MysidiaDrakkenbane

Thick plumes of black smoke choked its vaporous hand around the night air as the Orcs pillaged and set fire to whatever civilization found its way on the docks. Women ran frantically screaming, trying to find any hiding space where they would be safe. Men, some young boys, grabbed spears and fishing knives, defending their livelihood, knowing full well that a complete destruction to Thundering Stepps docks would mean starvation for them and their families.

There were a few adventurers around to help the fishermen protect the dock, but the docks themselves were mostly a conduit station to help people get to various other places on Norrath. The ships had all gone for the day and whoever was to arrive at the Thundering Stepps, had done so and already moved on.

Mysidia, Xerbius, and Kryimsson all stood with their backs to one another, with their weapons drawn and magic on the ready.

“Sis, can ye slow down th’ masses a wee bit? It would make it easier for me to deal them.”, Kryimsson shouted as he began to charge a large group of orcs.

Mysidia snapped her attention towards her brother and saw the small troop of orcs that were beginning to choke the docks. She reached over and grabbed Tay’lan’s hand.

“Tay’lan, concentrate with me. Summon the vines.”, Mysidia said and closed her eyes, saying the spell in her native tongue. The Iksar, too, closed his eyes and began to chant the words that were taught to him while he was a mere hatchling.

Torrents of thick seaweed vines began to explode through the dock planks and interweave among the boxes and crates that dotted the borders. Immediately, several slimy green vines wrapped around the orcs legs and caused them all to nearly halt their advance.

Kryimsson’s thunderous laughter echoed off the buildings as he began to pick up speed charging the snared orc group. He lifted his sword and a primal red energy fused around him, causing his body to almost catch in a magical fire. He sliced downward, causing several orcs’ legs to be sliced off at the knee and they collapsed in their own horror and thick black blood.

Xerbius snapped his arm out, causing a huge fireball to be flung from his hand and the four orcs that were charging them, all collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain from their flesh being charred. He walked over their freshly seared corpses and a wild look crept into his eyes.

“Boom! There is no spoon, [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]!”, he said as he walked towards where Mysidia was standing.

Mysidia armed herself with her buckler and sword. Two orcs sneered in her direction and began to swing their flails over their heads, coming towards her direction. Mysidia smacked the flat of her blade against her buckler and nodded at the Orcs.

“Bring it.”, she said and grinned. One orc charged her, swinging his flail down at her. With a swift movement on her part, she lifted her left arm up, blocking the fierce blow with her buckler and a thunderous crack was heard as metal spines met shield.

With her other hand, she sliced outward, slicing across the orc’s abdomen, and would have cut right through if it weren’t for the thick leather hide he was wearing. It did, however, make him stumble back to make sure he wasn’t seriously wounded.

“You’ll pay for that, lightie!”, the orc exclaimed.

The other orc, swung around the back and tried to clip Mysidia in the legs, to trip her. The only thing he succeeded was getting a buckler to his face as she swung back toward his jaw. One of his tusk like teeth cracked and a chuck of it went flying into the smoke filled air behind him.

Just as the leather armored orc was about to strike Mysidia, Tay’lan swung his tail and tripped the orc. With a swift movement, the end of Tay’lan’s staff met the face of the orc and a sickening “crunch” was heard as bone gave way to thick solid wood.

“Thank you.”, Mysidia said and smiled.

“My pleasure.”, Tay’lan said and bowed.

“I think perhaps your brother could use a little assistance.”, Tay’lan said as he pointed in the distance.

Mysidia broke her concentration for a moment to see her brother in the middle of a circle of orcs. She nodded slightly as she began to see some of the open wounds on her brother. She turned her attention back to Tay’lan, and much to her surprise and shock, she saw a treeant in his place.

“What…the…hell?”, she asked confused.

“It’s one of your abilities, Mysidia. Each weapon we use, we’re giving an affinity towards a special form. Go ahead. Try it.”, the dry voice said from the tree.

“Focus the will on the weapon when you shift.”, Tay’lan said.

And so, she did. She began to shut off the world around her just long enough to center her energy around the weapon and shifting her body with it. She felt the usual transformation with her body. She felt herself shrink. She felt her hands and feet form paws. However, when the transformation was complete, she looked at herself and saw the pattern of stripes instead of the peppered coat of a wolf. Instead, a tiger took her place.

