Chapter One - Conflagration

And then... She smiled. Aspen smiled. It was a sight Beish was sure he wouldn't see for sone time. To be sure, she looked much better while her lips curved up, and that look filled her eyes. She looked much more human that way. Much more relatable. Then the thought turned toward himself. When was the last time he had smiled? And when was the last time he had caught a fucking apple out of the corner of his eye? Never.


But alas, that moment was never destined to carry on. Because Erik happened. That man, that demon, that hellspawn demanded he join in the fight that had just begun. With a stick as a weapon and defense. Brilliant. Beish immediately turned several shades of white before settling on a pasty, sickly color that featured his mouth wide open in shock. 


And no, not just going into the battle. Erik wanted him on the front line. Where he would most assuredly die. Fantastic. "I... I don't see whe-" His protest was cut off as Briar cast the final stone. Coward. Fear. Run away. Hide. Despise. Scream. Hate. Why? Why him?


Was it true? Did everyone see him as a coward? A fool? One along for the ride? He was here for a purpose, just like all of them! That itch along his spine still irked him, which meant his journey was not over yet. So what could he do about it? Beish knew he was a fool for standing like a stump in the woods, doing nothing. And yet he knew with certainty that he would die. He could hear the sounds of battle before him, and they did not sound pleasant. Now that everyone had rushed off, perhaps he could run. No one was looking. No one would blame him for anything.


But something twisted in Beish's stomach as he took a step backward. Was it fear? Pieces of the man he had eaten reassembling inside him? No. Rather, he knew just what it was. It was guilt. That was it. That was the last straw. With his heart in his mouth and adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins, he grabbed his staff, pulled his one dagger from his belt, and walked forward. 


The morning was still dark, but if one looked close enough, you would see the fear plain on Beish's face. There was something else, too, but it was smaller, and more ill-defined. It was pride. As the man walked toward the sounds of creatures squealing and blades whirling, he could feel his knees begin to grow weak. He couldn't do this. He knew he couldn't. But he was. And there he went. 


And then, a terrible roar rumbled through the air, almost causing the staff to fall from Beish's hand. What was that? It sounded big. And dangerous. And near. What was he supposed to do about that? Was Erik expecting him to slay a giant beast? It would never happen! Never! Not in a million millennia! But Beish still forged on, despite his weak knees and the fear of monsters.


As he bearded the sounds of battle, Beish could begin to make out the forms of... Things. They were humanoid in form, but with a green tinge in the skin. Their ears were pointed, and their noses were just too long for comfort. And they smelled disgusting that alone was almost enough to send Beish flying back, but he forged on. Closer, closer to the nearest goblin, which happened to be closing in on Briar. In fact, there were three of them. And by the look of it, they looked four times stronger than Briar, as well as twenty times more vile. But Beish did have an advantage: He had found himself behind them, and they could not see him. It was foolish, yes, and would most likely get him killed (or worse), but Beish held up his staff in both hands and, with a deep breath outward, through it down on the nearest goblin's noggin.
 


 
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You feel the impact of flesh on your leg as your sweep connects. The monster falls toward you as you swing your right hook. You connect on the top of its head with a harsh squelch. You feel the grainy hair beneath your callused fists as the skull breaks apart, the scalp slightly wrapping around your knuckles leaving purple blood splattered onto your hand and your torso. The squelching sound sounds in your ears with a small pitiful moan from the dying monster. Yet its wrath isn't forgotten because as it falls three of its talon like fingers rake the top of your thigh, gashing your flesh a half inch deep and three inches long each. The monster flops to the ground spasming in its death throes.
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Three monsters see your killing of one of their kind and rush toward you. Two with short spears and the other with a crude seax.
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As the roar sounds, the monster that was charging you half falls and half jumps toward you in its hesitation. It falls short, landing on one of thrown weapons. It just so happened that it was one of their axes that had landed handle into the soft ground. The blade penetrates its stomach, purple blood erupting onto the grass as its face contorts into a pained rage while its talon like hands reach out for your legs. As feral growl erupts from its stinking mouth, teeth sharpened into fangs and spittle flying onto your face.
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"I'm gonna enjoy making a stew out of you like I did my mother!" The beast cackles as it charges Briar, the other two wait a moment before rushing forward with a whooping sound. The center beast rears back and swings his spiked club toward Briar's chest.
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Aspen happens to come down the hill behind Briar. She is only ten feet behind by the time the three larger monsters rush forward. Aspen can observe that the center monster is fixated on the one-eyed woman while the other two are debating between attacking Briar or rushing Aspen. The monster on the right holds an ax and the one monster on the left holds a slightly curved sword.
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Beish's efforts put him behind one of the rushing monsters that held a sword. His staff made a swift swish through the air, catching nothing but the dirt on the ground as the monster rushed forward and ignored the horrible attempt at a strike.
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Briar blinked, as the center monster swung his club, she ducked and rolled under it. Coming up with a fist full of dirt, she threw it at the goblins face before aiming a slash at the leader's legs in an attempt to throw him off balance. In fights like these Briar's only advantage was her speed and ability to keep a few steps in front of her opponents. She was outclassed in strength, though these monsters were around her height.


