Post by Serpentine/Morganna on Sept 11, 2019 13:09:21 GMT
“Who wants to hear another tale about the great and feared Lady Bliss?” she said, watching as the kids perked up a little bit as she entered the house. They came and gathered round her in the living room. The three children sat on the floor expectantly as Bliss made her way in front of them. She gave a quick nod and smile to Clarissa, the children’s mother, before then starting to tell her new tale to them.
“I warn you now, children. This tale has danger, darkness and Giants. Are you all ready for it?” The children nodded, looking even more excited as Bliss began.
“Then I shall go on…”
Bliss started off leisurely. Pleasantly describing the other five adventurers she had traveled with. First, there was a one-eyed human with some other-worldly powers. He went by the name of Mystigon. There was also the rugged Dwarf, Milo and the elf-like spellcaster, Faye. The final two companions were possibly the most bizarre. As Bliss began to describe the eccentric Tiefling belly-dancer with wonderful hair, going by the names of Bubbles and then the small feline companion, Greebo. An actual cat as far as Bliss could tell. Overhearing this whilst still getting on with the household chores, Clarissa could never quite tell what was fact and what was fiction in Bliss’ tales but it never seemed to bother the children. They always seemed entertained.
“There was a summons” Bliss continued. “Asking for some of Daring Heights most skilful inhabitants to form a super team and go and offer aid to our new allies out in K’ul Goran. We travelled, by way of portal, to Zot Goran. There, we met with a wonderfully tall and muscular Minotaur who was going to be our guide for the beginning of our adventure. Oh what a fine built specimen he was. He just looked so powerful, so strong. Such a…”
“Bliss!” Clarissa interjected. “Remember, kids. Keep it, somewhat friendly for them please?” With a roll of her eyes but still smiling, Bliss carried on.
“With our tour now begun, we were taken to meet some fellow soldiers were we camped for the night before finally reaching our destination and hearing about our mission. We were meant to be assigned a different mission but alas, upon arrival there was a more urgent matter. Giants had causing trouble!” Bliss stressed, putting as much theatrical fear as she could behind the last sentence. Two of the three children let out a little gasp whilst the eldest, Maxwell, tried his best to hold his shock inside him. At 7, he was the grown up of the kids and felt like he must set an example. Both Bliss and Clarissa smiled as they both noticed him trying to his best to keep his cool in front of the others.
“As I've told you before, Giants are normally known for attacking and eating their prey. These Giants were in a cave not too far from where we were and they were trapped. With an army of 50 minotaur surrounding the exit. But these Giants had something on their side. They had prisoners. Something Hill Giants rarely if seldom ever do. That meant this wasn’t just going to be a fight. This was going to be a rescue mission.
We scouted the caves, finding the best way to sneak inside whilst the minotaur army kept them busy towards the front. We were able to find a small little entrance that we could get into but the Giants couldn’t. We snuck in, all of us doing our best to stay quiet. It started off well, till we got into a cave when suddenly from the ceiling, I was able to notice creatures moving across it and some moving around us. These weren’t just stalactites and stalagmites. These were Darkmantles!” Again, Bliss put as much theatricality as she could behind her words and this time all three children gasped. Maxwell included. Clarissa couldn’t help but smile as she rested in the doorway, now seemingly listening in as attentive as the kids were.
“What happened next?” Emma said?
“Well…” Bliss said, her mouth curling into an even bigger smile now than before. “That’s when I made my first move. Before these creatures could make their move on me I quickly darted away from the group. I assessed the area and the situation, saw that most of the enemy were grouped together then, grabbing tightly on my brothers chained now in my fist, I felt the arcane energy within me grow before my eyes turned a fiery red and then an explosion happened between the Darkmantles. My fireball erupting between them. Most didn’t survive my initial salvo but the ones that did soon made their move. Fascinating creatures as suddenly darkness spread out from around them. It engulfed me and what felt like all of us. In the darkness, all I could hear was the sound of battles and terror as my party were being attacked by these creatures. Listening out for those suffering, I could hear a chilling scream coming from my left. I sprinted out, with no care for the darkness and my surroundings. I summoned my shadow blade in my hand and as I emerged from the Blackness I saw Bubbles with their head engulfed by one of these creatures. Without a moments hesitation my blade deftly pierced its body. I watched as it fell to the floor motionless. A moment or two later, it seemed others had followed my lead as they too left the darkness in the direction of the scream. Together we vanquished these foes leaving us with only one enemy left to deal with further on inside the cave. The Giants.”
