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Post by Pherick Essin on Jul 19, 2011 5:19:54 GMT -5
ooc: Admins/mods, this thread takes place in Russia, not Scotland, but I don't see any alternative. Feel free to move it to wherever would be best. Thanks in advance.
As the flash receded, Pherick could see only vague outlines of simple shapes moving rapidly through his field of vision in strange, spinning ways. He realized his disturbed sense on inertia just in time to hit the ground with a small splash and a thud as his whole right side passed through a thin veil of water and halted more suddenly than mortal flesh was meant to. The unyielding mater of jagged river-rocks greeted him, particularly at the wrist and the side of his head.
The stream was hardly deep enough for a drunk to drown in, and as his eyes adjusted to the midnight scene, Pherick could make out the shapes of old, gnarled trees leering down above him. Dazed, he sat up and reached for his wand, but yelped in sudden agony as soon as he lifted his limp, useless hand.
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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Jul 20, 2011 18:32:08 GMT -5
Nuriko splashed down next to Pherick, the Ravenclaw beater hitting a more forgiving part of the streambed flat on her back. She lay there, her orange dress darkening as it absorbed the water. Her ribs ached, and she breathed shallowly and rapidly, regaining her breath. “Uck.” Her voice was slightly breathy still, but she sat up and took inventory of the scenery around her.
Old gnarled trees, a stream hardly big enough to drown a fly in and lots of rock. A yelp brought her attention to the left, for the first time she noticed her companion. Great. Of all the people she had to be stuck with in the middle of God-only-knew-where-Europe, she was stuck with Pherick. Riko clambered to her feet, kicking off the heels and carrying them in one hand as she splashed barefoot the few feet to where Pherick was sitting in the stream. Along the way she kicked the globe, cracked in two.
“God-damn.” She swore, shaking her stubbed toes. She crouched next to Pherick, pulling out her own wand and casting a floating ball of light. “Let me see your hand.” She demanded, noticing the way he cradled it.
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Post by Pherick Essin on Jul 20, 2011 21:02:08 GMT -5
Pherick swatted the air with his able hand. The light was soft, but still managed to irritate him in his state of injury. He was a proud young wizard, Pherick Essin, and gritted his teeth with chagrin to be seen in such a vulnerable state, especially by this pestering Ravenclaw.
He staggering to his feet, forcing himself steady past the pain of shattered bone and the dizziness of a solid blow to the head, and stepped out of the stream, wanding his weaker hand.
"I'll be at Madam Fairchild's on Knockturn Alley, if you care to know," he continued. "You can find your own way back, I'm sure."
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply through all the pain and the misadventure's humiliation. Throughout his mind was the home of Elizabeth Fairchild, which had been made a sort of private clinic for those wizards who favored treatment more discreet than St. Mungo's could offer. There would be medics there at all hours. He imagined the clean smell of the place, clean but not overly sterile, with the gently mingling scent of lilacs and warm bread.
But nothing happened, aside from a renewed faintness and distant threat of regurgitation.
"Ms. Elswyth," he said, straightening in refusal to adopt the humility befitting his situation. "I fear I've been too concussed to disapparate. Take me by side-along, would you?"
It was more a demand than a request, but no decent person would be likely to refuse. He lifted his elbow, not really waiting for an answer.
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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Jul 22, 2011 19:47:55 GMT -5
Nuriko stood, lifting her hands with exaggerated care and a roll of her eyes at the younger boy. “Look, Pherick, you’re going to need someone to look at that for you…”
She waded out of the stream, narrowing her eyes at the boy. It was rare for the upbeat Ravenclaw to get upset, but this Gryffindor got under her skin like few did. She pursed her lips as she contemplated the possibilities of starting a house war. The lions got along much better with the eagles than the snakes, but perhaps she could change that. Her face became crafty as she wondered if he flew. He was new to the school, so she knew little. If she could get him on a broom and in a game then she could knock him off with impunity. The thought cheered her, especially as his conversation all night had seemed aimed at irritating her to the extreme.
This conjecture provided her plenty amusement as Pherick did his best to get away from such a lowly life form as her half-blooded (and half-English, to boot!) self as quickly as possible.
"Ms. Elswyth," he said, straightening in refusal to adopt the humility befitting his situation. "I fear I've been too concussed to disapparate. Take me by side-along, would you?"
She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, now you’re deigning to talk to me?” She said snarkily, nevertheless taking his elbow and doing a firm twist on her heel. Instead of disapparating, however, all she accomplished was a half turn and pulling them both off balance. Steadying herself, she tried again. Nothing. She let go of her companion, stepping away and drawing her wand once again. Damn. She’d better not be stuck here. Wherever here was.
After long minutes, she grew increasingly frustrated as each attempt to locate them met with failure. She scowled at nothing. No magic… She reached up and grabbed the clip from her hair. It was made from cheap iron, a simple magnetizing spell… the clip spun in the air, then pointed north. Nuri looked to her left and frowned.
