[SE] Winterlude

Only the very desperate or very foolhardy left the Citadel's protective dome during Deepfrost. Not, at least, without some serious protection from the lethal elements outside. Tal had been called both at various times in his life, but he had a magical item that protected him from the cold and he was known to the guards who had let him out the hunter's gate early that morning.

The snow had stopped overnight but the clouds still hung low and grey over Halo, threatening another round but only releasing a few flurries as the day had worn on. The muscular dragon - glacier-pale and built like a bull mastiff - had flown against the wind, circling until she'd spotted a small herd of reindeer taking advantage of the lull in the weather to move west.

The herd had moved on, forging a distinctive path through the large snow drifts, but two animals remained: a small yearling runt, and an older animal past her prime. They lay in the snow, blood already frozen, as a wiry young man in a thick coat and tinted snow goggles worked to skin and joint them, grumbling under his breath as he fought the cold and the slippery blade. He worked with the mixed efficiency of one who had done the task before but hadn't been raised to it or done it often, at least not recently. The dragon nosed at the entrails as they were set aside, filching a few choice bits in between keeping watch for any hungry ursur that might be drawn to the blood-smell now fresh on the trail.

Namythria

Though it was no longer storming, flurries of snow still danced through the air. They pierced the skin like tiny frozen daggers and the biting wind only intensified that feeling. The apples of Namythria's cheeks stung, so she pulled her scarf up around her jaw to stave off the sensation. The muffled sounds of snowfall and hoofbeats crunching on powdery ground was a cadence she was used to. It calmed her, sometimes mesmerized her. The invisible road to the Citadel had been long and drawn out with no one to talk to but for Sable, her mare. Much of it was just a white or stormy blur.

They were close, though; she could feel it.

Sable's body tensed beneath her, snapping her to attention. The horse's ears stood straight up and her nose turned. Nim's gaze followed it to see a small herd of reindeer in the small valley below. The herd was fleeing from a figure on the ice. A hunter? A silhouette in the air caught her attention as well. Either her eyes were deceiving her or there was a small dragon working with the hunter.

Nim reached down to pat Sable's neck, cooing a few reassuring words as they watched and waited. Nim was not one to disrupt another's hunt, though she grew antsy to approach. This was the first person she'd seen in a while.

Were they from the city? ...Were they friendly? ...Was the dragon friendly?

When the metaphorical snow settled and the hunter had caught his quarry, Nim kicked her horse forward. They slowed to a stop when Nim thought they had come close enough, bearing in mind that the dragon seemed to be keeping a lookout. She certainly didn't want to put herself or her horse in any danger.

The carcass of the reindeer seeped warmth into the air and the smell of blood was thick. Nim felt her stomach tense with hunger. It had been months since she'd hunted game like that, surviving mainly on hares and easier pickings.

She pulled her scarf down from her jaw to speak: "Hello there!" The relief in her smile was obvious, and she explained, "I haven't seen another person in a long time. I'm on my way to the citadel." She paused, looking more closely at his work, "Do you want any help with that?" It was a lot of meat and hide for one person to clean and to carry, else he might have to leave some of it to go to waste.

talyson

Tal might have been distracted by his work but Boreal caught the horse's scent on the wind and watched it with alert curiosity, though no hostility or aggression. The scaly tip of her tail twitched in what was almost a wag, and when it became clear that the mount and its rider were coming towards them with purpose she let out a low rumble of greeting, alerting her companion to their guests.

For his part, the courier twisted sharply, far more suspicious of random folk traveling the Tundra in Deepfrost. The cultists hadn't been seen since the War, but they'd usually been the sort to start trouble in Halo's deadliest season...

On the other hand, the rider didn't look like she wanted trouble - but isn't that what a cultist would want him to think? "Y'picked a bad season t'be travelin'," he said, wariness evident in his tense posture and his voice. "But I guess if y'want to lend a hand it'd be alright..." He had his own way of transporting the various pieces of meat and other parts of the carcasses, but that didn't include rendering them down into chunks small enough to fit inside the opening of his Bag any faster. A second person would speed things up a lot.

And Boreal could help keep an eye on her in case she was thinking about knifing him when his back was turned.

"Why aren't y'waitin' for Flowerbirth?" he asked, trying to be casual but not very good at hiding the suspicion in his tone or eyes.

