Fantasy Banners & Blood (Closed)

[PJ-Flash]

Finch fidgeted in his seat, head swimming and throat on fire. His voice was hoarse when he thanked Gillie and now he couldn't wheeze a word, gnawing on the hardtack but not favoring the taste. He had no ties to any of these people; he shouldn't let himself be consumed by grief any longer! Finch battled with himself over this as he stared into the flicker of the flames. People die every day, in horrifying manner by horrifying beasts. Though she had status as sheriff, to Finch, Alysha was a temporary co-worker, sans any of the small talk. He'd spoken to one-off customers more frequently than he'd interacted with Nemeia. The two of them should have been nobody, yet the images of their mangled bodies tore at his eyes like sandpaper and refused to leave.

Ash sat down next to Finch, jostling him to attention. Her leg. His gaze flicked to the mess of muscle and bone. He choked back the urge to gag - a raw, iron-tinged scent floated among the thick smell of smoke. Though his body felt weighed down and tired, Finch forced himself to reach for the backpack at his feet, fingers fumbling around until they reach a roll of cloth. Not proper bandaging, and certainly not for an open wound, but with little else in his possession, Finch had to make the best of it. The limb must be amputated if they couldn't reach professional help in time. Caused by the filthy, disease-ridden maw of that wolf and gone this far without treatment, avoiding infection would be impossible. Preferably, he could dab the area with a wet section of the cloth to clean it as best as he can before it is wrapped. That or pour the flask of alcohol into it, which he assumed could be problematic for everyone involved. A drink with low alcohol content can do very little other than irritate the wound. With the makeshift bandage, Finch pulled a tin of drinking water and a vial filled with red liquid from his bag. The small bottle was an effective painkiller, a brew tried and perfected but only available in small quantity. Drinking the mixture would slightly numb the nerves in the body and alter the way the brain recognises pain for around twenty minutes. It works, but it can have some side effects - dizziness, headache, or a rash if the recipient reacts strangely with it.

Finch set the tin and the vial on the ground and kept the roll of cloth cradled in his hands. He brought his eyes up toward Ash. "Now that we have a minute," he wasn't quite sure how to approach her. Ash, even in pain and dripping venom, radiated such regality and importance that next to her Finch felt quite small. He cleared his throat as it began to constrict. "We should cover your wound. If we're lucky it'll hold until Glewick."

 

[WlfSamurai]

“I’ve heard stories,” Gillie says watching Finch, “of Priests and Mages in the city that can make the body whole.”

Raes spits into the fire. “Bah,” he says with a wave. “Blood Mages, most like. I’d sooner say avoid them. ‘Sides,” he looks over his should at the smoldering city on the horizon. “I doubt we’ll find them there.” Raes looks around the group, sizing each of you up. “As for splitting up, I say each makes their own choice. It’s how we started this. It should be how we end it.” He glances at his daughter. “Gillie and I will be seeing it through. We were paid to take our wagon all the way to Glewick and back. What we bring back with us... Well, we’ll see, I guess. But, you’re all welcome to stick with us. We brought provisions enough for all ya.”

Gillie nods. “I’m not great in a fight, but I can sew and mend. And I can cook.” Her smile fades as she eyes the hardtack she handed out. “—When I have more of my wits about me, I mean. I’ve never seen anything like those...things. What were they?”

Spoiler: Tagging

Teh Frixz , marshmarrow , Hestialuna , elie , Ronan , PJ-Flash , Silvana , Grammatic

 

[Ronan]

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[/div]Iiolete digs out the "half-eaten chunk of beef" from her teeth, and Ash's face wrinkles with disgust. ‘Your mistakes, you mean.’ The Aasimar was barbaric in her mannerisms. The definition of Ash's antithesis, her exact opposite, like heads and tails. She figured the sooner they reached Glewick City then the sooner they can go their separate ways, and she can return to whatever backwater country she came from that was undoubtedly populated with carbon copies of herself: crude and boorish, words synonymous with Iiolete.

'—And I did stay with the caravan. So did they,' she answered, gesturing towards the two bodies lying still on the prairie with a tarp covering them. They were starting to stink with their lungs and intestines hastily shoved back in. Another moment in the woods could've meant another dead body with all the noise made, so here they are: desecrated and disrespected on the hillside amidst the group's united fear of trying to flee the woods. Even Ash was unceremoniously dumped into the back of a wagon and grabbed whatever she could grab as the caravan took off at full speed. Now hours later, safe from the woods, the group came to an unanimous agreement to bury Alysha and Nemeia on the hilltop that overlooked Glewick City in the morning, but tonight, they stayed there as a home for the flies.

'It was the noise that attracted the wolves.' she informed, the accusation still rich in her dark green eyes before turning her to attention to Finch. He was anxious, Ash could tell; he fidgeted and made himself small in the face of the group. Softer concord was the only way to communicate with him.
As if on cue, she rolls up her breech legging (or what was left of it. The wolf took her hat, a boot, and all it could of her) and moved the poorly bandaged ankle towards him. She untied the gauze until it revealed that she manipulated her blood to cover the wound like a protective shield, and when she willed it, it receded into the healthier bits of skin to expose bone and contorted flesh. It hurt more when her blood moved away; it was her armour akin to liquid salve. 'Go ahead,' she assured, and at Gillie's joined comment, she nodded. 'Finch's help is welcome, but as you said, there are priests and mages that can make a body whole again, like the one in Glewick City. But even so,' she turned back to Finch. 'We should do all we can with the leg until we get there.'

