A few weeks back in Arling, and things have settled into something of a rhythm. With the lapine threat apparently dealt with, Mr Johnson pushes me back into my studies.
Shockingly, no genuine cases come through for three whole weeks, just drunken louts calling us out in the middle of the night, claiming they’re dogs are possessed by demons, or women who’re jealous of others getting the attention they believe they deserve.
With little work to do, I instead follow my lessons more closely, moving on from the basics of witches to beginning notes of boggarts, a much more threatening, but rarer danger around these parts according to the spook. With four different ‘breeds’ they don’t share many similarities, other than a penchant for inconveniencing humans, and a taste for blood.
Kara, for her part, was given the task of cleaning and maintaining the house and new vegetable garden, as the spook himself turns to his enormous library, trying to figure out the portal spell that Letuh had used, the one that allegedly would have taken Kara and himself home.
As far as today goes however, I have another swimming lesson in town, Kara declining to come this time, I hurry down to the river to meet Alison. She says I’m making good progress, but need to keep practicing for a while, to make sure I move as easily in water as on land.
After a few hours of flailing in the water at a new technique, of cycling my arms to move forward, rather than my legs, she hauls me up out of the river again, patting me on the back as I cough some of the water up again.
“Better out than in, they always say.” She laughs, thumping me between the shoulders and shunting me for a step.
She’s got her eyepatch back on today, along with her drawn on scar, picking up her wooden cutlass and swiping at the air as I lay out to dry.
I watch her slash back and forth for a few minutes, the other villagers that walk by rolling their eyes and ignoring her as she yells to them, before she suddenly twirls, pointing the blunted tip in my face. “Say, boyo, you ever actually had any proper fighting with that stick of yours?” She asks, nodding to your staff.
Come to think of it, the only advice the spook gave me really was, ‘smash them with the heavy end’. Then again, all it really needs to do is hit most enemies I’d be fighting and it’d hurt them pretty badly. I glance up at the sun, the afternoon is wearing on, and the spook had asked me to buy groceries while I was in town.
>Wanna spar?
>I’ll pass, got things to do.
>Write in
>>44056359
>Wanna spar?
Just a quick one, then we go get those groceries. Wouldn't hurt to get a little practice.
>>44056359
>Wanna spar?
First to land 3 hits? That shouldn't be too long.
Well, go ahead and roll me a d20 on that
Rolled 12 (1d20)
>>44056609
Rolled 15 (1d20)
>>44056609
Rolled 19 (1d20)
>>44056609
I roll to my feet and pick up my staff. “I guess I could try a bit.” I shrug. “First to hit the other three times?”
She grins, rolling her wrist, the blade swishing through the air. “Alright bucko, just don’t come complaining when I box you’re ears is all.”
She takes her stance, her feet too close together, and swings at my head. I bring my staff up and catch it, wood smacking against wood, I shove the blow back and jab the bottom of my staff into her knee. “Touch.” I call the hit.
She smirks, “Beginners luck, don’t go getting too cocky on me.” She pounces at where I was, but I duck aside, swinging at her back. She’s faster than I expected though, catching the hit by swinging her blade up behind her. “Alright, you’re serious. Let’s go.” She tugs her eyepatch off and barks out a laugh as she rushes at me.
I take a jab in the gut, grunting and taking a few steps back before we continue. She might have size on me, but I’ve got better reach with my staff, I grab both ends of it and catch a blow with the middle of the staff, before sharply twisting, conking a blow into the side of her head.
“Fast and clever.” She grins, rubbing at her scalp. “Set me ears ringing on that one.” She complains.
I shrug, and she pulls a new trick out of her bag, throwing her sword underhanded, the handle catches me across the cheek, smacking roughly off my face, as she picks up spare she’d left lying on the ground and rushes me.
This time she makes a quick cut, slashing at my side, but I recover too quickly, jabbing at her wrist instinctively, her hand pops open, the sword falling in the grass. “Touch!” I call, but she’s already moving to fast, barrelling me over, I get caught in her tackle and slammed into the sandy bank of the river.
