Beneath the Shadows Chapter One: Ancient Fears

[Nanami Touko]

Linn had caught what Ernce had begun to say before Alfonso interrupted them, and before turning to the armored man, she leaned in to Ernce and whispered, "it's alright, I've got some things I don't want to share either, so I'll leave you alone about it." She then quickly leaned back and turned to Alfonso. "We found that these villagers were especially poor and otherwise lacking in any valuables! Honestly, not a coin or weapon or anything. You'd think they'd have at least one thing in their entire house, but no, they didn't. I found it quite strange. As for Zeff, he's still in there. I think he's a bit out of it, to be honest. But he did take a very hard hit. Should we check on him?"

[Xinnidy]

"Huh, I see. Well, if the kid wasn't doing well before, he might need some rest. He did take quite a beating... however magic does that." Alfonso replied, taking a look at the inside of the house as Linn spoke up. "Well, what a shame!" He crossed his arms, a bit disappointed in his own right. "If that's how it is, I suppose they ran away with what they could, if they didn't get caught by the demons somewhere..." Reflecting upon what he said, he looked up, at nowhere in particular, contemplating what they went through once more. Demons... huh, I wonder how THAT is going to turn out. Perhaps we'll need some sort of holy guidance.

Before the thoughts would turn in concern, he turned his head back to Linn and Ernce. "Whenever he feels better, I guess we could let him rest the next ride on my horse." The knight moved his hand to brush his steed's mane ever so slightly. "I'm sure Rosa won't mind the extra company, if necessary."

[Oersted]

To say Ernce was surprised that Linn dropped to subject that simply would be an understatement; he had expected to be pressed for details given her apparent curious nature but it turned out she too had her secrets. Everyone does Ernce thought to himself as he listened to her and Alfonso exchange concern for Zeff. "If you want I can go get him. If I can carry him with a junk shoulder and partial blood loss I should be able to carry him with a cut cheek." Of course Ernce was leaving out the fact the fact that Caslan had helped him; however, given how Caslan had supported Zeff and had a mock magic battle he was probably exhausted.

[Nanami Touko]

"Perhaps he should ride on the horse, Ernce. It seems to be the only thing here that isn't entirely exhausted. It's kind of you to offer, though. Hold on, I'll go get him." Linn turned into the house, and into the room where Zeff had sat himself. He seemed to be sleeping, and he didn't seem too pleased by his sleep either. Is everyone having nightmares because of the demons, or something? She conjured up some wind to get him standing, gently lifting him to his feet, ready to fall onto her shoulder. "How heavy can he be? I can certainly carry HIM!" Linn wasn't the strongest person, and hadn't expected Zeff to weigh as much as he did. She was struggling to stay standing with his limp form pressing against her upper body. "Alfonso! Help! Zeff...too heavy...for me!" she called out of the room, hoping the knight would help her with her hubris.

Edited September 22, 2013 by I have opinions

[Xinnidy]

"Hah! I agree. That's a nice offer, but should we ride back I'm sure it will be better to leave it to a horse. And it'll be more comfortable for both of you, too!" Alfonso exclaimed, though he admired the fellow's good intentions, he'd probably get exhausted if he carried the other lad for too long, especially when there's a horse right there!

Just as he was done speaking, Linn called him from inside the building, alarming the old knight a little. "Oh, dear heavens! Linn, leave him to me!" He said, rushing into the building and snatching the sleeping man from Linn as soon as he stepped into the room. "Hahaha! Don't carry more than you can burden, yet! Still, it's wonderful that you youthful are so willing to help one another, it burns the flames of justice within my heart! Truly!" The knight said, grinning as he lifted most of the sleeping youngster over his shoulder, hitting the poor lad's head against the wall without noticing, albeit it wasn't strong enough to cause a thud. "I'll take it from here, don't you worry!"

As soon as said, he turned his way back to the main room and then outside readily, starting to strap the sleeping man on his horse's saddle to the best of his ability. "Shouldn't be the most comfortable position to sleep, but he'll be fine, eh?"

[Rothene]

Caslan lowered his head, ashamed at his immature display to his superior. Alone, Caslan wandered up to Joey, who had decided to sit with the rest of the mounts to digest its rich meal, and sat down leaning against the gelding to take a short rest. The battle, carrying Zeff, searching the house and finally the magical practice against Linn had left the elf feeling very exhausted.

[Nanami Touko]

Linn felt a wave of relief pass over her as the pressure left her, leaving her a moment to catch her breath, and stretch her arms out. "Thank you, Alfonso. All this fighting, moving, and magic must be taking its toll on me. I swear, he can't be that heavy!" She walked out with him, and sat herself against the house. "Why don't you and Ernce get to know each other some? I'm far too tired to socialize anymore, and after almost getting squished, I'd like a moment to rest myself."

