War Forged Plot 304: Chasing Legends

There was the blurr of bodies as Faust charged the stranger, and Killian's heart jumped at the sicken CRACK as the huge Bone-Crusher drove it into a tree. Killian's wings dropped suddenly into the snow, mouth pressed into a line as Faust began threatening the creature. Luckily he didn't need to step in, because Killiah, who was already mid charge, reached Faust first, body slamming him away. While the bickering began, Killian's eyes didn't leave the the kirin. The merchant of many foreign things had never in his days seen a creature like this. Tentatively he stepped closer. As more mares began to argue and step between Si and Faust, Killian was left in the back, free to inspect who this horse was.

Because holy fuck, this thing was certainly no deer.

Killian for once didn't say anything. Instead, Nim caught up to the fiasco and came up besides Killian. Killian's eyebrows furrowed, hearing his thoughts vocalized by her.

"You're a kirin, aren't you?" she whispered.

"I don't think you'd make a good skin," Killian joked drily. His mind was in a daze, rouletting through all the possible reasons this could be. A fully aged kirin running amok Onea? Did it have anything to do with the Bloody Flanks return? Or Hira's excursion to Aodh? The thought that the gods placed a dead mortal back on Hireath didn't even cross his mind; hell, could gods even do that? Killian usually didn't even believe gods did anything but ease troubled minds, really. So befuddled was he that for once in his life, Killian didn't have any words. 

Instead, he raised his eyes suspiciously to meet the stranger's. Waiting.

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Word Count: 286
Post: 7

A wave of excitement rushed through Faust’s old body for the anticipation of the crunch of the stranger’s ribs beneath his hooves. Normally he’d go for the skull, but the ruby red rack of his soon to be victim made that maneuver just a bit too risky. Besides, why destroy a perfectly good trophy?

However, Faust’s thrill was short lived. The moment his rear reached it’s pinnacle, Killiah, the cow of a mare, made her move and shoved him off balance. Faust’s wild and icy stare shifted immediately to his attacker whilst twisting his neck to counterstrike, but it was too little too late. A clump of mane was all he could grasp in his teeth before he pummeled into the muddy snow. He groaned, not from any pain, but from pure rage.

He had to give her credit for her timing. Few equine had ever been able to floor him, and only one other mare out of that select bunch. Bahar. That castrating bitch not only knocked him down, but fractured his horn and tore up the whole right side of his face as well. She was still alive somewhere, living life as the little war-princess’s dog. A pathetic life for someone who’s combat skill he put on equal grounds with his own. Killiah was no where close to their level, being as untrained as she were. Her success in her attack was a fluke, a lucky break. She would not be so lucky again.

It took a moment for the old stallion to move his weight to get back up. While on his way, he heard her shout her objections at him from her place beside the antlered stranger.

"Back off Gramps! This isn't the old days of the war, back your ass up! This thing has more rights then you eh, you cant just go killin' things!"

A second voice joined her.

"You heard her. He has rights, just like you and I… Now please, let them get up."

Greer. Of course. Out of this whole bunch, she must have been the most eager to die. The silver bitch had always put herself right where Faust didn’t want her.

When Faust finally found his feet, another mare joined them.

"You can't just kill him, He's clearly not just a strange deer! If the stories are truly what they claim, he would--he'd be more valuable alive anyway!"

The dark fidgety one, Kiger, had either grown some balls or had lost her sense from traveling with all these idiots. Faust was more geared to the latter notion.

The enormous unicorn seethed in anger at their insolent behavior. He barred his teeth at them, his mouth still dripping foam. He could feel his veins pulsing in his neck and temples so hard he thought they might burst. He spat at the ground, a hawk full of Phlegm and Killiah’s hair to display just how he felt about their opinions.

“I have lost my patience with all of you!” He pawed his hoof as he shouted, eyes darting between the three mares, trying to decide who to beat on first. His scopes locked onto Killiah once more. She was the most threatening and was the only one who had actually dared to touch him. After her, he could easily move onto Greer who he expected would fight, despite her injury, and then to Kiger, who he was most certain would run.

Satisfied with his strategy, he charged again, this time lowering his head so he could make full use of his broken, but still lethal, obsidian horn.

But for the upteenth time that morning, Faust’s plans were intervened. From a blind spot, the other painted draft mare, Emerin, drove her body into Faust’s while he was mid charge.

“FUCK!!!”

Faust stumbled, but he did not fall from the impact since his sturdy body had been leveled. Still, it was enough to drive him away and back off to further assess the situation.

