Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 17, 2019 2:08:54 GMT -5
"Stupid forest," Jackie muttered as she clawed back a branch near as thick as her arm, only to be met with another near as thick, "Should have packed mixture eight; Burned this whole abominable ash..." Would that mixture eight had been field ready. Even though it wasn't, had she a vial of it right then, she likely would have used it anyway, she was so fed up with branches and leaves. Branches and Leaves, Branches and Leaves, she couldn't go more than two steps without more branches and leaves.
"How does anything live here?" She complained, as she strained her way through another thick tangle of tugging twigs, "Where do they all fit?"
The forest offered no answer, save for the faint whine of something near her ear. Jackie swat at the bug and, just then, lost her hold on the branch she'd been trying to force aside. The bent back bough sprang forth with all the force of a pile driver and caught Jackie square in the face with a tip full of broad, scratchy leaves.
Jackie squawked and was thrown body back, sent stumbling into yet another thicket of brambly limbs. She mewled in outrage and futile fury, and was soon as tangled up as it was possible to be in something that couldn't move on its own.
"Oh for fortune's sake." Jackie bawled, trying to tug herself free, only to hear a loud tear as her cuff and most of her sleeve unraveled on the spindly branches. She let out an indignant shriek then, for all the good it did her, and stamped uselessly at the base of the bush she'd gotten tangled up in. Some kind of bramble, from the look of it, all spindly and brown, with thorns the size of her thumb nail. The thorns didn't bother her too much, she had her aura up after all, but they were still tugging at her haired and making a mess of her clothes.
"Why did we have to be a huntress?" whined the trapped trainee, "Why couldn't we have just stayed in Atlas? There's no thrice-blasted forests in Atlas!"
The forest gave her no answer and, after a few more moments of futile tugging, Jackie was forced to accept the facts. She was stuck.
"Stupid forest," She muttered, "Should have packed mixture eight."
She glared at the bramble holding her captive, loathsome bush, and imagined what it might look like if it were wreathed in unquenchable flames. Of course, then she'd also be wreathed in unquenchable flames. That thought took a lot of savor out of the fantasy.
"Stupid forest." She said again, not that there was anyone to hear. Not even her beautiful big sister, who she had to thank for this charming stroll through the Haven wilderness.
"Should be you, getting eaten alive by bugs and getting stuck in bushes," Jackie muttered resentfully.
Jackie was still there ten minutes later, trying to figure out how best to extricate herself without also losing most of her skirt in the process, when a quiet rustling made her fall still in her thorny prison. It had been such a long time since she'd heard any noises she had not, herself, been making, that she could not help but become furtive at this unlooked for sound. What might it be, she wondered. Turning her head very slowly, Jackie listened with bated breath. Whatever it was, it was coming closer. It was big too, much bigger than some passing deer or bird. Eyes gone wide, face gone pale, not even daring to breath, Jackie reached for her hip where Diprosopus hung. Yet, try though she may, the twin barreled pistol was just barely out of reach.
"For fortune's sake," Jackie mouthed, as well as a few more four letter words, half of which began with 'F'. She reached and she squirmed, taking every pain to remain quiet, but her fingers could barely brush her pistol's polished wood hand. Jackie relented, and looked to where the rustling was coming from. It was definitely coming closer. What's more, she could see the branches in the canopy overhead shaking as it approached. Whole trees were moving in its wake.
Her hand strained down towards her hip, desperate now. Then there was a tearing, Jackie's sleeve shredded, her hand jerked down, and her palm slapped down on her pistol's grip, which thereupon bounced Diprosopus out of its holster and into the air before Jackie's face. A loud, angry snort came from the trees, Jackie's freed hand snatched at the tumbling pistol, and the greenery burst apart in as something big and black and very upset came charge through it.
Jackie let out a shriek, caught hold of her weapon and fired blindly at the charging shape. There was a crack as the rifled round caromed off the beast's bony skull, whipping its head around, but the grimm did not so much as slow. It barreled into her, all black muscle and bony armor and, next thing she knew, Jackie was falling.
