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 The Marksman's Wager |
Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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Got an idea and thought Id write a story, apologies if its no good 
The Marksman's Wager
Noleon Roques
Dawn splintered through the timber columns on the Northern border. The
Undergrowth on the skirts blazed a wonderful straw colour but seeped
back into darkness as the trees got taller and denser. Calvario
Nalintus was shook back and forth as his cart rumbled over some of the
more aggressive earth. He was on his way deep into Valenwood, Imperial
records to be delivered to a Bosmeri elder. The trees scowled down at
him, curling inwards over the rough path to black out the sky. Behind,
streaks of light flooded the moss carpet which lay about in the open
glades. The cart driver looked anxious, more so when he rounded a
natural bend. He flicked his gaze from the horse, to his left and right
and even and up and down every now and again. Calvario wondered just
what it was which could strike from such angles and found himself
equally anxious as they trundled deeper into the forest. He was to
visit Falestini the great moving tree city; which was about as much as
he knew of the place. Indeed Calvario knew little about what lurked in
the forests around him, he knew of course there were Bosmer in
Valenwood but he could see now that the place was too big for them
alone.
He calmed after a while accepting the dull lighting and wispy shadows
above. The driver had informed Calvario that there were birds in the
canopies overhead; at least he thought them birds. The trees were so
tall now he half wondered whether they reached the sky. Vines and weeds
formed a lattice above the two of them and ivy gripped the lower tree
trunks; a patchwork of oak and green. There were various screeches and
calls but other than that and a slight breeze rustling the leaves it
was all rather quiet. They wound their way through the wood a little
longer until a fork in the dirt track came up. There were no signposts
of course, somebody had long since made off with the wood and there
were but two indents in the ground. The driver scratched his head and
gave a bewildered look at Calvario. Unimpressed with his driver?s lack
of navigating knowledge Calvario took to his feet and looked down
either pathway. Each one looked the same as the other and indeed the
path behind them too, covered in moss and almost completely overgrown.
"Lost your way have you?" Sparked a high voice.
Before them as if out of nowhere a wood elf had appeared. He stood
leaning with his elbow upon a tall bow, his light frame and tiny
stature allowing him the freedom to do so.
"Er...yes were on our way to Falastini young fellow. Which way is it?" said Calvario in a fragile tone.
The Elf eyed him wryly, tilting his head and squinting a little. His slender ears twitched at the thought.
"It will cost you. Hmm how about that nice bag of septims you have there?"
He pointed his bow towards the man's waist where a purse hung to one
side. Calvario wondered whether to take him seriously, he looked a
comical fellow after all.
"That?s absurd, I'll pay you two septims to tell me which path to take
and you shall scurry off and be happy with it." He snorted.
"And what about the next fork in your silly dirt road? And what of the
one after that? I sharnt be there to tell you where to go then, what
you need is a guide and that will cost you ten septims." Quiped the elf.
The Imperial contemplated this for a moment; Calvario wasn?t fond of
parting with gold even in circumstances such as this. The elf
intervened:
"I can see you're quite attached to your coin friend so I will do you a
favour. Name anything in sight and I will hit it with my arrow. Should
I fail to hit a target I will take you all the way to the Bosmer
capital free of charge."
Calvario lit up, it was usually he who struck up deals with folk and he particularly liked the sound of this one.
"However" said the elf "Should I hit, say all three of your targets you will accept my kind offer with no quarrel."
Calvario immediately thought of three tough targets but decided to push
for four to make sure the deal was completely in his favour.
"Three targets you say? Make it four and you have a deal."
The elf accepted and the two shook hands but not before Calvario had
demanded the elf?s name for insurance. It was established that his name
was Vunduin and the wager got underway.
After a quick word with his driver Calvario returned to Vunduin with
his first target. He was to hit a small unripe Pumpkin Calvario had
taken from his own supplies. He placed it upon a clump of dirt at the
side of the road they had travelled down. It was a fair way back; it
took him at least twenty minutes to travel there and back.
Vunduin took up his bow and sighted his target; pulling a sleek looking
iron arrow from his pack he shot with cool ease. It split the Pumpkin
into a number of pieces and the fleshy squelch it sounded echoed around
the junction.
