Abysmal Souls Chapter 6

[ReformBlade]

Carrion and her trusty wagoneers

"I suppose I should be more appreciative," Yawning and stretching, she went on, "but I still find it silly. It's not like I'm gonna deny help or anything, I was just making a joke... Anyway, as for you, sir?" Her attention was now solely on Rine, the man crazy enough to jump in a moving wagon, one that held people who were still not all that happy with him. "We're heading south, to an island not too far off where supposedly another witch resides. We're not too far from Pravna now, so if you want to run, I won't care. If you do stay, well... You should know the danger ahead. Fire is... a wild element, unpredictable and dangerous, there's no guarantee for your safety aaand since we're bringing her back alive it's only going to be that much more painful I'd assume." With hardly enough room to move about in the wagon, she simply leaned up against Adrian again, her one source of comfort in the wagon currently.

The siblings simply acknowledged what Carrion was going on about silently. They had gone a long way away from their original goal, but neither seemed to mind all that much, least of all Aiduen. She was happy with the company she was with, and Arcen didn't mind seeing her in good spirits.

Islanders

"What should... we do?" Umm... Dammit, I didn't even remotely think this through "Weeellll... it's still fairly early, so we should uh... Lets try and find her, yeah! And then we can kill her in her sleep and then everyone will be happy!" So sure was he in this course of action he didn't even care about getting home. Walking in the opposite direction of Kulen, he sought the Witch as well. "Come with me, my dear, we shouldn't wander off too far from each other, right?"

----- Later that night -----

Carrion and her trusty wagoneers

The night seemed to sneak up on the travelers, and with it came fatigue. However, Carrion wanted to move forward despite the need for sleep. Forcing Grant to keep going, reminding him that they were so close to their destination anyway, she sighed. "God, this just keeps dragging on, doesn't it?"

Aiduen nodded her head, almost wishing she could get it all over with too, "Yeah, I just hope nothing goes awry, you know?" Of course, her brother had to jab her for such a comment, "Dude, come on, you aren't supposed to say things like that, it's bad luck isn't it?"

"Hell if I know, but how's about we all take a break here, let the horses get some food and water and some rest? They've been at this almost nonstop and I should remind you that at the very least you'll need them for the return trip as well..." Grant pressed the matter, hoping Carrion would understand.

"Yeah, yeah... Alright, slow this thing down and let em rest, maybe like... half an hour?"

"That... won't be nearly enough for a true rest but hey, your call..." An argument wouldn't help out and Grant knew that she wanted to get going. Pulling the horses to a stop, he started taking care of them, giving them all the TLC they could ever dream of.

Kulen and that one douche

It was quite a small island, and he had found her 'hiding' spot ages ago, but he was more interested in securing an escape from the island. "No ships... well, no working order ships anyway... I guess she burned them all? Would explain the debris on the shores. Oh well, I guess I'll work on making a shoddy replacement for it. Nothing else to be gained from finding her or confronting her." And with that in mind, he went about his business, gathering up any materials he could to make a raft.

Meanwhile, Michael had lead Beatrice to what he suspected was the witches 'evil lair'. A rather run down shack, the roof looking like it would blow away with the slightest wind. "This is it, Beatrice, that has to be where she's hiding. I can sneak in and check if you'd like... if you'd rather wait here and keep a look out. Is that ok?" He didn't want the woman to be doing anything she didn't want to do, but more importantly, he wanted to make himself seem all the more important.

Ignatius

With the day slipping by whilst the girl slept, he took it upon himself to pick up her small body and continue moving. He had the energy to do it, even if she didn't, and he wanted her to find some place safe as soon as possible. "It won't do for me to go through all of this only to see it all end due to frailty..." On the move, he was going through a route he was sure only he would be able to navigate and make it through, at least compared to an average human.

[Jaybee]

Danyon

He had reached the island Teis had mentioned at around midday, a rather decrepit island with a lot of burn marks. Teis and Ormis were nowhere to be found; Danyon could only assume they were around the island, or already on it.

