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Fantasy The Chosen of Seven


Clutching her head wasn’t enough to stop the throbbing, but it did seem to shift the world back into focus. It was absolute chaos around her, all the content in her bags spilled on the ground, books, papers, vials, jars, everything. The constant murmur from everyone around them did nothing to lighten up the mood and Phoebe let her frustration show on her features, squinting at the mess she’d have to clean up.


Hearing a moan, she whipped her head around to take a good look at the fool that had just flown into her, but her anger faltered a bit when her gaze met a pair of ruby red eyes.


“I’m sorry! I’m s-s-so sorry!”


There was something odd about the way the young harpy offered her his hand and then retreated it. But then it clicked in her mind. He had hands. This harpy that had crashed into her had actual arms and hands, though covered in grey fur (or was it feathers?). It had to be a mutation of some kind. How rare was it? Had it ever been reported on paper?


So great was Phoebe’s fascination in that moment, mind focused on nothing but drinking in every detail of this strange creature, that she barely noticed that the man was trying, and failing miserably, to pick up her things. Which was something she could do very well on her own and normally wouldn’t let happen without a fight. But it was hard to admonish someone who was actually shaking with the effort to help.


Even when he dropped everything to the ground, Phoebe remained quiet, eyes unblinking as she stared at his trembling hands. She had the urge to touch them, feel the muscles and joints of each finger down to the broad palms, but social rules dictated that'd be beyond rude. Instead, she just carefully took the piles from him without a word and pushed them into her bag.


“Once again, Miss. I’m r-r-really s-sorry.”


“It’s alright, no need for apologies.” She assured, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. Her body didn’t complain all that much when she got up, so everything seemed to be fine on that regard and there hadn’t been damage to the balcony itself.


Though most of the crowd had dispersed after confirming that it had been a simple accident and no one had gotten hurt, some still lingered and spoke in hushed whispers. Phoebe sent those who remained a pointed look and that was enough for a couple of them to leave or at least be more subtle in their prying.


"We’re both to blame,” she resumed talking, settling her gaze on the harpy. "I was distracted and should’ve known better. No use in dwelling on the past, just focus on the present.”


Why did she say that? Dr. Silas’ constant ramblings were rubbing off on her, it seemed.


“I’m grateful for your help, though it wasn’t needed.” She tried to say that in the nicest way she knew how. People always seemed to take those words in the wrong way, for some silly reason or another.


“No scratches or bruises…” she mused while inspecting herself, touching and pressing the skin of her face and pushing up the sleeves of her shirt to take a look at both arms. “No broken vials…” she went though the contents of her bags, hand lingering on that blank paged book.


“It seems you’re in perfect health as well. Though I should ask anyway, I suppose. Are you hurt in any way?” Despite herself, she let her eyes fall the young man’s waist, as if she could see through his flesh and gaze upon the hands that he hid behind his back. “Are your hands alright? You were shaking.”


@Jayus


 
 
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Romon was, to say the least, quite confused at Adruo's first explanation at what was going on. The elf did genuinely try to make sense of what his clearly tired friend was trying to say, but the Dragonkin was stumbling over her words, and something about a leaf...someone shot a leaf? Well that would certainly make the user accurate but he didn't quite see the point...He looked confusedly at Adruo until she started to explain. As she did so, Romon started to get a grasp on the situation. His confusion evaporated into thinking hard, something was quite wrong.


"So let me get this straight, a crossbow bolt was found in the flank of an elemental walker, correct? If it's been stabilized that's a relief, but still..." Romon's voice trailed off. "I'd be worried too. An elemental walker would be both dangerous and valuable, whoever's trying to take it down must have a reason...but your right, Amos has to come first. He's the elder so he'll know what to do about this. Is Akina guarding the walker?"


Romon quickly lead his friend out of the Elder's hut, ideas swimming around his head and suspects lined up. He stopped suddenly as a thought crossed his mind. "Adruo, I've got a bad feeling...suppose the shooter isn't working alone? And something else is eating at me too...I'm fairly certain you'd need a well made bolt to pierce the flank of an Elemental Walker...even if this James man is the only crossbow user in town...does it have the power necessary? But what worries me is that with the sun starting to set, our opposition may be starting to move..."


Sure enough, the sun was starting to set and the shadows were slowly but steadily growing on the village. The sky itself was cloudy, which meant that the moon would be shrouded, the perfect night to take down such a beast as the Elemental Walker. Romon sighed. "We don't have much time...I'll go speak with Amos, see what I can do to figure out any more suspects in the village, especially if James isn't working alone. You go investigate James' house in the meantime. After that we can meet in the forest, I think I've got a good grasp on where it is from what you've told me. Besides...the trees like to tell stories almost as much as you." Romon smirked and gave Adruo a nod.


"Go and check out James' hut, he should be around, then see what else you can find out from the healer and the children...they'll probably be back at Leafy then. We'll get to the bottom of this okay?"
 
Irritation and worry. These two emotions began battling for dominance in Chilali's mind as soon as she set foot in the room which she had left only twenty minutes prior. The hybrid's unconscious form on the floor was noticed immediately. The ice mage was worried as to Sylvanus' health, but she was getting a little irritated that he clearly didn't listen to her. Did he just not understand what "sit down" or "rest" meant? Perhaps she should have brought a dictionary rather than the tray with a huge mound of food that she now carried.


Chilali placed the food on the table nearby before kneeling next to the spider. Luckily, she wouldn't have to worry about the arachnid libs for now thanks to her armour. Even so, she decided to be cautious as she took on the task of manoeuvring Sylvanus back onto the bed. She ended up hooking her hands under his shoulders and dragging him across the floor - quite possibly leaving scratch marks from his sharp legs. It wasn't her problem, and she was too tired to carry him anyway.


Once she had managed to hoist the larger man to where he was supposed to be, the mage grabbed some food from the platter. The kitchens had obviously heard about her from the Head. They gave her a wide variety of everything. There were plates of all types of vegetables and edible roots, huge bowls overflowing with ripe fruits. Of course, plenty of meats as well. Chilali had the sense to only take as much as she could carry without strain. Even then, there was still a pretty impressive amount of food.


The ice woman sat at the bottom of the bed with thinly cut pieces fruits and meat on freshly baked bread. After some food in her stomach, she was instantly put in a better mood. Now she just sat silently, waiting for the spider to awake.


@minismurf
 
Kito watched in slight awe as the stranger bent down. Her dark brown eyes flicked up to meet his for a moment and without a hint of fear gratefully took the books from him. She waved his concerns off immediately with an elegant hand, which dismissed Fekitoa's judgements just as quickly.


“It’s alright, no need for apologies.”


Hastily Kito stood up, almost tripping over his own feet to do so. He scratched the back of his head and managed to squeeze in a few more apologies under a nervous laugh regardless of her previous statement. He scanned the room and was happy to see most of the crowd had dispersed, but a few stood still. Their mouths hung slightly open while they gawked at the pair as if they were headliners at a show. Kito's brows furrowed slightly trying to make sense of why they were staring. They were both okay why were they still here?





'Hide your hands, Kito. They'll go away eventually.'





Kito's stomach dropped at the reminder. Slowly he moved his hand from his head and hid both of them behind his back. Hunching his shoulders forward the wings fell next to him like robes and effortlessly hid his arms from plain sight. He didn't want to look up. He could almost picture her expression. Eyes wide with a glossy layer coating them; hiding the initial terror with sympathy. Kito always wasn't sure what the correct response was for that. It always seemed to be the wrong one. He willed himself to look up and was surprised to see her openly glaring, but not at him. She was staring right back at the crowd with clear defiance of them and waited until she was sure all of them were gone before she continued talking to him.


He could barely register what she was saying he was too happy. She had stood up for him and she barely even knew him! He fought back the urge to jump up and down on the spot and instead settled for a larger than necessary grin on his face.


'Ugh you're worse than Puppy Hybrids when they hear about treats. Tone it down she just stared at a few people you're acting like she fought them off with her bare hands and books.'


'Okay, I'll try.'





And so he did. Focusing back on the conversation he just managed to catch the last bit of her sentence.





"-I suppose. Are you hurt in any way?”


"M-me? Oh! I'm never better! You'll be surprised I get into a lot worse situations on a good day!" He beamed happily. He had a feeling today was going to be a good day. Who knows he might just be able to make a friend before the sun sets!


She didn't seem very convinced though or rather she wasn't really paying attention. Her gaze was focused intently at his waist and almost on instinct he moved his wings to cover his arms only to realize they were still behind his back. He blinked twice at her next question.


"My hands? Oh would you like to see them?"





He held out his open arms to her a little too proudly for Fekitoa's liking and rotated them to show the full effect. It wasn't every day - or ever - people willingly wanted to see his arms.





"Yeah they're pretty rare. I'm the only one I've met with the syndrome. It's not as bad as people think. It's just sometimes my hands feel numb and I can't use them properly. Well most of the time." He explained sheepishly.


The world blurred again. The familiar obnoxious ringing he heard earlier went off like an alarm and bounced around every corner of his brain. He crouched to the ground and shut his eyes in an effort to block out the lights and sounds he had somehow become sensitive too. He and Fekitoa were thinking a mile a minute waiting for the voice to return. Kito held his hands to his head hoping to keep it in one piece as the calm voice finally spoke once again.





"Can't speak... Phoebe ... Chosen... If you wish to be one of the Chosen... speak to Phoebe."





The voice left as soon as it appeared and Kito was now gasping for air. During all the stress he had somehow forgotten to take in deep breaths.





'Fekitoa, he said Chosen again. Do you know what that is?'


After checking if Kito was alright and was sure the voice was gone for the third time, Fekitoa finally spoke.





'Not a lot. I think I may have gotten a book on something similar once. Something to do with a Demon seal and weapons. I don't know that much though. More importantly who the hell or what is a Phoebe?'


Kito looked up to meet the girl's face. Her dark hair falling effortlessly against her olive skin, watching him with warm, brown eyes as he stood up carefully from the ground.





'I have an idea...'


Kito brushed off the dirt from his clothes and fluttered his wings to shake out the last remaining dust in an effort to buy time, mentally preparing himself for her answer.





"Sorry if I made you worry. It wasn't anything important and it's not a regular thing I promise... Phoebe?"


He waited for a response, if she gave one at all, before he continued. With a deep breath he spoke again.





"My name is Kito Cynwrig. And I'm sorry to ask if you don't know, but what does it mean if you're Chosen?"





@SepiaInk
 
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Sylvanus sniffed in the air as he woke up, there were a lot of flavours in the air, not the blood scent that reeked from the surgery bed or the smell of wood from the ceiling or floor, not the cold smell of stone from the walls either. This was the smell of food, he opened his eyes and sat up, once again he sat up in the bed that Chilali's friend had brought in and when he looked around himself he saw food, both fruits, vegetables and meat of various kinds lying on the table next to the bedframe, when he looked around he also saw Chilali sitting at the end of the bed, "Good morning, or I suppose good day is a better choice of words now now" He said as he looked out through the window and saw the bright blue sky. He then returned to Chilali and saw the clearly stern look she gave him. "I told you to wait in the bed" She said with a scolding voice, Sylvanus gave her a hollow apology as response. "Sorry Chilali, I just wanted to try a thing" He said as he brought his webcovered hand in front of him "However it seems like it took a bit more energy than I expected" He twisted and turned the hand, examining his craftmansship, "I tried to copy what I did on your arm, however like I said so is it very tiring and it seems like it finally took the toll on my body" He pierced a piece of meat with one of his arachnid limbs and placed it in his hands, beggining to chew down on it, the meat was only lukewarm however it was still better than the meat he usually eats off the prey he hunts in the wild.