The group continues to converse about the forest and the city, and Gillie easily dominates the conversation with talk of the wolves. True, they weren't ordinary wolves you saw in a zoology book. They were blind, but she figured that Faythe and Elias would have more to add about that since they saw it for themselves, too. Ash looks back to Iiolete (distraction from her leg) to find her drawing in the dirt. She guessed it would be cheap caricature of herself with fangs and claws but instead she saw something else, something very clear: the Wheel of Fortune.

'Iiolete!' she called. 'Stop—commoners drawing banners of the noble houses is tantamount to sacrilege, much less in the dirt.'

Spoiler: tags

WlfSamurai / Teh Frixz / PJ-Flash

 

[Silvana]

Angel was off by himself, tinkering on a few metal pieces. Trying to figure out what he was trying to make out of the materials. A lot of the time even Angel doesn't know what he is making. He just likes to mess with pieces of metal, creating them into some sort of object. Though, he heard someone mention something about a blood mage.

"Sounds like an interesting meal." Angel thought to himself as the thought of blood was slowly getting to him. Angel even felt his fangs appear before disappearing under his willpower. Angel had to clear his thoughts of blood. The more he thought about it, the more his vampire instincts kick in. Before that, Angel had to fight the incredible urge to lick the blood that were on a few of the people. To keep his mind off the blood, he thought about messing around with a few objects he had picked up before meeting the group. It was working until someone had mentioned something about blood mages.

Angel shook his head and continued to work on messing with the object in his hands as he heard something else about the group. Looking up, but carefully avoiding anyones eyes, he said quietly, "Im fine with sticking with the group. I am just a wandering person. So I don't mind sticking around for a bit."

Angel noticed a little girl draw some symbols on the ground and a woman telling her to stop drawing the symbols. Something about a noble.

"So this place has Nobles?" Angel thought to himself as he went back to tinkering. "Then again, I have traveled to so many countries and nations. Seen so many palaces, towns, cities. I don't even know what country I am in. I will need to find a place in the city that sells maps and books so that I can learn more about where I am. Learn more about the 'Nobles' of this Nation."

Angel thought he heard something move behind him. Angel looked behind him but only saw an owl staring at him, watching Angel closely. Angel watched as the owl flew away, though it appeared to be in a hurry.

"Must be..." Angel shook his head at the thought. "No. That couldn't have been a scout for... There is no way they would have found me after a year."

Angel touched his katana with one hand, trying to make sure it was still there. Throughout the Silverlight Empire, the blade was known to be a blessing of the Death Goddess. A gift from her to the Silverlight King. A blade whose power could only be activated by the blood of a royal member of the Silverlight Empire. But yet, Angel is the only living Vampire of the ruined Empire. The katana and the scythe he keeps hidden are the only things he has left of the Empire.

Angel took his hand off his katana before taking out a book and writing down a couple of ingredients he wants to buy at the city. Hopefully they will have what he needs and if they accept gold or gems as payment.

 

[marshmarrow]

Faythe took a long gulp from her canteen, hearing but not listening to the group's discussion. The words "splitting up" reverberated in her head, the only phrase she salvaged out of Raes' lecture. The girl huffed, resting her elbows on her legs, looking around for Tanner or even Eldor. She hadn't seen the boy since going with Tanner into the woods--he wasn't back at the caravan when she returned with Ash. Rarely did she care about the actions of brooding adolescents, but the woods only became darker as tIme went on. She wasn't going to let a child die under her watch.

Standing up abruptly, she both pointedly ignored the current conversation and addressed everyone around the campfire. She drew an extra knife out of her saddlebag, before asking, "Has anyone seen Eldor or Tanner?"

Her eyebrows knitted together, she realized Tanner seemed absent as well, she couldn't retrieve his form hidden in the shadows or sulking by the wagons. "I'm going to find both of them, join me if you wish," she announced, quickly lighting a lantern with a gleam in her eye.

She didn't get to fight something today--the shadows moved like water as she slashed through them. She didn't heal Ash or defend the convoy. If she could redeem herself now and prove to be useful, she would not be a candidate to kick off the mission. In her sensible logic, it should be Eldor out of all of them who should be let go, but he needed to be alive in order to make that choice.

Not waiting to see if anyone paid attention to her public service announcement, she loped off into the trees, hoping against hope they had just gone off for male-bonding on a whim to hunt.

Hestialuna , Grammatic , Ronan , WlfSamurai

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

Some weeks in the past.

The candle surrendered its last dregs of wax to the pan, its glowing wick eventually fading as the last of the light in the room died with it. Even in the darkness, the pale haired woman eyed the books before her. Ledgers and reports littered the desk as she sat perched on the edge of her seat, scouring their contents with as much vigour as she had started so many hours ago. With every shuffle of paper, each flick of a page, she grew increasingly agitated by the conclusion she had already reached some time prior, but had wasted more double checking - reassuring herself that it wasn't a miscalculation.

At last she slouched back in her seat, "Worse than last term." She stated to the emptiness, and glanced up from the mess. Her eyes glinted, shining their bright silver as they caught the moonlight. Only a thin stream illuminated the room, and much of it remained utterly dark, utterly still... utterly silent.

