Fantasy Idas: Song of the Riftsea

Oh good, one request after another, you old fart. Luna thought to herself at the message that the old Waygod delivered. Most people would treat having a quest given by a Waygod as a great and sacred honor, but Luna wasn’t most people. She had been interacting with Waygods on a regular basis past year, so she barely batted an eyelash and treated like any other request. Though not one she was going to deny.

The former mage paced back and forth, letting the others interact, while she mentally marked out the best path to complete the task that were given. Cross referencing various maps that she read during her tuition and travels, but deep forest wasn’t a very specific location.

Luna perked up at the awakening villagers. Of course they would celebrate their heroes and give them supplies and information and give them a grand feast, as they wished them luck on their grand quest! Yeah right, this was life and Life had an annoying little habit of shitting in your dinner. That’s why you always cook two meals.

“This is the reason why I wanted to get in ask my stupid questions and skip the festivities.” Luna pinched the base of her nose in annoyance. “Screw it Golem, smoke out.“ Luna shouted her order and then muttered to herself “I am not going to prison again.” Luna silently vowed that when she saw that witch again, she was going to run them through with her rapier and turn her into a pin cushion. Golem followed Luna’s instructions and opened up the vials that Luna handed him earlier.

Each vial spewed out a small stream of black bubbling liquid, which when making contact with the air turning into black smoke which blanketed the area. Golem didn’t know what was sadder, the fact that the masses were that dumb to jump to sudden conclusions or that Luna had the cynicism and that little faith in humanity to predict and prepare for such a thing.

“Oi, all you poor bastards who got roped into this. Unless you want to know what a public lynching feels like. I recommend getting off your behinds and running like hell.” Luna stated, then bolted as fast as her body could take her. She didn’t really mind them trying to kill her, but she had something to do and dealing with these people was not something she could afford to do.

Varis

"Eh? Me needing coin?" He couldn't help but scoff at the offer given by the woman. "Though I do appreciate someone noticing my ability with a blade...I'm merely taking a moment to rest my eyes. It's not as if I were expecting a barrage on my senses today." Outwardly he seemed the same as he had earlier with no lack of self-confidence..or ego, but his mind was racing with the news of him being asked to traverse to the forests with people who were now slightly above the title of 'Stranger'.

He would ditch them at the first sign of snowfall; that was for certain. If they ended up going to a different forest then he had little to worry about.

The signs of the growing conflict brought him out of his thoughts, his golden eyes scanning the crowd as they began to approach them. "Oh..wonderful." Accusations of them having killed Alaphus, angry shouting..what they had planned for the group wasn't exactly a mystery. His eyes narrowing in annoyance as he laid there on the broken cobblestone. "Yes, yes. The one's who fought that crazy witch who was up to no good are the ones who killed Alaphus!" He saw no need to try and be subtle with just how frustrated he was. They had no memory of what had just happened, so they decided to blame the people closest to the remnants of the stone. Maybe he had picked a poor place to rest.

The townswomen hadn't even seen his wonderful dueling ability! His day was just getting worse, honestly. "While I'm confident in my ability to get out of prison..I'm not sure about the rest of you." One of women had already began pouring some sort of liquid on the ground; black smoke soon covering them and their tracks. It would do a better job than hist mist. "I say we find some horses and book it out of town! Running as a whole group is a sure way to get put in prison together but we can't exactly split up!" The elf proposed as his familiar began to take shape once more. A hawk materialized on his shoulder before taking flight, moving to gain altitude as its owner scanned the area. Splitting up really did seem like the most rational idea but by what Alaphus said, it seemed everyone was needed. The time it would take to free someone from a cell was time they couldn't waste. This was a certain race against time. "I'll run along the buildings and give you all directions!"

Using the smoke as cover, he managed to expertly climb along one of the buildings that seemed stable enough after the destruction; dodging and sliding past the various objects the townsfolk threw at him during his ascent. "Run as a group! I'll see if I can use my magic to fool or distract the town!"

Today was really going to be exhausting.

_Line 213 simj26 The One Eyed Bandit Hanarei Shiyonichi Remembrance

Duyane was retreating along with the others. Though it actually didn’t matter if Duyane or Golem was caught, they could just be put into Phantasm form and escape, though keeping that in mind their Summoner couldn’t do that and speaking of their Summoner. Duyane pulled out an arrow and shot it at the crowd that was gaining on Luna, who due to her low physical prowess was falling behind despite her head start. The arrow spouted into ivy and quite literally tied up quite a few members of the crowd.

Though rather than a thank you from Luna, she just gave out two orders. “Duyane, bird harassment! Golem, block their paths!” Like with the soliders, Duyane called on his feather bound friends to distract the crowd. While Golem proved that the Crowd was not the only people with a home field advantage, with so much stone around it wasn’t very difficult to make the barricades that Luna requested.

Of course the only thing that Luna herself could do, was continue to run. Even though she was starting to run out of breath, her sides felt like mush, and she was sincerely wishing she had taken her physical education seriously back in school. At times like this really, really, missed movement magic.

Varis

Varis' eyes scanned the horizon, taking in as much detail of the various routes and shortcuts the town possessed, his familiar feeding him with as much information that he could handle. "Okay..okay.." He had to think fast, and decide on their route. "Ah..this way!" He called out towards the ones on the ground, gesturing for them to follow him as he ran along the rooftops. He watched as some of the crowd had dispersed and began moving to intercept them as they took his path; leading for the elf to have to find a way to block them.

