Fantasy Let's Try That Again [IC]

[Graystone713]

Chum Teeth
Into Darken wood we go.

Chum was glad that the dark man was paying for the room again. And that they let Chum have a big bottle of rum. It was half-drunk last night as a sleep aid. She'd just woken up when she came to that table, and sleeping even a few more hours was hard. They woke again before even the Dark Man, and had spent all morning carving throwing spears. Well. Not all morning. At some point in those wee hours, they'd sung in private. A concerto for one. Everyone was asleep, and they sung quietly, but it was even harder than getting shuteye. Chum didn't understand how humans got so good at 'Bottling things up'. Emotions were supposed to be bright, vivid, POWERFUL! Yet, the Humans liked to hold them in, suppress them. Funny enough, cracking open a bottle of booze helped them crack open their personal bottles. Chum knew from experience that time could do the same. Chum might've been bad at bottling everything, but at least they could keep secrets... Well, secret. Funnily enough, Chum thought they saw a smile whenever the Dark Man looked to the Lady Dark. Chum wasn't sure, but... Well. If they were right, that was a bottle worth opening.

It wasn't a long walk to the edge of the woods. And as the Dark man strode into the wood, Chum Teeth saw that they had no clue what the hell they were doing. Upright, confident stance. Oblivious look on his face. If he were alone, the Wolves would be gnawing his bones by the end of the night. Chum, on the other hand, was alert. No predator sounds, only the birds warning each other of something approaching. Undoubtedly reporting the large group of human-type things with the two legs and the walking and such. Great. The whole forest knew they were here. Chum power-walked to the front of the group, and held their mighty harpoon out in front of the Dark Man's chest for a moment, saying A few key words:

"Walk after me. I know how wilds be. You don't."

Then they put their harpoon back on their back and took a throwing spear into each hand. Chum was sure she'd spot danger before it got so close as to be speared. She wanted to throw the first spear. Yellow eyes scanned the trees. No wolves or boars or bears, just yet. Chum briefly considered calling the one spirit who might be of help, but decided against it. She knew which direction to go in. The goblin had this one.

 

[Birdsie]

Lucius Hearthaven

"Fine, goblin person. Go. Lead on ahead. You'll be the first to get swallowed by the fucking demons of the choir of imaginary numbers," Lucius offered, motioning onward grandiosely, one hand always held on the pommel of his sword as if eager to draw it.

Stupid forests forced them to walk to their destination.

As much as he hated to admit it; as much as he loathed to admit it, he was pampered, and disliked travel without his horse. But a contract's a contract, and he might come out of this rich enough to pay off that communion wafer and holy water debt he got himself into in Pride's Point. He wondered if people already forgot about that. Probably not, so just to be safe, he made sure to always have a spare sack of gold on person to pay off any would-be loan priests.

It's not that they were dangerous. It's that they were tenacious and determined enough to knock on your door at five in the morning, to ask you to talk about the spirit Turnabog who gives every one of its worshippers the ability to conjure up gremlins that can help with gardening or construction. He fucking hated getting up, and getting up at five was a cardinal sin as far as he was concerned.

He was getting too far into his own thoughts. Lucius turned to look at Elodin, but didn't look too deeply. The last time he did that, his soul pretty much had to swim through the spiritual equivalent of waste that he'd become suffused in.

A good comparison would be to say that a smoker doesn't notice how much his room stinks, so when someone who doesn't smoke comes in, they want to throw up, and when they stay there too long or roll around in the carpet, they come out with that same smell. And for Lucius, that much spiritual gunk hanging loosely on his mind was enough to make him throw up and feel sick for the rest of yesterday.

"Ssso," he started, talking to Elodin, "what exactly is this Sanctum. I mean, what are we looking for? Is this a kind of... 'you'll know it when you see it' sort of location? Or is it something more glorious, like a city of gold in a valley of darkness?"

Epiphany Inheritance Hanarei Alteras June Verles Graystone713 FearItself

 

[Hanarei]

Charon Ashbringer​

Charon had woken up in her own bed feeling rather woozy, a feeling that had maintained itself even as they began traveling. Her long red hair flowed behind her with her cape wearing her typical armor her blade sheathed to her side. How ornate her armor was and her outfit usually inspired an air of confidence about her though she couldn't quite head the bit of a headache she was suffering from nor the taste of vomit that had lingered in her mouth from earlier despite all the water she drank in hopes of drowning it out. It only reminded her why she should stand resolute and resist the urge to drink no matter how coaxed into it she might be.She heard Elodin's voice directed to her as she blinked looking over seeming a little distracted as he mentioned a hangover.

"Ha? A beautiful day like this is best admired! Even if a hangover was something I really had to worry about it would be enough to overshadow it easily!" She let out a laugh attempting to downplay it giving her stomach a firm pat that she instantly regretted as it felt as if it had rumbled in response as if churned up again. She really wished she had just stuck with her guns when she had initially showed up the other day and it wouldn't of been an issue she had to deal with getting up so early feeling so sick. She could be bad enough as it was with getting up early, particularly not being on the strict regiment she had been when she was an active knight. Her uneasy only grew as she noticed he seemed intent on leading them into the dark woods, a place rather risky as it was causing her to look at him a bit weary.

She was a little taken back by the goblin, realizing after a brief second it was the goblin from the night before, having yet again seemed to overlook them. It seemed the goblin was talking some sense... and it wasn't hostile. A goblin on its own wasn't really much of a threat either way, even in a group they could just be more pesky and annoying then actually being a threat. It was likely their unpredictability that made them sketchy in the first place. If they were more dangerous as an individual threat chances are it would be something people would tend to care a lot more about dealing with. The one who seemed more trouble though spoke up speaking in his rather negative tone. It made the headache suffering godslayer ponder a bit as she walked.

Charon approached Lucius as she placed a hand on his shoulder looking at him with a warm smile seemingly suppressing her own suffering for a moment, butting in briefly with his conversation with Elodin. She felt it was the approperiate time as the hero of mankind to speak up as she presented an air of warmth and confidence over that discomfort she had from the hangover.

"Relax there young Lu...cious!" She spoke nearly messing up his name realizing him and the adventurer girl had rather similar names. She held onto his shoulder keeping a rather beaming smile on her lips as an attempt to give him courage seemingly reading it that he was nervous or scarred.

"I, Charon Ashbringer, slayer of gods, will be by your side should anything go wrong! Even without me I'm sure a charming young man like yourself is more then capable of handling there own. Just have confidence in one's self and you are sure to get through this job unscathed and feeling great in your own achievements!" She spoke enthusiastically as if to give him a pep talk lifting her hand up to give him a thumbs up in encouragement. She regretted it a little feeling a bit more nauseous lifting her voice but it was a small cost to pay for what she assumed was to lift his spirits and hopefully any others who might not be at ease.


Inheritance Birdsie Graystone713

 

[Epiphany]

Lacuna Episkiazo

Inheritance
It was second nature now to support Elodin. She'd backed him up during last night's meeting and this morning she'd kept him company when he broke his fast. As a shadow, Lacuna didn't slumber but found the night naturally restful. As a shadow, she didn't hunger for food but she enjoyed her own plate of eggs next to Elodin, appreciating the flavor of the food even as her true appetite was satisfied by the ambient energy her 'master' emitted. It'd grown stronger even in the last year and she found herself curious how far it would go.

As each party member arose and joined the gathering group, Lacuna offered a smile, a tip of the head and a friendly hello. Shadows had no need of pleasantries but a year spent among mortals had impressed upon her how much significance these simple rituals had for the Material beings.

She enjoyed the walk, and enjoyed the lack of direct sun more. It was still bright enough that she looked...well, human but for her golden-black eyes. Lacuna also carried a bow with a quiver of arrows across her back and within a few hours of her company, it'd be very easy for most to forget she was anything other than another mortal. Especially given the way her gaze unconsciously drifted back to Elodin, over and over. Sometimes she smiled at something he said. Other times, she looked thoughtful or even frowned occasionally. The one commonality was that emotion of some kind passed over her features every time she looked at the man.