@KiKi Kitsune
 

The sudden outburst left Phoebe speechless and with no idea of what to do other than stare at the young man clutching his head in pain. There hadn’t been any warning bells in her head and nothing had changed around them, so her first thought was that it was an illness of some sort. Snapping out of her initial state of confusion, she stretched out her arm to help the other up and take him to someone who could offer any sort of aid.


Her hand froze midair. The world pulsed at the exact same moment her heart skipped a beat. A caress, as something slithers up the side of her body and holds on tight; a voice that drips down, sweet and rotten, slithering into her ear.



‘A new chosen… no more stalling … don’t let me down’
 
The hissing sound fades and Phoebe tumbles backwards. She has her hand around her throat, glad to be able to breathe once more, and vaguely hears the other gasping for breath as well. The sweat drips down her back, but the world no longer pulses in the place of her heart, so she straightens up her back and lays her gaze upon the young man just as he starts to stand up. Though her mind is reeling, her whole body is awash in a calmness that borders on numbness, and she almost doesn’t hear it when the harpy begins to speak once more.


"Sorry if I made you worry. It wasn't anything important and it's not a regular thing I promise... Phoebe?"


Whipping away a bead of sweat off her brow, she slowly nods. “Phoebe Silva,” she ads, voice not much louder than a whisper.


"My name is Kito Cynwrig. And I'm sorry to ask if you don't know, but what does it mean if you're Chosen?"


At this point, Phoebe had been expecting it. There was no doubt that it was Gaidoku who had spoken to her, and that Semino had probably spoken to the harpy just now, to Kito Cynwrig. But her eyes still opened a little wider, her heart beat a little faster and something in her tightened painfully when she heard his words.


For a split a second, it was a pair of hard mismatched eyes she saw, instead of gentle ruby red.


A long and trembling sigh escaped her and she suddenly felt tired. “Let’s go,” she told him, turning her back to him and towards the stairs that lead away from the balcony. “I’d rather explain everything as we walk, if you don’t mind. At this point, people are not going to stop staring.” Right on cue, an older hybrid came up to ask if everything was alright but she dismissed him and began walking up the stairs, hoping Kito would follow her without much questioning.


“I need to get some medical supplies. I believe the apothecary is just a few floors up from here. Do you have some business to attend to here as well?” She paused here to glance over her shoulder and listen to his reply.


“Good. We’ll go to there then.” At this point, it was clear she was stalling. There was a lot going on in her mind and she wanted time to sort it out, but time was not something they had a lot of. The Gods had spoken. “Kito Cynwrig, do you…” she paused, clearing her throat of that disgusting waver. “What do you know about those bright columns of light that rose up in the sky a couple of days ago? Or the gathering at Eden?”


@Jayus


 
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"Let's go."


There was a way for how she said it that worried him. The tone in her voice had shifted from the solid coolness to something heavier, like she didn't want to have to say the answer to his question aloud or all at once. An invisible weight holding her back from saying the full answer. He recognised that tone all too well, but he tried not to overthink it too much. Maybe she just had a headache from when he bumped into her... or fell on her.





“I’d rather explain everything as we walk, if you don’t mind. At this point, people are not going to stop staring.”





He hid behind her or at least attempted to, while she easily sent away a curious stranger from asking any questions. The stranger glanced over to him to see if he agreed with her and looked Kito up and down. Sizing him up to see if her words really fit the story. Kito gave him a strained smile hoping it was enough to stop him from staring. Thankfully the stranger was already bored with the situation and carried on with his own shopping. Relieved, Kito looked around for her and watched as she started walking up the stairs. It took Kito a moment to realize she wasn't going to wait for him and started running after her. She was surprisingly fast.


Without warning she stopped her pace halfway up the stairs. Kito narrowly missed colliding with her at his eagerness to keep up and took a few stumbling steps backwards.





“I need to get some medical supplies. I believe the apothecary is just a few floors up from here. Do you have some business to attend to here as well?”





She glanced over her shoulder to look at him. His mouth moved, but no sound escaped. Was she going to walk with him?





"O-oh yes. I was heading to a herb stall. It's right by the apothecary though! I h-hope it's not an inconvenience. I just gotta grab a few things for my mom."





She listened to his response and made it clear she understood, but was taking some time to reply. Clearly deep in thought over something.


“Kito Cynwrig, do you…”


Kito tilted his head to the side.





"Do I?..."





“What do you know about those bright columns of light that rose up in the sky a couple of days ago? Or the gathering at Eden?”





Kito's eyes squinted and he began to tap his foot. A habit he picked up when he tried to think. Personally he knew nothing, but he tried to recall what little Fekitoa had said earlier.





"Not much. I know it has something to do with weapons, but that's all I really know. I wish I could be of more help, but I don't really get out enough to hear all the news. Does it have something to do with being Chosen? Oh and just Kito's fine" He finished with a reassuring smile.


"We're friends now after all aren't we? So Kito's just fine." Walking past her it was his turn to play follow the leader.


'You shouldn't say we're friends yet we're barely acquaintances. She could get the wrong idea you know.' Fekitoa could've gone on, but chose to stop himself. It had been a while since anyone had spent this long in his company and it was clearly exciting and confusing for Kito. Sensing Kito's thoughts Fekitoa mumbled incoherently to himself over Kito's attempts at small talk rather than outright moaning for his sake.


"The stall is this way." He said pointing with his chin up the long spiral of stairs. Usually he would've flown up, but seeing as he now was with someone who couldn't, he thought it would be the politer thing to keep a more reasonable pace.


To his delight the crowd of people hadn't reached this floor yet and he quickly manoeuvred his way through what little people there was to where the stall was hidden. It was in a corner behind quite a few variously shaped and shaded leaves from across the forest and heavily scented with perfumes the old man believed would attract customers. The inside of the stall behind the leaves was naturally darker with a more calm, soothing atmosphere than the hustle of the outside. It wasn't a very large area and consisted of a very long table with crushed herbs lined neatly along the edges, Large plants climbing up the side of the walls with various leaves for picking and some newly added shelves displaying vials of brightly coloured concoctions. Lifting a wing to move the leaves aside Kito used the newly found natural light to look for the old man. Finally he found him, slowly rearranging the various bottles of liquids on a small shelf for show.


"Mister Mekhag!"

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Mister Mekhag turned around and smiled at the boy.


"If it isn't my favourite customer."


Mister Mekhag was an old turtle-hybrid with a warm heart and a sense of humour that could only be perfected with age. He wore loose baggy robes to 'distract from his wrinkles' and was never seen without a familiar mischievous grin.


"Kito? Could you help me to behind the counter? A messenger dropped a few boxes off and I've forgotten where he put them." He spoke with a croaky voice. Kito replied eagerly and walked over to his side and helped guide his hand around his arm to hold.


"Kito, I'm blind I'm not lame in my wrists too." he joked with the young harpy. Mister Mekhag was born blind and because of this made him one of the handful of people to treat Kito like a normal harpy making his stall the first place Kito and Fekitoa shopped at for anything. He relied on his sense of smell to guide him between different herbs and his lack of eyesight left him much better off at reading people simply by the energies they gave off. Once he was safely behind the counter he started with Kito's regular order.


"How is your mother? She able to walk again yet? And what's news with you?" He asked as he slowly picked up a sash, gave it a sniff and placed it in a bag.


"She's doing much better, you were right about a stronger dosage of rosemary! Oh and how is Aspen and Kodiak? Are they still doing well?" Kito spoke animatedly with him. Moving his hands up and down happily. Mister Mekhag nodded his head with a small grin.


"They're both fine you know those two little rascals. If they had any more energy they would bounce out the forest." Mister Mekhag was about to repeat his question when he seemed to notice another presence amongst them. He looked up from his work.


"That girl. Is she a friend of yours?" Kito shrunk into himself and sheepishly turned around to where Phoebe was located. He was so unused to being accompanied he had completely forgotten she was there at all. He hoped if she had been speaking she didn't think he was ignoring her. Mister Mekhag lowered his voice to a whisper.


"If you need to talk to her I can wait right here. I think she has something on her mind she wants to discuss with you and I think you want to ask her some things too. I'm still busy anyway. Oh and if you need anything just tell me, Dearie." He said addressing Phoebe with a louder voice.


"I'm always happy to help out a customer. I have everything from perfume to medicine to even a few batches of poison for killing some unwanted plants or pests."


Kito thanked Mister Mekhag and turned around to walk to her.


"Sorry if I was ignoring you and if you wanna quickly look around the shop I'll understand and wait a bit. Oh and if there was anything else you wanted to ask or talk to me about go right ahead. I'm all ears now I promise, Phoebe."


@SepiaInk





 
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With each word traded between the two men, it became clear the young harpy had either forgotten all about her or was intent on ignoring her presence, the former being the most probable conclusion. This type of behaviour might have upset some people, but not Phoebe. After all, the title of Ghost was not given to her on a whim. Left to her own devices, the former librarian simply turned her attention to the plethora of smells and odd colours of concoctions lined up on the shelves.


It was on these occasions, surrounded by various scents, that she realised how sensitive her nose truly was, and how often she ignored this useful part of her anatomy when in human form. One whiff of a herb and she would find herself dragged back to each and every place and moment she’d experienced the same smell. That said, not every smell was pleasant. There were some perfumes that felt downright intoxicating to the more animalistic side of her brain, caressing her senses, but others left her scrunching up her nose and some almost made her gag. There was one in particular, a powdered flower of some kind, that would no doubt smell wonderfully to most creatures, but was outright disgusting to her and would kill her deer form in five seconds flat.


It was while reading the label of the last one, trying to find out what exactly it was that she’d best be avoiding, that she caught a few interesting words from the other two. Smell wasn’t the only sharp sense in her repertoire.


So, the harpy (it’s Kito, people like to be called by their names, remember?) was obviously very familiar with the owner of the stall, no doubt a regular costumer. The whole talk about his mother… was she sick very often? That would explain frequent trips to the herb stall.


Did all the Gods have such rotten aim for their chosen? Or did they just not care?


Before she realised it, Phoebe had her teeth sunk into the tip of her thumb, gnawing at it as she mulled over this whole mess. A job was a job, but she’d rather not have to do someone ele’s dirty work when she could avoid it. Why was it her responsibility to tell someone else that they would have to leave their family? If someone should feel that pain, it should be by their own choice, not on someone eles’s whims.


Though she kept examining the vials, Phoebe began shooting a glance every now and then to the two men. That’s when her eyes met Mr. Mekhag’s. Now, she was perfectly aware the old man was blind and wasn’t actually looking at her, so Phoebe wasn’t quite sure why she still felt the need to avert her gaze, hiding her face behind a curtain of dark locks.


"Oh and if you need anything just tell me, dearie.”


Letting go of her thumb, Phoebe turned around to stare at the old man but didn’t reply. Her only response was to frown at the condescending term, though she let it slide on account that the hybrid seemed kind enough to not have meant it as such and knew next to nothing about her (former) profession.


"I’m always happy to help out a customer. I have everything from perfume to medicine to even a few batches of poison for killing some unwanted plants or pests."


That almost had her choking on her own spit. Why would the man bring up poison? Did she look like someone who needed something like that? Did he mean something by it? Or was she merely engaging in paranoid behaviour? … Again. She couldn’t help it though. There was just something unnerving about the the old hybrid with the odd Fraiku name and his knowing smile.