He'd have to lead everyone to the stables, which meant leading them to the gates. The elf figured it was best to take the various alleyways and tight streets; leaping from rooftop to rooftop while occasionally calling out which direction for the group to turn when they came across an intersection all the while leading them towards the major road that would give them a shot towards the gate he was aiming for. The alleys would hopefully cause congestion behind them as the large crowd would most certainly struggle to fit. That just left the ones that were trying to intercept them for him to deal with.

He'd use his deceptive magic to trick the townsfolk, creating illusory fences or other blockages in their paths. He had to play it safe to not become too exhausted, ending the illusions as soon as the group was past it meaning the ones who had tried to intercept them would end up with the group that was chasing them. "We're going to end up in a sorta major road but it's best for us to get there before the rest of the crowd!" The elf lept from some uninteresting blacksmith's shop and landed on what looked to be a building currently in construction.

Or, was in construction. He felt the wood begin to give out from under his feet; the clearly unstable construction beginning to collapse while giving the elf just barely enough time to jump onto another building; his hand barely grasping onto the edge of a roof so he could lift himself up. He looked back, the piles of wood seeming to block the path they'd been taking. Hopefully it would buy them time. "Ah..oops." He couldn't apologize now, he had to keep leading the others towards the approaching road.

So he just kept running.

MaxieAngry villagers weren’t an uncommon sight. Some got angry for things that weren’t even her or her Master’s fault, blamed them for problems that they never started, or a side-effect of their ‘tampering’, as they called it. Maxie had a suspicion that some of these people just wanted to prey on her master’s good will, and had voiced just as much to her master. He acknowledged her worries, and assuaged her that he suspected as much, but his duty as a thaumaturge was more important. That was why he never fought back when he was shunned, and advised that neither should she. She couldn't say she understood why he would put his duty ahead of his own reputation, especially not now. How her heart ached, and how she gritted her teeth and gnawed at her lip upon the sudden cry of anger at the group’s supposed actions. It wasn't fair! It wasn't their fault! They protected the people! Why were they directing their anger to their saviours? How dare they! She raised one hand, summoning a flame to her palm. She could raze them where they stood.

It was when the huge lady urged her to flee that her thoughts were interrupted. She took a moment to gaze at the lady, then at the fire in her hands, and with a wave of her hand, extinguished the flame. She didn't need to be told twice. She had to run. She turned around, and scurried after the strong lady. The call of the black magicks had never been so seductive before. Her master had warned her of her emotions being what controlled her magics, and as such, she must control her emotions to master her magics. She didn't think of it much before, but now, it began to dawn on her just what dangers lay beyond practicing the arts of the arcane. Silent, she kept in pace with the lady, attempting to gather her thoughts.

Her ears twitched in response to the use of magic in the air, snapping her out of her reverie. The source was the elf, and she could barely make out illusory magicks being utilised by him, though what illusions he erected, she did not feel courageous enough to turn around and see, not because of fear of the townsfolk, but of the reminder that she had almost let her emotions dictate her actions. Drawing the brim of her hat down, she focused her sight forwards on the wide shoulders of her muscular companion.

Standing against the steadily enraging crowd, Pitah couldn't say that she was unable to understand how they felt. While the destruction of the Crater would be cause for celebration rather than grief, her travels had taught her well enough that the residents of the world at large would hardly feel the same. The Slumberstone was their treasure, and for whatever reason, they were blaming her for its destruction. She tensed her fists. They were mistaken, obviously, and the only way she could see to amend their misgivings was to, as they say, 'beat some sense into them'.

And while she could hardly defeat them all, she wasn't going to just lay down and run.

Where others avoided and waylaid the mob, Pitah rang true to her lineage and set out to carve a path through it. In the elf's wake, she rocketed forward, her blood once again coming to a searing boil as she batted away man and woman alike, drawing the ire of both her victims and witnesses as she went. She wouldn't kill them, they hadn't done anything to deserve that, but they'd definitely be left reeling long enough to aid in her getaway.

Following loosely after the elf's lead, a contingent of the crowd broke after the Bull-Rhaga, signaling her out to their friends and herding her down a maze of side streets and alleys. This was there town, and despite the elf's inference, the girl's single-mindedness was playing right into their whims. Down old streets and past rickety building they chased her, and before long, she'd found herself run up between a wall, and a whole lot of burly, angry looking townsfolk; And a number of them that she wasn't quite bold enough to fight off at that.

Still, this was fine. Breathing deeply, she turned her attention from her pursuers and towards the old, weak-looking structures around her. It was a good thing that she'd led her where they had, or she'd have been in a proper spot of trouble. As shameless and without pause as ever, Pitah tore into the wall she'd been backed up against, her faith-bolstered strength turning its old and failing wood into a series of handholds as she scrambled up the wall, and into the relative safety that the rooftops offered.

Below her, she heard yells of protestation only rise, now that they'd actually witnessed her 'destroying their heritage', and around her, she saw nothing. Nothing but the elf hopping about in the distance, guiding whoever else the townspeople and singled out to safety. So, she guess she'd follow his lead.

