The Delay of Destiny (In Character)

[SirNicee]

"Dear... it's a heron laguz."

Aloysius was watching the conversation from the shadows. If he got involved in this, he thought, he knew he would die. He wasn't as powerful as any of these people. He was, however, good at dodging attacks, so he at least had a chance. "Should I get out there...?"

The heron was obviously preparing to attack them. Why, if they didn't have a healer, they'd surely be done for! So, feeling selfless, he decided to reveal himself. Little kind words escaped his mouth.

"You think you've grown stronger! Ha! You're just more paranoid!" He was ignored. Or was he...? The heron obviously winced when he made the remark, but never mentioned it. He wondered why... then he remembered. He had been given a Shade Scroll as a gift from his father, a year ago. The scroll was said to allow him to "blend into the shadows, avoiding an enemy's line of sight especially when others are nearby." If this was the enemy, then were they the heroes...?

[momogeek2141]

Dal thought he heard an insult. He disregarded it. "Please excuse my friends. We're all frustrated that we're some of the few survivors to tell the tale." Dal took a breath. "Look, we're not asking for you to fight them. At least, not yet. If you don't want us here, we will wait on the outskirts of the forest. Then we will warn you when the bandits attack. You will be able to see them for yourselves in the air. We will not burn the forest. THEY will." Dal stared at the Heron, waiting for a response.

"We have no reason to believe your petty lies! Leave at once, humans! And take your weapons with you!" He untransformed, and glared at the group. Dal said nothing. He simply picked up his tome and left.

At the edge, he greeted Albus. "The Herons have grown aggressive. What irony. We better get the bandits to attack here, or we won't be able to win." Dal saw smoke in the distance."Could the bandits be gathering?" Dal thought. "What happened to the soldier?" He asked Albus.

Edited January 10, 2015 by momogeek2141

[Fateborn]

After minutes of rapid pacing, Valerina finds herself alone again. She stops for a moment to look around... Trees. Trees everywhere she turns to. Her leering eyes shift left to right and right to left.

Her bloodied silver hair sways with her turn. She receive an incredible sharp of pain within her head, she drops her lance and quiver and grabs her uniquely shaped helmet to press against her mind then slams her body against a nearby tree. Her gauntlets glow slightly and the damaged tree withers in an instant as green colored light moves from the life form into the blue armguards. She kneels down to the forest floor and holds herself up with her arms to prevent collapsing. She pants for a precious moment and raise up, strands of her dirtied hairs now fall in front of her face, and her expression turns sour.

"I suppose I should take over for a bit. Poor girl can't stand feeling this presence of life while harboring me. I guess I should praise her for being able to keep her mind together and absorb a bit of energy to stay alive." Valerina raise her left gloved hand to stroke her chin in a way a male would do. "Now then... Where shall we go?" She grins from ear to ear, "Ah, perhaps I should returns to these trashes. This body is too fragile for me to properly utilize so I may need baits in case things go astray." She runs her right hand under the protective gear on her head taking it off while sweeping back the strands of hair, but despite fixing it, they returns to the front of her face. "This strange helmet is clumsy. I'll never understand her taste, but for the time being, I'll keep it in this pouch. I'm certain she would lecture me to death if I should misplace it," she spoke while tucking the gear away, she closes her eyes then reopen to reveal her ebony serpentine eyes.

She picks up the dropped weapons with the quiver in her right hand, and the lance in her left. She begin to walk the opposite direction she came from to seek out the group.

[gabethegreen]

Gabe sat alone in the dark tent. How much time had passed was unknown to him maybe about a day? Gabe sat there in silence untill finally the evil bandit leader came back. He was wearing leather armor now with what looked to be a sword with some sort of substance on the blade poison maybe.

"Hey there you wide awake?"

Gabe remained silent.

"Ok listen up its time for that "special job" i have for you." He cuts gabe's binds.

"You see our group is gonna go on a raid. When we return if guards are coming after us we will take posision to defend against them but, we will need time to set up. Thats where you and a few of our , less useful men come in."

Gabe sits there quietly knowing where the man was going with this.

" While you guys get slaughtered we will be able to set up defences. Now here put these clothes on and take this bow and dont expect any arrows to go with it."

Gabe did as he was told then the man left and put 2 people by the tent to guard him.

"This just isnt my day but i hope ill at least live to see another." Said Gabe

[AnonymousSpeed]

At the edge, he greeted Albus. "The Herons have grown aggressive. What irony. We better get the bandits to attack here, or we won't be able to win." Dal saw smoke in the distance."Could the bandits be gathering?" Dal thought. "What happened to the soldier?" He asked Albus.

When Dal arrived, Albus had sat on the ground, futilely attempting to light a pile of sticks on fire by striking two rocks. "Huh? OW!" the man exclaimed, the distraction causing him to slip up and strike his own hand with one rock. "Argh, well," he began, dropping the rocks and shaking his hand to help with the wound, "I still believe it would be best to head west. Valerina? I don't know, I've been trying to start a fire."

