Abysmal Souls: Chapter 2

[ReformBlade]

"I don't think you understand... I can't take it easy, Adrian, I-" Suddenly, a knock at the door, making Carrion get herself back up. "Just a second!" She said, picking up the chair and placing it back where it was supposed to go. Opening the door slowly, she saw it was Amera again, and with an audible sigh she opened the door wide enough to let the girl in again.

Grant had run roughly half the distance to Varthas before tiring out. He was almost drenched entirely in sweat at this point, his breathing irregular and almost forced at this point. However, he was on a time crunch, but unfortunately, his body couldn't care less. He slowed himself down to a walk, his steps getting heavier, yet still a constant pace. The sun was falling at this point, and the wind was picking up, which he didn't mind at all. "You goddamn devil... When I get my hands on you..." Many thoughts of murder went through his mind just then, and he let them fester for a while, the only thing moving him forward at this point.

Edited June 16, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

With the slow step of quiet echoing from behind the collapsed girl, the girl Obelia is silent. She stands in full, dried armour, cloak torn and drifting over her form to cloud her in privacy. She is looking to the dead form of Anastasia and she looks to her for a long moment. A Myan Mother, pushed to an edge of no return. The legend of this woman had begun to grow just before her birth yet Obelia's life has been shaped by the skill of this woman, her tales of the blade and its arts legendary. Yet the truths, the unwelcome ones, had long since become dark facts, the massacre of a Myan falmiy almost entirely by this lifeless woman’s blades. She stands quietly and yet, regardless of her past, she bows her head to the empty soul below her, a calm whisper echoing from her lips. 'May you find redemption in the next life. Your soul is at peace.' She turns then and sights the others, a slow glance over the injured girl who'd fought this woman. She seems to, in some ways, mirror the now dead woman yet something must be different, he thinks lightly, to cause this bout to have come about. She glances over a rather injured woman and nearby, the boy again, Ormis. She glances further, ignoring quietly the Lady from... before. And seeing the knight in green, the other quite boyish looking people with axes around him, she nods once to herself. She cannot say she truly knows what she is doing, yet after one brief, silent bow to the injured woman from fighting this passed away lady, she turns lightly and begins to head out a gate.

Edited June 16, 2011 by NagafenOfIvalice

[Jaybee]

To have the ability to turn fire into ice... That Anri man is certainly powerful. Still, I guess I might go back - I need to talk to those people in the inn. Danyon turned back to the inn and quickly downed one drink before heading upstairs once more.

[Shin]

Aurelio

Aurelio had made it to the inn, ready to let Lucretia get some rest. He began to regret leaving the others, never knowing the true about the witch.

"I suppose it's the end of this crazy adventure. Heh, I almost miss the others. I guess it's too late to change my mind now."

Just before he stepped through the door he heard Lucretia murmur something. He couldn't make out what she said, probably nonsense. Or was it? She'd been on the journey too, who was he to end it for her now? She'd joined out of curiosity too, they both wanted answers. The problem was catching up, he couldn't carry her and catch up to the others.

However, by what was a stroke of good fortune, Aurelio spotted a horse tied to a post next to the inn. Lucretia wasn't too badly hurt now, just tired. Plus, it wasn't stealing if he wasn't going to keep it, right? It was for a good cause too. He climbed on carefully with Lucretia. He then lashed her to his back with the last remaining strands of his jacket. The horse seemed reluctant, its new rider didn't seem very gentle. It didn't matter, once he spurred it into action, it moved at lightning speed. Probably out of terror. He'd soon be back with the others. Probably within minutes. He'd probably get laughed at for running away but he could deal with that later. As he galloped away, he could hear a man shouting;

"Thief! Thief! That man's stolen my horse!"

Edited June 16, 2011 by Dokutayuu

[Jaybee]

Elune

"Thief! Thief! That man's stolen my horse!"

