Fantasy ~Journey~

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Gryphon

Soaring just out of reach of Veruul, Falarion snickered and banked right to take another swing at him only to feel the rapidly rising heat in the area. Oh, dip.

Hearing Korro shout his warning and with quite literally no cover in the sky, Falarion could only sigh and start to drop with his wings tucked around his torso in a vain attempt to protect himself. He hissed in pain, as the fire wave rolled over his body, burning off a number of feathers on his wings. As he continued to plummet, Falarion then snarled and writhed in pain, as his mind finally registered the burns covering the right side of his face. He had to squint with his right eye, tears gathering on his face as even squinting caused further pain.

At the last second, Falarion forced his wings to extend and winced at the pain shooting up his shoulders from stopping the descent so abruptly. He coasted away from Veruul and back into the village, landing on the nearest roof to assess his injuries. He decided it was less painful to keep his right eye closed and opted to manage with only half of his vision for the time being. He was lucky he had at least closed his eyes before the fire reached him.
Muttering a variety of Scottish curses under his breath, Falarion moved to the edge of the roof and peered over to see how the other half of their team was faring over here with the imps.

Just as he took a peek, Falarion felt his feathers fluffing up and the electricity in the air. Without wasting a second, he dove down to take cover on the roof. He tentatively peeked over the edge when he heard a small explosion and gaped at the sight of lightning having traveled from the one human who had willingly waited to walk with him to the temple. She had spunk and Falarion decided that was a very beneficial trait for this kind of journey.

Falarion's head tilted to the side when he heard a scuffle not too far away. As far as he could tell, their team was fighting the imps here and not there.
With a sigh, Falarion spread his wings and made his way over the rooftops to the commotion. Leave it to the demon, of all people, to have to pick up after these useless human villagers.

Circling above, Falarion noted there were several children cowering from some imps and one that was dumb enough to try and fight back with a wooden sword. As amusing as it may be to watch the child learn the hard way how useless her sword was, Falarion figured he could make quick work of a few imps to speed things along.

With a harrumph, Falarion dove and tucked his wings along his body. Wind whistled past him for a second or two before he extended his wings and promptly landed on three imps, crushing them to oblivion along with the animal forms. Glancing down at one of his now bloodied paws, Falarion grimaced and muttered, "Well, I wasnae expectin' tha'."

Turning to face the last few imps, Falarion roared and pointedly placed himself in front of the children, curving his body to provide as much cover for them as possible. He whipped his tail back and forth, eyeing the imps and looking for an opening to end the rest of them. He was struggling with having only half his vision, as he now had a blatant blind spot on his right side. He had made a point to face his injured right side towards the children, confident that no imps could reach them now.

SilverFlight

 

[Merciless Medic]

Xe’lik​

Location: Keimara Village Entrance, Eastern Mountains
Time: Morning, Day 1
Interactions: Khatiy and Wexel, Yue, Falarion, Finyagur and Roul, Korro, Koralia, Roshan
Mentions: N/A
SilverFlight Lioness075 Goonfire Kibaa ShadyLady Arai Monday

Everything was happening pretty quickly, but given his previous raids Xe'lik was able to handle the pressure. He was more focused on the imps, having successfully reverted ten on his side. However, some spilled to the sides and he growled.

If he had his original power, he would have been able to catch them.

At least the others were helping in their count. Koralia had several from what he was able to gather, and her question if this was a contest had him nearly laughing if he wasn't trying to control his vines. They shuddered, but he then returned back to sadness by twisting his thoughts on the matter before regaining their control. Yue had five, so they got about twenty.

He heard some children screaming, and he was about to run and help when Falarion flew overhead, smoke coming off his form. That Veruul had fire??? Shit, that made his plants useless.

Looking at the girls who had been helping him, he yelled to them what he was doing. That's when he noticed Khatiy's wild swings and he stared. Why did she fight like that??? She needed to get taught stamina preservation in a fight. With a lost weapon, he conjured a plan as he sent his vines towards Khatiy, slamming them down a few times around her, then sweeping the imps away as if they were nothing more than detritus to a broom.

A blast of lightning arced and it hurt Xe's ears, but he scrutinized its blinding path. He looked to where Koralia was and he felt fear-

NO, wrong emotion!

Feeling upset at her weakened state, the vines changed locations. Some snaked back in the ground while others swept about the ground wildly, creating enough room for the vines that retreated to sprout up in new locations - this time in a straight line. One was near Koralia, as it took Khatiy's sword and hastily threw it near her, landing into an imp beside her sloppily and then clattering to the ground. Helping Koralia up with the vine by going for her waist and pulling her up, Xe yelled at the people behind him. "Everyone, push forward! Push until you get close to the vines! Those with longer weapons should get behind those with shorter weapons and shields, focus on thrusting for you longer weapon wielders so your friends can push forward!"

With that done, Xe threw off his cloak to show off his robe underneath, the bandages coming apart from his face to show a rather youthful face of a young man. He used the bandages and cloak as distractions before lassoing the imps with his bandages and throwing the imps back over the front line he established. He then ran up to Koralia and looked her over once before going for her arm and shoulder to lift her up. "I have to take you behind the front lines. You're too weakened in this state." Unlike the other demons, his tone oddly held compassion and not like he felt like he should be performing his duty with spiteful obligation. He was treating her like he would one of his own comrades.

The team before personal emotions after all.

He looked around for her daggers, having noticed in the edges of his sight that she had used them as essentially mirrors. "Your daggers, where are they? And how many did you kill altogether? The spirit and I got fifteen, and the beast girl's… trying. Sorry, I don't know or remember everyone's names yet." He muttered, unsure if that was proper. "By my calculations, we should have under fifteen left if I lowball the number you killed altogether." That sounded promising. He was just hoping the others fighting Veruul had enough time for him to go over or enough strength to beat him.

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara

Interactions: Monday Goonfire Lioness075

"Thanks. I won't get used to it," Fin had said.
"Better to forget it altogether." Korro shot back, obviously just as surprised at his own action.

His wolf eyes were trained onto Roshan. Clever human! Korro could not believe it, but somehow this simple mortal had managed to out maneuver the demon. Veruul was angry now, and that anger he poured into his attacks, which became uncalculated and wild. He struck at the place where Roshan had thrown the rock, and received a slash under his flank for the trouble. Veruul bellowed with rage and turned to give chase, because Roshan had turned back to Korro and Fin, Veruul had clear sight of all of them.

When Fin moved to make his jump, Korro sprang out from behind the rock as well. He guessed what the god was trying to do.
Now Veruul was bearing down on them, hot on Roshan's heels. The gem at Veruul's wrist sang with a dissonant chord and then, as if it could bear the strain of the crack no longer, it shattered. Veruul lost his speed. He raised his spear to meet Fin in mid air, but Korro, running just beside him, used a burst of ice breath to freeze the ground under Veruul's descending feet. It caused the demon to stumble, leaving Fin's path clear of the Ji, and Veruul's equine back exposed.

Korro slid to a halt between Veruul and Roshan, standing with his shoulders arched protectively.
"Take him alive godling!" He barked. "I have questions for this demon."

~~~

There was a rush of smoke as the imps accosting the children were reduced to jelly under Falarion's talons. The other imps, upon seeing the ferocious beast and hearing him roar promptly dropped whatever weapons they had and ran screaming from the ally.

Two of the children stared in abject terror at the formidable gryphon standing in front of them, but the girl, clearly the bravest of the lot, ran forward and threw her small arms about the gryphon's hind leg in a tight hug, taking care to mind his still smoking fur.
"You saved my brother yesterday, I knew you'd save me too."

Lightning arced through the streets as Koralia's attack defeated every imp it touched. The villagers jumped at the sound of Xe'lik's command and a dozen rushed to obey, forming a wall of weapons across the main street, stopping the imp's advance. Their numbers were dwindling now. Khatiy's battlecries and Wexel's ferocity atop Yue's shoulders were the last few straws that crushed their resolve. The small number that remained turned and fled, squealing, back the way they had come and the villagers who had been fighting alongside the pilgrims cheered in triumph.

"Hurah for the pilgrims! The God Queen's chosen!!" They cried, lifting their makeshift weapons in celebration.

ShadyLady Arai Kibaa Merciless Medic

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR
​

Soaring through the air, Fin caught a brief glimpse of the blade coming around to catch him. The sheen of ice and sudden fall of Veruul came as little surprise, as he knew Korro had to cooperate. The god's death would yield no benefit for the pilgrims they were protecting. Having landed on the centaur demon's back, he reached to deliver a killing blow with the seax, only to stop at the behest of his old nemesis. "Take him?" he echoed. "Very well."

Fin was in a perfect position to kill or subdue his adversary. At the behest of Korro, he sheathed the seax and chose the latter. Drawing back, he threw a mighty haymaker punch at the back of Veruul's head—something he wouldn't do unless victory was assured.

Shifting forward to grab the foe's arms and restrain him, Fin glanced up from his task. "Roshan, I'm impressed," he spoke, recalling the top-notch guerrilla tactics the human employed. He noticed a bit of red staining the pilgrim's clothing... human blood. "Are you wounded?" Just as importantly, where was Falarion? The flying demon had disappeared after the flames scorched him. He must have retreated to the village. The others must have also claimed their own win, as the cheering was audible from outside the village gates.

Interactions: Monday
Mentions: SilverFlight Lioness075

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Gryphon

Watching the imps flee in terror, Falarion could not help but chuckle, his deep laughter rumbling through the alley.
"Tha's righ', run fer yer lives, wee idjits!"

Satisfied with both this entrance and success here, Falarion tensed to take off only to feel someone wrapping their small arms around his hind leg. Scowling down at the little one, Falarion tried to figure out how to escape her grasp.

Cautiously picking up his leg, Falarion shot a withering glare at the child before muttering, "O' course yer both related. Not an ounce o' self reservation in ya."

With the one kid clinging onto him, Falarion ruffled his feathers and then winced as the adrenaline was beginning to wear off.

"Oi, leggo, lil' one. Got places to be an' all tha'."
Instead of a glare this time, Falarion warily eyed the child and inwardly sighed as he realized he would have to wait for her to let go.

SilverFlight

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight Goonfire
​

Behind Roshan, Veruul was gaining rapidly, his massive hooves churning up the leaf litter. Up ahead, Fin and Korro were both charging his way. With the sharp sound of the jewel shattering, the distance between the demon and his prey ceased to shrink. As his allies passed him, Roshan slid to a stop and turned to witness their foe's stumble on Korro's ice and Fin's flying attack. At Korro's request, rather than strike a killing blow, Fin opted to subdue his opponent with blunt force. That done, Roshan planted the butt of his spear in the earth and allowed himself a small laugh to relieve the tension of his narrow escape. "Not so tough now, huh?"

Cheers resounded from the village, while a glance toward the gates revealed the remaining goblins' retreat into the forest. It appeared the rest of the team had met with equal success. "Aw, that was nothing." Though he tried to brush off the god's compliment to his tactics, his bright smile and the hand back of his head showed that he was pleased. "I've seen a fair few fights, so I should be able to do that much." When Fin pointed out his injury, which he had almost forgotten, he tried to shrug, only to wince when the movement put strain on his broken skin. "Oh, this? It's just a scratch. Don't worry about it."

Fin himself was wounded, but it didn't look serious. Falarion might well be, given that Roshan hadn't seen him since the fire blast; but Korro worried him the most. "Korro, how are you holding up?" he said, eyeing the black demon blood seeping through his wolf fur. Funny, this color didn't usually indicate danger to him. In stark contrast to both the alarming red of human blood and the bright metallic sheen of ichor, it was oily and dark, like tar welling from cracks in the earth. Not at all a pleasant sight, unless it meant victory. Right now, however, it was cause for concern. He crouched down to Korro's eye level. "Any broken bones?" Given the sound of that impact, he'd be surprised if it hadn't cracked a few ribs.

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara

Interactions: Monday Goonfire Lioness075

The little girl giggled and stood back, folding her hands behind her back and looking up at Falarion with shining eyes.
"Come say goodbye before you leave our village?" She asked boldly. The other children had already retreated a safe distance.
On the other side of the buildings a great bellow rose up into the morning air, telling Falarion that the demon Veruul had finally been bested.

