bead on this ... monster. Pulling mana together, oh, yes, he feels his body go liquid-smooth, and the shotgun rises as if part of his own body. He steps to the side a bit to get a clear shot. The laser dot rests on the troll's torso. The stock melts into Stogie's shoulder. Weapon and man are one. Stogie/gun squeezes the trigger.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla feels the spell wash over him and his companions, a gale-force wind of magic mostly blunted by his spell defenses.

He shakes his head back and forth, trying to clear the buzzing annoyance from his mind.

Movement in front of him freezes him for a moment, as he sees Stogie aim at whatever is behind him.

At the same instant he senses through his mystical link the beginnings of a powerful battle on the astral between two entities.

Unsure of just what exactly the nature of the magic used against them was, he draws in his will to counter it.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar pivots on his heel, still kneeling. The troll that now faces the group is not as fierce as he expected. Something is obviously off about it. Still, shouldn't be any different than anything you've fac....

His thoughts are immediately interrupted by a very unexpected buzzing. Nothing too severe, but enough to hamper any line of thought he had going. Noticing his amateur mistake he allows his instincts to take over. His arm propped against his knee, his body relaxed, and his breathing steady he aims for center mass on the troll and pulls the trigger...

[phlapjack77]

Feeling the massive, bruising punch of enemy magic pushing against him, Smohalla pushes back.

Steadying himself, he concentrates on his magic, his features once again blurring slightly, feathers sprouting in his hair.

His gathered will strikes out at the ongoing spell, a blow designed to cut and maim.

The enemy magic is able to deflect, to blunt the force of the strike, lessening the cut by absorbing some of the impact.

But not all of the force is deflected. Smohalla feels the push against him and his comrades lessen slightly.

Victory has not been assured yet. The hunter still stands and still hunts.

And so Smohalla continues his vigil of protecting the group against hostile magic.

[AtroposReborn]

The bullet strikes the troll in the right portion of his chest. A solid hit, but nothing fatal. Hopefully the others fare better.

Ellesar's focus begins to clear up as the buzzing in his head dies down. His gaze remains on the troll, prepared for the imminent assault.

[Tecumseh]

On the astral, the spirits are a blur. Their astral energies roll together as they bend and swirl and rip each other apart. It might be interesting to watch if you didn't have more pressing matters at hand.

Ellesar's aim is true and his rifle shot slams into his target between the chest and the right shoulder. It's not a bad shot but it's off-center and it doesn't have the stopping power necessary to slow down the troll.

Stogie fares better. His astral vision allows him to pinpoint the heart of the troll, its very center of life and being. His shotgun blasts a huge hole in the center of its chest, invoking an angry scream of pain. Its aura rolls with agony and bitter resentment.

Instead of retreating, the troll channels its anger and pain into a ferocious attack. Poor Smohalla is the closest thing at hand, and unfortunately that hand is laced with claws as sharp as jagged bones.

The troll leaps forward with a huge swing of its right hand. Its claws slice easily through Smohalla's jacket and slash deeply into his back. His skin gives way as if it were wet paper, and his ribs break like they're toothpicks being snapped. Smohalla cries out before sputtering to a stop. He's out of air; either a claw or a broken rib has punctured his right lung.

The blow launches Smohalla off his feet, throwing him aside into the underbrush. He slams his head on a fallen tree and barely remains conscious. It was very noble of him to provide counterspelling for the group, but at the moment all he can defend is the patch of dirt and plants immediately in front of his face. He's teetering on the edge of this world, staring into the abyss below.

The astral war continues. The watcher spirits of have joined the fray but cannot effectively compete with the mass of the Earth spirit. Slowly the advantage shifts toward the Earth spirit. The Beast spirit cannot land enough strikes, and Earth spirit simply shrugs off those that do connect. The Beast spirit can only survive one or two more strikes at the most before it is disrupted and defeated.

Smohalla blinks. He feels a tightening in his back, the familiar feeling of his body stitching itself together. His lung suddenly seals and he takes a full breath, feeling the comfort of the air but the pierce of something out of place. He's still bleeding profusely and his ribs are pointing in all the wrong directions, but he feels himself taking a step back from the edge. The troll looms high overhead, blood dripping from its claw as it bellows threateningly at Ellesar.

[pbangarth]

Holy shit. This thing is tough! Better finish it before it mends.

Hope Smohalla can knit himself up while we deal with this thing!

Stogie sets his shotgun for burst mode. Time to end this silliness. He takes careful aim, lining up a spread of fire at the level of the screaming hole in the troll's chest. Make it wider, or get through to the backbone. Either way, it's all good.

Another smooth squeeze of the trigger, and the shotgun leaps to life.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar immediately reloads, a flawless action perfected through years of performance. He brings the thick rifle butt up to his shoulder and quickly fires another round at the troll's already mutilated chest.

Damn! No time for another well placed shot. This thing needs to go down now.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla makes small noises as his vision dims and then returns.

The pain, the pain...it fades, as it always does. But slowly, too slowly.

Gingerly turning over onto his sore back, his vision is red, from blood or from rage, he doesn't know.

All of his attention is focused on this threat.

Freezing won't help. Flight is not possible now. Fighting is the only option.

His eyes find the source of his pain, his fear.

His face elongates into an eagle's beak as his arms, now looking like giant wings, fan out and sweep powerfully toward the troll, bringing with them a thunderclap of noise and magic.

[Tecumseh]

The team reacts decisively after seeing Smohalla tossed aside like a wet towel. Ellesar fires first, his hand seamlessly working the bolt-action to chamber another round. The troll is difficult to miss and Ellesar easily slams another high-powered love letter straight into the mash that Stogie's shotgun had created. The bullet buries itself deep inside the troll.

Stogie, sensing the urgency of the situation, presses the advantage. He flips a switch on his shotgun and fires. The burst travels at a slashing angle, one that prevents the massive troll from ducking or dodging. Two of the shots sail wide but the third embeds itself into the troll's abdomen, a red mist puffing out from the wound. The target shrieks, his cries cutting through the forest and echoing off the walls of the mountain valley. He doubles over and covers the wound with his hand as his knees start to give out. There's a new color in the troll's aura: uncertainty, maybe even fear.

If the rifle and shotgun were loud, the thunderclap from Smohalla is deafening. It drowns out the troll's pain as a high wind rips through the plants and trees, tearing dirt and debris off the ground. The troll has no strength to resist and is blasted off his feet. He flies into the underbrush, his consciousness leaving him. He reaches out to his earth spirit before his hand falls limply to the ground.

The earth spirit hears its master's call. It slices through the beast spirit with a finishing blow; the powerful beast spirit unravels, its astral energies reincorporating themselves into the background. The earth spirit knocks a watcher out of the way as it rushes to the troll. It stops over him, materializing over his fallen form. To mundane eyes, the earth ripples; rocks and dirt reach up to cover the troll, shielding him from further attacks. The watchers continue to strike, harassing the spirit, but their blows bounce off the stronger form.

[pbangarth]

"Not so fast, Toothy! You ain't gettin' away, even with that clump of dirt helpin' ya!" Stogie's dialect takes a distinct turn south as his excitement rises.

He takes aim and rakes the retreating, unconscious form with another burst from his shotgun.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla gets to his feet with difficulty, using a nearby tree for support.

As Stogie's shotgun blast roars quietly in his ears, he focuses his other senses on the retreating forms.

Hopefully he could memorize the aura of the troll in time.