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Abysmal Souls: Chapter 3 and 4 (surprise)


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Well.. that.. helped.

Langley's pants grow slightly more silent and from a distance, the screams and crying make her wince. Battle never really offers true solace, just more death, more watching of your friends die or hurt, bleeding in front of you. A vision forms, of holding Noel in her arms with blood coming from her lips-

She nearly vomits yet stands up, one final, swift kick to the groaning cultist in front of her, ripping some of her cloak up and leaning behind him, tying his arms quietly. She ignores the bleeding in her side and across her stomach. She hefts her sword shakily, sheathing it lightly and looking back to the group. She wonders quietly what to do yet as she moves over, she sees the sadness, panic and pain over them like a literal layer, as physical as their wounds. Their faces... lord, the worst of funerals could be given a run for it's money at this present moment.

'He.. Hey. Need some.. help there?'

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Teis

'He.. Hey. Need some.. help there?'

"Yeah. Could you help get the Gideon...? He's the guy with the huge gash on his head. We need to get back to town, or none of us are gonna survive the night." This last remark was over his shoulder to the group (well, mostly to Ormis and Amera).

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Lucretia~

"OK, let's get to it."

They headed to the inn and sat down waiting for the server.

"I wonder where the others are." Lucretia said.

--

Adano~

Continuing onward, Adano found himself at the edge of town. As he looked into the distance, he pondered a new decision.

"Lazarynth is this way. I wonder, maybe I can learn something there." He said to himself as he put his lance forward, and headed on to the next city.

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Aurelio

The pair had sat down and were soon served.

"I wonder where the others are."

That was a good question. Other than Grant and Seilynda, they had lost contact with everyone else. Ormis, Teis, Elune, the witch and her boyfriend, everyone. Lucinda was probably still out of it too. They also had very little to go on, the others could be anywhere in Shuthra. Grant wasn't moving any time soon either. Was the whole witch hunt worth it? Aurelio stopped eating for a minute, they needed to decide what to do.

"Lucretia, in all honesty, we have no idea. Grant's lost a leg, so he's not going anywhere. What do you want to do? I wouldn't mind trying to find the others, we won't get too far if we stay here. I guess now your mother's out of the picture, you can do what you want."

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

Ken

Ken remained by Lucinda's bedside. However, the night before had taken its toll, he soon fell from his kneeling position to the floor, sound asleep. Hopefully Lucinda would recognise his attire.

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Lucretia

"Lucretia, in all honesty, we have no idea. Grant's lost a leg, so he's not going anywhere. What do you want to do? I wouldn't mind trying to find the others, we won't get too far if we stay here. I guess now your mother's out of the picture, you can do what you want."

She paused for a moment. "Right, my mother is out of the way. I don't have any more reason to run from her." She smiled at Aurelio. "I'd like to help find the others, if you don't mind."

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Aurelio

"I'd like to help find the others, if you don't mind."

"That'd be great. Wanna go after we've finished eating? I'm sure they've been causing trouble, they can't be too hard to find! We should probably tell Grant, see if he's ready."

He was pleased with her answer, part of him didn't want to travel alone again.

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The wounded group traveled back to Lazarynth, the sun close to setting at this point. The guards hurriedly let them in, taking note of how many were injured and how much blood there was. One guard quickly fetched the priest from before, who was none too happy about being so roughly handled but stopped complaining when he saw that the people he had warned before were back. worse for the wear. He was glad they were alive, and for that he didn't question what had happened. He knew exactly what happened. "Alright, alright, just bring them back to the Chapel..." He rushed back, powerwalking, hurrying to make room for the sudden influx of injured people he'd inevitably need to take care of. A spare guard escorted the travelers to the chapel, then returned to his post. The priest was in the middle of setting up spare cots for them, his pace frantic and yet paced. "If you'll just take a quick rest here, I'll get to you as soon as I can."