"Sorry if I was ignoring you and if you wanna quickly look around the shop I'll understand and wait a bit. Oh and if there was anything else you wanted to ask or talk to me about go right ahead. I'm all ears now I promise, Phoebe."


The former librarian almost jumped when Kito spoke her name. Tearing her thoughts away from the poisonous vials in the shelves, she gathered her thoughts and stared long and hard into Kito’s eyes.


With one last quick glance at the old man, she sighed and edged closer to the harpy, face just inches from his. “Listen… Kito. I wish I could explain everything to you, down to the last detail, but we don’t have much time. Ideally, we would already be journeying to the Great Forest, but alas, we are still here and you deserve an explanation,” she paused to take in a deep breath, make sure no was listening and tuck her hair behind her ear so the young man would hear her more clearly.


“Something dark and dangerous has awoken and the chosen are needed to protect this world. The Gods appeared in Eden and chose emissaries to wield their weapons, the very same weapons that will help us vanquish this threat. I was chosen and now you’ve been chosen as well. Do you understand that? Semino, the God of Nature, has chosen you to wield his weapon and fight for him. But first we have to go on a journey and retrieved it from somewhere in the Great Forest.”


Just a hair’s breadth of brushing against his feathers, Phoebe knew she was standing a bit too close to be considered appropriate. But she didn’t want to miss any expression that would flash across those eyes or mar those pale features; she needed to know if this young man was up to the task. “I know this is too much to take in.” That was a lie. She knew only her job. She’d already lost what she had to lose. There were only facts and a sense of duty left. “But I need you to think this through and make a decision.” The swirling ink in her eyes hardened. “Your decision, not the Gods’.”


@Jayus
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Adruo hurried out the hut after Romon, her tail knocking over one of the many piles strewn about the room. She didn't even notice in her rush and worry. Her mind was far too occupied with trying to cope with the current situation to spend any energy on her tail's location. "A bad feeling?" Romon's words did little to ease he concerns. Her eyes widened as the elf explained himself. She hadn't spent that much time considering who might be the culprit. To think that there might be two or more... An organised group. That made it all far more dangerous.


The dragonkin looked to the sinking sun, slowly hiding itself behind the horizon. Darkness was encroaching on the world from the other side. Adruo wished it wasn't, but she was pretty sure that all of Romon's words were true. That would also mean that the children and Akina may be in trouble. Adruo was almost certain that Sammy would try protect Leafy even if he was heavily outnumbered and outmatched. Even with her growing unease, Romon seemed to have a plan. It would be for the best if she stuck to it... hopefully.


She gave a single, sharp nod. "I will go find and question James." She paused and bit her talon for a moment. "You might finish before me. If you do, please go check on the children. I'm quite worried about their safety if it is a group of attackers that are the cause of this." She gave another nod as farewell before opening her wings once again. The action caused her to wince. She ground her teeth to stop from crying out in pain. With care, the dragonkin folded her wings against her back again. 'Looks like I'll be walking then.'


Adruo took off at a jog towards where she vaguely recalled someone saying where James' home was located. She didn't take the time to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings. It was time to focus on the task at hand and nothing else. She reached the hut, panting for breath. It had been a long day, and it seemed that it would only get longer.


Clawed hands rapped on the door to the hut. "Mister Crowley? Mister Crowley, I need to speak with you urgently." She knocked again. "Please, it's extremely important!" She almost pleaded. She wanted to get a look at James' crossbow and get going. Hopefully it wouldn't be powerful enough to penetrate through the flank of an elemental walker, then she would be able to move on. Her worry for the children was at the forefront of her mind.


@TerraBooma
 
As Adruo knocked on the door to the house, the door slowly crept open with a squeak. James Crowley's house was completely empty. The house itself was kept clean and orderly. Everything seemed to have a proper place and with that place a purpose, very little art decorated Crowley's walls, and what did was minimalistic, almost childlike in origin. These few pieces of art were out of place compared to the orderly furniture, but seemed pleasant enough to look at if you liked that sort of stuff. It was a small hut, only one room to it's name, which took up the whole floor. A bed in one corner, desk beside it. On that desk was a small brown leather book, old and worn. A small pencil sat next to it, charcoal piece beside that. Like everything else in the room it seemed to be placed purposefully, and the charcoal and pencil flanked it with precision.


A coat hanger stood next to the door, but it was empty, and there was no crossbow in sight. Wherever Crowley went, he took his Jacket...and his crossbow.


As Adruo began to read the book, she's quickly discover it a journal, decades old. Charcoal drawings occasionally etched in on pages opposite of entries. It was your typical journal of a hunter, if odd that Crowley knew how to read, write, and draw. Older pages depicted good hunting spots, new births in town, and the comings and goings of traders, as well as some of the town's festivals and other celebratory occasions like the birth of Sammy or when a terrible sickness hit town. The more recent pages changed somewhat, seeming to focus on one spot in the forest, sketches vague and unrecognizable. The most recent page was the most interesting of them all.


"I have finally wounded it, just one bolt, but it should be enough to slow it down. This monster...it is too much of a threat to live, but it managed to escape me. I'll have to track it down tonight. I dare not approach Amos, the man means well but this...this monster needs to die, and I fear he will try to speak to it. I will hunt it down and kill it before it can threaten the town. It took Lana from me...I won't let it hurt anyone else ever again."


The handwriting was the same as the rest of the journal.
 
I don't want to. Listening to Phoebe the feeling became more and more clear, swelling up into a cry at the back of his throat.


I don't want to.





Kito couldn't understand why this was happening. What had he done to be Chosen? And it had been days why was he only Chosen now? Was Semino really that unsure of him? Was he not his first choice for this mission? The feathers climbing up his hands stood on end and his vision clouded as a burning mist engulfed his eyes.


'You're not going to cry, Kito. Not here, not not and definitely not in front of her.'


Kito blinked a few times and steadied his trembling hands behind his back, but was unable to do much about his mouth except biting it shut.





'You're thinking like we're going to die.'


Kito shut his eyes not wanting to look at the room anymore. If he did he wasn't sure how he would stop his trembling in his hands from rising to his shoulders.





'You're thinking like we're actually going to say yes. Aren't you scared?'


As always Fekitoa was quick in his response.





'It's one thing to reject society, it's a whole other thing to turn down a God. Even I know that, Kito. And I'm not scared I'm just curious... out all the things the Gods have thrown at us this just takes the cake.' Fekitoa laughed at this point yet it was devoid of humour. It was dry and sarcastic and full of irritation.


'I'm not going to let you die, Kito. You trust me on that don't you?'


Kito didn't respond right away. He didn't want to say what he thought, but he didn't have to. Fekitoa already knew what he was going to think.





'It could have been you as well, Kito. Don't you dare put all the blame on me.'


'I'm not! I'm not!'





"Fe-"


He stopped himself. She was still staring at him, he could feel it. Her could feel her hardened gaze searching for an answer he didn't have, or rather he didn't want to give. He didn't know if they were friends. He didn't even know if she wanted his help.





'Why would a God pick us? We're not worthy. We've done nothing to deserve this.'


'No, Kito. I think we've done everything to deserve this and besides. We don't have much left to lose.'





He looked up at Mister Mekhag who was still busy with his mom's medicine. Whether he was listening or not it was always unclear with that old man. His thoughts drifted to his mom. She didn't even like it when he flew down here, she would never be able to handle an entire mission.





'Mom will be fine. Aunt Calandra will help her we just gotta give the message to Mister Mekhag when she comes to pick up her flower seeds. Until then we'll quickly go visit mom and explain the situation. Okay? I need to hear an 'okay'.'


Kito nodded, but he couldn't find the words to really think or say aloud. His mind was swimming with the images of Demons reaching through the darkness. He fought to remain optimistic. That it was going to be fine. There was no way he was going to disappoint anyone, but he struggled to find the courage to mean it when he said it.





'Kito swap places with me now. I'll tell her.' A jolt of cold lightning ran down his spine. It wasn't that he didn't trust Fekitoa to say it, it was more he couldn't trust Fekitoa to say it nicely.


'I won't do anything else. We can swap right back after I say it if she means that much to you.'





With a deep breath Kito prepared himself. It was always an uncomfortable feeling even if it took a moment. The feeling rivalled being pulled by a current and bursting through the surface in a mad rush for oxygen. A single heart for a split second beating for two. His head throbbed when the exchange was done, and his vision cleared as hardened eyes took control. The hunched over Harpy grew into his full height. He narrowed his eyes and looked down into her softer ones. She really was very close. This whole time he was a back seat driver and he couldn't nearly see her with as much clarity as he could right now. The hint of freckles dusting her face, the near invisible lines grazing the corners of her eyes. From laughing or frowning it was hard to tell. She definitely was more interesting up close. Fekitoa spoke.





"Phoebe." He rolled her name on his tongue. It was the first time he had gotten the chance to say it. He couldn't tell if he liked it or not, but he knew he had to get used to it.


'Wait... I want to say it.'


Fekitoa clicked his tongue.





'What now?'


'If I don't say it to her now I'll never be able to at all. Please, Fektioa.'





Annoyed, Fekitoa complied. He took one last look at her. Really studying her features unsure of when he would see her again and closed his eyes. When they opened again Fekitoa was no longer there.





"I-I'll do it." Kito replayed the words over and over. That's right he was going to do it. He could do it! He wasn't going to disappoint anybody anymore. If Semino saw something in him then he was going to find it too!


"I'm just going to quickly buy more medicine for my mom. But is it okay if after the apothecary if you're not busy we go over to her? I wanna see her before I go." He waited for an answer and turned around to explain the situation to Mister Mekhag. The old hybrid wished him luck and promised to give the herbs to Calandra free of charge when she arrived. Thanking him, Kito took the amount for his mother today and walked outside waiting for Phoebe to follow or shop around.


Just as she was about to leave Mister Mekhag called out for her.





"Dearie, don't worry." The old man said with a knowing smile. "Fekitoa won't die that easily."





@SepiaInk
 
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"You wanted to try a thing? That's awfully descriptive." Sarcasm dripped off her words. Chilali was getting rather irritated with the spider and him continuously passing out. Usually from not listening to her. Despite her irritation, she showed little interest in his actual explanation. She was in a foul mood despite the good food. Another bite was taken out of the bread in her hand. She kept from looking at the hybrid, thinking that she would probably yell at him if she did.


Actually, she wanted to yell at him anyway. "Sylvanus, why do you not listen to anything I ask of you? Do I seem incompetent to you?" That was what it felt like. As if Sylvanus knew better than her and did not believe any of her suggestions were valid or useful. It was quite insulting, and it seemed to cause Sylvanus to injure himself most of the time. Or maybe he was just a masochist. The thought made the ice mage pause. She looked at the hybrid with narrowed, calculating eyes before shaking her head. She didn't think that he was. Then again, it was often difficult to judge these things.


With that trait considered and put aside for later questioning, Chilali felt her irritation at the current situation. They had spent an entire week at the school so far. Thanks to Sylvanus' most recent debacles, the time would only get longer. They had been unable to make any more progress towards the weapons and the day of the Demon Lord's return only got closer.


Bright blue eyes rivalled saucers in size. She had decided to trust Sylvanus because she trusted the gods. So far, he had done nothing to harm her. He had helped her on a few occasions. So, it would seem that he would not purposely injure her. Directly, at least. But what if Sylvanus planned to do this all along? To stop their progress? To let the Demon Lord take over once again? The thought alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine and put her on full alert.


