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Mocha #28. Don't Try This at Home with Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1249
Word Count : 916
More fun with the new guy. He's making himself at home among the necromancers already Should be seeing some more of him in the future too.
Kairn bobbed up and down on his toes, straining to peer over the shoulders of the boys in front of him, his efforts earning him glimpses of nothing but the backs of heads. “What,” he asked Sethan, “are we even supposed to be looking at?”
Sethan grabbed him by the arm and steered him towards the massive oak that shaded the practice yard below.
“Not going to tell me?”
Sethan gave him a shove. “Just come.”
The two clambered up the base and into the low fork in the trunk. Reida, seated a few feet up in another crook, feet swaying in the air, greeted the pair with a nod.
“Well?” said Kairn as he and Sethan found perches of their own.
“Well what?” said Reida.
“What’s going on that’s so-” He looked to the yard, where Master Ephram and Master Hakaro had balanced between them a ribcage large enough to hold either of them inside it. “-special,” he finished, barely above a whisper, as they laid it down amidst the bony framework of what had once been a pair of giant wings.
Reida grinned as Kairn gaped at the spread of colossal bones below. “Master Ephram’s trying to kill himself again,” she said, cheerfully.
“I…I see.” Kairn frowned at the massive haunches, the skull with its wicked beak. “What is that? Roc?”
“Gryphon,” said Reida.
“Aren’t those extinct?”
Sethan frowned at him and shook his head. “That hardly means the bones are all gone too.”
“Who in their right mind,” said Kairn, eyeing the large quantity of lengthy talons splayed about the ring, “would want to animate a gryphon?”
Reida laughed. “Who ever said he was in his right mind? One of these days something’s going to take his head off, that’s for sure.”
Kairn shuddered. “And you want to be there to see it.”
“Damn right, I do.”
“Shh!” Sethan waved a hand and a scowl at them both.
Master Berwyk had joined the other two stooped over the bones, though Tarek stayed near the wall, arms folded under his robes and frowning. Ephram was gesturing and talking excitedly to the older man as he examined the construct. Sethan leaned forward, squinting hard. “Just how many points does he have on that thing?” he muttered.
“Six, I think,” said Reida, and Sethan gave an appreciative nod.
“Six?” said Kairn. “It’ll bite him for sure before he can take it down.” That brought a chuckle from Reida that set his hair on end.
Master Ephram knelt at the edge of the circle, Hakaro behind him, hand over his shoulder, fingering the hilt of his ever present sword. He laid down his hands and activated the form. Light seeped from skull to breast, to shoulders and haunches. The bones snapped together and lurched up off the ground to a chorus of “oh”s and “ah”s from the crowd at the fence.
As the demon staggered to its feet, Ephram settled back towards the wall where Berwyk and Tarek waited. Hakaro paced a slow, steady arc around the edge of the sigil, quietly sliding the blade from its sheath to level it at the beast. Ducking the lash of its tail, Ephram aimed a finger at the glowing points tucked among the joints, still talking to the pair behind him. His words were lost in the distance between them, but Sethan and Reida nodded their understanding along with the masters.
The demon tossed its head, heavy skull bobbing on a bony neck, and snapped at the air with a beak the size of a man’s head. Blade poised before him, Master Hakaro shot the rest a questioning look. Ephram waved him off, dodged another swing of the tail, and continued on in his discussion with the others.
It turned on them, swung its head their way, jaws clacking shut as Tarek scurried out of reach, robes flapping about his boney legs and clutching his hat. He barked something at Berwyk, who calmly passed the order to Hakaro, and in one smooth slice, the demon’s head was parted from its body.
Unperturbed by the sudden lack of a skull, the creature lumbered forward. With much yelping and flailing of his hands, Tarek hustled out of its path.
Roars of laughter spread through the crowd of boys. Reida scowled. “Like he couldn’t take that thing down in a moment if he were armed,” she muttered. Sethan and Kairn exchanged looks and turned back to the spectacle below.
Another blow from Hakaro neatly severed the front leg of the headless beast at the softly glowing point where limb met shoulder, and a third did the same for the other. The other masters weren’t even watching anymore as he turned his efforts to the rear legs. Ephram was back to his lecturing an eagerly listening Berwyk while Tarek split his attentions between the discussion and the dust that now covered his robes.
“Six points,” said Reida, thoughtfully, as the last of the bones fell to the ground and Master Hakaro sheathed his weapon. “I wonder if one could manage seven.”
“The tail?” said Sethan.
She made a face. “Or the wings.”
Sethan gave a slow nod and grinned. “Nine,” he said.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“And just where,” said Kairn, “are you going to find a skeleton you could put nine points into?”
