Cursed IC

Elise watched the two rather tensely, knowing that something could start between the two of them at any moment.  Luckily, it seemed neither of them wanted to start a fight... for now... but she would keep on her toes about things.  After the little exchange between the two of them, she simply shook her head and gave Zola an apologetic look "Once again, I'm sorry for the groups actions, we're in dire straits at the moment and some of us are a little.... high strung"  That was one way to describe the situation, but it would do for now.  No matter how grateful she was for Zola taking her in, it would be the best for both parties if Zola wasn't told who they were or what they intended to do.  "Anyways, my friends are all here, we've been traveling together for quite some time and I'm sure all of them would just love a good nights rest"  


"Also, if you don't mind, I have a few studies of my own that I kind of need to tend to... You wouldn't happen to have a place where I could do some experimenting in peace, would you? Preferably somewhere where it wouldn't be too much trouble if I made a bit of a mess"  Elise knew it was a bit much to ask of the person who was already letting her into her home, but she did need a place where she could study the horns.. among other things.  In fact, now that she thought about it, it had been quite a while since she had done any of her own research.  Most of her time with Argen had been spent looking for rare reagents, but she was still no further to discovering just how to create the stone itself.  All she knew was that the ingredients to create the stone were rare, and there were no records of them growing around her village.  


"I don't mean to ask too much of you if that would be too much of an issue" she said, more as an afterthought, hoping she wouldn't offend her host "Also, the offer for repayment is still open if you ever reconsider, an Arroway always repays her debts, you can count on me if you need anything during my stay here" she promised, even though she was a bit out of her element, she was still an alchemist! And a damned good one too, there was a lot she could provide with the proper ingredients.  
 
A flicker of distaste from the farmer’s daughter was all Eira needed know that this new presence was Argen, the one responsible for the death of Zola’s  two horses. Naturally, Eira focused in on his emotions but was surprised by how different they felt…and how they paled before the driving hunger within, bound only by the chains of will. It was enough to make the priestess initially mistake him for a wild beast rather than a man. He even regarded her similarly to as a beast would, a curious fascination never directed towards other humans. Eira knew all too well thay reatures sensed more than the humanoid races, the only difference was that this one could voice his notice of her divergence from the others. Eira turned her head slightly to the side when she felt his burning gaze, hidden eyes trained to where she could sense his flickering essence and the growing interest in her person. When he began smelling the air she was sure he would say something, but thankfully he lost interest.


Zola’s sudden flare of anger brought Eira’s attention back to her friend in a worried silence. The farmgirl was planning on starting yet another battle and in Eira’s current state she couldn’t handle much more of her friend’s negative energy. Helplessly she spoke a prayer in her thoughts for The Mother to lend her mercy. Then, quite unexpectedly, Zola changed her mind at the last second. The priestess smiled, gratitude and relief swelling in her chest and rushing to all parts of her body. Her bruises even became forgotten and her aching limbs didn’t protest as loudly. The conversation may be firing threats at one another, but it was still a step in the right direction. There was still hope.


Eira’s smile faltered slightly when something unusual occurred to her. Now that she was rested from her combat training and the fog of Zola’s anger was beginning to clear up she could detect two others. They were both quite odd, but one in particular stuck out. This presence… it was familiar. Had she met them before? She mustered up her exhausted strength and took it upon herself to identify the female more clearly.


Only then did she realize the truth. For a moment she just stood there smitten, letting this revelation wash over her in cold waves. This was the woman she had witnessed in her dreams.


Her head turned towards Coda and Evilin, face pale. “You… I-I know you!”


A sudden dizziness in her head was making the priestess have a hard time ‘seeing’ but she reached out a hand to where she presumed the female’s face to be, successfully finding Coda’s instead.


“You are the woman the gods have sent me to find!” she said.


Her eyebrows furrowed into a slight frown when her fingers lightly brushed against Coda’s cheeks. Had she been wrong? It didn’t feel right.


[what have you all made me do? XD this was a brilliant idea!]


@NovaNovass 
 
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Evilin and Coda both turned their attention quickly to the blind priestess, both looked confused over the girls words and slowly looked to one another. This was was interrupted when Eira took hold of Coda's face. 


“You are the woman the gods have sent me to find!” she said.


Coda froze and if for a moment he held his breath. He didn't expect for the girl to reach out and touch him, let alone grab his face, so this threw him off a bit. "Me and the God's aren't really on any good speaking terms...." He uttered through his squeezed cheeks. 


Evilin's eyes were shot wide as she watched the two. She watched as Coda placed his hands over the girl's and slowly removed her hands from his face. 


"Maybe you should ask them to be more specific next time" Coda nodded slowly, his tone of sarcasm was hard to miss. 


Evilin frowned and let her shoulders drop a bit, she then turned to the girl, "I'm Evilin." She stated with a smile. She held out her hand to shake Eira's hand only to feel something turn at the pit of her stomach. She had just used her real name. Here they were trying to hide from the world and she just stated her real name to strangers... Even if they were helping them, she needed to not let people know who she was. If they knew she was the princess.... She felt her cheeks go red.


Coda crossed his arms over his chest and watched the exchange. A sly yet casual smirk graced the corners of his lips as he noticed the ghost like look in Evilin's eyes. But he would not pay much attention to Evilin anymore. Instead he was hoping someone would bring back up the topic of sweet rolls. 
 