At least until the group reached the treeline.

Graystone713
"Walk after me. I know how wilds be. You don't."

"As you like," Lacuna said agreeably to the goblin, upon being cautioned by Chum. Privately, she thought there'd be no difficulties in dealing with a place of such superlative darkness as Darken Wood but, reluctantly, she allowed that knowing shadows didn't mean knowing forest.

Birdsie
Lucius' optimism brought a chuckle to the shadowy woman. "She'll come to no harm. She has us, after all. If there are any demons in there, I'll be sure to let you know." And she gave Lucius the sweetest, sunniest smile...an effect that perhaps became a little unnerving as she passed beneath the shadow of a tree and her features became shadowed as well, except for the gleaming of teeth.

Hanarei
Elodin's mentioning of the Godslayer suffering from a headache caught Lacuna's interest, though. Even as the other woman proclaimed the group's safety in her company, Lacuna drew close as they walked. "If you're not feeling well, perhaps I can help?" She held up her hands in the traditional prayer pose and a curious effect haloed them; not a glow but an absence of light that nonetheless left her hands clearly visible. Just as a hand beneath water can be seen from above, so her hands can be seen now but another stranger boundary made them strange as well. "I have certain abilities that can treat injuries and speed recovery from most conditions."

And if Charon opts to take her up on it, Lacuna does indeed bow her head, murmur an invocation in an unknown language before touching her fingertips to each temple. At which point the Godslayer will feel completely refreshed.

 

[ShadowBroker]

Emem Imamu
' The Silent '

Location: Fardock - Ready for Departure -> The Dark Forest, exploring the inwards creatures before returning to Newtown

Epiphany Birdsie Hanarei Graystone713 Inheritance

The first steps were the hardest, even if willing to walk the path forward into the future and claim the day, much was gain back at Fardock. This was only temporally, was it? He could feel something of his standing behind, and no - it was not the storm. He pressed on, he wanted not to fail to be the one he was meant to be.

The star raised and fell back, the sky became blue and pitch-black with countless stars. The wind blew and then cease to exist. The ground changed, the sand left behind while the green plain began to appear before his eyes. Trees, vegetation, animals of all sorts; it filled him with awe, with anxiety. He wanted to explore further inwards into the wild... if it wasn't because the danger. A creature, one that sought senseless hunting. He attempted to pushed it away, but at the end he was force to use his ability... A shock, a lighting bolt spitted away from his fingernails throwing the animal back to its origin, a new scar grew from its clothes yet managed not to touch his flesh.

He knew now - not because he was away from the ship meant the world stopped being harsh and ever quickly to serve punishment. The thought internalized within him just as the city began to appear. Newtown. It was nightfall when the caravan arrived, the stars present alongside the torches they had to produce their own source of light. There was little distance to cover - and so did Emem decided it was not Newtown the place he wished to witness first... but Forest. His task was done, the danger was his take and not one of the group.

Something called him, demanded that he pursued the inside of the dark forest where all kinds of creatures could be awaiting him; and to that he smiled like a child ready to play with a new toy. Not that he saw the danger amusing, but he saw no danger at all, a possible small animal that dares not to walk off the shadows, forcing itself to lurk in the night for fear of him. He did not want them to fear him, he wanted to welcome them...

Rather than learn from the danger he passed before, he waited for the first sign of light and then walked away. The Caravan hadn't have the chance to say their goodbyes nor to tell which direction he took; Emem knew they would make to the town safely.

The ground seemed wet, mud. It was mud. So many different textures Emem got to feel for the first time. Leafs, some of them dry and some of them still green. The smell of nature captured him entirely as he pushed forward, his hands making gentle strokes over the trees showing his kindness in each passing one. The flowers, the colors. The echo of nature surging through and through, the beam of light captured by the tops and the shadows formed that danced on the wind's command. Suddenly, the trees began to be more dense as he walked - and the light seemed less pretty.

He stood there as to admire - watching how much the ambient could change. And how much the events could turn... voices. No more nature's calling or some creature's growling; but words chanted between others voices - a conversation. People. People like himself, he thought at first. Explorers, adventurers. People that wanted to explore the dark forest. Instead of doing what was sound and clever for most hunters, he walked away from this advantaged point, pressing through the vegetation as he attempted to find the voices... only to find a small group of, very different people.

Spoiler: Lucius Hearthaven

The aura of child reigns within him. Curiosity navigated with plain naiveness, kindness and love that origin from someone that wishes to do righteousness. Over all things, Peace. Peaceful and confident. He feels no fear... but, what is this?

There is more, it is smaller than a grain of sand; its down, attached by the sole of his feet, hovering, it could easily escape at the corner of your eye, it is dark - dread - fear? No. Not fear to other or someone among you. It is a past experience, tastes like salt and smells like shit. Among all, its formless pitch blackness. There is something truly dark and obscure with it, blocked away and chained. Silent now - but something says its scream could be louder than a storm.

Emem stood behind them idle, he watched them walk and he, oddly enough, began to follow as he tried to have an idea. What were each one of them? Becoming part of the scouting party almost instantly... A few looked human, like him. Another was small, like a Dwarf but green. The other - the other fascinated him almost as if he was call by it, as if the echos of before were nothing but her chanting, not the nature of which he presumed guilty. He followed them making a certain distance yet speaking not a single word, typical of him. How would *he* start any conversation before a situation like this one?

 

[Alteras]

[div class=LucFlex] [div class=LucImage] [div class=LucTitle]Lucia Fountaine[/div] [div class=LucMentions] Character Sheet
Location:
Forest

Interactions:
Inheritance Birdsie Graystone713 Epiphany Hanarei ShadowBroker [/div][/div] [div class=LucContent]Lucia had spent the night organizing and filing paperwork for the quest. With the signatures recorded, she paid the innkeeper a few to send them, alongside a letter, to the Guild. The letter, while nothing revealing, was enough to inform the Guild that she was undertaking something very important. It could be summarized in a few points:

• She has received a nominated quest by a member of the Cabal.
• The quest concerns information that the guild would never be able to attain through normal circumstances.
• She will continue to perform her duties as a Pioneer to the best of her abilities, but will not be able to answer to any calls.

The letter had a slight undertone of be ready to cut me off at any moment, something only a veteran Guild member, or a reckless idiot, would be able to say, and unfortunately she is the former. Still, she has no intention of losing herself, and would be prepared for anything. As such, she was trailing near the back of the group with relative tension, ready to draw her blade at any moment, as they passed through the wilderness. While the others were conversing, Lucia had a feeling that someone was trailing. Nothing alarming, more like the feel of someone staring at your back from far away.

Lucia simply drew her blade to her side and proceeded with heightened tension. [/div][/div] [class=LucFlex] width: 100%; max-width: 1000px; margin: 0 auto; justify-content: center; align-items: stretch; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; box-sizing: border-box; [/class] [class=LucImage] position: relative; width: 300px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 300px; max-height: 800px; background-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/OBC6pGh.jpg'); background-size: 450%; background-position: 17.5% 20%; margin: 5px; [/class] [class=LucTitle] position: absolute; bottom: 10px; left: 10px; right: 10px; height: auto; width: auto; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 32px; font-family: 'Cormorant'; color: #dbd0c3; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.8); [/class] [class=LucMentions] position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Montserrat'; color: #dbd0c3; opacity: 0; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.65); transition: opacity .5s; [/class] [class name=LucMentions state=hover] opacity: 1; [/class] [class=LucContent] position: relative; min-width: 200px; flex: 1; height: auto; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 5px; font-family: 'Montserrat'; [/class]

 

[Inheritance]

Elodin Evernight
"The eyes are the window to the soul. It is important that you learn to see into other's eyes, and even more important to guard your own..."
---Hilax's Teachings---
​

A flash of rage rose up in him as this goblin decided to take the lead. He prepared to do something about it, maybe shove it into the shadows or hang it in a tree, but he quickly realized that the goblin was right; he was no woodsman, and if they got lost they would be at the mercy of the wood. That, as well as Lacuna's acceptance, kept him from taking any sort action against the creature.