~~~

Veruul roared and struggled, but his movements were uncoordinated as Fin's blow fell heavy and had dazed him.
Still, his hooves would be deadly to any mortal who dared stray too close.
Roshan's taunt make him kicked harder, but he could not reach the pilgrim, and roared again in frustration.

Korro gritted his teeth against the pain, mist still curled out from his jaws as he stepped gingerly around the ice sheet he had created to fell their adversary.
His eyes were locked on Veruul with the cold purpose of a wolf, however he started like a deer when Roshan called his name.
The man was asking after his condition. The act took Korro so much by surprise that he simply stared, with large round eyes, and continued to stare, ears drooping to the sides of his head when the human knelt before him to meet his gaze.
"I'm fine.." Korro spoke barely above a whisper, and couldn't meet Roshan's eyes after that. He added in a slightly harsher tone:
"The fact that you're fretting over me likely means you sustained no serious injuries. Good."

Korro turned back to Veruul, restrained and still furious. The wolf stepped and then became a man again, but in the next instant he cried out and grasped his side. His hand came away with more sticky, black blood. The boar hide he wore had been slashed badly from Veruul's ji, however beneath the clothing, where the slash in Korro's skin was visible, there was also another wound underneath it, deep and irritated. This wound was old, but it had not closed as it would have in days if it had been made by any normal blade.
It was this wound, harassed by the new slash, that was causing Korro's pain. Korro tried his best to ignore it.

"How did you find out about the humans?" He demanded of the demon. "Tell me or I will let the godling choke the life out of you."
Veruul glared spitefully at the present party. "You have no idea what has been set in motion." He laughed. "Your fates were all sealed the very moment the godly power touched your little human pets."

Korro drew his sword and leveled it at Veruul's heart. "Enlighten us."

Veruul grinned savagely, but stayed silent.

Korro would hesitate only a moment, he glanced quickly at the others to see if they had any questions for their bested foe.

In the trees, a raven sat, several more circling above. The birds smelled the blood and were keen to investigate, in case there was a meal to be had.

Spoiler: For Yue If she sees Korro's old wound your character will recognize that it was made by a cursed blade, and the cultivator Yue knows has the blessed ability to remove many powerful curses, including ones made from cursed blades.

ShadyLady Arai Kibaa Merciless Medic

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village	Current Form: Gryphon

Staring back at the little girl, Falarion felt his rough demeanor ease off a bit. He had always struggled to maintain the rough and tough attitude when it came to kids. Hence why he tended to scare them and then leave them be rather quickly. It was the same earlier when he saved the one little idiot, but made sure to do it as quickly as possible. What was it with this village and its kids being endangered on a daily basis?

Sighing, Falarion dipped his head while facing the little girl and muttered, “Yeah, yeah, wha’ever, kid.”

He then turned away and stepped forward to avoid whacking any kids with his wings. Once he had his distance, he spread his wings and crouched before leaping up and gaining altitude as he flew out of the alley and was soon gliding over the rooftops. He very quickly sighted the bellow signaling the end of the big bad guy fight. Finally.

Deciding to rejoin the team out there, Falarion soared to where he last saw Veruul. Approaching the area, Falarion tried to slow his descent and ended up landing awkwardly, stumbling forward for few meters before he caught himself. He tried to play it off cooly, as he folded his wings against his back, but his wings were obviously charred in places with missing feathers. He ducked his head to try and hide the facial injury he had sustained, but the lack of half of his vision had him walking oddly as if he was unsure of himself suddenly.

Trying his best to convey confidence with slouched shoulders, Falarion hesitated and decided to hover a little bit away from the group, letting them focus on Veruul rather than himself. The last thing he needed was any of the humans doting on him. Gods forbid, he thought with a quiet snicker.

SilverFlight Monday Goonfire ShadyLady Arai Kibaa Merciless Medic

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight
Nearby: Goonfire Lioness075
​

Oh... Though he'd shown only what he thought was warranted concern for a wounded ally, Korro seemed shocked and even embarrassed by it, which he quickly masked under his usual snappishness. Roshan rose and drew back. However the demon might insist, he did not believe that Korro was, in fact, fine; as evidenced when he shifted back into his human form. Instinctively, Roshan's free hand reached out, but he restrained himself, letting it curl into a fist at his side. Still, he kept a wary eye on his teammate, noticing where Veruul's weapon had slashed through his clothing. Beneath this fresh wound was another, less recent and clearly inflamed. That looks bad. Is it infected? After this, he would see to it that Korro had his wounds looked at.

Now for the promised interrogation. Last night, Korro had said that the mere scent of divinity clinging to the human pilgrims would be enough to lure demons from far and wide. Roshan had been inclined to assume that was the case here, and that Veruul had simply happened to be nearby, but Korro would know better about such things. Meanwhile, Falarion, also clearly wounded and trying to hide it, swooped down to land nearby and observe. It looked like he'd caught the worst of Veruul's fire blast. Well, he would see a healer, too, if Roshan had anything to say about it. If anything, he felt almost guilty that he, the sole mortal, had gotten off with a mere scratch.

Veruul was not inclined to talk. When Korro glanced toward him, he nodded, as if to say do it. There wasn't much more to be gained, as far as he could see. As he did so, his eyes were grim. Much as he might banter during a fight, the moment of killing was always a solemn one. A strange ache which he couldn't put to words gripped his heart at such moments. This was not pity. Dispatching Veruul would mean one fewer monster to trouble innocents. It needed to be done, and he could do it as well as Korro. No. This was far more vague. Perhaps it was simply the weight of a world in which one must take life in order to live. All living things struggled mightily, and all were destined to be snuffed out. Victory for one was tragedy for another.

This one had gotten greedy, and it had been his undoing. His end was deserved.

 

[ShadyLady]

Interactions: Kibaa
Mentions: Merciless Medic SilverFlight Monday

A somersault and the most ferocious battle cry the spirit had ever bore witness to had Yue both impressed and amused. Whatever this creature was, it certainly had a lot of energy, remaining a crazen fighter even with a wooden stake of sorts jutting out of its lower abdomen. Wincing a little once she’d noticed the impalement, Yue intended to offer her help to little thing once everything was wrapped up and over, but right now, she was watching the guy go ham. With the simple shove of a sword, the imp Yue had sent flying to the floor earlier was gone in a poof. Another screech, one of triumphant victory sounded, and the little guy bounced voraciously, bringing a small smile to Yue’s lips as a sense of pride bloomed in her chest.

Whatever delight she’d had at watching the animal was questioned when the thing climbed her like a tree, knocking her hat askew and taking position on her shoulder with the snake form of the imp he’d just defeated lassoed in his hand. “Drop it! Drop it!” She let out a shriek, clutching her hat with her free hand and squeezing the hilt of her sword tightly in the other. To her relief, he did drop it, or moreso launch it at one of the two imps who’d decided to try avenge their fallen brethren. Whilst Yue didn’t endorse the snake being so close to her face, she was grateful for the distraction, making quick work of the foes with two neat slices.

