The tale of Ting, Ania, and Frank
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((streaches fingers Here goes, the full written down history. I hope I keep it in track with what I've told other's so far))
Part 1: The Academy
Ania plodded down the steps of the elven academy. Soft pitter patter of her shoes on the cold hard stones. Wind picked up and blew hard across the court yard, making several students go scrambling for their scrolls being wisked away. Ania was burried in a book about summoning. Never very good at it, she studied it vigorously. She, however, never had to study to preform magic. Magic was a talent that had come to her from birth. It was sorcery, but the time she spent studying made it more of improvisational wizardry. She was constantly studying new ways from books to incorperate into her methods.
A shrill voice of one of the teachers of the academy rung out loud across the windswept courtyard, "TING! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Ania's quick footsteps halted, and she looked up with a frown.
Tings voice was clear and confident, "Well I was just teaching Ariel here how to-"
"I HAVE TOLD YOU ONCE! I HAVE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES! I CAN'T TAKE YOUR FLAGRANT DISSOBEDIENCE OF THE RULES ANY LONGER! I AM CASTING YOU OUT OF THE ACADEMY"
Ting looked shocked, "But-"
She was silenced by the finger of the instructor pointing out the front gates. And quietly she followed it, walking slowly over to the front gates and pausing. With a slight grin pulling at the corner of her mouth she turned around and whispered a spell, making a grand hand gesture, and let the small elf Ariel fall to the ground from where he had been suspended in the air. With that she sprinted out the gates before the instructor could say anything.
Ania dropped her book. She had grown up with Ting. Their houses among the trees were next to each other. They were even initiated at the mage academy on the same day. She ran out the gates after ting.
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((looking back this is turning into a short story, I'll post up part 2 tomorrow if I get some positive feedback. Otherwise tell me it stinks I'll give up on this tale))
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((Ok I've edited a lot of the previous posts in the story to make it a little clearer. I'm going to drag this out of the closet and finish it hopefully. I know I promised this before but I'm really going to try hard at it this time))
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Part 3: The Road North
_Everyone had landed. Ting hastily walked over and picked up the one who had shouted. He had crunched his kite right into a tree. They all began to toss their kites into the gorge and Ania followed suit, still completely confused on what was happening. The others pulled out bows and started on a silent jog through the forest. They were heading north."Where the hell are we going?" Ania hissed over to Ting after a quick sprint to catch her at the front of the pack.
Ting cast a quick spell of light to guide them on their path then pulled her bow back out, "North Ania, North."
"Well I can sure enough see that can't I, but WHERE are we going?"
Ting paused, "I didn't tell you before because I knew you wouldn't want to come at first Ania, we're leaving home and setting up something new, we all knew it was time for us to leave and carve our own out of this world. You saw how bored I got back at the academy. It wasn't for me, and you don't even need to be there. I don't know why you went for so long."
"You're crazy!" Ania blurted out and was met by several harsh shushes, "Sorry… sorry..."
Ting continued, "We're going to set up an outpost somewhere north, I don't care where, but somewhere safe and quiet."
Ania looked woried, "But what if we forg-"
"We have everything, we've planned for two years." Ting cut Ania short in her statement, "We couldn't tell you. You would have blown it for us and you know it. You break under pressure much to easily."
Ania was lost for words. She couldn't believe her best friend had been planning this behind her back for two years and she hadn't even caught the slightest hint of it.
She looked around the group, there were twenty-seven including herself and Ting. There were four she had never seen before, they walked along quietly, not seeming to make any crunch at all on fallen leaves and twings, and various animals hopped along happily at their sides. They must have been druids. Ania rarely saw the druids in the elven city as they spent most of their time tending to the woods that surrounded it and redirecting stray humans so they wouldn't accidentially encounter the city.
There were six or so others from the accademy that Ania had spoken with occasionally but never would have realized were in on this, including the girl Ariel that Ting had been floating around in the air earlier that day. Ting had chosen wisely, she had a knack for spotting people that woulld suit her purposes.
The rest were the children of merchants and defenders of the city it seemed. They all carried a several weapons and kept themselves to the edge of the group, acting as a guard.
Ania's head spun... so much effort had gone into this... how could she not have known. All of these young elves, mostly in their seventies and eighties had just up and given up their way of life to follow Ting on her crazy quest for excitement.
Ania paused for a long time trying to think of another feble excuse not to go and it only came after around two long hours of constant jogging, "What about the spiders of the north, or the humans?"
There was a pause from Ting when suddenly Ania's question was awnsered by the strong looking elf next to them, "DOWN" He hissed loudly at the rest of the group and they all dropped low and snuffed whatever light sources they carried.