And he doesn't even have the common courtesy to pay for a damn horse? Never mind that, I'll take the rap, as per normal. As the man ran out of the inn and onto the main road, Elune held her dagger, ready to attack, and smiled at him.

The man immediately stopped shouting and turned back towards the inn. Elune's horse went forward to the front of the inn to make sure he was gone, then it turned around and started heading for the hills toward Shuthra.

Let's see how far I can go before anything happens to us. As long as we don't go to Varthas, I'll... be fine...

[Nanami Touko]

"Hello!" She hurried into the room and sat back in the chair she had before, curious as to why it had been moved a little, but not really worrying over it. "So, I brought the ice! I'm sure it's melted a bit, but it should be fine!" Sure enough, there was still a large chunk of ice in the container, surrounded by a small, growing, puddle of water. She held it out for the witch to take, remembering that she was to ask their names. "Oh, I never did get your names, but you know mine, ha ha."

-----

"Why can't you--?" he was immediately cut off as Amera walked into the room, her presence stopping him from talking. "Oh, awesome. Thanks." He wasn't about to move and put the ice on his ankle himself. As lazy as it was, he'd wait for Riya to put it on for him. "Oh, I'm Adrian." Yeah, she did kinda say her name back with that wolf.

[CT075]

Both

Teis rode into town, Ormis sitting behind him. Truth be told, the boy was even worse than Teis had first believed. One unforgettable moment on the ride over, Ormis was seeing how loud he could shout before causing an avalanche. Teis had to threaten to shove him off the horse before he would shut up.

Ormis had only ridden a horse twice before in his life, and so enjoyed the ride over quite a bit. Once they entered town, both dismounted, and Teis sold the horse for a bag of gold. The two set off, one wishing he hadn't stopped to bring the other along. By some stroke of luck, Ormis spotted Amera walking into a house with a bucket of something, and was about to kick down the door if Teis hadn't lifted him bodily and thrown him against a wall to stop him.

"Listen, kid. I'm beginning to regret picking you up from there, so if you don't stop being such an idiot, I will, by the love of god, throw you into a well. Now, have you considered that the Anri girl might just be taking a bucket of water in for someone who asked? What if you rushed in there, sword gleaming only to find yourself faced by an elderly couple on sickbeds? What then? So just shut up, sit back, and let me do all the negotiating."

Teis had to admit there was something in the notion that it might be the Witch's house. As it stood, however, Amera had no ties to the Witch whatsoever, besides being (in Teis' opinion) hopelessly naive to the point of trying to talk the Witch into peace. He almost snorted at the thought.

That being said, they had no other leads, so Teis instructed Ormis to go get himself a proper cloak with some of the gold he'd received from the sale of the horse, then found a nice spot to hunker down and watch the house. If it so happened that the Witch was in there... what then?

It's almost as if...

[ReformBlade]

"... The name is Carrion." Replied the witch, coldly. Grabbing the container, she sighed. Pulling the chair over for the right elevation, she placed it on the seat and carefully moved his ankle into it. "Now just keep it there for a bit... and as for you" She pointed lazily at the catgirl. "Why are you still here? Threatening me and my friend, no less... It's like you have no fucking clue who the hell I am. Do you?" She asked with all the sincerity she could muster, but failing to hide any anger. "Speak up now, or just LEAVE!"

---

The knight continued on, his steps muffled by the snow and blurred by the wind. He panted in time with his steps, tired but not slowing down. As he went on, he failed to notice a shadow the moved about on the ground. Winged and seemingly fast, it began circling him. Only when the shadow passed right in front of him did he acknowledge its existence and looked to the darkening sky, his eyes widened with a cold fear, stopping him dead in his tracks. These things never traveled this far to the border, choosing rather to hide in their mountains, deep inside and protected. What it was doing out here proved to be a great mystery to Grant, and also possibly his undoing.

