Rivers out of Deserts Chapter One.
On to the main story, or what will probably becom the main story.
In which we meet Talyekiri, her raptor, and an unconscious orc, and the story starts somewhat in the middle of the main plot.
The riverboat was hidden in a small depression at the base of the cliff, where the uneven rock face created an overhang. Fallen rock to either side and the closeness of two towering pillars meant that few would try taking their own boats into the gap. Which meant the riverboat should still be there.
Snarling around her tusks, Talyekiri hauled her companion down over another bump in the slope and dumped him at the water's edge. Kiri'aka skidded down after them, clawed feet scrabbling on the steep slope. Talyekiri simply sprang up onto the overhang and then down over the edge without bothering to glance back up at the ridge.
Her feet landed on metal and wood. The old riverboat swayed under her weight. Still here. The troll found the ignition lever and dragged it back; with the engine coughing and whirring as it creaked back to life, she brought the prow over, then strode to the edge and vaulted into the shallow water.
None too shallow, though; the depth here dropped away fast. Korg was a dead heap at water's edge. Talyekiri grabbed him by his arm and the join of his breastplate, and hauled him to the boat with gritted teeth. He was too heavy and awkward for even her fear-anger to lift fully, so she tipped him over the rail with a grunt and clambered aboard after him. Kiri'aka...there, by the cabin, her tiny teeth bared. Talyekiri bared her own savagely, and took the wheel. That attack had surprised them all, had come out of nowhere, had blasted a warped hole in Korg's armour and left a trail of destruction behind, but they would not die!
The riverboat started to move, sluggishly at first, and Talyekiri steered it out far too slowly for her tastes. The deck shuddered under her feet -drop-off or not, the water was shallow here -she turned the nose away from the pillar to the right with her hands sweat-slicked on the wheel. They floated through the gap with barely a foot of clearance on that side, but there was open water ahead, and the pillars were good cover -
Something cracked by them and bit a chunk out of the stone. Talyekiri glanced back despite herself.
The first of their pursuers had made the top of the slope. One of them screeched his triumph as he brandished his strange gun. The others had their noses to the blood, though, and brutal impacts slammed into the back of the cabin with the sound of crunching metal, making the entire boat shudder. A hole appeared in the deck, missing Korg's back by a couple of feet -and the engine picked up properly at last.
They were through. Another metal slug clipped Talyekiri's upper arm, cutting leather and muscle like nothng, and buried itself in the rail. The druid ignored the warm blood trickling down her arm. Wounds healed. Her hands tightened on the wheel. She could feel the tiger's killer claws inside her fingers, and she longed to let them out, to rake through flesh and taste her enemies' blood.
She swung the boat left. Once the pillar was between them -a wild shot sent up a plume of spray. The boat was slow to answer the helm; it'd been nimbler last year. But it did answer.
Screeches of rage and hate came from the bank. It brought a fierce smile to Talyekiri's face. These strange creatures had thought she would lie down and die? No. They wouldn't catch her; she and hers were cannier than that. She clenched her hands on the wheel.
Crack! The troll glanced back. That one had clipped one of the paddles, judging from the jump in the deck, but already the massive stone pillar was between the boat's prow and the shore. She had won the race.
Another shriek of rage, and Talyekiri's battle-anger boiled.
She was up on the roof in a surge of muscle before she knew she was moving, standing in full view of her enemies. There were eight of them, human-sized but faces covered, with their strange guns out, following her, following her, like Bloodscalp in the Vale, but for now they were stuck at the water's edge and helpless to chase her.
Talyekiri shook out her bright autumn-leaf mane and roared her challenge to the heavens.
The guns roared their metal answer, the roof shuddered underfoot, and something batted her arm backwards with a savage wrench to her shoulder. None of it mattered. She bellowed her anger again with all the force of the Vale behind it, the pain that blossomed in her stomach vanished beneath everything else, and stone blocked her enemies from view.