"Ok, deal with the tin cans on the walls. Duyane, Phantasm form, now" Luna didn't want to reveal her cards and let a bunch of people even have a clue about her powers, but she didn't have much of a choice lest they get surrounded by the foolish masses. Luna put her hand on Duyane's Phylactery, which was sheathed at her side and focused severing the connection between her and her companion and his connection to the physical world. The young waygod nodded as he disappeared into a cloud of light green wisps, his physical body turning into a spiritual one, unseen by most. Duyane floated up the walls in phantasmal form then was remanifested to ambush the guards. Flocks of birds, wild vines, and blunt head arrows that released yellow clouds of sleep powder when they impacted, assaulted the guards throwing the gate control into absolute chaos.

Luna rammed an knife hand into the underside of man's chin who attempted to grab her, in attempt at defending herself she may not had a lot of physical strength, but she made it up with surgeon like person and an extensive knowledge of the human anatomy to knock him out in a single blow. "Golem push these bastards back!" Golem grumbled something under his breath, which if she had heard, she would have no doubt thrown his phylactery down a sewage drain. Luckily for him all the chaos forcing her to keep her mind focused on other things. Golem brought up barricades of grey brickwork, but this time they were pushed towards the mob at a speed while nonlethal, was still enough force to knock them off their feet and get swept away like specks of dust under a well worn broom.

Varis

This was seriously turning into a pain.

Varis was taking care to actually watch his step as he went, his eyes looking out at the townsfolk occasionally as they made their way towards the gate. They were getting closer! He barely noticed the fact that their pursuers were racing them at this point. If they couldn't catch the group then they would just lock them in. "Damn..this is getting to be too much.." Down the road the group went, eventually finding themselves close to freedom; though it seems it wouldn't be without a struggle.

The gate was closing, and those that had been chasing them looked to be catching up. The elf narrowed his eyes as he stood atop one of the roofs, scanning the area to see anything of use was close by. His eyes focused on the horned-girl from before, apparently not too far away from him. It looks like she had taken the rooftops too. The elf gave her a friendly wave, and a wink. Though they were probably too far from each other for the girl to notice.

The struggle down bellow was getting worse, 'Tall, Tan, and Beautiful' taking a rather hard punch to the gut as she focused on keeping the gate from closing. They were close, all they had to do was just get through and get to the horses. "Hup!" The elf leaped from his rooftop view with hardly any plan. Plans were overrated. He would just wing it like usual.

The man who dealt the gut punch to Kolu suddenly cried out and collapsed, the well dressed elf standing a top him. "Ah..talk about a hard landing..." He mused, gently rubbing his knees as he looked at the woman. "Is ah..this your daily exercise routine or something?" He then put his attention towards the coming crowd, frowning. "I didn't really have an idea of what to do..but I'm sure it'll be fine!" The elf casually slid under the woman, standing between her and the guards attempting to close the gate. "You may wanna close your eyes, dearie."

With that, the elf looked at the guards with a confident grin. "Who wants to see a magic trick?!" He wasn't waiting for a response, suddenly bringing his hands together to clap; a sudden flash of blinding light filling the immediate area in an attempt to blind them and hopefully make them let go. "Watch me disappear!" The elf was already sprinting past, towards the stable.

He was free! He could just grab a horse and leave these strangers behind.

But that would hardly look good on him now would it? Was he feeling..guilt? It felt so..gross.

The elf began to undo any sort of restraints and such the horses had, guiding them towards the gate before sending them off full speed towards it. "You all better get on them quick!" He drew his sabre from its sheath after sending off the third horse. His magic would have worn off by now..and they would probably try to pick a fight.

_Line 213 simj26 The One Eyed Bandit Hanarei Shiyonichi

MaxieEven her Rhaga blood couldn't save her from the many years of lack of exercise. Master wasn't the type to put focus on healthy living, outside of a healthy diet. She was initially able to keep in tandem with the giant musclebound lady, but her short legs were soon too heavy to match a single stride of the muscled woman. Her throat was beginning to feel parched, and she was panting her way to the finish line. She dashed past the foreigner, under the gates, and doubled over, clutching at her knees and gasping for air. The brim of her hat was beginning to darken with sweat, and so was her patchwork tunic. Gods have mercy. She turned to watch for the rest of the party to run past, and could barely get in enough air to gasp when the foreigner was struck right in her gut by one of the townsfolk. The pained cry from the woman stirred something within her, but at this juncture, she was much too exhausted to have heard the calling of dark magicks. She only did what instinct dictated she did. She shot one hand forwards, and sent an arcing bolt of lightning straight at the townsperson, blasting him back into the mob, causing some pause amongst the rest of them. The smell of burnt skin invaded her senses, and she coughed, clutching at her sides.