"Profits?" Another voice sounded in the room, deeper but unmistakeably similar to the young woman by the desk, only its possessor remained hidden within the shadows.

The young woman sighed, "Substantial, but significantly less than the previous." She rummaged a lazy hand through the books, pulling forth a particular ledger bearing the mark of their house - House Montclair. "Glewick, one of our main city branches, turned over a loss, and a heavy one at that. Barely over a quarter of the stock was sold."

"Handler?" The voice echoed again, deeper, firmer, but so similar.

Another sigh resonated from the pale haired woman, and she sniffed away her discontent, "Havard Elgebrecht. Fifty two years of age, a rather portly man, pink-skinned, of Berenian descent." Their was a resounding scoff, and at last the bearer of that stranger's voice stepped forth. She looked... similar, as her voice suggested. Taller, older, more serious... more frightening.

"I recall he was one of your hires, Amelie." Her frown deepened.

Amelie broke out into a wry grin, "And he was a very compelling tradesman. Good at his job but... timid, scared almost - like a fat mouse, or- or a gerbil." She pondered mockingly for a moment, "Yes, a gerbil." Her eyes glinted with amusement as she stared her sister down, "I never thought he had the courage to do something like this." They both gave each other a knowing look, for they had both reached the same assumption about their loss... and it wasn't that the stock was never sold.

The elder sibling looked down at Amelie, "So, given the benefit of the doubt, we roll over to next term, reduce supply to Glewick and hope the turn over is more agreeable." They both looked wholly unconvinced, "Perhaps it was just a bad year." They each narrowed their eyes at the other.

"In the meantime-" Amelie started.

"In the meantime-" The elder re-iterated.

They paused, glancing outside for a brief moment, before speaking in unison, "We shall pay Glewick a visit."

Amelie's grin widened, "Goodie. The term end is always so bloody busy, I've been meaning to get out." And with that, two rather ferocious cats set out to catch their mouse.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Present

An eerie fog had settled over the Deep Wood, a place rarely frequented by many barring when necessity demanded it. The nights tended to be silent here, sounds were swallowed up by the vast woodland, but this eve was far different to those. Even as two hooded figures, mounted atop their snowy white steeds, trotted quietly through the forest, the echoes of battle still rang in the dark. Their pace did not waver however; imposing, dignified, despite however mysterious and shifty they looked shrouded in the silk cloaks of midnight blue.

One of the figures eyed the dim light in the near distance, "Company." The other hummed, having noticed already. "Out of curiosity-" She continued, and hastened her steed's pace to that of a slow trot.

Trailing behind, the other figure kept her eyes trained on their surroundings. She feared nothing, but the cost of not being wary was still dear, even to one of her kind - this being a lesson she learned in a time all but forgotten by the people of this era. "Ha." She softly ushered her steed forward, keeping pace with her younger sibling, though still some distance behind. The pair would shortly be upon, what seemed to be, a camp - Anna held the reins with one hand, and rested a trained hand on the base of her pommel with her other, ready if things should go south.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Iiolete

“It’s my own Banner ya searat. I’m just reading it to try and get a glimpse ahead” Iiolete leans forward, looking down on her expactorate with a grim expression. She stares for a long while, finally glancing up at Glewick.

“It’s going to be rough in the the City, damage looks bad. Wheel isn’t saying anything good either.

Scratching the drawn wheel out and stamping her foot to insure the entirety of the arcana was erased. No good ever came of leaving ones fortune laying out where anyone could read it.

Stretching out and scanning the horizon, it didn’t take but a moment to recognize riders on the path. Gesturing with the stick she’d chosen, Iiolete alerts the camp.

“Riders coming. Stand up if you can, horses are faster than they seem when bearing down”

 

[Silvana]

Angel pulled out his katana from its sheath before standing up. The blade changing from a white color to a black before turning into a ruby red color and repeating the cycle. Angel felt a foul presence coming from the direction of where Liolete had pointed.

Angel thought to himself, "What a familiar presence. It seems as though...." Angel sniffed the air gently and thought, "Vampires. Not a Silverlight. They don't have the smell of death or roses. A different race of vampires I presume since they have a smell of vanilla. As long as I stay in my human form I will be able to avoid detection since I will smell like a normal human. This will be...an interesting encounter."

Angel walked to where Liolete was standing and looked into the direction of the Vampires, setting the tip of his blade on the ground.

"This will be fun..." Angel muttered aloud. Not to anyone in particular.

 

[Aimless Vagabond]

Elias, who had taken a step back from the conversation, perked his ears up when he heard Gillie ask abut the wolves. "Those," he began, speaking to Gillie and anyone who might have been listening in, "were naught but regular wolves that had become afflicted with dark magics. Not twisted enough to be born from the Deadlands, I would think, but far from the creatures they had once been. If I had to guess, I'd say they came from the western edge of the Wood; I know of some old ruins there that are still mired in strange magic from the days of the Elders. They belonged to a very particular Old One, in fact—"

“Riders coming. Stand up if you can, horses are faster than they seem when bearing down”

Iiolete's words stopped Elias mid-sentence. He had been so wrapped up in discussing the wolves that he hadn't noticed the riders approaching. The newest arrival in their group, a young woman by all appearances going by the name of Angel, already stood at the ready. "Ah, it seems we have visitors," Elias said to Gillie, silently chastising himself for his lack of preparedness, before drawing his threaded cane and turning to face the riders.