       Zola rolled her eyes at Elf Chick, realizing that she must have forgotten Black Magic Guy mentioning that she could report them to the guards a while back when Argen decapitated her horses. "Lying isn't a good trait to pick up you know that? But you seem like a nice person Elf Chick, so I'm going to cut you some slack." Zola said, giving the girl a nogie, "I know you are running away from the law for whatever reason, but I don't really care. I mean when you are traveling with someone who mercilessly decapitates horses, you have to have some trouble with the law." she then stopped messing up Elf Chick's hair and pointed to an empty pig pen next to a patch of trees that had not been used in years, "You can practice your studies or whatever over there, just try to not blow up things, but if you do don't sweat it, I do it all the time!" she then noticed the woman and man standing next to her talking to Eira.


      She nicknamed the two Princess and Chicken Legs, due to the boys skinniness (basically because he was not as buff as the guys she is used to seining at pubs and stuff) and the woman's delicate looking appearance. She slapped Chicken Legs shoulder with great force,


"You son, need some fat on your bones! I know just the solution! How about me and Eliza whip you up some sweet rolls, you and your weird friends can have some! YA THAT INCLUDES YOU TO BLACK MAGIC GUY!" Zola screamed the last part at Benton who seemed to be standing a little off of where everyone was, not remembering that she was yelling in Coda's ear. She then grabbed Eira by the shoulders roughly after letting go of Coda, before excitably talking to her, "How about it Elsa? Another batch of out famous sweet rolls?" she asked, happy that she would not be alone on this huge farm anymore.


@Juju  @Nogoodname @NovaNovass @SleepyBuddha
 
‘Me and the Gods aren’t exactly on any good speaking terms...maybe you should ask them to be more specific next time.’


Eira tiled her head, too lost in thought to really realize that she may be squishing the male’s face a bit too much. She couldn’t fathom what he meant by those words, nor did she wish to imagine the possibilities at this time. However, his words rang true; he was not who Eira had sensed. Then who...


‘I’m Evilin.’


There was a distinct change in Eira’s mood when Evilin spoke up. This was the woman. She could feel the truth of it reverberating in her very soul. A triumphant smile stretched wide across her face as she gave a happy laugh. 


“The gods never lead me astray...” She said, gently accepting Evilin’s handshake. Despite her apparent blindness she knew exactly where the other woman’s hand was and when to take it. “Eira. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, your grace. It is good to know that the Gods heard my prayers and kept you safe.” 


Her eyebrows rose slightly in a caring look when she realized that Evilin was reluctant to reveal her identity to her companions. Gods knew that Eira could sympathize with that, so she took it upon herself to try to comfort the princess.


“Do not worry, Evilin, you are in good company. These people are not your enemies.” said she, lowering her voice slightly.


She might have said more, but she was interrupted when Zola slammed her palm against the boy’s shoulder. Eira’s jaw clenched at the sudden flare of pain that erupted from him, and began channeling her Empathy in hopes of taking the entirety of the pain for him. It was cut short when the burly farmgirl seized her by the shoulders and inquired about creating more sweet-rolls. 


Eira turned her head to the side and smiled warmly, her magic retreating from Coda. “That sounds like a wonderful idea! If we start now we should have them done before nightfall.”


@NovaNovass @Fluffykitty9000
 
Elise's eyes went wide as she was grabbed for the rather painful nogie, she tried to pull away, but she couldn't escape Zola's grip, why did she have to be so strong!? Luckily, it only lasted a few moments, when she was finally released she stepped back, running a hand through her now messy hair to straighten it "Er... thank you, I appreciate all the help you've given me and my friends, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask" she said, hoping that some time she would get a chance to repay the kindness they were being given.  With that done, she looked to the rest of her companions "If you need me, I'll be working on some things... speaking of, Evilin, if you wouldn't mind handing over a few of the horns, I plan to run some tests tonight" trying to be secret about things was basically over by now Zola knew practically everything about their situation already so there didn't seem to be much of a point on trying to hide the horns from her, maybe she could even be of use to the group? With her massive strength and command over the earth she could possibly just crush the things and end this before it even had a chance to start.  


Something told Elise it wouldn't be that easy, to be honest, she wasn't even sure if she could divulge the information they needed in order to destroy the horns.  They would have to try to get the information out of Coda... but he was proving not to be so helpful right now.  She was just grateful that they finally had a place to stay the night, she herself was fine with sleeping out in the forest, and Argen didn't seem to mind either, but didn't think the others would be as comfortable, namely the princess.  Also having a proper place to study was nice, it would take a deal of time to set up and pack her things meaning it was nearly impossible to do while they were moving, it seems they're stuck in this little town for now until they can find their next move.  Hopefully they had put enough distance between them and the search party to avoid being caught for some time.  
 
Coda had to take a half step forward from the 'love tap' from Zola. Even if he didn't choose to hold back his words, her yelling would have done the trick. Coda closed his eyes for a second and rolled his lips. But his eyes focused on the farm girl when she mentioned food.... Even more so when she added on the sweet factor. He went to rub his shoulder when something grabbed his attention. 


This came as a bit of a shock when he felt her aura. Was she trying to heal him? Coda gave the blind girl a curious look that might have been mistaken as an annoyed or angered look. But non the less he could pin point her magic with this small connection. It had all came and went so fast. The farm girl had dragged the attention of all so very quickly and firmly. His face went from confused to dull..... She was a character, and she was also very strong indeed. 


Evilin looked to Elise and slowly nodded. "Of course." She said in a small voice. Evilin didn't even notice the new look on coda's face at the mention of the horns. As she went for the horns Coda was quick to look else where. Acting as if everything else was more important at the moment. 


