Beyond the Barrier

"turax meat. it really good. most people like it cooked for some odd reason." kage said before he then turned to alice who asked if there were bloodthirsty creatures. "yes actually. aside from the turax there are vampires, darkwatchers, gargoyals and nevidians. the list goes on but i rather not continue the one who smells of magic could tell you more." he said without actually noteing who the one who the one who smells of magic was. he kept observeing these people and to him they were more and more interesting than he thought they would be.
 

Ally Dolus


Ally plopped herself down by the makeshift grill, sniffing the air eagerly. Turlax meat was an acquired taste and she'd had to make do with it many, many times. So Ally now actually quite enjoyed the strong flavor. It usually swept the taste of other, less savory things out of her mouth. When one was alone in the middle of a forest, food was their first priority and when one was starving what the food actually was took a back seat. Still, ally didn't mind her life. It was nice and calm, and she was protected. Even if she had started talking to herself.


Ally reached out to grab one of the bowls, the movement tugging on her cape. As she brought the bowl back to her, the hood of her cape fell away from her face. Ally's eager grin and her tattoo were there for all to see, although she was fairly certain none would comprehend the meaning behind it or think it was the mark of a criminal. Witch symbols were not widely known outside of their race. After all, the Witches were fairly private people and tended to keep to themselves. Well, most of them did anyway. Ally was one of the exceptions in that she would talk to just about anyone.


"I love, love, love Turlax meat! I mean the first time I ate it I was all Ewwwww, no! But then I just kept eating it and eating it 'cause when you live alone and here you gotta eat what's in front of you and now I would never be able to say no to some yummy Turlax! I was gonna have pigeon but my fire went out. Actually, it went 'cause of you guys. You caused quite a stir when you landed here, you know that? I wouldn't be surprised if half the forest is coming this way," Ally commented with a giggle. In between sentences she would take a bite of the meat and then just keep talking. It was only through years of practice that she didn't choke on her food. Ally glanced at the boy who had killed the Turlax as he mentioned the one who smelled of magic. She hesitated, wondering if he meant her or someone else. After all, magic was fairly common here, if in different types. The magic of a Waitch was much different then any other type of magic.


"There's lots and lots of scary creatures but there's also lots and lots of not scary creatures! Like me. I'm not scary, and neither is he or her or you two. The girl with the shiny thing is a little scary, but that's only because she has the- what's it called?- gun! I'm sure on her own she's super duper nice and not at all scary!" Ally added in, grinning and odding enthusiastically as she gestured to each person she mentioned.

​
 
Willow frowned at the guy and handed him a box of matches so he could light the fire. The smell of the Turlax, or whatever it was, was rank and made her nose curl. The smell of the meat cooking was even worse. She took a few steps away and eyed the man and the cooking meat warily. Being a marine, she could eat practically anything, but this stuff just smelled bad. With a sigh, Willow slung the M-16 over her shoulder, unzipping her jacket a little so that she could go for the .45s in the shoulder holsters. She found a tree and leaned up against it, slightly away from the rest of the group, watching.


So far, nothing had gone the way she expected. For the most part, she expected for them to actually be doing research while Willow guarded them. Right now...well right now they were chatting with a bunch of strangers from a different world all while cooking a large beast for lunch. Not that Willow was complaining. She would much rather watch over them in a less hostile situation, albeit a strange one. With a sigh she crossed her arms, a challenging feat with the shoulder holsters, and watched the forest, letting herself take in everything and nothing at the same time. Neutral. She wouldn't do anything unless something happened. She wouldn't speak unless spoken to. She wouldn't attack unless threatened, or if someone else was threatened.


Willow slowly got used to the smell of the cooking meat and her stomach actually growled a bit. However, she didn't move from her spot to ask for a bite. No, a strange creature from another world was simply not something she was going to eat. She did have standards. Almost absently, Willow pulled at her dog-tags, wanting to be back home, at the military base, doing drills, taking to the other soldiers, hell, she missed her damned superiors. With a sigh, she slowly slid down to the floor, her arms resting on her knees, her head resting on the trunk of the tree. She looked at the strange girl with the tattoo as she gestured to her and assumed that Willow was nicer without her gun....kind of right. Willow was nicer when she didn't have to watch over a bunch of bookworm scientists in another world, having to smell grilled Turlax while her stomach growled at her. Willow shook her head and sighed.
 