After a quick ride along the shore, he still found no signs of either of the two. As such, he tied his horse to a tree, sat down and began to read. The two of them would be able to handle themselves, probably, and if Carrion wasn't at the island by the following day, he'd just go in himself.

Adonis

Yet another day, wasted in this town. He deigned to roam the back streets of Chaldron one last time, during the night. If his dad was here, he'd have been found by now; it would be logical to pack up and leave in a few days.

Cyrus

"Ha ha ha... Look how far the little mouse has run."

Blue hair, a cloak, a staff; It was pretty likely it was Adonis, or at least someone relatively powerful.

Cyrus unsheathed his sword, a pale blue light illuiminating its tip. He chuckled to himself and swung the sword over his head towards the man, the light emitting a beam that struck the man's back. He fell over and screamed in pain.

Cyrus calmly walked over to the man and kicked him onto his back, laughing at what he saw.

"Hello, son. Did you miss me?"

Edited December 28, 2011 by JBCWK

[CT075]

Therese

Therese had been riding for most of the night when she finally managed to reach the shoreline. As her luck would have it, there was that horseman who had attacked her earlier.

Well, shit.

She steered her horse around, hoping he hadn't seen her yet; she would have bolted if it weren't for the sight of a large armored man riding towards her. Judging from the insignia on his shoulder*, he was on some... unsavory business. How the fuck did I not notice him before? Therese pondered fleeing anyway. After all, it's not like he can chase me forever. I'll just... go somewhere where they'll help me. This was quickly taken out of consideration when she noticed how much closer he had gotten. Dear goddess, he's fast.

Only one option, really. Therese leaped off her horse and ran for it. She would have made it, if it weren't for her completely not noticing a large tree in her way. Her foot caught on a root, and she went sprawling onto the ground, only a few feet from the fancy-ass bowman.

Fuck. She scrambled up again, just in time for Tiran to tackle her again. Therese screamed and kicked the man as hard as she could, pushing him back a good distance and allowing her to get up and make another run for it.

Tiran

Tiran had followed the girl at a large distance, hoping she'd be stupid enough to make a camp. Apparently she was too wary for that. Tiran stopped anyway, assuming that her horse would be tired enough that he could make up the lost distance in the morning.

He was right. His newly rested horse made quick ground on the exhausted girl. He caught up with her as she tried to ditch the animal and make a run for it. Tiran cursed and dismounted himself. Just his luck, she tripped; Tiran was never one to ignore opportunity. He took a flying tackle (right past a fairly fancy-looking man) at her, only to receive a well-placed kick in his gut. The mercenary was pushed back, momentarily stunned. When his vision cleared, she was running for it again. He cursed and drew his sword before giving chase.

*Tiran has the mark of the cult on his armor.

[Jaybee]

Danyon

Hey, hey, what the fuck's going on?

That girl he'd attacked the day before was now getting attacked herself by some huge man, with some insignia on his armour. Danyon barely had time to pack his book and untie his horse before the armoured guy was chasing the woman again.

Well, what do I do? I can't just leave her, since he'll probably kill her... Oh, what the hell. You may regret this later, but you can worry about that later.

"Go!" Danyon quickly got onto his horse and chased after the two, easily catching up to the both of them. He positioned himself in between the assailant and the girl, roughly sweeping her off the ground onto his horse.

"We'll talk later, just make it a bit easier for me to move this thing." He barely managed to pull the horse's reins under the girl's arms, making a hard turn to the left, away from the armoured man and the island.

[CT075]

Therese

Therese was yanking at her darts when the horseman appeared out of nowhere, yanking her onto his horse. She yelled and nearly fell off as the guy just swerved away, fumbling at the reins that he had just yanked around her.

"We'll talk later, just make it a bit easier for me to move this thing."

"Wha- what the fuck!?"

It was an uneasy moment, to say the least. It wasn't helped by the fact that the armored dude had just mounted his own horse and was giving chase. And he was gaining. "Go faster, go faster!"