Evilin pulled up the side of her torn and tattered dress to reveal the small satchel. She removed it from her leg and smiled to Elise. "Please let me know what you find." She said taking a quick glance at the horns inside.......


Evilin paused half way in her motions of giving the horns to Elise only to pull them back to her body. She ripped open the top of the bag to get another look. Her eyes shot wide as the horns were not only gone, but replaced with rocks and sticks. She gulped a bit as she felt her heart sink to the floor. She had lost the horns.... Or did someone take them? 


Evilin narrowed her eyes and shot her gaze to Coda ever so quickly. She gritted her teeth as she locked onto Coda's stupid face. "Where are they?" She demanded. Coda still let his attention fall else where as he pretended not to hear Evilin. 
 
Benton had been quite distracted by the promise of food to notice anything else. He had been heading for the home when he heard Evilin say, 'Where are they?'. Well considering the phrasing of that there were very few things that could be applied to that. Had the boy finally gone and done something stupid, like stealing the horns for instance? Benton quickly made his way over to Evilin, "What's wrong? What happened?" Clearly confused by what was going on. 


In his logical mind Benton began back tracking their whereabouts to try and find a point where she could have lost them. The Cave would have been a good opportunity to steal them, but then there was the road. Did the clash between those two do something? 


(Sorry in class)
 
Elise paused, her eyes went wide as she noticed that something had gone wrong with the horns, her eyes followed Evilin's to the most obvious suspect, the boy Coda "If you've done something with the horns, we need to know, this is very important" she said, stepping forward and trying to force him to look at them "Have you done anything with them?" she asked, putting on her most intimidating face, which wasn't all that intimidating to be honest but she would hope that Coda would fess up before the group had to take more drastic measures.  


Of course there was always the chance Coda was innocent, in which case her mind raced to think of who among them could have stolen the horns.  It most definitely must have happened while they were asleep... damn it... Elise would make sure the group would never sleep without someone awake to watch them for the rest of their journey! She couldn't possibly imagine the others would have any motives to steal the horns, definitely not Argen, nor did she think Benton would have done it, although it was possible now that she considered his actions with Zola and her wagon.  It could have possibly been some thief in the night, but the idea didn't seem as likely, according to Evilin nobody should know what the horns were, no thief would consider them valuable, at least, not any more valuable than what the rest of the party was carrying, which had gone unmolested.  
 
Coda glanced over at Elise as his face went from guilty to annoyed. He grumbled a bit at her trying to intimidate him. It was pathetic in his eyes. But Coda had to take a half step back when Evilin stepped into his space. "Where are they?!" She demanded in a very angered tone. Coda blinked not expecting such an angered look coming from the princess of all people. "You....." She paused remembering that she didn't know his name.


"You?" Coda asked now giving her a questionable look. 


Evilin bit back her words but only for a short second, "I don't even know your name, but I can spot a thief when I see one." She was still very angered. 


"Coda..." Coda hushed as he let his shoulders drop and his muscles relaxed a bit. "My name is Coda.... And you have no right to be playing with those horns." He forced his words back at her in a similar angered tone. 


"Oh and you think that you have rights over them?" She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot rapidly. 


Coda glanced around before nodding, "I have more rights to them then any of you." He stopped his gaze back at Evilin. "No one here knows what they are or what they can do but me. And trust me... You wanted them gone... So now they are gone." Coda crossed his arms over his chest as the two locked eyes. Coda as the first to break away as he looked over to Elise, "Not to mention that you wanted to experiment on them..." Coda looked pissed for some reason. Well not just some reason, but it sounded like there was something big he was hiding. Like there was some dark secret about the horns that he refused to say. 


Evilin uncrossed her arms and balled her hands into fists. She narrowed her eyes at Coda and glared him down. Her teeth clenched together knowing that she didn't want to exchange words anymore. Those horns were dark magic and dangerous, and here was this little black mage acting all high and mighty, holding back any and all information on the horns. "You will tell me where they are." She let slip through her teeth. 


Coda turned back to Evilin, keeping his cool as he spoke. "No."
 
On the horizon the sun was slowly sinking into a pool of its own fiery blood, turning the skies pink and orange as it drowned beneath the earth. Dusk was swiftly encroaching and soon night would make its descent to cloak the forest below in shadow. It would be in this darkness, beneath a jury of stars, that Lithariel would finally end her hunt. 


There was only one thing left to do, and even that would soon fall into place. These weaklings relied too heavily on their lupine protector, and it was this dependence that would be their downfall. Her gaze followed after the Lycan as he left the group to retreat into the woods. He would need to hunt, just as predicted. 


It was easy for Lithariel to meld into the growing shadows of the the undergrowth, her footfalls muted to all but the insects she trampled underfoot. Even the vegetation seemed reluctant to touch her, silently parting before her as if in shy submission. The cover they provided combined with her skill was enough to ensure invisibility even under the most watchful eye, but this was not normal prey. Nor did such prey rely on sight alone. 


The huntress positioned herself downwind while she trailed after her prey, keeping to the shadows and moving only when he did. Never once did her fiery eyes leave her charge, staring out from the foliage with a bitter resolve. A cold fury burned in her chest but she knew that she must wait until the distance between the farm and Argen grew. Only then would she proceed. 


(I always feel like somebody’s watching meeeee!)