Chris Andd


Chris was a little bit in shock. He didn't know what, exactly, he'd been expecting from another world but it wasn't this. Strange people appearing from nowhere, chatting up a storm, cooking food, demanding grapes. All in all they mostly seemed normal... Ish. That strange girl, Ally she'd called herself, did have a weird tattoo on her face, but he couldn't really judge that. Lots of people had weird tattoos, just usually not on their faces. Still the strange group was a little unsettling. He hadn't sat down, so Chris took the opportunity to move slowly away from the grilling meat. The scent of it was making him sick anyway.


Chris moved back from the group and deeper into the forest. Not too far away, he could still see them, but enough so that he was a little bit separate. After all, Chris had always enjoyed his solitude and now... Well, he needed a moment to mull things over. In just a minute he'd be fine to return and sit and watch but for now... It was an entirely new world with new people and new creatures he had to process. Chris leaned against a tree and closed his eyes. Turlax. That was the creature that had chased the kid into the clearing. Ally was the chatty girl with the tattoo. The snotty girl who wanted grapes claimed to be royalty. Then there was another girl who liked hot and raw meat. Chris let out a sigh and opened his eyes. He had all the information catalogued away now and whatever happened next he could handle it. Chris turned back to the group and skirted the edge a bit until he walked by next to the tree Willow was leaning against.


"Hey," Chris greeted. His voice was monotone and other then that he showed simply nothing. Instead the boy slid into a seated position against a tree next to Willow's and relaxed against it. Everything about him spoke of nonchalance and simple acceptance of the chaos around him. He seemed untouched by the various events that had just happened so quickly.

​
 
kage got up from the meat and looked to the sky. it was turning to night as the sky had a dark shadowy look to it. "anyone besides me and magic girl know how to survive in the wild?" he said gestureing to ally. "its about to become night time and thats when the really dangerous stuff comes out." kage seemed to be more and more interested in these people, they seemed odd to him but then again most people he never met before do. so it surpised him that he could speak so calmly with them. he then glanced to ally and then back at the others. "if anything i could take night watch. i mean i got nothing better to do." he was offering to do this for two reasons his own. the first was simply because he found them all interesting. the second one was he was tired of wondering the forest alone. but even for such small reasons he offered to keep night watch.
 
"I do!" Clawdine says after she was done eating she let her ears pop up leting kage see them then hid them silently.Isis crossed her arms."i have magic two!" she growls.she always wanted every ones eyes on her.Clawdine kicked her in the side before she could say any more from her big mouth.Isis hit her back and Clawdine growled but soon calmed down when she looked at kage.
 
Willow watched the group and turned to Chris when he sat next to her. "Hi," She allowed before turning away. How he was able to stay cool and collected about this, she had no idea. Maybe it was because he studied this kind of stuff. Whatever.


When the guy who cooked the Turlax asked who could take care of themselves out in the wild, Willow was half tempted to raise her hand, but she didn't. "I'll be keeping watch," she barked. She was not going to let some stranger whom they'd just met and barely knew watch over them and protect them at night. No way. She met his eyes levely and placed her hand on her right hip, the one that held the gun. She was the one doing the protecting here, not him. With one smooth motion, Willow stood.


"Since we've already pretty much established a base camp here," She started sarcastically, "We should set up for the night and head out in the morning." Willow looked at Alice. "I assume we have a destination in mind." She turned away. "I'll keep watch tonight, there's no need for you to go out of your way." she told the man. With that said, she slipped off her back and began to set out a roll. Not that she would be sleeping in it.
 