---

Grant smirked. "Pfft, I got this. Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. Just gotta roll with the punches, ya know? Of course, that's kinda why I'm here anyway, so uh... Listen at your own risk!" He continued scarfing down food and finished it off with a huge gulp of water, sighing and leaning back in his seat. In truth, he hadn't had a really good meal in he longest time, so he was extremely gracious with what he was given in his time of need.

---

Arcen couldn't help but listen in to the woman and man nearby, his eyes wandering to them occasionally until his sister smacked him on the head lightly, chastising him with a glare, but Arcen just shrugged.

That'd be great. Wanna go after we've finished eating? I'm sure they've been causing trouble, they can't be too hard to find! We should probably tell Grant, see if he's ready."

Arcen nearly spat his drink out, realizing that they both knew Grant. So naturally, he walked over and asked them both, "You guys know Grant, you know, that guy who took down that dragon?!" Aiduen watched him being a fanboy, honestly not surprised. She figured she'd let him get it out of his system.

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Lucretia.

"That'd be great. Wanna go after we've finished eating? I'm sure they've been causing trouble, they can't be too hard to find! We should probably tell Grant, see if he's ready."

"Yeah, that would be smart, at any rate." She replied. She finished her plate and suddenly noticed someone standing near them.

"You guys know Grant, you know, that guy who took down that dragon?!" The speaker in question didn't look like he was much of a threat, in fact, he looked to be about her own age. News travels fast... Lucretia thought. Although he didn't seem too dangerous, Lucretia kept one hand near her waist, ready to draw weapons if necessary.

"I guess you can say we know him." Lucretia said.

--

Adano.

He hobbled along the path to Lazarynth, memories flooding his mind. He remembered first laying eyes on Anastasia and their subsequent duel. He cursed her silently for incapacitating him for that year. His sword arm wasn't as strong as it was in his prime, and he was told by Sevan that he could never wield a sword in the same way again. He looked briefly to the spear the old man crafted for him.

For Adano, may you find what you are looking for

He smiled at the old man's kindness. He had taken Adano in many times, and saved him from death. He hoped that the old man was alive and well somewhere, he hadn't seen him in years.

The path continued for miles and miles. This certainly wasn't a journey for the weak.

"I hope I can make it to town soon, or at least find a decent spot to rest." He said to himself as he continued, a light of determination in his eyes.

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Teis

Teis smiled weakly, trying not to show how tired he really was. In the entire group, he was probably the least injured, all superficial cuts and the like. If anything, his worst injury would be the fractured ribs caused by his chestplate getting smashed in, not helped by Ormis's attack. He put Carrion down, then found a place for himself.

Ugh... I just want to sleep...

He lay down on a cot, and fell asleep almost immediately.

Ormis

Ormis helped drop Adrian on the cot, then sat on a bed himself. He clutched his arm, and his chest. None of his ribs were broken, thankfully, but he would have trouble breathing for a while, since there was a nasty bruise. The boy wanted to sleep, he tried not to, waiting for the priest to come. He wanted at least to make sure that Adrian and Amera were okay before he did anything else.

Edited by Camtech075
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With those words, the form of Langley moves on to the person called Gideon, a slow blink and with a gentle stroke of her hand across his forehead, she mumbles rather lightly back to the guy. Her gloved left hand is tinted in red, yet she doesn't mind. She glares slightly at him, yet a calm moment issues at the glance seen from here eyes, focused on his vision and and his alone

'Stay still a second. This'll hurt a bit...'

She draws a ripped piece of her cape up, another torn slice, wrapped suddenly around his forehead as her breaths quicken and slow on random occasion, tightening the wrap enough that it can at least stem the blood flow slightly. She watches him soon get carried, a quiet settling over her as she decides, briefly, to follow on back with them. She smiles as, soon, the town aproaches. Her side is numb.