Chilali leapt off the bed and was on the other side of the room in the blink of an eye. Her spear was in her hand after another blink. She glared at Sylvanus, sharp tip of her weapon aimed at him. "Why do you hold us back? What is your plan?" She shifted her weight. Her stance changing into one that was ready to strike at a moment's notice. "So far, you have been my ally, and a good one. However, if you act against the people of Pangeros, that will change." Her eyes were icy as magic ran through her body.


She scrunched her eyes shut for a moment. Pointing her weapon at an ally with intent to harm? What was becoming of her? "Please just tell me I am over thinking the situation and you are half deaf or an idiot." Her voice showed a hint of sadness. She slowly shook her head from side to side. "No..." Chilali looked Sylvanus right in the eye. "Tell me the truth."


@minismurf
 
At first Sylvanus was surprised when Chilali started yelling at him for almost no reason, however he quickly understood what she meant and looked down onto his sheets as he listened to Chilali's scolding words. When she picked up her spear and pointed it towards him, accusing him of intentionally trying to stop them and working for the Demon Lord he knew that in some ways she was right, he'd slowed them down a great margin. Sylvanus felt that he should respond to her before things went too far, he stood up from his bed and started walking towards Chilali. His arms hanged down by his sides and his spider limbs hanged as well, almost scraping in the floor, he didn't look at Chilali either, just stared down into the floor as he approached her. He was wondering if there was a part of her that actually trusted him, that believed in him. If Chilali hadn't already attacked him before he reached her he would stand right in front of her, still looking down, hiding his gaze, and place his hand on hers as it held onto her spear, he could feel it shaking in his. He then guided her hand, along with the spear, letting it hang by her hip whilst trying to make her calm down. "You're both right and wrong Chilali, I am an idiot, an idiot and a monster, that's how everyone has seem me so far so I guess that I've accepted that view of me" He then looked up at Chilali, his eyes filled with determination. "However that's exactly why I need you, I need you to guide me Chilali, guide me into this world of humanity and other beings, until I met you I was nothing but a beast acting only by his instincts, however since I was Chosen by Pyros I've tried to desparately adapt to be with people, humans and others. Terra, the snake hybrid I was travelling with earlier despised me because of my heritage which made it a difficult task to co-operate with her, however I still tried, but it just led to her dying, and now that you're my companion, someone who doesn't openly show your fear or any disgust you might feel for me I want to try even harder to fit in with this society, because now I know that there are some people who might accept someone like me, even though I am the way I am" When he was done Sylvanus looked back down to the wooden floor, he had no clue how Chilali would respond to this confession or how this would affect their mission, however he still didn't regret what he'd said to her.


@KiKi Kitsune
 
Adruo peered around the door as it cracked open. "Mister Crowley?" She timidly set a single foot across the threshold. Glancing around, she noticed that the man she had been sent to find was nowhere in sight. Where he had gone was still unknown and cause for concern. Well, it was in Adruo's eyes, anyway. It did little to stop the growing feeling of dread she had concerning the situation. Her gut felt uneasy as she took another step inside the hut.


Looking at how clean and orderly everything was in Mr. Crowley's house made Adruo recall someone saying how James and Amos were close friends. Their homes were as different as physically possible, which made them being friends quite strange. The dragonkin girl noticed the artworks that adorned some of the wallspace, breaking up the monotony of the room. She didn't allow herself to spend time studying them. They wouldn't tell her where Crowley had gone and if he was behind the attack.


However, one item in particular did manage to catch her attention. A leather bound book place on a desk. Both the desk and the book conformed to the pristine conditions of the rest of the room. Adruo stepped closer, practically tip-toeing as she went. Being in someone else's home uninvited wasn't exactly something she was comfortable doing. She felt like a thief. The only reason she had been able to set a single claw inside was because she had a mission to accomplish.


There were writing utensils placed nest to the book. That meant it was a personal journal, not an officially written piece. To Adruo, that was both good and bad. It was good because it meant that she was more likely to find some sort of clue that would lead to the old man's whereabouts. However, it was personal. It felt wrong to even think about looking inside it.


The dragonkin took a deep breath to steel her nerves. She had a job to do. An elemental walker's life was quite possibly on the line. She couldn't afford to dawdle on such trivial matters. Even so, she touched the book with care, somewhat worried that her sharp talons would damage it.


As she flicked through the pages, it reminded her of the journal that her father used to keep. He was one of the village hunters when he was still alive. The memory made her smile. Perhaps her hastily placed suspicion of Mr. Crowley was misplaced. Reading the notebook hit Adruo with waves of nostalgia and homesickness.


She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Time was of the essence and she had little to start with. She continued to look through the pages, skimming over the entries for key words. Something about a sickness caught her interest, but it was dated for several years ago, so she moved along.


The more she read, the less she suspected James Crowley. Only when she reached the most recent entry did her suspicion not only flare up once again, but sky-rocket.


She reread the page multiple times, not quite able to believe what it said. If what the words said were true, it was proof that Crowley was the culprit. "Crowley shot the elemental walker." As she stated it out loud, it seemed more believable. More absolute. "He's going back to it... Oh no." There was a soft thump as the book fell onto the floor, but Adruo was already out the door.


She raced back to where Leafy was hidden, forcing her wings to push her forward despite the extreme pain that shot through them. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she considered possible scenarios she might encounter. None of them were good.


Her wings had trouble keeping her far up. That meant that she was able to easily spot a familiar cape fairly close by. She had seen James Crowley in that same cape before. The dragonkin splayed her wings outwards to try brake, but in their current state, they did close to nothing in slowing her down. Unfortunately, this caused her to crash into the man she had been searching for. Adruo tumbled over herself a few times. The ground near her shook slightly and a huge cloud of dust got churned up. The woman coughed and sneezed a few times to try get the dirt out of her respiratory systems.


@TerraBooma
 
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Chilali watched cautiously as Sylvanus approached, yet stayed still. When he got within striking range, her hands gripped the shaft of her spear tighter. Her knuckles were pale underneath her gloves. Her entire body went rigid when the hybrid placed a hand on hers. It was strange to feel the warmth of another hand. She was so used to the textureless nothingness that her spear and sword provided. They provided nothing more than weight in her palm which she could use to attack and defend.


Her confusion as to Sylvanus' actions dropped her guard enough that she didn't resit as he manoeuvred the spear tip to point away from any of his vital organs. The mage's arms went slack as her mind struggled to make sense of the situation. She could not manage to string together enough words to form a coherent sentence. All she could do was listen to what the hybrid had to say. Chilali flinched back slightly as Sylvanus' eyes suddenly met hers.


It was difficult for the ice woman to take in everything that the spider said. Her brain was working on minimal sleep. Not to mention that she was still recovering from severe blood loss. Instead, her mind focused on a few words it decided was important. Need, guide, humanity, beast, instinct.


Fear. Disgust.


Chilali was stunned into silence. A full minute passed as she let the words sink in. Once everything made sense, she instantly regretted her hasy actions. She released her hold on the spear, letting it drop to the ground with a loud bang. She slowly pulled her face mask down. It muffled her speech slightly and she wanted to make sure her words were clear.


"You are not a monster." The ice mage stated defiantly. "Perhaps you were before, but you have never been a monster in my eyes. You have never done anything that would classify you as a monster for all the time I have known you." Her voice had dropped several decibels, now far quieter than usual. She had lost her previous confidence.


"You deserve nothing but honesty. Every word I speak is the truth... I did fear you. I feared the strength you had proved to have. I feared that I might be forced to confront that strength. I never feared you for what you were born as. Yet you have never raised a hand against me." Chilali dropped into a low bow. "I was wrong. I humbly ask for you to accept my apology. I don't expect you to forgive me..." She kept her head down, but balled her hands into fists.


"You ask me to guide you, but I would only drag you along the same path. The wrong path. I am still searching for the way to go." She rose slowly. Bright blue clashed with forest green.


"Do not follow me, Sylvanus. I am lost."





@minismurf
 
Sylvanus let go of Chilali's hand as she dropped her spear and as he heard her first sentence he looked back up to argue her wrong, however now she was looking down as well so he decided to let her keep her turn in the argument they'd started. He felt a little relieved as she proved his suspicions of her not seeing him as the monster he was and his relief grew as she admitted her fear towards him as well, he was happy knowing that his companion didn't fear him enough to show it openly, and she said that she feared his power, not his heritage, however those words were sifted away by his own insecurities. "You ask me to guide you, but I would only drag you along the same path. The wrong path. I am still searching for the way to go." Sylvanus took those words to mind and went over them as Chilali finished with "Do not follow me, Sylvanus. I am lost." Sylvanus lifted his hand from his side, hesitantely and unsurely hovering it next to her face before he slowly placed it on her cheek. "I don't care what path you lead me down Chilali, I've already travelled down all the wrong paths, and even if you're lost in the dark woods I still want you to lead me, whether your road brings me further into the depths of the forest or if you save me from the darkness I have inside of me I don't care, and I won't blame you" His eyes softened a little from the stern look he'd kept until now. "Just please, lead me somewhere"





@KiKi Kitsune
 
Chilali dropped her gaze once again after she had said her part. It was not exactly something that was easy to admit out loud. It took a lot of her confidence and energy. Now all she could do was wait to see what the response would be. She didn't notice Sylvanus moving until she felt something on her face. It was faint. She felt the rise in temperature rather than the actual pressure of the hand. However, she had no idea what it was. The mage raised her own hand to feel the shape of what was resting on her cheek.


She looked forward and saw Sylvanus' arm reaching towards her. It only took a few moments for her mind to understand the situation. It was also able to make sense of what the hybrid was saying. Well, the words and their meanings made sense. The fact that he said them didn't. A snort escaped Chilali. She quickly used her hand to cover her mouth. Even so, she was unable to stop the laughter that soon burst forth.


Soon enough, she was letting out loud guffaws, clutching her sides. "We are quite the odd combination, aren't we?" She managed between laughs. She took a few deep breaths to calm down, but a smile was still visible on her face. "How about we make a deal instead?" She offered. "I told you that I can't lead you. I never said I won't walk beside you. Instead of having me lead you to Aura-knows-where, we can discover the path together." Her smile changed into one of determination. "We are comrades, are we not?" Her happy façade fell like her spear. "Comrades... Friends. Friends protect each other. Friends work together and help each other. I can at least try to do that much for you." There was a familiar stinging at the back of her eyes. She looked at the floor when she spoke again, her voice barely a whisper. "I... I can try."


@minismurf
 
Sylvanus was once again caught off guard by Chilali's sudden outburst, however this time she at least didn't seem to be filled with insecurities and doubts about his strustworthyness, but instead she was now laughing, supposedly at his actions and his recent speech. He assumed that it had sounded pretty ridicilous coming from him as he moved his hand to the back of his head and scratched it whilst Chilali bent over from her laughter. "Heheh, I suppose we are an odd combination" He said as he thought over the recent events, however his thoughts stopped quickly as Chilali proposed the deal she'd come up with. He listened carefully to her words, he understood them and agreed with them, however he felt like there was something else that also lied deep behind her voice, it almost felt like it was... disapointment, like she wasn't happy with her own words, however Sylvanus decided to not wonder about it since it would most likely just keep them stuck here even longer.