So instead he walked with them, staying silent but constantly observing how the group connected. He was disappointing to see they didn't connect much aside from some small talk, but he figured that after a bit of travel and work they would be closer.

"Actually I hopped there would be a lot of rainbows and happiness here. Maybe a way to solve all of our problems!" He said with mock enthusiasm. Hilax had been whispering dark thoughts into his head, and he had a growing sense of distaste for Lucius. Elodin knew this was irrational but sometimes Hilax's whispers were much stronger than Elodin's sense of logic, and this happened to be one of these times.

As they moved on, Elodin continued to have the disturbing realization that he hadn't seen a single animal since entering the forest. Not a bird, nor rabbit, nor insect. It unnerved him a bit, though he hadn't spent too much time in the woods and wasn't sure if this was normal. The trees in this place were very tall, and the entire place seemed to be teeming with plant life. Once again, Elodin didn't know much about the woods or the ecosystems within, but he was pretty sure that heavy vegetation should support a lot of wildlife. He narrowed his eyes, and with swift motions and a bit of shadow walking, Elodin was at the Goblin's side.

"Alright my wilderness expert," he hissed very quietly, "Why are there no animals around here? The trees are tall, the flowers are blooming, and the entire forest is very overgrown. Wouldn't there be a lot of animals here?" Everything seemed perfectly natural to Elodin except the lack of animals-though anyone who knew about nature would realize that the autumn chill was starting to set in, and that was no time for things to be growing.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Short timeskip: ~4 hours​

The deeper they moved into the forest, the more unnerved Elodin got. He had not been deep in these woods before, and was not loving it at all. There still had been no sign of any animal life, and the trees had become so overgrown that even with the Goblin's woodcraft it took hours to move a few miles. Elodin couldn't tell the passage of time very well due to the forest's natural darkness, and that combined with the already dark day made it almost impossible to tell if it was growing late in the day or if the darkness was just getting heavier.

Not that Elodin mined the darkness much-he enjoyed the shadows and was happy to be able to hear much of the group due to his connection with the darkness. Hilax's maddening whispers had quieted, and if the overgrown forest hadn't been giving him the creeps, he would probably be in a rather decent mood.

The worst part of the woods was the dreadful silence. Such a heavy silence was normally filled by the sound of animals, but without them the only sounds that echoed through the woods was the sounds of the scarce talking and footfalls of the group.

The ear piercing sound of a tree splintering shattered the silence and stabbed the ears of the silent party, sending Elodin's heart racing and his eyes rapidly scanning for the source of the noise. Almost instantly after, the thundering sound of a large creature pounding towards them filled the once silent air with a sense of danger and violence. Elodin readied himself, not knowing what was about to come fourth from the brushes, a cloak of shadows surrounding him as he reached for his magic.

COMBAT
​

4 giant bears exploded from the trees and bull rushed the party. Their eyes glowed with a feral energy as they crashed through the woods. Their teeth were the size of Elodin's forearm, with bones overgrown and emerging from their flesh like armor. On all fours, the creatures measured about 9 feet tall, and Elodin could only imagine how tall they were when on their hindlegs.

"Elysaz vierlma rockundo!" He yelled as after taking a few steps back. A wall of shadows shot out of the ground before bursting into a bright flame, cutting off 2 of the Dire Bears and sending them scrambling to find an edge to the fire. Elodin backed away and looked towards Lacuna before watching the rest of the group.

He knew the creatures wouldn't go through the wall of fire and would avoid it. The fire was of course fake, otherwise the overgrown forest would go up as if it was doused in oil; but the creatures didn't know that, and the extra ground they had to cover would buy the group time.

"Defend yourselves!" He yelled out, hoping to use this event as a time to see how the group worked together.



Birdsie Epiphany Hanarei ShadowBroker Alteras Graystone713

 

[ShadowBroker]

Emem Imamu
' The Silent '

Location: The Dark Forest, in combat.

Epiphany Birdsie Hanarei Graystone713 Inheritance Alteras

The wild sent four creatures with paled eyes and haunted bodies. The insides exposed through the flesh, the skin looked rotted and weak. Somehow Emem felt this creature was much alike the one he faced back in the road, and they would not stop until the group is defeated. And he was among the members of the group.

One of those beasts, at the sight of fire, attempted to flank the barrier. Mouth open, fangs at sight while saliva dropped from its hot inside, steam escaping like a dragon's breathe, growling. Before it could end his movement a lightning stroke its side briefly, unbalancing it. It came from behind the group and Emem made his entrance, making his presence notable by the rest, although Lucia had already spotted him. His off-hand was aiming right at the beast while there were still sparks jumping off his clothes and fingers. The second bolt came as quickly but this time stroke right before the beast's head which shrugged off instantly. His ability was barely affecting them, becoming more of an annoyance rather than an useful lethal weapon.

The beast he had encountered begun to growl stronger than before, its shout started to unnerve him as he saw there was no way to limit his ability and survive in the process. He recoiled his extended arm as he breathed deeply, the sparks continued to concentrate until he let it go again and a continuous flow of energy flew directly on the beast which lost ground in return, the noise of lightning becoming even clearer than before. Emem's expression seemed one of discomfort as if using his ability for a longer period of time was not something he was use to, out of practice. However he knew he could fend off the monster on his own if he was not interrupted while casting the power of the Storm, his right hand aimed upwards with his palm opened requesting aid from the sky above which would not come until further on if need be.

 

[Birdsie]

Lucius Hearthaven

Lucius couldn't shake the feeling that something was following them; or someone. Emotions weren't something a human brain could visualize; Lucius' perception had to take a lot of shortcuts to allow him to use his ability; make concessions.

He perceived emotion as colors, or, if he allowed it, as sounds; like music. Rarely as smells, tactile sensations, or even tastes, but those did not come with the same ease as seeing and hearing; the latter came as second nature. As easy to perform as whistling; requiring minimal finesse and a bit of practice. In this case, his breath was his magical energy, and he'd whistled so much in his life that he could breathe indefinitely and keep whistling. That's why he kept himself on guard against signs of emotions, which let him know they were being tailed by someone; only in broad strokes.

Whoever this person was, they were like a child in wonderland; heart set aflutter by sights and sounds in every passing moment. Lucius opted to let the stranger be, as they were of no consequence.

When the bushes started to shake and the ground trembled, Lucius poised himself for combat. His sword left its scabbard with a sharp hiss.

That's when the trees rattled off, the ground shaking in tremors as four, mutated bears jumped out. They were bears; undoubtedly. Even as Lucius' eyes traced over their malformed bodies, he could make out the vague patches of mottled fur, sharply-pointed projections of bone jutted from their bodies. The sundering brutes lumbered forward, intending to take blood, even as Elodin cast a fire spell to cast them at bay; the spell, Lucius could make out from the faint preconceptions in Elodin's aura, was a feint. A trick.

An illusion.

No time to consider thaumaturgy; a man of dark skin and great courage came leaping at the monsters, and Lucius recognized his emotional pattern as the one he'd felt before. As the bears shrugged off his electric spellwork, the man began to charge up what looked like a stronger spell.

Lucius wasn't about to complain; he lunged forward and charged his arms, forearms, hands. With the energy of raw emotion; apathy, in this case. The antithesis of emotion, to still action and do away with rage and desire. He felt it so often, while getting up, that it too was second nature.

Some of the apathy reached up from his arms and into his sword. Lucius positioned himself in front of the lightning-calling mage, prepared to cut and daze any beast that came near them.