Chris Andd


Chris allowed a small smile as Willow glanced at him to return the greeting. It faded as she turned away again, however, and his stoic expression was back. A complete mask that showed none of the emotions churning under the surface. Not that there were many. Chris didn't just act cool, he really was kind of calm in just about any situation. Even inside his own head he wasn't really the freaking out type. It wasn't what he did, since it almost never helped. Chris was a scientist, of sorts, and logically allowing your emotions to get the better of you was just a big no-no.


Chris had to hide a smirk when Willow barked at the guy offering to keep watch. He'd only met her a little while ago and he could already tell exactly what kind of person she was. In fact, he'd been expecting that response as soon as the guy offered. A girl who didn't take crap from anyone and was determined to take care of them all by herself... That was pretty much who Willow had shown herself to be. At least, that's what Chris got from her.


"I'll keep watch too," Chris volunteered. Two pairs of eyes were better then one, especially at night in a strange forest. Besides, he couldn't really sleep now anyway. Even if he didn't show it, adrenaline was coursing through Chris' system. He could've probably stayed awake for a week on the energy high he had right now. Chris was relatively sure that one night wouldn't hurt. Chris glanced up at Willow as she began to take charge. He didn't mind letting her do that. She was the one who was supposed to be protecting them after all, and she probably knew what she was doing more then them. In this kind of situation, at least. The kind where they didn't know exactly what was going on and needed to be wary. Later, when they'd gotten their bearings, the shoot first and ask later approach would probably have to be discarded. For now it worked, and Chris was happy to let the master of that method direct them for a while.

​
 
"great so me, the gun lady, mr.calm, and the wolf girl will watch the night." kage said this knowing it would frustrate willow, he found amusment in watching her reactions to things that happen in this world. he also found it pleaseing to see so many people in one place. he didnt know why but he liked the fact that he was surrouned by people who didnt know him or at least didnt know his secret. "that is unless the royal one and magic girl want to help." he said in a statement that was half to mock the way isis was acting and half to try and see what type of magic both her and ally used.
 
Alice


Alice glanced up from the empty bowl of whatever disgusting thing she had just eaten... Snorlax? That was a Pokemon... it was something along those lines though.


She was about to interject when Kage had offered to keep watch and she was relieved when Willow insisted. She seemed like the type who would force herself to stay awake for a week or some ridiculous span of time simply because she was the only individual that she could trust. Her attitude of shoot-first-ask-later intimidated Alice, but at night that was probably ideal for nightfall.


She wondered if their collection of new people were all trustworthy and if they were, if these people would allow them an inch of space. She wanted to search for wealth, to categorize plants and search for medicine. The search for medicine was inticing. She didn't want to bring a report saying to nuke this world if the cure for cancer was lurking in the forest.


"What kind of medicine is there here? Do you have to use magic to survive?" she asked feeling as if all she had done was ask questions about this world. Nobody else from her team was anyways. She didn't agree to this mission to babysit after a troupe of magical oddities and she wondered how tomorrow would fare.


"Want to sleep beside me?" she asked Ally hesitantly. Out of all the people here she felt that Ally would be the most enthusiastic to take her up on her offer and she felt Ally to be the most trustworthy if only because of her relentless enthusiasm. To be honest, she would have rather taken watch because she doubted how long she would actually be able to sleep in this world as the sun began to inch beyond the horizon. To her, the forest seemed as if it was beginning to swim in dusky shadows and she imagined that behind every tree lurked a monster. Paranoid. She was just paranoid. Nonetheless she sprawled herself across some leafy foliage and watched Ally to see if she would be rejected and forced to try and sleep without any comfort and with her strange childhood fears of monsters resurfacing.
 
Verjouhi & Gwenhara


The fire burned low, painting the two sitting on either side of it in an errie light. The human was quiet, as was his traveling companion, but in that silence, so much was said, like always. What was left of the food, a young torax, was burning in the fire. Two people never ate much, and most of what was left was mere bone.