By the divine, if running like this was going to be a common activity, she would have to either start investing in learning how to fly or pick up running lessons. Was that how everyone could run so well without tiring? Lessons? She pushed that thought away for another time. She had to give the foreigner space to breathe as well. She wasn't very worried about her health- she seemed strong enough to handle a punch or two, but the makeshift weapons the crowd was wielding could still take out an eye or two. She raised both her hands, still gulping in for air, gathering the energy of the winds around her, coalescing it into one entity between her palms, then pitched it forwards, past the foreigner, and then released the energy built up within the pocket of air, creating a strong enough gale to send the townsfolk reeling. Without wasting a second, she generated energy once more on the palms of her hands, willing it to ignite to flame. As drawn as people were to flame, they, too, were afraid of just how much destruction fire could wrought if unchecked. If she aimed this burst of flame just right, she could stop the townsfolk’s advance, and not hurt anyone in the process. She was just too tired to think of anything else but to get as far away from Pyrr as possible. With a cry of desperation, she flung the two orbs of flames forwards. They exploded into pillars of flames in front of the townspeople, singing an eyebrow or two in the process, then expanded outwards towards each other, creating a literal wall of fire, leaving just a small enough gap for the rest of the party to scurry on through.

Breathing heavily, she tugged at the foreigner. Unable to speak, she could only motion to the horses that the elf had prepared for them. Wordlessly, she continued to pull at thr woman ineffectually, trying to pull her to safety before the fire died out.

As the guards along the walls lost their sense of concentration due to the sudden re-appearances of several flocks of birds, the barbarian beneath the closing gate was allowed a bit of breathing room, the slight dissipation of the contraption's resistance allowing her to push herself back up to her full height, despite the blow she had taken earlier. The others, thankfully, had taken care of the one that had hit her, a sudden spell and a falling elf more than enough to send the man out of commission; if anything, maybe he should be a bit worried about whether or not he'd be able to work for the next few months.

Another ripple of upturned cobblestone washed up the grand boulevard, pushing townspeople out of the way and buying more precious time for the group to continue their escape, the wide open road into open pastures now more than inviting, the dangers of arrows flying from the walls now quelled, thanks to the Summoner's efforts. Explosions rocked the streets, the mage finally unleashing further power, the strange change having come over her in the moment serving as a great benefit, even if those on the receiving end would likely be left worse for wear. The great heat and loud noises had the added benefit of spurring the horses; if any were reluctant to move before, they were certainly more than ready to get going now, many of them bolting straight out of the stables, regardless of whether or not their riders were ready.

The horses began to rush through the gate, many empty, yet several adorned with fleeing riders, even as Maxie continued to tug at the foreigner holding everything open. She glanced behind her briefly; if there was anyone else still present behind the gate, she couldn't see them, and there were only a few more approaching horses left. Offering a grin, albeit slightly pained, the foreigner looked down at the Rhagakin, offering a nod. "Quick thinking!" she reiterated, seemingly in approval to the girl's earlier actions. Pulling one hand away from the gate, she reached forward to grab the girl herself, the other shifting slightly as it prepared to reach for an incoming horse. Forcing herself out from under the gate, her arm snapped forward, through the loop of her blade (for there was no way she'd allow herself to lose it) for a stray reign, grasping it just in time as the horse began to drag her along for the ride. Her other arm hefted Maxie upon the mount as best she could, only to snap back to the leather as she grappled her way onto the horse herself, the gate having slammed shut seconds after their sudden departure.


Past the walls awaited the rush of open winds. Bright, rolling hills stretched out in all directions but behind, the light grey stone of Pyrr little more than an anomaly amongst the wide fields and farmlands. Golden stalks of grain pushed upward from within fenced boundaries, cattle and livestock ambling aimlessly through peaceful, lightly-swaying greenery. Off in the distance stood great standing stones, none as tall as the one which, until moments ago, once stood in the center of Pyrr, yet majestic and notable in their own distinct ways, dotting the open landscape like tall, sparse trees. The only sounds besides the breeze were the heavy footfalls of horse hooves and the full-bodied laughing of the woman atop the rearmost horse, which likely would have strained under her weight alone, let alone the weight of herself and another.

"We are alive! By the gods, part of me cannot even believe it!" She slapped a hand down upon the steed as she continued to bellow, the horse letting out a pained whinny of protest as a result of the woman's overly-heavy strike.

The horses continued to gallop; even with Maxie's fire and flames far behind them, the steeds remained scared out of their wits, running as a group until they finally began to tire, slowing, and, in the process, allowing for some degree of control. Others, unburdened, continued to shoot for the hills, likely lost to their former masters for quite some time, if not forever. The foreigner, too, had finally managed to calm herself, letting out a satisfied sigh as her outbreak of relieved laughter came to a close. "...Aaah, that may have been a little too much for me," she remarked, reaching a hand up to rub at its opposite shoulder, "I am starting to feel a soreness...and now that we are here, where are we supposed to be going?"

“Away from the city that wants to kill us, Doorstop.” Luna answered half heartedly. The threw a well made healing potion to the warrior for her shoulders. “Well, that’s another city I can’t ever go back to.” The former mage added in sarcastically. “And this time it’s for the wrong reasons.” She muttered to herself bitterly. She leaned against the back of the horse cart watching the ethereal form of the nature Waygod communicating with the horses and calming them, without the rest of the party’s knowledge.

Duyane and Golem stayed behind to slow down the crowd, but it was far from a sacrifice as they just turned into phantasmal form and slipped away, meeting up with the horse cart within the hour. Being the slave driver she was the former mage had the Nature Waygod calm down the horses and would probably have the horses under his control within half an hour.

“Well I’m going to take a nap now...” Golem states with a yawn. Luna gave a look of annoyance and pointed to where the stone Waygod’s coin was hidden before thumbing behind her, a solid NO to the Lazy Waygod and the Stone Waygod knew it was better not to argue with her, lest he would have to hitchhike with the next random rift raft to use this road.