Ever fearless, Elias took a few steps away from the fire and towards the riders. "Ho there, horsemen! Do you approach as friend or foe?" The question was mostly redundant; if the riders were hostile, he doubted they would have approached so slowly.

Spoiler: Mentions

WlfSamurai Teh Frixz Silvana Wackadoodle0987

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

The first rider slowed to a halt, barely ten paces from the human whom called out to them. He was tall, standing above Amelie's waist even on horseback, and as she looked down upon him and stared into his eyes, she saw something most... interesting.

"Neither," She spoke softly, sweetly almost, "We desire no trouble however, and bring none." The second rider stopped beside the first, and the pair lowered their hoods to reveal their pale visages; glowing almost angelically in the fractured moonlight.

As they conversed, Anna's gaze followed those around the camp, pausing at the pale haired woman. Her glower could kill by itself alone. There was something curiously familiar about the human, but she seemed slightly... wrong. "The battle," The elder vampire glanced over to their wagon, for she could smell what was inside, "It was you?" Her question sounded more like an accusation, an evaluation perhaps.

Amelie chuckled, "More importantly, how about everyone sheathe their weapons?" The young woman raised her hands, indicating that she was unarmed, as she attempted to abate the tense situation. She kept her eyes on the tall boy, for he seemed the most reasonable at the time, "I am Amelie, and this," She gave a light hand gesture, "Is my sister, Annalise. We are merchants travelling to Glewick." Her eyes drifted about the camp, and she spoke in a voice different to before, "You have naught to fear from us." It was almost ghostly, as though one could only place its origin if they truly strained their ears.

Amelie dropped gracefully from her steed, walking confidently over to the tall one, and offered her small hand with a warm smile.

WlfSamurai Teh Frixz Silvana Aimless Vagabond

 

[Grammatic]

Tanner had moved away from the group a short time ago, ignoring their arguments and conversations as he moved into the woods. Their voices grew quieter as he moved further in to the trees, their proximity giving him more comfort than them. When he was certain the others couldn't see him, Tanner dropped his bow from his hand, watching it fall to the forest floor, before slumping backwards against a tree. He fell slowly down the tree until he hit the ground, his eyes staring blankly at the leaf covered ground.

Two dead.

The words flashed through his mind like fire, burning through the rest of his body in a wave of anger and frustration. There was a reason he preferred to work alone, a reason he and the other Rangers worked in solitude. It kept them from forming bonds, connections that could potentially lead to losses. The fact that two people had died, when Tanner could possibly have saved them, was infuriating, and overwhelmingly depressing. Slamming his fist into the ground, the wind all around Tanner suddenly stopped, the whisper of the breeze through the trees vanishing, and even the falling leaves stopping mid flight. A few seconds passed before he unclenched his fist, and the wind picked up once again.

His head snapped around at the sound of approaching riders, shattering his revere. Snapping his bow up, Tanner ran swiftly through the forest coming to the edge of the clearing just as the riders dismounted. The moment they lowered their hoods, Tanner knocked an arrow to his bow and aimed it at the lead Vampires head, fire burning in his eyes under the hood as he slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees.

"That is far enough..."

Wackadoodle0987 Aimless Vagabond Silvana Teh Frixz marshmarrow Ronan WlfSamurai

 

[Silvana]

"Amelie?' Angel thought to himself as he analyzed the woman. Then he quickly analyzed the woman right next to her, Annalise. "Sister vampires. Wonder if they are twins."

Angel laughed softly to himself as he heard the woman say that their were unarmed. He didn't know much about them but he was never going to trust a vampire he just met. So Angel still held the katana in his hand. A human may be dazzled by their beauty, but Angel was unfazed.

Angel noticed Tanner coming from the forest nearby, holding his bow towards the Vampires. Angel quickly stood in front of the line of sight of the bow, holding his hand outward in a stop position to Tanner.

"Tanner. Please lower your bow. We don't want to injury...these merchants." Angel said in a calm, soothing tone.

Grammatic

 

[PJ-Flash]

He nodded as Ash spoke, silent save for the slow huffs of his breathing. Finch doubted the authenticity of these beings, who sought only to help and heal. Repairing lost tissue and muscle required an outside force to provide the missing components. If cast incorrectly, a spell could take much more than it needed from any participant. To match these hopeful stories were tales of disaster, limbs and lives taken to repair a much smaller injury. It may be cruel to think this way - Finch would rather have their vampire develop a prosthetic for Ash than risk the safety of anyone else.

He cut a strip from the roll of cloth and spoke, "Don't think many mages are powerful or generous enough to replicate skin and bone without a hefty price. It's wishful thinking, I'm afraid." To finish his sentence, he jabbed the tip of the blade into the log he sat upon to keep it in place. Lifting the tin of water, he removed the cap and wet the section of cloth. Gently settling Ash's leg in his lap, he dabbed at the flesh around the wound, clearing it of any remaining pebbles and mud. He worked his way down to the very edge of the injury, movements as cautious as possible. He inspected the injury itself, relieved to find Ash's blood casing had prevented almost all of the surrounding debris from lodging itself under the skin. Her talent and foresight had completely nullified an infection! A smile broke through Finch's focused expression. She'd get a high-five later. Now, he quieted his thoughts and busied himself applying a thin layer of the fabric around her ankle. This would prevent the splint, which was a pair of thick twigs from the outskirts of the fire-pit, from irritating the wound. He cut the bandage near her shin and tucked the edge into itself. Finch retrieved the makeshift splint, placing the sticks at either side of her calf. He secured this with another two layers of fabric, tying the ends tightly at her heel. "If this doesn't hold, I can reset it - but I'll feel bad it didn't work out the first time!" He chuckled, dryly, at his statement.