Tiran

"Sonova-"

Tiran was about to make another lunge for it when he was shoved back by the fancy guy making a dramatic entrance. Before he could regain himself, they were off. Ah, here's a decent fight waiting to happen. "Yah!" The mercenary leaped onto his own horse and steered it towards the two. Chances are he'd lose them eventually; pushing his horse as fast as it could go would only slow him down in the long run. He dug his feet into the horse's sides anyway, closing the gap somewhat. It wasn't quite enough, though, as the maneuver left Tiran just outside of grabbing range, and the horse couldn't go much faster.

Let's try a different approach.

He stood a little in the saddle, then lunged at the pair; it wasn't enough to get him fully onto the saddle, but he managed to grab a handful of the horseman's clothing; it tore, but he managed to grab the man's leg. Tiran grinned, and pulled.

Edited December 28, 2011 by Camtech

[Jaybee]

Danyon

"Admittedly, you don't seem like the murderous type, and you are rather- SHIT!" The armoured guy had grabbed onto his leg, also tearing a piece of his shirt. Dammit, this thing was expensive.

He fumbled with the reins, putting it into Therese's hands. "Pull left to go left, same for right, dig in to go faster, control it for now." He tried to shake his leg, hoping to kick the armoured man off, but he was too heavy with his armour on.

"Now you go faster!" He reached for his sword, making feeble attempts to hack at the man's arms. He then decided to go for broke, smashing the hilt of his sword repeatedly on the man's helm.

[CT075]

Tiran

That did NOT go according to plan.

Tiran had intended for the man to pull the girl down with him, get defeated handily and leave the girl to be captured at Tiran's leisure. Of course, it hadn't worked out, and instead he was now being dragged along like so much dead weight. "Hng-!" Tiran knew he couldn't hang on for much longer with the repeated banging on his helm. It would be simpler to take the bowman's horse out of the equation, but Tiran didn't dare let go to grab for his blade (which was hanging at his hip, unsheathed).

Plan B.

The mercenary risked it and made a grab for the fancy guy's sword arm when it came down and yanked again, kicking himself out of his own saddle so his body weight would (hopefully) pull the knight off of his.

Therese

"Pull left to go left, same for right, dig in to go faster, control it for now."

This was a different system than Therese was used to, but it seemed simple enough. She swerved left and right, for some part unintentionally but mostly to try and shake the man off. It took only a second to get control of the horse, at least as long as she didn't have to-

"Now, you go faster!"

Then the mercenary pulled some reckless stunt and it all got so much worse.

[Jaybee]

Danyon

"Ow, fuck!" Armoured guy had grabbed onto his arm now, obviously trying to pull him off. Danyon tried to pull himself up, but again, the weight was too much. He reached his arm out towards, Therese, doubtful that she'd be able to help him, but it was worth a shot.

"Help! Pull my arm or something!"

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian

He smiled, glad she could still joke, as she gave the man his answer. He didn't want to say much of anything, beginning to become rather comfortable in his little spot, sitting up next to Carrion. He suddenly realized how tired he really was after the day's events. Running into Grant again, finding out the truth about magic, realizing how own magic... he began to grow even more tired at the thought. Just get the island over with. You can relax all you want to, then.

Some while later...

Adrian had found himself almost sleeping, when Carrion and a few other piped up and began talking. He opened an eye, and tuned in to what was going on. "God, this just keeps dragging on, doesn't it?" You're telling me... He stretched himself to wake up fully, listening to the rest of them talk. Seemed like a bunch of small talk, but it sounded like they were going to take a small break. Good, I need to let my legs stretch... Half an hour didn't seem like much. Maybe I can convince her to increase that to an hour, or so. Let us all get a good break... He felt the wagon slowing itself down, so he sat himself up, getting ready to finally get off the ride and relax a bit. But, as it came to a full stop, it hit a nasty bump, knocking him back down... on top of Carrion. "Whoa!" Propping himself up over her, he blushed, chuckling a bit. "Sorry about that... gotta watch my footing, huh? Just seems I'm prone to falling over."