“Well, at least we know where north is.” She turned to Pherick. “Now, stop being an ass and let me see your arm. You’re the genius who created the thing, plus you’re from Europe and I’m not.” She held her hands out in obvious expectation that he would let himself be examined. “So, use your famous dark-magic brain and start coming to possible conclusions as to where we are.”
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Post by Pherick Essin on Jul 25, 2011 8:51:32 GMT -5
Pherick lighted the end of his wand for a moment, just to make certain they could use any magic at all. The spell was more difficult in his left hand, but it was also one of the first for any young wizard to learn, and came into existence without any visible effort. He realized it immediately as a failing in his training, and noted that he should practice working spells with his off hand. With a deep sigh, he looked to their moonlit surroundings, to the thick clusters of wood and other life that broke the place into several paths.
"Since we can't employ magical escape or determine our location..."
He gave a small yelp as the girl tugged at his broken flesh, but settled soon after.
"I'd like to say we're on the Hogwarts grounds, the Forbidden Forrest. But these are mostly coniferous trees, not so varied as those at school. It's also a chiller air here, for the summer, but that could be due to elevation, as much as latitude."
He paused a moment and muttered, "Tergeo," with a flick of his wand, sprinkling the water from his fine robes in all directions. He was left slightly damp, but decided to wait until he could find a private moment to finish the job. He wasn't so dangerously cold that he had to make a spectacle of his injury.
"I don't typically make note of the heavenly bodies and their positions," he continued, "so I couldn't say which. We're still in the dark of night, though, so we must still be in Europe, assuming our transit was instantaneous. Russia, maybe, but I can't say."
He started to speak again, but his attention was drawn by a low growl some dozens of meters to his left, behind a low pile of brambles, and another near to that. He crouched down slowly and motioned for his companion to do the same.
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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Jul 27, 2011 16:17:43 GMT -5
"I'd like to say we're on the Hogwarts grounds, the Forbidden Forrest. But these are mostly coniferous trees, not so varied as those at school. It's also a chiller air here, for the summer, but that could be due to elevation, as much as latitude."
“There’s not much change in elevation in the Forbidden Forest.” Nuri commented, allowing his wrist to rest in her upturned palm a moment while she considered. “Well, its pretty badly broken. I can’t even set it. You’ll need a mediwizard to fix this mess.”
She used her wand to create a cast-like object on his arm. “In the mean time, I would suggest using that hand as little as possible. Perhaps a sling would be best.”
“That’s assuming a lot.” Riko looked around them, taking more through inventory of the area. The woods were moderately dense, but lacked significant undergrowth, as might be typical in an evergreen forest. She was following Pherick’s example by charming the water from her dress and transfiguring it to more serviceable jeans and tshirt. Her heels became sneakers, and she slipped them back on.
She dropped easily into a crouch, raising a brow in curious silence. She had seen enough muggle horror movies to know that you never ran off alone when in the dark, lonely forest, far from what you know.
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Post by Pherick Essin on Aug 3, 2011 13:40:15 GMT -5
Peering over their slim wall of cover, Pherick searched in vain for the creatures which might make such noises. He saw nothing but the tree branches waving in a summer breeze. Some did shimmer oddly in the moonlight and he shuffled to the side in order to make them out clear. Stumbling, he instinctively twisted to break his fall, but his arm would not respond, not from within its cast, but he was too alert to feel more than a mild pang of embarrassment.
He propped himself up again on his knees in time to hear the noises again, some angry, gurgling groan straight ahead, and another shortly after, further to the right.
He could barely see them, but finally, their forms became apparent. They were easy to mistake for the spindly, bare lower branches and knotted trunks of the trees around them, but they had skin, black skin, which glistened in the light as they padded along. The one ahead was likely two-and-a-half meters high, the other nearly three. Their bodies were vaguely human, but twisted and emaciated. Sharp fangs gleamed over all other things.
"These things are... beyond my knowledge," he whispered, or rather breathed to his unlikely companion. "Any ideas?"
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Post by Nuriko Elsywth on Aug 5, 2011 19:36:00 GMT -5
Nuriko felt a shudder go through her as the creatures stalked into the open. Fright darkened her hair and skin, even the whites of her eyes shadowed as some instinct prompted her to do her best to blend into the shadows. Camouflage was not what her metamorphagus powers were intended for, but she did her best.
The larger creature crouched, for a moment she feared it would charge, but it merely stuck its head in the stream and drank. Riko backed up a step. “That one must be nearly ten feet tall!” She hissed at her companion, only realizing her mistakes when both creatures froze. The big one tensed, lifting its head, water dripping from its fangs.
“Uh oh.” She backed up another step, then turned, snatching at Pherick’s arm to drag him if necessary. “Run, Pherick!”
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