Luna tapped the side of her head trying recall information about their destination. She was pretty sure she seen the name of Waygoddess they were supposed to see somewhere, after all she was a former mage and an archmage candidate at that and as a mage she was supposed to know lots of things, the problem was she knew far too many things. It was actually quite difficult for her to sort through the years of gathered knowledge and recall a specific piece of information.

“Oi Bubbles, Twinkletoes, know anything about this Elira character?” The Luna addressed Maxie and Varis respectively, as a mage and a elf they should know lots of things, theoretically. The former mage pointed at the people she was addressing, also letting the them know what she was going to be addressing them as from now on. The other hand was tapping her head. She had given up on trying to map a route without a destination, instead tried to make a mental list on forests that may fit the bill. Though it was a pretty big list.

simj26 CerpinTaxt

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Footfalls and hoof-falls faded into the trees and sunlight.

The green of the fields had long since moved overhead, patches of dapple illuminating the shaded roadway as the cool, sheltered underbrush, still laden with earlier dew, decorated the sides of the long-overgrown path. Mud and moistened dirt carried wagon ruts both fresh and old, the path of the travelers marked by the soft indentations they left behind upon the soil.

It had been no more than a day of travel since the small group had vanished from Pyrr, the residents of that once-proud town now forced to reconcile with their losses, regardless of whether or not they still believed the outcast adventurers at fault. It was no town that could be easily returned to, assuming that it could be returned to at all.

And yet, their half-dead god remained in the possession of the strange few upon the roadway, the faintest glow from the shattered piece of his Slumberstone being the only evidence of Alaphus's continued existence upon that quiet star. If the Waygod were aware of the progress of his supposed chosen, he showed no sign of it, his vessel still laced by light, still unchanged from the events of hours ago.

The road to the forest's edge was decorated with little other than farmland, rolling hills, and the occasional high stone steeple, laced by welcoming figures in robes. The travelers had managed to outpace word from Pyrr, so it seemed; others were nothing if not welcoming, the lazy pace of an endless countryside existence having long tempered the residents of the Stonefields. In a way, it was strange just how free the region was; not a single guard camp or imperial checkpoint dotted the open road, and what few others made their way up and down the pathways were either men and women of simple means or strange, rambling outfits and hodge-podged parties not too dissimilar from the group themselves.

Little changed once they had passed the initial lines of trees. The proud white rocks of the fields were replaced with sparse, crumbling stone walls and the faces of once-great structures, buildings of untold shape and size marking the locations of what were undoubtedly proud human towns and places in their own right, brought low by one of the many great wars over all of Callaerhna.

The sound of running water whispered through the trees before anything but green became clear, the sound of creaking timber reaching the most sensitive ears amongst the band just after. It was only then that, through the foliage, a small, riverside town of no more than a few dirt streets reached their eyes. A waterwheel turned lazily at the village edge, a well and two-tent market comprising the entirety of the town's modest center. Each building was no doubt built with the wood that once stood in its clearing, foundations set with stone that seemed barely quarried; more likely, perhaps, the largest stones of the nearby riverbed were simply cemented into place. Some roofs were shingled with slates of wood, others were simply thatched; the few chimneys that stood above were without smoke, and colored cloth billowed behind open windows. The older buildings in the town, their sidings faded and mossed with age and use, sported elaborate carvings in their woodwork, oft sporting a repeated, interlocked, nigh weave-like patterning. If the villagers still cared for such designs, the fresher structures did little to denote such.

A handful of children chased each other through the streets, no doubt some of the only younglings present in the town. What adults still remained outside in the early afternoon air seemed just about ready to put down their various tasks and trades. Though a small few glanced toward the arriving party, most seemed to care very little, returning to the remnants of their work directly after. This, no doubt, was a pass-through village, a place that was merely another stop on the way to Pyrr; there was little to take, and little to see; indeed, the open road on the other end of town was the only one that seemed to have sported any activity in more than a year, the other outstretched pathways in various stages of overgrowth.

Kolu'luka yawned loudly as the group finally came upon the town, stretching slightly as she walked. Walking--and little else--had managed to make her restless where others would likely have grown tired. "Finally, someplace new! Do you think these people know of who we seek? Elira, yes? Who would we ask?"

Varis

The journey so far had been rather quaint considering the unfortunate beginning. No one from Pyrr had bothered to chase the group it seemed, and the chaos had subsided to a nice and peaceful horse ride to the next town. For a rather busy town, it seemed the dirt road they'd taken was shockingly sparse of others during their trip; Varis concluding there were better and more popular roads that most took. It wasn't the first time Varis had been down a road like this and with their current track record of accidentally trashing cities it probably wouldn't be the last time either.

That little seed of doubt remained in him, making him wonder why he was still with these complete strangers. Especially when one had so rudely called him 'Twinkle-toes' which he merely replied with a scoff and ignoring them. Whatever. It's not as if he had much else to do anyway, and it's not like he came across any valuables during that chase through the town. This group provided a bit of protection as well, a certain plus to the nimble elf.