When Chilali was done giving him her proposal he nodded. "Exactly, we're comrades, nothing less, nothing more" He paused for a moment and then looked back at Chilali "We're both on an important mission that we've got to finish, so that's exactly what we shall do, we finish the mission and then return to the paths we've made" His voice and face was serious and once he was done he started walking back to his bed, however quickly stopped and asked Chilali "You don't know where my clothes are?" Sylvanus hadn't noticed until now that he'd just been walking around in the rags of pants he had and the bandages he had over the wounds on his top half as his only clothing, he assumed that either the nurses, if they'd dared to touch him, or Chilali had taken them in order to be able to treat him.


@KiKi Kitsune
 
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Romon & Adruo

James Crowley was on the hunt. He was determined to kill what had taken his life so many years ago, as well as the one thing that threatened the village more than anyone even realized. He hadn't told Amos...his old friend would most likely try and help the beast, but Crowley had been a hunter for years...he knew a threat when he saw one.


As he'd gone into the forest, James had expected something to happen. The final confrontation, but also confrontations with predators like bears or packs of wolves.


What he wasn't expecting was a flying girl to crash into him. As he rolled his old soldiers instinct kicked in and he rolled onto his feet, crossbow at the ready. A few feet away, he barely was able to stop himself from pulling the trigger as he realized who it was, with a confused glance he looked up at this new arrival.


"Storyteller? It's Adruo correct? What are you doing out here? The woods are dangerous at night."


Adruo saw the man and the crossbow pointed at her. Clawed hands flexed and gripped the hilt of her sword. "I was looking for you. What are you doing out here, Mister Crowley?" She narrowed her eyes at the man and kept a defensive stance


"Just James is fine, and for your information." Crowley lowered his crossbow to the ground, eyes scanning the dark forest. "I'm hunting a very dangerous creature. You really should go back to the village, didn't you promise some stories for the young ones?"


"The young ones have asked me to protect the creature! I don't intend to let you destroy an essential part of our world. No matter what your reasons may be"


"Protect the...what are you talking abo-" Halfway through Crowley's sentence, his eyes flashed, though with what Adruo couldn't quite tell in the dim moonlight of the forest. His crossbow came up, and with a smooth trained motion, fired. The bolt flew swiftly towards Adruo's head...


And straight past her ear, the soft whistling as it flew past contrasted by the heat of it. A yelp could be heard followed by a thud behind her, then growling.


"Girl! Get over here! You've drawn her right to us!"


Her eyes widened as she felt the wind of a crossbow bolt by her face. She spun around, weapon drawn, as soon as she heard the yelp. Glowing eyes were visible in the underbrush. The dragonkin took slow, steady steps backwards. She did not look away from the new threat. "James, explain what is going on."


"It's a wolf girl, anyone can see that." James took a few steps forward to stand in front of the dragonkin. "The problem lies in that it's not just a wolf any more...it's been tainted, only the gods know with what." James' voice was calm, but there was a slight tremble in it. "It was big enough before...it's been a tyrant in these woods, even took my..." James shook his head. "Not important. What is important is that we kill the beast, here and now. Do you have a weapon?"


"So this is what you were after..." Adruo said with some relief. "You need to be more specific in your writings." She muttered under her breath. She gave Crowley a deadpan look when he asked if she was armed. She raised her hand slightly, showing the large blade it held. "Yes. I have a weapon."


She paused as the man's words played over in her head. "What do you mean tainted?"


"Well it's-" James was interrupted by a low growling coming from the bushes in front of him. "Take a look for yourself."


Stalking out of the bushes came the largest wolf that Adruo had ever seen, one straight out of legend, a dark black coat and sleek body that made it hard to stand out in the moonlight, if not for the piercing yellow eyes.


After a glace, it wasn't just the eyes that threw it off, though they were concerning themselves. Aside from the made yellow eyes were swirls and patterns all around the beast, red tinges patterns swirling around the edges. Smoke rose from the beast, which was still growling and stepping closer. It was...almost demonic. It's right eye was sealed shut, as if a wound had taken it out of commission, a fresh wound was sticking out it's flank. Painful but not enough to kill.


James nodded to Adruo. "Well you've got a weapon, let's see how well you use it!" And on that, the shadowy demon wolf lunged forward, jaws gaping wide. James drew a short blade and met it, blade against jaws.


Adruo rolled to the right as the wolf attacked. She was on her feet and taking everything into consideration. The wolf's right eye was missing. It would be a blind spot. The bolt in its flank would slow it down and be a weak spot.


The problem was, "It's been consumed by demon magic!" Adruo quickly realised. "Whatever you do, don't let its attacks break your skin!" Luckily, she has studied a lot about demons as well.


She raised a foot and stomped the ground, sending a crack through the earth and towards the wolf. The ground around its hind leg began crumbling but held the wolf's weight. Adruo cursed to herself. She didn't have time to try again. Instead, she raised her sword and aimed a strike at the beast's still working eye.


James had had to shift from an aggressive style of combat to a more defensive one in order to avoid being bitten once Adruo had discovered the Wolf's true nature. As such the wolf quickly began head butting the elderly man and knocking him backwards, as well as the wind out of him, momentarily stunning Crowley.


The beat seemed to be once bitten twice shy regarding attacks to it's remaining eye, and while it couldn't see the attack coming until almost too late, it ducked back, letting Adruo's blade slash at it's snout instead. Letting out an angry snarl before standing on it's hind legs, making it massive, and attempted to smash down on Adruo.


Adruo's training paid off in her quick decision making. She did not have enough time to move out the way, but she managed to take up a defensive position. She curled into herself, using her wings as a shield for her back.


Fortunately, James was able to act before the wolf could, he had darted backwards, grabbing his fallen crossbow and started pumping bolt after bolt into the large target. While they weren't enough to kill it, the force was knocking it backwards enough to keep it from attacking.


"Adruo! Now! Finish it!"


Adruo, now under the belly of the beast, heard James' shout. In one movement, her foot talons were embedded in the side of the giant wolf. Using her new position, she got the leverage she needed to stab her sword toward the beast's heart.


The wolf shuddered for a moment, leaping away at the force, knocking down Adruo in the process with its forepaws as it staggered backwards. It growled, but these growls stuttered with blood and coughs coming from its mouth. Seemingly still it was willing to fight, and it lept forward with supernatural speed and anger, biting down on Adruo's left arm with a sickening crunch. After finishing its attack it made to bite at her head and finish her off.


But James had finally got in position for the kill shot, a crossbow bolt perfectly placed as it slammed into the Wolf's last yellow eye, soft but deadly as it flew into it's brain. The wolf whined for a few seconds before slumping to the ground beside Adruo. He immediately ran forth, revealing a long bandage, and held it up for Adruo to see. "I'm going to treat the wound, hold still."


Adruo fell to the ground with a grunt. She scrambled to get back on her feet, but the wind had been knocked out of her. Her sluggish movements made dodging the attack impossible.


A loud scream of pain ripped through the air.


The dragonkin staggered backwards, clutching her injured arm. Here scales had done little to stop the powerful jaws of the demonised beast. As soon as she noticed that her enemy was no more, her mind began shutting down as she went into shock. Her trembling legs gave way, dropping her unceremoniously onto the floor. She barely registered James trying to help her. She looked at her arm. "... So much blood."


James cursed, he wasn't a doctor he was a soldier. Yet as he knelt beside his ally he was calm, mind flashing back to older days he took a few breaths and grabbed some nearby herbs, remembering they were good for dealing with infection...and hopefully whatever else was in the demonized wolf. He talked to her as he did so, making sure she wouldn't pass out. "Stay with me storyteller, your tale isn't done yet. Talk to me."


As he spoke James began bandaging her arm, he couldn't make it heal....but maybe he could keep her alive


Adruo's body was quivering from the aftershock of such an attack. She kept looking between her rather ghastly looking wound and Crowley.


She rested her eyes on the old man when he spoke to her. "Romon has been really nice to me." She murmured, her words slightly slurred. "He let me join him without any hassle. He never said anything mean to me, even after I kept falling down." Her words became progressively more difficult to understand. Her head began lolling to the side, the blood loss starting to take its toll on her.


James cursed again, he was losing her...there was no way he'd be able to treat this wound, it was beyond his training. Yet there was always...James briefly pondered if he was simply going to prolong her suffering, but shook his head. He'd give it a shot, for the girl that helped him kill the wolf that murdered his wife...it was worth the risk.


Taking a dark black looking plant from his pouch, he crushed the leaves over Adruo's mouth, juices pouring out and dripping down, as they made contact Adruo felt her lips burn slightly. "This isn't going to be pleasant storyteller...but please, take it."


And with that, James let the leaves' juice run down into Adruo's throat.


Her lips burned. Her mouth burned. Her throat down to her gut felt as if it was being torn to shreds.


Her heart began to pound faster as adrenaline rushed through her entire body. The prior sleepiness she felt evaporated along with all her pain. Her mind became crystal clear as she rose to her feet.


"Be careful there, you’re not healed...far from it. It's an old type of plant my wife took interest in, it'll get you up and moving for about six hours however at the end...well, I'm afraid we'll have to hope Akina is at her best, try not to damage anything further if you can help it." Crowley looked over at the dead wolf and shook his head, as if shaking away poor memories. "It's best we head back to town before that wears off, but if I may ask storyteller, why were you in the forest in the first place?"


An ancient plant? Adruo's interest was sparked, but she had no time to ask about it. Crowley mentioning Akina was like a cold slap to the face. "Akina and the children are in trouble!" The dragonkin hastily gathered here sword. "They found a wounded elemental walker. We think the attackers are going to finish the job tonight." She explained while hurrying towards where Leafy was.


James followed along, crossbow slung over his back as he followed along. "An elemental walker? Near Pagus?" Crowley cursed. "I should have believed the boy when I had the chance. Lead on!"


As Adruo lead them through the forest, they neared where Leafy was resting, instead of a forest however, Adruo found a familiar sight.


The misty white smoke of one of Romon's bombs, and the sound of fighting.


When Adruo saw tendrils of white smoke wafting towards her, she was instantly put on edge. White smoke wasn't a normal occurrence. The only time she had seen it was when Romon had used his smoke bombs.


The dragonkin broke into a run. The smoke got thicker as she got closer to where Leafy was hidden. The familiar clang of weapons caused her to draw her own. "Crowley, be on guard." She called out behind her before rushing into the area


James grumbled slightly, as he had been on guard for quite some time, but cautiously followed Adruo into the smoke. The clash of steel and snapping roots could be heard from within, as well as screams of young children, although what was causing them was impossible to tell.


The smoke, although thick, was starting to clear out, and the fighting here had gone on for a pretty long time. A figure in the smoke charged at Adruo, axe raised and roaring in the din of battle, but before it got in striking range a blade ran it through the chest, as the axe wielder slumped to the ground the familiar elvish figure stood before them, sword at the ready. A familiar voice echoed out.


"Adruo? That you? Took you long enough." She couldn't see it, but Romon was grinning


Adruo had her sword at the ready when someone came charging at her. She dropped her stance slightly when she heard Romon speak. "We had our own opponent to deal with. What's going on here." She kept looking around as she spoke, checking for any other people who decided to attack her head on


"Well...not sure honestly." Romon sighed. "They started out of the forest, looked like they were going to shoot the kids, they were yelling and all that...like the bandit types I used to deal with, only problem is that they're a lot more organized...it's gotten hard to pick off stragglers, I did manage to grab this however."