The kids were hyped. Bliss knew she had them in the palm of her hands as she kept telling her story. Clarissa too had joined them, sitting on a chair behind the kids. Every time, she thought to herself. Every time Bliss told a story she ends up listening. It was inevitable as this stage. Tranquil had the same affect on the kids too back when he used to tell the kids... she stopped herself before she could finish that thought. Thinking about Tranquil wouldn't be good for her, let alone Bliss.
Bliss continued to describe how Mystigon had befriended a rat who led them to a river which they expertly traversed using their own unique set of skills before eventually they came upon the Giants lair.
“Surprise was going to be our main factor here. The Giants were distracted by negotiations with the army out front. We had snuck in unnoticed. We could see a bag suspended in the air with moving and rustling inside. The prisoners. We knew our task. It was now up to us to execute it. I lead us off. Using my, special skills, I turned invisible. Slowly started to sneak into this lair and asses the situation. Before I could make much progress though, Faye tripped over. The Giants noticed and spun around ruining our advantage in the battle”
“Stupid Faye” Kath said. Looking bummed by this revelation in the story.
“Now now” Bliss reassured her. “This may not have been Faye’s most shining moment but she more than redeemed herself in this battle. Naturally, reading the room and seeing all that was going on, I acted first. I felt the magic surge within me as I reached out through it to empower both Mystigon and Faye. They became blurs in this fight as they sped off, moving faster than was natural. Mystigon opened up a magnificent salvo of what looked like lightning on one of the giants. It was relentless! Faye acted next, with blade strikes that boomed through the air, pushing one of the three giants outside into the path of the army. Making our odds in the cave easier as now we only had two Giants inside to deal with. With this distraction. The cat, Greebo, used his spectacular arcane ability to produce swords that cut free the prisoners before seemingly making them land feather like on the ground safely. The Dwarf Milo summed an Anvil made of pure magic to attack the Giants whilst Bubbles… was also there” Bliss let out a little chuckle to herself as the three kids and Clarissa smiled. Clarissa suspected that this, Bubbles, had maybe done more in the fight. But Bliss always liked adding some level of comedy into her stories.
“The Giants were angry, but we were too much for them. Mystigon and Faye kept on unleashing their blurring salvo’s on the two Giants left in the cave with us whilst the third was dealt with by the army outside. Greebo and Bubbles ushered the now free family to safety before we finally went to cast the killing blow on these Giants. Mystigon seemed to completely terrify one of the Giants before his lightning took it down in a feat of extreme power. Faye had started off dealing with the other Giant but with its plan and means of escape now gone, it went to try and cause as much damage as possible. It ventured into the cave aiming for this poor helpless family. Faye was now too far away, Mystigon was exhausted from dealing with the other Giant. Bubbles… was also there. This left it up to me to have to do something. I grasped my rapier tightly in my hand as I sprung into action and pierced through the Giant, expelling out some booming energy as I hit. The Giant fell to the floor. Defeated. Desperately trying to reach out for this family but the life left him first. The battle was over and we had won. We could hear the army cheering as the commander came in to congratulate us. With the family safe and us having saved the day, we left back for Daring Heights. A feeling of satisfaction coming over all of us as we had triumphed yet again” The kids applauded as Clarissa too let herself cheer the story a little, keeping the applause going as Bliss bows.
Two hours later, the kids are playing outside. Re-enacting the story. Taking turns to be Bliss. Taking turns to be the Giants. Bliss leaned on the doorway, watching as Clarissa comes up stand beside her. “So how much of that was true?”
“Enough.” Bliss replied.
“Are you okay?”
“Enough”
There was a familiar silence as the two keep watching the kids playing, trying to recreate Bliss’ fireball. Their imagination running wild as they try to conjure up fire out of nothing.