@shadowz1995
 
 
Elise walked up to coda slowly, deciding to take on another approach "Coda... listen, you understand these horns better than us, correct? Then surely you know that they don't belong in the hands of someone who would abuse them.  That's why they need to be destroyed, for good.  Hiding them won't help, the king has access to an army of men, with all the resources he could possibly need to find them, no matter where you hide them it won't be good enough.  That's why I want to...;. 'research' them, I don't have any plans to take advantage of their power, I just want to see that they're out of the hands of the people who would abuse them, just like you. And the only way that comes to mind is to remove them from existence, that way nobody can have them"


She tried to keep things calm, rather than start more trouble, they needed to find the horns quickly before that dark man and his search party, and that meant they'd have to defuse this situation quickly and go find where they're hidden.  "Honestly we need you the most, you clearly know the most about these horns, weather or not you decide to tell us about them, it's why the princess here took you, she knew you were best fit to take care of these horns.  We're all trying to accomplish the same goals here, don't you think a little cooperation would help our situation?" 
 
The large lycan sighed as he trudged through the forest, increasing the distance between himself and the camp as he followed the scents of the wildlife nearby. He knew he would have to stay within earshot (his ears) of the farm in case something happened but that would mean being unable to hunt some of the bigger prey. Bigger prey was exactly what he needed. A few deer, elks, or maybe a single bear if he could find one would fill him up. 


That would mean he had to go deeper, out of his current hearing range. The lycan paused his stride just as Elise's conversation with Coda was starting to become hard to hear and he did a full 180. He had to strain to hear her and he knows he didn't catch ever word but she was playing mediator yet again. Argen could tell that much. 


"Ugh...idiot child." He muttered and shook his head before taking a knee into the earth. Then, his body began to break and reshape, filling the quiet, dusk-lit forest with the sounds of breaking bone and tearing flesh. It didn't take long before Argen emerged into his half-beast state and stood from his spot on the ground. He took a deep breath from his new muzzle, all of the previous scents now much clearer than before. Elise's conversation also became fully audible, albeit far away. 


Argen was even able to pick a few new scents that were a ways off. 


A low rumble resounded from within his chest as he turned back around and set off for the nearest buck in the forest. An old huntress found her way back into his thoughts as he moved with silent footfalls. His glowing eyes filling with nostalgia as he remembered their bouts, their conversations, and his shame. A slow breath left the lycan's chest that could be interpreted as a sigh for anyone that knew him. 


It had been a long journey for the warrior. An unbelievable amount of things had happened over the time of his travels. Yet, his goal remained constant. 


It had felt like he was running out of strong opponents to fight. Irritating or troublesome opponents like black mages, weren't what he was talking about either. They were always troublesome not because of skill but because their art countered Argen on a genetic and spiritual level. (Not that Argen knew that)


No, he wanted a real fight. The best fights of his life were back at home. In the snowy tundra of his people. Argen had not seen another lycan during his adventure. The only time he ever saw his kin was when he went back to visit. It was almost as if lycans couldn't survive beyond the tundra. Argen was just a fluke among the lycan warriors. Him and his sister were the best but it seemed only he had the drive necessary to change his ideals for greater understanding and strength. The lycan warrior knew he was leagues stronger than his tribe and they knew it too. As beings closer to beasts than men, they could feel strength. Not that it stopped his stubborn sister from dueling with him every time he visited.


Speaking of which, the time was approaching. It had been a year since his last visit. He had to return soon to keep his promise to his family. The promise with his family always reminded Argen of a certain failure on his part. His accursed weakness back in that time.


Unbeknownst to Argen, the reason he was sifting through his memories in such a way was because there was a very faint scent that crossed his nose. A scent that brought the waves of nostalgia upon the lycan like a raging tempest. A scent that his subconscious knew was not possible and blocked it out of his conscious thoughts. 


Soon enough, the lycan found his hunt and didn't hesitate. He had wandered out of earshot of the farm during his musings without noticing but the promise of prey was currently more important than the entirety of his contractor's party combined. He closed the distance with frightening speed, unseen except for the pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. Deer had good night vision but this one had no chance. It went down without a fight.


@Juju
 
Coda narrowed his eyes at Elise, a few times he looked either taken back or disgusted for some reason. "They don't need to be destroyed. All I have to do is return them to where they came and they will lose their power." Coda crossed his arms over his chest as he shook his head at Elise, "You're sick you know that." He stated. "Research them and destroy them." He quoted Elise, "No wonder this world is going to hell." He hushed his last words as they rolled off his tongue. 


Evilin looked over to Elise not sure what the problem was when it came to understanding and getting rid of the horns. She knew Coda knew more about them, but with the topic so strong, she noticed that so were his emotions. One could tell when looking into his eyes. She agreed with Elise on so many levels, Coda could help them and could tell them what he knew, but he was choosing to hide the information and also the horns in question. 


"We need to understand them and get rid of them. As long as they are in the world.... So will darkness." Evilin calmed her voice just like Elise in hopes of changing Coda's mind. She blinked a bit when she noticed Coda's eyes were tightly locked onto Elise. 


Coda huffed out his cheeks a bit as he continued to stare at Elise. 
 
"Then tell us how to do that!" she nearly exclaimed, having a difficult time keeping her composure "The only reason we want to destroy them is because you completely refuse to cooperate with us, if you would just explain a single thing about these horns then maybe we would know what to do!" She took a deep breath to calm herself "Please, just communicate with us, everyone here has made sacrifices for what we thought was right, we'd follow your lead if you were just to take it" She said sternly, folding her arms as she looked down at him.  