Readying herself for the next attack, Briar caught movement out of the corner of her eye that wasn't a goblin. It was Beish, miserably missing as he swung a staff at one of the charging goblins. Briar felt a flare of anger inside her, Beish being here was a distraction, as pathetic as the man was she couldn't in good conscious let him die here. But at the moment, she was too caught u with the goblins to do anything about it.


@Huey
 
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The first thing Lexis noticed was the creature's blood. Purple. Not red as human blood, nor green as its hideous skin. It was neither the purple befitting of royalty nor that of a darkness enveloped in warmth. It was vile, putrid, evil and unforgiving. It gushed out as the monster was skewered by the discarded blade, then pooled into a seeming puddle of ink staining the grass and dirt.


Even with a blade through its stomach, the creature trashed. And that was the second thing that the apprentice took heed. It was in horrid pain; its already repulsive face scrunched up worse as violent tremors visibly racked up its hunched form. The blade dug deeper into it as it struggled, not to detach itself, but to sink its claws on Lexis' limbs. Blood and spit flew to her face, but Lexis could care less of the foul secretions that clung to her skin. Even on death's throes, the creature was bent on killing her. Its blood lust consumed her and the only thing she could hear at the moment was the blood pounding in her ears. 


Darkness seeped from the corner of her eyes, and she struggled to remain conscious. No! No, no, no! She forced her lungs to gulp in air, letting the memory of Darla's comfort aid her through. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the other creature claimed by death through Howie's hands. The sounds of battle rung out around them and she deduced that the other half of their party were in the same predicament. She was already of little use to their group other than being an eye for Hudol's lore; she'd be of even no use dead.


Just as her mind decided on not scrambling away like the frightened little lady she was, her hand fell on something solid and sharp. The dagger! It might have been at Niher's behest, but Lexis was grateful as she clutched the small blade in her hands and all but crawled towards the beast. A strangled war cry escaped the apprentice as she brought the blade down into the monster's face. Lexis stabbed, and stabbed ― into the creature's eyeballs, the bridge of its nose, the hollow of its cheeks ― and didn't dare relent even as blade struck bone. Blood and flesh clung to her face, hair, robe and bandaged arms like purple leeches sucking on her skin. But she cared not. No. There were things worse than death, but she wasn't giving her life up just yet.


@Huey
 
Howie watched relieved as both Goblins were felled. The one he had tripped stumbled onto it's own ax and the one he punched lay on the ground, concussed and probably dying, though not with out leaving it's mark. The scratch on Howie's thigh left pain shooting up his leg. He winced as he stepped forward before taking a deep breathe. Closing his eyes, Howie pictured himself as a palm tree and the pain, merely a gust of wind. The palm tree bent in the wind but did not submit, it's structure becoming part of the gust. Slowly the carpenter opened his eyes, now much more relaxed, the pain becoming a dull drone in the back of his mind. However, his serenity was quickly broken by the battle cry that sounded from behind him. 'Oh shit, I forgot about the girl.' Howie quickly spun around falling back into his battle stance ready for the attackers but was surprised too see that it was Lexis.