“Phew!” She laughs, lying atop me. “Not bad kid.” She pulls herself off of me, now on her hands and knees, she grabs my chin, peering closely at my face. “Don’t think that’ll bruise to badly…” She mutters, stroking a thumb over my cheek, where her thrown sword hit me, before slapping it reassuringly. “You’ll be alright. Still prettier than after that beating Aaron and his mates gave you first time we met.”
She clambers off me and pulls me to my feet. “So, you’re busy for the rest of the day then.”
“Just groceries.” I tell her, pulling my shirt back on. “For just three people, we sure go through a lot.”
Alison nods, “Mind if I tag along?” She asks, pulling her eyepatch back on in turn, one of her cutlasses tucked through her belt.
>I really want to get it done quickly.
>Glad to have you along
>Is Aaron causing any more trouble?
>Write in
>>44056902
>Glad to have you along
>>44056902
>>Glad to have you along
>Is Aaron causing any more trouble?
>>44056902
>Glad to have you along
>>44056902
>Is Aaron causing any more trouble?
“Sure, I’d be glad to have you.”
She grins, “You can’t see it, but I’m winking right now.” She informs me, pointing to her eyepatch.
“I’m sure.” I remark, picking my staff back up on and stepping up onto the road. “Say, has Aaron been causing any more trouble lately? I haven’t even seen him.”
She rolls her eyes, “Twit almost ran off and joined the king’s service so I hear. Instead he’s just joined the town guard.”
“Oh, good.” I suck my teeth, “Glad to have him in a position of responsibility.”
She shrugs, “Not much we can do, now is there?” I suppose not. Still, annoying.
She helps carry the bags for me a while, as I pick up a fresh load of vegetables, the last fresh ones of the autumn, with winter fast approaching, everyone’s getting ready to pickle their food, or preserve it in some other manner. Still, it’s not exactly a harsh winter in this part of the country, we get it fairly mild compared to the north.
Alison even tosses me a pastry, from her pocket, ruffling my hair as we walk back out of town. “You’ll make a fine scrapper boy.” She laughs. “If all this falls through, you’ll be welcome onboard any day.”
I ignore her delusions, take the bags and bid her farewell, heading back out of town.
On the path back up to the house, I see two familiar looking shadows in the trees, picking apples again.
Aaron’s two cronies loom large out of the trees, both of them towering over me, with their apparent leader nowhere in sight. “Where you going?” The redhead asks, shoving me a little.
“Home.” I reply calmly, tensing up a little.
He shakes his head, the brownhaired boy cracking his knuckles. “Not without paying up.” The redhead replies, holding his hand out. “Road toll, on behalf of Reaumont himself.”
>Just pay them for now
>Run past them
>Drop the food and fight
>Write in
>>44057400
>>Drop the food and fight
>>44057400
>Run past them
>>44057400
>Run past them
>>44057400
>Drop the food and fight
I'm sure it'll end with us getting our asses kicked, but we'll just have to deal with this shit every time we pass through if we run.
>>44057400
"Really because I met with Reaumont not more then a few days ago and he didn't mention a new toll. I must ask him about it when I see it tomorrow"
>>44057400
>Run past them
Righto, gonna need another d20 on running away
Rolled 13 (1d20)
>>44057634
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>44057634
Should have just knocked some of their teeth out to prevent this kind of thing in the future.
Rolled 12 (1d20)
>>44057634
Rolled 19 (1d20)
>>44057634
>>44057669
>>44057673
>>44057679
Looks like we're getting our ass kicked either way, she we couldn't at least go down swinging.
Rolled 17 (1d20)
>>44057634
>>44057696
Isn't it best of 5?
>>44057715
Is it? Right, keep forgetting with all the other quests that do best of three.
>>44057728
I think it's best of 5 unless it's slow. Then it's best of 3.
