The Howling Eye
Posted on 09 May 2021 @ 8:51pm by Lieutenant Xu Chang Lau & Lieutenant JG Oliver Stevens
Mission:
Mission 5 - Season of the Witch?
809 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure
ON
The beast started to descend, shrouded in her cloak of feathered wings, feathers that gleamed in the light like a blade reflecting the sun light and equally parts deadly and beautiful. The wings elegantly curled around the body of the beast itself, white fading through to a pale green at the tips, and the wing span must have been almost sixteen feet from wing tip to wing tip, but it was difficult to tell while hunched into a ball.
The shield and sword wielding person standing at the head of the group took a breath as she noticed the size of the foe they had to face and pulled the shield closer as the wings parted, sending a shower of razor sharp feathers cascading off to the sides, impaling trees and stone alike.
Xu gulped... what had she let herself in for.
"I thought you said Garuda was easy to beat?" bringing her sword up ready to pounce.
Oliver chuckled. "She's one of the easier ones to beat. They don't call her siren for nothing babe." He adjusted his armour and own weapon before plotting the next best move.
Jon had been toying with these programmes for ages and seen as though she seemed to have some weird aggression needing letting out Oliver had decided to borrow some of the programmes the Captain had dragged him into over the years and let her get any tension out. Was it wise to let her have a sword? Who knew.
I mean he could just have grabbed a Klingon training programme but this. These adventures added such a level of myth and magic. And the world was just gorgeous. Xu deserved something more than storming Gre'thor, or the hunt of whatever.
"Maybe I should have gone with the Scholar or White Mage after all and not a Paladin!"
She said, looking nervously at the wing siren harpy known as Garuda now hovering before them, calling her storms up the encompass the battle area so no one could escape until she or them had been vanquished. "I have the White Mage Soul Stone with me... Can I change now?"
"Not mid battle Im afraid," Oliver said suddenly rolling to one side and standing up on one knew. Pulling another arrow out of his quiver he aimed at one of the minions the boss had summoned and took it out. "We can stop it, change character and start over," he said aimming several more arrows, "If you want babe."
"OK, I can do this!"
She raised the sword above her head and let rip what she hoped would sound like a battle cry... she had a feeling it sounded more like someone terrified with hints or confusion. She charged forward, hacking at a wing to only be batted into the air and sent sailing across the battle arena and into one of four stone collumns with a thud.
"Are the holodeck safeties on?" she bellowed across to Oliver, clutching her back and she brought herself back upright, scrambling to find her shield which had landed a few steps away.
“Jon and run it at 80%. Are you okay? I can put it up to 100% safety, ” Oliver said rolling over to her and grabbing the shield.”
"Like hell... this is getting personal now!"
Xu scooped up her sword and raised it above her head, running past Oliver at full tilt, swinging the sword like a blugeon, her aim to do as much damage as possible, any damage, even just a little!
Five Minutes Later
"She broke my sword and I didn't see where the shield went!"
Xu was limping from the Holodeck pulling the Pauldron from her left shoulder, or what was left of it, a bruise already starting to form on her cheek.
"Was that what I could see imbedded in that stone column?"
"Possibly," Oliver said running after her. His quiver and bow disappeared after crossing the holodec door. "Babe wait. Are you ..." he reached her and gently placed his thumb and finger on her face looking at her cheek. "Are you okay? Next time full safeties. Well if you want a next time."
"Next time will be later today... She is not going to beat me! I may swap out to that healer class you told me about though... Perhaps ranged combat and support, is that what you called it? Perhaps that would better suit me!"
She placed her hands on his arms as he stroked the cheek that was starting to show signs of the bruise. His touch was gentle and it was exhilarating her in more ways than one.
"What time is your shift? I'm wondering if we have time for a long soak in the bath together!"
“Ive got today off, ” Olivers eyes sparkled. “I think that can be arranged, before facing her down again.
END
