Three Faced Coin - IC Thread

[Scambo]

Amaro lounged beneath the crude shade of his lean-to, letting labored eyes slip shut. Sleep the night before had been less than satisfactory, coming sporadically and the bizarre dream had shattered whatever semblance of restfulness that remained. He knew that the battle horn would soon blow calling the rag-tag 'special forces' into the fray, but for the moment he was content to doze. The Gypsy's plea weighed heavily on his mind as the pirate traversed the border between consciousness and sleep. There wasn't much reason for him to deny her request; far from it. He doubted it was all a trick or part of some long-con; there was genuine desperation in her voice and fear in her dark chocolate eyes when she uttered the request. He needed the money in a bad way. The trail was going cold and without the greased palms and sources he needed it would die completely. But the pirate had enemies. People he had scorned in the past, let alone the attention of pirate hunters and privateers.

Amaro was dozing contentedly when the Gypsy leapt down from her perch in the canopy above and began calling out about refreshments. Her voice, coupled with a rumbling in his stomach roused the slumbering pirate who sat up and rubbed at his eyes before rising and sauntering out into the grove. Stretching his arms above his head, he walked out into the grove and over to where the others were gathered. He smiled at Yolanda before reaching inside the bag of goods to retrieve a piece of dried apricot and a water skin. Setting himself down on a fallen log, he took a long drink of water before gnawing at the apricot.

"Thank you darlin'." He said, washing down the apricot with more water before wiping at his mouth with the back of a hand.

"I've been thinking about your request." He said bluntly, gazing into the depths of her eyes.

"I think-" Was all Amaro could utter before the battle horn sounded, drowning out his voice and thoughts.
He rose abruptly and set out to gather his things. Nimble fingers flew over the the clasps and fasteners holding the mithril chestplate in place before slipping the leather jerkin and cowl over his chest. He bore his things over to where the group was gathered just as Darek had begun tracing a map in the dirt. Amaro leaned over to the gypsy as he approached and whispered in her ear; "We'll talk later." before setting down on a rock and beginning to reattach the mithril chest plate. He let Darek speak his piece before coming forward.

"It seems as good a plan as any, but I'd suggest that we do something to draw as many of the forces that remain in the villages away from the targets, hit them and move on to the next as quickly as possible. We can't afford to get bogged down in a single location for too long and we can't attract the attention of any of the main groups headed out to battle without getting our heads lopped off. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not end up as a belt ornament for some bloody green-skin. We keep this tight, quiet, and clean an' we'll be 'ome in time for supper."

[Hymusia]

Yolanda – The battle.

As the others helped themselves to libations she relaxed, enjoying the gentle sunlight, for a time it felt like the home she'd long forgotten. A bunch of people sharing what they had in the most out of the way places in the world. For a time she only looked at the sky, not wanting to shatter the fleeting feeling that was as brief and beautiful as a butterfly. A tear slipped down her cheek as memories she thought were long gone rose to the surface, of skies like these and people like the ones she was with. In a moment of childish innocence she thought, I don't want any of them to die. A thought that was quickly brushed away as Amaro spoke and brushed away that feeling she'd been so fleetingly clinging to.

Looking towards him she offered her own small smile and wiped that stray tear from her face. They were strangers, it wasn't home, they weren't her people. Aside from this person they wouldn't be affected if she died or lived and even he likely only cared due to the coin she'd offered him. As if on cue he spoke of her proposition and with a sudden renewed interest she tilted her head and waited for his thoughts on the matter. Was he going to refuse, or was he going to accept? How much could she really trust him, but what choice did she really have any more?

Then the unwelcome sound of battle shattered the thin veneer and her head whipped around, her featuresh ardening for a moment in a mix of fright and anger. It was time to fight and she could feel herself shaking already. She'd not really had any time to prepare with the swords, she hadn't received much training at all and she only really knew how to cut apples with a blade. It was going to be so different, she would have to actually kill something, someone! Whether she care d to admit it or not theses were people, they were sentient, they had families, thoughts and needs. She'd never killed a person, she'd never purposely killed anything in her life, a thick superstition set by her people about all life kept her from wanting to tamper with it. However now, now she would have to hunt and kill and she felt pale and weak at the thought.

The money though was her primary goal and there were no superstitions surrounding murder, paid or otherwise. As people began to assemble around Darek she took a deep breath and slipped the packs to the floor, moving with that same fluid grace to the rest and bearing at the map he was drawing in the dirt and briefly to the camps she could barely see below. Her lip was briefly tugged on by her teeth before she turned her concentration to the plan. Amaro's voice behind her both steadied her nerves and instilled her a little confidence. She would talk to him later, as if he was deciding that nothing bad would happen to her before that could happen. Surprisingly she also drew a lot of comfort from Darek's words and the sudden regal position he took, finally looking a little like the leader he claimed to be.