[Toogee]

[spoiler=Flashback: The Exciting Conclusion]Chandra woke up in a shiver, washed up on the river bank. She wasn’t sure how far she had traveled. All she knew was that her husband had pushed her out of harm’s way, saving her from whatever fate the rest of her party met. To be honest, she didn’t entirely believe that they had met a horrible end. The shaman still held out hope that they had managed to survive. Perhaps they jumped into the river themselves? Chandra forced herself onto her feet, her arms close to her as she tried to warm up. She walked along the shoreline, determined to find the others.

“I’m going to kill Sebastian for this. Making me miss the battle. Everyone is probably fine. They’re all coming down from the mountain now, I’m sure.”

Her attempts to console herself were quickly dashed when she saw a shape on the shore. As she came closer, that shape turned into a body, one with arrows through it. Chandra rushed over and flipped the body so it faced her. To her horror, she saw her husband’s face, pale and cold.

“NO! You don’t get to die! Not without me!” She cried out, immediately attempted to resuscitate him. The shaman pounded on his chest, determined to get him breathing again. She knew it couldn’t be helped, but she had to try.

“Please don’t take him away from me. Not yet.” When her life fell apart and she had to move to Feaole, Sebastian was the first to help her settle in. The journey they had together was long but could be so much longer. How could it end like this?

And then, his chest started moving. Sebastian’s eyes were still closed, but he was breathing. He was alive!

“Yes! Come on! Open your eyes; I want you to see me, see all the grief you’ve given me.” She said with a smile, drawing her face closer to his to feel his warm breath against her skin.

But there was no breath coming out.

Concerned, Chandra turned to her husband’s face. Two red orbs stared into her eyes. Her face filled with dread as the dead man rose. His wrapped around her neck as he forced her onto the ground. Chandra’s horrific screams were met by the zombie’s monstrous roar. The shaman struggled for her magic tome, still in terror that her husband had become the creature they were determined to exterminate. She would not have it occupy him any further.

With a battle cry, she tore into the creature with a blast of dark magic. Knocking him back, she unleashed the dark fire again. And again. And again. Tears streamed down her face as the undead face of Sebastian contorted into pain and terror. One last attack obliterated the look forever. Chandra fell to her knees sobbing. Yes, he was a demon out to kill her, but the mental image of destroying her husband’s body would haunt her forever.

It was a tragic end to her second attempt at life. But like the phoenix, Chandra would start anew, this time in her old home of Celisa. There, she would join a new mercenary group, make some friends, and continue the fight. And that’s when she woke up…

Chandra woke up in a gasp, waking from the nightmare of her past. She found herself in Jacob’s and Rimsky’s arms, about to be hoisted up on a horse. The shaman was still trying to catch her breath before she spoke.

“I think I can stand now,” she blurted out in between breaths, making an attempt to get her feet on solid ground.

[Vestige]

[spoiler=Bright Emerald Eyes]

"Zeff, would you stop that? Zeff, please sto- HAHAHA ZEFF!" she said with a snort. Grabbing hold of Zeff's wandering hand, she pushed it away. "You know I'm ticklish, why do you insist on tormenting me so?"

Zeff made notice of the brilliant blue sky, and the sun shining down upon the snow, causing it to glisten and glimmer wherever it's rays fell. The cold winter air nipped away at his ears and nose. It's not that he had forgotten to wear a hat, but rather, he had given it up for Reva to wear. "Pfft, no one is forcing you to stay here. By the way...that hat doesn't suit you at all". His jibe had flustered Reva just a little, and he took the initiative to strike again, this time at her neck, the one area where she wasn't protected by winter gear.

"Gyah! Hahaha, please stop already!" It's not that she had forgotten to wear a scarf, but rather, she had traded it to Zeff for his hat. It was the process of equivalent exchange, and she was quite satisfied with the trade.

"Ha, alright, alright, I'll stop. But hey, we should go get some ice-cream later."

Reva stopped reading and looked up, bewildered. "Please think about what you just said for a moment."

Zeff pondered for a moment, and it was only then that he realized his stupidity. It was the middle of winter, and here he was, asking her to go out and get some ice-cream with him. Well shit, there goes that idea. Think Zeff, think! "Hah! I was simply testing whether you were listening to me or not...But we should definitely get some ice-cream when the weather warms up..."

Reva let out a little laugh, "of course, I'll even treat you to it," she said with a playful wink.