“He’d be happy you’re still keeping on, Bliss” Clarissa says, trying to add some reassurance into her tone. “You’ve done so well without him. And you’re still coming here and keeping them entertained. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I know” Bliss said, seemingly allowing herself the tiniest of smiles to take its place on her face. “I know.”
“I warn you now, children. This tale has danger, darkness and Giants. Are you all ready for it?” The children nodded, looking even more excited as Bliss began.
“Then I shall go on…”
Bliss started off leisurely. Pleasantly describing the other five adventurers she had traveled with. First, there was a one-eyed human with some other-worldly powers. He went by the name of Mystigon. There was also the rugged Dwarf, Milo and the elf-like spellcaster, Faye. The final two companions were possibly the most bizarre. As Bliss began to describe the eccentric Tiefling belly-dancer with wonderful hair, going by the names of Bubbles and then the small feline companion, Greebo. An actual cat as far as Bliss could tell. Overhearing this whilst still getting on with the household chores, Clarissa could never quite tell what was fact and what was fiction in Bliss’ tales but it never seemed to bother the children. They always seemed entertained.
“There was a summons” Bliss continued. “Asking for some of Daring Heights most skilful inhabitants to form a super team and go and offer aid to our new allies out in K’ul Goran. We travelled, by way of portal, to Zot Goran. There, we met with a wonderfully tall and muscular Minotaur who was going to be our guide for the beginning of our adventure. Oh what a fine built specimen he was. He just looked so powerful, so strong. Such a…”
“Bliss!” Clarissa interjected. “Remember, kids. Keep it, somewhat friendly for them please?” With a roll of her eyes but still smiling, Bliss carried on.
“With our tour now begun, we were taken to meet some fellow soldiers were we camped for the night before finally reaching our destination and hearing about our mission. We were meant to be assigned a different mission but alas, upon arrival there was a more urgent matter. Giants had causing trouble!” Bliss stressed, putting as much theatrical fear as she could behind the last sentence. Two of the three children let out a little gasp whilst the eldest, Maxwell, tried his best to hold his shock inside him. At 7, he was the grown up of the kids and felt like he must set an example. Both Bliss and Clarissa smiled as they both noticed him trying to his best to keep his cool in front of the others.
“As I've told you before, Giants are normally known for attacking and eating their prey. These Giants were in a cave not too far from where we were and they were trapped. With an army of 50 minotaur surrounding the exit. But these Giants had something on their side. They had prisoners. Something Hill Giants rarely if seldom ever do. That meant this wasn’t just going to be a fight. This was going to be a rescue mission.
We scouted the caves, finding the best way to sneak inside whilst the minotaur army kept them busy towards the front. We were able to find a small little entrance that we could get into but the Giants couldn’t. We snuck in, all of us doing our best to stay quiet. It started off well, till we got into a cave when suddenly from the ceiling, I was able to notice creatures moving across it and some moving around us. These weren’t just stalactites and stalagmites. These were Darkmantles!” Again, Bliss put as much theatricality as she could behind her words and this time all three children gasped. Maxwell included. Clarissa couldn’t help but smile as she rested in the doorway, now seemingly listening in as attentive as the kids were.
“What happened next?” Emma said?
“Well…” Bliss said, her mouth curling into an even bigger smile now than before. “That’s when I made my first move. Before these creatures could make their move on me I quickly darted away from the group. I assessed the area and the situation, saw that most of the enemy were grouped together then, grabbing tightly on my brothers chained now in my fist, I felt the arcane energy within me grow before my eyes turned a fiery red and then an explosion happened between the Darkmantles. My fireball erupting between them. Most didn’t survive my initial salvo but the ones that did soon made their move. Fascinating creatures as suddenly darkness spread out from around them. It engulfed me and what felt like all of us. In the darkness, all I could hear was the sound of battles and terror as my party were being attacked by these creatures. Listening out for those suffering, I could hear a chilling scream coming from my left. I sprinted out, with no care for the darkness and my surroundings. I summoned my shadow blade in my hand and as I emerged from the Blackness I saw Bubbles with their head engulfed by one of these creatures. Without a moments hesitation my blade deftly pierced its body. I watched as it fell to the floor motionless. A moment or two later, it seemed others had followed my lead as they too left the darkness in the direction of the scream. Together we vanquished these foes leaving us with only one enemy left to deal with further on inside the cave. The Giants.”