His second target was the largest chunk of the pumpkin that had split
in his successful hitting of the first. This time Calvario had
attempted to climb a tree in order to place it atop a branch up in the
high canopies but was forced to take up Vunduin?s offer to place it
there after he fell from the lowest branch. He Directed him, completely
to his own amazement to place the chunk higher and higher and at a more
severe angle. Vunduin finally hopped his way back down to the ground to
undertake the task he had now set up. Needless to say by this stage
Calvario wasn?t confident and with the same coolness he employed with
the first target Vunduin dispatched the pumpkin piece.
A slight twinge of worry seemed to come across Calvario now but never
the less he went about setting up a third target. He thought for a
little while about this one until he spied a rat on the path. He
purposely pointed out the rodent once it had scurried into a thick
brush so as to give Vunduin little chance of hitting it. However before
Calvario had the chance to turn and offer insincere commiserations the
rat was pegged to the forest floor.
Realising how seriously he had underestimated the wood elf Calvario sat
back on the cart to think up an impossible target. It was very rare he
lost a bet and even when he did he usually found a way to get back what
he had lost. Looking around he saw no challenge for the archer, he lay
back upon the cart in apparant defeat and suddenly spotted a new target.
Calvario leapt up from the cart, a wide grin upon his face. Vunduin by
this time had seemingly fallen asleep by a tree, his fur cowl pulled
down over his face.
"Elf" Calvario barked "I have found you a new target!"
Vunduin stirred, slowly pulling himself up he shook off his hood and twitched his ears in response.
"What Vegetable would you have me shoot now?"
The Imperial grinned madly:
"No vegetable my friend" He looked up through the slight clearing above
them and pointed "Shoot that there cloud, you see it yes?"
Vunduin was bewildered.
"Of course I see it but why not ask me to shoot the wind as well?"
"I can?t see the wind" Calvario said abruptly.
With a sigh Vunduin took up his bow once more and let loose an arrow
into the heavens. Calvario followed it with his gaze still wearing his
confident smile. For a few moments he held his view knowing full well
he had won the bet. He was assured now and laughed as he returned his
gaze to face a missing wood elf. He span around searching the woods for
him. The Cart driver was sleeping, slumped to one side of the cart seat
and hadn?t seen a thing. The elf had vanished and with him the
Imperial's purse.
A gale blew through the trees and the horse reared awaking the driver
in a panic. Supplies and papers blew from the cart into the woods on
one side of the path and Calvario's cape fluttered and caught the wind.
In that moment the elf's arrow returned to ground pinning the man to
the middle of the road.
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12.09.2006 21:01 |
   
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Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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Hehe crafty elves glad you like it! 
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12.09.2006 22:18 |
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FLESH
Archduke
Registration Date: 23.06.2006
Posts: 2,824
Location: Ireland
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I have yet to read one of these stories 
I'm very sorry, I will try to go through them tomorrow. Meanwhile, wheres raggidman? A new writing awaits thy knowledge.
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12.09.2006 22:55 |
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Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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Yeh it seems he's forgotten to check back, ah well he's probably run raggid 
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13.09.2006 22:12 |
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FLESH
Archduke
Registration Date: 23.06.2006
Posts: 2,824
Location: Ireland
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I've read this one. And I love it, sneaky Wood Elves, never know when they will steal your purse 
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14.09.2006 20:07 |
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Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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Glad this was well recieved
I'm not sure I'm happy with ending or rather the way I wrote it but I
cant see why, if that makes any sense at all. Nobody else think its a
bit odd in some way?
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16.09.2006 15:46 |
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FLESH
Archduke
Registration Date: 23.06.2006
Posts: 2,824
Location: Ireland
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I thought the ending was great, unexpected aswell.
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16.09.2006 20:09 |
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Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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Ah good unexpected is what I was going for! 
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16.09.2006 20:43 |
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Durdain
Baron
Registration Date: 15.08.2006
Posts: 400
Location: Wigan, England
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I often start worrying about my stories when I read them through over
and over often to the point of complete indecisiveness, if the ending
sounds good to you guys then its good enough
Those titles are something to mull over though 
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16.09.2006 23:32 |
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