A twig snapped... leaves rustled... Ania's eyes glinted in the moonlight and she strung her bow back across her shoulder. A spider could be handled... then the twigs began to snap all around, the group collapsed silently into a circle, magic users in the center keeping safe. Ania glanced around and some five dark shapes appeared to one side of them them... then five more.. but there was something strange about the shapes that now had grown in number five more... they weren't spiders at all and they weren't elves... they were-
"FLARE!" It was the high pitched voice of one of the wizards of the academy back home. Hearing the call Ania launched a flare in unison with her mage companions while the ring of rangers shaded their eyes. The figures were revealed and blinded at the same moment.
They were humans, big and muscular, carrying axes for the most part. One of them shouted "Fark bob, it's not a deer, it's a bloody group of elves! I can't see a farking thing!"
The one who apparantly was bob called back, blinking to clear his eyes, "Well they're in our farking camp, I bet they're thieves, let's teach them a bloody le-"
His words were que enough, the largest of the group stood and shot an arrow right through the man's axe-hand.
Stunning spells poured out on the humans as they responded by chargging the group.
Ting had abandoned spells, and with a sharp sliding of steel against it's sheath, her rapier flashed at the nearest thing, leaving it a writhing screaching heap on the floor.The strong elf had drawn out an intimidating greatsword and relieved one of the humans of his arm.
When it was over the mages lit the area with their spells and the group tied up the humans that had been subdued and promptly knocked them out with sharp blows to the back of the head.
The druids of the group tended to the wounded with herbs and bandages as well as some use of magics. Not one of the party had been killed, but one had lost her leg. It was a gruesome sight, the leg severed from the torso in the upper thigh. She was held down to the ground by two of the groups stronger to stop her writing so the Druids could set about re-attaching her leg. Ania also recognized an adept from the local temple that Ting spent a good deal of time flirting with. He chanted and pumped positive energy into the girls leg, trying to save it.
Ting and the large elf Ania had seen watching before were crouched over one of the unconcious humans looking through their belongings.
"Loggers... What are loggers?" The large elf responded to something Ting had pointed at on the page.
She replied softly, "I do not know... but I do not like them. One said something about a camp nearby didn't he?"
He helped her to her feet, "At least no one was killed... I feel terrible for Ry'niel though. It must hurt terribly to lose a leg like that. I hope she's ok, she's our best tracker."
The group found the human camp in a clearing where the trees had just been leveled for a good distance. The humans that remained in the camp had only moments warning before arrows rained down on them, the enraged druids and the other leaders of the group had agreed that such disrespect to the forest was wrong to leave unpunished.
The camp was raided foor supplies and the unconcious humans from earlier were left in a heap in the back of one of their carts. They harnessed up one of the humans' horses to the cart and smacked it on the butt to send it bolting out into the woods... they wouldn't be bugged by these "loggers" any longer.
The next few days went smoothly, they had horses from the humans camp and spirits were high, even the tracker Ry'niel was feeling alright about her leg that had been reatttached but barely functioned. The group made decent pace northward, no longer afraid of being caught by their parents or any search parties. Jokes were told, mages of different levels taught each other spells in their free time and all was well with the group..._
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Part 2: The Flight
_Ania didn't find Ting that night, she came back to her home late and collapsed into her study desk. Folding her legs up she began to meditate before she prepared spells for the next day.
-tink-
Ania's eye's poped open
-tink-
She swiveled around in her chair to look at her window to spot small blue rocks floating outside and occasionally hitting the window
-tink-
She ran to the window and looked down from her house. On the tree over was an asembly of twenty or so young elves, all heavily equiped and carrying a very large strange looking triangular device.
Then she spotted Ting among them who whispered up, "Why aren't you ready, hurry up"Ania didn't know why she did, but she threw all of her scrolls into a spare bag and the piece of elven bread she had on her desk. Leaving all else behind besides a spare set of clothes and a heavy cloak she leapt nimbly out the window landing on a branch below. She ran across the branch and leapt in the air to land on the tree her friends were assembled on.
The young elf man next to Ting spoke up first smiling, "Comon Ania, you're the last one," he looked at her bag, "and I knew you'd forget your bow… oh yes and your kite." He tossed her an elegant shortbow and a very large triangular device that the rest were carying over thier backs. He showed her how to put it on and shushed her questions. The party dropped down the branches to the forest floor and darted off between the trees.
Ania recognized children of elves from all over the community among them. She was puzzled beyond words at the group, but followed all the same. Then she realized where they were headed... the great gorge. It bordered the great elven forest city to the north. It was a gigantic dip in the land, sheer and smooth cliff walls on both sides; impassable to all except the flying.
Ania blinked and looked at her kite realizing all too late what it was for. They had reached the gorge and the forerunners increased pace and lept into the air, the kites caught air and brought them smoothly towards the lower ground on the other side of the gorge... but she didn't have time to see if they were going to make it... she had begun to slow when Ting shot from behind her, "Don't slow down you won't make it!".
Then Ania was in the air, she closed her eyes and streamlined her body under the kite, feeling the wind whip through her hair and heard the material of the cloth flip occasionally at the edges... then there was a shout and a crunch ahead of her... her eyes popped open in fear..._
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its good, im interested, post part two already!