She had no idea why he was acting so difficult, they were all trying their best and he just seemed hell bent on not being helpful, even when their goals were the same, she found herself wishing that she had gone along with Argen when she had the chance, surely he was enjoying himself about now, and she would relish the chance to get out and enjoy the calm serenity of nature with someone who was, well, actually cooperative for a change, as much as she tried to keep things calm, she was quickly getting annoyed with how much the group of them bickered with each other. 
 
Coda kept his eyes locked with Elise, her words were getting no where until she mentioned 'sacrifice'. His eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth at the mention of the word. "Sacrifice.....?" He questioned her in a stern tone. 


"I wont tell you anything about the horns...." Coda reached to his belt and slowly pulled out his black steal dagger. He placed the blade to the palm of his hand before wrapping his fingers around it tightly. "But I will show you, maybe after you truly understand where I'm coming from... Then maybe we'll talk about the horns." Coda ripped the blade from his hand, cutting the skin deep. He reached out and pulled Elise by the front of her shirt and placed his now bleeding hand right to the center of Elise's forehead. 


Elise's body would immediately submit to the darkness that was now taking over her mind and being. Coda guided her to her knees where her body would rest, her eyes would roll back only showing the whites while her mind would trail to black. 


All of her thoughts, memories would cast away till there was nothing...... Black... 


All this in real time would happen in seconds, but for Elise, it would feel like an eternity would pass.


A faint red like started to dance in the distance of her thoughts. It would start off small and lonely, but would soon start to move and trail closer. The little red light started to flutter about until it was clear to Elise. It was a small red butterfly, fluttering away in the darkness. It's figure was see through and held a sense of beauty. There were no words to call this butterfly.... But something in Elise's heart would tell her 'Bellfire'. Still unclear as to why the bellfire started to flutter away slowly. Elise's mind would follow, keeping up with the little light in such a dark world. 


The darkness started to lighten as shadows appeared all around her. The shadows started to reveal trees that were large and black. At the tops the trees held red leaves of all different sizes. Some of the smaller ones would float down and land on the hard but yet wet ground. A deep muggy smell brought the world to life along with a deep chill that seemed unnatural. 


The sun light tried it's best to pear through the tall black and red trees, but would only cast a red faint to the world. 


"Nao!" A voice called out in the distance as the bellfire fluttered around Elise. The bellfire acted as if trying to protect or hide Elise's presents from the world Coda had created for her to see. 


"Nao!" The voice was louder and closer this time. 


"Nao?" A figure appeared out from behind one of the large trees and came into the light for Elsie to see. It was in fact Coda.... but this Coda was much different. He looked to be in his mid teens and instead of a weak figure, he was strong and full of youth. His clothing was tattered and black, held together by string, buttons and belts. Securely strapped across his chest was a quiver and in his right hand a black steal bow.... One similar to the one his friend had. This was topped off with the black steal arrows in the quiver just waiting to be fired if needed. He was on edge and on guard. 


But that wasn't at all what was different about him. Red paint was sloppily placed across his eyes and different bones and feathers decorated his already strange clothing. 


Coda ran a hand through his hair as his eyes looked about. A worried look plastered upon his face. Elise would now notice more different changes. Coda's nails were small sharp and black. His feet were bare and the nails on his toes were much like the ones on his hands. As Coda let out a deep breath the wind blew hard and cold, now revealing little black horns right above both his temples. He shivered at the wind and turned his back towards it to keep his still small figure warm. 


When the wind stopped he was eager to look back around, "Nao!?" He questioned into the silence. 


The bellfire gently fluttered between the two as a cry called out in the distance. 


Coda's attention was quickly pulled as a much worried and angered look shot through his eyes. He took off into the woods with great speed. Letting his bare feet dig into the ground in hopes to move his body faster. "Nao!" He called out as there was another scream that chilled Elise's bones to the core. 


The bellfire zipped fast to follow Coda dragging Elise with it. Keeping up with Coda the screams started to become louder as they drew closer. But they were still far from it and they would have to run further and faster to get to the one screaming. 


At some point one would think the cries wouldn't stop.... But they did. 


Coda still ran in the the direction he had last heard the screams. Elise could feel how fast Coda's heart was racing in his chest, and the burning feel from the rushed cold air entering and escaping his lungs. Even if she was not doing the running she felt tiered but for some desperate reason would still want to press on.


Coda came to a halt when he spotted something in the distance. About twenty to thirty feet away from where he and Elise stood, laid a small body on the ground. Red engulfed the ground around around the young girl. Her hair dirty and mangled as if she had been in a struggle. Coda took a soft step back as his breathing hitched in his chest. Sadness filled his eyes as he finally let out the breath he was holding in. He slowly made his way over to the young girl letting his eyes trail over her corpse. Once next to her, he let himself fall to his knees and rest his bow on the ground. 


Coda shook his head as he reached out and brushed the girls hair away from her face. The girl looked to only be about eight or so... Maybe younger. He frail features were still beautiful, even in death. Coda clenched his teeth as he saw what he was looking for. Two holes were well deep in her forehead right above her temples. Similar to the same place Coda had his horns. "May-zhen hito no sia." Coda's foreign words were soft and sad. Elise's heart spoke up once more helping her understand what she could not. "They pulled them out." spoke to her in a soft whisper. 


Coda frowned deeply as he felt it harder to breath. He scooped the girl up into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her. He fought back the burning in his eyes as tears started to form. He gulped, wanting to say something but couldn't. All he could muster out was her name, "Nao." In a soft broken whisper.


Elise's heart felt broken in her chest. 


The sound of something hitting the ground hard behind them snapped their attention away from the girl. Coda quickly looked over his shoulder to find another body laying out before him. This time it was a young boy, one much younger that the girl in Coda's arms. 