Their seemingly endless traveling left Varis horrifically bored, not to mention sore. He couldn't stand riding a horse for so long, and he could only be entertained by the scenery for so long. Perhaps it was better that he was just bored instead of being chased or hunted by those who heard of their deeds in Pyrr. At least with him, some would claim Varis himself made the story himself and just believe he had nothing to do with it at all. His dramatic reputation was probably secure, but what of the others? That muscular woman certainly looked like she was capable of what Pyrr claimed them of doing.

After a while, he just started to sing, his native tongue echoing amongst the environment as he sang just to stave off his immense boredom. He couldn't remember the last time he spoke his language; outside of using it to sound exotic amongst the various women he'd met, anyway. He couldn't say the feeling he felt was nostalgia, but it had to be something similar. To speak his native language just because he wished to rather than with a goal or manipulative means behind it.

As much as he didn't want to admit to himself, the ruins and destroyed structures unsettled him. Made him feel guilty.

What if this was what it looked like now?

His ring felt just a bit heavier on his finger.

--

"You think we're going to get anyone here?" Varis asked, his eyebrow raised as he looked at the various villagers hard at work at their crafts, the gentle stream of water combining with the waterwheel hard at work nearby. He heard the stream before the group had even set eyes on the town; as plain and unassuming as one would expect. Varis directed his horse so it stood side by side with the muscular foreigner, his face unchanging. "I doubt there's anyone here that we could ask to be honest though..maybe if there's some here that's in charge we could ask them?"

It was Varis' best answer to the proposition. The town was simple, made obvious by the uncomplicated building of their homes and the people who decided to just go back to work after looking at them for a few moments. Varis focused on the older buildings for a few moments, noting that their building measures became less elaborate the newer the building. If Varis had to guess, the skilled builders had either left for Pyrr or the like. Perhaps they'd been inspired by tales of adventure that people shared on their way to Pyrr.

"What if they don't like outsiders?"

_Line 213

Maxie
She rifled through the pages, thumbing through the whole lot of them, trying to find a single mention of Elira in it. How could it be possible? The many generations of Grinstead research, and nothing? Just one page of scribbling, and a few sketches. This was worrying. Something just didn't add up. There had only been a few addendums to the entry, none of which helped with the matter at hand, and several additions clearly expressed the writers’ annoyance. They, like her, were completely baffled at the lack of information for this particular Waygoddess, and only a few of them took the challenge to find out more about her. None of them succeeded in much. What the entry read was fairly long-winded, but she grasped the basic gist of it.


No one worshipped Elira outside of a single town in the forest. That town, however, had already fallen to ruin. Destroyed by an unknown force, or just time taking its toll on the population of the town and the younger generations leaving to earn their keep somewhere else, she didn't know. Both options were equally depressing. She didn't want to think about it.


She had been too tired to answer Luna earlier, and honestly, too lazy flip through the thousands of pages in her book. Though it may seem like there were but fifty pages in it, it was but another charm set upon the book by another Master, after realising that the book was getting fairly thick to carry around conventionally. Now that she had her answer, sort of, she was raring to go. “I!” She exclaimed suddenly, raising her hand. She paused, then realised how goofy she must have seemed, jumping up and raising her hand like that. She lowered her hand sheepishly, then continued. “I suggest we look for the elders in this town.” She shuffled over to the muscled lady, and showed her the page detailing the Waygoddess they were looking for, and pointed at the very peculiar designs on the buildings in the pages, then directed her finger to one of the nearby houses, aged beyond her knowledge. “The patterns and decorations the older houses have- they’re the same as the ones on my book.” Something nagged at her about this sentence, as if she forgot to realise something. “So maybe the older members of the town might know something about Elira.” She couldn't put her finger on it. Something was off.

With each fall of her foot, the moss-riddled smell of obscurity filled Pitah's nose more and more. Striking a stark contrast to the festive streets of Pyrr, the woods that Alaphus had guided them to were thick with an air of dilapidation. The trees stood tall, thick and mighty, that was doubtless, but of the town that lay nestled beneath them, the same could not be said. Each structure, she could tell, had been made by a different person with a different story to tell. The same hands had not raised each wall, or shingled each roof, and tiny inklings of personality could be seen ebbing its way through the peculiarities of each home's construction, a ghost of their builder's lingering will.

Once upon a time, this place would have been beautiful. Somewhere than any proper follower of Pit would be proud to spend a night in, and then return home with a smile on their face and stories in their mind. What lay in front of her now, though, Pitah could only think of as sad. She was sure that when it had first risen from the forest floor, this town would have been as lively as it was beautiful, but now it could only be called a dying, rotting shadow of its old self.

Even if this wasn't a part of her pilgrimage, she was glad she'd been led to this place. It was a good reminder of why The Cycle was as it was.

As the others begun to speak among themselves, Pitah remained silent, but listened along all the same. They raised good points, locals were sure to be on their guards in parts such as these, but she wasn't sure if scheming behind their backs like this was the best option to take. Her home, The Crater, wasn't too dissimilar to a place like this. Sure, it was far better kept, but the quietness and isolation of the town was almost just like it was back home. The town then, might have shared more than just its quietness with her home, and perhaps that meant that this was a far more welcoming place than appearances would lead one to believe.

"Hm. There is something that I would like to try first." Speaking to Maxie first and foremost, but the group as a whole too, Pitah made her intent clear before pacing further into the town and towards the laughing children in the distance. Right in the path of the first child she could find, she planted herself tall and firm, an unmoving wall that the child in their distracted playfulness would fail to notice, running straight into her legs.