Romon held out a small patch of cloth, a simple symbol on it, a black talon clawing down, as if swooping in for the kill. "These guys seem to be organized. Amos is...somewhere in all this. There's a lot of them and we had to split up. You good to go?" Romon's voice was tired but determined, as if he'd seen more than a little combat tonight, but the smoke screen and dim light made it hard to distinguish any wounds, which was fortunate as he'd already taken a fair few hits.


Adruo took in all the information that Romon had given. "Probably hunters of some sort. After the walker." She deduced. The dragonkin have a quick nod before heading into the battle scene. "I will help as best I can." Romon sounded tired, but she knew he was skilled. He was the Elven Blade after all. That wasn't a title that was given away to just anyone.


Romon nodded. "Good. Now come on, we got a job to do."


And with that, Romon charged forward out of the smoke, and into a new clearing five men were waiting, two armed with crossbows, an axe weilder and two swordsmen.


One of the swordsmen fell as Romon entered the clearing, an opening provided by Crowley's crossbow allowing him to close the gap and impale the wicked hunter. The attack left him relatively in the open, and although a quick burst of roots gave him time to manoeuvre, he was still in range of those arrows and bolts.


Adruo, after a moment of thought, decided to act as the tank since she was the most heavily armoured one.


Her wings felt surprisingly light as she used them to speed towards the bandits. Her target was the crossbowmen. As swordsmen, ranged fighters would put both her and Romon at a disadvantage.


She skidded a landing near one, causing a small tremor that went towards him. The dragonkin sliced at the man, intent on stopping him for good.


Fortunately, Adruo's aim was true and the first man fell to the tremor, falling before her blade with a bloody gurgle coming from his lips as he fell to the ground. The other crossbowmen turned with a sneer to shoot at Adruo, but as he aimed a bolt appeared in his neck and he silently fell to the ground. Crowley pulled out his blade to deal with the axeman, who was charging him.


"You two! Find the children! I've got this one!"


Adruo's pale eyes flashed red for a fraction of a second as she killed her enemy. She stood over the corpse, looking at it, for a few moments. She shook herself when Crowley spoke.


"Romon, where are they?" She called out, ready to follow the elf.


Romon and Adruo ran forward, Romon thinking as he went. "Well...not sure honestly, they kind of vanished on us. Amos is probably with them, his bird too. So they should be fine..." A scream suddenly rang out from their right, and a man came flying, roots and tendrils around his leg and smashing him into the ground, a bloody pulp of once was.


"I..uhh think I know where they are. Come on!"


The dragonkin felt a surge of worry at Romon's words. The children were unprotected. She didn't think that Amos would be able to do much. Akina seemed to be more of a healer than a fighter.


Adruo let out a sound of disgust as she saw the body tumble out of the brush. She looked at the elf next to her. "Did you do that?" Seeing his expression answered that he did not. She hastily followed as they rushed towards were the corpse has come from


It didn't take them long to come to the root of the issue, as Romon and Adruo surged out of the forest and into a clearing.


Amos was in fact the one who had used the vine, and he was standing protectively in front of Leafy, as well as Akina and the two children. There was a somewhat nasty looking slash wound in his shoulder, but his staff held high nonetheless. Behind him things weren't faring much better. Sammy and Kiara were okay, but Akina was unconscious on the ground. Kiara was doing her best to wake her up while Sammy had found a somewhat big stick to use as defense. Beatrice cawed from above, but finding a crow in the night sky was all but impossible


Fortunately, it seemed Amos' vine had destroyed the confidence of his attackers, at least somewhat. there were six of them in between Amos and the pair, two of which were armed with crossbows, two swordsmen, and one man in the center with a large threatening looking hammer, with a crossbow at his side. Amos was in the middle of shouting at him


"-ny closer you'll get more of that!" He breathed hard, as if he'd already done a lot of casting tonight, he glanced back at the Walker, who was asleep after one of Akina's various politices had put it there to help heal. Of course that's when trouble showed up...


The man with the hammer laughed, low and dark. "Old man, but we have already won!" He cackled and motioned to his men. "There are how you say... more of us than you? Outnumbered you old fool!" He chuckled harder. "It be only a matter of time until your head rolls, as well as the children’s. Unless..." Hammer-Man's voice took a serious tone, away from the jovial laughter. "You step away from the animal and never look back."


Amos gritted his teeth, not wanting to abandon the animal but knowing staying was a death sentence, his will seemed to be flickering back and forth, not out of his own cowardice but his desire to see the children home safe.


Romon looked down at his belt pouch, then back at Adruo, speaking in hushed whispers he held up a smoke bomb. "This is my last one...the rest are in my bag in town, we'll have to make it count. You ready?"


A strange grin grew on the horned girl's face. She could feel the blood pumping through her body. The power in her limbs. "Use the bomb when you see fit." She replied just loud enough for the elf to hear.


Leathery wings flicked out, creating a small gust of wind. Her sword glinted in the light of the rising moon.


Each step she took towards the enemy created a tremor, each slightly larger than the last. She gripped her large broadsword with both hands, forgetting about the injury her one arm took from the demonised wolf.


She raised the sword and pointed it at the man with a hammer. "Why not fight someone who will present you a challenge? Or are too much of a coward?"


The man spun around, laughing at the new challengers before him. One of them had a huge wound on her arm, and the man...The hammer wielder chuckled, as Romon was swaying on his feet. One of his men looked to him. "Victor, what should we do?"


Victor grinned. "Allen, Rick, take care of the old coot. Rest of you are with me." As the two crossbowmen moved on Amos, the rest approached the pair.


Romon wearily looked at Adruo. "All I need is a clear shot at their leader, can you get it?"


Adruo shifted her weight slightly. "I can do that." Her voice clearly showed her confidence. She crouched slightly, her wings fanning out to their wull length. With one powerful sweep, she was propelled forward towards her target. She skidded a turn around one of the lakkies, leaving a deep gash in his stomach while she was at it.


She dashed towards the leader, sword raised and ready to strike.


The man clutched his guts as they spilled out and he fell to the ground, in the corner of her eye Adruo saw another man clutch his head and a dagger sticking out of it that Romon had thrown.


Unfortunately Victor was no small foe, and as Adruo charged him he used the handle of his hammer to parry her attack, before hitting her with the bottom end, forcing her to fly past.


Romon took this chance to strike, leaping in the air at an attempt at a coup d'état of sorts, midair however, Victor made eye contact with Romon and grinned, before slamming the actual end of the hammer into him, sending the already exhausted elf flying into a crumpled heap a few feet away.


The last remaining hunter moved in on Adruo, slicing down with his sword.


The dragonkin staggered slightly as the momentum of her attack was thrown off. She spun around in time to see Romon taking a blow from the hammer. Her eyes went wide as she was frozen to the spot. Romon had always proved himself to be one of the most agile people she knew. To see him get hit with a weapon as slow as a hammer came as an unwelcome surprise.


His landing position didn't give Adruo much hope for his current condition. She felt a surge of rage wash through her, and with it, power. She gripped the hilt of her sword more tightly. Wind whispered in her ears along with the thumping of her blood flow.


Since her attacker came from her deaf side, she did not notice him until it was too late. She was only just able to raise her sword to block. It proved only partially sucsessful as the sword cut through her previously uninjured arm. The dragonkin didn't even take the wound into consideration and sliced at the man.


Romon struggled on the ground grasping for breath as the battle raged, Amos locked in combat with the two crossbowmen as magic and missiles flew.


For the poor man that fought rage-Adruo, life was coming to a quick and painful end. He'd thought a blow to her unwounded arm would stop her quick but...as he parried desperately he realized he was outmatched. Moments later his head rolled on the forest floor.


Victor scoffed and stepped away from Romon's prone form, deciding he wasn't a threat and prepared for Adruo's attack. Behind him, Romon seemed to gasp in pain, more than before, and steam started rising from his body.


Just before Victor and Adruo met, Romon detonated his last smoke bomb.


The drahonkin calmed down slightly. The pool of blood seeping out of the corpse touched the claw of her foot. She looked down at it for a moment before she stepped to the side. Crouching again, she coiled her muscles and sprang at Victor. Adruo registered the smoke that was now filling out the area. She didn't have enough time to get away from it, so she skidded to a halt and stood in place. Romon had not told her his trick to moving around in the smoke, so she didn't want to take the risk. She would quite easily attack the wrong person by accident.


Instead, she took up a defensive stance. Her head moved from side to side as she tried to see or hear any possible threats.


A hammer swing went wide over Adruos head before widely slamming down a few meters to her right. It seemed Victor had little chance at peering through Romons smoke screen. Yet with each stroke came a gap in the smoke, clearing his vision with each strike, each getting closer to its intended target


Adruo felt the wind created by the hammer swing. Her vision was incredibly poor thanks to the smoke and lack of light. She relied on her other senses to guide her. She stepped back, away from the swinging hammer


Victor however, seemed to have predicted this, and his next swing was directed straight down at Adruo in a terrifying all-out attack, a downward swing with no hands that would crush anyone's skull with one blow, and with all the force behind it left little room to manoeuver with the smoke covering its initial attack. As Adruo prepared to react however a crash sounded throughout the clearing and a wave of air pushed back from in front of her, clearing the smoke around them.


In front of her was a Romon, standing tall with a grin on his face, what was unusual however was his hand holding the hammer, sword in the other. Steam rising from his body and the tree on his back glowing through his tattered shirt. "Sorry Adruo." Romon's voice was lowered, gravelly in nature, almost as if belonging to a new person. "But I can take it from here."


With a roar, Romon pushed the hammer aside, and duel between Elven blade and hunt master began.


Romon slashed down at the vulnerable Victor, but his armour managed to take the blow of Romon's longsword, which surprised the elf. The mark of the bear gave him more than just endurance, his blows were stronger as well...which means this man was tough business. The hammer came back, and Romon deflected it while gritting his teeth, he might be stronger, but that Hammer meant business. Romon cut down at the man's hand, attempting to disarm him, but Victor was ready and knocked him back with the butt-end of his hammer. Romon took a moment and nodded to Adruo before charging him again, doing his best to force an opening for his Dragonborn friend by constricting the man's arms and legs with the forest around him.


Adruo was unable to speak in her surprise. She had thought that Romon would have been out of commission for the remainder of the battle. She also thought that she was likely to die from the large hammer coming at her too fast to dodge or even block.


She stared at the elf's glowing back in awe. Even so, she was quick to react when Romon cave gave her a signal to attack.


She was behind Victor in an instant. Her sword swung out


Victor, being attacked from two sides was forced into a more defensive style. Thanks to all the wild swings the smoke had cleared out of the immediate area, letting him actually see his foes. Even if was flanked on both sides. His armor provided another challenge, heavy and difficult to pierce with slashing attacks which forced Romon and Adruo onto a more precision based fight, one his wild hammer swings needn't not counter


In the distance behind them, Amos had finished his own fight, one of the men was nowhere to be seen, and yet another lay on the ground with a log on top of him. Yet he was wounded and tired, leaning on his staff as if it was the only thing keeping him up in the world. Sammy still guarded Kiara and the unconscious Akina with trepidation on his face, tension surrounded the trio like a knife, knowing their own fate hung in the balance. Behind him, "Leafy" began to stir.


Romon's new abilities let him take hits that would normally flatten him on the spot when he couldn't block or deflect, this let him be more aggressive with his attacks, eventually letting the pair whittle down his defences. Romon got a stab with his long sword into the point where Victor's chest plate met his arm-guard. The wound caused Victor to start backing up, and the process continued for a short time. Adruo and Romon unable to get any lasting damage thanks to Victor's hammer defence and his own heavy armour.