Just as soon as he returned the remainder of the cloth to his pack, a duo on horseback approached their camp. Finch cursed, startled, and pushed past the tin of water in the bag to find a thin, hollow cylinder of wood. His fingers danced over etchings in its surface, confirming it was the blowgun he sought - nicknamed Aryea, a weapon carved with short spells to guide ammunition through quick winds and bite its victims hard. The flute of the most dangerous musician. With one hand, he held the tube, with the other he unhooked a long wooden box from his belt. Inside the box were ten long darts, each end marked with a feather, the other sharpened to a nasty point. Settled next to the darts was a clear flask of purple fluid. The venom used to tip Aryea's darts took effect quickly, first chewing at and disabling the victim's nerves before quite grotesquely turning its organs into jelly. Unsuitable for hunting, but perfect in a pinch.

He slipped a plain dart into the barrel and braced it at the opening with his index finger, eyes locked onto the pair. They felt ethereal, unnervingly calm, honey dripping from their voices. Typically such grace would enchant young Finch, but in this situation it deterred him. The smaller one, she stood so serenely in the face of weaponry and the group's distrust. Elias may have greeted them with his usual brand of chivalry, but Finch had grown too wary of any new appearances - her charm didn't work on this little bird. He kept a scrutinising eye on them, muscles tensed.

Ronan Wackadoodle0987

 

[Ronan]

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[/div]It was strange, this quiescence that fell upon them as if the earth spun slower. The prairie swayed and the bonfire was warm against her cheek. The night had taken hold of them and was only sieged by the glowing city in the distance, pushing against the night. Ash watched as Iiolete stomped out the Wheel of Fortune symbol from the dirt, content to eradicate it as if it were a blight, a pest. The mayfly that never left you alone at dinner. But, watching the card get erased hurt Ash's heart a bit, like someone taking a rare book and burning it in front of her. The secret of the Forty Elephants? It was full of saved books and paintings from across the continent and her crew of dwarves protected them as fiercely as she did. There was nothing more powerful than knowledge, and knowing the Major Arcana was part of that sortie. She respected the cards the same way she respected the Church—or, at least the nobility behind the Arcana. Ash knew all twenty-two cards by heart, but she didn't know who held them. She knew who The Tower card belonged to—she knows exactly who holds The Tower card, but the knowledge that Iiolete held the Wheel of Fortune was the breaking of dawn in her mind. Twenty-two cards and now she knows where two are, even if Iiolete stole it from it's true keeper.

Ash sighed and filed the information away for when she returned to the Forty Elephants. The same way she kept and preserved artefacts, she kept her own logs of findings. She would write about the Wheel of Fortune when she returned, leg or no leg, and speaking of her leg, Ash turned her gaze to Finch and watched him work.
As she watched she discovered that he was methodical: rip cloth, inspect, water, and splint, and that he learned this from somewhere. This, and that he was ... bright. Ash knew what happiness was, she had it once, but Finch's was something else. 'No,' she agreed, voice softening as she watched him work. 'But a price I can pay.' She learned this tidbit before she became a corsair, before the Bloody Ash appellation, and she would share this knowledge with the young bird-keeper. A lesson for life. 'Mages are materialistic; there is always something they want, like a tome, a gem—sex,' the last part was sotto voce, barely a whisper, but it was true. Sex was a material and a weapon for both genders, but poised for the fairer sex. 'So trade it and you have a mage.'

She finished as Finch fastened the splits to her leg. It was tight, but she could feel her body beginning to right itself with the splints. She bent over from her spot on the rain-soaked log and gave the area around the wound a quick pat. The bandages didn't shift and the split stayed right where it belonged. A job well-done. She smiled. 'It will hold,' she assured, her green eyes lifting to meet Finch's. 'One of the better first aids I've seen, and I've lived a long time.'

Suddenly, there was a scrabble of movement around the fire: Faythe had gone off to the woods (it worried Ash, but she was in no position to chase her down), Elias stood up, Tanner had his bow ready, Angel crouched defensively, and Finch jumped, a blowgun now firmly in his hands. The camp was wide awake in the dead of night. Ash heard Elias mention the approaching riders, and as he did, she saw two silhouettes emerge from the woods. Danger, was all she thought.

Ash moved her hand over her leg as if it were big enough to hide the injury and glared in the direction of the riders.

Spoiler: tags

PJ-Flash / Aimless Vagabond / marshmarrow / Wackadoodle0987 / Silvana / Grammatic / Teh Frixz

 

[Grammatic]

"Whether you move or not will not deter me. Stand aside." Tanner's voice was quite, though carrying enough menace to prove his intentions. The arrow did not waver as Tanner stared them down, though his foot position changed slightly, preparing for sudden motion if required. He did not entirely enjoy the prospect of shooting one of his "allies" though if he had to, he doubted he would shed too many tears. Not if his suspicions were correct...