Crackling lightning and Xe’lik’s command not too far from her position had Yue’s head jolting to face the direction they came from. The group seemed to be handling things well, so she stayed and carved up a few more imps assisted by the wild thing on her shoulder. Within a few minutes, everything seemed to be drawing to a close. Imps were turning tail and fleeing, a welcome sight for the townsfolk who cheered at their victory. She spent a few minutes doing a sweep of the locals, checking over the townsfolk for their injuries which seemed minor for the most part, nothing they weren’t incapable of dealing with. Regardless of the lacking severity, she dug around in one of her pouches, handing out different herbs and materials with clear instructions for each villager on how they were to use them, if they even ended up needing them. It was mainly for potential infection, but it was better to be safe than sorry. As for her shoulder friend, she’d given him a root to tide him over now that the fight was seemingly finished.

Reaching the other three who’d opted to deal with the imps, they seemed fine, exhausted for the most part. Yue’s concerns lay not with them but those who’d faced Veruul. Making her way towards them with her eyes scanning to see any noticeable injuries, from this distance, Roshan’s seemed very manageable. Glancing at Korro, her nostrils flared, an odd sense of deja vu flooding Yue’s senses as she took in Korro's wolven form properly. She paused, wide eyes unblinking until the demon took on the form she was more familiar with and she released a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. Only, the respite she’d been expecting when he became man in form soon dissipated at his cry of pain, how he grasped his side and his hand came away black with blood. Paling at the wound, she knew what had caused it, what it meant for the demon. It was nothing she was capable of mending, but that wasn’t to say she didn’t know someone who could. Maybe that was what made everything worse. Yue highly doubted that the demon would want her to make a fuss out of it with the others gathered. Remaining silent, a grim expression claimed her face and she stood silent, trepidation engraved in her features as she watched the ongoings solemnly.

Lioness075 Goonfire Arai

 

[Goonfire]

FINYAGUR​

Fin's grasp tightened on Veruul as he withheld information, intent on causing the antagonist additional pain. "We will find information from another demon," he dismissed the snarky creature. "I will bet he knows nothing himself. You know how it is; give the grunts the minimum authority and knowledge to fulfill their task." Having finished mocking Veruul, he rose slowly and nodded to both Roshan and Korro. "Korro, this is your kill."

As Fin turned his back on the execution, he glanced over at Yue and froze. Though he had only met the spirit last night, the look on her face was universal—a grim expression, reserved for a dire situation. Tracing the direction of her gaze, he nodded slowly. "It was not an easy victory, but we persevered," he muttered to her, covering the cut he sustained with his forearm.

Interactions: ShadyLady SilverFlight Monday

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: Goddess Temple
Interactions: Merciless Medic SilverFlight

​

Ears continued to ring and a faint throbbing behind her eyes meant Koralia was barely able to focus on the actions of her companions - much less their foes -, and the vague sensation of being cradled back to her feet, carried like one would a toddler that had strayed too far from it's boundaries. The comparison would've irritated her an hour ago, but right now Koralia was content to slump into the embrace and relax. Xe'lik was next to her, shouting orders like a commander to the assembled townsfolk that were brave enough to defend themselves. Some of these farmers were surprisingly hardy to boot. She watched one of their number drive his pitchfork into an imp and into the air, the monster hissing in a foul puff of smoke.

Xe was removing his bandages, and Koralia was surprised to learn he looked younger than she did. Not much more than a boy, unless he wasn't a boy to begin with. With a few more imps dispatched, he took her over his shoulders and tried to speak to her. He may as well have been speaking through water.He heard her mention daggers. Oh, her daggers. She tried to remember where they were, but it was like shouting into fog, no idea if anyone was listening, or could even make out the words. Focus! "12...13...around that number," she croaked, pushing herself off Xe to stand under her own weight. Her head was still spinning, but now it just felt like drunken spinning, not world ending.

Behind her, the townsfolk seemed to be rallying as the remaining imps turned and feld in abject terror, the assembled farmers, butchers and everything in between lifted their blades in an almighty roar, and the battle was clearly won. She caught eyes with Roshan for a moment and he too seemed to revelling in the beasts retreat. He looked to be injured, a small blotch of red on his otherwise pristine outfit. The others seemed to be relaxing as well, and Korro was stood over the larger beast, either in dominance or relishing the kill, it wasn't clear. It looked like he was injured too. Actually, aside from Fin, the 3 of them looked a little worse for wear. She watched. It seemed like the targets on their backs were bigger than perhaps even the Goddess had anticipated.

"Your fates were all sealed the very moment the godly power touched your little human pets."

So he knew about the power. More than that, he knew exactly where they would be and were. Problematic, to say the least. She noted a deep purple gem on the beasts wrist, still pulsing with some kind of energy, and shuffled her way toward it. Had this helped him find them, or was it something else altogether. Veruul struggled, but he was uncoordinated and sloppy, and even in her current state, she wasn't afraid. She knelt at his arm and gathered her thoughts, looking over the gem and reaching a hand out for it. What little she knew about demons often involved trinkets to make them stronger. If this was such a jewel, perhaps it had played a part in him finding them so quickly. "What's this?" She muttered aloud, as much to the demons as it was to Veruul. She closed her and around it and attempted to pull it free from its ornate decoration.

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara

Interactions: ShadyLady Arai Goonfire

When Korro had looked back he registered all who had gathered. Yue was among them. He studied her face, tilting his head ever so slightly as if questioning her expression. He made a mental note to approach her later.

His kill?

Korro would have given Fin an insulted look if he hadn't been in so much pain.
"I don't give an imp's toe about him." He said as if referring to a bit of dirt on his boot.
"All the same however..." He lunged forward, grabbing the demon's hair and wrenching his head back savagely. He stood one foot in the crook of Veruul's arm and pressed the edge of his blade to the top of his wrist. Black blood welled and Veruul cried out. It was so quick and so savage it may have surprised some. Korro was still very much a demon general, and this reminded them jarringly.
"Speak or I start cutting bits off of you."

Veruul squirmed, his eyes wide, but stopped when the blade bit deeper. "I-I know you now....You are the Wolf! The Wolf of the North mountains!"
Korro bared his pointed teeth, glad that at least one being in the village finally showed him the fear he was used to.
"Speak!" He barked.

"I don't know his name! I don't even know his true form! He was a demon, he came to me as a bird, a raven, gave me the cursed stone and told me where to find you! He said the humans weren't protected!"

Korro was about to press with more questions, however out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Koralia reaching for the shattered gem. His eyes widened.
"No DON'T!" It was as close as his voice had come to panic. Too late.

Sharp needle-like tendrils shot from the broken gem, burying into her skin where she touched it. Her skin turned black where they entered, and though the marks were small, they stained her hand like a tattoo.

Korro snatched her hand away. The gem did not stop there however, snaking tendrils shot over Veruul's arm, covering his torso in a matter of seconds. Korro leapt back, dropping the demon and getting clear as Veruul hurled himself to his feet and screamed. Where the black tendrils covered him his skin and flesh began turning to ash. In no time at all he froze in place, black as char, and then fell to pieces.

In the trees the birds lifted in a cacophonous horde, among them, a large, black raven, with demon-red eyes, lifted high into the clouds and away...

Korro snarled at Koralia "You are the most foolish human I have ever met! Did you not sense the evil coming off that gem?!"

When he saw that the marks were not growing as they had on Veruul he lowered his tone slightly.
"It seems the curse might be slow acting, perhaps it is because of the divine power that now resides in you, but you are still cursed. It is best we find someone who knows purification as quickly as possible, or you may well end up just like Veruul with time."

He looked at the others, finally letting his shoulders fall, and the tension of battle leave his frame. He winced as the pain in his side flared.
"Someone go with Koralia, she must not be left alone. I suggest...we prepare to leave, and depart as soon as we can. If this fool demon found us so quickly, there is no telling what else will."

The villagers had started to come over, bringing buckets of water, and bandages and more healing tools. They offered to treat wounds, and prepare food, eager to show the pilgrims their gratitude once more before they departed. Korro hung back for a moment, deep in thought.

"It was curious," He mused aloud, "the gem's power was seemingly little, it alone could not have killed Veruul as it did...there must have been another power acting on him...it..does not bode well..."

Spoiler: For Koralia The marks sting at first, but then settle into a dull ache, and a light pulsing headache at the back of her head. There is the oddest sensation of another presence, something sinister, which preys upon her darkest thoughts and worst tempers, pushing her to act on anger. A strong will can fight it, but this force is relentless. The sooner Koralia gets treatment, the better.

Kibaa Merciless Medic Lioness075

 

[Merciless Medic]

Xe’lik​

Location: Keimara Village Entrance, Eastern Mountains
Time: Morning, Day 1
Interactions: Koralia, Korro, Khatiy and Wexel, Yue, Falarion, Finyagur, Roshan
Mentions: N/A
SilverFlight Lioness075 Goonfire Kibaa ShadyLady Arai Monday

They had fought back the imps and they fled quickly. But Koralia worried him. She was out of it, and as she said her number, he realized they cut their number down to the thirties, where there were barely ten imps who fled. She was acting funny, and soon enough she was walking away and through the gate where the others were.

Xe ran after her, watching her warily so she didn’t do anything she shouldn’t have. Falarion looked singed, and likely needed more treatment. Yue was alright, but looked perturbed as she stared at Korro. He didn’t see this wound on Korro, but he did smell nasty demon blood that caused his own to grow cold. Fin looked alright, maybe a bit cut up, same with Roshan. The monkey from earlier had a post through him, but he seemed fine.

It seemed they had to get information from the demon, of which Korro tortured it out of him. This was common in the works of a demon, so Xe didn’t bat an eye to the dealings that Korro dealt. It was when Koralia went to touch the gem that had his eyes widening.