Edited by NagafenOfIvalice
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Amera followed the group silently, until they reached town. She'd not said a word during the trip back, and had even stopped her abhorrent crying and sniffling. The priest was a welcome sight, even though she was scared of getting herself healed. A magical mishap had happened to her once, resulting in the loss of a lot of blood, and she'd never been one to trust the staff since. She sat on the same cot as Ormis had, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her face into them. She'd had a lot to think about on the walk back. She'd wondered if Adrian and Carrion would be alright, the name of the tall man who'd saved her. but the question that was digging at her the most... was why she had attacked that mercenary, in such a brutal, relentless fashion. She shook, the image vivid in her mind since it had only just happened. She'd never wanted to become that, to become the person who had beaten her in a similar manner. She was disgusted with herself, and she started to shake, unsure if she could stop herself from crying, lest it happen again.

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Ormis

Ormis gave a start when Amera sat down next to him. He was about to say something when she drew her knees up to her chest again, and it looked like she was going to cry again. He wanted to do something, to comfort her somehow. But... what could he do?

He put his arm around her, drawing her close. "Hey. What happened out there?"

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When Gideon awoke, the change in lighting startled him. It took a moment for him to refocus his eyes, but when he did, his vision was clear again. Sighing in relief, he sat up slowly, feeling a bit dizzy. His head was still throbbing. Damn...that cut must have been deeper than I thought. He looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was. The symbols decorating the walls seemed to indicate that he was in a church, but usually there was a chaplain with him when that was the case. Maybe he was gone...either way, it made sense for it to be a church. What other place would allow in a group of battered fighters like them?

He scanned the room, trying to ignore the aching of his head. A particularly sharp attack hit him, and he winced, closing his eyes. A hand shot up to his temple, and he rested his head in his palm, waiting for the pain to pass. The bandage was soft...different material? Someone's shirt, maybe? When the pain passed, he opened his eyes again. There were a few cots strewn around the room, and most everyone seemed to be asleep. At the edge of the room nearest him, there were two silhouettes of people sitting up on a cot. One of them was trembling. It had to be that Anri...Taking his time in getting up, he walked over there, the nagging pain in his forehead not deterring him. There were worse injuries than his that day.

If that was her, then the other one had to be the kid, trying to comfort her. If the state she was in before was back in any capacity, then bothering her now was a bad idea. As he got closer, he saw them in better relief - he was right. The Anri girl and that punk. He didn't say anything; he just looked at them for a moment, leaning against the wall. The dizziness he felt before was getting a bit worse...he would have to lie down again soon. But he could at least check on them while he was up.

Don't you do anything stupid, he warned Ormis from his subconscious. She doesn't need more shit to put up with right now.

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The priest grimaced at all the bruises, cuts and blood he saw on these adventurers. It was a lot to take in, and yet, it was his calling to care for the less fortunate. He made the rounds, using divine healing magic on each person, offering up prayers to the goddess to ease their suffering quickly. When he got to Carrion, he axmined the wound she had, as he did previously, except this time... "Oh dear..." There were now marks etched into her skin, marks the priest knew all too well. "The mark of sealing..." he muttered. His face was one of surprise when he realized he could still sense mana flowing from her. Unfortunately, he'd have to ask later. As he healed her, Carrion coughed out the remaining blood in her body lung, finally taking normal breaths as opposed to ragged gasps of air. She woke up, the pain not so intense, but she was still aching all over, so she just sat there. "Where is... Adrian...?" she got out sluggishly. For the first time in a long while, she feared dying, and her death this time would've meant Adrian's death, which truly scared her.

---

A wave of tiredness came over Grant, his eyes getting heavy and his stomach sufficiently full. He yawned as he struggled to get up, only for him to plop right back down on his bed. "I think I'm gonna... just... go to sleep, Seilynda. Thanks for the... help..." And then he zonked out, sprawled all over the bed comfortably.