ShadowBroker Epiphany Hanarei ShadowBroker Alteras Graystone713 Inheritance

 

[Epiphany]

Lacuna Episkiazo

The four bears made a rather spectacular entrance and Lacuna took a moment to drink in the sight of them. Were they made monstrous or were they some native creature of this land? So many new experiences in her year in the Material. Yet this experience threatened to endanger her group in general, and Elodin specifically.

Her master's magic bought them precious seconds. Lacuna used them to unsling her bow. Before she drew an arrow, though, she lifted one hand up towards the heights of the forbidding, shadowed trees and invoked the divine. Gods weren't welcome in this new land but she remained what she was, bound to mortal form by daylight but set free when hidden from its burning gaze as she was now.

The air appreciably lightened for the party, not because she created light but because she drew in the darkness until it throbbed around her like the heart of night. A moment later, it released like a river of water dropped from above, flooding through them. Where the darkness flowed past, each member of the party (including the newcomer) felt the refreshing chill of a winter's night, the taste of crip clear water. And a sense of energy lingered, erasing fatigue and emboldening courage.

Then Lacuna drew an arrow in one smooth motion and shot one of the bears in the neck.

OOC: Lacuna's 'class' is priest. Consider everyone blessed for this battle.

 

[Hanarei]

Charon Ashbringer​

Charon continued to walk forward feeling a bit better now despite the lingering worry of attack. There was no headache though it didn't exactly fix the bit of grogginess she had but that was a much less annoying issue then the headache had been. To say she wasn't really paying much attention was likely an understatement. Having others around in a way kept her mind out of worry for any threats they might encounter. It wasn't as if their mission was to take on some dangerous foe it was just to check some place out. It seemed quite harmless over-all in her mind. It was something she really should of thought more of given how many individuals are recruited for the one task that it wouldn't be so simple.

The massive bears came charging in causing Charon to nearly jump in response suddenly aroused from her day dreaming state. It was at that instant that the illusionary flames erupted from Elodin's will creating a circle of flames keeping two of the dire bears away as the others managed to already get past. Even in her surprised state Charon was able to make out quickly the flames themselves were likely some sort of illusion... or at the very least not actual flames. It seemed as if the creatures themselves were afraid of the flames believing them to be real. She reached down to grip her sword as another man entered the scene noticed as Lucious ran up to protect him as it seemed clear where the bolts had come from in the first place. The red head shook her head as she grasped the hilt of her blade, preparing to pull out her sword.

Wait... he is using illusion magic on purpose. If I start using my sword I'm going to start burning everything. Even if I control the flames its not like I can undo anything that gets permanently burnt up if I do. Besides... they seem to be fine now... I mean... as a godslayer I should obviously allow everyone to get their moment to shine... it would be wrong for me to steal the spotlight after all, right?

Charon loosened her grip on her sword removing her hand from the handle. She lowered her other hand down grasping the sheath, her thumb pressed against the cross guard taking a more relaxed position in appearances, though still standing on the ready. She wouldn't act unless she needed to... and if the need came all she had to do was create a bit of her fire magic to help scare up the beast, something she could draw from her sword without needing to fully unsheathe the blade on a whim.

They got this... yes... yes... they can get these just fine. Nothing to worry about at all! I mean... sure its big scary dire bears more vicious then I think I've ever seen before... but nothing for a godslayer to take on.... and they seem just fine! No reason to worry just be ready if something goes wrong you can control the flames... they can't take that much fire to take out... and if they do I mean you can control it without accidentally lighting the entire forest on fire. Haha yeah Charon... yes, just let them take care of that nothing to worry about!


Inheritance Birdsie Epiphany ShadowBroker

 

[Graystone713]

Chum Teeth

Chum teeth knew a lot about the woods, and initially dismissed the Dark Man's worries with a quick remark.
"Prey run from Predator. No worse pred' than people."
But it was only a few more steps before they realized that the birds they heard were now silent. Gone. That was worrying. A few steps more, and Chum changed her answer.
"Well, not many predators worse... Eyes peeled, noses open."

---Many hours of woodland trek later...---

Chum had been carving through rough trail for quite a while now. She wished desperately for a hatchet or a jungle cutlass, but owned neither. The path was so overgrown that the humans were having trouble squeezing around the plants. Chum moved, cut, or speared any that they knew to be poisonous, but the silence was downright oppressive now. No beasts. No birds. If there were bugs, Chum didn't see them. This was unnatural. A curse surely lay upon the wood. However, Chum's nose barely caught a scent. A scent like rotten meat coming from a track. a bloody thing, obscured by a crushed fern. The air was still, but the scent, stronger now, hung in the air. Wafted in. Chum's harpoon came to hand as the massive shapes of bears burst from the brush. This was unusual for any natural bear. Most bears were decidedly less than social, and rarely hunted together. Sometimes a mother hunted with her cubs, but these bears were not young, or natural. Their thick muscles seemed to want to burst from their thin skin. Their fur was patchy, like they'd suffered from mange for years. And ridges of solid bone protruded from their skin like armor. Chum had never seen a Dire Bear in person. But Chum knew what they were like. They would kill and eat anything they could catch. Their unnatural musculature came with far less fat than natural bears, and they thus needed far more food than their ordinary kin. Rarely sated, they were constantly hungry to fuel their muscles. But even beasts like these couldn't empty a wood this size on their own.

Chum felt the chill of a night in the crow's nest, their tongue told them a tale of the cleanest water the goblin could conceive, and an arrow pierced the nearest bear. Under a light like a full moon, Chum went on the offensive, flicking an earring with a word in their native tongue.
"Tabbakree!"
They rushed the bear as a green glow surrounded their body, stabbing at the bear's underbelly with their harpoon as long bladelike spines formed from a ghostly aura around them. The venomous spines of a lionfish surrounded them, formed from an emerald immaterial light. Chum had hoped the spirit would place them on the harpoon itself, but Chum would gladly take a defensive boon like this if it stayed the heavy paws of the bear, or better yet, stung the thing for trying to take a swipe. Chum knew that this venom was ludicrously painful, nauseating, and dizzying. One sting wouldn't kill a bear, but it would slow the beast enough to assure its doom, be it by spear, sword, or spell. However, Chum could feel the earring of bone growing warm. The Lionfish only had this one go in it, and would be free after this boon was done with. Chum would be wanting a replacement for it, but four bears could surely provide a suited one. Perhaps a claw necklace, with claws from each one... As it was, Chum kept jabbing, keeping herself between the bear and the Lady of Shadow.
"HEYAYAEY! HEE-YAH, BEAST! YE WAN' ME, DON'CHA!"

 

[Inheritance]

Elodin Evernight
"Illusions might seem like a weak magic in combat, but nothing is more powerful than mastery of the mind. Trick your opponent, conquer their mind, then conquer them."
---Hilax, the Unchained---
​

There were several tactics when fighting people with the magic of the shadows-also known as illusion magic. With most people, you had to make magic that people would believe to be real. You had to hide the bits of shadows that came from the spell, and you had to make the illusion something that your opponent would believe in; and the dumber the opponent, the easier it was to convince them your terrifying dragon was real. The mind could do amazing things, and often times when they believed they were dead, they truly were (or if they weren't, it was easy to finish them off). Another major tactic was to also use shadow magic to make real things, and to mix your real attacks with illusionary ones, making the victim unable to focus on trying to disbelieving your magic.

When fighting an animal, it was much different. They usually weren't as intelligent as people, but they often couldn't comprehend the complexities that a human could. Because of this, the best answer to fighting animals with illusion magic was to use basic things that animals feared. Fire was a great one, or natural disasters, or even bigger creatures. So as his firewall divided the attacking bears and bought them more time, he needed to plan his next attack.

The blessing from Lacuna worked wonders-especially because she was the only cleric he had ever met that could grant him a positive effect with her blessings. To add to the list of why he hated the Gods, he always found that priests could at best do nothing, and at worst harm him with their spells. With this new strength, he decided to take a more direct approach in his attack.