Coda quickly placed Nao back on the ground and picked up his bow. He ripped an arrow from his quiver and was quick to notch it to the black steal string. The metal against metal made a soft high pitched whistle sound that stopped when Coda pulled the string back as far as he could. His aim and eyes were now on the group of figures that were stepping out from behind the trees and shadows. 


Tall dark Drow elves just stood there with their eyes locked on Coda. They were dressed in old armor, but the armor looked brand new and shined in the faint red light. Their skin darkened in grey and black while their eyes were a blood red and their hair was long and silver. If Elise could recall her history of Neatherfar, she could say that these kinds of Drows had been long gone for hundreds of years. The armor held the 'kings of old' symbols on their chest along with the old colors. 


A few more stepped out from the shadows and dropped three more bodies to the ground. All children, the youngest being around the age of three. 


Coda kept his arrow straight as he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the Drows. 


One of the Drows took a few steps forward, coming out of the shadows and into the light. He smiled at Coda and tilted his head while looking him over. This Drow was more decorated than the others. His armor had a few more dents and scratches just like the man's face. A scar crossed over his right check and his over all looks told you he was at his prime. He reached towards his belt and went to rest his hand on the hilt of his sword, but instead reached for a pouch next to it. He pulled the string lightly releasing the pouch. He held it out towards Coda and dropped the bag to the floor.


The pouch spilled open, littering the ground with black horns. 


Coda's eyes drifted to the horns only to snap back at the Drow. The grip on his bow tightened as his heart felt heavy, but began to race never the less. 


The Drow cocked a smirk at Coda, "Please.... Give me a challenge." The Drow spoke with an amused tone. "I'm tiered of hunting children."


With that Coda released his arrow. As it zipped through the air the whistle sound it made pulled Elise back into the darkness quickly, leaving that world and time behind. 


Sitting back in the black, the red bellfire fluttered about and into the distance until it faded away. The darkness and silence once more became Elise's friend for a moment. Her world slowly returned to her as she did to reality. 


Evilin rushed over to Coda and ripped his hand off Elise's forehead. "Are you mad?!" She yelled. 


Coda took two steps back as a sharp pain rushed through his chest. He gasped for air as if he had been holding his breath this whole time. Once more, what seemed like a life time for Elise, was only seconds for the others. 


Evilin shoved Coda back further before stepping over and kneeling down before Elise. "Elise!" She called out. She was now worried for the weakened Elf. 


She looked back over her shoulder to Coda. Coda was whipping away sweat from his brow and leaned against the wall closest to him. His eyes locked onto Elise, but still had that large hint of anger still in them. 
 
Elise's head was spinning, the sudden jarring transition from the world Coda had shown her back to the real one caused her a great deal of disorientation, she sputtered and fell to the ground, just catching herself before she collapsed.  It would be a few moments of reflection before she would raise a hand to Evilin, standing slowly "I'm... fine, thank you" she said as she rose to her feet to look back to Coda again.  So many thoughts raced through her mind, the information was not something she would have ever have expected, the horns... they came from Coda's people, they were stolen.  Clearing her throat at last, she spoke up "I... had no idea, that's why you don't want to see them destroyed, you want a memorial, am I correct?" she asked, it would only be natural for the boy to want to keep the horns, as remembrance for all his fallen friends.  


"Listen... we are not your enemy, we didn't bring you with us so that we could keep what's rightfully yours from you, but... you have to understand our position here.  All we know about these horns is that they can be exploited, that the king was planning some form of horror that would only be allowed with those horns, that's why the princess left her own loving family to take them out of his possession.  That's why I, and all of us are now wanted by the guard, because we don't want to allow anyone who would abuse it the power that these horns can provide.  That's why we thought to destroy them, it would be the quickest way to rid the world of their power, but knowing now what I know, understand that they belong to you, and you should be the one to have them.  But you and I both know the temporary location of which you hid them won't be enough, they'll be found by the kings men soon enough.  We need to work as a team if we're going to keep these horns protected from the king and his men, so please, will you help us?" Her voice came out weaker than she expected, the experience had sapped her strength immensely and she had a hard time keeping her balance, it would take some time and rest before she would regain her strength again.  
 
Coda looked to Elise and shook his head lightly. She now knew where the horns came from but still had a lot to understand. Coda only wished that returning the horns was for a memorial or something simple like wanting to remember his people. But the horns needed to be returned for other and more important reasons. Coda brought a hand to his forehead whipping away what he thought would be sweat. A glance to his fingers only showed signs of blood. He grumbled to himself before looking to Elise and Evilin. 


"The guards wont find the horns. I've placed them somewhere my friends can find them. They should find them tonight...." Coda looked back to his hand and then to the other that had the deep cut on it. He looked around the barn in hopes to find a cloth of some sort. 


"Then tomorrow they should be able to find me." Coda's words couldn't be more true. The horns' location could only be found by Coda, his friends and now Elise. Bellfires could only be seen by those who have come in contact with them. From a young age him and his friends were greatly exposed to bellfires. And now that Elise saw one, she too would now be able to see bellfires at night. He would have to explain them to her come night fall... Which wasn't too far away from this time. 


He would also have to explain a lot more to Elise then just the bellfires. Like how she would soon be running a fever and she would become physically weak for the next day or two. Laying down and eating would be a wise choice at this point in time before the fever hits.


Evilin blinked at Elise, "What do you mean his people?" She asked looking from Elise to Coda and then back. She noticed the color in Elise's skin was fading and so was the energy in the girls body. 