I look between them, pretending to reach for my pocket for a moment. They grin and elbow each other, and that’s when I slip around the redhead, bolting up the path, headed back for the spooks house.
They give chase after me, their feet loud and heavy on the path, my split second lead quickly closing with the heavy bags I’m carrying.
I look over my shoulder, just as the redhead is about to tackle me, but an orange blur leaps on him, and he lets out a screech of pain, as Marmalade’s claws dig into his leg, raking bloody marks down his skin.
The redhead trips and stumbles into his friend, knocking both of them over in a dusty huddle, as I slow to a walk, catching my breath.
Marmalade stands between me and the older boys, fur on end, hissing like a snake her claws out and blood red. The wounds on the redhead’s leg look deep, as if Marmalade had been scooping out butter rather than scratching flesh, the redhead clutching the marks and rocking back and forth crying to himself in the sudden pain.
The quiet one rolls out from under him, pointing at Marmalade. “Demon! Demon cat! K-kill it! You’re a spook right, bloody kill it!”
Marmalade looks to me, and if she were human, I’m sure she’d be raising an eyebrow.
>Sic him Marmalade.
>Put on a show, pretend to banish the demon in her.
>Tell him to piss off already
>Write in
>>44057842
>>Sic him Marmalade.
A new quest after a hard days work,
you're my hero Chuckles
>>44057842
>Tell him to piss off already
>>44057842
>Tell him to piss off already
>>44057842
>>Write in
Attempt to bite redhead’s leg while hissing.
>>44057933
Let's not, that's just weird.
>>44057954
But mah ankle fetish.
>>44057842
>Write in
"That's Master Johnson's cat. Did you really think there wouldn't be protections? That you could go after a spook's apprentice without consequences? Get out of here before she does worse than some scratches."
We should convince them it's were cat and sell them an antidote.
>>44057842
>Tell him to piss off already.
>>44057842
>>Tell him to piss off already
“Just get out of here.” I tell him, setting the food down and trying to sound threatening. “Before she gets you like she got your friend.”
The quiet one hauls the redhead up on his good leg, and the two hop off as fast as they can, back down the path.
Marmalade looks at me, nods in what I think is approval and slinks away to hunt mice.
I wipe some sweat off my forehead, and stoop to pick the bags back up. “You handled that well.” A voice from behind me calls out.
I whip around, finding a dark haired boy and girl sitting under another tree, brother and sister by the look of them, the girl slicing an orange into pieces. “I was half expecting him to start banishing the thing.” The boy mutters to his sister, earning an amused laugh as he imitates some foreign language and making holy symbols.
“Who are you two?” I have to ask. “And why are you this far from town?”
They shrug, “Fine, we’ll go then.” The girl shrugs, “It’s a good thing that cat was around, or we’d have to have stepped in to help you.”
Without another word, they turn in unison and head off down the road, the same way my attackers left, into the setting sun.
“Why are all the freaks in town picking today?” I mutter to myself. Something does seem weird about them though.
>Follow after them
>Sneak after them
>Some other time, head back home.
>>44058346
>Some other time, head back home.
>>44058346
>Some other time, head back home.
>mention it to Mr. Johnson, by way of asking if he was expecting visitors today
>>44058346
>Some other time, head back home
"I have a feeling we'll see them again. Come on Marmalade, let's head back."
>>44058381
Marmalade has already left; she's got better things to do than stick around listen to your crap.
>>44058346
Prepare some trap pits for them to fall into, next time they (or something else for that matter) chase you. Ask spook where we should not dig, just in case we dig up a dead witch or some shit like that.
>>44058411
Oh, right.
Well, just leave, then.
We should go fishing(or something), and get Marmalade some fish, or something for the help. She is a good kitty.
>>44058457
>Implying she'll actually eat it
>>44058346
>Sneak after them
>>44058378
>>Some other time, head back home.
>Ask Johnson about them
Whatever. I turn on my heel and head back to the house, restocking the pantry with the fresh supplies first things first.