"A... D-Dragon?!" the only words that could escape his lips. The only way he could win was if the beast let him win. However... Grant wasn't about to throw in the towel. He'd never forgive himself if he just gave up because of something as minor as 'oh, I was caught alone with a dragon nearby'. The dragon swooped down at Grant, the knight dodging surprisingly agilely to the side, the dragon roaring loudly. Its roar carried far and wide, reverberating off of Grant and his armor easily, almost making him deaf, and definitely stunning him for a second. The beast turned around, rearing its neck back before launching forward and releasing a huge spray of green liquid. "SHIT!" was all Grant could say as he dove again, his mind limited to swearing at this point, and his armor getting flecked with some of it. Even the tiny amount that got him wound it's way through, leaving a nice big hole in the armor he wore. Grant gulped...

[Sakusa]

Lucinda shook her head in disapproval and motioned for Elune to come along. "I will lecture the both of you later. We must make up for lost time and rejoin Sir Grant!"

Luckily, Seilynda caught up just in time and rejoined everyone else just before they set out. "Sorry, I took so long. Let's go!" She rode ahead of the rest, since Aurelio was taking care of Lucretia, and she figured that the healer lady would look after Elune, which reminded her... She turned her head around, slowed down, and called out to everyone else. "Hey guys! I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Seilynda!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Seilynda. I am Lady Lucinda of House Urith."

"Nice to meet you, too, milady!"

A bloodcurdling screech came from a distance, spooking the horses. It took a while for Lucinda and Seilynda to calm them down.

"Wh-What was that?"

"I'm not quite sure, but it certainly is monstrous."

"What do we do?"

"Sir Grant is headed in that direction. He might have encountered trouble. We shall reinforce him!"

"Yes, milady!" And so the two made haste.

(And I lazied again.)

Edited June 17, 2011 by Rathian

[Nanami Touko]

"Alright, Carrion. Also, that ice was made with magic, that's not a problem, right...?" She kept her smile on, though, the woman's anger was showing through, and her happy demeanor was starting to change. "I-I didn't think I was--"

"Speak up now, or just LEAVE!"

And her smile was gone, as she looked down. "No, I really don't know who you are... That's why I followed you, so I could find out. I'm sorry if it sounded like I was threatening you, I was just..." she had only tried to excuse herself from actually fighting against them, but she felt kinda stupid, thinking over what she'd said, "I'm sorry, really. I-I... didn't mean to come across like that..." She looked back up at the woman, a look of sadness in her eyes. "D'you think... you could tell me who you really are? I do want to know."

-----

"Ow, ow, watch the ankle...!" Adrian complained a bit as his leg was moved, suddenly feeling better as the ice hit it. Oh, seriously, that feels so much better... A satisfied sigh escaped his lips, as he placed his hands behind his head to rest on. Riya's shout broke his relaxation though, as he listened to the two of them speak. "Get cozy, Amera, you're in for a long... actually, ya know, other than what you told me at the village, I don't really know much about your past." He sat back up, leaning on his arms, intent on hearing a bit more about her.

[ReformBlade]

She looked to Adrian, a confused look on her face. "No, I haven't told you everything, but there's not much I left out... Alright, fine. You both wanna know so badly, I'll warn you right now, it's not grand." Holding her hand out, she spawned a purple burst of flame from her hand, revealing the tome she and Adrian were now bound to. "This... book here? My soul is bound to it, as is his" She quickly took it away in another burst of flame, not wanting the thing revealed very long for obvious reasons to her. "It's... an anomaly, I have no idea where it came from, I don't know if it was meant for me or for someone else and I ended up with it instead, but what I do know is that it has given me tremendous control over mana in general. Now..." she took a deep sigh, hating having to explain how she found out about its destructive power every time. "Due to that power and having no control over it, I ended up killing my brother with it trying to save him, burning him to ashes, blown away by the wind. I was maybe a child at the time, I had no fucking clue what I was doing, I was simply trying to help out my only living family member when what should happen next, some goddamn drunkard from the way he walked and smelled saw me with the book held over a scorch mark on the ground in the shape of a human. 'DEVIL CHILD! WIIIIITCH!' is what he screamed at me, immediately charging me with a knife. In my defense, I brought the book in front of me, screaming for dear life when the man erupted in flames in front of me, shouting loudly and alerting the whole goddamn city."