Slowly Howie's battle stance fell as he watched the girl repeatedly shove her dagger into the creatures face. His eyes grew wide at the sight, certainly taken aback by Lexis's ruthlessness, but he quickly regained his composure. "Hey now, that's enough. Calm down there kiddo." Howie reached down grabbing the girls's hands tightly, but not so tight that it was uncomfortable. He removed the dagger from her hand and wiped the blood off on his pants before returning it to the girl. "Come on now, lets get out of here," he said picking up the small girl and bringing her to her feet. As he did this the pain in the back of his mind threatened to resurface, but Howie did not submit to it, he merely allowed it to blow over him.  


Turning around, Howie see's the three approaching goblins. Instantly the man shoots them a blood chilling death glare. Never in the existence of man had anyone looked more fed up with their circumstance. He easily picks up both of the corpses that lay in their own blood and tosses the bodies at the feet of the oncoming monsters. "You sure you want to do that?"


@Huey @YanaAi  
 
Aspen rushes to Briar, her instincts perusing her. She pointed her blade at the slightly larger goblin. "I'm sorry, that won't be happening. You have ten seconds to leave.... now hurry up and run" her voice was low and slightly playful. She glared up at the goblin, her eyes shooting daggers.  


Her blade grazed the skin of the goblin, picking it. 'Purple blood?' She reveled in her mind.  What was this feeling of dred she felt as well. Beside the goblins she felt small and unsure, but she stood her ground, blade not moving. "1" she started slowly. "2... 3...4..."
 


 
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The center monster sputtered as the dirt hit his face, his eyes closed and his balance off as he spun and swung his spiked club to try to catch the rolling Briar. The only thing he did catch was the monster that Beish had missed. The spiked club landed squarely into the chest of that beast, purple blood erupting, a loud roar of pain sounding through the air.
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"Come back here girl! I'll bury you in manure!" The beast roared as it ripped the club from its partner's chest and wiped the dirt from his eyes. "Stay still now!" He swung his club down toward her small frame. The monster that was hit with the spiked club collapsed in a heap, eyes rolling back into its head. Thick purple blood quickly poured out of the monster to pool on the ground.
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The beast that Aspen pricked turned on her, ignoring the slaughter of the third partner. It let out a roar that shook the trees before swatting Aspen on the shoulder with a wide backhanded swing. The blow connected with a thud, as if she were hit with a boulder.
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The two beasts that had first attacked Lexis and Howie were dead, their thick blood draining into the Earth. The three monsters that had come to fight the two stopped in their tracks as they saw Howie's face and the blood that covered the two Humans. They huddled together and talked in a jagged confusing language before blowing a joint raspberry toward the two and run off for easier plunder.
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Briar jumped back as the club was swung, narrowly avoiding the blow as the angry creature lashed out. before the goblin could strike out again, Briar darted past his guard and aimed a attack at the arm holding the club. If she could disarm this creature, this fight would go more smoothly. One hit from that club would have Briar, or any one of them, on their ass. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the third creature strike out at Aspen, and she swore.


She had to deal with her own foe before she could think about saving another, though if things went south... She'd have to do something, else wise the girl would die...and after that they would most likely go after Beish, unless he had the presence of mind to run..


Briar needed to finish this fight, quickly.


@Huey
 
Aspen let out a yell of pain. She stepped back, holding herself up the best she could. Her sword clambered to the ground and she dropped. Her hands went toward the blade quickly and she picked it back up. She pointed it again, this time she plunged it into the goblin. She didn't care what happened anymore, she was in pain.


Her head was spinning, her arm aching. She wished she could just pull off that she was strong. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she gulped back vomit from watching the purple blood of the goblin spill out.


@Huey
 
"Well eh.. That was very.. Special?" Edward gave a moment to think about ALL of this, he wasn't sure if this was chance to do something, or Ed just listened to a ramble. Either one is good, either is fine. It's just that if it was a ramble, than Auvem just wasted a huge portion of time that Edward could've used to explore or meet the Plane of Undying's founders or tenants. "So, from what your saying.. Which wasn't anything that gave much information..." Edward cleared his throat. "I'm trapped here, and now I forever observe people..?"


Edward's brain had a hard time wrapping around this idea, if he's trapped up here, how is he gonna return to Hudol? And when, how long will he have to wait? "Okay... I have just one question, answer it yes or no." 