Beatrice

Why am I here? Why am I following this overbearing man into the jungle in search of someone who managed to kill... kill everyone? Why aren't I trying to get off this damned island? Dammit, I'll strip down and swim if I have to! Her thoughts continued to wander as they came upon some sort of shack, her sword drawn as they got nearer. "This is it, Beatrice, that has to be where she's hiding. I can sneak in and check if you'd like... if you'd rather wait here and keep a look out. Is that ok?" "Sure... you do that. Just..." much to her own chagrin, she didn't want him getting himself killed. There had been enough death, already, and she needed his help. "Just don't get yourself killed." Maybe just get stuck for a bit, so I can have some time alone to think...

Edited December 28, 2011 by seph1212

[Shin]

Aurelio's Mighty Horse Brigade of not enough horses for everyone

It had taken them a while, but they could see Pravna ahead of them. Bad news was that the journey had really taken it out of them, they definitely have to rest the night before heading off. They trotted along , the lights of the festival illuminating the city in shadowy fields around it.

Aurelio turned back to his group, half-grinning;

"OK guys, we've made it. We're all gonna pass out if we keep going, it looks like we'll have to stay here for the night and then continue. Ormis, Teis... and whatever your name is, did Carrion say which way she'd go from here? Devon's the only feasible port... but that's going to be a good couple of hours, even if our horses are going at a steady pace."

There was probably a motive too. After thinking about it, Carrion wouldn't waste her time even to satisfy her ego. There must have been a reason for her to go.,

"Let's find somewhere to stop up, we can ask around tomorrow morning."

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

Ken's Dysfunctional Adopted Family

The journey had been fairly steady, Ken had to make sure that the ride wasn't too uncomfortable... but still, they had made some progress. They were approaching Jalden, hopefully they could find somewhere...

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

Lunaria

It had gotten to night time, and the day had worn her out. She had taken Reynor back to her shelter, but had fallen asleep soon after that. She lay on the remains of a bed, surprisingly innocently for someone who had torched at least two people to death.

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

The Great Oshea

Eager to reach Pravna, he urged his men to go onwards;

"Think of it, men! If we're too late, we'll get nothing!"

The horse was a wreck, but they could replace it once they got to Alathan.

[Jaybee]

Sophia

She had gotten a decent nap earlier, and now Alyssa was awake, happily playing with one of Sophia's bracelets. She had used the time to talk to Obelia, at least getting to know what her friend had been doing the past two years.

Elune

So tired... and hungry...

She'd spent the whole day pushing her horse onward, and now, she was nearly at Jalden. There was barely anything she could find along the path that would be edible, finally hoping she'd get something good in Jalden. The only other problem was that she was nearly falling asleep on her horse, nearly falling off several times.

[ReformBlade]

Carrion

As tiny as she was, the sudden dropping of a body on top of her wasn't the most comfortable experience for her. "Oww..." A sharp intake of breath and a glare were her only responses to Adrian. Nothing more than a possible bruise, but she still wanted to lash out and cause harm as a response despite it not being directly his fault. Instead, she sat up and began rubbing where Adrian fell on her, trying to soothe the pain on her stomach. "Yeah" she said through clenched teeth, "you should fix that problem." He hit me just right. Maybe it wasn't his fault but... ouch... "Don't worry, it's just a bruise, just... don't be so carefree. Agh..."

Grant

It was a rather calm task, one he was relatively thankful for. Having time to himself and to his own thoughts was a blessing he rarely got, and even more rarely actually took time to appreciate. The sun setting, the quiet in the air, it relaxed him quite easily. "Lord almighty, why do I stick in Sapphire so much? Sure it's a bit warmer here but still... This is comfortable." He willingly ignored the dropping temperatures for a moment, wanting only to indulge his wishful thinking even if it was childish. Taking a deep breath of the cool forest air, he began to admire the scenery. Well, he tried to anyway until he got bored of trying to admire brown things with green protrusions all over the place. It wasn't until a few minutes of this that he noticed something out of the ordinary. Quiet. Like someone had simply removed all the wildlife... <i>Like we're being watched. Well I'll be. Highwayman? Passersby? Perhaps something completely docile in every respect yet disruptive? Either way... </i>Stretching and shifting his armor around in place he decided to take a quick break with the rest of the people in the wagon while keeping on eye on the horses. "So! I hope my driving wasn't all that bad, was it? Sorry for any discomfort!" Trying his best to be as unaware as possible he put on the largest smile he could while leaning forward. "Ok here's the deal, just act natural. best case, nothing happens, but I think we're being watched. It's way too quiet out there, nothing but the sound of rustling leaves. No critters... nothing." He spoke under his breath, hoping at least a few people would hear him nearby, and then he spoke up again, "ANYWAY, aside from that silly rumor, anyone else enjoying this cool night air as much as I am?"