The human's companion twisted his head around to the left, ears perked and wings slightly spread. The demon was never wrong when it came to finding things, and clearly, something new was here. Without a word, they both stood, covering the fire with soil and moving off through the trees like two silent shadows. The demon soon climbed up into the boughs while the human remained on level ground, looking straight ahead, and listening to the demon above for silent directions.


The tree edge opened up a few inches ahead of him, revealing what he had hoped would never be there. More humans. Prepared humans. Humans that knew nothing of this world and would likely destroy it if they had their way. Buildings, man-made lakes, all those things that had ruined earth. Those things couldn't come here. Maybe he could deter them, convince them that this place is too unruly to tame with buildings. Maybe.


He glanced up, seeing his demon counterpart tense and waiting. He shook his head slightly and he demon sat back, willing to wait. Then the human stepped out of the trees slightly, not completely, but enough to be seen if these humans knew anything about observation.
 

Ally Dolus


Ally scraped the bottom of the bowl for the Ver last bits of Turlax before gently placing it beside her. She licked her lips and grinned happily at her first completely full stomach in days. Ally knew how to live off the land, but it was still tough finding enough food to feed herself everyday. And the company was awful, namely herself. Now she had lots of food and lots of new friends. Today was a very good day! Ally turned to Alice as the girl spoke, asking about medicine.


"Medicine? I can tell you lots about that! I know lots and lots for just about anything that's wrong with you. 'Course I don't think you could mix them up as powerful as I do, but I could make a few for you in case you need them," Ally responded. She didn't really explain a lot, Ally never did, but she would happily make a few potions and poultices for them. She always added a little spark of magic so that they'd be extra powerful, although Ally didn't know whether they'd be okay with that. Her eyes widened at Alice's request, and a grin spread across her face.


"Of course! I'd be happy to protect you from the scaries and spooks, even if I am technically a spook but most definitely not a scary. I'm not scary, am I?" Ally asked with a little giggle. The forest was dangerous but she was never really scared. Ally knew she could escape easily if she had to, and defend if escape was impossible. The only thing she couldn't do was attack, and that was because of the tattoo. Any Witch mark wasn't just going to be a mark, it was going to have a magical purpose too. Ally's tattoo was also a seal on her more dangerous spells and a punishment if she attempted them.

​
 
kage relised someone whas watching them."whoever you two are come on out and say hello. the only one to fear here is the gun lady." he said in a more calm and casual voice than his previous vocals. his senses were keen almost animal. he thought this was normal for people, he kept his eyes on the area where the two where at. hopeing they came out without hostility.
 
Guns. Of course they'd bring guns. Verjouhi shook his head, but stepped out easily, rolling his shoulder lightly. He closed the distance between himself and the group, leaving a good ten feet between himself and them. He hadn't been with normal humans like himself in years, so it was a little strange. After a moment, Gwenhara joined him, landing lightly beside his traveling companion, ears perked and canines showing slightly as he scented the air. The only normal human he knew was Verjouhi, so this group of normal humans was a new thing to him.


Verjouhi only nodded in slight greeting, saying nothing like always. Scientist, some, the gun wielder, yes, but mostly researchers which might have been a good thing. Or a bad. Either way, they didn't belong here; not that he'd say as much. Gwenhara flicked his tail, slightly agitated, slightly uncertain. The hoods of their cloaks obsercured their faces for now, and would until they decided otherwise.
 
"care to tell us why you were spying on us? thief? bandit? bounty hunter?" his voice giving off a calm and collected tone, nothing like he was earlier. almost as if a entierly different person was there speaking. "please i would rather keep this as non-violent as possible" kage, from living in this world longer than most knew the way things worked. he also knew that most people who normaly roam this forest are ether outcasts, robbers, or bounty hunters, he got up and proceeded to walk over to the two newest people and closed the gap between him and them to a mear five feet.
 
Gwenhara barred his canines as Kage came close, a low growl leaving his throat. A look from Verjouhi silenced him, but it was clear the demon didn't like being among so many. He even backed off a few steps, eyes darting from Kage to the rest of the group. Not as welcoming as the rest, but then, demons rarely were. Verjouhi remembered from his time among humans how crowded things got; he could handle this decently enough. He paused, however, thinking through his words so he could keep them to a minimal. His voice was deep and rough, but low so one had to really listen just to hear. But that was just him.