She took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead, wanting to forget it all and yet it was all burned into her mind infallibly. "I was... 9? 10? And everyone who heard the man and saw his now charred corpse saw me, standing there horrified. Obviously, they all blamed me, and that's not something I'll hide from. I know I killed him, I didn't want to but he would've killed me! Suddenly, self defense is a crime! Yes, I had no control over the book then. Yes, I killed him. But to try and kill a child because of a fucking misunderstanding?! I was more horrified at the townsfolk at that point! They began circling me, yelling threats at me and brandishing anything they could get their hands on at me. I just watched and cried, and then... survival took over. This time, I did want to kill the people. Because..." She was getting slightly hysterical at this point. "Because if I didn't kill them, they were going to kill me! So I did what I could, I screamed again and the book 'heard' me, setting everyone on fire near me again. After that... I grabbed any money I could find and ran. Ran as fast as I fucking could. Anywhere but there would've been great, and many villagers saw me running, and that's where it all began. Every town I went to, I was the outcast, the devil, the Crimson witch, The 'Devourer' as people would claim since I began to learn how to channel the damn book's energies more... potently. Never... once... did I ever kill people outside of a mercenary job unless I was provoked and there was no other option... But hey, why bother talking to the bitch, let's just kill her and be done with it!"

Her fists were clenched, the knuckles white. She spoke through her teeth, trying to hold back tears and anger, "I died when I was 13. Beheaded after begging for my life, crying my heart out, the man not listening to a word I said to him, his eyes filled with a murderous... just... downright hateful look. To him and to the others it took to kill me, I was a spawn of the Devil, possibly evil itself! Why show mercy to me?" She took yet another deep breath, albeit ragged, "It's... a strange feeling, dying. Although I can't say I truly died, since I'm here right now, but what I felt... I didn't like it. All I could see was darkness, and then suddenly I'd be lying on the ground, like... waking from a deep sleep. Since the world thought I was dead at that point, I could hide easier, but my 'natural talent' made everyone suspicious, and I couldn't control the power easily... and the cycle repeated many times, people catching on that I'd be coming back time and time again..."

She sat down on the bed, covering her face. She told her story, and to be honest, she didn't care if the girl believed her or not at this point, Carrion just wanted to curl up and be alone at this point, her body heaving with controlled sobs. "Every so often I'd find.. one person. One goddamn person who would look past my power and deeds and try for once to see who I was. Almost every time, THEY were killed for associating with me. I just... I never meant for it... never..." She couldn't go on anymore, her focus now on trying not to cry, breathing hard.

---

The dragon almost grinned at Grant, knowing it had an easy kill. As such, it brought its claws down on the man, Grant taking a powerful swing to try and fight back at the beast. He left a gash in the beast's scaled hand, but his sword nearly shattering completely, the bottom half of it intact but the top half... scattered all across the ground now. The dragon roared again, not in pain, but in outright annoyance and anger. Grant took pride in his small accomplishment. He knew he'd die for it, but he at least pissed off a dragon AND hurt the damn thing. Not many people could claim that. Even fewer could live and claim that...

[Nanami Touko]

Adrian listened intently, making sure to follow everything she was saying. Of course, not even halfway through, he simply wanted to cradle her in his arms; give her some kind of loving contact, but she was still standing, and he wasn't getting off the bed any time soon. Luckily, she'd sat down afterwards, and he quickly pulled her into his lap, whilst sitting up. He wrapped his arms around her, and placed his head on hers. "I... feel bad. I feel bad thinking that my life is terrible, after hearing that. I've lost my family, sure, but... compared to you, it's like I've just fallen and scraped my knee, while you've broken... every bone in your body." He was crying too, now. It was an extremely depressing tale, and from Riya's reaction, every word of it had been true. So he sat there, embracing her just to give her some sort of support. "Listen..." he said through sniffling, "I know that... people like me, people who see 'you'... have probably said this before, but, I... I don't care. I'm going to be here, and I'm not going to let anything, or anyone take me away from you, alright?"