"Avaze ascenda forol!" He hissed. At his command, shadows swirled in front of him rapidly, before a large hill giant erupted from the shadows. Elodin wished he could do something more creative, but he wanted to stick with things that were feasible to understand. Some great shadow creature might not even register in the bears' minds, and would have no effect.

The hill giant leapt through the firewall and slammed one of the bears into a tree, cracking the bark and sending the entire tree shaking. The bear seemed to believe it, as it began to claw and bite the giants face and exposed body. As the two fought, Elodin pranced back towards Lacuna, though trying to make it seem as though he was just moving away from the combat.

He noticed their Godslayer wasn't doing much to help. He narrowed his eyes a her, trying to reason why on earth she wasn't helping; but the combat in front of him needed his attention far more than she did. With his mastery, it did not take too much effort to keep the wall of fire up and the giant handling one of the bears, but he knew that another spell would probably start to take a toll on him, and he would have to reach into Groth-Lakkar for more power...



The Dire Bears
Hunt. Attack. Kill.

These were the only commands that they knew. They had lived deep in the center of the big green, and had a happy life. Most of it was spent in slumber, but when they were awakened they knew that there was a great danger near. The Tree-Good-Human had awoken them from their deep sleep, making sounds with his mouth and telling them that there were intruders in the big green. While sleep sounded much better, the bears felt compelled to go protect their haven. So off they went, barreling through the trees and following the sent of invaders. It did not take long to find them, and when they did, they prepared to attack and kill.

But these invaders were unlike any prey they had ever hunted before. Most Bad-Human-Prey would run before they were caught and slaughtered, but these Bad-Human-Dangerous-Prey stood their ground! Suddenly, a great wall of Hot-Pain-Light erupted from the ground, splitting them up! There were people with Stings and Sharps attacking them, and some even had Sky-Light at their disposal.

The first bear that ran around the wall of Hot-Pain-Light was now pinned up against a tree by a Giant-Bad-Human, and was frantically trying to get away. He clawed and he bit, but could not get out of the grasp. No matter, he would not be denied a chance to feast, and would not allow these humans to invade!

The second bear that avoided the wall was now charging around the back of the party, towards the Shadow-Woman-Thing (he didn't know what she was, but she certainly wasn't a human!). It roared and lowered its head as it went in for an attack.

The third bear that was being taunted by the Small-Green-Not-Human roared in anger. It charged, swiping its great claws and trying to make any sort of connection with the small, annoying creature. It continued to swipe and roar, and seeing her fellow bear charging the Shadow-Woman-Thing (she didn't know what she was, but she certainly wasn't a human!), the bear focused all her energy on the short one, and started batting her paws and driving the little creature towards the wall of Hot-Pain-Light.

The fourth bear found himself having just about enough of this. He was getting quite old, and was tired of getting up and fighting. He was ready to sleep, and these prey were being very annoying and preventing him from going back to the Haven and sleeping. With a great roar, he charged the Human (Lucius), eyes gleaming and fangs out and ready to tear open flesh. Taking a few rather annoying injuries, the bear pounced on Lucius with the intent to rip it's stupid eyes from it's stupid face.


Birdsie Epiphany Graystone713 Hanarei ShadowBroker Alteras

 

[ShadowBroker]

Emem Imamu
' The Silent '

Location: The Dark Forest, in combat.

Epiphany Birdsie Hanarei Graystone713 Inheritance Alteras

There were still three bears running without a counter-part, along the one Emem attempted to control with the small power he had accumulated and had learn to control on his own. He alone was incapable to stop the creature - thus he prepared a stronger spell, one that he could not use without the help of the storm. The power The Shadow Creature had done allowed Emem to look pass the fear of his own abilities and push forward into the possibility to harness even more power from it... if only just a little more...

The sound of the leafs, the cup of the trees, all of it began to agitate. The air moved instead to hover while a whistle rang through the woods, the same noise one can hear when the air is trying to pump through a small entrance. The Dark Forest started to feel more and more as if it was close to the coast, filling the ambiance with a powerful loud sound, screaming from the sky above. A grey cloud formed itself, growing in volume like a snowball that spreads at will. It evoked thunders, longed pitch darkness.

Finally, the first lightning fell directly to Emem's palm and his eyes turned white for a moment, as if the sparks attempted to escape from them. He lowered both of his arms as he felt the world around it become slower, dark senses overthrowing his own control of reality. The storm's rage continued even without his calling, Emem's voice became deformed by whatever was inside. He raised his hand pointing it back to the animal that was coming for his protector - he was barely aiming over the shoulders of the warrior as if he had already calculated how to impact the creature most efficiently "Move."

A singular energy fired upon the bear as that seemed to overpower the beast alone, stopping it. But not only that, the flow of the current of energy began to act strangely - no longer a mono-directional attack but a bond, a laced electric energy which moved at will. Emem raised the animal upwards, slightly over the ground as the energy continued to wound the creature dearly. The power stood still in movement for a while before resuming the flow and attempted to cut through the flesh and burn it alive.

His neutral expression changed eventually. His eyes opened wide in terror as he felt the effects of his powers over him, the waves after waves crushing his soul, the deep abyss where he still lingers, the silence within the dark side of his mind. The surge of power retracted from him and then forced its way out through his hand as the wrath of the storm materialize on his fingernails, sending the animal through the forest with a single motion breaking two or maybe three trees on its way. A medium-seize hole left within the beast's chest and most likely defeated

Emem grunted as his eyes returned to normal. He began to gasp for air, the feeling of being drowned washed away from his mind once more. He knelt down, recovering his bearings. The storm continued to screamed above him just until he commanded it to retreat, the clouds vanishing in the air. He thought he could deal with the rest on his own, even if it took him that much to deal with one single wild animal.

 

[Birdsie]

Lucius Hearthaven

A wave of nightsoil, crisp darkness, surged through Lucius' body. He didn't move, but he felt his muscles relaxing without losing strength; his loss of stamina be done away with, without meaning he'd pay for it with torn muscles.

He felt several, prickly strings of fear, with a note of self-rationalization being played out in someone's mind. Lucius frowned. Who the hell is being such a wuss? he asked.

He heard the caster tell him to move, just on time: the oldest of the bears, judging from its weariness and casual experience, was preparing for a leap. Lucius smiled, dashing aside when the caster finished his spell.

A cord of lightning tethered itself to the creature, licking over it and burning it. Lucius felt the static backwash rattling across the panels of his armor, seeping into his skin, like a polarized swarm of ants, numbing his muscles.

He looked across the battlefield, to see where else his help might be needed; the Godslayer was standing, frozen in a spot, emitting fear and trying to bat it away with hope and willpower, while the goblin thing was standing between a bear and Lacuna. The goblinoid seemed confident in its abilities, so Lucius turned to the - oh, dear.

The bear was flung across the forest like a ragdoll, breaking several through several trees, a hole of burning red ash in its chest; like as if a Titan smoking a cigarette decided to put it out, using the bear as an ashtray.

The caster was suffering from some kind of feedback, or perhaps mana deprivation; Lucius tossed him a mana potion as he ran, but there was no time to talk - Lucius sprinted towards the second bear, flanking Lacuna behind Chum's notice, and brandished his sword in a stabbing stance - the boy lunged at the last moment, sinking the entire length of the blade into its side. Following the impalement, Lucius let go of his sword and punched it in the same spot, discharging the emotion of apathy into it, then whistling loudly for a caster or ranged attacker to take over, as he began to step away from the creature.

