Date: 5th of Ymiden, Arc 720
Weapons: Tower Shield, Scythe
Status: Preparing
Weapons: Tower Shield, Scythe
Armor: Plate-like Leather
Current Magical Effects
- Rune of Focus on head
- Chained Runes of Strength/Endurance on limbs and tail
- Taithir's Serpent's Hood
Praetorum sat at the edge of a sluggishly flowing river, gently petting his mount as she drank her fill. Poor girl, he mused. She'd been apart from him for so long, and now that they were together again, he was riding her hard across the entire continent. Still, it seemed that she would have a chance to rest today.
"Heads up." Prae called out, pushing himself to his feet. Slipping on his shield, he wordlessly summoned his scythe to hand as he spoke. "There's a pack of something incoming; maybe a dozen of them, about shoulder height on me, pretty heavy. About a hundred fifty feet off."
Ricky and Clarissa glanced at each other, and then came up to flank Prae, readying their weapons. "Which direction?" Clarissa asked, her voice quiet, but eager. At her side, Sneabru appeared, silent as always, but with a dagger in each hand. The smaller ithecal was warming up to the two Yari, Prae had been happy to see, but could he fight alongside them? This was as good a time as any to find out, he supposed.
"North west." Prae gestured at where his defiance spark told him there was movement, clawed feet sinking into dirt and wind parting to make space for the bulk of a number of creatures. "Walking slow for now, but they're headed our way. Sneabru, traps."
The smaller ithecal nodded, and disappeared into the surrounding grasslands. Prae couldn't help but smile at that. There were only so many places to hide along stone corridors and brightly lit rooms, but here, Sneabru seemed much more in his element, moving unseen through the long, swaying grass. "So," Ricky clapped Prae on the back with a laugh, "still think you have what it takes?"
Praetorum just scoffed. After near fifty trials of nearly non-stop guerilla warfare, a single battle under the open sky seemed almost restful. Rather than respond, he started to draw runes over himself, chained strength and endurance over his limbs and tail, and focus on his head. He did the same for the two humans, adding a rune of resistance to their backs as well, before checking their surroundings again with defiance.
Dirt shifted ever so slightly as Sneabru padded through the grass maybe ten feet ahead of them, laying down runic traps for whatever was coming. Prae wasn't sure how many creatures there were, but they were about eighty feet away now, and still moving slow. A divot in the landscape kept them out of sight still, but it wouldn't be long before the two bands came across each other.
"Do you hear that?" Ricky asked, frowning.
Hear what, Prae almost asked. But a moment later, he heard it too: a series of distant clicks sounding out a strange staccato rhythm. "Any idea what these things are?" Prae asked instead. He and Ricky both looked at Clarissa, who just shrugged. Prae sighed
"We'll find out, I suppose. Spread out." Ten feet of distance, Prae had found, was far enough that they could fight without interfering with each other, but close enough that Prae could come to their aid as soon as they needed it. The formation they'd settled on was a triangle, with Praetorum as its leading corner, and the other two covering his flanks, taking any of the creatures that slipped past him.
"Sneabru." The other ithecal still hadn't reappeared, but Prae knew he was listening. "It's the same tactic here as it was inside, understand? The three of us will knock them down for you."
"We will?" Clarissa asked.
"Yeah. Knock them down, or hold them still for a trill or two. Sneabru's job is to duck in and brand them with runes. Slows them down enough for an easy kill."
Sixty feet away now.
"All ready?" Prae asked, heart starting to thrum with anticipation. It had been so long since a fight had filled him with excitement, rather than anxiety.
"Aye."
"Aye."
Sneabru said nothing, as usual, but popped up by Prae's side, just long enough to squeeze at his wrist, before vanishing again. That was a yes, then.
"Ready yourselves, then." Prae raised his voice then, and activated Serpent's Hood. "And stand fast!"
"Heads up." Prae called out, pushing himself to his feet. Slipping on his shield, he wordlessly summoned his scythe to hand as he spoke. "There's a pack of something incoming; maybe a dozen of them, about shoulder height on me, pretty heavy. About a hundred fifty feet off."
Ricky and Clarissa glanced at each other, and then came up to flank Prae, readying their weapons. "Which direction?" Clarissa asked, her voice quiet, but eager. At her side, Sneabru appeared, silent as always, but with a dagger in each hand. The smaller ithecal was warming up to the two Yari, Prae had been happy to see, but could he fight alongside them? This was as good a time as any to find out, he supposed.
"North west." Prae gestured at where his defiance spark told him there was movement, clawed feet sinking into dirt and wind parting to make space for the bulk of a number of creatures. "Walking slow for now, but they're headed our way. Sneabru, traps."
The smaller ithecal nodded, and disappeared into the surrounding grasslands. Prae couldn't help but smile at that. There were only so many places to hide along stone corridors and brightly lit rooms, but here, Sneabru seemed much more in his element, moving unseen through the long, swaying grass. "So," Ricky clapped Prae on the back with a laugh, "still think you have what it takes?"
Praetorum just scoffed. After near fifty trials of nearly non-stop guerilla warfare, a single battle under the open sky seemed almost restful. Rather than respond, he started to draw runes over himself, chained strength and endurance over his limbs and tail, and focus on his head. He did the same for the two humans, adding a rune of resistance to their backs as well, before checking their surroundings again with defiance.
Dirt shifted ever so slightly as Sneabru padded through the grass maybe ten feet ahead of them, laying down runic traps for whatever was coming. Prae wasn't sure how many creatures there were, but they were about eighty feet away now, and still moving slow. A divot in the landscape kept them out of sight still, but it wouldn't be long before the two bands came across each other.
"Do you hear that?" Ricky asked, frowning.
Hear what, Prae almost asked. But a moment later, he heard it too: a series of distant clicks sounding out a strange staccato rhythm. "Any idea what these things are?" Prae asked instead. He and Ricky both looked at Clarissa, who just shrugged. Prae sighed
"We'll find out, I suppose. Spread out." Ten feet of distance, Prae had found, was far enough that they could fight without interfering with each other, but close enough that Prae could come to their aid as soon as they needed it. The formation they'd settled on was a triangle, with Praetorum as its leading corner, and the other two covering his flanks, taking any of the creatures that slipped past him.
"Sneabru." The other ithecal still hadn't reappeared, but Prae knew he was listening. "It's the same tactic here as it was inside, understand? The three of us will knock them down for you."
"We will?" Clarissa asked.
"Yeah. Knock them down, or hold them still for a trill or two. Sneabru's job is to duck in and brand them with runes. Slows them down enough for an easy kill."
Sixty feet away now.
"All ready?" Prae asked, heart starting to thrum with anticipation. It had been so long since a fight had filled him with excitement, rather than anxiety.
"Aye."
"Aye."
Sneabru said nothing, as usual, but popped up by Prae's side, just long enough to squeeze at his wrist, before vanishing again. That was a yes, then.
"Ready yourselves, then." Prae raised his voice then, and activated Serpent's Hood. "And stand fast!"