"Is there a way to get out of here?" Ed felt worried about his question, what if there actually is no way, only time will tell, and an answer.


@Huey
 


 
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"You can escape anywhere, Looter." The creature was sitting at the base of a tree behind Aevum. He crouched, smiling beneath his long fur.
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Aevum smiled broadly and moved out of the way.
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"AH!" Edward screamed as he moved his eyes to the creature sitting down on a tree. Ed was wide-eyed has he viewed upon himself, a very awkward and possibly deformed creature. But he couldn't say that out loud. "So.. How do I do said escape?" Ed asked the creature.


"Also, not a looter, grave robber. There's a difference creature." Edward remarked after his question. "I mean think about it, looter is looting everywhere, grave robber is robbing dead bodies."


@Huey
 


 
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Aevum shook his head and continued to smile as he clasped his hands together by his waist. The creature frowned as his elbow rested on his knee. His finger reaching out toward him, one eye closed as he plucked his finger in the air as if he were checking something off on Edward.
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"Tell me a story in exchange for the information you require, Marauder."
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"A.. Uh.. Story?" Edward questioned, what kind of story? And how? Ed never had that much time to read a book or even a scroll, he never actually read much but signs. "I'm sorry but I  don't have a story to tell." Ed responded to the creature. "I mean, is there anything else I can trade with you to leave?" He continued to ask for anything else to offer. "There has to be something I can give.." 


Ed breathed in and out, worried.


@Huey
 
Beish the Stout-hearted. Beish the Courageous. Beish the Master Cartographer. Beish the Brave.


These titles were just fantasies in the man's head, playing out in scenarios where he would always win. That was how he wished to view his life. But alas, he lives in the real world. Evil was real, along with goblins, cold feet, and Erik. And Beish was no hero. He was a coward, and he knew it. This visage of wisdom that he wished to put forth was merely a mask for his ever-fluctuating insecurity. 


Oh, and he missed. His staff sailed right past the head of the goblin, digging itself into the cold ground instead. How perfect. How predictable. He had known he would miss. And he had been right. And now, he had accomplished absolutely nothing in his little adventure, and had instead placed himself right into the thick of it, with no way to run from danger.


Beish just wanted to scream in anger, to disappear and never come back. What must everyone think of him? He was now twice as much of anything anyone had ever thought of him as, and that included fool, idiot, and... Some other words that Beish was loathe to think of. And now, he would die. He knew it. While no goblin in particular was centered on him, he knew it would not be long. By the looks of it, Aspen was in a bad state, and Briar looked battle-weary. 


But Beish knew he couldn't help. He could only make things worse by doing anything, so it would make sense for him to simply wait for death. But something inside of him, the same thing that had urged him from the camp and had forced his staff to swing downwards, was now telling him that it was not over yet. He still had a part to play in this adventure. But what was it?


Beish drew in a ragged breath as his heart raced. Oh, not again. Please, please, I cannot do this again... Beish's staff returned to its previous position in the man's hands. Vigor seemed to fill his breast despite his frightened thoughts. While he was a coward, he was an honorable one.


Beish knew he had no skill with his staff. He knew that. But anyone can throw a rock. Mind racing, yet concentrating on this one task, the man crouched quickly to the ground, his hand scrabbling for a rock, before coming into contact with a particularly sharp piece of shale. It was stupid. He would miss. And yet, Beish prayed to all he believed that this one shot at doing the right thing would succeed. It was with no small amount of hopeful despair that the man wound up and threw the rock at the nearest assailant, who happened to be assailing Briar. 