"Some way to treat a stranger. By the gods where are your manners, old man?!” Emerin bellowed from the sides of the other mares. Her presence was soon followed by the rest of the party. The brindled Unicorn, Nimerah, and stubby pegasus, Killian placed themselves behind the wall of mares and used the opportunity to examine the alien creature up close.  Judiah added his length to the wall as well, and threw in his two sense with the others. "Listen, you may have lost your mind from being lost in the woods, but this isn't how people do things anymore. You can't just kill a stallion without reason!”

Faust couldn’t believe what he was seeing. These bickering fools were actually banding together to protect this, what, this stranger?

The mighty unicorn paced up and down their makeshift barrier, heavy stepped and snorting as went. For a moment he tried to comprehend their reasoning but quickly found there was no use in trying to understand the minds of fools. He was obviously riled, as he had even thrown in a few involuntary bucks in his pace. Once upon a time, Faust would have done something similar to inspire an army for battle. All he needed was to give a few inspiring words to couple with the pure thunderous energy that emanated from him. These hair-brained horses would receive no such words. They would receive the opposite.

“I-I Can’t kill him? Not like the old days of war?” He began throwing his words back at them in a sort of boo-hoo tone. “He has RIGHTS?” He broke his stride a moment to shout that last word in Greer’s face and then continued on. “NO ONE has the right to a life they cannot keep. You have to earn it. You think you’re all privileged to it, but you’re wrong. You should know this!  FOR KAIA’S SAKE, YOU FUCKING CALL YOURSELVES WAR-FORGED!?  You're nothing of the sort!  Nothing! Fucking 'where are my manners'?  You lot are as alien to this country as that thing you're all so dead on protecting!  What a fucking useless generation Hira is raising! I should teach you all a lesson on what it really means to be war-forged!”

Faust stopped his pacing when he reached the middle of the group again and eyed all of them. They all still seemed steadfast on keeping the beast alive. A heavy sigh puffed from his nostrils. He couldn't stand their faces any longer.

“But I won’t… Some other time, perhaps.” he added and his explosive temper began to simmer.

A surprising turn of events for all who witnessed it. Faust was retreating. Having analyzed their reactions and already experiencing the group’s will to fight, the old stallion determined he was just too damn sober to deal with them. Had he still had a grasp of his blessing, this story would have ended far differently, but Kaia had not blessed him with her power since the annihilation of his clan. Her gifts had to be earned, after all.

He left them with one last message.

“War is the way of this land. Killing? It’s all part of nature. It’s the way Kaia intended. Eventually, you’ll all be reminded of this. I know your faces. I know your smells. I may be old, but I don’t forget. Next time I find any of you wandering these woods, I won’t be so merciful. You’ve only prolonged the inevitable. I will come back for you stranger, mark my words!”

And with that Faust turned away from them, ignoring any defiance from behind, to finish the task he had initially sought out to do in Skeldr. Buy some booze for winter -and something else right? Oh yeah, the pegasus had promised him a new pelt. Faust paused to call the crafty little merchant over.

“Killian, to me! I believe I’ve made good on my part of the bargain.”


WC: 1340
Post: 6
Notes: Please, no one besides Killian come after Faust! He's leaving the plot! Count your blessings <3

Killiah
WF | Travelling Merchant
'Just a warning Killiah can be offensive sometimes! It's not me just her so please don't get offended by what she says, i have no grudge against anyone ^^ all offence is to the characters not you personally okay!'

The large mare gave a the brute a heavy snort at the realization she'd lost a chunk of her hair, it wasn't enough to be noticable unless you knew but it made enough of an impact that it grinded all her gears, "Go hack to the stone age where you belong gramps, your views are a thing of the past", she watched the raging beast move off and head back into the trees, not even moving an inch till she was sure he was gone... till she could no longer smell him anymore.

With a short puff of a sigh she turned to Greer, her lips pressed into an almost amused smile, "You're alright Miss Limp, Look me up sometime and we can play Nurse, I can help keep your mind off the pain", with a flirty wink she spun on her heel now focusing on her short little ebony friend, "and you Kiger dear are a brave little button", with afew licks of her tongue she ruffled Kigers hair, "Stick around", pulling the smaller mare closer to her side as they moved towards Nim's side. Now the mood was lightened a bit with the retreat of Faust they all seemed to focus on the Kirin before them... the scales and antlers didn't draw Killiah's attention, the stallions lack of being a mare did

"Apart from the disappointing fact he's no gorgeous medic, is he even alive Doc?", her words were now focused to Nim as the resident healer who seemed to be quite on point about the whole situation... she had to admit hard-working was a very attractive quality and she couldn't help but watch the mare with a very different kind of stare, "We could make a fortune if he shared some of those scales, think of all the gold i could buy to make my wares!"

Words: 309
Posts: 9