She snapped back to Coda upon noticing these things. "What the hell did you do to her?!" she demanded. 


Coda looked to Evilin, "I showed her what she wanted to know." He snapped in a weak hushed tone. 
 
"Then what do we do now? and what's the plan for tomorrow?" she asked, trying to conserve her weak voice.  she carefully moved over to the barn fence, using it to keep herself from toppling over.  She would have to do something about this weakness that she felt, it wouldn't do the party any good to try and travel in her condition if they needed to, maybe she could come up with some kind of potion? What would she need? Some Monkshood root pulp, and Peony seeds,  maybe some crab meat... and Tiger lily nectar, yes that would do, she lost herself in thought temporarily as she tried to remember weather or not she had the ingredients she required.  


She blinked as she noticed that Evilin was looking at her, awaiting an answer to her question "Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't have the strength to talk in length at the moment, I'll explain everything later" she said, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache coming on.  This would take more than just one potion, that was for sure, it brought her back to the time when she was still a child, and how it seemed her mother knew a remedy for anything that ailed her, if only she was even half the alchemist her mother was, she still had so much to learn.  
 
The huntress froze mid-step when Argen suddenly turned, her limbs turning into marble as she remained in perfect stillness. Could he have detected her? It was possible, but unlikely. As advanced as a lycan’s senses were, they were apex predators and such creatures often forgot what it meant to be prey. So long as nothing was amiss, he would not be actively scanning for danger. 


In following his golden gaze Lithariel could tell that his attention was directed to the farm, most likely due to the recent squabble. His comment only confirmed this, though she wasn’t sure which idiot child he was referring to. Each of them gave Lithariel a headache.


She watched as he knelt in transformation, listening to the familiar crunches and tears as man gave way into beast. Such sounds brought her mind back to a time she had let the years bury, as if they were tides to wear it down like rock. Yet even after all these years it did nothing to muddle what had occurred and those memories remained as sharp as ever. With it came the remembrance of white and black and red… so much red. It had been the toughest fight of her life but no sword, nor tooth or claw, had cut as deep as what had come after. What did she expect? It was bound to happen, he had merely been waiting for an opportune moment when her guard was down. Lithariel had been played for a fool, but she would not make such a folly again. 


Lithariel forced herself back to the present when her prey began moving. Those thoughts only served to drive her forward, a constant reminder of her mistake. The fury it evoked was unparalleled to anything else, and it took no small amount of willpower just to prevent her mark from giving away her position. Soon.. she reminded herself ...it is almost time. The weight of her crossbow made its way into her hand.


The buck Argen selected stood little chance against a lycan, but it provided enough time for Lithariel to reach into her bag to produce a vial of a transparent substance. While the deer was being slaughtered she poured the contents of the flask onto the head of one of her bolts, already locked into place and waiting. As soon as the fluid touched the metal it expanded for a moment before disappearing with a soft hiss, as if the bolt had hungrily consumed it. Lithariel knew exactly how much to apply right down to the last drop. After multiple hunts she had practically perfected it and knew precisely what amount would hinder, incapacitate or kill. She silently chastised herself for not using a lethal dose during those years. 


Lithariel lifted the crossbow to her shoulder and carefully took aim. His back was turned to her as he fed, making it almost too easy for her to aim for a soft part in his armor. There was a moment of stillness as she held her finger over the trigger. Everything seemed to slow down as she gently pressed it down and the string broke free. The bolt whistled through the air towards its target, and as it did there was a short-lived flare of heat in the location of Argen’s mark before it faded once again into dormancy.


@shadowz1995
 
Benton had been watching the argument between Evilin and the boy apparently named Coda grow more and more out of control. It wasn't until the boy decided to use his magic on Elise that he decided to step in and help out. After all the only reason he was traveling with the group was to fulfil his duty to the late queen and keep the princess out of trouble. So he tried to avoid interacting with the group as much as possible but he could tell that such a strategy would only make things worse more him in the long run.


Benton walked over to Elise looking her over. Granted he had dealt more with corpses and traumatic wounds in his tenure as a physician, but he still felt the need to check on her. She did at least try to help him so he couldn't help but feel a bit indebted to her. " Come on Elise, let's get you inside and sitting down at least. We can worry about the ingredients you need once we make certain of your health." Benton told her with a surprisingly gentle tone as he helped her to the farmer's home. He was still wary about the earth mage, but the health of a companion takes precedence.


As much as he didn't like Coda Benton could sorta understand where he was coming from. Since apparently the horns come from his people they are his responsibility. However he didn't understand his aversion to having them tested on or destroyed. After all how else were they supposed to measure the power of the horns and figure out how to seal or destroy them? Coda was asking a lot on faith and Benton hadn't been the trusting type for years.
 
       Zola watched with her arms crossed as the group of fugitives argue over some horns that Chicken Legs stole. These horns must hold some type of magic in it for it to be that important for the group to steal. Horns were not that hard to come by, so Zola could only assume that they had something magical to them for it to be even considered important. But what Zola could not comprehend was why a little magic was worth becoming an enemy to the kingdom of Roland.


    As they argued Zola tried to make sense of it all, but she was missing some vital information that would make the picture clearer for her. Zola then shrugged it off, thinking that she would eventually gain the information she needed later, right now she had to deal with Elf Chick who could barely stand due to Chicken Legs' blood spell thingy.