@Huey @slayerslade666
 
The following emotions Erik would go on to experience would be, in chronological order: Confusion, disappointment, disapproval, anger, and then a sliver of despair. He had rushed into battle, sword furiously brandished and eyes brazenly raised towards whatever godforsaken enemy that lay ahead, only to reach upon the aftermath of a battle scenario, one that probably lasted less than five minutes; the rough terrain, his crippled leg, and the low lighting resulted in a less-than-stellar perception, which resulted in a delayed realization that he was not in the spotlight, and to add salt (and the juice from the lime) to his wounds, Beish the cannon fodder survived. Of course, the only thing Erik could do at this point was either pester his teammates, snatch off Beish as a hostage/war-trophy, or gripe about it in a corner. He chose the latter, obviously. Mumbling some fiendish curses centered around the likes of Beish, Erik made way to the campsite with haste, eager to retrieve his horse and rally the men to the actual objective: desecrating some cave starting with the letter H. He didn't bother to see the battlefield; the shame of not having participated is too great. Most certainly though, the fury trumped the shame, as he angrily reached the campsite. Reached, almost. Mere seconds away from the borders, he was suddenly surprised by a disembodied voice. Initially, a disembodied voice, but a voice nonetheless. 


But still, a voice? Actually more precisely, a very voiced opinion. In the left ear, too. Acid dream? Hopefully not. Mushroom trip? Doubtful observation. Chickens standing on stilts? Admittedly, a ridiculously exotic presumption, though a correct one, or so Erik supposed. His mind wasn't working right. High chance was that this was all a game of twister-monopoly gone wrong down the ten rabbit holes- truly, thinking accurately wasn't Erik's forte. 


A broken, beautiful baboon, which is — as he distinctly heard — what he was referred to as. Baboons? Monkeys? Stilts? He supposed he heard stilts; he realized he glossed over the latter parts of this mysterious voice emanating from close to his left shoulder. Shoulder? Perhaps, he though, I should check there. Check? Impossible. His head was spinning terribly. It was all a dream. The though rebounded from one corner of his head to the other. Though, checking wouldn't hurt a bit, would it? Turns out, it did. He sharply turned his attention to his left shoulder; a simultaneous array of clicks droning in on his upper spinal areas. It felt like he was exerting all of his energy. Maybe, he did. He didn't know. Of course, the only thing he saw was a teal figure.


A real figure. Precisely, a teal old man. Erik wasn't all that big on science, but from what he knew, people aren't supposed to be teal. Erik stared at the object — certainly far below the height of even a dwarf — which was hovering above his left shoulder. Dumbfounded, that was what he was. His mouth twisted into a gruelling hybrid of a grimace, and a frown. Aside from the extended breath sequences of Erik, the atmosphere was much more on the quieter side, supplemented occasionally with the local ambience. He could swear he heard a distant, faintly audible twang of a dulcimer, though he couldn't exactly be certain about it. His trance was suddenly broken by the interruption from a voice emanating from towards his right ear.


He was more prepared for this.


The anomaly recommended tickling as a viable combat method, and that was enough to send Erik ringing down the abyss. He couldn't realize anything, much less foresee the foreseeable future. Was this his subconscious representing itself with the assistance of a foreign substance? He just didn't know. His logical, sceptical side soon usurped his creative, imaginative one. 


"Who the heck are you hacks? No, no. WHAT the hell are you hacks?" He exclaimed; his tone presented scepticism, and a bit of dull dryness. Of course, it was either that, or throw a delusional fit. The latter which had the chance of being terribly fatal to the likes of him.


@Huey
 

The creature with Aevum and Edward glared at the grave robber. It was more than just tradition for visitors to tell a story but the clear and abrupt disrespect of no attempt solidified its thought process. The creature's instinct screamed that this was the one. The sacrifice that was needed. His furried glare turned to Aevum causing Aevum to sigh and deflate his shoulders a touch.
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"This is the one Aevum. Do it not to transcend. The Gods have demanded it. This is the reason why he is here."
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Edward looked between them in confusion, his face turning red as he tried to back away but three years of training his body had turned Aevum into something he never was, swift. Without thinking about it too much for fear that his conscience would prevent him from doing it, Aevum closed in on the small burgler. His fist connected with Edward's nose causing a grunt to come through the gurgle of his attempted gasp. Aevum spun him and simultaneously removed a dagger from his robes. The blade met and slid across Edwards throat as he mumbled a spell.
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The blood flowed like water from out of a dam. Though instead of spilling onto the ground the blood flowed around and onto Aevum. It seeped into his eyes, ears, mouth, and nostrils. Screams erupted from Edward and Aevum in that instant. The sounds echoing throughout the cosmos. The awakening had arrived. Rainbow color shot from the two bodies as Edward's body lost all light and color to flow within Aevum and skyward.
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"THE UNWORTHY ARE VANQUISHED FROM THE PARTY OF FATE!
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THE RAIDERS ARE SACRIFICED FOR MY POWER!"
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The words rang through every plane. The words of power to complete the spell and awaken the powers within Aevum rang in the ears of every sentient being in existence.
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The words sound throughout your ears, you all know that everyone has heard them. Yet as they are said, the remaining beasts that you are fighting all explode in a rainbow explosion that blinds you for a full minute. When your vision comes back you realize that only the five of you are still living. The other members of you party and the beasts are only splatters of blood and gore covering you and the area around you.
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"That bastard is quicker than I thought." The teal creature scowled and cursed.
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"Hurry and kill him, stop sulking like a beaver without teeth you moron!" The purple creature reached out and pulled the baboon's ear. "What are you waiting for? Who cares what we are!"
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Aspen falls back, surprised by the explosion. In the fall she hits her head hard on a rock, causing her head to spin. 