Eventually however, every man had their limits. And Romon's rune power and Adruo's own herb-enhanced bodies simply didn't tire as fast, and eventually a combination of his wounds and a vine pull from Romon strangled the hammer from Victor's grasp. The man backed away from the pair, pulling up a nasty looking shortsword as his defence, madness induced by pain in his eyes. "Looks like it ends like this boys." Victor said, talking more to himself than the pair. "We thought it'd be an easy contract...we're pretty good we thought, take out this damn walker." Victor spat out a glob of blood onto the forest floor. "And now everyone's dead! James, Paul, even Drakkiv. Soon it'll be me. The last flight of the black hawks!" Victor cackled and stepped back again, back coming against a tree. "But let it be known, that even in the end, the Black hawks...the black hawks never failed a contract! As the old saying goes, the beast is weakest with the dawn!" Sure enough "Leafy" was starting to stand up, weakened and unsteady from Akina's healing poultice that put it to sleep. Laughing wildly he pulled out his crossbow, and the world seemed to slow.


Romon reaching down to his belt, Amos chanting behind them, a shout from Sammy. It was too slow, all of it unable to stop Victor from taking the last shot he needed, until a bolt softly but quickly flew into his shoulder, knocking him aside as he pulled his own trigger, making the bolt fly wide. James Crowley stood on the other end of the clearing, panting hard. Romon's dagger soon followed, slamming into the merc captain's head. The battle was over, Pagus had won, and the elemental walker was safe. A silence filled the clearing, broken only by a young voice, confused and pained.


"Storylady...I don't...feel so good."


Behind them all, the last crossbow bolt that Victor fired laid deep in the center of Sammy's chest, a deep stain of crimson billowing out from under his shirt.


It seemed that Victor's bolt had found a target after all.


With a moment that stretched a lifetime, Sammy fell backwards onto the soft forest floor.
 
Chilali furrowed her brows at Sylvanus' choice of words. Something about them seemed off. Even so, she could do nothing but shrug it off. The mage was glad to see the hybrid willingly going back to rest. Chilali considered the usefulness of knocking him out if he got up again. She pondered it for a few more moments before Sylvanus spoke up, startling the mage slightly. She had to take a few seconds to gather her thoughts.


"Ah, right. Your clothing." She went to the other side of the room where a chest sat against the wall. "I managed to salvage your shirt, but only just." The woman called out as she dug through the chest's contents. "I didn't think I would be able to save your trousers. Not to mention..." Her voice trailed off as she picked up a folded garment. "Well, anyway, hopefully these fit properly." She collected a second clothing item before walking back over to Sylvanus. The ice woman handed over the mended shirt and brand new pants to the hybrid.


She stood there for a moment. After realising that the spider would probably want to change, she nodded to herself. "I'll step out. Just call me when you're done and I can make any needed adjustments." She bowed her head slightly before exiting the room. She waited just outside the door, softly humming to herself.


@minismurf
 

Phoebe drank in all the subtle changes in the harpy’s face in the same way she would analyse a new piece of work, nose buried in dust-covered pages, stilled breath on stone and paint, eyelashes brushing the eyepiece of a telescope. Like light, the ruby red in those eyes danced across the whole spectrum of emotions, touching the extremes, pooling in the middle, skipping and stretching. It was fascinating to watch.


Then it all skid to a halt, and suddenly it felt as if she was reading a completely different book. Kito grew taller and his stare more intense. Standing so close, the change felt sudden and drastic, but it was gone just as quickly and Phoebe was left doubting if it had even happened in the first place or if it had been just a trick of light.


“I-I’ll do it.”


Beyond the stutter, there was confidence, and that was all Phoebe needed to let out all her previous worries in a long exhale. Taking a step back and out of Kito’s personal space, she let the tension roll off her shoulders and closed her eyes for a few heartbeats before going back to staring at her new partner.


She reassured him that she didn’t mind going with him so he could say bid his goodbyes to his family, even though the bitter side of her would rather avoid that sort of scene all together. Following him outside, she halted right at the entrance when the old hybrid called out to her.


"Dearie, don't worry. Fekitoa won't die that easily.”


No amount of self control would have stopped Phoebe from whipping her head around and staring at the man’s knowing smile, wide-eyed and mouth agape. One of her eyes actually twitched, lips moving while nothing but silent and broken sentences left them. “My name is Phoebe Silva, the librarian, Mr. Mekhag. It was a pleasure meeting you.” she eventually blurted out, cheeks flushed as she turned around and stormed out of the place.


Reading books was a pleasant experience. Being read like an open book… not so much.


Even as she pushed across the curtain of leaves that hid the stall, Phoebe’s flustered state did not fade. It took a few good seconds of chewing the skin of her thumb while frowning at her surroundings, and anyone who dared to even glance at her, before she could remember what it was that she was supposed to be doing.


“The apothecary is my last stop for today. After that, I’m free to go with you.” As she said this, Phoebe walked towards the shop nearest to the herb stall. The banner she’d recognised earlier hung over the balcony’s railings, unmoving in the warm and stale air. "Is your home far? You seem to know this place well,” she asked her new partner, curiosity rising as her mind began to clear.


Steeping into the shop, she listened carefully to his reply but was startled when something brushed past her legs, an orange blur flurrying across the floor and disappearing behind the counter. Though every nerve in her body had flared up in warning, Phoebe was still surprised when the head of a fox peeked over the countertop, its black ears twitching. Then, before their very eyes, the creature began to grow and morph, until it was a woman that stood in its place, leaning over the counter and gazing upon them with sharp and hungry eyes.





kit_fox.jpg

 



 
“Welcome,” the word dripped down her dark lips, slow and heavy like honey. “What is it that ails you?”


For a split second, Phoebe considered fleeing. Just turn around, grab Fekitoa and run. But then her human senses kicked in and she realised how ridiculous that would be, not to mention embarrassing. If she ran away from every shapeshifter she ever encountered in her journey, she wouldn’t get anything done.


So she put on a detached expression, stepped towards the counter while keeping a safe distance, and slipped a piece of paper across the surface. “Good afternoon. Dr. Silas sent me here to get a couple of-“


“Creams for Red-Leaf Poison?” the woman interrupted without so much as a glance at the paper, golden eyes locked onto Phoebe’s. “I know that crazy old man well,” she offered as explanation for her mind-reading, not leaving any time for the librarian to reply. "And you may call me Lilith, love.” Dark lips curled into a smirk before closing around a pipe and then blowing a puff of scented smoke in her freckled face. “I know young Cynwrig, of course. How’s your mother, boy?” Lilith nodded at the young harpy, eyeing him up and down and not paying much attention to his reply, if there even was one. Then she turned towards her. “But yours is a new smell. It’s not everyday one meets a fellow shapeshifter.”


Tears blurring her vision, Phoebe blinked a couple of times and coughed into her hand, but refused to take a step back. Instead, she waved away the smoke floating between them and pushed the piece of paper further towards the woman. This brought her face to face with Lilith, and though her whole body shivered at those canine eyes, Phoebe didn’t flinch or back away. “The cream, please,” she requested, voice as stern as her expression.


The fox shapeshifter frowned and seemed just as intent on not budging an inch. The staring contest between the two continued for what felt like the longest minute, but then Lilith sighed and blew another puff of smoke into the air. “It’ll be just a minute,” she mumbled, stepping away from the counter and disappearing through the back door.


Breathing a sigh of relief, Phoebe turned towards her partner. “Why do people have to make shopping so difficult? It seems like a very straightforward concept.” There was honest confusion in her words and hand gestures as she said this. But, for some reason, her brain seemed to have found some sort of twisted humor in the whole situation, because she actually felt a smile tugging at her lips.


The apothecary owner soon came back with the medicine. As she stated the price, she gave the two a long hard stare that lingered quite a bit on the deer shapeshifter, but took the money without a word and went back to leisurely smoking her pipe.


Eager to get away from the owner’s stare, Phoebe left the shop and only stopped to adjust her bag and ask Fekitoa, “Well then, how do we get to your home?"


@Jayus


 
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Kito waited patiently for Phoebe outside Mister Mekhag's stall playing timidly with a loose tassel that kept the bag of herbs shut. He watched amazed as the string glittered in the sun and the little orange flecks cascaded over his hands like sunspots on a dark forest. But even though the sight was pretty it didn't help calm the nerves lying in the pit of his stomach.


'Do you think she noticed you, Fekitoa?'


'Worried much aren't you? No I don't think so and even if she did I'm pretty sure her first instinct wouldn't be that we have two people in one body.'


'Oh that's good!'





'It would probably be 'Oh gosh he's actually a serial killer.''





'Fekitoa, that's not funny!'





It was at that exact moment that Phoebe walked briskly out the stall. She seemed partially shaken up and Kito could only guess what the old man must've said to her. They started their walk to the apothecary and Kito was thankful Phoebe was starting the conversation because he himself was at a loss for how to begin it. He began telling her stories of where he lived; a little area on the top of a small mountain a bit far, but not too far from the woods and completely devoid of shrubbery and trees once you reached the top where he stayed. A few harpies lived there and those who did were an interesting bunch even if he did seldom see them. He was about to mention his mother when a nimble creature ran past them. Kito's first instincts were to scream, but upon realizing it wasn't a cat and just Lilith he found what little bravery he had left to stop his need to cry out in fear.


He watched curiously and wide-eyed at the woman's exchanging of words. Maybe it was just him, but there was a definite tension mixed with the bitter smelling smoke in the air between them, or perhaps it was just how defensive everyone got around Lilith. She wasn't a bad person herself and even though he did catch her staring at his arms on quite a number of occasions she never spoke bad about them or him which was something he could appreciate. Especially as it happened so rarely.





"How’s your mother, boy?”





Kito almost didn't hear the question when she addressed him her change of pace was so sudden. He looked from Phoebe to Lilith to make sure he heard right and finally mustered the voice in his throat.





"She's doing better, thanks. That herb you and Mister Mekhag recommended was the right one."





Lilith gave a quick, curt nod almost invisible if you blinked slow enough and turned her attention back to Phoebe instantly, who she was clearly more interested in.





"It's not everyday one meets a fellow shapeshifter."





Kito blurted the words out before he could stop himself to think.





"You're a shapeshifter?" Phoebe, however, was too busy avoiding the fumes like they were toxic to be able to register what he said. He was suddenly very grateful of Lilith's smoking habit. His sentence sounded bad even to him. There was nothing wrong with the fact she was a shapeshifter, quite the opposite he found it amazing, but up until this point he had assumed she was a human. Most of the shapeshifters he met preferred walking around in their animal forms. Surely she would've transformed up all those flights of stairs. Which lead him to the question: Why?





'I didn't realize it was mandatory to tell everyone your whole life story the minute you met them.'


'You know what I mean! Should I ask her?'





'Kito, did you ever consider maybe she's one of those aquatic shapeshifters? Or maybe some other animal that can't walk in public. It's none of our business anyway. And if you're that curious ask her yourself. I don't have all the answers and I don't care enough to look for them.'





'I will!'





He looked over to her and watched at just the right moment to see her lips tug up into a smile. It was the first time he had properly seen her smile at him and it left him staring. Hers was contagious and he felt his own mouth beginning to rise up into a smile as he let out a small giggle at her confusion. He could wait a little longer to ask her, but not right now.


They left the shop in a hurry even quicker than she had left Mister Mekhag's stall. Not that he could blame her, Lilith was starting to make him nervous. He tipped his chin down to the stairs and tucked his hands under his wings. The two walked down the spiralling staircase and spoke of trivial things. The weather, the various shops, the smell of food until finally he couldn't help himself.