    Black Magic Dude began to lead Elf Chick in the wrong direction, towards her house that still had some smoke swirling around half of it. Zola rolled her eyes at him before walking forward and scoping up Elise bridal style, and began to carry her over to the barn, decided that whatever voodoo magic Coda had put on her made her lose her strength and that she should not be walking in this state.


   "Don't worry though, the barn is the only safe place to sleep at the moment, and I will be sleeping on the loft so don't think your getting the short end of the stick! Come on, the barns this way!" Zola said with the same energy she always had as she made her way towards the barn.


@Nogoodname @Juju @NovaNovass  @SleepyBuddha
 
Elises' eyes went wide as she was lifted up by Zola, she detested being carried around like this, but found she was too weak to protest, all she could do was complain "Er... I can still walk, you know..." she said, rather unconvincingly.  "Also I asked Coda a question..." she followed, already being carried away from the boy before she could get an answer to her question.  Frankly she didn't trust the boy as much as she let on, why would he hide the horns from the group of them? Even though they had done nothing but tried to help? It was clear that he was probably planning to take them and leave when his friends arrived, and while she did believe the horns were the boys property, she didn't trust him enough to evade the kings men on his own.  It would be the work of the group to help remove the horns from the kings reach.  


At least the chance to rest up would do the party some good, it was clear that everyone was rather weary after being on their feet for such a long time.  She hoped that everyone, herself included, would feel much better in the morning, although the promise of Coda's friends coming towards their little hideout didn't exactly put her at ease.  The more people that got involved in this, the less of a chance there was that they would be able to do things subtly.  Already one of the group had turned on them back in the woods, they couldn't dare let something like that happen again, it would ruin them.  
 
Evilin was quick to follow, merely glancing back to Coda who still held himself against the wall. But her focus was now on Elise. Coda's magic seemed more than effective. It had weakened the elf in such a way that Evilin was now worried for the elf's safety. She could not say that she had ever slept within or even near a barn, but found it easy to trust Zola. They had encountered her within the woods, and it was not very pleasant at the time. But here she was, more than willing to help shelter and feed them along with other needs.

Coda on the other hand watched the group leave. All eyes and attention fell to Elise while he stood by and watched as they cared for her. He gritted his teeth and held back his words and breath for the moment. Casting his eyes away from the scene he felt his heart sink a bit. He had been struggling to keep up, only to be left behind.

He slowly looked back up to see that the group had gotten further away from him. His eyes narrowed to match his angered feelings. Elise spoke of working together, but here they were more focused on certain individuals. Once more he had too look away from them. His thoughts trailed to the hope of seeing his friends soon.

He cursed at himself for showing the elf bits of what he knew about the horns. She could never and would never understand the truth about them. Nor did he trust anyone from this group with the horns. Him and his companions alone would take care of them and return them to their rightful resting grounds. If they were destroyed a fate worse than death would fall upon those they belonged to.

Coda pushed himself away from the wall and finally started to take the steps needed to catch up with the others. His thoughts trying to stay positive, would fall to his friends and leaving these people behind.... like they had done him.
 
(Blah, this is delayed but better late than never. CURSE YOU UPDATE!)

Everything fell into chaos when the one named Coda placed his hand on Elise’s head.

By the gods it hurt, cutting deeper and deeper into the priestess’s chest until she could hardly breathe. This was not a usual grievance, as she had felt time and time again from the mourning visitors of the temple, this was something much more potent. It was as if she was there at the time of this event; it was a memory. Even so, it was rare to witness one of such purity.

She let out a sharp gasp and tried to make sense of the sudden whirlwind of emotions, gripping her head in an effort to keep it contained. Sadness and fear were the most prominent, thick and black like a creeping ichor that clawed at her heart. The priestess felt despair for someone she did not know, but she could feel that they were related to this person on some level. A friend? No, closer than that… it had to be family. There was horror here as well, a tell-tale sign that something terrible had happened; a death, but not a peaceful passing. Tears that did not belong to her began to trace their way out from under her mask and down her cheeks. She felt as if her chest would burst

In the chaos, Eira managed to stumble away from the group to find refuge behind the pig pen that she and Zola had trained beside, lest the others detect her change of demeanor. There was nothing she could do to ease the bearer’s suffering -draining away the emotions would have little effect on a memory. Instead she would suffer silently, waiting for the pains to pass in an agonizing patience.

Eira’s hands were shaking by the time the memory faded and Elise was swooped up and brought to the barn. Still, she forced herself to walk calmly back towards the others before she could be missed. It was on her way back that she detected it, a strange flicker of… something...at what she could only assume to be the edge of Zola’s farmland. Flares of emotions were what Eira relied on for her navigation, but this one was strikingly different. It was almost as if it was the void of emotion… but she didn’t think that was possible. Then it disappeared, yet another impossibility. It could only be a side effect from her Empathy. Perhaps she was more exhausted than she previously thought.

She had been so focused on this abnormality that she nearly ran into Coda, who had also been on his way to the barn, but managed to step to the side in time.

“Oh! Forgive me, Coda…I thought you had gone in with the others.” she muttered in surprise, bowing her head slightly in apology. Eira couldn’t help but look away from him with a fleck of guilt when she remembered her helplessness towards his pain. She wished there was more she could do. Even now she could tell something was still bothering him, a loneliness of sorts. Maybe she could help him in some small way after all.

“While you are here, would you mind helping me to the barn? Well... if it’s not much to ask. Zola usually guides me but she has her hands full at the moment.” she said.

Super Villain Nova Super Villain Nova
(Also... If there is any unfinished business you all would like to attend to, now is the time to do so! *HINT HINT, NUDGE NUDGE*)
 
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