What was that? How does someone just, explode? And into such bright colours. How does something like this work? Owe, what's that?! My head... it hurts.


As all this went through her head she tried to reach up and touch her head, but, a loud noise, blocked her from that. Was it only in her head? Probably. It was, a loud ringing noise. She felt pain, and confusion. Her vision became blurry and something was dripping down her head.


She began to stand up, but a headrush sent her to the ground again.


"Help..." she whispered. Trying to be heard. "What, what was it?"
 
A loud voice rang in Briar's head, and a bright rainbow light flashed before her, blinding the woman. Crying out, she dropped her sword and held her hands to her face, shielding her remaining eye from the harsh light. The voice left her head throbbing, and it took a full minute for her to regain her composure. as she lowered her hand, she gasped, seeing the splatters of blood and gore covering the ground before her. it seemed some powerful magical force had destroyed her enemies, and Briar was thankful for that. She was less thankful for the bits of minster that clung to her clothes shoes and skin, but she supposed she shouldn't complain. with her hears still ringing, she looked around, searching for her fellow party members.


Beish and that young girl had been near...


Briar spotted the girl and approached her, she seemed to be just as dazed and confused as Briar was.


Offering the girl a hand, Briar spoke. "I know not what happened here, but some force came to our rescue..." That was all she really cared about, but she pondered who could've done this. The words played back in briar's head as she pondered their next step.  They needed to regroup, collect their things and move on, the cave was still waiting.


"Come along child, we need to find the others...starting with Beish" Briar said with a sigh. The foolish scholar had attempted to aide her, she supposed she should be a bit nicer to the man. Perhaps she'd refrain from scolding him for acting recklessly...


Or maybe she'd knock him upside his head, Briar hadn't decided yet.


@Angel_cassieopia@Handabooo
 
Aspen looked up, dizzily. As she sat up again, taking the girls hand, she felt herself about to go crashing down but held onto Briar for support. She stood up and nodded. She was blinking rapidly now. 


'Who was Beish? Wasn't he that man? The one... who looks tough, but seems to be a softy.  I think so...' she thought. Nodding.


@slayerslade666
 
The sudden shock was enough to keep Erik on his edges, and prevent his brain from triggering a massive stress-induced mental shutdown — an overload, if you're feeling simple. The information was, undoubtedly, too much for Erik to digest in too short a duration, but he did digest it, although as you can imagine, it was quite difficult. Of course, he was partly assisted by the new anomaly, which kept his heart racing in just the right pace. Just as you can probably see, when he assumed things couldn't get any weirder, a gigantic voice resonated from within the bushy forest walls, and the sheer volume of it was so great, that even afterwards, faint traces of the voice still echoed throughout the forest. Thin slits of blinding light pierced through the dense, heavy jungle. Erik's ears started ringing, terribly; incomprehensible, to Erik this situation was more than ludicrous, however its meaning could've more terrible, and Erik couldn't help but feel anxious in anticipation for what was to come. 


What, Erik thought, did it mean? What was it supposed to mean? The two subtly contrasting individuals still clung to his shoulders, and whom served as the opposites of moral compasses and guidance measures — they were obnoxious to an extreme degree, and were continuously flirting with Erik's ill temper, including advising him with ill-thought strategy. Not that it was his first and foremost priority to deal with these two knuckleheads. 