Turning his head slightly, Tanner took in the rest of the group, seeing their mixed reactions in the situation. When he spotted Ash, he paused. Wounded. If this turned into the type of confrontation he was expecting, they wouldn't be able to properly cover everyone. After several moments, Tanner lowered his bow, replacing the arrow back into the quiver underneath his cloak.

He turned and began to walk back towards the wagons, the bow held in his hand firmly still. He put himself on the other side of one of the wagons, as far from the new arrivals as he could, before leaning back, vanishing into the shadows the wagon cast.

Silvana Wackadoodle0987

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

The younger vampire considered recoiling, crouching low and shielding herself with her arms; but she figured her dignity was worth more than putting up a façade to convince these vagabonds she meant no harm. Instead she chuckled, which broke out into amused laughter as she watched them all - perhaps not her most diplomatic moment, but she was enjoying it all too much. The dead in the caravan, the hunter just about ready to kill his own ally just to get to her, and the wounded girl... hopelessly trying to hide the rather gruesome gashes and tears in her lower leg.

"No, I understand all too well," She glanced over at the freckly, baby-faced fellow, "A stranger turns up in the middle of the deep, spooky woods but moments after-" She paused, tilting her head at the boy, "Dear, put that away. I'm worried you'll sneeze and kill one of your friends." Her smile was no longer warm but... mischievous, she was, after all, a royal cow. Amelie's arms opened welcomingly, "But I promise, I didn't lie. We are traders, we mean you no harm, and we're just simply travelling to Glewick. You might deem our meeting unfortunate, or suspicious, or whatever you may think," Her eyes travelled the lot of them, "But we're just strangers with our own business. We heard your battle. We can see your wounded with our very eyes right this moment, and-" She stopped herself, she daren't mention the dead, for no human's sense of smell was that good, "And you all seem rather irate and tired. I think we'd all appreciate our encounter to be and remain amicable."

Narrowed eyes watched every one of them scrutinously, Anna's hand was tight upon her hilt beneath the cloak. Amelie could surely handle herself, but nonetheless, one could only be prepared. They were outnumbered, and though she did not doubt her own ability, neither did she know of theirs. "Let's move on." Her gaze remained settled on the hunter as he lowered his weapon and departed, before drifting again. "Let the wolves feast on them," She waved her free hand, "We have business."

Amelie glanced back at her sibling, her taut shoulders relaxing slightly as she retreated. "Fine." The vampire released a drawn out sigh, giving her sister an unimpressed look. She wouldn't depart without having a little fun though; giving the freckly boy a wry grin as she pulled herself upon her mount, and a lasting wink. The pair turned their steeds from the party, and began to slowly walk away, ears perked and muscles ready to move if necessary. "Goodnight." Amelie glanced back, giving a slight dip of her head and a friendly wave of her hand.

At the tip of the blowgun sat perched a small but frightening creature. The arachnid was pure black, spindly legs clutched to the tube as it crept slowly towards the young fellow's fingers, poised to jump at his face. Amelie's grin, though hidden from view, was wide; and only widening. The illusion was simple, but enough to give her a good laugh... she only awaited the scream - oh how she hoped it was a shrill one.

PJ-Flash Ronan Grammatic Silvana Aimless Vagabond

 

[ShadTheWerepire]

The orange coat of a tabby cat camouflaged well against the glow of the embers within the city streets. But now the pads on the cat’s paws tread lightly over soft grass as she entered the edge of the forest. The bright orange was hard to miss against the natural tones, but the sinking smoke gave her some cover. This was a cat that didn’t want to get caught.

Shae knew she made a mistake by entering the man-made deathtrap. Glewick was far too big of a town for her to be hanging around for long and the destruction around her was more than enough of an excuse to leave. But she had to stay, a merchant she met just outside the town sold her bad mushrooms. Shae had to tell him they were bad. When she woke up in the alley the hour ago, she knew the mushrooms would have killed anyone else. There was no way the man would intentionally sell her poisoned mushrooms.

The fires and suspicious figures wandering the streets were making her job difficult. She was ready to put it behind her, hopefully he wouldn’t make the mistake again because there was not a chance she would search the smoldering remains for him.

Shae kept to the edge of the road out of Glewick. As a cat she felt safe out in the open, but when she heard the clopping of hooves up ahead she jolted up a tree. Cat instincts were always so jumpy, they rarely came to the surface but when they hit they hit hard. She had to think really hard to loosen her claws from the branch she was clinging to. Hopefully the passing group didn’t even notice her.

Wackadoodle0987

 

[Epiphany]

Moonlight was a balm for night travel, even for Elven eyes.

Cassie stepped lightly along the road, grateful for both the moon and the road, for it helped her to make good time now. In her travels through the Deep Woods, she'd marked the site of an attack by Eldritch Wolves as well as enough blood to suggest great injury, possibly death to some of their victims. A nagging sense of need had left the Wizard 'itchy' and she'd traveled swiftly through a forest long since familiar after all these years of living in the area.

Reaching the edge of the forest line was almost a relief, after the unnatural stillness of a place normally bursting with sound. Something weighed heavily on the spirit of the world tonight, and everything found somewhere else to be. A wise woman would have remained home but, for all of Cassie's long years, she never felt any especial gift of wisdom. Only the gift of duty and obligation, to show kindness to the peoples who'd been kind to a stranger growing up, to use gifts taught for an evil purpose to accomplish good instead.