ShadowBroker Epiphany Hanarei ShadowBroker Alteras Graystone713 Inheritance

 

[Alteras]

[div class=LucFlex] [div class=LucImage] [div class=LucTitle]Lucia Fountaine[/div] [div class=LucMentions] Character Sheet
Location:
Dark Forest

Interactions:
ShadowBroker Epiphany Hanarei ShadowBroker Birdsie Graystone713 Inheritance [/div][/div] [div class=LucContent]Lucia was surprised by the sudden appearance of the man covered in lightning, but quickly realized that he was the being that she noticed earlier. Her attention returned back to the battle, as she lifted her blade. Watching the others, Lucia began to understand everyone's position and class.

... and a magic swordsman. I guess I'm the rearguard of this party As she thought so, she turned her attention to the bear pushing back Chum. Watching the two duel it out into the illusory flames, Lucia lifted her blade, took two steps forth toward the bear, dropped her blade to the ground, and lifted it upwards in its direction. Following the swing, a blade of magic shot forth, bursting into its side, breaking it's attention on the poor goblin.

Stepping forward, Lucia yelled to Chum. "I'll keep its focus! You keep attacking it!" She continued to walk towards the bear, watching its movements. Upon the closest she was willing to get, she made an empty slash while channeling a hidden strike magic. Her blade flashed a massive light in the bear's direction, blinding it. "Now!"

Lucia ran forward as well, matching Chum to the opposite side of the bear, letting loose a strike of her own. [/div][/div] [class=LucFlex] width: 100%; max-width: 1000px; margin: 0 auto; justify-content: center; align-items: stretch; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; box-sizing: border-box; [/class] [class=LucImage] position: relative; width: 300px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 300px; max-height: 800px; background-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/OBC6pGh.jpg'); background-size: 450%; background-position: 17.5% 20%; margin: 5px; [/class] [class=LucTitle] position: absolute; bottom: 10px; left: 10px; right: 10px; height: auto; width: auto; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 32px; font-family: 'Cormorant'; color: #dbd0c3; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.8); [/class] [class=LucMentions] position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; padding: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Montserrat'; color: #dbd0c3; opacity: 0; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.65); transition: opacity .5s; [/class] [class name=LucMentions state=hover] opacity: 1; [/class] [class=LucContent] position: relative; min-width: 200px; flex: 1; height: auto; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 5px; font-family: 'Montserrat'; [/class]

 

[Graystone713]

Chum Teeth

Chum teeth was frustrated. The bear wasn't quite coming in for an attack, and seemed to be avoiding Chum's ghostly spines. The ring of bone was hot now, only a few moments left in the boon. Neither side saw an opening, and neither wanted to make a try without one. But this stalemate had to end. Thank the spirits that one of the humans ended it by joining the fight. Was their name Lucie? Chum couldn't recall the name of the swordmage. It didn't really matter, since they had both a plan and the bear's FULL attention. Chum crouched, seeming a coiled serpent before they struck, leaping into the air and bringing both their Harpoon and the Lionfish spirit's venomous fins down on the beast. Steel and magic pierced thick hide and fur. Chum felt the spear scrape against bone, and the barbs held fast to the flesh as their hands did to the shaft. Well, both hands held for a moment. Then, Chum let go with one hand to take hold of the 'everything' knife. Bears were easily in the category of everything, right? So, the knife flashed out, and Chum's right hand rose up with it, stabbing down into the bear's back. Once. Twice. Three times. A flurry of stabs and thrusts, accompanied by a savage howl.

"RHUUUAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Chum was practically consumed by a berserk bloodlust, determined to see the lumbering beast die swiftly. It wasn't until a small pop and a spray of bony shrapnel and dust came from their burning hot ear that they regained their senses. The Lionfish's boon was done, and its earring was destroyed. If Chum needed them, they had other boons and spirits. The Gull, and the Shark. The Gull, like the Lionfish, wouldn't last long. The Shark? That would last as long as Chum could keep it charged. Anything with that many teeth was a valuable ally. But Chum didn't need their aid yet. Right now the goblin needed to hold on for dear life. The Bear wasn't about to let Chum's assault go on, and it was doing its level best to shake her off.

Alteras Inheritance

 

[Hanarei]

Charon Ashbringer​

The Godslayer had remained in place standing ready to act should she be needed. It didn't take much for her to realize it was perhaps a bit foolish to expect the group to so easily crush the bears even with just their numbers. There was little down in her mind that with just her own power alone she would be in for a fight if she had to take on just one of the beasts and with four being in play it meant there was that much more to be aware of. Even with that in mind though she had some fear to act. Whether it was the fact she would expose herself as being weak, or perhaps worst unintentionally burn down the forest if she acted rashly given how difficult it was to control the flames from her sword. The bears weren't a foe where she could hold back completely against them and expect to do all that much and there was only so much a fancy fire show could do.

It's okay... they are struggling a little... but they are fine! See they are even helping each other, the pinnacle of teamwork the captain would of been proud to see this! It usually takes quite a bit of time to develop such a connection with others even at a very rudimentary level! Yes yes... its fine I don't have to risk acting and potentially causing more harm then help I just need to sit here and...

Charon had spotted the second bear seemed to of collected itself coming around. While the others were preoccupied by their own threat it seemed to be approaching Lacuna in an attempt to strike her. She felt conflicted grasping her thumb upon the guard of her blade nearly pushing up to unsheath it partially. The woman had helped them earlier... though at the same time she had to admit there was an air of unease about what she could be. She had helped her earlier though... but still there was a chance she could throw out flames and just quickly lose control with how much flame it might take to stop the bear in its tracks. She bit her lip shaking a little bit before suddenly steadying her nerves.

The godslayer pushed her thumb up lifting the blade up from its sheath a couple of CM. As soon as the blade became to the air a blackish violet flame before shifting colors through the spectrum to red. She guided her finger forward using it to help control the direction of flame as she shot it out from the very mildly exposed blade. The flame coarse out red in its restrained form albeit rather bright in its shade. The flames flickered out in a stream the knight attempting to keep in contained in a small condensed cylinder though already failing as it came off more like a geyser. The flames shot over reaching the bear as it erupted in a sudden flare of fire scorching at the bear as to blast it with the intense fire.

I did it!

Not quite... her eyes spotting the flames of the stream of flame already having caught fire to some nearby brush and trees... although fortunately not flaring up too quickly. She shifted her hand gesturing the flame to come back as the fire that had erupted suddenly retracted from the bear and from the surroundings wishing back in until it was sucked back into the sword leaving behind a line of partially charred greens between her and the second bear. She dropped her thumb letting the sword clink as it fell back into place inside its sheathed with its flames once again contained.

Damn it...it wasn't as bad as I thought... but I still caused more damage to the forest then I wanted. Crap... and what if they see that and think I have no control over my power and I'm a huge fake... Damn it Charon maybe I shouldn't of acted... but then she could of got hurt... gah....

She stood with her hand still on the sheath seeming to have an inner argument with herself being her own harshest critic as the others continued to fight.

Inheritance Epiphany

 

[Inheritance]

Elodin Evernight
"Doom on any who dare walk in the Shadows-for Groth-Lakkar is not safe for mortals! Just as shadows are not meant to stay on the material plane, humans are not meant to live in the Shadows..."
-High Priest Alrac-
​

The great blast of fire that erupted from the God-Slayer shattered Elodin's concentration like a boulder through an ocean of glass. Almost immediately, the wall of fire and the large giant holding up the dire bear vanished. Elodin whirled around towards the source of the blaze, watching as Charon slowly reeled in the blaze. Elodin registered this, but knew now was not the time to complain, especially due to the fact that there was now an extra furious bear that was charging the group. Elodin was a bit frustrated with himself for not holding concentration, but the intensity and the suddenness of the uncontrolled fire had been so surprising that it had been almost impossible to hold on.

"Demisi lakkari bialaz!' Elodin hissed, sending a wave of black mass from his outstretched hands toward the now free Direbear. The wave enveloped it, slowing it down, and for a brief moment, Elodin thought he might have killed it...until it burst from the black mass, blood gushing from new wounds and one of its eyes clawed out. It charged towards Adventurer 3, leaping onto the knight and pinning him to the ground. Elodin gathered himself, and looked towards Lacuna to make sure she was alright. He glanced over the rest of the group quickly, before preparing another spell to launch the bear off of the knight-but as he was about to do so, he watched the lizard explode in a ball of light. Now that was new...