The kids were hyped. Bliss knew she had them in the palm of her hands as she kept telling her story. Clarissa too had joined them, sitting on a chair behind the kids. Every time, she thought to herself. Every time Bliss told a story she ends up listening. It was inevitable as this stage. Tranquil had the same affect on the kids too back when he used to tell the kids... she stopped herself before she could finish that thought. Thinking about Tranquil wouldn't be good for her, let alone Bliss.
Bliss continued to describe how Mystigon had befriended a rat who led them to a river which they expertly traversed using their own unique set of skills before eventually they came upon the Giants lair.
“Surprise was going to be our main factor here. The Giants were distracted by negotiations with the army out front. We had snuck in unnoticed. We could see a bag suspended in the air with moving and rustling inside. The prisoners. We knew our task. It was now up to us to execute it. I lead us off. Using my, special skills, I turned invisible. Slowly started to sneak into this lair and asses the situation. Before I could make much progress though, Faye tripped over. The Giants noticed and spun around ruining our advantage in the battle”
“Stupid Faye” Kath said. Looking bummed by this revelation in the story.
“Now now” Bliss reassured her. “This may not have been Faye’s most shining moment but she more than redeemed herself in this battle. Naturally, reading the room and seeing all that was going on, I acted first. I felt the magic surge within me as I reached out through it to empower both Mystigon and Faye. They became blurs in this fight as they sped off, moving faster than was natural. Mystigon opened up a magnificent salvo of what looked like lightning on one of the giants. It was relentless! Faye acted next, with blade strikes that boomed through the air, pushing one of the three giants outside into the path of the army. Making our odds in the cave easier as now we only had two Giants inside to deal with. With this distraction. The cat, Greebo, used his spectacular arcane ability to produce swords that cut free the prisoners before seemingly making them land feather like on the ground safely. The Dwarf Milo summed an Anvil made of pure magic to attack the Giants whilst Bubbles… was also there” Bliss let out a little chuckle to herself as the three kids and Clarissa smiled. Clarissa suspected that this, Bubbles, had maybe done more in the fight. But Bliss always liked adding some level of comedy into her stories.
“The Giants were angry, but we were too much for them. Mystigon and Faye kept on unleashing their blurring salvo’s on the two Giants left in the cave with us whilst the third was dealt with by the army outside. Greebo and Bubbles ushered the now free family to safety before we finally went to cast the killing blow on these Giants. Mystigon seemed to completely terrify one of the Giants before his lightning took it down in a feat of extreme power. Faye had started off dealing with the other Giant but with its plan and means of escape now gone, it went to try and cause as much damage as possible. It ventured into the cave aiming for this poor helpless family. Faye was now too far away, Mystigon was exhausted from dealing with the other Giant. Bubbles… was also there. This left it up to me to have to do something. I grasped my rapier tightly in my hand as I sprung into action and pierced through the Giant, expelling out some booming energy as I hit. The Giant fell to the floor. Defeated. Desperately trying to reach out for this family but the life left him first. The battle was over and we had won. We could hear the army cheering as the commander came in to congratulate us. With the family safe and us having saved the day, we left back for Daring Heights. A feeling of satisfaction coming over all of us as we had triumphed yet again” The kids applauded as Clarissa too let herself cheer the story a little, keeping the applause going as Bliss bows.
Two hours later, the kids are playing outside. Re-enacting the story. Taking turns to be Bliss. Taking turns to be the Giants. Bliss leaned on the doorway, watching as Clarissa comes up stand beside her. “So how much of that was true?”
“Enough.” Bliss replied.
“Are you okay?”
“Enough”
There was a familiar silence as the two keep watching the kids playing, trying to recreate Bliss’ fireball. Their imagination running wild as they try to conjure up fire out of nothing.
“He’d be happy you’re still keeping on, Bliss” Clarissa says, trying to add some reassurance into her tone. “You’ve done so well without him. And you’re still coming here and keeping them entertained. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I know” Bliss said, seemingly allowing herself the tiniest of smiles to take its place on her face. “I know.”