“DON’T!”

Korro’s yell and Xe’s practically echoed in their own panic, but it was too late.

Xe watched with some concern as the tendrils snaked its way through Veruul and turned him into ash and he quickly looked over Koralia’s arm. It stopped. He heard birds and he looked up, eyes straining, but not being able to see what was up there. He focused back on Koralia’s arm and sighed sadly, speaking from experience and relaying information he knew to those who likely didn’t know - like the humans around them. His voice didn't seem to fit his youthful look, as it held a timber most commonly heard from humans in their middle ages.

“My people have made cursed items before. He said the gem was gifted to him, so it’s likely someone must have power over the gem or packed it full with cursed energy to cause a self-destruct. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep an eye on Koralia.” So that was her name. “I have seen its effects on humans. It makes them generally irritable to just about anything and makes them go mad with time, pulling out the deepest darkest seeds within a person and exploiting it. If we don’t get her to a purifier in time, she will start to act less and less like herself, so don’t believe anything negative she says if it starts to get worse. Does anyone around here know of anyone nearby who can cleanse curses?” He looked around at their little group, scanning over their faces - blurry or clear - before hearing footsteps and clanging items.

He looked over at the people who brought over food and medicine. He nodded to them with a small smile before looking back at Koralia. “I know some basic first aid. I can aid in bandaging and tending to all kinds of simple wounds.” He looked up at Koralia, his grey eyes shining with concern despite the attempted apathy on his expression.

“What are you feeling right now?”

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: Keimara
Interactions:

​

The shout of her compatriots fell on deaf ears, as before Koralia had even touched the gem, jagged tendril surged forward from the fractured surface, sharp needles piercing deep into her skin upon contact. Wherever they penetrated, her previously unmarked but freckled skin underwent a swift transformation, flesh morphing and darkening into a deep shade of ebony in places. The sting was painful, but there was barely a noise from her as the pain tore through her arm, spikes of pain twisting up to her shoulder, before they began to subside. She dropped to her knees in shock, barely registering as Korro grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

There was something in her mind, rooting around and pulling things into her forefront. It was a strange sensation that filled her head with dread and adrenaline, like she was preparing for a fight she wasn't aware of. She felt hyper-aware of her surroundings for a moment, and when she tried to chase the feeling, it moved away, beckoning her closer. Frustrating, to say the least. She almost felt she had a grasp on it when...


"...most foolish human I have ever met! Did you not sense the evil coming off that gem?!"

She blinked in confusion once, shocked at her apparent reawekning. "I almost...!" she started to yell, then stopped, the feeling gone from her head. "It didn't exactly come with a label," She muttered as he looked at her hand, some level of concern in his eyes. That was surprising. She listened quietly to Korro's advice. This was her screw up, and the least she could do was listen to his suggestion. And though he talked about curses and purification, she felt fine in truth. There was no doubt she was cursed however, she wasn't arrogant to assume she knew anything about such matters, and she felt herself being palmed off to another as Korro began giving out orders. Who put him in charge?

Xe was talking about going mad with time and her deepest seeds, but Koralia struggled to imagine a reality in which she didn't have control over herself. The tribe had drilled meditation rituals into her head since she could stand on two legs. You couldn't control lightning if your mind was wandering elsewhere, so controlling anger should be practically second nature. Hells, the angriest she'd been was before the curse was even a thing, when she'd made no secret of her dislike of demons and yet now one was comforting her. Again, they were talking about purifiers, and telling people not to listen if she starts saying something negative. What was she gonna do, start bullying them? Some of them were twice her size!

“What are you feeling right now?”

"Fine honestly," She admitted. The headache was irritiating, but the piercing sting had faded into a dull ache, which was more acceptable. "It hurt less than it probably looked. I was zoned out for most of it," The pull in her mind was still there, but subtler, still inviting her to chase the feeling, but making her work for it. "It felt like something was rooting around in my head, if that makes sense? Is that a thing?"

 

[Kibaa]

Khatiy
Keimara Village
Interactions: Everybody​

---

In the midst of battle, as her bare fists clashed with the opposing imps, Khatiy could feel the heat gathering in the air. An almost tickling sensation, as if the very molecules of the environment had begun to vibrate. Galvanization. Her bronzen gaze flickered to Koralia, who had seemingly decided to unleash the attack that the party was counting on. A flash consumed her sensitive Keshkarthan eyes, and everything went blank for a moment. A devastating current of electricity swept through the battlefield.

....

For some time, it had almost seemed like Khatiy had disappeared. She was certainly still here, no doubt having been greatly helped by the intervention of Xe'lik's vines, but her presence had molded in with that of the frontline villagers, acting as a single cog of the large fighting machine. Her darkened skin was the only distinguishing factor, yet such minor details were often overlooked in battles.

And so it wasn't until the battle had finally subsided that the Keshkarthan's presence resurged again, as the metallic raking of a blade could be heard dragging across the rocky floor, approaching the party alongside the mass of villagers that also came forth to shower the pilgrims with food and gratitude. In one hand, she held the handle of her massive Khopesh, which dragged lazily over the ground as she stepped forward in clumsy, sore movements.

Utterly fried was the only adjective that could be used to describe Khatiy right now. The southern heiress's gaze looked craze, one eye twitching like that of a crazy scientist while the other appeared swollen shut, purple and bruised. A battle-crazed grin lingered over her mouth, and for a moment, those with keen eyes among the party may have been able to notice that in place of her once human-looking teeth, two feline fangs had manifested, only to quickly shrink and subside back into human teeth... What was that about?


The young Usaaman's once beautiful hair had been fried and crisped into a gnarly afro, with only a handful of her long and pristine braids remaining intact. Similar burns and crisps were apparent all over her body, as idle, static lines of electricity seemed to spark from her toasted hair. Whatever awesome ability Koralia had used to rip through the goblins had also cooked poor Khatiy in the climax of battle. She reached her fellow pilgrims, her crazed smile and gaze bouncing around each of those present. "Ahahaha! Me? I'm fine!" The Usaaman clamored out with an unusually joyful tone, sounding strangely out of the loop. Clearly, she did not want others to worry about her, her tone attempting to hide the obvious damage she had sustained in the fight. The more empathetic individuals among the party may be able to detect that she felt quite embarassed. A snake was currently latched onto her arm, its fangs dug into her forearm as its body wriggled idly.

With a wretched sigh, she sat herself exhaustedly over one of the large stones that had once constituted Veruul's now crumbled body. So draining had been the conflict that now that Khatiy hardly seemed phased by anything that had just happened regarding Veruul. She wasn't even going to ask, she was only glad the pilgrims had prevailed. Wexel the Macaque unmounted himself from the shoulder of Yue, to approach his master with a smug, all too confident expression on his features. The animal seemed to chew proudly on a root that had been given to him, and then, for some inexplicable reason, Wexel would remove the root from his mouth and blow outwards, as if he was perhaps smoking something. ...? Was the monkey attempting to mimic human behaviors that it had seen before? As if to mimic a human smoking tobacco? It was peculiar, but evidently, Wexel believed the root he had been given was something like the sticks he has seen Usaamans smoke out of before.

"Ahahah.. So they beat you up pretty badly too, huh, Wexel?" Khatiy chimed weakly at the monkey, shame evident in her tone as she'd pat her hand over the monkey's head softly, Wexel himself bobbing and nodding his head smugly, as if he had been the hero of the day. Setting her large sword down against a stone, Khatiy would smile as Wexel scaled one of her arms, sounding off happily. "Heh, you're right! We did it!" Khatiy would reply with a little more optimism in her tone, proud of herself and her companion for what they were able to accomplish today.

...

After all had been said and done, Khatiy's attention turned to Koralia, who also seemed to have been taxed physically by the conflict they had just endured. Khatiy's colored eyes did not understand the interaction that had just occured, why Korro and Xe'lik seemed to worried by the item Koralia had just touched, nor did she understand what kind of magic was behind the tendrils that had shot out to end Veruul and subsequently affect Koralia. A curse, it was then explained. The Usaaman knew little of such things, yet, when the party mentioned that a purifier must be found, Khatiy could not help but to think back of home. She knew of one individual, an advisor of her father's, who was known to dabble in these kind of affairs.

"Awe, Koralia..." She'd mention towards her friend, but she'd feel relief upon hearing from Koralia herself that she felt fine. Her worn eyes would then flicker to Korro, with a momentary glimmer of hope.

"Lord Tungevaan! The Elephant Sage-- he is a friend of my father's. Surely, he would know how to remedy whatever curse has befallen upon Koralia." The optimism rapidly faded from Khatiy's eyes, though. "D'oh.. But Keshkartha is so far away..." Nevermind how far away Keshkartha itself was, Usaama was at the very southern point of Keshkartha. Such a journey would surely not be an efficient use of time. Not to mention, there was no confirmation on if this invidual, Tungevaan, would actually know how to help Koralia, despite the optimism that Khatiy had spoken with. She herself knew almost nothing of these things, and it is possible her understanding of Tungevaan's own knowledge and capabilities may be inflated. "Though... Maybe Wexel would be able to send word to him?" The Usaaman pondered, her emotions wishy-washy. She turned to Wexel. "Hmmh.. But I didn't tell old man Tungevaan that I'd be leaving-- I didn't tell anyone...." She'd murmur to the monkey in some sort of monologue. "They must all be looking for me, I don't even know if he'd want to help. They must all be angry with me..." She added, her murmurs hopefully inaudible to the rest of the party as she obliviously revealed parts of the context of her journey here, though perhaps some like Fin would have keen ears.