So...that's Talyekiri. She'll be up to other stuff soon.
In which we meet Talyekiri, her raptor, and an unconscious orc, and the story starts somewhat in the middle of the main plot.
The riverboat was hidden in a small depression at the base of the cliff, where the uneven rock face created an overhang. Fallen rock to either side and the closeness of two towering pillars meant that few would try taking their own boats into the gap. Which meant the riverboat should still be there.
Snarling around her tusks, Talyekiri hauled her companion down over another bump in the slope and dumped him at the water's edge. Kiri'aka skidded down after them, clawed feet scrabbling on the steep slope. Talyekiri simply sprang up onto the overhang and then down over the edge without bothering to glance back up at the ridge.
Her feet landed on metal and wood. The old riverboat swayed under her weight. Still here. The troll found the ignition lever and dragged it back; with the engine coughing and whirring as it creaked back to life, she brought the prow over, then strode to the edge and vaulted into the shallow water.
None too shallow, though; the depth here dropped away fast. Korg was a dead heap at water's edge. Talyekiri grabbed him by his arm and the join of his breastplate, and hauled him to the boat with gritted teeth. He was too heavy and awkward for even her fear-anger to lift fully, so she tipped him over the rail with a grunt and clambered aboard after him. Kiri'aka...there, by the cabin, her tiny teeth bared. Talyekiri bared her own savagely, and took the wheel. That attack had surprised them all, had come out of nowhere, had blasted a warped hole in Korg's armour and left a trail of destruction behind, but they would not die!
The riverboat started to move, sluggishly at first, and Talyekiri steered it out far too slowly for her tastes. The deck shuddered under her feet -drop-off or not, the water was shallow here -she turned the nose away from the pillar to the right with her hands sweat-slicked on the wheel. They floated through the gap with barely a foot of clearance on that side, but there was open water ahead, and the pillars were good cover -
Something cracked by them and bit a chunk out of the stone. Talyekiri glanced back despite herself.
The first of their pursuers had made the top of the slope. One of them screeched his triumph as he brandished his strange gun. The others had their noses to the blood, though, and brutal impacts slammed into the back of the cabin with the sound of crunching metal, making the entire boat shudder. A hole appeared in the deck, missing Korg's back by a couple of feet -and the engine picked up properly at last.
They were through. Another metal slug clipped Talyekiri's upper arm, cutting leather and muscle like nothng, and buried itself in the rail. The druid ignored the warm blood trickling down her arm. Wounds healed. Her hands tightened on the wheel. She could feel the tiger's killer claws inside her fingers, and she longed to let them out, to rake through flesh and taste her enemies' blood.
She swung the boat left. Once the pillar was between them -a wild shot sent up a plume of spray. The boat was slow to answer the helm; it'd been nimbler last year. But it did answer.
Screeches of rage and hate came from the bank. It brought a fierce smile to Talyekiri's face. These strange creatures had thought she would lie down and die? No. They wouldn't catch her; she and hers were cannier than that. She clenched her hands on the wheel.
Crack! The troll glanced back. That one had clipped one of the paddles, judging from the jump in the deck, but already the massive stone pillar was between the boat's prow and the shore. She had won the race.
Another shriek of rage, and Talyekiri's battle-anger boiled.
She was up on the roof in a surge of muscle before she knew she was moving, standing in full view of her enemies. There were eight of them, human-sized but faces covered, with their strange guns out, following her, following her, like Bloodscalp in the Vale, but for now they were stuck at the water's edge and helpless to chase her.
Talyekiri shook out her bright autumn-leaf mane and roared her challenge to the heavens.
The guns roared their metal answer, the roof shuddered underfoot, and something batted her arm backwards with a savage wrench to her shoulder. None of it mattered. She bellowed her anger again with all the force of the Vale behind it, the pain that blossomed in her stomach vanished beneath everything else, and stone blocked her enemies from view.
So...that's Talyekiri. She'll be up to other stuff soon.