"Hello, little one. Could you lend me a hand? I am looking for someone named Elira, would you know where to find them?"

Luna rolled her eyes at the silence. Fantastic, first she was run out of another city, now she was dealing with a hundred year old teenager and a child. Fan-fruit topped-tastic. The former mage sighed. “Luna shouldn’t you take a nap? You haven’t slept for around two days and you just ran through an entire city.” Golem whispered into her ear, concerned. Luna scoffed at that question, during her time at Ascalon, she stayed awake far longer finishing up various projects and research. Two day were nothing to her. Besides she didn’t want to go to sleep, she didn’t want anyone to be concerned about her health, they were just wasting their time.

————

“So, you had a magic book of great knowledge and you are looking through it now? Glad to know I was just being ignored, than you being a third rate, bubbles.” Of course, Luna doubted that if this mage was who she suspected they wouldn’t be third rate at the very least. “Are you sure that there isn’t anything more in that book of yours? Well whatever, going to speak to the elders is probably your best bet, old people tend to know a lot and not shut up about it.” Of course that didn’t include her, as she had a better method of finding more about this Elira character, by speaking to a being far older than old people.

“Well, you guys do that, I’m going to go talk to the Waygod of this village. Duyane, babysit these fools for me.” Duyane perked up at his name being called out loud, before Luna put her hand on his short sword causing him to manifest in the cart in a gathering of emerald green wisps. The nature Waygod reeled back and gave a meek wave at the sudden manifestation. The former mage left the cart, a still phantasmal Golem at her heels, leaving Duyane to take questions. She didn’t really care that she had shown off her ability in such close proximity. After all if they were going to be traveling together they were eventually going to see her manifesting her two companions anyway.

Luna spotted Pittah and what she was doing before muttering to herself. “Ignoring the Mage kid’s advice and trying to get information from actual children, brilliant.” The former mage shrugged and started walking. While she didn’t know where the Waygod was, after traveling around with Duyane and Golem, she could sense the subtle changes in mana due to an influence with a Waygod, while she couldn’t feel the exact location of Waygods she could feel their influence and follow it to lead her to them. It was just a real shame it couldn’t lead the former mage to her final destination.

If there was a Waygod in the village, it certainly did not want to be found; the spread of magic throughout that section of the forest was nothing if not even, with no great pools of power denoting the presence of one such being present in any way. And, indeed, there were no signs of worship either; not a single monument, stone, or altar decorated the village, its center empty save for the markers of everyday life. The simplicity of the place, it seemed, extended to their lack of worship--or, perhaps, their lack of awareness.

Yet, as Luna grew ever-nearer to the town's edge, peeking into the forest along an overgrown road likely not used by travelers for years or more, the light twinge of something greater seemed to prickle at the senses. Standing lamps, overgrown with vines and plant life, never lit for many moons, dotted the path as they receded into the overgrowth. And, much like many of the older buildings, that same strange collection of laced, interconnected decoration dotted the worked metal of their tops and posts.

The large foreigner placed her hands on her hips, letting out a loud hum as some offered suggestions, while others simply split away to look about on their own. There were no elders in the main square, as was likely to be expected; at the end of the day, such hallowed members of the village's folk were likely indoors, either resting or doing what little they could to prepare for the coming evening. Slight trails of smoke rose upward from the smokestacks of the village's largest building; a common-house, perhaps, considering its open double doors and the building smell of brewing dinner. "If they do not like outsiders, then we will have to be persistent!" she reasoned, seeming to ignore the potential problems with such a problem for the time being; perhaps something had been lost in translation. "Where would we find an elder, then?" she asked, stretching her arms out briefly before moving toward the structure. What went unsaid, of course, was that there was an equal chance that she sought the elder and that she sought whatever pot held the source of the smell.

The inside was homely in and of itself; benches surrounded several sets of tables--perhaps boasting more seating than there were people in the village--whilst a fireplace with fur rugs and cushions sat off to the side, dark and unused in light of the warm air. A group of mothers with carefully-swaddled children spoke off to the side, whilst another gathering of figures both young and old tended to a firepit at the far end, shifting cookware and picking ingredients off of nearby shelves. Kolu let out another low hum, rubbing her palm against her chest for a time. "This is a place I could grow used to; in some ways, it reminds me of home."

Near the middle of the village, one of the passing children came to a first stop in front of the Rhagakin, blinking in slight confusion as he pulled himself away from her legs and immediately took note of her horns. Given the village's remoteness, and the child's age, it was entirely possible that he had never seen someone quite like her up close. "...You're not one of Hena's friends, are you?" he asked, wrinkling his nose, "because she keeps going on about someone named that." He spaced out for another moment, still staring at the top of the woman's head. It was clear where his true interests stood. "...Is that a hat? Can I try it on?"

Maxie“I, uh, well--” she stumbled upon her own words. What could she say? In the excitement or, rather, in her case, the horror of being pursued like rats by exterminators by common townsfolk, there had been a lapse in her judgement and her thoughts. How could she be expected to think of her book after being almost strung and quartered by a rabid mob from an accusation that bore no water? Maxie was frustrated with the silver-haired lady, but she bit her tongue. There was no point in talking back to one’s elders, her Master had told her. “‘Twould be better off to bear no wounds to fester between both parties,” he would have said. “If wounds must be had, then it would be for the best if only one receive them than two.” She would have to trudge on. There was no point, as her Master said, in trying to answer back.