---

"Oh my god, yes! Dude, miss, can you, like, introduce me to him?! I need to better myself on the fields of justice, and who better than someone who could take down a friggin DRAGON?! Please!" He was extremely excited, acting very childish despite his age. Aiduen got up and nudged him in the ribs. "Arc, what is wrong with you?! They're trying to eat!" Turning to Lucretia and Aurelio. "Please excuse my brother, he's a bit... forward, sometimes..." She tried to drag him away, but his face got extremely serious. "No, I need this Aiduen. I really, really need this! Please, miss." Aiduen gave up and just shook her head. She didn't enjoy yelling at him when he got this way.

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Amera quickly pushed Ormis away from her, not wanting to be touched at all. She'd shoved him with her broken arm, and it stung, but it was already beginning to heal. "Don't... t-touch me, please..." She controlled herself, not screaming as she wanted to. It'd make her feel so much better to let out one, long, loud scream, but she wasn't going to upset everyone else there. She just wanted everything around her to disappear for a bit and let her calm down, but that was something that wouldn't happen. Taking some deep breaths, she stopped shaking, glancing up enough to see the tall man from before eying the two of them. "I... never g-got your name. I-I'm..." You're nothing! You're a slave, and you'll always be one, you filthy, worthless girl! She clutched her head, whimpering a little; gritting her teeth, eyes wide open. Why now?! Why are these memories starting to come back now?!

-----

"Wha..." the croaking ragged voice of Adrian escaped from his lips, as an eye opened the survey the room. It was bright; too bright for him to see much other than a few shadowy figures. He couldn't feel his hands. He couldn't feel most of his body, but, he knew he was alive. At least his mind was working. Another shadow approached him, and he felt some sort of magic pass through his body. His sight became instantly clearer, recognizing the priest from before. "Where..." Adrian tried to ask, his voice as raspy as it was before, despite being able to see now. "Do not speak, my son. You've suffered grave injuries, and you must rest." He nodded as best as he could, before scanning around the room. He spotted Amera, and Ormis. Another man was there... he was the knight with Teis? She seemed to be in some sort of distress. He scanned around once more, and finally noticed what he'd been searching for. Carrion! You're... you're alright. Or at least, she seemed to be alive, and sitting on a cot at the other side of the room. He tried to call out for her, his throat not complying, causing a disgruntled gasp to leave, instead. Dammit. Guess I really do need to rest...

Edited by seph1212
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He kept very still as the Anri got up, doing his best not to smirk at the rejection she gave Ormis. Now that he wasn't seeing her through bloodshot eyes, she was very cute, even if she looked really upset. No doubt he'd end up her therapist...troubled girls always made you listen as they poured out their souls' weight to you. "I... never g-got your name," she said shakily. The trauma hadn't worn off... "I-I'm..." Then she froze, and her eyes went wide with terror. Was he really that scary? Or was it something else? Either way, he couldn't keep scowling if he wanted her to calm down.

His usual expression softened, and he folded his arms. "Take it easy," he ventured gently. "I don't think anything can get to us here." He extended his hand gingerly, and he felt a bit of tension in his chest. If she stayed this upset, she'd be unpredictable, and judging by the way she tore into that merc, he would have to be careful with her. "Gideon," he told her. "And you are...?" It was hard to calm people down. Usually he didn't have to; then again, usually he stayed away from people.

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Ormis

Ormis felt the urge to get angry, to force her sorrows back down her throat. But... something told him that this wasn't the time. Especially since if she clobbered him now, he definitely wouldn't survive. He sighed, and sat back a little. She clearly wasn't ready to talk about it yet. And Ormis had his own troubles.

"That's right, kid. You're worthless. Nothing. Fodder. It's always those types like you who get killed first, out there. Oh, you think you're tough just because you can take a few bandits? Well then. Why don't we go outside and see how much of a natural you really are."

He clenched his fist, swallowing his anger. Tiran's jeering words had cut straight through to him then, and they still did now. Especially those words he said after beating Ormis to a pulp.