Michael

"Yes Milady! I wouldn't dare die in vain, especially if it would cause you worry!" Smiling as he looked at her, he faced the shack and his smile dissipated, but his bravery kicked in as he strode towards it. Heart pounding and his brow soaking up sweat, he hesitated as he neared what he perceived as a door. It's now or never... Pulling it aside as lightly and quietly as he could, which wasn't all that quiet, he went inside.

Edited December 29, 2011 by RainbowKitty

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

Obelia

Obelia has been a light shade of pink during the duration of said journey. It seems odd to be this shade in any way, yet her body has felt an absent shyness with the head of an old friend against her shoulder, the closest she’s come to intimacy in a long, long time. She has, however, tried her best to explain through light anecdotes and simple recollection her journey, leaving the village, searching for her fathers grave and now this side-distraction, something that she feels she should do to at least aid another. She does smile at the now awake little girl, her face adopting a gentler look then she has shown in a long time. It almost mirrors her mothers in the softness displayed, smiling warmly at Sophia’s daughter, with a gentle grin at her friend.

‘I see she’s as sweet as you were when you were tiny, from all those stories your mother used to tell…’

Langley

The hours have gone by and with a silence fallen over her, Langley finds herself strained from the emotions that have had to change so rapidly as things have escalated. She is now a light, rather dizzy form of angry, having understood what exactly has been following her for some time since she and Andy have arrived back here, now understanding what exactly it is that has been ‘pretending’ to be a wraith who, from the looks of things and the semblance of the costume that has now been torn of the rather glary looking man in the chair, has been pretending to be Noel’s missing auntie to try and scare them both into a guilt fuelled escape from this place. It is with a silent look to Andy she tries to weakly urge him to bed, not wanting him to see Noel quite like…. Well, this.

Noel

Tied to a chair now, with some rope Langley has offered from some light adventuring, is a man who Noel remembers from some time when she was tiny. Noel has quite a good memory to her, able to remember as far back as that rather awkward, ultimately fun first meeting with Langley. So she can see in the now rather lined face of this man, that same rather harsh glare, an echo of a boy who called her less then a person once long ago, a small anger called from her depths as she looks at him.

‘I remember you. Don’t think I don’t and to be honest, I thought your parents would a done a better job raising you then this.’

‘I do-‘he begins, but a hiss from Noel almost makes him fall back with the chair, her eyes as narrow as slits.

‘I am not done. Don’t think, after all this, you have any right to speak to me.’ He does go silent, Noel’s mind a bit too angry to calm down at the moment.

Carrie

Carrie has spent the journey lightly chatting, sometimes back to Horatio, offering him the occasional reassuring smile, grin and some of the time lightly chatting to Amera and Gideon, wanting to know what had happened since that day at the rather crappy guild. She even blinked, wondering where Ignatius the rather kind wolf-man had gone, but for now focused on those here and now, quite content to chat.

Ellandra

Ellandra has been doing her best to lightly interact with others, though she has found her writing pad has slowly been getting fuller as time goes on as well. She smiles, listens, trying to engage everyone she can when they seem to be free, getting to Horatio and with a slight tired but still kind of bright smile, holding up a hello on her pad, wondering if she’s just being slightly aggravating or social enough. For now, she just sticks to it, seeing where the reactions will take her.

Zwool

Zwool is now simply walking to the library, yawning a bit but confident that he can check in for a book or just read for a moment or two before heading back to weight. Maybe he’s unaware this is somewhat taking a leave of being obsessive, but for now he just wonders how long the library is open, a small musing on where it is still placed, before walking in a brusque manner in said direction. The book he still holds, the odd, lightly scaled book is clutched in his hand, wanting to have somewhere slightly cosy to read it.