Pierman showed up just a moment later, having picked up his silver axe and left just as Dal had. "An' your doin' it wrong," he remarked, following with a chuckle.

[SirNicee]

"Apologies, sirs. I shall also take my leave."

Aloysius followed Dal out of the forest, and met up with Albus again. He saw the poor man failing to make fire. He laughed a bit, then sighed. "Do you need any help? I've done plenty of traveling, and I've made fires out of just about everything. Actually, forget it. Give me that." He snatched the rocks from Albus and began striking. He was never known for his patience; likely why he was such a good runner.

"Now, before you tell me your name again... I think it's again, I don't keep track... anyway, let me show you this." He pulled out something from a pocket somewhere in his robes. "This is flint. You probably know what it is, but you don't have it. You use this, and..." He struck the flint a few times. "Voila!" A fire finally started. He backed away and let the flame grow a bit more.

"So, what's this about going west?"

[Fateborn]

Valerina remember the trees from before when she came upon the border, a sound of rocks hitting against each other repeats itself in her mind. "Ahh! Found them~ right where they are! Let's suggest departing from here immediately. It wouldn't do me right if my new found toys... were to simply perish," Valerina mumbles to herself with a grin. She hooks the quiver to her belt and flicks her shoulder hair back to her rear and hasten her movement. "Oh that's right, I should normalize her eyes before they see me," she comments as she blinks once and her eyes change to those of diamond white pupils. She reach the newly created fire pit, greeting them with a single word playfully. A shift in one's demeanor is suspicious but this ego did not understand human's hearts, all she knows is Valerina's memories and experiences, but not the meaning behind them. She then remarks, "Hey~ listen, maybe we should... you know... leave now? They're bound to be nearby now."

She raise her right hand and points directly behind her with her thumb, "I scouted it out, it's relevantly safe save for few fallen trees and raised mounds." She grins mischievously.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Fateborn

[AnonymousSpeed]

Aloysius followed Dal out of the forest, and met up with Albus again. He saw the poor man failing to make fire. He laughed a bit, then sighed. "Do you need any help? I've done plenty of traveling, and I've made fires out of just about everything. Actually, forget it. Give me that." He snatched the rocks from Albus and began striking. He was never known for his patience; likely why he was such a good runner.

"Now, before you tell me your name again... I think it's again, I don't keep track... anyway, let me show you this." He pulled out something from a pocket somewhere in his robes. "This is flint. You probably know what it is, but you don't have it. You use this, and..." He struck the flint a few times. "Voila!" A fire finally started. He backed away and let the flame grow a bit more.

"So, what's this about going west?"

"Yes, actually that would be quite-" the man began before the priest snatched the rock from him, the former sighing in defeat. "I do believe it is 'again'," Albus remarked, watching Aloysius pull out the flint. "I am indeed familiar with what a flint it. I've merely never had need of a flint." The scholar tried to explain this as matter-of-factly as possible, though was probably showing a little impatience himself.

"Aye, very good lad," Pierman complimented, smacking the priest on the back for a fire well started.

"Hey~ listen, maybe we should... you know... leave now? They're bound to be nearby now."

She raise her right hand and points directly behind her with her thumb, "I scouted it out, it's relevantly safe save for few fallen trees and raised mounds." She grins mischievously.

"Hm?" Albus began, turning to the new voice. New might not have been best, as it seemed to just be the Valerina.

"Well, I can't tell ya were she went off to, but I can tell ya were she is now," the berserker whispered over to Dal. The answer was a bit late, but at least an answer.

"Well, we ran in a different direction than they were initially headed," Albus pointed out. "Had we gone along their path, they'd likely have caught up to us already. However, I agree that time is of the essence in this predicament. Now, Aloysius, to answer your previous question," the scholar turned towards the priest. "It is my personal recommendation that we head west. If we can secure a boat of some sort, we might be able to get the Bird and Dragon tribes involved in advance, and then possible more onto Crimea."

[momogeek2141]

"The Herons have rejected us, Albus. We must wait for evidence of a bandit attack coming towards the forest. With the Herons comes Phoenicis. [no clue how to spell that]. We will however need to stall the bandits while the Herons escape, and then we can make our own assuming the wyverns can carry 3-4 people. Cerai and Leo, are your wyverns able to? I don't want to make assumption based plans." He looked to the east. The large smoke was still there.

[Dragoncat]

((You spelled Phoenicis right, no worries.))

Cerai blinked and looked at Blaze, who folded her wings smugly. "I don't know. Never tried. I'd assume I can fit a few people on her...provided they're not too overly buff and heavy. Pierman, you might have to walk...no offense."

"Either that or he can ride in the claws, but I don't think that'd be a comfortable ride." Leo smirked. "We'd be better off getting some horses and carts. You guys can use those while we scout from the air."