-----

Amera listened with bated breath, her eyes widening at the mention of Carrion being the 'Crimson Witch'. She's really...? That's... Of course, Carrion's story matched up with the tales Amera had heard, but, they were from a much different point of view. About how this woman was truly the entire evil of the world, but... how could she be? Wouldn't she have razed the town in flames by now if the stories were true? Amera didn't really know what to believe, but... I want to believe her. I... she's crying, and she's shaking... could someone really just... act like that, of their own volition? She stared at the floor, hands at her sides, not sure of what to think or what to say. At the end, she couldn't even say anything. Her mind was trying to process everything she'd just heard, and it wasn't working very well.

[Sakusa]

Lucinda, spotting the dragon, knew she had to act quickly or else Grant would turn into dragonmeat. "Seilynda, dear, I'm going to divert the dragon's attention away from Sir Grant. I am aware that I am taking a most awful gamble, but you must divert it again to yourself so that I may go to his aid, are we clear?"

"Y-Yes, milady." Seilynda couldn't say much else. She thought that dragons were just figments of the imagination, mere fairy tales. She would never have, in her wildest dreams, imagined that she would encounter one. She wasn't even that far from home! The girl swallowed hard, visibly trembling. The dragon was massive, she wasn't sure if she could even create enough of a distraction to buy Lady Lucinda enough time.

Lucinda conjured up a large fireball with her rapier and shot it at the dragon. The flames scorched part of its wing, causing it to shriek, and the diversion was made. The beast whipped its head towards their direction.

"Milady, get behind me, NOW!" Once Seilynda's trusty spear was within her hands, all her worries and doubts disappeared. She was going to do her duty... or die trying. She waved weapon at the dragon, provoking it. "C'mon, you scalebag! Too chicken to fight? Nya nya nya nya BOO-BOO." She rode off, hoping it would follow after.

Once Seilynda rode off, she rushed towards Grant and pulled out a staff. The jewel affixed to it glowed, stopping the bleeding, but she was afraid it was too late. "Sir Grant, please, say something! Are you alright? My Goddess, please show mercy upon this man and guide him back to your worthless servant!"

Edited June 17, 2011 by Rathian

[ReformBlade]

Carrion let Adrian hold her, glad for the support, the warmth of another's touch. She was silent for many moments aside from the occasional sob that escaped her mouth, time seemingly stopped in the room, silence all around them, until, "Is... that what you were expecting? Am I really the devil? If you think I am, then just fucking do it, right here, right now. I don't even care. I'll just come back, more people will die, more people will hate me for existing, and the cycle will repeat until they cage me up like an animal and break me..." She was visibly trembling, her body belying what her words tried to hide.

---

"Sir Grant, please, say something! Are you alright? My Goddess, please show mercy upon this man and guide him back to your worthless servant!"

The knight's body felt like it was on fire, every inch of it. When the healing took place, his bones began to snap back into place causing momentary but necessary fits of pain in his body. "I'm... I'm here... I'm alive, thank... you..." He got up, breathing hard. His heart sank as he watched the dragon chase off after Seilynda, the monster shrieking furiously at the newcomer, the distance closing every moment he watched. No no NO! This isn't how it's supposed to go! If there is a god, maybe I can do this... "I'm not letting another friend die because of my inability again!" He roared, his stamina surging due to adrenaline. He looked to his broken weapon, then to Lucinda's Rapier then the dagger she had at her side. With a moment to think it through, he figured he'd apologize to her later, if he would survive this encounter. He quickly ripped the dagger, sheath and all, from her person and ran as fast as he could to intercept the dragon as it chased Seilynda wildly.