“Siddie!”, Xerbius exclaimed and Mysidia popped open her violet eyes and looked around. Using her cat like reflexes, she darted out of the way just in time. An orc nearly ran her through with a spear, into her side.

Tay’lan swung wide and took out a few orcs, knocking them all to their backsides, with his huge branch like arms. Mysidia took a flying leap off of a tall crate and landed on one of them, mauling their face.

Several of the fishermen began to cheer on the four of them and they all began to gain a fresh new bout of confidence with the four of them on their side. Before long, the orcs were pushed back and the four of them were given a moment to regain their energy.

Kryimsson wiped the sweat off his brow and began to slow his breathing down. “We’ve pushed ‘em back, but for how long, I canna tell ye.”, he said turning to Tay’lan who now had regained his normal form.

“I’ve healed what I could. But even I feel stretched thin.”, Tay’lan said.

Mysidia’s eyes blinked as she watched the masses of the orcs starting to retreat. There was something in it that made her tail twitch. This wasn’t like normal orc behavior.

She shifted back into her usual form and looked around. She nodded to Tay’lan and Kryimsson.

“See to the wounded over there. Xerbius and I will see what we can do here. Keep your eyes open. I don’t like the ease of their retreat one bit.”, Mysidia said and walked off with Xerbius.

“I agree with you, sister. This isn’t like them at all.”, Xerbius agreed.

“I don’t care how many years of evolution there have been between then and now. Some behaviors you can’t change. Total retreat from an orc is one of them.”, Mysidia said began to heal a head wound on an older woman.

Xerbius turned his back and Mysidia made it further into the wounded masses. She healed what she could and bandaged the rest. She began to curse herself for not picking up specific herbs earlier. Then again, she really didn’t think she’d be protecting the docks from an Orc Invasion.

There were a few lower level clerics that began to aid Mysidia once they were healed up. Before long, the fishing shack was made into a temporary and emergency triage unit.

Mysidia wiped the sweat off her brow. She stretched out her back and was about to take a break when she heard a woman frantically screaming off to the side on the docks.

She grabbed her sword and shield and ran to where the woman was screaming.

“Please! Please… you must help me! My son can’t swim and neither can I. Please, you must help my son!”, the woman said grabbing Mysidia’s arm and pointing to the little boy trying to tread water to keep his head afloat.

“All right, ma’am. Please stand back and be calm.”, Mysidia said and took off her equipment.

She dove headfirst into the water and began to swim towards the boy. The boy managed to swim underneath the docks themselves and she followed quickly behind him.

“It’s all right. I’m here to help you. Here, latch on to my hand.”, Mysidia said and held out her hand to him. He quickly grabbed on to it and Mysidia gave an extra push with her legs to ensure they both didn’t go under when the boy began to pull on her.

“There we go. Now just hold on to me and let me do the swimming, ok?”, Mysidia said and smiled.

She began to swim towards the shore and the moment she felt sand beneath her feet, she walked him up and placed him down.

The little boy leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. Then he said “There are monsters under there…”

She thought it was an odd thing to say for a boy at that particular moment in time. She looked over underneath the docs and tried to peer into the darkness. For a moment, she saw something shift and what seemed like two pairs of red eyes flashing back at her.

Curiosity got the better part of her and she sent the kid running towards the docks. She turned back around and began swimming to where she saw the movement.

“Where are ye goin’, Siddie?”, Kryimsson asked.

“I’ll just be a minute.”, Mysidia said yelling over her shoulder.

The stench of stale seaweed and brine shot up her nose as she made her way under the docks. She carefully looked around to see what the little boy saw, but there didn’t seem to be anything around. She looked at the huge lump of tangled seaweed floating and bobbing in the water. She reached out and grabbed it, looking it over.

“Hmm…”, she thought. Perhaps this is what she saw. But those red eyes…?

She heard something grunt above her. Quickly she looked up and saw two red eyes looking directly into hers. Drool dripped off of finely shaped and defined tusks. Her eyes followed down what appeared to be leather armor, but she didn’t get a chance to scream out.

Before she could even take in a breath, she felt the crash on her head and darkness quickly came after.

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