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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 21:42:59 GMT -5
"Ummm....." The girl pup crouched down and used a stick to draw a rough figure in the sand. "We didn't see the stone one but Old Pa...I mean Hahji said it looked like a really big, bulky human. So did the big metal one but it was tall and it had spikies sticking out at its shoulders and legs and stuff...." The boy pup was nodding vigorously.
That might not have seemed familiar to Yiska but it clearly was to Sinjun. She stared down at the drawing and her eyes widened. "A golem..."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 21:53:19 GMT -5
"Go-lem?" Yiska sounded out the unfamiliar word. The three Yitoki turned her eyes on Sinjun's face. "Just what is a go-lem?" Yiska asked as he stood to his full height. "Are we in danger?"
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 21:56:05 GMT -5
"I....don't know, honestly." Sinjun frowned. "I'd have to see one to be sure....golems are creatures built and given life by a wizard. They're made of anything from metal to bone to..." She shuddered a bit. "....to flesh from demons. I can't imagine why there would be one or two so far out here...except some ancient wizards built extremely complex golems to guard their tombs and there were several of those rumored to be out here in the desert."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 21:59:36 GMT -5
"Then these tombs have been disturbed," Yiska said thoughtfully. "Do you think it is the work of the human invaders?"
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 22:01:23 GMT -5
"It would have to be, yes? None of the yitoki tribes would really care about that kind of thing." Sinjun realized two pairs of wide, bright eyes were staring up at them and two pairs of little ears were listening intently.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 22:05:43 GMT -5
"You mean like the humans that took Sinjun away?" The little male Yitoki's eyes were wide. He stepped forward and clung to Sinjun's shirt. "Please don't go away again, we like you." He pleaded with her. The little girl Yitoki started to sniffle, her lower lip trembling.
"Don't worry little cubs, no one is going to take Sinjun away from us." He placed a hand on each of their heads to try and comfort them.
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 22:08:16 GMT -5
"Those men were soldiers, they wouldn't send them out this far looking for some ancient tomb." She ruffled the little boy's fur gently, giving him a reassuring smile. "Most likely it's one or two explorers of some kind, they won't care about me."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 22:14:38 GMT -5
The little girl gave Sinjun a watery smile. As she ruffled the little boys hair, he stood up ramrod straight and narrowed his eyes. "Well if humans do come, I'll beat them up!" He said fervently and with such serious ferocity it made Yiska chuckle. "You and me both, little one."
"I think we should speak with Hahji and learn what we can from him," he said to Sinjun, then bent down to put his arms around the little ones. "You two brave cubs stay here and don't run off too far to explore. We don't know what we are dealing with and I don't want you getting hurt."
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 22:17:53 GMT -5
Sinjun gave them both a hug before they bounded off. She watched them go before turning to Yiska again, falling into step beside him. It was amazing what two children could do to improve your mood. The little ones were completely without prejudice. She squinted against the sun as they approached the old hunter's tent. Hahji was sitting outside it, whittling away at a figure of carved wood he was working on.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 22:24:12 GMT -5
The old Yitoki looked up as they approached. He almost looked as if he was expecting them. Fahla had passed his way but he paid the shrew no mind. Hahji set aside his work carefully, stood up straight with a few cricks in his bones, and looked about a moment before beckoning the two of them to come inside. "What we say should not be spread around, for I fear that this news may spread panic among the women and our warriors to pursue these strange beings. The great hunt will be soon. Come..."
Yiska followed Hahji inside and waited respectfully for the old one to take his seat before sitting down cross legged on the woven grass mat beside Sinjun. "What do you make of all this, Hahji?"
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 22:30:03 GMT -5
"Strange. Never seen anything like it. The little ones said they saw something of metal but the one I saw was definitely stone. It was closer to the village, which I don't like. I saw the tracks, they went deep into the sand."
"What did it look like?" Sinjun asked.
The old hunter's memory and descriptive skills were much better than the children's. What he described definitely matched what Sinjun remembered as a stone golem. "Did it look old?"
Hahji pondered that for a second. "No...not ancient anyway. Looked scarred in places and the stone didn't look like any stone I've seen before, but I wouldn't say it was old stone."
Sinjun frowned thoughtfully and leaned back.
"I think I might have seen a human too. It was smaller than the creatures anyway but it looked partially metal itself." Hahji shook his head hard enough his ears flapped. "Strange, strange..."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 22:34:40 GMT -5
"Then the golem must be foreign," Yiska nodded a bit. "You say a human made of metal?" Yiska was completely perplexed. "If the golem is foreign, the smaller must be as well, but what do they wish of the desert?" He wondered if they came across the human fortress. He smiled a bit, wondering if they had been attacked. "Surely any material riches are long gone now."
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 22:45:11 GMT -5
"Don't be so sure...." Sinjun said quietly. "And the vaults of knowledge or the remains of workshops and such they could find. Or a libraries preserved by magic...all of those things would be worth the risk to the right kind of person..." Sinjun had focused her arts and abilities on bardic magic and herb lore, so her arcane abilities weren't as prominent as others in her family. For the first time she regretted that, because if she had been better versed, she might have picked up on pulses of magic from the desert that would have warned her of a ruin that might become dangerous. Still, there was naught she could do about it now. She looked from Yiska to Hahji, starting to get worried for the first time. "Some of those ancient wizards were very, very bad, Yiska...and they had powerful magic. Terrible magic."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 21, 2013 22:56:58 GMT -5
“The girl is quite right,” Hahji nodded in agreement. “The Yitoki are not a people of greed, so you are not at fault in your naiveté, Yiska. We are not familiar with arcane magic, so it is well, Sinjun, that you know of these things. The very word magic was unknown to us until quite recently, when we observed the human settlements.”
“Shamans learn how to harness the elements, but it is power drawn from the spirit world. Perhaps the old shaman would be able to defend against these golems,” he offered. He didn't know if he was strong enough for such a feat yet.
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Post by KD on Jul 21, 2013 23:08:11 GMT -5
She didn't like that idea. Golems were notoriously hard to beat, she didn't like the idea of the shaman....or Yiska...going up against one of them, let alone several. "If they were brought along by the adventurers, it's possible no one will have to go up against them. If they'd meant to harm the village, they would have done it already," she pointed out hopefully.
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