The spook comes downstairs, nose deep in a book as he takes a seat at the table. “You were gone longer than usual.” He comments.
I nod, “Yes sir, there were a few complications coming back from town. There were some boys, they tried to rob me in the name of a road toll. Marmalade scared them off though, after slashing up one of their legs.”
An eyebrow raises slowly, his eyes still scrolling on the book. “How badly?”
I motion at my own leg. “She carved a few strips out of his shin, nothing crippling.”
The spook frowns, “Boy will regret his decisions, I suppose.” He sighs.
Yes, well… “And after they ran off, there were these two… weird kids sitting in the trees nearby that I hadn’t noticed before.”
“Weird how?” He prompts. “Dangerous, frightening, or just…” He clucks his tongue, eyes flicking to me, “Socially inept?”
I shrug, “I don’t quite know. Something about them was just off.”
He ‘hrrm’s in consideration. “Something to watch out for. If you were any other man, I’d call it superstition, but with a spook, even an apprentice… well, instinct can be worthy of attention.” He shuts his book. “If there were two little witches spying on me, I doubt it can be a good sign.”
“Well, one was a boy.” I point out. "And we don't know if they're witches."
He lapses into silence, staring out the door. “We’ll see what comes of it. You see them again, tell them I know they’re there. See how they respond.”
The conversation is broken up, as Kara bustles into the room, stacking the tiny stove and starting dinner. The spook picks his book back up, intending on finding another in the library, leaving me with Kara in the kitchen.
She’s singing something under her breath for a few moments, stirring a pot of stew and slicing bread. “Leon…” She calls my name absently, glancing over before letting out a gasp. “You’re face!” She points to my cheek, which… is feeling rather like it’s turning into one big bruise, even feel a faint trail of blood from where it’s split… only feels recent though, must have happened when I was running.
>Act tough, it’s just sparring practice
>I’ll patch it up myself, I’m used to it.
>“Give me a hand with it Kara?”
>>44058914
>>“Give me a hand with it Kara?”
>>44058914
>I’ll patch it up myself, I’m used to it.
>>44058914
>>I’ll patch it up myself, I’m used to it.
>>44058914
>“Give me a hand with it Kara?”
>>44058914
>Act sardonic, it's just a spook
>>44058914
>“Give me a hand with it Kara?”
>>44058914
>>“Give me a hand with it Kara?”
I COULD more than likely patch it up myself. I’ve gotten in enough fights with my brothers over the years, and dad always taught us deft hands when cleaning wounds, but on the other hand…
“Give me a hand patching it up Kara?” I ask her.
She nods, ushering me into a seat much too gently and tilting my head for a better sight in the lamplight. She dabs the blood and fluid away with a clean rag, her hands warm on my skin, “I’m just going to put a little pressure on, alright? Sorry if it hurts.”
She squeezes the ever loving hell out of my cheek for a few moments, but I grit my teeth and bear it, until Kara lets off, nodding to herself, as she slaps a bandage on over it. It’ll probably hurt come morning, but… she’s standing very close over me.
More of her hair is starting to fade white, her ‘winter coat starting to come in. “How thick does all this get anyway?” I ask, motioning to her hair, tied in a bun while she cooks.
She grabs at it, “About twice as heavy as summer… I think. Same as my tail.” She has a tail? She keeps stirring the stew, pouting a little, “Mr Johnson keeps saying I look like an old woman with white hair.” She mutters. “I don’t, do I?”
>Well… I can see what he means.
>It looks fine.
>It lookscute
>Write in
>>44059420
>It looks cute
>>44059420
>[Spoiler]It looks cute[/Spoiler]
>>44059420
>It looks nice.
>>44059420
>It lookscute
>>44059420
>it looks nice
>>44059420
>It looks cute
>>44059420
>>It looks cute
>>44059420
>It looks cute
I pat her on the head, between her ears. “I think it looks cute.” I tell her.