[momogeek2141]

"That's a problem. We have to cross the cave to get to a port. Unless..." he looked at Aloysius, then at Albus. "Aloysius, can you use a warp staff?"

[SirNicee]

"I'm afraid not, Dal," Aloysius said. Dal had asked him about using a Warp Staff to get through the cave. "I understand there's a new variant that only requires a C-rank, but I'm a mere D-rank. I'd have to grind up a bit of experience to make it work. Even then, I don't know where we could find a Warp Staff."

[Fateborn]

All the while they chat, Valerina had found a seat nearby. Here she digs through the pouch on her belt with a childlike curiosity, but all she finds is a small brown bag presumed to be the adventuring essential, vulnerary and a helmet that she had put away during her away time. "Pah!" She moans, before continuing, "She doesn't even pack any snacks." Her gauntlets flicker slightly barely noticeable to people who may have sharp eyesight. Valerina gave it a faint but horrifying leer as if she resented it but she does not seems to pay it much minds. A momentous rustling in a tree nearby, Valerina gave no hesitation in throwing her iron lance at it, as the spear disappears into sight a small creature fall down with the weapon jabbed into its gut. Valerina wanders aimlessly toward the defenseless creature, licking her lips in such creepiness one would presume she to be abnormal. She grabs the shaft and picks it up with the critter sticking on it bringing it close to her face. A pair of small but cute eyes stare back at her, Valerina smiles revealing her teeth and quickly grabs the head with her free hand and yanks the skull clean off the body. "Look like I get to have a snack now," she spoke as red liquid gush out of the headless corpse. She toss away the head into a nearby bush and walks toward the fire pit to cook it without cleaning her lance or removing the carcass from the iron tip.

After a brief moment of cooking with her eyes glittering, "Bon Appetite!" She then begins to enjoy the dinner of her life.

[AnonymousSpeed]

"I...fail to see how we'll be able to stall them," Albus remarked Dal.

Pierman shrugged at Cerai's remark, indicating that he took no offense from it.

"Hm..." the scholar began, knocking on his forehead. "Oh dear, this is quite the predicament...uh, we go by foot and wyvern then," he mumbled.

[momogeek2141]

"Then our only hope is to run. By going along the edge of Serenes northwards, we can come to Daein. There we can find a port and h-" Dal suddenly stopped speaking. He heard a marching noise. "Ummm, do you guys hear that noise? That's coming from the cave direction? That sounds an awful lot like marching?" He looked to cave again. The smoke had come closer. "That's never a good sign," he thought.

[SirNicee]

"Okay, run, running's a good idea." Aloysius was ready to rush out of there. Whether to Daein or to Crimea or anywhere else, he was getting out of Begnion as soon as possible. He remembered how he got here pretty easily; via tunnel.

"Alright, guys, I know a shortcut. There's a tunnel a mile northeast leading to the Begnion-Daein border. If we can close off its entrance after entering, we can escape without getting caught by soldiers. As for if we can't get out... don't worry! The place is filled with shovels! What do you guys think?"

[AnonymousSpeed]

"That is...not, yes, no, it isn't," Albus mumbled, staring out at the smoke. Its approach was slow, and the sound faint, but they were steady, and no doubt approaching. "Indeed, run, yes. Uh...is everyone ready for that," the scholar inquired, frantically glancing about the group to make sure everyone was accounted for. "Where's the soldier girl?"

"Well, wherever she be I think that shortcut sounds might helpful," Pierman remarked. "I say we take it!"

[Fateborn]

"I'm right here," the 'soldier girl' calls out waving with her right hand from a nearby rocky seat still eating her freshly roasted snack, she has eaten through half of the meat it provided.

"I guess no one want to take the passage I found," she comments disappointingly.

[momogeek2141]

"Sounds like a plan. But first, I have something to take care of. Don't start without me please." He dashed into the forest.

...

"They're coming." Dal shouted in the Heron's temple. The same heron he and the group talked to before looked around and transformed. "What have I told you about coming into our FOREST!"

"I have reasons." Dal quickly remembered and dropped his tome. He saw herons surrounding the two of them. "I'm serious this time. You have wings, right? Fly overhead and look!"

"Why should we believe you?" the Heron jeered. The Herons responded approvingly.

"Because this forest will be burned a second time. And I'm not sure you will survive. Look overhead. If I'm wrong, do with me what you will. Actually" he looked at a different Heron "you look confused, like you're not sure who to believe. Why don't you check? I won't hurt you if you don't." He picked up his tome and threw it as far as he could. He looked back. Sure enough, it flew over the treetops. When it came back, he had a different look on his face. One of fear.

"The Beorc speakes the truth!" he said to his fellows.

"You may all want to evacuate. Head to Phoenicis. I'm sure they will take you in. As for me, I've got to run with my friends. Consider working with us in the future."

"No time to get my tome" Dal thought. He hurried back to the group. When he saw them, he could see faint figures of the bandits. He would have to tell them later. "GO GO GO!"

Edited January 20, 2015 by momogeek2141