"So you're a shifter? That's pretty neat! And I think it suits you too!"





He waited patiently for her to comment with a large smile. Any opinion she had on it would be fascinating for him. Sadly they were walking a little too fast it seemed, since they were already stood by the edge of the forest. Kito pouted slightly. He really wanted to hear what she had to say. He gave her a sympathetic smile if he was about to interrupt her explanation and pointed up to an ascending slope in the distance easily seen from where the two were standing.





"That's where I live." As he was pointing the realization hit him. He wasn't going home alone. Which as happy as that made him... was an issue. It was a rather long flight there and back and that was flying. Walking would probably take triple the time maybe even longer. He didn't mind walking of course, but flying was just clearly the better choice for getting there before dark out, otherwise they would probably have to make camp. But flying meant...


A small blush lit up his face.





"U-um. Phoebe. W-we have two ways of getting there. If we walk it'll take us a day maybe even a day and a half which mean we would have to set up camp. I could carry you across, b-but you can probably see I'm a normal harpy and have my wings on my back."





Kito cleared his throat. Fektioa let out a loud groan and told him over and over how ridiculous he was being.





"I-I-If I carry you I h-have to hold your hands."


@SepiaInk





 
"Sammy!" Adruo screamed out his name as she sprinted to his side, having to skid to a halt. "It's okay. You'll be okay. Just stay with us." Her voice quivered as tears welled up in her eyes. She desperately looked around for help only to see that Akina was still unconscious. The dragonkin was frozen in place for a moment, not even breathing. Her legs failed her, dropping her to her knees. There was nothing she could do. If she couldn't even help Leafy, there was no chance she would be able to stop the boy from dying. "I'm so sorry, Sammy. If I had been faster..." Her voice hitched in her throat as sobs began to wrack her body.


A strangled cry of loss escaped her. The sound echoed throughout the entire forest.


All her power seemed to have abandoned her. Pain flooded her system to unbearable levels. She briefly pondered if she was dying too. The dragonkin decided that even if she was, it would only be fair. She had killed and allowed Sammy to die. Perhaps death was the only way she could repent for her sins. "I am so sorry." was all she could murmur before darkness consumed her and she collapsed next to the young boy.


She was unsure how long she was out for, but she was grateful for it. When she was unconscious, she didn't feel the oppressive guilt that weighed down on her chest, threatening to suffocate her. The same guilt that attacked her as soon as she was awake enough to register she was still alive. Strangely enough, she was thankful for the screaming pain her body was in. It acted as a good distraction.


The intense pain caused her to black out again. She was on the verge of waking a few more times, but the pain forced her mind to shut down each time. Finally, Adruo felt herself slowly rising from the depths of unconsciousness. She awoke but remained still with her eyes closed. Her very veins felt like they were on fire. Her arm felt like it had been hit with a blacksmith's hammer multiple times. Everything ached. Just breathing shot flares of pain so strong that white flashed behind her eyelids.


After what felt like an eternity, she managed to force open one eye, followed by the other. She instantly thought of how Sammy would never be able to do just that. He would never open his eyes again. Never take another breath. Adruo clenched her jaw as tears began to spill once again. She could do nothing but stare at the blurry ceiling thanks to her immobile body. She couldn't even hear properly. There were sounds being emitted near her. She assumed they were voices. Who they may belong to was a complete mystery for the moment.


Slowly, her senses came back to her. Colour returned to the previously sepia world - a fact which she hadn't even noticed until it changed back to normal. Their was a faint smell of herbs, but her nose was still unable to pick up anything else. The constant ringing in her ears had subsided to allow her to actually hear what was going on. There were indeed voices coming from next to her. She spent several moments trying to decipher who they belonged to. They seemed young. Still children. Just like Sammy was.


Sammy... Why did she hear the higher pitched one say that name as if addressing someone? If it was gossip about the youngster's passing, that would have made sense. However, this child said it as if speaking to Sammy.


Silver eyes widened, finally starting to focus on what she was looking at. Her head, despite the effort needed to do so, turned to the side where the voices came from. Two children sat there. One boy and one girl. Kiara and Sammy. Both alive and well.


Tears streamed down her cheeks as Adruo took in the sight of the two youngsters. "Sammy... You're alive." Her voice was a mere whisper. A moment passed where she just stared at him, taking in the fact that he was actually still breathing. In the next moment, she had launched herself at the two children, wrapping them in a bone-crushing hug. Every single one of her muscles screamed in protest, but she stubbornly ignored them.


"You're alive. You're alive. You're alive." She chanted continuously. Tears flowing, but a huge smile on her face.


@TerraBooma
 

I think it suits you. That comment alone confounded her. How was a genetic trait supposed to suit a living being? Did he mean that it enhanced something in her, and if so, what exactly? Or maybe it “fit” her well, like a piece of clothing, as opposed to a “human” or “hybrid” skin. No one had ever responded in such a way to the knowledge of her race. In fact, it was the other way around. All her life, that information only ever seemed to diminish some part of her being. It made her smaller and lonelier, someone who could be looked down upon, a creature whose instincts got in the way of normalcy and whose two-faced nature couldn’t be trusted.


Did this ability to change skins, to be two things at once or none at all, “fit” people like Lilith? Did they see her as a fox, or as a woman? Both? None? Something entirely new?


Was the young harpy thinking about that at all when he said it “suited” her?


“It’s just what I am. In the same way you were born a harpy, I was born a shapeshifter. Nothing special about it,” was her reply, words uttered with no weight and inviting no further discussion. In a way, she was glad the information had gotten out as early as it did and that it needn’t have come out of her own mouth. It was a tiresome subject that she’d thought had been buried for good when she stared working at the Southern Library.


On the other hand, she didn’t want to fall into the same traps that had gotten her in this position. She needed to show the gods, and herself, that she was capable of learning from her mistakes. And her conclusion was that communication was the key to this journey’s success. So, in simple terms, she had to stop being stubborn, be nicer and talk more. Somehow. Was there a book for that?


“Though… I guess my behaviour is unusual when compared to others of my kind, like that woman, Lilith.” Or Destin, a bitter voice whispered in the back of her head. “Because I…” The words got lost. She found that she really didn’t know what to say, how to keep this conversation going. But she didn’t need to, thankfully enough, as Kito’s interruption saved her from having to continue.


They had gotten to the edge of the forest, or at least the part that was so perfectly weaved into the town. The slope the harpy was pointing at was easy enough to spot and didn’t look that far, but, as Phoebe had no idea of its real size, it wasn't wise of her to make any assumptions.


Kito was stammering, a dust of colour over his cheeks, though the reason as to why he was so flustered only become obvious at the very end when he cleared his throat and spluttered out, “I-I-If I carry you I h-have to hold your hands.”


“Alright,” she immediately replied, pulling her hair away from her face with a ribbon she had tied around her wrist, and only then extending her arms out to the young harpy.


The moment Kito had mentioned he lived in a small mountain and she offered to go there with him, it started to become clear they’d have to fly there at some point and that his unique condition left only one mode of travel that would work best for both of them. The sinking feeling in her stomach disagreed with the whole situation of course, but she’d rather swallow down her her pride and ridiculous fears for an hour or two than loose sight of her new partner and have gods know what happen to him while he was away.


The harpy looked surprised by her quick response and the red in his face only intensified. There was an odd pause, where Kito’s eyes glazed and he seemed to be thinking about something, but then he nodded and stretched out his wings. When he took flight, the flapping of those powerful forelimbs was enough to send leaves scattering and tree canopies shaking. Even tied, her hair slapped across her face, but Phoebe merely closed her eyes and raised her arms, reciting one of her favourite book passages in her mind to calm her racing heart.


She flinched the tiniest bit when Kito’s feathered hands slipped down her own to grab her forearms. The texture was odd but his hold was gentle and firm enough to soothe some of her worries, so she clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on his forearm, just bellow the elbow.


What happened in the minute that followed was a blur as her feet left the ground, stomach dropping as the wind rushed past her. Her grip on his arms tightened further and there was a brief thought that she might be hurting Kito, but none of his movements indicated that he was in any pain. That reminded her of their earlier conversation, when the harpy mentioned his arms would feel numb at times. That thought frightened her for a whole new reason.


Kito was speaking to her, she could hear his voice and sense his worry, but her brain refused to make any sense of the words, too busy being overwritten by pure adrenaline to even let her do the simplest of actions. There was a lump in her throat, the dryness in her mouth making it difficult to swallow. To calm down, she tried to focus on the feeling of wings flapping above her, the feel of soft feathers beneath her hands or the fresh smells that rushed past her. But having her eyes shut only seemed to be making the whole situation worse.


Bit by bit, she tried opening them. The strong air current stung her eyes, leaving her gaze blurred, but after a few blinks she got a bit more used to it. Her boots, dangling over a vast canopy of trees were the first thing she saw. She shut her eyes once more to force down the urge to throw up, and then slowly opened them. This time she saw the mountain, slowly approaching, the sun hovering just above it.


Kilo’s voice sounded from above, shouting out what seemed like a question by his tone. Phoebe had the urge to reply, to say anything back and fill the void with something other than the whistling of the wind in her ears.


“I…” The air swallowed her words, bringing about a coughing fit. She tried again. “I hate flying!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. And then she burst out laughing.


There was no helping it. It was like a defence mechanism. Here she was, high up in air and above a vast forest, a deer shapeshifter being carried by a harpy with both wings and arms. Gods help her if this wasn’t the weirdest situation she could find herself in. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. The two halves of her spirit were at odds with each other, fighting so hard that they threatened to split, and it sent jolts of adrenaline down her spine.


There it was. It was hard to see in the harsh sunlight, but the top of the mountain was now in full view, close enough that the green canopy beneath them had given way to rocky mountain slopes. Gulping, Phoebe shut her eyes and attempted to slow down her breathing. Something felt odd, the wind was picking up. This was not going to end well. The very few times she had flown, the landing part had never gone smoothly.


“Kito, please, slow down!"


@Jayus


 
 
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Sylvanus accepted the clothes given to him and examined them, the shirt seemed to have been patched together just as decently as he'd been, one part of him thought that it even looked a little better than before. His long adventure had of course taken its toll on both him as well as his clothes, however Chilali's handiwork had fixed most wear and tears. The pants was nothing special in his eyes, they were a bit more coloured than the rags he'd worn earlier and they seemed to be made out of some kind of cotton fabric instead of the twisted straw the old ones were. Of course he hadn't been born with the clothing he'd worn, it wasn't until a few months after he'd left his birthplace he found out about the neccesity of wearing the fabric his prey wore, the first time he tested it he found it very difficult to get every limb in the right place and he ended up tearing it apart. However after many failed tries he finally managed to get it to look somewhat of the way the humans wore it.


He didn't know the point of it so he didn't bother with waiting for Chilali to exit before he started changing, as soon as he was done with examining the clothes he let his spider limbs tear off the remains of his pants, revealing everything underneath. He didn't have much trouble getting the new set of pants on, the shirt was a little more trouble on the other hand, having razor sharp spider limbs shooting out of your back tends to cause trouble with clothing and it didn't seem like Chilali had paid it any mind when patching the shirt up, however before the back of it got too torn up he managed to get his arms through the holes and his spider limbs through the newly made ones and he was done "Alright, I'm done now" He called out to Chilali.


@KiKi Kitsune
 
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