She glances over at me, confused. “It’s funny… your cheeks aren’t doing that thing where they go red when you compliment me anymore.”
I clear my throat, “Yeah. Well… you know.”
She grins, “Either way, thank you. I knew I didn’t look like some old woman!” I help her finish dinner, but the spook doesn’t come down, claiming he’ll eat later.
Kara's been eating more lately... which reminds me. "The full moon's coming up soon. Are you going to be okay this time?"
She purses her lips, "I should be. As long as I make sure my curtains are properly shut this time..." She trails off. “But… well, I’ve heard about other people- lapines, that is… if they go too many moons without transforming… well it’s not exactly clear what happens. Some say your ears fall out, some say you become barren, and others say the humans come get you in the night.” She scratches one of her ears absently, “And I was thinking… maybe since we’re so far from town… I could transform in the yard? Stretch my legs out?”
>That’s superstition, don’t put any stock in it.
>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>You guys were really that scared of humans?
>Write in
>>44059960
>>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>>You guys were really that scared of humans?
>>44059960
>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>You guys were really that scared of humans?
>>44059960
>Be careful if you do. There are some really weird people around here lately, and it wouldn't be a good idea for you to get caught. And there's nothing wrong with transforming in your room.
>>44059960
>>You guys were really that scared of humans?
>>44059960
>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>>44059960
>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>Write in
ask if we should tie her up while transformed, just in case? Also keep lookout for people walking in on her there were some guys watching us.
>>44059960
>Sounds reasonable to me, ask the spook.
>You guys were really that scared of humans?
>>44059960
"Ask Mr.Johnson. His House after all"
I shrug, “It sounds reasonable to me, but you’d have to ask Mr Johnson first.” She nods in agreement, staring out at the near full moon through the window. “You guys were really that scared of humans, huh?”
She nods, “Despite our size, we’re not very good combatants. There’s not even an official standing army, as much as a large militia… thing?” She shrugs, “And the humans kept inventing new and better ways to hunt us down. Apparently, we’re the tastiest meat they’ve ever known.” She rubs her arm self consciously. “And our pelts go for a small fortune to collectors. Double that again in winter shades.” She tries to count something out, “They said not 2 generations ago, or 150 years to you, there were at least six thousand of us, and now they think there’s under one thousand.”
“Grim.” I comment, between bites of stew.
She nods, grabbing my hand across the table, “Yes, but… I’ve met nice humans. Clearly you’re not all bad. Like you, and Mr Johnson and Ash and Alis- okay, maybe not her, but… you get my point.” She squeezes my hand tighter, “I’d love for you to meet them if I ever find a proper way home.”
>I don’t think it’d be smart for us to go there
>That sounds fantastic.
>You’re dead set on going home then?
>Write in
>>44060371
>Write in
If they are that scared of humans, its probably a bad idea. They just be scared shirtless and angry at you for bringing humans to them.
>>44060371
>Write in
"That'd be nice, but wouldn't it embarrass your parents?"
Sounds like that human kingdom needs an extra-large helping of FREEDOM.
>>44060371
>That sounds fantastic.
Though I can't imagine they would welcome me with open arms...
>>44060606
>Though I can't imagine they ALL would welcome me with open arms...
ment to say it this way
>>44060371
>>That sounds fantastic.
How do I put this diplomatically. “I would like to go… I’m just not sure we’d be invited with open arms by everyone. Like your parents. Who lied about killing humans to impress people. Not to mention making them angry at you.”
Kara winces, “Yeah… they’d be not happy about it.” She stifles a yawn behind her hand, glancing at the clock. “I’m going to bed Leon. We can talk about it some other time.”
She heads up the stairs and I follow soon after, checking in on the spook in his library first. The room is more cluttered than usual, books pulled from floor to ceiling shelves, now lying piles, as he reads one book, scribbling in another without looking. “Boy, tell the girl that I want her packing the books away come tomorrow.” He shakes his head, “No, I’ll do it, you get some sleep. More study in the morning.”