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village
Time: Morning
Interactions: SilverFlight ShadyLady Lioness075
Mentions: Arai Kibaa Goonfire Merciless Medic
​

Fin's remark alerting him to Yue's approach, Roshan turned and did a quick head count. Yue, Koralia, Xe'lik, Khatiy... though both Khatiy and Koralia looked exhausted, Xe'lik hovering over anxiously over the latter, none of them looked badly injured. Curiously, Xe'lik had discarded his bandages, revealing an unblemished and surprisingly youthful face beneath. He'd certainly expected something out of the ordinary. Perhaps the wrappings had served some magical purpose he wouldn't know of. "You guys made short work of those goblins. I'm glad no one else is hurt," he said, looking to Yue for confirmation. At the same time, he looked twice at the absurd creature clinging to her shoulder. "...Is that a monkey?" It didn't look like local fauna. Clad in a leather vest, it in fact bore a striking resemblance to the "Usaaman battle pets" that would occasionally turn up for auction. Personally, he'd always thought they were a scam.

Korro's voice drew his attention back to their captured foe. Apparently, the wolf demon was more desperate for information than he'd thought. Roshan flinched more in response to the sudden movement than the brutality. In a wilderness rife with rough characters and dubious dealings, such scenes were unfortunately commonplace. Intimidation was one useful tool among many. Whenever it was an option, Roshan preferred to negotiate. A favor for a favor, information for information, a good word here for a good word there... or coin, if he could spare it. Yet, there were always those who wouldn't see reason. As the defeated Veruul recognized his tormentor, Roshan observed the fear in his eyes, as well as the answering spark in Korro's own, his proud bearing, the ring of authority in his tone. Yes. That was the difference between the two of them. Korro reveled in inspiring fear. He did not. Lest he forget to whom he had entrusted his life, he burned the sight into his memory.

Consumed with these thoughts, he hadn't paid much attention to Koralia's curiosity until it was too late. Going by Korro's reaction, touching that gem had not been a wise choice. A grisly scene followed as the same taint to infect Koralia turned on the screaming and writhing owner of the artifact, reducing him to lumps of charcoal in a matter of seconds. Roshan shuddered. At the same time, Kian's shriek pierced the cacophony of flapping wings as a flock of ravens took flight. Harassing the stragglers, he settled onto a newly vacated branch and glared after them as though he'd personally run them off. Ravens and hawks didn't generally get along, so Roshan wouldn't have thought much of it... if not for what Veruul had said about his mysterious benefactor. Frowning at the black specks vanishing into the blue, he made a mental note to watch out for suspicious birds.

While Korro's rebuke was no doubt deserved, Roshan gave Koralia a sympathetic look, hoping she wouldn't take it too hard. It was a rookie mistake. Ignorant as he was of magic, experience had thoroughly vindicated the rule he had imposed on his men: if it looks magical, leave it alone. Koralia had learned her lesson the hard way. Thankfully, there were those among them who knew more of such matters than he, and it appeared they had time to deal with the curse before it completely took effect. At Korro's suggestion, Xe'lik was quick to take Koralia under his wing. Unlike the other two, this demon had been nothing but cordial from the start. Caring for others also seemed to come naturally to him. Interesting. On the subject of cleansing curses, he knew nothing except that it might fall under Bahareh Anahita's domain- not that this information was of any use.

"I agree," he answered Korro, leaving the discussion of Koralia's plight to the others. "The longer we stay here, the more we put these people at risk." How could he make himself useful? As if in answer, his stomach growled. A whole battle before breakfast was taking its toll. "It's a shame about breakfast, but I'll see if these folks can pack us something for the road. Oh, and I can go back to the temple to see if we left anything behind. Anything I should look for?" he asked the group in general. First, however, there was a more important resolution to uphold. "Korro," he said, stepping closer to speak in a lower tone, in case the demon would object to having his weakened state advertised. "Before anything else, you should really have that wound treated. It looks bad." Scanning the area for Falarion, he added, in a raised voice, "Falarion, you too! Get those burns treated before we leave."

In practical matters, Roshan was very efficient, if somewhat spastic. Within minutes, he'd set about organizing the volunteers, tasking a group of women with cooking and packing provisions for the journey and directing those who professed medical expertise to look after Korro, Falarion, Fin and Khatiy, who still seemed out of it. As the villagers hurried about their tasks, he surveyed the scene with a pleased expression, arms akimbo. After watching the empty sky for some time, Kian took this opportunity to resume his familiar perch. Mentally reviewing the list of preparations, Roshan cheerfully began to hum one of the "breaking camp" songs from back home. At the same time, he kept an eye on his injured comrades to ensure they actually followed his advice. Amid all this bustle, he'd all but forgotten his own injury. At this rate, someone else would have to remind him of it.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: Keimara Village Outskirts	Current Form: Gryphon

Quietly watching the execution of Veruul, Falarion sat down and raised a hind paw to scratch idly at his healthy side of his face. Jutting his chin out a bit further, Falarion closed his eyes and savored an annoying itch finally getting scratched on his neck. He slowly lowered his leg and then held up a front paw before he began licking at his toe beans and trying to clean the ick from his claws. It was not the best grime to taste, but he was determined to clean himself up at least a little bit.

Falarion's head shot up in alarm when he heard Korro's panicked shout. He quickly scanned the group and then saw Veruul dramatically become a pile of ash. Good riddance.
Unfortunately, he also noted that Koralia, one of the rare kind humans he had met thus far, had decided she wanted to poke a cursed item. Not her brightest moment, but alas there was little they could do now to reverse its effects without a purification ritual. He would be mindfully nowhere near the ritual when it was organized.

Sniffing the air, Falarion finally observed that there was a fairly strong scent of human blood and demon blood amongst their group. He had seen the blows Korro took, so there was little surprise that he had sustained injuries in lieu of that lovely experience. He squinted with his one good eye and huffed in annoyance, as he struggled to see everyone clearly to catalogue the various injuries. Deciding he did not care that much, Falarion began to clean his paw again.

He managed to finish cleaning the one paw before the human villagers began trickling out to join their group. He lowered his paw and warily eyed the villagers, growling deeply when any got too close to him. As the villagers began to crowd their group, Falarion felt his skin itching from the amount of humans surrounding him.
Feeling antsy now, Falarion glared at one human who tried to approach him with first aid supplies. He promptly stood up and began to spread his wings, keen on departing from this area at once. Sadly, his plans were ruined before he got the chance to execute.

Flinching at the fancy male human shouting at him, Falarion shifted his one-eyed glare to Roshan before huffing and letting his wings droop to the ground. It was worth a shot, he mused.

Stubbornly refusing to let anyone near his face despite it sporting the worst of his injuries, Falarion begrudgingly allowed the villagers to tend to his wings, smearing some soothing ointment on the various burns. Falarion angrily muttered under his breath, as he realized he would need to remove quite a few damaged feathers at some point. Lovely.

A few tense moments passed before the villagers were done with his wings and Falarion snarled again when one tried in vain to approach his face.

"Oi, ye gunna bugger off or wha', bampot?" Falarion fixed the specific villager with his new signature one-eyed glare and they sheepishly raised their hands in a placating manner before everyone began to give him a wide berth.
Sighing, Falarion all but pouted, as his wings hung limply at his sides. He was overdue for a cat nap and was feeling a bit cranky the longer this took to resolve.

Mentioned: SilverFlight Monday Arai
Nearby: Kibaa Merciless Medic ShadyLady Goonfire

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara ~ Evening on the mountain road

Interactions: Lioness075 Kibaa Arai

Korro relaxed visibly when Xe'lik offered to keep an eye on the human.
"Keshkartha might be a little far." Korro replied to Khatiy wryly.
Koralia described her symptoms and Korro cautioned her with no humour: "Do not let it make your decisions. The more you do, the more control it will take from you."

As the villagers filtered in among them, Korro's foul glare kept most of them well away.
The young girl Falarion had saved kept insisting she treat his face, going as far as to stamp her tiny foot and tell him to lower his head, holding a bowl of water that was almost too big for her. She smiled triumphantly when Roshan barked at him to obey.
That brought a faint smile to the demon's lips, but his name in the mouth of another made him freeze. It seems the desert nomad had admonishments for him as well. Why did this human make him feel so uncomfortable? Or, perhaps it was the kindness he showed. Korro made a face.
"It would be easier if you just hated me, like the other human. Far more natural," he growled, before giving a rueful half-smile. "The blade did not bite deep, that wound requires no treatment to heal, the other, well, requires more than can be found here. Suffice to say, we have now two interested parties in that purifying healer."

Korro did not know if such a healer could treat a demon, even less if they would]. Demons could not possess such skills, and most humans who did also fought and killed demons for part of their work.

"But what about you? That is your blood yes?" Korro pointed subtly at the stain in Roshan's white garments. He took a bowl and cloth, and some bandages from a passing villager, glaring at him with a growl to silence his protest.
"Sit." The demon commanded. "Show me the cut." His tone was harsh and irritated, but held a note of caring. He would tend it, and well, if Roshan permitted him.


*~*~*

When wounds were tended and food prepared, the villagers insisted on giving them one last meal before setting them on their way. The sun rose high in the noonday sky and there was a gentle breeze gambling on the mountain slope as they gathered at the gates to bid the pilgrims and their guardians a fond farewell.

Then, there was the matter of the goat. It had appeared at the gates, standing quietly behind the party until it was noticed, wearing a harness made for hitching packs to its back.
It was unnaturally large, about the size of a donkey, thick and stocky, with a broad, sloping head and beady, yellow eyes. Its hair was thick but glossy, making it look fatter than it was, ginger over most of its back, with ebony-black socks, face and a ring about its fat neck. It's horns were massive and arched in great circles over its shoulders and down past them. It's black beard trailed halfway down its chest, and would make the creature look sagely, if not for the frowning, bad-tempered expression its sloping forehead gave to those chilling slit-pupil eyes.