The sight of another living soul was a welcome one, and she was more than willing to lend a hand. Her gaze shifted to the dragon, who seemed to be watching her with a sense of curiosity rather than hostility. That, at least, was a promising sign.

As the hunter mentioned the challenging season for travel, she nodded in agreement. "You're right, Deepfrost is harsh, but sometimes life doesn't wait for the seasons to change," she replied, her voice carrying a touch of solemnity. "I lost my mother recently, and I didn't want to remain alone in the wilderness. I needed a change of scenery, even if it meant traveling in this weather."

Nim's gaze drifted to the sizable haul of meat and hide. "I'm happy to help; two pairs of hands are better than one," she offered. She was oblivious to his suspicion, unfazed by his tone or posture. Unlike him, she hadn't run into much trouble with other people. Most were happy to have aid, or share resources. It was hardly worth fighting when you could work together and both have a higher chance of survival.

With that, she dismounted from her horse and approached the reindeer carcass, rolling up her sleeves in preparation to assist with the cleaning and butchering. Not much time was wasted before she dug in. Her nimble fingers deftly worked to remove the hide, starting at the neck and working her way down the body. She kept a keen eye on the hunter's technique, making sure to match his movements and not waste any valuable meat.

As they worked together, Nim decided to try to break the ice further. "My name is Namythria, by the way, but my mother always called me Nim," glancing at the hunter, she asked with genuine curiosity, "Do you usually hunt with your dragon companion? It must be quite an advantage." She hadn't realized just how much she missed the company of another human.

Suddenly there is nothing but ice and wind all around you. Like being plunged into a whirlwind the air grows even more bitterly cold than it already was, and though you try and struggle against it, you feel your feet beginning to slip.

Before you know it there is a sudden SCHWAACK. Snow falls from the sky and you suddenly realize that there are two water elementals only a few meters ahead of you. They seem to be playing a game of…ice-ball-tag? Whatever it is they’re doing, it’s extremely dangerous.I’d…leave them to it, if I were you.

---

You’ve encountered a water elemental! This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. You may not kill your rare creature without admin permission.

Water Elementals (Uncommon/mythical): Not much is known about these creatures other than that they appear during particularly nasty storms. With the ability to manipulate the water in the icy-landscape as well as that within your body, water elementals range from incredibly dim-witted to quite clever.

"Ah... um. Sorry t'hear it," Tal mumbled, torn between sympathy for the lost parent and further suspicion. Some people might have been just fine being alone - or at least, alone-ish, given the horse - for a couple months, but some definitely weren't. He knew a couple off the top of his head that would probably go crazy if they didn't have anyone else to talk to for that long.

Well, he'd accepted her help so it was too late to back out now. Boreal ambled over to sniff the young woman's furs - paying particular attention to any pockets - as the stranger approached and got to work. And he had to admit (however reluctantly) that the work did immediately go faster with two of them at it. At her introduction Boreal let out a smoky chortle and Tal rolled his eyes at his dragon before glancing back to Nim with a bob of his head. "Tal," he responded, a little gruffly from embarrassment at having forgotten his manners again. "Tal Seawright." He paused, nose wrinkling as she continued her questions, but something else had caught at his memory. "Wait, y'wouldn't happen t'be--fuck!"

He ducked his head against the sudden icy gust that blasted past them; his Frostbite Cuff might have mitigated the cold, but he was still at the mercy of the wind and the snow it blew into his eyes. He pulled his Goggles up to protect them and squinted through the tinted glass, spying the nearby elementals immediately and swearing again under his breath before raising his voice. "Get back a ways!" Abandoning the carcasses - for the moment - Tal shuffled back towards Nim's horse, making a grab for its reins so it didn't try to run off. "Give 'em a few minutes an' they'll move on," he added as they put a little safe distance between themselves and the playful catastrophes. "Uh... probably."

---

And indeed, the water elementals soon went on their merry(?) way, taking their localized hail storm with them. He and Nim soon had the reindeer carcass rendered and wrapped into pieces small enough to be stored in his Bag of Holding for the journey back to the Citadel, and after the time spent in her company he agreed to lead her there. If she turned out to be trouble, then the Shields would handle it, Tal decided.

~Fin~