Edited June 17, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[Nanami Touko]

Riya, seriously? You're... really just going to give her the option of taking your life like that? Her trembling was extremely obvious, as was the shakiness in her voice. He could only sit there and hold her, until the cat girl responded.

-----

Amera sat there with her head in her hands. Her mind had finally come to a decision, and she wasn't sure it was the right one. But she released a long, exasperated sigh, leaning back in the chair. "I... won't do that. I can't do that. If you're lying, then you're a good enough liar to have convinced me, but I don't think you are. I don't think anyone could fake a reaction like that..." She looked back at the two of them with her normal smile, not wanting to be sad anymore. I guess I'm going with my gut, for now. "So! What can I do to help?" Back to what she'd originally came to do, Amera needed to know what she could do in order to get Carrion to trust her more.

Edited June 17, 2011 by seph1212

[ReformBlade]

What can she do that'l make me trust her? Carrion thought, expecting a sudden jolt of pain instead of kind words. She honestly didn't know how to respond to it, her mind racing and her body physically running out of steam. "Well... I'm about to faint here in a second, so just... make sure no one comes in here... keep watch or... some...thing... zzzz...." She zonked out entirely, her whole body going limp in an instant, drooling ever so slightly.

[Sakusa]

Lucinda would've yelled at Grant for taking her weapon without permission, but his sword was in pieces and time was of the essence. Even though Grant was running, she was starting to fall behind further. Her horse was getting fatigued and the snow wasn't doing him any favors.

Seilynda didn't dare turn around and take a look at the dragon. If she did, she would've wasted precious time instead of running for her life. Even though she couldn't see, she could hear and practically feel it inching closer to her. Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a peek behind her and regretted it immediately. The creature took a swipe at her, knocking her off her horse and onto the cold snow with a loud snapping noise. She bit back a yelp and tears; her landing was far less than perfect, and she was quite sure legs didn't bend that way. She held her spear with both hands and took a swing, somehow leaving a nasty-looking cut on the dragon's snout. Of course, this made the dragon even angrier, and it began to stomp around in a frenzy, blowing clouds of acidic vapor out from its nostrils. The girl gnashed her teeth together and flailed at it with her lance. There's nothing more I can do, I'm done for...! Mom... Dad... everyone... I'm sorry, I failed you... Please live long, happy lives. I'll be waiting in the next life.

The caster chanted her spells and hurled more bolts of elemental magic at the dragon, attempting to get it away from Seilynda. My Goddess, I beg of you, protect this child from harm, and bless her with your protection.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Rathian

[Nanami Touko]

"Riya? Hey, are you...? She's just sleeping, alright. Listen, Amera... I believe her too. I mean, I don't know how much you trust me, having just met me, but... could you keep watch? I've got a sprained ankle, and I doubt Riya's gonna wake up anytime soon..." He yawned, himself, not having not realized how tired he really was. "I think... I think I'll sleep too. Listen, um... Can I trust you not to run off to Grant, or any of them? Can I really? Just... please. Even if you don't believe us, even if you don't trust us, and you do run off... don't tell them where we are." He pleaded with the girl, as he lay down, Riya laying there on him. Just... let us get some peaceful sleep.

-----

Amera simply nodded. She listened to Adrian, and didn't say a thing. I can keep watch, at least, for one night. I need... I need to think these things over... She left the room to the two of them, and exited the inn entirely. Standing outside of the front door, she leaned against the wall, looking up. It was getting dark, and a few of the stars had just begun to show themselves. One of the two moons had shown itself in the sky, and the town was gearing down for supper and sleep. Can I trust them? I still don't know... Makes me wish I hadn't yelled at that old wolf. Maybe he'd be able to help me with this.