Dire Bears:
2 bears remaining

The blaze of fire had caused a great roar of anger to escape her open maw. The fire was burning the Green! Her home! Her vision turned red, and only rage and murder enveloped her thoughts. Not only that, but whatever was holding her up against the tree was gone, and nothing would stop her from killing now.

Watching her companions die had been painful, but not as painful as the black mass that surrounded her. She didn't know what was in the cloud, but as she tried to bite and claw and fight her way out, she felt claws reach out and slash her body. She continued to chase the claws, as they must be connected to her attacker, but whenever she swiped or bit at the darkness, something clawed her from another direction. In a panic, she began to frantically run to try and escape this blackness, to regain her senses. She finally escaped, but not before a blinding pain raked across the left side of her face, literally blinding her in one of her eyes. She bolted out, and attacked the nearest thing she could: the Metal-Bad-Human.

She leapt onto him and began to tear at the Metal head. She would KILL anything that would cause this much pain...


How could this little creature cause him this much pain?! He reared up, shook, and started slamming itself into trees trying to shake the little green creature off of him. As he continued slamming into trees trying to crush the little creature, the other Bad-Human started cutting him with her long single fang! With each passing moment, his agony grew, and in his maddened state, he started madly swiping at Lucia. He had to kill! He had to get rid of these creatures that had caused him so much pain!

He swiped madly, trying to make contact and to kill these creatures. His allies were falling, and he needed to slaughter the invaders that would dare harm his home.

Birdsie Epiphany Graystone713 Hanarei Alteras ShadowBroker

 

[Graystone713]

Chum Teeth

The bear would die a death of a thousand cuts by this point. But that death was too slow. It wasn’t spilling blood fast enough to keel over any time soon. But Chum had precious little choice, and as the bear thrashed, Chum’s grip slipped and they fell to the bear’s flank, dangling by one arm. The bear wasted no time in capitalizing on that, and Chum was crushed against a tree. On the first slam, Chum felt the crack of bone as their ribs fractured. On the second, Chum felt their breath leave them, and refuse to return. On the third, Chum felt teeth. Not bear fangs. Shark teeth. The jawbone in her pocket had ripped through the jacket, the shirt, and her skin. Chum dropped to the forest floor, and invoked a spirit. She didn’t normally pay them in blood. But it was already spilt, and she had run out of options.

“Krak-Shom.”

With that, the bear, Rearing up for a finishing blow, would see a spectral shark burst from the Goblin’s bloody abdomen, wrap its teeth into his neck, and tear away fur, flesh, and tendons. The bear wobbled, already on a slow path to death from bleeding and venom. The last bite was all it took to end its journey, and it fell. Chum, winded, wounded, and worn out, felt it get harder to keep her eyes open. They fluttered closed ever so slowly and Chum wondered if her golden eyes would ever open again... They would, surely. But Chum was uncertain.

“Kelpie...”

Was her last word before dreamless slumber took her. Healing or no healing, Her wounds were survivable. But without a healer’s touch, there would be no adventuring.

 

[Hanarei]

Charon Ashbringer​

The young knight stood in place having done her work to take care of one bear. It had been something... albeit a little bit more careless then she would of liked it.. and the lingering worry still clouded her mind a bit despite attempting to push it aside. Despite the feeling as if she had completed her job, there were clearly two bears left more then willing to make quick work of the group. The danger hadn't fully passed but it was enough that she could relax a bit more and not worry about someone else possibly getting hurt right? Her focus had been so disrupted it took her a moment to realize the illusionary flames had been gone leaving her more puzzled glancing over towards Elodin though her attention had been quickly lost to a much more crazy commotion.

Charon's eyes shifted to the strange goblin creature watching as it did battle with the bear. She stood not doing a very good job of hiding her seeming amusement of the show. It wasn't exactly a typical sight to see a little creature riding on a big beast while locked in battle. It had reminded her of an incident back during her days as part of a squad with one of her fellow knights being dared to attempt to ride a tamed owl bear. It had been a spectacle to say the least despite being tames the owl bear not being one to allow just anyone to hop on its back leading to the knight being tossed around like a rag doll before being thrown off. A much less violent though seeming as rough of a ride as the goblin was going through though the creature seemed far more adapt at holding on then her former companion.

She watched as the goblin fell to the floor quickly invoking what seemed to be some sort of spectral creature. A sense of uneasy filled Charon though it was quickly shrugged off as the bear seemed to take its final step before falling. She looked to see the wounded goblin noticing they seemed to be... unconscious? She wasn't exactly the most familiar with goblins but all signs pointed to it being unconscious... or at the very least incapacitated enough to not bother to move anymore. Biting her lip lightly Charon ran over towards the goblin feeling quite strange to be doing so. She slid to a stop in front of the unconscious goblin acting as to guard her from further danger. The option of picking her up seemed a little risky... both possibly causing more harm and perhaps a mild bias against the idea of picking up a wounded goblin afraid it might get some stench on her. She would resort to that only if necessary.

"Hey, you.... um.... Chum... are you okay? Just stay tight, the Godslayer will keep you safe." She spoke seeming to pause at her name briefly. It made sense to address a companion by their first name, only briefly electing for a last name seemingly unable to wrap her head around the fact she had a goblin as a companion. Luckily it played to her benefit anyways since she couldn't remember if the goblin was a boy or a girl which would of been a much more awkward and rude thing to do when addressing someone to address her in the wrong way. Then again, the fact Chum was asleep meant she was safe either way.

Inheritance Graystone713

 

[ShadowBroker]

Emem Imamu
' The Silent '

Location: The Dark Forest, in combat.

Epiphany Birdsie Hanarei Graystone713 Inheritance Alteras

The battle was coming to end, he could feel the last of the struggle being squished away by their hands, his 'companions' and that of his own. He grasped the ground beneath him as if regaining his own posture before facing the wavering attacker. That is when his sight followed up and intercepted a strange bottle that had been thrown at him by the hand of another. Perhaps he dropped it in the confusion of the fight, thus he resumed to take it onto his own belt, adjusted it quickly, only to return it once it was all over.

One of the bears, a creature being tortured rapidly by the two suppose to-be skilled steel-killers, began to rage trying to shake off its pursuers. Emem thought he could end its suffering if he had a clear shot, a singular well-aimed energy blast to the head and finally destroy its nerve system... or something alike, anything to end its growing suffering. Until it was too late for him to react, the bear finally found its way against the green-thing, small thing as well, reassuring him that his powers were needed; but once again he hesitated for far too long, not being able to stop the same victim from using powers, impressive... it has powers . Who would have thought such a small creature could harness that ability? Alas both rested at the ground while the woman with the flaming sword came to its aid.

No more hesitation, there was still one more to end. He grunted as his hand aimed truth against the last bear. Several burst of energy jumped off his hand towards the creature hitting it or the ground, or flying off into the distance as Emem decided to overwhelm it and gain time for a more powerful spell. He could have just aim truth, but it seemed hesitation was cause of many of the group's failures...and that of his own. While the creature found itself suppressed by his power, the caster had his other hand holding a medium-sized ball of energy, lightning. He then switched stances, pushing forward his arm and throwing a string of electricity that crushed against the beast's skull and pushed it backwards. The energy flow continued for a few seconds until the bear screamed no more. Steam came off its head, and from his killer's hand.

Finally, he grasped his barrings recovering his neutral expression. He stood still, watching what he had done as he could feel the storm moving away, the energetic battle pumping no more adrenaline into his heart. A sense of pity sneaking through the back of his mind as he dropped his hand. The forest was not somewhere to visit alone, he had learned something new.