Spoiler: The goat

just with horns as described.

Korro eyed the goat warily. It was clear to him at least, that this was not an ordinary goat, but it certainly didn't feel demonic, even if it looked that way. The only clue as to the goat's origin was a small pendant hooked to a red collar about its neck: a winding dragon. The symbol of the God queen.
When a pair of men from the village approached, it allowed them to settle supplies on its back. As Korro's wound was still sore, he made no protest, and resigned to trusting the creature with their food and medicine. The goat made no notice of the burden it now bore, and walked and bounded after them like it was carrying nothing at all.

After goodbyes were said--the little girl trying to hug Falarion one last time before he left them--The party started on their way down the mountain.
There was only a single path that was easy to walk, and it lead to as good a road as was to be had this far north in the Eastern provinces. From there they would try to find a city or town that had help for their afflicted member, Koralia.

Their first day complete, with the sun settled well below the mountains, and a chill already stealing into the air, they made camp in a mossy glen not far from the road.
Korro made a fire and told some of the party to go collect wood, as he took a small bag of rice from the goat's packs (which he had removed from the beast when they stopped), and went to fill their cook put with water from a nearby stream.

The goat began browsing nearby, but never wandered out of sight.

"How is your wound?" Was the first thing Korro asked Roshan when he saw the man again. While he tended the pot, Korro removed his boar hide vest and took a rough thorn needle and some thread and set to repairing the slash in his clothing that Veruul's ji had so carelessly made. His shirt was wrinkled, but clean, black and made of a soft thread that was difficult to place. It looked far too thin for the climate but Korro didn't seem to mind.

Merciless Medic ShadyLady Goonfire

 

[Monday]

Roshan

Location: Keimara Village/ Campsite in the Eastern Mountains
Time: Morning/ Evening
Interactions: SilverFlight
​

For one moment, Korro's discomfort with his friendly concern gave Roshan pause. That's right. Thus far, he'd never felt hatred toward Korro, even knowing what he was, and what demons had done to his kind. Perhaps it would be more natural to hate him and the others, as Koralia did. Yet, through eating, drinking, talking and fighting together, he had seen that there was more to Korro than his crimes. This likely held true for the other two as well, and it piqued his curiosity. What was so wrong about that? It wasn't as though they had to become friends... right?

"Right now, we're comrades," he said, looking away. "That's what matters." Trying to cover his doubt, he smiled. "There's nothing wrong with being polite, you know. You should try it some time. Still, I can try to be rude if you'd like that better." Yes. Courtesy was essential especially when one's interests necessitated a temporary alliance with would-be enemies. There wasn't anything unnatural about that, at least among humans. When Korro claimed there was nothing to be done for his wounds until they reached their destination, he nodded. "Alright. If you're sure..."

Yet again, Korro would surprise him, pointing out his own injury and offering to treat it himself. Roshan raised his eyebrows at the sharp command. Was he truly unaware that his own behavior could also be considered 'unnatural'? As far as he remembered, the demons' job description entailed protecting their human charges from enemy demons, not patching them up after fights- especially when there were plenty of other volunteers. It seemed as though he was trying to prove something, though Roshan couldn't guess what. Well, whatever. He didn't have a good reason to refuse.

With some reluctance, he set down his spear and sat on the ground with his legs crossed, then swept his hair over one shoulder, peeled off his outer robe, and hiked up the blue tunic underneath so that it bunched around his neck. As he did so, many old scars would be visible along with the fresh red slash between his shoulder blades. A few irregular ones spoke of past battles, but the majority were thin white stripes criss-crossing all over his back- the unmistakable marks of the lash. Faded with time, they nonetheless served as a permanent reminder of his origins. He was not ashamed of them, however. In fact, he rarely gave them any thought.

During the cleaning process, he would try not to flinch or squirm too much, though he would inhale sharply and sit up straight when the cool water touched his skin. It wouldn't do to make a fuss in front of Korro, of all people. He had to give a good impression of humans. Utterly fearless in the heat of battle, for some reason he found what came afterwards to be a terrible ordeal. Letting someone else poke around his wounds was an utterly unpleasant sensation. It felt wrong, it usually stung terribly, and, worst of all, sometimes it tickled. Heavens forbid he should ever get a splinter in his foot again...