"Little of all...when need be...but violence is not...what we're here for." He spaced the words not because he couldn't talk, but because he hated too. Many took it as he was slow in the head and treated him as such; but he was far from that. He was highly caculating, but he gladly played it off as otherwise. Less people assumed of him, less dangerous he seemed, all the better. Let Gwenhara seem the more unruly and dangerous; he could live with that. "I fell through...years ago..." He said, addressing the humans now. "I know this place...you do not... Allow me...to help you...but I would insist that...when you...return to earth...you don't return with...more people. This place...is home. I don't want...it destroyed." In more ways than one, and the humans would know exactly what he meant.


Gwenhara's ears perked, and his head turned to the trees, lips parted slightly. In an instant, he was gone, hunting something only he apparently sensed was there. Verjouhi wasn't moved, knowing his demon counter part would eventually be back, and not fearing violence from these people. And he could handle himself well enough in any fight, so no fears even if there was violence. He looked back at the man before him, "At any rate...Kage..." he said the name lightly; he'd been around these parts long enough, had spied on creatures long enough, where he knew most everything their was to know. Most anyway. The important things, names mostly, with a few sparse details, "If I was...looking for a fight...you would have...never known I was...there..."
 
"the fact that you know my name is perplexing. mostly because i havent spoken my name once." kage was a bit startled by this person saying his name. it raised his suspision of this person even more. "its a shame i dont know yours." kage was on guard. his voice leaveing a small trace of hostility that seem to say *i dont trust you*, and why would he? this man had just spoken kages name without ever hearing it from him. as there were only two people who knew kages name and this man was not one of them.
 
Experiance told Verjouhi to remain silent, for a moment, and a thin smirk came to his face. This was his home, just as much as it was Kage's, and because of that, he knew alot about this world. "I've known...your name for...years...and what my name is...is of little concern... But if you...must call me something...call me Ranger." He rolled his shoulder, his quiver and bow weighing heavily on his back. His cloak covered it easily, but it was still just as easy to get too. He was a fighter, simple as that.
 
((I don't think I'll be able to get at the internet until Wednesday when they install it at my new apartment, so I'll move Jasper in on Wednesday. I'll also have Alice interact more then but sleeping is most convenient so the roleplay can continue on in my brief absence.))


Alice


Alice was pleased to note Ally's enthusiasm and she lay herself down on the ground and she gently padded the space beside her. She felt relatively safe with the overeager girl and with two members of her team keeping watch. Maybe she would actually find some sleep.


Alice was also happy when it was revealed to her that this world might contain a plethora of medicine. She wasn't going to judge it by the rampaging Turlax and the creatures who had swarmed them, although they seemed far more than friendly enough. She was about to inquire further about the medicine when she felt her eyes drop and suddenly she was asleep. If she had known how quickly she would have fallen asleep she was sure that she wouldn't have believed it.
 
Willow raised her gun up at the two newcomers. The guy who cooked the turtle thing, turlax, seemed hostile toward them, making Willow grip the matte black M-16 tighter. She slowly made her way to the newcomers, trying to remain somewhat inconspicuous. She wasn't trying to creep up unseen, no she just didn't want to excite these two. She had a gut feeling that they weren't...normal. At least one of them.


"Alright. You've said hello, you can leave us now." She said to the guy, Ranger, after his companion left. She could understand his worry about keeping his home safe, but right now, she just wasn't in the mood to put up with anyone. She poked Kage with the butt of her gun.


"Kage, is it?" She said, "Stop it. I don't want to have to protect you too. Knock it off." She turned to Ranger. "Nice to meet you too, now good bye." she emphasized her word with a click of the safety, which had been on while slung over her shoulder. She cocked an eyebrow, curious as to what he would do. If he would leave, attack, or do what the other natives did, and join them. She was seriously hoping for the first option. Willow had enough on her plate as it was. She didn't need someone else to look after. Even though her job was to only protect the people that went through the barrier with her, her loyalty for the unit kicked in and although she didn't want to, she felt the obligation to protect the people that had joined her. Damn.