"Yeah, as if. But we should go inside, it's starting to get really cold."

"Can't we stay like this for a little longer? Please?" she said, drawing his arm closer to her as she spoke.

"Well I real-" he stopped mid-sentence. "Yeah...yeah it's fine, take your time," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Y'know...I wouldn't even mind staying like this forever..."

"Nor would I..." she said, looking up at him with her bright emerald eyes.

Zeff stirred a little as he was dragged about by several people before finally being propped up onto Alfonso's horse. The transition was far from smooth, but Zeff cared little. He woke up for a brief moment, but kept his eyes shut. Drifting back into the unconscious realm as quickly as he had returned.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Vestige

[Bluedoom]

"Yeah, we put her on top of-" he was cut off by Chandra waking up, requesting that she be allowed to stand.

"Rest easy, Chandra, you're in no condition to be walking...*grunt* all the way back to camp. Err...Jacob, you're the one with more strength so what do we do?" he asked, sort of puzzled by the scenario.

[eclipse]

Raelyn stifled a giggle as Chandra woke up halfway up the horse. "Chandra, they're acting like proper gentleman. Why not take them up on the offer?"

[scorri]

Toqua frowned as a sprinting horse came into view. With a grunt, he managed to get Serath ahead of them before coming down and landing with a thud. Watching Val's horse be forced to stop, he slid down and crossed his arms. "You left without much warning. Andre wasn't too pleased to see that. Tha thought that you might be rushing off and leaving us all behind in that village don't sit too well with us, you know? So. Why'd you leave?"

Back at camp, Sayina turned to Leon who was standing nearby, and asked, "Has everyone been healed? If not, could you go help deal with some of the wounded now?"

Adari shrugged at Hale. "Ask Andre but I don't see any reason why ya couldn't come." Turning towards the rest of the group, she yelled out, "Alright, we're movin away from this village and settin up camp. Hurry up, we're better off further away from here just in case." Rayil nodded and slowly started to head back the way they came, hoping the campsite was nearby.

[Nanami Touko]

Leaving? Oh, lovely~! Time to set up camp and get some shut eye. Linn stood, stretched, yawned, and followed Adari and Rayil. "Come on, everyone," she said in the direction of Alfonso and Ernce, "time to get some rest so we can have some more adventures in the morning." She laughed, and hopped along. Sure, she was tired, but that was no reason to let her spirits drop.

[Toogee]

Raelyn stifled a giggle as Chandra woke up halfway up the horse. "Chandra, they're acting like proper gentleman. Why not take them up on the offer?"

That was one way to put it, Chandra thought. The odd position she had found herself in was enough to stave off the memories of her nightmare. With RImsky at her torso and Jacob holding her...somewhere, she couldn't help but be curious as to their next move. However, the entire ordeal gave the appearance that she was fat, especially the dwarf's grunts. The shaman would have preferred this to go quicker.

"Um, let me just grab onto here," Chandra said to the two, reaching to grab a hold of the saddle. She would then pull herself up to aid in getting on top.

[Snike]

With little else to say, Jacob continued to lift Chandra, eventually shifting his grip to support her legs as she climbed up onto the horse. It was a good thing she had decided to get on the horse after all, since shortly afterwards Adari called for the Harriers to move out and set up camp.

"Right, then, let's go," Jacob said, once the healer was on Rimsky's mount. No need to dilly-dally, after all.

***

"Alright, I will do that," Hale said, as he walked away from Adari and began to look for Andre. That search didn't take too long, as the head Harrier homed in on the half-elf the moment he left the nomad.

"You must be Hale, the half-elf," the half-dwarf said, extending his hand. "The name's Andre Harrop, and I'm the head of this group. Pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well," the mage fighter said, as he shaked hands with Harrop. "I was wondering if I could tag along and speak to your employer."

"That's fine. I'd imagine you would get more out of talking to him than we would, considering what I heard from Sayina. You've fought those things before?"

"Well, yes. Let's just say that the places I tend to travel to for my work attract those kinds of beings."

"Really now," Andre said, as he and the elf began to walk out of the village."If you don't mind, then, could you tell me about those things then? I need to know what the hell we just killed, just in case we fight them again."

"Certainly," Hale responded, right before launching into an explanation of what those monsters really were. It seemed that the two of them would be occupied, at least, for a little while.

[#!/dev/haru]

Val looked up as her horse suddenly balked, feeling the wind currents change somewhat unsubtly. She looked up to see the wyvern rider over her, and slowed to a halt, sword drawn. The will-o-wisps she'd conjured around her, she immediately extinguished, cloaking her in the darkness of the night for the most part, under her breath cursing her lack of foresight and hoping her magics wouldn't be noticed.