They both eyed the remains piled at Hakaro’s feet and turned on him with such wicked grins the shudder he felt in response all but knocked him from the tree.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1249
Word Count : 916
More fun with the new guy. He's making himself at home among the necromancers already Should be seeing some more of him in the future too.
Kairn bobbed up and down on his toes, straining to peer over the shoulders of the boys in front of him, his efforts earning him glimpses of nothing but the backs of heads. “What,” he asked Sethan, “are we even supposed to be looking at?”
Sethan grabbed him by the arm and steered him towards the massive oak that shaded the practice yard below.
“Not going to tell me?”
Sethan gave him a shove. “Just come.”
The two clambered up the base and into the low fork in the trunk. Reida, seated a few feet up in another crook, feet swaying in the air, greeted the pair with a nod.
“Well?” said Kairn as he and Sethan found perches of their own.
“Well what?” said Reida.
“What’s going on that’s so-” He looked to the yard, where Master Ephram and Master Hakaro had balanced between them a ribcage large enough to hold either of them inside it. “-special,” he finished, barely above a whisper, as they laid it down amidst the bony framework of what had once been a pair of giant wings.
Reida grinned as Kairn gaped at the spread of colossal bones below. “Master Ephram’s trying to kill himself again,” she said, cheerfully.
“I…I see.” Kairn frowned at the massive haunches, the skull with its wicked beak. “What is that? Roc?”
“Gryphon,” said Reida.
“Aren’t those extinct?”
Sethan frowned at him and shook his head. “That hardly means the bones are all gone too.”
“Who in their right mind,” said Kairn, eyeing the large quantity of lengthy talons splayed about the ring, “would want to animate a gryphon?”
Reida laughed. “Who ever said he was in his right mind? One of these days something’s going to take his head off, that’s for sure.”
Kairn shuddered. “And you want to be there to see it.”
“Damn right, I do.”
“Shh!” Sethan waved a hand and a scowl at them both.
Master Berwyk had joined the other two stooped over the bones, though Tarek stayed near the wall, arms folded under his robes and frowning. Ephram was gesturing and talking excitedly to the older man as he examined the construct. Sethan leaned forward, squinting hard. “Just how many points does he have on that thing?” he muttered.
“Six, I think,” said Reida, and Sethan gave an appreciative nod.
“Six?” said Kairn. “It’ll bite him for sure before he can take it down.” That brought a chuckle from Reida that set his hair on end.
Master Ephram knelt at the edge of the circle, Hakaro behind him, hand over his shoulder, fingering the hilt of his ever present sword. He laid down his hands and activated the form. Light seeped from skull to breast, to shoulders and haunches. The bones snapped together and lurched up off the ground to a chorus of “oh”s and “ah”s from the crowd at the fence.
As the demon staggered to its feet, Ephram settled back towards the wall where Berwyk and Tarek waited. Hakaro paced a slow, steady arc around the edge of the sigil, quietly sliding the blade from its sheath to level it at the beast. Ducking the lash of its tail, Ephram aimed a finger at the glowing points tucked among the joints, still talking to the pair behind him. His words were lost in the distance between them, but Sethan and Reida nodded their understanding along with the masters.
The demon tossed its head, heavy skull bobbing on a bony neck, and snapped at the air with a beak the size of a man’s head. Blade poised before him, Master Hakaro shot the rest a questioning look. Ephram waved him off, dodged another swing of the tail, and continued on in his discussion with the others.
It turned on them, swung its head their way, jaws clacking shut as Tarek scurried out of reach, robes flapping about his boney legs and clutching his hat. He barked something at Berwyk, who calmly passed the order to Hakaro, and in one smooth slice, the demon’s head was parted from its body.
Unperturbed by the sudden lack of a skull, the creature lumbered forward. With much yelping and flailing of his hands, Tarek hustled out of its path.
Roars of laughter spread through the crowd of boys. Reida scowled. “Like he couldn’t take that thing down in a moment if he were armed,” she muttered. Sethan and Kairn exchanged looks and turned back to the spectacle below.
Another blow from Hakaro neatly severed the front leg of the headless beast at the softly glowing point where limb met shoulder, and a third did the same for the other. The other masters weren’t even watching anymore as he turned his efforts to the rear legs. Ephram was back to his lecturing an eagerly listening Berwyk while Tarek split his attentions between the discussion and the dust that now covered his robes.
“Six points,” said Reida, thoughtfully, as the last of the bones fell to the ground and Master Hakaro sheathed his weapon. “I wonder if one could manage seven.”
“The tail?” said Sethan.
She made a face. “Or the wings.”
Sethan gave a slow nod and grinned. “Nine,” he said.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“And just where,” said Kairn, “are you going to find a skeleton you could put nine points into?”
They both eyed the remains piled at Hakaro’s feet and turned on him with such wicked grins the shudder he felt in response all but knocked him from the tree.