((I'm having so much fun with Willow's character. It's not every day I get to act like a butt-face to other people :P I think I might create another character.))
 
Verjouhi, for all he was worth, kept a straight face even with the gun there. Should he have been frightened? Maybe, but what did it matter? In this world, in this place, he knew more than she did. And he was likely a better shot than her, least in this world. He didn't favor a gun, but his bow and arrows never let him down. Still, why pick a fight when there was no need.


In the next instant, Gwenhara was back, empty handed but catching Verjouhi's eye. So that was what he was after. "Know the scorpion...in your world?...Well, there's worse...and bigger things...here." Gwenhara glanced toward the trees again, shaking his head. Definatly bigger, definatly worse. "And your guns...will do little good...against those things." A turax was nothing compared to the tougher skinned creatures. Even his arrows were insufitiant against them. Gwenhara had saved him more than once, from such things. But Verjouhi kept his eyes on the girl, rolling his shoulder lightly.
 
kage snickered at willows comment about protecting him. "you dont have to protect me." he said informaly still with a bit of a laugh." and as for you mr.ranger. the creatures of this world are indeed tough but we have something that can take care of them should they cause any troube." kage said this back in his *i dont trust you* tone. he said it with confidence as if the group had a secret weapon. "now unless you plan to pull out your bow to retaliate against gun lady here, i suggest you try not to make her mad." he said this in a way that let ranger know he knew more than he let on. in such a way that seemed to add more power to his voice.
 
Willow looked at Ranger and snorted. "Please, I'm not some little girl that runs away whenever she sees a bug. I'm a Marine for Christ's sake." She exclaimed, somewhat annoyed that he was treating her like some weak girl. He seemed full of himself and extremely cocky and that ticked her off. He reminded her too much of some soldiers that she had had the displeasure to meet. Kage spoke saying that they could deal with the scorpions, a sure smile on his face. Willow was wondering what this "secret weapon" was, but she had a hunch that Kage was bluffing big time, and if the bugs were as bad as Ranger was making them out to be, Willow would be in trouble.


"I'm going to ask again. Please leave. I don't want to hurt you." She was still holding the M-16, pointed roughly in his direction. At this close a distance, aiming wasn't necessary. It was litterally a point and shoot situation. From what she could see, Ranger wasn't armed, but if his name said anything about his character, she figured he might be at least decent at a bow. She knew how to shoot one, though not as well as she could with a gun. Hell, she could pick up any gun laid out in front of her and drive nails from five hundred yards. At a thousand yards she had a shot radius of about the size of a nickel. She was pretty sure she could handle this guy and whatever this strange world through at her. Now the people she was with...well that was another story.
 
Poor girl. Guns, bullets, all of this in a world where such things never exsisted. Poor creatures here. They wouldn't know how to react, if to react, to such an unfair advantage. Then there was Kage. The ever present, ever observant, man that Verjouhi had always known him to be. Gwenhara's lip lifted in a silent snarl at the girl's threat, but Verjouhi didn't bother telling him to settle. No sense in it when the threat was real enough.


"How about a...living tazer?" Verjouhi said, at the same moment a small bolt of lightning stuck a few feet to the groups' right. Gwenhara's gifts were very real, very potent. "Even if you...kill me...I doupt you would...leave alive either."
 
kage was getting annoyed. when the bolt hit near the group he was useing all his will to keep from clocking ranger. "i suggest you call off your hell hound before i get angry." Kages skin begain to crawl. kage didnt want to have to resort to his secret something he didnt use at any time in this world before. however the threat of the demon hurting the others made him slightly less willing to keep it a secret. "i dont want to have to use our secret on you." his voice was getting more hostile. a obvious warning to anyone who could tell he was hideing something. his skin begain to visually crawl about as if waiting to release something.
 
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