He glanced around the environment, sword brandished and poised to strike any possible competition; to his great surprise, nobody came- absolutely nobody at all, to the contrary of what he initially believed. At least, there was some sliver of rest for him. He looked up at the skies — from tiny openings in the canopy, he could that it was already dawn, the sky was bluish-grey, almost ephemeral. He could've probably enjoyed it, if not for the jungle; there was just a silence and hell lot of a darkness — aside from the millions of chirpy, spry insects which scuttled throughout the floor and tree. 


Contrary to his outrageous claims, he had faulty navigational skills. Seeing that he stuck in the middle of the jungle, with nothing to guide him except for his gut feeling.


After only a second or two, these two pinkos had to disturb him, again. They had to do it, physically too. The pain was searing and throbbing, but it only lasted a millisecond or so. 


Still, it was enough to make Erik's anger to jump up instantly from the normal room temperature it was a few seconds ago. His scowl increased tenfold, and his brows furrowed to exceeding limits. He was also grimacing, terribly, which could easily be mistaken for a very toothy grin. Very toothy, indeed. Having reached his breaking point, he curled his rough fists, raised his arm, and then swung it towards the purple creature. To his dismay, it ended up swinging right around the creature and hitting his own face. He catapulted backwards, as his back hit a tree; he groaned, rubbing his face for minute, before his anger surfaced again.


"Arrgghhh!!!" He casted hateful glances — with a tenfold increase in his usual evilness — towards the two involuntary companions, his eyes cold enough to kill a flower, remove its life force from it. Unfortunately, those creatures weren't flowers nor were they plants of any sort. He grunted again, more in disappointment rather than anger. He loathed the two creatures, but what he needed now was to get a meaning behind this outrageous situation. And get rid of this creatures without making himself looking like some klutz on a mission to harm himself. 


He shifted his stiff arm from the tree — which he was using to support himself — stumbling slightly upon his crippled leg, before continuing onwards with little difficulty other than the lack of speed and the occasional pangs of pain in his crippled leg. His ears still ringed from the booming voice, and did little but serve as a reminder to the sudden incident. His — thankfully, covered — feet scraped and slipped by the muddy floor of the jungle, as he took extra precaution to not trip over the stony branches. Soon enough, as he suspected, he started to hear the voices of his rusty companions from afar, excluding the Beish. He was always too paranoid to talk.


He tore down a particularly nasty, towering bush — which obscured his view — before making his way onwards, using the peoples' voice as a guide. It soon stopped, their mindless ramblings, but by then, Erik had already calculated their locations. It was a simple calculation, really: go to the place from where you last heard them. For the moment being, he decided to ignore the two creatures' noxious presence. Best figure out the solution as a group, rather than duke it out in a solo act, and look like an absolute numbhead in the process The latter would be painful, that Erik knew; the earlier punch served as a bold testament to that. He kicked down a thin, prickly branch to show off some unnecessary strength, before continuing on his way with even more vigour than previously. Of course, kicking down things was one of Erik's forte — he did still have a good leg.


As is normal, he found his way to the battlefield — or what was left of it. The sight impacted Erik enough for him to squint his eyes; blood, viscera, and crushed bones decorated the stony, flat ground. Guts were strewn across the place like they were nothing. And worst of all, the smell - it brought back painful, slightly disorienting memories. He inched back and lowered his sword until it touched the ground, before looking towards the two remaining survivors: The lone kid, and that girl. No more, no less. Though he could be falsely interpreting it as such. He knew that the Beish was even more hardy than he showed himself to be — that too, could've been a very false interpretation.


"What happened here?" He emerged steadily from the forest lines, his view now directed solely towards the two women. By now, he and completely forgotten the burdens that latched onto his shoulder, but then again, he couldn't care less. It was rather visible that he was quite flustered, though mostly stoic in his position. This was, of course, a time for questioning rather than fidgeting around uselessly — which was something a person would do if they had Beish as a role model. That young man was the definition of audacious paranoia.