[Jaybee]

Sophia

‘I see she’s as sweet as you were when you were tiny, from all those stories your mother used to tell…’

Sophia laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh; rather, a bitter and sad one. "She actually told you the stories of when she found me sweet? I'm surprised she thought me nice at all."

She sighed, adjusting her position so she was closer to Obelia, their heads touching. "She hated me, or at least didn't like me at all. There's a reason why I... ran away, instead of staying home."

Elune

There's the damn city...

The horse was as tired as she was, slowly plodding along towards the walls of the city. There weren't very many other people travelling, the only other people she saw were in a wagon, also on its way to the city.

She was nearly at the gates when the horse gave way, collapsing without much warning. Elune was thrown off rather violently, garnering several bruises.

"Fuck..." She'd have screamed, if she had the energy to. Instead, she took the small bag on the horse, slowly ambling towards Jalden.

Edited December 30, 2011 by JBCWK

[Shin]

Ken

Obelia and Sophia were still talking, Ken still deemed it rude if he were to interrupt or listen in. Ahead of them was a traveler. He wished them well on their way, not taking too much notice of their presence.

Suddenly, the horse collapsed, sending its rider flying. He stopped the wagon, he couldn't leave them and their horse to suffer like that.

"Obelia, Sophia. Do forgive me, it seems the rider ahead of us has had a mishap, I'll only be a short while."

He climbed down from the wagon and hurried over to the rider, he was prepared to help them back up. Upon approaching, he saw it was a woman, she had managed to get to her feet - she at least had some strength left.

"Miss, are you alright? That was quite a fall. If there is any way I can help, please say so. I am familiar with healing magic, would you like me to tend to both yours and your horse's injuries?"

[CT075]

Therese

"Help! Pull my arm or something!"

Therese grabbed the horse-guy's other arm, but started fumbling with her darts with the other. Not an easy task, as the mercenary was actually dragging both of them off to the side. She leaned to the other side, hard, briefly letting go of Danyon's arm to load a dart.

She leveled it right at Tiran's face, where his helm had eye-openings. "Arigh', sir, looks like ye've had enough." The man made the wise decision of letting go, dropping to the floor before she could pull the trigger. Therese fired anyway, hoping to at least hit some chink in that armor. Then she pocketed it and yanked at Danyon, trying to pull him back up.

"Gues' ye're not all tha' bad aft'r all, eh?"

Tiran

Sonova...

The man was refusing to fall. Tiran was about to try and get his sword out again when he noticed the girl pointing a small crossbow at his face. Judging from what he'd been told, that would not feel pleasant in his eye.

Fuck...

He dropped and rolled. When he finally came to a stop on the ground, battered and bruised, he heard a small 'chink' and realized that there was a dart buried in the plating, just a few inches from the chink at his neck.

I'll get you some day, girl. Just wait.

The mercenary plucked it out, throwing it to the floor, then turned around and slowly walked back to his horse.

[Jaybee]

Danyon

"FUCK, THIS HURTS." The way Tiran was pulling him, his arm would probably break or be fractured, and it was almost certainly dislocated. Therese had briefly grabbed his arm before letting go, nearly shooting the armoured man in the face with her crossbow. Thankfully, that had gotten him to let go.

"Gues' ye're not all tha' bad aft'r all, eh?"

"This is normal, I guess." After he got pulled back up onto the horse, he said, "Just stop the horse whenever you think you're far enough. I think something's wrong with my arm."

Elune

The guy pulling the wagon had stopped, walking up to her and offering his aid.

"Miss, are you alright? That was quite a fall. If there is any way I can help, please say so. I am familiar with healing magic, would you like me to tend to both yours and your horse's injuries?"

"There's... no need to. This horse can't be saved, and I'll be fine." She grimaced as she turned to face the man.

When she saw his face, she nearly screamed. She stumbled backwards, barely catching herself, before drawing both of her knives.

"No... How are you... alive... you're supposed to be dead..."

