Starting Anew

Intern Rep! : 12 Location : The Living Room Couch

Starting Anew

"This will be as good a spot as any."

Dropping her pack onto the ground, Alicia allowed herself a brief moment of respite- stretching and yawning before leaning against a particularly large nearby tree. It had been a long day, traveling around the northern part of the ruined metropolis of Medius in her self-induced exodus from her tribe. She wasn't very happy about such a punishment as she had given herself- and she was also surprised to see that the Triumvirate had been quite forgiving and understanding- but she felt as if she had to leave, if not for the tribe then for herself. They would be leaving for Mare Maris in the coming months and Alicia was confident that Estra- her second-in-command, would be able to perform admirably enough in her absence.

Still... while she was used to traveling alone- Alicia had begun to regret her decision to leave the village without another person. Sure- she had been given one of the wolf-dog mongrels her tribe bred for both companionship and security as a parting gift from Elledi, one of the Elders of the tribe. The thing, it seemed, had taken a rather immediate dislike of her- occasionally glaring at the Knight or growling slightly whenever she got too close to the beast.

Gaarm- they called him- one of the most loyal and battle-weary canines of the tribe had been the pick of the pack. He had quite a track record when it came to fighting alongside the hunters of the tribe during various battles with bandits- as well as on hunting expeditions. Standing at four feet tall, he had relatively short, black fur with speckles of white throughout his entire coat and several large scars from both fang a blade that traced along his body. If his size and scars weren't enough to at least garner a second look from most bandits- then the size of his maw would, considering it was nearly large enough to eat the head of a passersby without much trouble. Yet, despite all of their similarities, (minus the biting off of heads thing), Alicia and the beast did not get along at all. Nevertheless, he remained by the Knight's side as he had been ordered to by his previous master, Tol, to do so. And while they had only been together since beginning to travel a few days ago, Alicia could already tell that their relationship wouldn't exactly blossom in the coming months.

Having spent enough time dwelling on these thoughts, the Knight stood, picking up a small hatchet out of her bag as she did so and approaching one of the smaller trees in the forest around her. Gaarm's ears perked up slightly as he watched Alicia begin to cut down the tree, his eyes lazily watching the tool go back and forth while she did so. After a few moments of steady chops, the trunk had been sufficiently cut through- falling to the ground after a loud snapping sound split the general silence pervading the woods around her. From there, she went to drag the tree over to a small, cleared foundation she had found nearby- relatively clear of the wildlife that filled the area around them. If any animals decided to remain in the place- Alicia was sure the mere presence of a four foot tall dog-wolf mongrel would be reason enough for them to clear out as fast as their little tails could carry them.

It wasn't a bad spot- with a short hill with a steep drop to the back walls of the foundation- making it only effectively approachable from small path leading in from the southwest. A relatively shoulder-high ruined black cast iron gate also surrounded the majority of the south-western approach, though Alicia knew that the gates would either need to be replaced or fixed in order to be of any use anymore- as large sections had rusted through or were missing. And while it was currently a rather large pain to have to drag in the trunks of the trees that she had to fell in order to build her house- the Knight knew it would seem much more worth it when the house was finished and relatively safe from harm.

While Alicia worked, Gaarm hunted- bringing back several small rabbits and effectively scaring off the rest of the wild-life in the area by marking his territory on the outskirts of their land. As night fell, and the beast feasted on one of the rabits- Alicia went about collecting firewood and starting a small fire with her back to the faces of the hill. While the remains of the house had a hill over most of it- the walls had long since been destroyed- leaving a skeleton of inter-laying woodwork for Alicia to use as a base for her building- which was quite helpful considering how little she knew on the matter. THankfully it would be relatively easy to make a comfortable dwelling within the house- once she had finished clearing off the foundation she was building on.

Having cooked and consumed one of the rabbits Gaarm had hunted for them (he having eaten the other while Alicia made the fire), Alicia dug through her pack and pulled out her bedroll, unfurling the thick, tough fabric onto the stony floor not far from the fire. She also reached into her pack and withdrew the remains of the dragon's eye that she had fought not long ago. The eye having long since rotted away- the Knight had been left with a multi-faceted clear jewel that beautifully refracted the light as it hit it's surfaces. Alicia had never seen a jewel that was more pretty than the eye-stone- and she doubted she would ever trade such a priceless item for the sheer fact of how hard she had worked for such a thing.

Stowing the crystal back in her pack, Alicia stretched out on her matress- noting Gaarm laying by the entrance to their dwelling, resting, but alert to any strange noises. With a sigh, she pulled off her boots and stored them next to the head of her bed- where she would normally leave her armor and sword as well. She felt bare without them, like she had something forcibly removed from her. Nevertheless, she was beginning a new life- and she would at least want to finish her dwelling before she worried too much about finding a new sword.

"Home sweet home..."

xp: 1204 # 1204 xp
+1 TEXP (2nd RP Post)
Land Claim: 1204/1000(LAND CLAIM SUCCESSFUL!)

Other Notes: +1 Follower (Gaarm - Beast)