"Feel this, kid. Don't forget it. This is what it feels like to lose, to be completely outclassed. Let me tell you, if you had managed to put one scratch on me, I'd have killed you. But since you've done nothing but insult me with your words, I think I'll let you live. You can live, and know what it feels like to utterly, utterly fail. And unless you decide to shape up, kid, you're gonna feel this a lot more. And maybe next time, your opponent won't be nice, like me. So train, kid. Get by on more than bluster and words. And once you do, we'll do this again."

And then he'd left. No one had any news of him.

This feeling... again. That time before, that night in the forest... And now again. I... I can't... I'm too weak... Too weak to beat Tiran... too weak to save my parents... Hell, I'm too weak to even help my friend get over her past... I couldn't save Adrian, either. Goddammit...

Ormis punched the wall, hard. It hurt, but he hardly felt it.

How am I supposed to get stronger...?

Edited by Camtech075
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Despite all her pain, she got up from her cot, the priest urging her to sit back down until she shot him a glare that made him be quiet. Unless he wanted to physically hold her down until she rested, she wasn't sitting there. Her gaze softened considerably as she saw Adrian, gasping in pain. She went over to him, clutching her wound which still felt extremely sore and throbbed occasionally. She stood by Adrian, looking over his wounded self, almost wanting to cry. Her arrogant behavior almost got her killed, almost got Adrian killed, and now she couldn't use her magic nearly as well as she used to. She was at a loss at even how to begin talking to Adrian, as such she only stared at him, wanting to cry at him and apologize so much that her throat felt like there was a lump in it, mouthing the words but no sound came out above an inaudible whisper.

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Amera was freaking out considerably, and there didn't seem to be any signs of her stopping. Why, why, why?! I don't want to remember him, I just want to live a nice, happy life! She almost jumped as the tall man's hand came near, giving a bit of a twitch, though. "Gideon." His voice sounded calm, to her, and that certainly helped. "And you are...?" She batted his hand away, but cleared her throat to speak. "A-A..." Stupid animal! Leave my sight! "Ame..." Cry, you wretched waste of space! Your tears will do nothing but earn you another lashing! SHUT! UP!! Her mind screamed at the memories. "Amera!" and she yelled her name, calming down, "It's Amera..." She began to pant, coming back into reality, for the time being.

-----

Adrian couldn't help but smile and cry, as Carrion made her way over to the cot he was laying on. There were so many things he wanted to say, only able to think them. I'll be alright, It's fine, don't look so sad. Instead he just smiled at her. Watching her lips, he followed her saying 'I'm sorry.' Why didn't I think of doing that? Geez... 'It's alright...' he slowly mouthed at her, 'do not apologize, please... it is not like you.' If he could feel his hands, he'd probably be holding hers. right now. As it stood, though, he still couldn't feel them, at all.

Edited by seph1212
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"Amera! It's Amera..." she said after quite a bit of struggling. It had a nice ring to it. Certainly better than 'Anri girl' by any standard. Still, what was her deal? She could barely talk...Gideon couldn't remember anyone he'd ever met being this upset about anything. He didn't like it.

He took his hand from between them carefully, a bit surprised by her jumpiness. "Well, Amera, I'm certainly no therapist. But as long as you're in here, whatever it is you're worried about probably won't come calling," he said evenly. "Just breathe for a second, yeah? Let it pass." In truth, he couldn't really relate. He hadn't had any terribly traumatic experiences in his life. Not by his standards, anyway - he tended to overanalyze things like that to the point where there was just no life left in the issue. Even when he had ruined that farm, the pangs of guilt barely lasted. He remembered how they felt, but he didn't really care. If anything, he was good at not getting upset. Unless, say, he had been stiffed, or if he lost something important...