She crested the top of a long, steep hill, grateful for the open sky at its height. And then she gawked at the ruin of Glewick. Cassie's eyes were sharp but such distance, at night, left little detail to pick out beyond the place seemed to be in flames. In all her long life, she'd never seen destruction like that. Oh she'd read about it, heard stories about it, but never expected to see real catastrophe like it.

The survivors might need her help. But in the meantime, there were likely people closer still in more immediate need. Cassie couldn't follow the few drips of blood trail they'd left, not now in the dark, but distantly down the hill lay a campfire. Very likely the source of that nagging 'someone needs help' she'd been feeling for the last day or so.

It was tempting to just slip through the night on light feet and look them over before they could look her over, but such stealth towards a people so recently attacked might get her stabbed for her trouble. No, if there was help needed here, best come openly and without giving cause for alarm.

Cassie lifted an open palm, spoke seven syllables drenched in power, and woke her Furious Mote to life. The winged ball of incandescence flitted about her nervously, shedding enough light to rival a bright torch. Its presence utterly washed out her night vision but at least it should catch an arrow if someone decided to take a shot at her.

Quite visible on the top of the hill, the elf made her decent down the road into the prairie, heading for the camp.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Raes had stayed seated when the riders had approached. He ignored his daughter, who stood with her fists clenched and her jaw set.

But when a new figure appeared and lit some dazzling spell at the top of the hill he stood.

“More coming this way,” he says, pointing to the elf. “Don’t let you guard down.”

Gillie looks to where her dad points. She breaths deep and stays still, like a cautious deer. Only her hair betrays her as it billows in the wind.

Teh Frixz , elie , Ronan , PJ-Flash , Silvana , Grammatic , Wackadoodle0987 , Epiphany

 

[Teh Frixz]

Iiolete

“Should have just scrapped the wagons on the road and made an Inn given how much damnable foot traffic there is...in the Deadwoods of all places.” Iiolete mutters, grabbing a rifle and sauntering up towards the road. Glewick seemed to somehow seem further away than before, as if it was slipping away to burn in quiet mourning for itself. What felt front and center was the road full of traffic preventing them from getting any rest before what was sure to be a tiresome few days.

“Do we just want to move the caravan again or should we just on the move. The city must be in better sorts than it looks with this many heading towards it.” She speaks to anyone listening, “y’all come up with any ideas or do we just keep sitting until we don’t get the luxury of a choice in the matter?”

 

[WlfSamurai]

“Shut the hell up, powder witch!” Raes says pointing at you, Iiolete. He’s standing. One fist is clenched at his side. There are flashes of anger in his eyes.

“Father,” says Gillie, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“No,” he says, pushing his daughter’s hand off. “She’s why we were attacked. She’s why Alysha and that girl lie in shallow graves. You don’t get to push! You get to wait.” At that, Raes sits down in a huff. Gillie looks back and forth between Iiolete and her father, then sits beside him.

Spoiler: Tagging

Teh Frixz , elie , Ronan , PJ-Flash , Silvana , Grammatic , Wackadoodle0987 , Epiphany

 

[Teh Frixz]

“Deadwoods... dead woods... you felt it, I felt it, we all felt it. Those wolves were on us from the moment we set off into that hellscape! So Shut yer mouth, you know not of what you speak. What speed must a creature posses to attack the moment a shot is fired? They awaited an opportunity to cause more damage and I denied them that by forcing their hands. eldritch wolf indeed!” Iiolete spits after naming the beasts

“We all could have died in there, yet our losses are minimal because of all our actions. Cease your blame throwing and focus those hostile eyes on something useful, go watch the road”

 

[PJ-Flash]

A little spider.

On the ranch, the aviary was populated in part by families of large, furry spiders. Among the rafters, thick webs obscured the wood and the slats in the loft's flooring. Though they never bothered his family, the birds in their pretty cages were frequently preyed upon; many with nowhere to go and others too weak to fight back. The chaos in the barn altered the birds' behavior for the worse, the majority unable to eat or breed. Finch, still young, took it upon himself to improve the state of the aviary. He would on routine free his feathered friends from the confines of their wrought-iron cages, allowing them to stretch and fly freely. Finch was never directly afraid of the spiders, only worried for the safety of his smaller birds. In fact, their venom inspired the development of the toxin that coated the tips of his darts. He resented the authority they had over the aviary, however he understood the instinct they followed.

Despite how unaffected, at most miffed by spiders Finch happened to be, the sudden appearance of this spindly creature sent shock down his spine. Too close. He inhaled sharply, his lungs contorted painfully; all with-held breath tumbled out in a jolt. Fin reacted quickly to this scare, pushing the blowgun away and shattering the arachnid illusion, but the tip of the dart moved quickly and pricked his fingertip. Wracked by a coughing fit as he caught his breath, he outstretched his hand, index finger adorned with the decorated tail of the dart. It wouldn't be deep, but it was going to hurt like hell, and Finch really didn't need that right now. Thoroughly frustrated at this point, he yanked the pin from his hand and bit back a shout. He brought the finger to his lips and pressed down, hoping to ease the bleeding without needing to waste more of his water and cloth.

