The Desperate Rescue. [In Game]

[Kalnath]

Dirk listened as Valira recounted her story, envisioning the events as best he could. The way she told it, it sounded less like an anecdote of youthful recklessness and more like some heroic epic. A quick bit of mental arithmetic told him that Valira would have been about eighteen years old at the time – not much younger than he was now. And at that age, she'd had a sword, a steed, and a shitload of courage. In her shoes, all alone against such a creature, Dirk knew that he would have lost his nerve and fled.

“So it beat you to unconsciousness and you didn’t even get a decent scar out of it? I’d almost feel robbed." He smiled good-naturedly. "Still, it sounds like you were a pretty vicious fighter, even then. Or at least a very lucky one.”

Judging the meat to be done, Dirk pulled a goat’s leg off of the spit and offered it to the storyteller. After speaking for so long, it seemed only proper that she should get the first bite; if for no other reason than to give her a chance to rest her voice.

 

[Kalnath]

Dirk picked up his own share of lunch and turned to Daisy, who seemed to be volunteering for the next round. That was fine by him, as it gave him a chance to finally eat something while they all listened to her.

"I'd rather hear about you, personally, but go ahead with whatever you're comfortable sharing!"

 

[Kalnath]

Dirk listened well to Daisy's explanation of her past as he quietly tore into his lunch. He found it amusing that the witch called herself "pretty normal." Nothing about her upbringing sounded mundane to him: she'd lived in a cave, with a mother who killed everything near it, while learning magic from her father, and her parents would spend weeks at a time in their room without leaving. Any one of those struck him as abnormal, but all of them at once?

The story itself was equal parts intriguing and horrifying, and he shot a sidelong glance to his other friends to try and gauge how they felt about Daisy's description of her nonchalant crime against creation. Dirk balked as the story ended, before swallowing the bit of meat that he'd been chewing on.

"...Y'know, the more you tell us about your parents, the more I get the feeling that I should never, ever meet them."

 

[Kalnath]

“Embarrassed and cute? If your mother actually asked me that question, I’m pretty sure that would happen automatically.” He smiled. “In all fairness, your family does sound pretty nice. At least going by what you say of them.”

Dirk pulled at a stubborn piece of meat, until he realized things had gotten a bit quiet.

“Oh, right. I suppose it’s my turn, then. Hmm.”

He ate quietly for a moment while he thought. Daisy and Valira had both gone into some detail about their respective pasts. How much did he want to reveal about his own? He wracked his memory for a decent story, but after several introspective minutes couldn’t come up with one that he liked. There was nothing in his past life that painted him in any decent light; Dirk had wanted to leave it behind for a reason.

There had been stories that were told to him, but under the pressure of the moment, he couldn't remember any of them no matter how hard he tried to.

After a long, quiet minute, Dirk shook his head shamefully. “I… I got nothing. Sorry.”


(Sorry, I just couldn't come up with anything I liked...)

 

[Ecnalab]

[Just let me know when you guys want to progress the scene.]

 

[Ecnalab]

[So, are people ready to get going again?]

 

[Kalnath]

[Ready and eager!]

 

[Ecnalab]

The group would continue to tell stories long into the night, everything from the daring, to the saucy. But, eventually, the sun would slip below the trees, and sleep would take them.
When morning came, they had to make a decision; continue on course to the smoking mountain, that now loomed over them and confront the ultimate target of their quest? Or, turn back, and go home?

 

[Kalnath]

Dirk hadn't had as much sleep as perhaps he should have: he'd stayed up a bit later than the others to finish burying Zira's remains. The act had brought a sense of relief to him; a bit of closure for his single greatest mistake, and what little sleep he did get had been all the more restful for it. There were no signs of exhaustion in his eyes as he pulled on his boots - only steely resolve.

You've been a part of this from the beginning; now see it to the end.

"Whatever happens to us next, I am ready." he said tersely, as he passed his gaze over each of his friends. "Let's finish this."