Then - there he was, an outsider standing at the center of the battle, looking at the now weakened group. He steeled himself, or something alike, not that he expected them to attack him - they did not seem as frenetic as the wild the creature. But why would they trust him beside of being a caster that actually took off two creatures on its own with a few single spells? If anything he was a threat - at least he felt like one. So he stood there, staring down at the group as he waited in silence. Was there any other choice?

 

[Graystone713]

Chum Teeth
The Dreaming...

The world was the colors of ash and blood. Ashen clouds blocked all light from the sun. The sea was red as blood. But the spire, it was black iron. The wind carried the little ship, its white sail fluttering and its deep blue hull tinged with green algae. It sailed to the spire.

“I AM HERE TO FREE THE GODDESS!”

shouted the lone sailor. Skin blue like the clear ocean waves, and hair white like their sea foam crests. Clad in silver armor, like the scales of an ocean fish. Holding a holy lance of moonlight. They were here to free the goddess, the prisoner of the dark serpent, chained forever to the spire. The serpent was the same dark iron as the spire, its blackened fangs blending into its iron scales, only distinguishable by the red flames and smoke billowing from between them. It opened its one baleful eye, and it made a sound like rumbling earth and burbling lava. Laughter. It retched, and a charred skull fell into the boat. A skull still bearing a circlet of jade, carved to resemble seaweed. The sailor broke, and the lance dissolved into motes of glowing dust, stolen by the wind. The boat vanished between dread jaws, and the dream gave way to bitter memory.

Awaking on a distant beach, surviving where their love did not. Mourning, weeping, singing a shaky funeral dirge. For a moment, Chum thought the dream was returning. A wisp of shadow and smoke appeared on the moonlit shore. Chum thought it false. Chum did not listen to its offers of power, of love returned to life, of dark knowledges. It lied, as many things in dreams did. The ocean swept in and raised gently, leaving the goblin submerged, drowned in grief as their love was reduced to their remaining pieces. Two dice, carved of bone.

“I know you. You didn’t give up today. You didn’t join me, and I can still join you. But you should get up.”


Chum couldn’t help but smile at her lover. Kelpie. Beauty no Mermaid could match, a heart bigger than a giant’s, and a greater wit than that of a Sphinx. Well, that is how Chum saw her. And hearing her siren voice brought Chum to the present.

“I fell asleep?... No, wait. I got the tar beat out of me. The others will care for me.

“They would, but there’s not much time. You didn’t smell the magic on those beasts, did you?”

“You know I’m not as good as you were. Is it magic poison? Are their ghosts seeking revenge?”

“No, but the fight is far from over. Let me take care of you.”

“But, your magic! You can’t just-“

“This isn’t just deck splinters, Chum. You’re doing all you can to care for me. Let me care for you, just this once. Then you can return the magic while you fuss over me.”

“The others will notice. They’ll ask.”

“One of them may yet prove to be trustworthy... Just, not the dark ones. Something of their sort came in uninvited, and they’re bad.”

“Wait, what?”

“Not the time, Chum. But when you find time to rest, I’ll sing with you! The Duet you’ve wanted for so long!”

The Dancing

A goblin like Chum rarely slept heavily. And the tingly warm touch of ghostly hands was hard to sleep through, even when gentle. Kelpie rarely was gentle in the surgeon’s room. First, a great many pinches as the tooth marks in Chum’s ribs were turned from cuts to scars. Then a sharp yanking sensation as broken ribs were realigned and set. Before Chum woke up, she was worried that someone paying very close attention would notice. The highly unsubtle ghost hands probably drew the attention of eyes otherwise distracted. Chum responded appropriately to both this betrayal of secrecy and the extreme pains of healing magic with an inappropriate word.

“NAAAAAAALK!”

which, for the curious, would quite literally translate to ‘crushing wound’ but in the common vocabulary was used in a similar fashion to an F-bomb. But after a moment to compose herself, Chum dragged herself to her feet, and spoke to the staring Godslayer.

“You don’t get to ask till later, Firebrand. Where’s the rest of the fight? There’s supposed to be more fight.”

Said Chum, removing her weapons from the dead beast as she looked around. All the bears were dead, but Kelpie said the fight wasn’t over. So where was the rest of the fight?

 

[Epiphany]

Lacuna Episkiazo

The shadowy woman spent the fight putting arrows into bears. Largely ineffective arrows, of course. They were bears, to say nothing of the unnatural power that animated them. And yet, engaging them directly seemed unnecessary with the goblin and the godslayer in the fight. To say nothing of the newcomer. Lacuna sought out Emem Imamu's eyes and bestowed a silent nod of welcome once she caught his attention.

She peered curiously at the goblin. With the bears down, the shadow had intended to revive the curious Chum with her own divine abilities...but it seemed it was no longer necessary. The simplest, least interesting member of this expedition had just become much more interesting.

Instead, she nocked another arrow in her bow and moved to stand silently at Elodin's side, ready for another surprise.

 

[Inheritance]

Elodin Evernight
"Knowledge! To know the universe is to transcend it! Well here is my hand! Show me your secrets, I am not afraid."
​

With the bears fallen, the strange sense of quiet once again took over the group. Nobody was all that injured, and with Lacuna at his side, Elodin felt pretty good about the state of things. Sure, there was clearly something dwelling in these woods that didn't want them here, and sure, there were a few members of the group that handled themselves less than useful. But for some reason the fact that they survived anything without major losses gave him a bit of hope that they could become a functioning unit. Before this, he wasn't sure what would happen if shit hit the fan; and while they certainly hadn't been tested very heavily, they had certainly been tested-and he believed they passed.

The silence that was just masked by the sound of combat seemed to permeate everything around them, seeping into the bloody dirt as the group scanned their surroundings, waiting for something to happen. Time passed. First one minute, then two. Then five. Nothing happened. The silence was almost painful, the group so tense that it seemed any sound would send them into chaos. There was a brief moment when the silence was more deadly than anything else dwelling in these woods, and in that moment the silence and nothingness that resonated through the forest was the very thing they should be afraid of; something so terrible that a thousand bears would quiver at the power of the absence of life that now threatened them.

But just as quickly as the silence that threatened to destroy them came, it vanished, allowing a great sigh of relief to escape every member of the group. The fight was over-for now- and it seemed as though they could rest. But just as Elodin had thought the threat had passed, he noticed a falcon perched high in one of the trees, eyeing the group. No sooner had he processed how strange it was that a falcon was just watching them did he realize that the falcon being there was completely out of the ordinary. The entire journey they hadn't seen an insect in these woods, much less a falcon.

The falcon screeched, and launched off the branches and shot toward the center of the wood.

"Shoot it." He said, his mouth dry and voice almost silent. "BRING IT DOWN!" He barked a little louder, surprising himself with the ferocity and nervousness that crept into his voice. He had walked through the world of shadows, he had seen a world destroyed. He had stared into the eyes of Hilax, and had survived the guile of Lacuna. He had done all these things

And what had it cost him?!

So why was he so scared of this place?

The falcon shouldn't have been there. Those bears shouldn't have been there.

We shouldn't be here.

They violated the order of things, and the silence of this wood violated the order of the world around them. It shouldn't be this quiet here. It shouldn't be this void of animals. This world was Quiet. This world had no Life.

He belonged to a silent and lifeless world. He knew nothing of life.

Groth-Lakkar was quiet. Groth-Lakkar was lifeless. That was not how this material world was, and the fact that this place mirrored so much of the Shadow World unnerved him. The material plane was his escape,

There is no escape for him. There is no sanctuary.

his sanctuary. When the shadows of Groth-Lakkar got too heavy, he could escape to the prime material plane.

He watched the falcon glide through the trees at an unnatural speed, hoping to whatever Gods

the Gods had abandoned the world. The Gods had abandoned him!

were out there that someone in his party could bring down the falcon, before something really bad could happen...

Epiphany Birdsie Graystone713 Hanarei ShadowBroker