My studies are cut off however, come morning, as the high clear tone of the bell rings up the hill, calling for the spook. “You see to it boy, I’m having some more eggs.” He instructs, waving me down the hill.
I jog down to meet the customer, this time a nervous looking man, wringing his hat through his hands. A farmer by the look of him. “You’re the spook are ye?” He asks, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. “Please sir, we don’t know what it is, giant rocks just started rainin’ from the sky, we don’t know what done it, but it crushed two of me hands! Boys were good workers, and now when we go near, all we hear is this horrible sucklin’ noise.” He points across Arling. “Not too far, just cross the river, Aros Farm, please sir!”
Giant rocks falling from the sky and crushing people… Oh I just read about this. “Sounds like you’ve got a particularly nasty boggart. Stone-Chucker. Particularly dangerous. Invisible to the human eye too. It's why you can't see the thing.”
He clasps his hands, “Please sir, it’s only on the one hill with their bodies, it- it might just be a weak one.”
That or it’s sticking close to the bodies to feed on them. “We’ll be there soon, I’m sure.”
The farmer stammers out on last thing, “Well… we don’t really have the money to be paying for you sir.” He stammers.
>We’ll figure it out later.
>Take a pool on the way back to town
>Pay us in food, simple
>Write in
>>44061081
>>Pay us in food, simple
considering how much Kara eats not that bad
>>44061081
>Pay us in food, simple
>>44061081
>Pay us in food, simple
>Or if you have some other way to pay us, a skill of some sort, maybe you could help growing a few herbs and the like that we need.
>>44061122
>>44061170
>>44061238
Shouldn't we talk with the spook before just accepting?
>>44061081
>We’ll figure it out later.
>>44061438
As long as the farmer seems honest, it's probably fine.
>>44061081
Pay us in food through the winter.
>>44061081
>>Write in
"I'll let Master Johnson know about it. We can probably work it out later."
I snap my fingers, “You’re a farmer, right?” He nods nervously, “Well then you can pay us in food. I’m sure my master will agreed getting paid in bacon is better than getting paid in nothing.”
He breaks out into a smile, rubbing his eyes with the back of his fist, he takes off down the path, headed back to Arling, “Thank you sir, I’ll see you there!”
The spook agrees to the deal, “Fair enough, get your cloak and staff boy.” He instructs, while he goes to fetch some more specialised equipment. “Girl, you’re going to watch the house for the day, I’m taking the cat with us.”
Marmalade jumps up on the table, staring mr Johnson down, before giving her best attempt at a shrug, rather difficult, given her body, but she tries all the same.
“Cat has a better sense of smell than us, and a good chance of hurting it if it tries to take a swing.” The spook explains.
We hurry our way through town, before the spook comes to a dead stop,“Now, boy, you’re going on ahead, I have to go see a stone mason in town, our plan is to dig a pit, lure it in and seal it there.” He hands me a large jar, “This is diluted iron, smear it ALL over the inside of the pit. Need it six feet deep at least. And at the bottom, we need… well we need fresh blood as bait. Where you’ll get it, up to you, but hurry!” He snaps his fingers and waves me off.
The farm isn’t hard to pick out, after a mile of following the road, a hill in one paddock stands out distinctly, covered in rocks, from the size of my head, to that of a carriage. No doubt one of those could crush a house if it fell from the sky.
A dozen workers are watching from a distance, grim fear writ large of their face, turning to hope when they see me. “You, spook!” A woman waves me forward. “My boy, Billy, he… he tried to run into save his father.” She swallows the urge to cry, “He jumped the fence and thought he could roll a boulder off his dad.” She points to a tiny speck, now cowering behind a boulder, as rocks rain down around the boy from the hilltop, the worst glancing off the boulder. “You have to help him! He’s broken his leg and can’t run!” She begs.
There’s a… decently covered path most of the way towards the boy, but there’s a good stretch of ten metres open between any decent cover and the rock Billy is behind.