Edited December 30, 2011 by JBCWK

[Shin]

Ken

It seemed she wasn't badly hurt, which was a relief. However, the horse wasn't quite as fortunate.

"There's... no need to. This horse can't be saved, and I'll be fine."

She was right, the horse had stopped moving, if only he had got to it sooner. But that was fate, sometimes it didn't go the way you wanted. He was about to offer her a ride to Jalden, but suddenly, she started acting strangely. She seemed hostile, yet almost afraid as she leaped back.

"No... How are you... alive... you're supposed to be dead..."

Ken was puzzled, what did she mean? Did she know the assassins from earlier? It would be horrible to jump to conclusions, it might be something else entirely. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, he inquired?

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand? Have we met before? I'm usually quite good at remembering faces but I don't recognize you."

[Jaybee]

Elune

She barely paid any attention to what the man was saying, but he, too, seemed confused, but not in the same way she was. She continued to stutter, almost shivering, even.

"Y-You can't be a-alive... I-I know... I remember k-killing you..."

[CT075]

Therese

"Just stop the horse whenever you think you're far enough. I think something's wrong with my arm."

Therese nodded. A quick glance backwards showed Tiran riding away, seemingly giving up on the chase. "I think we're good for now... If he comes back, we can chase him off again."

She stopped the horse a little bit further down the coast just to be safe, then dismounted and helped Danyon off.

"That arm probably shouldn't be hanging around like that, we should go find a healer or something." Therese tore off part of her sleeve and wrapped it around Danyon's arm as a makeshift sling. "So, what's the deal with yeh guys? All I know is, yeh and some knight were aft'r some random guy I met a' Pravna; wha's the big deal?"

Tiran

Tiran figured it wasn't worth chasing them for now. They couldn't go anywhere soon, or if they did he could follow them. The mercenary mounted his horse and rode off towards town. From what he'd heard, the tavern here was legendary.

Teis/Ormis/Rina

"OK guys, we've made it. We're all gonna pass out if we keep going... ...even if our horses are going at a steady pace."

Ormis started to say something, but Teis cut him off.

"I have no objections. If anything, Carrion would have departed for Devon; it is the closest port to where her imposter was last reported as sighted. Whether or not she stops there is a different matter. In any case, there's no sense in pressing onwards and merely exhausting ourselves; I suggest that we stay the night and head off in the morning."

Edited December 30, 2011 by Camtech

[Shin]

Aurelio

"...Whether or not she stops there is a different matter. In any case, there's no sense in pressing onwards and merely exhausting ourselves; I suggest that we stay the night and head off in the morning."

It made sense, there'd be no point trying to head them off in Devon, they had a significant lead.

"Good that's sorted. We'll go find somewhere to stay and head off early. If we find someone willing to take us to the island as soon as we get to the coast, we might have a chance."

Ken

"Y-You can't be a-alive... I-I know... I remember k-killing you..."

It suddenly hit him, she thought he was Rafael. His assassin was never caught, but apparently she was there in front him. He needed to keep calm, if he gave into his emotions, nothing good could come.

"Rafael... Are you the one who killed Rafael van Lirio? Did you take my brother from both this world and me?"

It hurt, Rafael had meant the world to him, yet he couldn't do anything about it. There was nothing that could bring him back.

[Jaybee]

Elune

She had regained her composure, somewhat, and now she had to deal with the angry brother of a man she had killed.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Yes. I killed him. One bolt was enough, as I remember. Lushian priest... He's one of those men who took my mother. I'd even say it was justified." She laughed softly. If she'd really met his brother, might as well rub some salt into the wound.

She winked at him once, before using what little energy he had left to run into the city. With the wagon in addition to the horse, the brother wouldn't be able to catch up to her in time.

Danyon

"That arm probably shouldn't be hanging around like that, we should go find a healer or something."

"Yes, but where? Let's assume there's a town nearby, with a healer - your assailant, whoever that may be, will either follow us or go there himself. I suppose if we go back and attempt to find some friends of mine, that would be the safest route.

Therese had helped him to tie a sling around his arm, which he acknowledged with a nod of the head. She then asked about Teis and him, which he couldn't help but smile at.