It was even worse when he couldn't see the wound, as in this case. Somehow, he managed to sit still for the most part, though a keen observer might notice the bunches of fabric from his loose pants clenched in his fists. When it was finally done, he breathed a sigh of relief while putting his outfit back together. It was competent work, and the bandages felt nice and snug. "Um... thanks," he said to Korro with a nod, feeling a little awkward. Would he be weird again, like all the other times Roshan had thanked him? This time, he had really gone out of his way to offer assistance, so hopefully not.

~~~***~~~​

As they set out, he was in high spirits. Roshan had always loved the feeling of beginning something new. With full bellies, ample supplies and even a funny magic goat to carry them, which was well suited to the mountainous terrain, they were off to an excellent start. Just before the village disappeared behind a rise, he turned and waved enthusiastically to everyone who had gathered to watch their departure. The sun was shining and a light, invigorating breeze stirred the treetops and chased large, fluffy clouds across the sky like sailing ships. All in all, it was a perfect day for a road trip.

While he walked, he hummed or sang to himself. Kian sometimes rode on his shoulder, but mostly soared in lazy circles overhead or landed on a branch further on, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up before flying ahead again. As always, the unfamiliar scenery fascinated Roshan, and he tried to think of ways to describe it to his friends back home. It never ceased to amaze him how green everything was, and just how many types of green there were. When they set up camp, he first made his contribution to the woodpile, putting his knife to good use on some standing deadwood.

On his return, he saw Korro mending his clothes by the fire, which reminded him that he needed to do the same. Sitting with his back to the fire to stay warm, he produced a needle and two colors of thread from his supplies, pulled off his robe and tunic and got to work. After this, he'd try to wash out the blood stains as best he could. Even sitting close enough to the fire for the heat to sting, he shivered a bit. Once the sun set, the heat of day was quick to fade from the desert sands, and the air could grow quite chilly. He'd gotten used to it so that he could fall asleep with a thin covering or none, but a dry chill felt quite different from a damp chill.

Perhaps he should have invested in a set of warmer clothes. Thankfully, his bed roll was warm enough. When Korro broke the silence to ask after his wound, he glanced up in surprise. "Oh... it's fine." Throughout the day, it had given him no trouble save for the occasional dull throb, or a sharper pain when he moved the wrong way- all to be expected. There was no sign of infection. To demonstrate, he rolled his shoulders, only to wince when that proved not to be the best idea. "Unless I do that," he said, laughing at himself. In the ensuing pause, he felt like keeping the conversation going, but wasn't sure what to say.

Now his doubts from that morning were coming back to him. Was it really alright to chat casually with a demon, even if they were technically allies? If he kept doing that, he might even start to enjoy his company, and what would that mean? At the same time, he had promised to try to understand the wolf demon, and he ought to make good on that promise. Besides, he was curious about a good many things. In the end, that curiosity won out. He could think of it as another trade. "Where did you live before this?" he asked. "What's it like in the far north?" It was a roundabout way of approaching the real question. Who did you fight for?

'Would it surprise you to know that I only ever fought for others?' Since last night, those words had not left him. For whom and what would a demon fight, if not himself?

 

[Arai]

Koralia Stormcaller
Location: On the road
Interactions:

​

Despite the fanfare that took place in the temple, and in the twon with Veruul, the first day of travel had been exceedingly mundane as they left the village's borders heading to their first destination. Koralia had instantly set to finding a name for the Goat they had been gifted, but had not yet settled on a name she was satisfied with, much to her allie's frustrations to be sure. The single path out of the village was as familar to walk as it had been when she first arrived, and she somewhat nostaligically looked back at a campsite she had made some time before, runic scratches indicitive of a stormcallers recongition of an "elemental" location.

It was something the tribe practiced regualarly, seeking out areas in the world that were particularlly sensitive to lightning and weather magic. It made meditation much easier with something to naturally focus her limited magic. It wasn't even that hard to sense, most people would pick up a faint petrichor smell, or ozone in rainfall. Koralia had tempted to get the party to camp in the moss covered clearing, privatley beleiveing that meditating there might help her curse, and help her chase down the problem.

On account of her "condition", Koralia was excusied from collecting wood. And though she knew she wouldn't be allowed to say it she was irritated by it. Being treated like a defenceless maiden was doing nothing to help her mood. The problem with being cursed in such a way, as she'd been informed, that acting or giving in to any emotion of frustration or anger likely worsened the problem, so Koralia had settled for being quiet and mildly grumpy.

She sat somewhat away from the fire, preferring the cold night air, legs crossed and eyes shut. Stones and pebbles hovered in the air around her, tiny sparks of blue light flickering between them as she did so. Though her body sat motionless, her mind was racing elsewhere, The force in her head had been tempting her all day, and she hadn't expressed to the others how prevalent it was. And at this point, it was becoming easier to reach the sensation. And, despite Korro's orders, it didn't exactly feel malicious in nature. It was more like a strict teacher, trying to make her come up with answers on her own than spoon feed a solution. But to what end?

With all the power in this group, you might be the weakest and most ill suited for this mission.

Outside of her meditation, Koralia frowned and huffed. The presence ahd said it before through the day, but it wasn't an insult. It was phrased more as a fact, like a trainer would tell you before explaining the regime to solve the problem. It wasn't an incorrect opinion. But as a human among demons and spirits, yes obviously she was weaker than most, but what was the point of telling her that? Outside of her meditation, Koralia was very quietly muttering under her breath. This was the closest the prescense had felt, she needed to take advantage.

"That may be true, but what's the point of telling me?"

The prescence had no answer, but she felt her thoughts being directed towards an idea she'd thought herself already.

If the demons turn on you, can you win that fight?

The answer was a regretful probably, but not without losses. And even then Koralia wasn't confident. "We outnumber them," She replied weakly. Seemingly dissatisfied, the prescens wained, and she opened her eyes on Korro and Roshan knitting their shirts back together, both baring scars from the battle with Veruul. Both of them... She felt the prescence was satisfied, like she'd stumbled on a secret and not realised what it meant yet, and then it was gone. She sighed.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Falarion	Race: Demon
Location: First Encampment	Current Form: Male Human

Falarion's exasperation only grew when the young girl from earlier approached with a bowl of water and a cloth.

"Nae ye, too..." He muttered before bristling as she got even closer. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Falarion caved and laid down, allowing the girl to at least clean his face. He flinched each time she made contact with his face, but otherwise simply pouted to make it clear he was not happy. His tail flicked about angrily and slapped the grass behind him, as he sighed dramatically again before laying his head down on his paws. He made sure to angle it so the injured side was not touching his paws and allowed the girl full access to assist him.

Once the girl was satisfied with her cleaning job of Falarion's half-burnt face, the demon abruptly stood up and barked out, "Thank ye, wee bairn. Now, off with ye!" He tried to maintain a tough front, not even directly looking at the girl, but it was hard when thanking a child for helping with anything. He refused to let anyone else touch his face and frankly did not trust the little one to be able to properly dress his wounded face. He should be fine now...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the party began to collect themselves to move on from the village, Falarion eagerly wolfed down one dumpling after another from a villager's basket that they had been frightened to drop on the ground. He suddenly looked up with a dumpling partially in his mouth when he saw everyone moving towards the gates.

Gulping down the remaining dumpling, Falarion then bounded forward and eagerly slipped into an alleyway while everyone was busy to change his form. He knew from previous experience that it would be painful with any outstanding injuries and was not keen to let anyone else witness his weak moment.
A soft groan and the snapping of muscles as well as cracking of bones echoed faintly from the alley he had slipped into before Falarion was stumbling out in his male human form again. He tentatively raised a hand to his burnt side of his face and hissed when the faintest of touch sent searing pain radiating down his neck and shoulder. Lovely.

Falarion managed to catch up with the tail end of their group and warily eyed the odd-looking goat that was acting as their pack beast. He could not find it in himself to care about his gear being tossed in with everyone else's, as his body was aching more than usual. Before he got a chance to leave the village, he heard the same girl's voice and turned around in time for her to barrel into him and hug him tightly. Stiffening in place, Falarion stood there awkwardly with his hands hovering over the girl's back, seemingly at a loss for how to react. The hug very quickly felt dragged out for Falarion and he grunted before carefully disentangling the girl from her grappling hug and taking a step back. He refused to meet her eyes and merely turned away, walking stiffly as he tried to make a hasty exit.

Falarion instinctively hunched his shoulders and stared down at the ground as he found a pebble to kick while they began their journey. He really wanted to find some kind of cloth to conceal his injured side of his face now. He had not thought about it before now, but it was an unbearably obvious injury and he really did not need more human sympathy. Even if he was still being forced to squint with his injured eye and missed a few of the pebble kicks due to his partial vision obscurity. He really did not want someone pitying him on top of everything else he already had to deal with. The injury would heal in due time, he was mostly annoyed by it than anything else.

Eager to have some quiet time to himself after the chaos that ensued in that village, Falarion focused on his pebble and remained withdrawn until they finally broke off the road to set up camp for their first night.

Deciding he was too injured and tired to care about the wood situation, and figuring he did plenty work recently to warrant a small break, Falarion found a log nearby and kicked it over near the campfire. He then slumped down against the log, but mindfully was facing away from the fire. He could appreciate the heat in the cool air, but was not overly keen to get close so soon either.

Continuing to savor his peace and quiet, Falarion threw his head back over the log and watched upside-down as Korro and Roshan engage in a stunted conversation with one another. He then overheard Koralia talking to herself and apparently already succumbing to some degree of insanity. What a great start to their journey, he thought with an eye roll.

Mentioned: SilverFlight Monday Arai

Open to interactions.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Xe'lik​

Location: Forest Path, Eastern Mountains
Date: Day 1, Night
Interactions: Koralia, Falarion
Mentions: Korro, Roshan, Khatiy, Finyagur, Yue
Arai Lioness075
SilverFlight Monday Kibaa Goonfire ShadyLady

After Xe packed up everything he could and got a few snacks for the road for himself, he had to steer clear from the goat. It smelled of too much goat, it made his nose curl and made his insides want to churn from the potency. Of course, he didn't want to walk too far away from the group he was essentially thrown into. He had to keep a close eye on Koralia after all.

He didn't mind that his pack was on there. It meant less of a load for him to carry, and he was starting to get irritated skin. He found gathered some rolls of gauze the villagers had given him, and he kept them in his robe until they found a safe spot to rest.

That ended up being far longer than needed and he was starting to feel his skin crack. He winced, needing something on his pained sores.

But finally, they did indeed rest, and Xe'lik slumped onto a spot nearest to Koralia, hissing in pain and discomfort. He found some moss, then began crawling around for something plant-like and suitable.

He overheard Korro and Roshan talking, but it didn't really concern him, so he tried not to pry. However, he did find it interesting. He did, eventually, get up with a grumble as he found some sticks not far from his searching area. Opting not to be a burden, he grabbed some of them and brought them back for the fire.

He saw Falarion and noticed the burn still on his face. He looked for something, anything like cream, but found none. He didn't know if any of the villagers had any cream, so he opted to just whistle at Falarion, then threw him some gauze his way, having several to spare. He gave him a smile, then returned to Koralia, who had mumbled something.

Unluckily for her, his super ears caught it.

He sat down near her, pulling out some gauze and slipping his arms out of the robe he wore, the bright fabric settling around him to show off his short-sleeved white cotton shirt and red patches along his arms that looked irritated. Some parts were spotting with black blood, as well.

"You alright? Heard you talking to yourself." He kept his voice low, figuring she'd probably like for the others not to hear her, but also being vague about how much he heard being uttered from her. From what he could gather, the 'we outnumber them' comment had confused him. Sure, there were three demons, a godling, a spirit, and three humans. Was she scared about them attacking her?

Being super nice might cause her to clam up; might cause whatever's whispering in her mind to say he's being too nice. So, he decided not to care too much about that and ask something else.