She tumbled down a short slope, made none too soft by the countless stones that ran along it, to fall prone in a hollow of twisted roots. Diprosopus flew from her hand, rattled across the tangled roots, then bounced out of sight. Jackie, stunned as she was, was only just getting her bearings when the Ursa, for that was what it had been, tore free of the trees at the top of the slope. It's red eyes alighted upon her and, with a ferocious roar, it rumbled down the slope after her.
Jackie flung herself back, staggered to her feet, and half tripped, half stumbled across the uneven roots, half searching for her weapon and half fleeing from the grimm. She saw the former in a deep hollow. Sometime, many years ago, a tree had fallen across a narrow gully, and the trees which had remained to either side had entwined their roots along and down their fallen compatriot. It was in the natural bowl, the resulting cave of roots and rocks and sheer dirt walls, that the hollow lay. The hollow, and her gun.
Jackie staggered across the uneven ground, wailing as the ursa, unable to stop itself, slammed right into and through a knot of branches just behind her. She dove into the hollow, grabbed up Diprosopus in both hands, and wormed and shoved and wriggled for all she was worth, never minding how the roots tugged at her hair and clothes. She'd worked her way as much as two meters deep into the hollow before the Ursa reappeared. Bellowing, it charged down towards her, crashing headlong into the thick tangle of gnarled roots she'd been squeezing her way through. Jackie wailed again, and shot it a second time in the head, but its bone armor was too thick. Thickest on its skull, in fact. The ursa howled with rage, recoiled, and swiped at the interfering roots with its claws. Jackie took aim at it's soft underbelly and fired, but Diprosopus only clicked.
The ursa minor slashed a second time at the roots, then dropped back to all fours and flung itself forward. Jackie shrieked again as its massive paw plunged towards her, only for its claws to stop within a handspan of her face. Ursa boomed its frustration, yanked its arm free, and began tearing at the roots once again, trying to dig its way down to Jackie. Jackie, for her part, whimpered, pressed even further back into the hollow of roots and, fumbling, reloaded her gun...
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words - 1,260
"How does anything live here?" She complained, as she strained her way through another thick tangle of tugging twigs, "Where do they all fit?"
The forest offered no answer, save for the faint whine of something near her ear. Jackie swat at the bug and, just then, lost her hold on the branch she'd been trying to force aside. The bent back bough sprang forth with all the force of a pile driver and caught Jackie square in the face with a tip full of broad, scratchy leaves.
Jackie squawked and was thrown body back, sent stumbling into yet another thicket of brambly limbs. She mewled in outrage and futile fury, and was soon as tangled up as it was possible to be in something that couldn't move on its own.
"Oh for fortune's sake." Jackie bawled, trying to tug herself free, only to hear a loud tear as her cuff and most of her sleeve unraveled on the spindly branches. She let out an indignant shriek then, for all the good it did her, and stamped uselessly at the base of the bush she'd gotten tangled up in. Some kind of bramble, from the look of it, all spindly and brown, with thorns the size of her thumb nail. The thorns didn't bother her too much, she had her aura up after all, but they were still tugging at her haired and making a mess of her clothes.
"Why did we have to be a huntress?" whined the trapped trainee, "Why couldn't we have just stayed in Atlas? There's no thrice-blasted forests in Atlas!"
The forest gave her no answer and, after a few more moments of futile tugging, Jackie was forced to accept the facts. She was stuck.
"Stupid forest," She muttered, "Should have packed mixture eight."
She glared at the bramble holding her captive, loathsome bush, and imagined what it might look like if it were wreathed in unquenchable flames. Of course, then she'd also be wreathed in unquenchable flames. That thought took a lot of savor out of the fantasy.
"Stupid forest." She said again, not that there was anyone to hear. Not even her beautiful big sister, who she had to thank for this charming stroll through the Haven wilderness.