[ReformBlade]

Grant's body was reaching its limit, but he kept on pushing. If that guard died due to his urging, he'd feel like a failure and for good reason. The storm it threw out due to its rampaging proved to be just the opening he needed. As it flailed, he took a gamble, leaping at its side and latching onto it with his sword, the short sharp tip it had still able to help him out here. Now for the true test of might for the knight. Staying on a raging dragon's body and kill it without killing yourself. The beast was so angry and pissed at getting hurt by what it viewed as insects that it decided to just leave, taking off... with Grant still on its back. Grant was unphased by this beast, nay, he was pissed at it for hurting that guard. He scaled the being, slowly but surely inching his way to its head, the dragon twisting turning and flailing high above the ground. If Grant failed to hold on at this point, he was dead, his body would not survive the impact.

"You son of a bitch... You don't get to sneak up on me and terrorize my friends, you... just... DON'T!" He yelled, digging his broadsword into the creature's neck which, while painful, only served as the gateway for Grant shifting his weight over to the dragon's face, gripping the dagger he just stole and jamming it right in the eye of the dragon, going so far in that his forearm was covered in blood. The dragon was flailing in agony, unable to keep any sense of direction as it flew towards the ground, spewing acid everywhere in its final death-throes. As the beast crashed to the ground with a tremor inducing thud, it still had life in it, life that Grant couldn't resist snuffing out. He got right in front of the beast, his legs shaking from the powerful impact, one he was not going to question why he survived, his face contorted with rage as he took his broadsword and stabbed the monster in its other eye.

What he didn't expect was one last spurt of acid from the beast, acid that floored Grant, easily. When all was said and done, the dragon had died, Grant lay unconscious, the pain coursing through him putting him into shock. His left leg nothing more than a festering stump now.

Edited June 17, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[Shin]

Aurelio

Aurelio had heard the dragon's screech and made his way there as fast as he could. He had been too late, the dragon had been dead for a good few minutes. Grant was lying on the floor, splattered in acid and sporting only one leg. Aurelio's hesitation had potentially cost Grant his leg, the odds were that he had to fight that dragon alone. He climbed down from the horse, ensuring Lucretia wouldn't fall off.

"Grant? Grant!" he called, although to no avail. Grant wasn't waking any time soon. "Darn, if only I hadn't gone back..."

He looked around, checking on the rest of the group. Seilynda seemed a little roughed up, but the other two seemed alright. Now wasn't the time to mess around, it had already cost him once. Could they continue their quest without who was arguably their leader?

"OK guys, what're we going to do from here?" he asked, hoping someone would come up with a better plan than him. "Priest girl! I know you can't regrow his leg, but how much d'you think you can do for him? If that stuff can burn through armour, it's going to hurt pretty bad."

He looked over at the soldier girl. She seemed pretty fond of Grant, so it must have come as quite a shock. They'd probably have to have him ride with someone, although he wasn't quite sure if it would be safe to move him.

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

Ken

It had been a good while since Ken had last checked his map, he had somehow found himself next to a large body of water.

"Hm? Perhaps I've got myself a little lost. Maybe if I follow the edges of it I'll find Fregosch."

It was a good plan. However, his compass had stopped working in Phirias. He was in truth heading north, almost the polar opposite of his intended journey.

[CT075]

Both

Ormis came back with his cloak draped over his arm. When he reached the place where he and Teis had parted, the older man was nowhere to be found. Dammit... he can't have left me already...

As it happened, Teis had moved into a small side corridor, so as to be almost invisible to the occupants of the room ((read: he's in a blind spot)). When he saw Ormis come back and start blundering about, he gritted his teeth and yanked the kid into his little niche with him.

"Could you shut up? The last thing we need is those three in there noticing us right now, and you being a complete and utter IDIOT would draw every eye on us in an instant!"

Right at that moment, Ormis' sharp hearing picked up some sobs from inside the room they were watching. It was unmistakably Scarlet.

"Alright, that settles it. She's in there!"

Teis threw him aside (yet again).

"Alright, kid. I need to make some inquiries of her before you rush in and blow it again, so stay hidden unless you can see fire, I beg of you."

Having given his warning to the boy, Teis stood up, draped his own cloak so that it covered most of his armor (and the shaft of his axe) and knocked on the door.