He listened in when Iiolete piped up, quiet although he felt strongly compelled to argue. The group shouldn't keep moving, especially if the city they aimed to reach was in ruin. Anything with any motive could have lit the place. Their party was in no shape to deal with whatever managed to torch it. With two losses and multiple injuries heavy on their minds, what he felt would be best was some goddamned rest.

Raes exploded then, and Finch startled, surprised to see this counter when even Ash had let her speak. He slumped nearer to the aforementioned sea-queen, frightened by the conflict; the young'in placed his bleeding hand into a coat pocket and grit his teeth to steel himself. Iio, completely unfazed despite his harshness, continued to battle with Raes on further action. Finch's temper ran short. "For the love of God! Iiolete!" He barked, voice cracking. "Quit fighting and.. just -- just let us rest for a while. We're all hurt and tired! Everyone needs a clear head before we make any big decisions." Fin, now burnt out, raised a hand to scrub at his eyes, which had recently wetted.

 

[Wackadoodle0987]

"This changes things."

The two sisters watched over the distant scene. Glewick was alight; a grounded star, a beacon... or a warning. Their business brought them to its gates however, and they would not abandon their journey now. Two steeds marched adamantly forward, breath misting in the open chill; before them lying naught but the open plain, and at its end - theirs.

"It's quiet." Amelie looked over to her sister, the faintest of smiles gracing her lips. It was a rare sight, for Anna to seem so calm; so... at peace. For as much as they liked to hiss and bite at one another, each relished the moments they could see that nostalgic glint in the other's eye... to remind them; that these two, despite everything, still marched here on this road side by side - and could trust in that bond.

Anna hummed her response, "The Moon hides behind the clouds... or is it the smoke?" She looked on over at the glowing horizon, the great billowing pillars of fumes reaching forth into the night sky, tendrils stretching, meeting the stars to consume their light - to blot them out, one by one. "There's a strange calmness in all this. I fear the spell shall be shattered upon our arrival."

The younger vampire groaned her disapproval, "Don't spoil the moment." She chuckled, grinning over at her sibling, "But yes, it seems we have our work cut out for us." Amelie's smile widened, much to Anna's dismay, as she clapped her hands together with excitement, "Time for an adventure."

 

[Ronan]

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[/div]Ash sighed, a headache descending on her like a heavy weight. The group was arguing—back and forth; the Deadwoods or Glewick City? Back and forth and around again with no resolution. Raes' face was red and Iiolete was careless. Back and forth they go again. Her headache was getting worse. Alysha and Nemeia were gone. The woods, the wolves, the group-wide fallacy.

She pressed the sides of her head and started to rub in circular motions. Indecision. Agitation. Anxiety. Blame.

Iiolete wanted to move in the night where danger lurked in shadows. Iiolete was a bull that charged into the muleta only to be surprised when the torero whirled past it. Logic and reason escaped her, like the muleta. Raes spent his precious time yelling at a doorknob. Let the doorknob march to her death. Ash rubbed her eyes, the headache now heavier. The group was exhausted. The woods and all that transpired had drained them. Anyone could see that the horses and the group needed rest. Even Tanner, who was cautious of the twin riders was slower to nock his arrow. Rest. Their minds would be clear at dawn; the bodies buried, and Glewick City upon them.

Why are there so many?

She slid to the ground and stretched her leg on the rained earth.

Her headache evolved to blinding.

She touched the bandages on her leg. It was a job well done by Finch, the tightness took away some of the pain and the two stilts kept her leg straight, but she was dizzy. Or was she always dizzy? She remembers hitting the ground in the forest. The wolf grabbed her leg threw her into the air before dragging her through the trees where the leaves disintegrated beneath her. She saw two wolves then. After that, she would sometimes see two Gillies'. Other times it was two Tanners'. The worst was seeing four of the twins when the group kept shouting 'Twins!' and Ash almost passed out at the prairie and forest multiplying. The world had become a kaleidoscope before her eyes. She held her hands close to her face and counted her fingers. Ten. She could see herself as it was. Ten fingers. Two feet. One fire. But when she looked further away, she saw the hilltop split into two.

On the hilltop she saw a light, soft and irised, like the glowing leaves she saw long ago in the land of the elves. Her mind was dissolving the longer she looked at the light that flowed from the hilltop like a waterfall, and the blonde elf that walked over the stilted grass like air. Or was it two? There were so many lights and so many elves.

She turned her gaze to the still arguing Iiolete and Raes. She couldn't hear their words anymore. Only a drone of noise. She turned to Finch, his face contorted as he screamed. What was it? Her mind was faraway. Finch was angry. Is this the land of the elves?

Her chest expanded with exhaustion. Ten fingers.

She felt Finch's body slump against her side.

Is he crying?

Ash took his hand and held it. The lights on the hill were getting closer.

She thought about the forest. The sea. The castle in the air. The land of the elves. The room on her ship.

Her head lulled. You're older than the elves, a memory echoed. I know, a younger Ash answered. My home is gone. Where is the land of the elves? The wolves took Alysha and Nemeia. Ten fingers. Two feet. One fire. Sleep descended on her like black water, all-consuming and all-warm. Her head hit the back of the log with a thud.

Spoiler: tags.

PJ-Flash Grammatic WlfSamurai Epiphany Teh Frixz (i'm sorry ilu)