"Should be you, getting eaten alive by bugs and getting stuck in bushes," Jackie muttered resentfully.
Jackie was still there ten minutes later, trying to figure out how best to extricate herself without also losing most of her skirt in the process, when a quiet rustling made her fall still in her thorny prison. It had been such a long time since she'd heard any noises she had not, herself, been making, that she could not help but become furtive at this unlooked for sound. What might it be, she wondered. Turning her head very slowly, Jackie listened with bated breath. Whatever it was, it was coming closer. It was big too, much bigger than some passing deer or bird. Eyes gone wide, face gone pale, not even daring to breath, Jackie reached for her hip where Diprosopus hung. Yet, try though she may, the twin barreled pistol was just barely out of reach.
"For fortune's sake," Jackie mouthed, as well as a few more four letter words, half of which began with 'F'. She reached and she squirmed, taking every pain to remain quiet, but her fingers could barely brush her pistol's polished wood hand. Jackie relented, and looked to where the rustling was coming from. It was definitely coming closer. What's more, she could see the branches in the canopy overhead shaking as it approached. Whole trees were moving in its wake.
Her hand strained down towards her hip, desperate now. Then there was a tearing, Jackie's sleeve shredded, her hand jerked down, and her palm slapped down on her pistol's grip, which thereupon bounced Diprosopus out of its holster and into the air before Jackie's face. A loud, angry snort came from the trees, Jackie's freed hand snatched at the tumbling pistol, and the greenery burst apart in as something big and black and very upset came charge through it.
Jackie let out a shriek, caught hold of her weapon and fired blindly at the charging shape. There was a crack as the rifled round caromed off the beast's bony skull, whipping its head around, but the grimm did not so much as slow. It barreled into her, all black muscle and bony armor and, next thing she knew, Jackie was falling.
She tumbled down a short slope, made none too soft by the countless stones that ran along it, to fall prone in a hollow of twisted roots. Diprosopus flew from her hand, rattled across the tangled roots, then bounced out of sight. Jackie, stunned as she was, was only just getting her bearings when the Ursa, for that was what it had been, tore free of the trees at the top of the slope. It's red eyes alighted upon her and, with a ferocious roar, it rumbled down the slope after her.
Jackie flung herself back, staggered to her feet, and half tripped, half stumbled across the uneven roots, half searching for her weapon and half fleeing from the grimm. She saw the former in a deep hollow. Sometime, many years ago, a tree had fallen across a narrow gully, and the trees which had remained to either side had entwined their roots along and down their fallen compatriot. It was in the natural bowl, the resulting cave of roots and rocks and sheer dirt walls, that the hollow lay. The hollow, and her gun.
Jackie staggered across the uneven ground, wailing as the ursa, unable to stop itself, slammed right into and through a knot of branches just behind her. She dove into the hollow, grabbed up Diprosopus in both hands, and wormed and shoved and wriggled for all she was worth, never minding how the roots tugged at her hair and clothes. She'd worked her way as much as two meters deep into the hollow before the Ursa reappeared. Bellowing, it charged down towards her, crashing headlong into the thick tangle of gnarled roots she'd been squeezing her way through. Jackie wailed again, and shot it a second time in the head, but its bone armor was too thick. Thickest on its skull, in fact. The ursa howled with rage, recoiled, and swiped at the interfering roots with its claws. Jackie took aim at it's soft underbelly and fired, but Diprosopus only clicked.
The ursa minor slashed a second time at the roots, then dropped back to all fours and flung itself forward. Jackie shrieked again as its massive paw plunged towards her, only for its claws to stop within a handspan of her face. Ursa boomed its frustration, yanked its arm free, and began tearing at the roots once again, trying to dig its way down to Jackie. Jackie, for her part, whimpered, pressed even further back into the hollow of roots and, fumbling, reloaded her gun...
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words - 1,260