Edited June 17, 2011 by Camtech075

[Sakusa]

The dragon's rampage left Seilynda unconscious for the duration of the remainder of the battle. She was covered in her own blood, the dragon's claw marks, and parts of her were burned by acid. The overgrown flying lizard had hit her head and flung the girl a ways, knocking her out. Eventually she came to and wiped blood from her eyes. The first thing she saw was the dragon's corpse and felt a sudden wave of relief. Then she saw Grant, and her heart sank. He was lying a few feet away from her, unconscious in the snow, bleeding profusely, and missing a leg. She struggled to hoist herself up; quite a few of her bones were broken. "G-Grant...?" she asked meekly, voice quivering, on the verge of tears. "H-Hey, Grant!" she called again, sniffling, tears rolling down her face, and feeling a little stupid, since he clearly couldn't hear her. "I-I'm so s-sorry, i-it's all m-my fault, p-please don't d-die! I-If you did, I couldn't p-possibly... bwahhhhh!!"

Lucinda was only able to watch in horror as she was powerless to aid Grant as he battled the mighty beast. All she could do was pray. Pray that he may survive this encounter. Once the monster was felled, she made her way towards the two wounded. Neither of them were in good shape, and their leader was missing a leg!

"Priest girl! I know you can't regrow his leg, but how much d'you think you can do for him? If that stuff can burn through armour, it's going to hurt pretty bad."

"I have a name, sir, and I expect you to use it!" she snapped, as she was already trying to figure out what she could do for him. The holy maiden mended the girl's wounds and Grant's more minor wounds in the meantime as she wracked her head for ideas.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia didn't feel the girl heal her wounds, nor did she feel Aurelio carry her onto the horse. The first thing she heard was the dragon's screech, and instantly she awoke. She found herself behind Aurelio riding on a horse towards the sound.

"What...?" She mumbled, almost inaudibly. She had no words. Her mind drifted to what happened before she passed out. The last thing she had seen was her mother's corpse, slain by her own hand.

As they approached the scene, Lucretia noticed the dead dragon, one of the people she didn't recognize from the duel, Grant, and someone she was unfamiliar with.

"Grant? Grant! Darn, if only I hadn't gone back..." She had seen Aurelio hop off of the horse, and then noticed how injured he actually was. She tried to get off of the horse, but her exhaustion hit her again, and she slumped over on the horse unconscious.

[Shin]

Aurelio

"I have a name, sir, and I expect you to use it!"

He hadn't expected that, she really did have an ego.

"You do? And there's me thinking everyone called you priest girl instead." He taunted. "How soon can we move him? It's gettin' late and staying out in the snow's not going to do us any good."

Grant's leg would pose a problem. Both for the group and for him individually. There was no way he could keep up with the others. His career as a mercenary would probably be over, something that he wouldn't be too happy about. Seilynda was also worse than he expected. She could barely walk and she was splattered in blood - along with some acid. Hopefully Lucinda could heal the both of them to at least some degree. Elune was skulking around, she didn't seem terribly interested in the well being of the two. He hadn't noticed Lucretia's brief spell of consciousness, although if would have probably put him at ease.

"There's probably a town somewhere near by. Just say the word when you want to set off. You don't mind lending him your horse, or are your feet tired?"

[Nanami Touko]

At this point, night was falling, and Amera would rather be inside than outside in the dark. "Well, I kept watch for long enough, right? I should head in and get some sleep myself." She turned to enter the inn, but stretched, taking one last look up at the sky. It's beautiful... too bad everything in this world can't be like that. She opened the door, and froze. There was someone up the stairs, knocking at Carrion and Adrian's room, and, though she couldn't see his face, she could tell by scent that the boy in front of her was Ormis. Without thinking, she grabbed Ormis into a choke hold, "Don't even try to move. Your neck's a lot more fragile than you'd think." A deadly whisper into his ear, she then looked up at the man near the door. "Hey. Come'ere. They're sleeping; let them rest."