"So, your meditation thing. I find it curious. Where'd you learn it from? Seems peaceful." He asked, curiosity clear in his tone as he focused on slowly and painstakingly wrapping the gauze around his arms.

 

[Kibaa]

Khatiy
Location: Party Campfire
​

---

Khatiy felt truly exhausted, yet onwards the party had to go. Thankfully, the villagers of Keimara felt like spreading their thanks, and so before leaving, the party was blessed with food, supplies, and medical attention. Strangest of all was the goat which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Yet, as it was strapped with supplies for the journey, it was natural for Khatiy and perhaps others to think that it was a gift from the village.

"You should return to Usaama now, Wexel." Khatiy tells the macaque. She places two fingertips upon the macaque's forehead, channeling magic. "Release." She chants, and just like that, Wexel vanishes with a large and loud puff of smoke.

The Usaaman had been taken care of by the villagers, healed of her bruises and scratches, and given new clothings for the journey, as her old garbs had been torn apart by the goblins. A brand new red bandana helped keep her wild hair in check, most of which had come undone of its previous beautiful braids. It was now frizzy and voluminous, with a few stray dreadlocks still hanging over her shoulders here and there. The villagers had done her the kind favor of decorating them with colorful beads. Still unaccustomed to the colder whether here in comparison to Keshkartha, Khatiy kept herself warm with the thick fur coat that she had brought initially. She did not want to take the risk of having her scrolls and weapon unattended, so rather than packing them onto the goat, she carried them upon her back, her rucksack loud and clanky as always.

.....


In the campfire, after wood was collected, Khatiy could be found sitting right in front of the goat, legs crossed, back straight. In front of her, between herself and the goat, was a bowl of rice which she was eating from. Right behind the bowl was a tray of ink and an old paintbrush. At one side, on the floor, one could find her large summoning scroll sprawled out flat across the earth, her khopesh serving as paperweight to keep it flat. There was fresh ink drawn upon the scroll, brand new glyphs that were probably illegible to the rest of the party, assuming none of them were familiar with Usaaman glyphs. At her other side, a much smaller scroll was sprawled out, weighed down by a small rock. This was her beastiary, the same one that she had been reading from earlier at the temple some nights ago. Notably, there were new inscriptions on it. The 'W' section, which was previously smaller, had a brand new entry. Wolves. Written upon it was all sorts of information, describing in detail what Khatiy saw when Korro transformed into a wolf. There was also an illustration of a wolf, which was actually much larger and a little different than what real wolves look like, because Khatiy had illustrated Korro's demon transformation, not a natural wolf.

Fresh ink could also be found on the 'G' section There was already old writings there from mountain goats she had seen in Keshkartha, but these new entries were describing the current goat in front of her. Khatiy sighed with disappointment as from one hand she ate rice with a wooden spoon, and with the other she drew upon the scrolls with ink. She was attempting something, but seemed to be failing. Lurching a hand forward, she would place two fingertips upon the goat's forehead.

"I am your friend, as you are mine." She would speak to the goat, channeling magic. The goat blinked in return.

The heiress would push both fingers forward, pressing into the goat's forehead with a slight bit of pressure.

"Bind." She spoke, channeling magic.

For a moment, it seemed that this time, it would finally work.. As she glanced to her summoning scroll, which's glyphs appeared to shine... Only to suddenly implode, splashing black ink outwards onto the earth.

"Rrgh! This is hopeless!" Khatiy would blurt out in frustration, her temper quick as ever. She huffs out in defeat, removing her fingers from the goat, to begin trying to re-draw the glyphs with the brush.

For whatever reason, this goat was resistant to her beastmaster magic.

 

[SilverFlight]

Name: O'Korro - "Wolf"
Location: Keimara village, Eastern mountains
Time: The morning start from Keimara ~ Evening on the mountain road

Interactions: Monday Goonfire ShadyLady Lioness075 Kibaa Arai Merciless Medic

Spoiler: Korro and Roshan's fireside conversation

Korro shook his head as Roshan stretched and winced, as a parent would at an energetic child. Silently the demon set aside his mending and grabbed his wolf cloak, pulling it up with him and sitting closer to Roshan to hand it to him. Taken or not, Korro gathered up his vest again and continued the work.

He was still for a long moment after Roshan had asked his questions.

“You mean, what sort of atrocities did I commit for whom before I was enslaved by your goddess and sent here?” He replied dryly, taking the worst possible interpretation. His yellow eyes fixed on the threadwork in his lap, he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If we are to be travel companions for so long, then you will hear it eventually…If you must trust in my protection, I suppose I owe it to you, at the very least, so, you can hear it from me.”

Korro continued to sew, the firelight dancing across his back and playing in his grey hair.

“I was a general. Commander in a demon warband that paid its allegiance to a being who called himself The Sunset King. He was ruthless, fearless, took without remorse, and enslaved without pity and…I called him brother.” Korro paused there, glancing over to read the man’s expression, expecting to see at least some disgust there.

“The north is an unforgiving place. The cold in winter is unrelenting, hunger and fear your constant companions. Both demon and human struggle there, but to me, it was home. The fortress where we lived was high up in the mountains, protected on three sides by unscalable slopes. From there we would descend on planned raids, take what we wanted. My brother relied on me for battle tactics, how best to fight, where to put our forces. Most often it was other demons we attacked, but there were human villages too. I held no remorse for that.”

Another glance over. “…If you are going to ask next if I wish I could go back, I do not. What was done before I was…before I left, would make me more of an enemy to them now. So, I am here.”

Korro turned fully to look into Roshan’s eyes. “All right now you answer something for me: what drives you Roshan? Why are you here, of all places, playing a gambit for gods, instead of back with your brothers in the desert? I am here because I am forced to be. You are here because you chose it. I want to understand. Is this more of “doing good because humans die” nonsense?”



--

After staring for a moment, Roshan mutely accepted the cloak. Gestures like this were starting to become irksome. For some reason it was weird when Roshan looked out for Korro, like any good teammate ought to do, but Korro was allowed to do exactly the same thing without batting an eye? Worse was the annoyed resignation underlying it. What was he, some unruly child the demon had been tasked with babysitting? Nonetheless, he was glad enough to be protected from the cold.


Taken aback at Korro's paraphrase, he stuttered incoherently. "I... that's not... well, I mean..." True, he had wanted to know those things, but that really wasn't what he was asking at that moment. To avoid provoking him, he had planned to ask Finyagur about it. If Korro was willing to volunteer the information, however, that was better.

Roshan listened without comment. When Korro gauged his reaction, he would see only blank acceptance. This was more or less what he'd expected. In truth, the word "brother" had arrested his attention more than anything. As he described his role as a tactical advisor, Roshan could not help but see parallels to his relationship with Hakim. In his case, he was the leader, while Hakim assisted with his cultural knowledge and strategic planning.

He also could not help but recognize the pain Korro must have felt when everyone and everything he had known was torn away from him. How would he, himself, feel to be cast out from his Brotherhood? Perhaps he'd been hoping to hear something that would confirm the distance between them, but instead, his confusion only deepened.

Abruptly, the conversation took a turn as Korro demanded to know his reasons for undertaking the quest. Perceiving some kind of challenge, he returned Korro's gaze evenly. "Alright," he said slowly. "I'll tell you." While he recollected his thoughts for a proper reply, he finished the last few stitches needed to repair his tunic, tied off the thread, and snipped it with his teeth. Then he took off Korro's pelt, slipped his tunic over his head, folded the cloak neatly, and set it at Korro's feet. If he'd been smart, he'd have taken off one garment at a time to begin with.

With his next piece of needlework settled in his lap, Roshan finally spoke. "The short answer is that I'm doing all of this for them. Always on the move, fighting and risking our lives to earn a living... I chose this life for myself, and I've never regretted it. I'm not even sure a settled life would suit me. But many joined us because they really had no other option. I gave them work, a family, a place to belong; but there was one thing I couldn't give them: a homeland. The desert is no place to raise a family, though some try."

Not wanting to raise false hopes, Roshan had only confided this ambition to his inner circle among the Brotherhood. However, there was no real harm in telling Korro. "Keshkartha is a hard place, too. You can hardly ride a mile without tripping over some petty tyrant. We live where few others dare so that we need not bow to them. I don't know what exactly is supposed to happen at the end of this quest, but I was promised a better world. A peaceful world. When this is over, I hope to be able to carve out a place for us. Somewhere to build, set down roots, plan for the future. Somewhere a man could grow old."

Roshan gazed off into the trees as his needle stilled. "When the old leader of our band died, the man who raised me after I left Dinah, everyone voted for me to be the next leader. To this day, I'm not sure why. We were a small group then, but there were others who were smarter and more experienced. I was hardly more than a boy. Whatever the reason, they entrusted me with their hopes. I'm bound to honor that. If one day I can see them settled and happy and free... That would be enough for me."

--

Korro had been attentive to his mending for a long while as Roshan spoke, but when he mentioned his own brotherhood, Korro paused and looked up. From that moment on, Roshan held Korro’s full attention. The demon listened carefully, thoughtfully, and in his eyes was something new as he looked at the mortal: respect.


“You wish to make a life for your pack.” Korro breathed, barely above a whisper. He said the words with such feeling there was hardly a trace of the surly, foul-tempered demon that he had presented before.

When Roshan admitted to having no idea why he was chosen as leader of his brotherhood, if he looked over, he would find the demon smiling, though, unlike all the times before, there was no malice there, only amusement, genuine and warm.

“I think I might have an idea as to why.” He said cryptically.

He finished his own thread work and slipped his vest back on. The boar hide hairs were stiff and prickly, but Korro relished the familiarity of the garment’s feel. Korro took his cloak back and threw it over his own shoulders. “If it gets too cold in the night, you may take this back. I do not feel the cold.”

He turned now to the pot, which was boiling nicely, taking a few herbs from a small set of leather pouches that had come from the goat packs. Rice porridge with mountain vegetables and dried mutton, a humble meal, but a good one. Korro sampled the broth carefully, before selecting a few more pieces from two of the herb pouches and adding them in.

“Do you cook?” Korro asked, handing Roshan the ladle to taste their dinner.

--

It appeared Korro understood family ties quite well. My pack, huh? Caught off guard by the change in his demeanor, Roshan gave him a searching look, then nodded slowly. So, demons could and did forge bonds apart from self-interest or coercion. They had finally struck common ground. As a result, he sensed that he might've risen somewhat in the wolf demon's estimation.

That was not quite enough to explain his next strange remark, or the enigmatic smile that accompanied it. Roshan gave him a comically mystified look, his head cocked slightly, before deciding to let it go. Oh, well. If he was being teased, at least it was friendly teasing. Done with his repairs, Korro took his cloak back while offering him the use of it should he need it later. "Sure," he said reflexively. Not perceiving the same condescension as before, he found the offer easier to accept. If he were to wash his stained clothes before he went to sleep, he would need it; but that work was better left for daylight.

While he finished his own needlework, Korro tended to their dinner. Roshan lazily shrugged into his robe without bothering to tuck it under his sash. "On occasion," he replied, taking the ladle from Korro. With answers enough for the present, and not inclined to object to the new ease and friendliness on Korro's part, he set his misgivings aside, for now. Getting along was no bad thing, after all. He need not think beyond that.

"But don't expect too much from me. I'm mostly familiar with game and wild plants from my corner of the world." After blowing a few times on the ladle's contents, he took a sip. "It's good," he nodded, then added with a smile, "As much as my opinion is worth. I've never been picky. I've liked everything I've had that wasn't spoiled since coming north."

“You have a nose, that and knowledge of how should serve you enough.” Korro replied with a teasing smile.
He then took several herbs from a small pouch in their provision bag and began to explain how they were used (if he seemed interested).

Soon the food was ready and Korro rose to stretch.
“I shall fetch the others.” He said softly, and turned to find them. He called Falarion, and Xe, Yue and Koralia, he threw something at Finn to get his attention, but when he reached Kahtiy he came to a stop behind her, watching intently.

“Not bad.” He said at the drawing of what he assumed was himself. Then he glanced at the goat.
“I do not think that is a normal goat.” Korro suggested warily. “It bears the God queen’s seal, there.” He pointed to the crest hung from a cord about its neck. “Perhaps it is a demon too, trapped in that form and made to serve. Or, perhaps just a mildly more intelligent goat.”

The goat snorted, and shook its massive horns, a gesture that seemed much less threatening for the jiggle of its large ears and pudgy belly.
“What were you trying to do?” Korro asked, genuinely curious. “Also, the food is ready to eat.”