"See, your 'friend' tried to kill two people I know. And, considering how at the time, he was working for someone who wanted one of those two people very dead, it would have been... in everyone's best interests to get rid of him. And we would have too, if you hadn't gotten in the way."

[CT075]

Therese

"Alrighty, then, that's all done with~" Therese finished tying the sling, then backed up slightly. "All he tol' me was sumthin' abou' the Crimson Witch. Yeh know anythin' about 'er?"

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia & Adano

"If we find someone willing to take us to the island as soon as we get to the coast, we might have a chance."

Adano seemed to be leaning into every word of the conversation. He thought about his earlier days of travel. "I remember coming here a long time ago," he said, "I met a few sailors too. Whether or not they're alive is a different story."

He recalled his days near Pravna, where he became embroiled in a large barfight with a few sailors. He had defeated all of them and earned their respect, yet it was one of Adano's most grueling challenges. He dueled three men at once--something he'd never done.

Lucretia was nervous about going to Pravna--this was the first time she would come face-to-face with Carrion since the Snow Chameleons. It was a long time and yet she knew it would happen. She hoped, of course, that it wouldn't be antagonistic. She knew facing Carrion in battle would end miserably. "We can't lose this opportunity," she said, "it's top priority we talk to her before it's too late. I do NOT want to fight her." She chuckled a bit before beginning to set up.

"We'll see," Adano replied, "I just hope that the right thing happens."

Julius & Gabriel

The pair were asleep in each other's arms, trying to keep warm, in the wagon caravan that they'd joined. The caravan was heading west, near Pravna, where one of Gabriel's siblings were. Their mission was simple--tell Gabriel's siblings the will, one by one. The will, of course, was fake. Gabriel's father had never made a formal will, merely a statement. Julius, in order to try and work things in Gabriel's favor, wrote up a fake will and forged Sarson's signature. It was essentially his only chance.

The two of them could only hope that their plan would work.

Cameron

Instead of staying in one place, Cameron also continued traveling. He decided to head south. His motives were unclear, even to him, yet he just felt like south was the way to go.

[Shin]

Aurelio

"I remember coming here a long time ago... I met a few sailors too. Whether or not they're alive is a different story."

Adano seemed to have solved the transport situation, hopefully his connections were still there. Lucretia seemed troubled, perhaps it was the possibility that Carrion might not be so cooperative.

"It's top priority we talk to her before it's too late. I do NOT want to fight her."

Fighting Carrion would end badly, they'd never get near her without being torched... even with all of them. He wasn't going to lose Lunaria though, it would be too much, but then again, losing Lucretia, Adano and the others would be just as bad. He recalled Ormis mentioned something about Carrion being unsealed. Aurelio didn't understand magic, but surely she'd need someone pretty powerful to do that for her. Mages were scholars, right? So maybe really powerful casters were in Pravna's library.

"Hey, guys. I've been thinking, it might be an idea if we check out Pravna's library. Maybe whoever unsealed Carrion and got her to go after Lunaria will be there."

There was also the matter of Rina, was it? Was she coming or not? It was a dangerous trip, not one that a child should be going on.

"Yo, Rina. If you don't want to get tangled up in this, that's fine. I can give you some gold and you can be on your way. It looks like followin' Ormis around has taken its toll."

They were approaching Pravna's wall, with some luck, the gates would be open.

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

Ken

"Yes. I killed him. One bolt was enough, as I remember. Lushian priest... He's one of those men who took my mother. I'd even say it was justified."

Ken couldn't say anything, he couldn't move. She showed no remorse, did she really hate his existence that much? He stayed still, he needed time to take it all in.

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Lunaria

She was still asleep, completely unaware of what was happening outside. She tensed for a few seconds, looking quite distressed. However, she soon relaxed, and spoke from her dreams;

"I'm sorry... Reynor... Please forgive me... I love you..."

She turned over, her mouth slightly open.

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Oshea

They had finally decided to stop up. Oshea needed his sleep. The group set up camp, ready to start again in the morning.

Edited December 31, 2011 by Dokutayuu