"Where's everybody?" Plain ignorance, a bit of denial too, was this sentence. It was mightily obvious what happened to the group, the evidence was right beneath his feet and in front of him, but still, better question a second person than hastily justify the situation itself without any external assistance.


@Handabooo


@Huey


@Angel_cassieopia


[SIZE= 12px]@slayerslade666[/SIZE]
 


 
​


"Mmmm...this is a delicious looking sight." The purple pest said into Erik's ear.
​


 
​


"Doesn't it remind you of the massacre at Amile?" The teal flicker stated as he flicked Erik's ear lobe like a balloon.
​


 
​


"Oh yes! That was mighty fine eating. Nothing like charred inquisitors to sate the appetite! Oh wait! Who is that tiny one with the large sword?"
​


 
​


"BAHAHA!! Look at her? She probably fell because she was off balance!" The teal one fell and lay on Erik's shoulder while holding his stomach laughing.
​
 
Blood. Too much blood.


Her throat burned with searing pain as Lexis heaved and heaved, her tears mingling with drool and vomit and blood. Howie's. The carpenter was simply standing there, chasing away the goblins - yes, she was supposed to mention that. After her fit of hysteria, the apprentice recalled what the tomes bespoke of these creatures. But the words were lost in a scream as words echoed in her ears before her vision was painted in a multitude of colors and her entirety was bathed in gore.


Another heave turned into a coughing fit. She could feel the splinters digging into her palms as she braised herself on a nearby tree. With all the carnage surrounding her, her mind was an endless blank space.


It wasn't until the lowest of voices reached her ears that Lexis moved. There was life that remained! Her feet dragged through the pool of guts and viscosity before throwing herself through the bushes and taking sight of the remaining members of their party.


@Elephantom


@Handabooo


@slayerslade666


@Angel_cassieopia


@Huey
 
Supporting the girl, Briar looked around for any sign of their fellow party members. The carpenter had been with the other quiet girl, Beish seemed to have disappeared for the moment...


and then there was Erik, who's voice she could hear. At the very least someone else was alive... Erik was making their way toward them, Briar hobbled along, careful to keep from moving to quickly, so that the girl could keep up. She seemed to be very dizzy at the moment. where is everybody...?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at the large man. that was an easy answer, given they were currently stepping in "everybody"


"Everyone, and everything is dead, it seems that includes some of our group..." she looked around, but didn't see Howie... but she did see the girl he'd been with. She looked awful, and was covered in guts and gore...


Briar shuddered, she got the sinking feeling that Howie was no longer among the living... She wasn't sure what the other girl's name was, so she waved at her in the hopes she'd see and come to them. 


Looking to Erik, she pointed back to the other woman. "Why don't you help her, I have...this one" she said, motioning to Aspen, though they had been traveling together for days, Briar didn't actually know the names of either girl. She'd never bothered to ask, as it didn't seem overly important. 


With the four of them, Briar wondered what had become of Beish, who had disappeared. She hoped the fool was still alive, as combat inept as he was, he had a good head on his shoulders... 


"We need to see if there are other survivors...and if not" briar looked around the blood stained area. 'We should move on, quickly" If there was no one else, than there was nothing left for them here. 


@Elephantom


@Handabooo


@slayerslade666


@Angel_cassieopia


@Huey
 
Aspen followed the bigger girl slowly. Clinging o to Briar every time she was about to trip.  Her head hurt worse and worse, the booming of her heart echoed in her school. Thundering and blocking out most thought. Except the thought of pain. 


Now she felt it better, the blood. From where she hit her head on the rock. It trickled faster now, down the side of her face and over her left eye. She resisted from touching it, for, she feared it would only make her sick. She looked up at Erik, not quite meeting his gaze. 'Everybody?' She wondered... "survivors?" What did he mean by this? It didn't make sense. How could they be gone?


Aspen took a list through her head; Briar, Erik, that one other small girl, Howie, what's his name? Oh yes... Beish, and some others. That's all she could think of at the moment though. All she really paid attention too. 


She pondered what could've happened to them. What other creatures were here, in the night as well? What other dangers had attacked the others? She sighed, which came out more like a gasp for air. And shook her head, which caused the pain. To grow louder and heavier.
 
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