>Best plan is to get on with sealing the boggart.
>Dash in and get the boy, the boggarts still feeding.
>Write in
>>44061699
>Dash in and get the boy, the boggarts still feeding.
>>44061699
>>Write in
>Dash in and get the boy, the boggarts still feeding.
Fresh blood get!
>>44061699
>Have everyone move away from where the boy is, so if the Boggart is watching, it might not notice him or us.
>Dash in and get the boy, the boggarts still feeding.
>>44061699
>>Best plan is to get on with sealing the boggart.
>>44061699
>Dash in and get the boy, the boggarts still feeding.
>>44061699
Run in and get the boy. Set the people left behind to digging the pit. Have them prep a pig for the blood.
roll me 2d20s on that one
Rolled 13, 3 = 16 (2d20)
>>44062037
Rolled 7, 18 = 25 (2d20)
>>44062037
Rolled 18, 4 = 22 (2d20)
>>44062037
Rolled 19, 13 = 32 (2d20)
>>44062037
Rolled 13, 4 = 17 (2d20)
>>44062037
I shrug my bag off, handing the jar to a farmer, “I’m going to get him. I want you and everyone else you can get, building a pit a few hundred metres that way.” I point out across the field, remembering the range of a boggarts sense of smell being somewhere in the multiple kilometres. “And fetch an animal to slaughter, we need blood, and lots of it.”
The mother watches fearfully, as I stretch my legs out and take off at a full tilt sprint.
A boulder the size of a pig lands not two metres from me as I hit the incline, spraying dirt and muck in my face, but I continue my mad dash upwards, diving into cover behind one of the larger boulders.
A stream of smaller fist sized rocks come hailing towards me, but bounce off of the boulder, or sail overhead. The boggarts got a good track on me, but it means that there’s no more being aimed at the boy.
I can make out the faint slurping between rockfalls now, up the hill, I can hear the boggart feasting on the boy’s father as I dash from cover to cover.
I make it up to the boy’s height on the hill, only needing to circle around and get him, I make it to the last piece of cover and toss a rock in the opposite direction, back the way I came.
It smashes off another boulder, bouncing away, but the feasting boggart, not paying me full attention, diverts its fire, aiming after my decoy.
I run my legs off towards Billy, grabbing him up in one scoop, the boy yelping as I joly his leg, before I turn straight down the hill and start running.
I have to pick my path carefully, hundreds of loose stones littering the path, threatening to twist an ankle as the incline of the hill steepens forcing me to pick up speed.
Two boulders slam directly in front of me, and I crash into them, bounce off, keep my feet and slip around them making one more final sprint towards the boy’s mother, “Run!” I call out to her, more stones raining down around me. The woman picks up my bag and turns heel, sprinting back across the field, a rock flying between my legs fast enough to burrow a small tunnel into the grass and a another almost clips my ear, close enough that I feel the wind part around it.
The rocks ease off, as we move out of the boggart’s immense throwing range, about three hundred metres away, half the paddock now littered with stones, the boy in my arms crying for his mother, I hand him off.
The farmer’s seem genuinely impressed by that. “Wouldja look at that. Little spook’s a hero.” One grunts, digging his shovel into the beginnings of the pit.”
A chorus of ‘good lad’ rises from the group as I look back at the hill, wiping sweat off my brow.
Not adding my name behind the mirror yet at least. Almost got me, but not quite.
I pick up a shovel, despite the stitch burning into my side, and start attacking the job of the pit.
Work to do.
>End of Spook Quest 6
>>44062642
Thanks for running, Chuckles.Claire of Wall Street when?
>>44062642
We dun good.
Thanks for the thread Chuckles, it was fun as always.
>>44062642
sex when?
>>44062757
WithMarmalade?
>>44062817
A cat is fine too
>>44062673
Whenever I get around to it.Or just don't do it
>>44062914
Thanks for running, Chuckles.