Wait. Lost something? And then it dawned on him. Where's my axe? He looked over at his cot, seeing only the lighter axe. "Goddamn it..." he groaned, leaning into the wall and shaking his head. He feared the worst, but there was only one way to find out. His exasperation clear, he looked at Amera. "Sorry about changing the subject, but you were more lucid during the fight. Did I drop my axe out there? Do you remember?" If he did, that would be a bit of an issue. He hated fighting with weapons that were too light. It was just a peeve of his. "If you don't, that's fine. But while I'm thinking about it..." Maybe changing the subject would help anyway. It didn't matter. His damn axe was gone, and he was an idiot for losing it.

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Ormis

Ormis couldn't bear to watch Amera be so upset. Obviously something had happened back on that battlefield, something that made her really upset. He couldn't bear watching it, yet he could do nothing for fear that she'd just kill him right there.

What was it that Tiran had said...? Something about the weakest people always laying down?

"You're weak, kid. Get over it. What are you gonna do about it, grovel to my feet? I can't toughen you up. No one can. If you're just gonna be some dirt-ridden maggot, you're better off dead. Or you can get up, keep fighting, and force yourself. I can't tell you I expect you to be any better than you were just now, but you'd sure as hell gain my respect if you can still stand after that. Get up, runt, and we can see if you have the makings of a swordfighter yet. Don't stay on the floor, unless you want to stay weak. Get up and go for it. You're a stupid little pussy, kid, but even I can tell that you really meant it when you said you'd be the best swordsman in this here guild. Well, you can't fulfill that if you spend your life being a scared little fuck. Get the fuck up, kid, and show me what you can really do. That way, if you die, you'll die knowing that no-one can call you a coward."

That's right... Stand up and fight. At least then, no-one can call you a coward...

Ormis struck the wall again, harder this time. This time, his knuckles actually started bleeding. The pain felt good.

"Hey, Amera. What was it that you said to me before? Something about, 'if I can go through my life without this huge want for revenge on my mind, you should be able to'? What has happened has happened, and there's nothing you can do to change it. So let bygones be bygones, and just get over whatever it is that happened out there. I can tell you it won't happen again. I'll tell you this outright."

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Elune

She managed to get a cultist or two, but now that it was over, several were injured. Maybe she'd follow them - They'd helped her a lot. SHe got back on her horse and fllowed them to Lazarynth.

Danyon

He'd lost his horse, but it would be easy to replace. He nuursed the few injuries he'd obtained, made a mental note to buy more arrows and quickly said.

"If you give me a day, I can go to Lushira and get a few more experienced priests. Most of you guys look prtty damn banged up, and you'll definitely need some help."

(sorry for briefness, I gtg)

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Aurelio

"Oh my god, yes! Dude, miss, can you, like, introduce me to him?!"

Aurelio had only just met this guy and he was getting on his nerves already. The last thing Grant wanted would be a fan boy pestering him about every little detail of anything he's ever done. The girl with him seemed normal enough, he guessed that she had to keep him in check quite often.

"Grant's busy, he's not doing autographs. If you don't mind, we were just leaving. We've got a bunch of our friends to find."

He decided it'd be a better idea to leave a message for Grant with the innkeeper than go see him - the new guy might have followed him to Grant's room. He wasn't quite sure if the innkeeper would actually pass it on but it was worth trying. Collecting his axe and his sword, he returned to Lucretia. He had also "obtained a map from the study. He lay it on the table.

"I've left a message for Grant. Think we should head east? They've probably had to stop somewhere, I don't think they would have boxed themselves in going towards that peninsula."

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Lucretia

"I've left a message for Grant. Think we should head east? They've probably had to stop somewhere, I don't think they would have boxed themselves in going towards that peninsula."

Lucretia looked at the map for a few moments. Something about the east made her believe they were meant to head that way. "I don't know why, but I feel like the east is where we should go. I agree with you." She replied.

--

Adano

Adano continued along the path, watching the sky change as he walked. "I must have been traveling for some time now." He said to himself. As he continued he saw Lazarynth in the distance.

"Almost there."

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