She waited for the loud billowing of the wings to stop before finally responding to the Wyvern Rider. "I am under Xane's hire, not yours. He is currently in danger and has sent me a message; I am on my way to meet him. If you must, deliver this message to the others, but I will not return with you. I must see him safe as soon as possible." She grabbed the reins, waiting for Toqua to either move or respond. She was perfectly ready to use force, and the air about them was... unusually heated, but she certainly would prefer not to.

[scorri]

"So yer running off in tha middle of tha night, on a horse that can barely see where he's going ta help yer boss who's under attack from who knows how many people... by yerself? Now that don't seem to reasonable and I'd had ya pegged out fer a smart girl." He shook his head. "Yee'd be better served ta come back with me, explain 'xactly what happened ta tha Boss and then set off at quick pace tomorrow with tha rest of us. Helps protect ya from any unpleasant surprises this trouble of his might've left fer ya and also prevents ya from breaking yer horses leg and yer neck. Now, why don't ya turn around, and head back with me."

[#!/dev/haru]

Val clenches her sword as the wyvern rider speaks, shaking her head in the darkness. "Perhaps it is true that I cannot fight off whatever may be over there alone. However, if I go alone, I can at -least- possibly get in undetected, blend in with the crowd. That IS my specialty, you see." She points her sword off in the direction of the town, not quite at Toqua, so obviously not aggressively. "And Melek here is quite accustomed to running about in the darkness. I know no more than that Xane is in trouble, and that he wishes I return. Allow your company to rest the night, and then follow. Now, in the name of your employer, move."

This last word comes out a lot louder than the rest, and her sword glows very dimly for a moment, a nexus to magical energies untapped. Though Val is generally very good at controlling her emotions, her magic is intrinsically linked to them, and at times, this slips through; she powers on regardless, as though this was intentional. "I will meet you in the village as soon as you can get the company there. We will find you. If I must leave you with a message, it will be through the inkeeper at that inn we were staying at. Ask about their 'iron ale'." She leads Melek on, intending to move forward even if Toqua won't move.

[scorri]

Toqua shook his head slowly. "An if there ain't nobody left? Yer rushin into a situation blind. Ya could end up dead or worse." He paused, sighed, and continued, "Lemme make ya an offer. Ya let me go, check back in with Andre and then come meet ya here. We go in together. That way yer not alone, but ya still get there quick like."

[Psych]

Leon thought for a second before responding to Sayina. "I'm pretty sure. I think most people are stabilized and sleeping now. Those that were able to went off exploring the town." He sighed. Healing was taking it out of him, and he still hadn't done that great. The best practice was field experience apparently.

[#!/dev/haru]

Val lets her sword drop back to her side. "Fine. That's acceptable, but let me keep going. You can catch up, anyway. We'll meet up later on the track. I don't want to be slowed down." She looks away. "Keep it quiet, but I can conjure up a little fireball to follow me along. That's how you'll be able to find me. Deal?"

[scorri]

Toqua nodded. Climbing back onto Serath, he nudged her. "I'll see ya soon." Heading back towards the camp, he racked his brain for the best way to convince Andre of this.

[Bluedoom]

"Alrighty, let's move, then!" saying so he mounted Mehr and started moving back to camp. Not interested in having a quiet trip, he thought of something to say to lighten up the mood.

" So, I never introduced my horse to you guys. This is Mehr, a healthy mare that I raised back at home. Its almost twenty years since was born, and ah, she's a beauty I tell ya. You guys interested in animals?" and after a small pause, he continued, "Oh and if you guys aren't really exhausted and interested in a game of cards, I say we do that. Best to keep ourselves occupied and forget about what just happened now."

[eclipse]

Thanks for bringing up that awful memory of the imaginary horse in the inn, Raelyn thought to herself. "I left the animals to my brother. He talked to them better than he talked to people," she piped up. "Say, didja get a chance to talk to that elf with a horse? Maybe Mehr will take a fancy to him!"

[Rothene]

With the order to move away from the village, Caslan lazily picked himself up and climbed onto Joey. Together, they made their way to join with the rest of the group. Feeling particularly chivalrous, the elven mage quickly rode up to Linn and asked, "Hey, Linn, care to ride with a fellow mage? You should be quite tired by now with all that fighting after all."

Oh, not only do you want me to carry you, but now you want me to carry another? Granted she might be as light as you but have you not considered my feelings? How tired am I? Joey thought miserably as it understood its rider's intentions by bringing it towards the only female elf in the mercenary band, you owe me a really good massage and some barely kid. You-owe-me.