No, there was something else that disturbed her. There was a method to investigation, and she would not like to leap straight to the conclusion without much evidence, but there was too much circumstantial ones lying around. The designs of the homes matched the ones in her book, and this small town seemed too secluded from the outside world. No strangers like their group, she noticed- everyone seemed to be part of this community. She supposed it could be attributed to the fact that there was nothing out here for adventurers and traders to go out of their way for, but still, it couldn’t be a coincidence that the quaint little town would have so much in common with the one in her book. “Remind yourself that it is more likely for coincidences to occur than strategic sabotage,” Master once told her. Perhaps that was just it. Just coincidences.

The other Rhagakin didn’t seem particularly interested in following her advice, and the tinkerer’s statement rang true. Though, given how much old people tended to talk once one got them to open up, some with minimal effort, and that the elderly tended to have more insight rather than children, she was stalwart in her own decision to seek out someone with at least a few decades under their belt. The muscled one had gone off in search of the scent of freshly cooked food. While she could feel her stomach grumbling, she did not feel particularly ready to eat just yet. There were many things a Grinstead mage was, and one of them was inquisitive. Until she found what she was searching for, there would be no mental repose for her. She looked towards the silver-haired lady, who had decided to walk off somewhere, and started to follow her, before her ears twitched, having caught the words of the children who had been approached by her fellow kinsman.

It was coming together. The puzzle pieces were arranging themselves, but there were still a few pieces removed from the board. She trusted that her horned kinsman would be able to gather information about the Waygoddess herself. If she couldn’t then Maxie could always come back herself to pry it out of them. Without wasting any more time, she hurried after the silver-haired one as quickly as her legs could carry her within the confines of her gown. She came up short behind her, breathing heavily, and opened her mouth to say something before she caught sight of the architecture that lay beyond them on the path.

“By the Beyond,” she breathed, as she slowly made her way towards the lamp posts, brushing one hand against the rusted metal, tracing the metalwork and the patterns upon it. There were so many theories running wild in her head right now. Was this town rebuilt over the years that a Grinstead mage had not the opportunity to witness on top of the previous town that fell into ruin? Or was this a magical recreation of the land that was? A Waygoddess’ power cannot be weighed with trifle mortal imagination, Maxie thought. It could be anything. It could be any possibility. She snapped her fingers and pointed at the lamp post’s empty canopy. A fire exploded into life in its place, hanging in the previously empty space, illuminating the area around them. Without a word, she waved her hands, bringing her notebook and a feather pen to her hands. An ink bottle floated beside her as she flipped through the pages to the entry of Elira. She dipped her pen into the ink bottle and hurriedly scribbled a few addendums and notes to the page, noting how the patterns of the buildings matched the ones in this town. “What...significance...does it...hold?” she muttered to herself as she wrote the words onto the page. She snapped the book shut and exhaled in excitement. “Oh Gods and Goddesses, this is amazing!” she squeaked with joy, before remembering that there was someone else with her. She gave another squeak, this time of panic, and turned around to face her silver-haired companion. “O-oh! I f-forgot you were there! Uhm, not that you were forgettable, just that-- uh, I was preoccupied with my thoughts, and this is such a wonderful discovery. You see the metalwork? The patterns upon them? They match the desi--” Maxie clasped a hand over her mouth. She was rambling again. No one liked rambling. She cut herself short and started another sentence. “U-uhm, i-if you’d like, we could continue investigating the path. I have a feeling that we can find out something more if we continued. Though, by your expression, I surmise that you already are aware of this fact, soI’lljustshutupnow.” She closed her mouth with that last rapid fire of words, watching the other lady for her instructions. She could feel it too, Maxie realised. In fact, she noticed it faster than Maxie had. There was fluctuation in the air. She could not place a hand on it, but she was of the idea that her current companion knew what it was.

Shiyonichi

Even on the other side of the world, it seemed, children were just as strange as ever. There was a noticeable pause as the horned-Rhaga mulled over the boy's words. To request such a thing was more than a little audacious of him, but she could hardly summon the depravity to grow angry over such a trifle. Childhood and ignorance came hand in hand, after all.

"You can not. Also, they are called ribbons. Thank you for your help." At that, Pitah moved on from her brief interrogation and towards her next charge. Whoever this Hena was, it seemed safe to assume that she was the next piece of this puzzle. It did concern her a tad that this boy, young as he might have been, didn't know of the Waygod that presided over his home, but that was a thought for another moment.

In silence, she ventured further into the heart of the decrepit little town, taking in the sights as she did. The boy's ignorance shone a little more light on the sorry state of the place. If he'd not even known his Waygod's name, it wasn't much of a jump to assume that the town might have abandoned their worship altogether. Was this what a disregard for tradition lead to?

Her thoughts were straying from the subject at hand again.

"Hena!" More to snap herself out of her mire than continue the investigation, the moment PItah reached the town's center begun to yell with all the might she could muster. "I would like to speak with you! My companions and I are looking for the Waygod Elira! Please, lend us your aid!"