The plan, to her, sounded sound enough, get in, bash things, get out. Mind you she wasn't too thrilled with being in the lead of their little expedition, she was after all the most under prepared and untrained person amongst their group. Then Amaro bought up a rather logical point, there weren't many at the camps but there were enough to possibly overwhelm them if they weren't quick enough, honestly they had a sword man, a large barbarian type person, Amaro, Darek and then her and Ms. Halfax whose roles were both supporting rather than attacking, as far as she was concerned anyway. Selena also looked troubled and then Yolanda had a foolish idea. “I'll do it.” she uttered, her voice little and quiet but she unclipped her own armour and let it fall to the floor.

“Sweet Leaf, were there any of those hand held bow contraptions? Cross bows da?” She motioned with a hand rather distantly, as if she herself wasn't certain what she was supposed to be doing; which she wasn't. All she knew was this was a better idea than walking in front of the others with weapons she had no ability with and no idea how to fight. “I'll take one and some bolts, I thinks we can all agree I am the most distracting of our little group.” She offered a small, playful smile that underlined how terrified she actually was right now, it was sheer will alone that kept her from trembling visibly. Though there was a fine tremor in the clenched fist at her side. “It makes more sense than me wielding the weapons I don't know how to use yet.” Though she'd be taking the daggers just in case.


Selena Halfax – The Battle.

Quietly she enjoyed the food she had taken, sitting on the log quietly to contemplate the upcoming battle, what would be the best idea and what would lead to disaster. She was no tactician nor battle maiden. She did though have an intelligence about her and could use common sense to figure out what made sense and what did not.

Then the battle horn sounded, wrenching her from her internal thoughts which had become so loud and violent that her mind was calm once more. Her eyes flickered up from the seed she'd been toying with for several minutes to the rest of her group. Quietly she pushed aside the dirt and slipped the seed into the ground, covering it and pressing it down lightly before making her way calmly and serenely to the others.

She met Darek's eyes and offered a brief smile before turning her eyes to the battle plan. So he did study, rather than simply shut himself away from the world, the plan did sound like a good base to work from. It was a logical way to go about things. Yolanda and Amaro were quick footed and would be wonderful scouts with training. While Asvald, Kyoht and Aralys were all a little harder to hide and keep hidden and she had no ability for physical strain. Though she did have a little trick of her own which would likely compliment the team thoroughly.

Before she'd had the time to volunteer herself as a distraction Yolanda had, she had to admire the girls bravery, she was shaking like a leaf. Still, she couldn't really blame her, Selena wanted to be scared, but she couldn't bring herself to be. She had to be a pillar of support for these men who'd need their souls as well as their bodies refreshed and mended while in the thick of the battle. So her serene, calm and quietly confident and strong look was her contribution right then.

Followed by. “If I may be so bold gentlemen. I have a few tricks of my own.” She offered Darek a secretive smile but leaned away from the others, folding her hands in front of her as if in prayer she whispered into her closed fist, words in a language lost to humans, that still resonated with some, centuries ago. “Ku'lam lotha ssussun d' kestal lu' ib'ahalii. Ulu da'rex abbil, ol zhah draeval.” As she whispered her words the wind picked up and raced about the glade in a swift but gentle gale that lifted her hair from her shoulders. The pale strands began to glow, while a pale light also tried to escape beneath her lashes, soft and silver with hints of pale green. Between her hands a white gold light began to shimmer, faint as a butterfly with a pulse all of it's own, lighting up the delicate, frail skin of the woman in a soft orange that soon turned to silver.

As the wind began to die, her hair began to settle and the shimmer of magic faded from the locks, the light behind her eyes also disappeared as she slowly opened them to look lovingly down at her hands. Carefully she began to open her fingers one by one, as the petals of her fingers fell away the light grew, it's pulsing slowing but stronger, it's strong white gold hue fading to a paler, but bright white. Until, sitting between her palms was a small ball of white light, it's centre invisible to even those that could stand looking directly at it.

As if knowing, the little ball seemed to move from her hands and hang about her head like a bubble of light that shimmered, swayed and turned upon itself. Further the lights once bright glow was softer and more friendly, thus not likely to be seen by certain soon to be victims, it's mass offering a gentle hum like that of a girl far away singing.

With a soft sigh of pride (and a little exhaustion) she glanced to the group. “This is my light, it is not a sentient creature but a useful thing for lighting the way. If Miss Yolanda doesn't mind I would like to offer his ability to distract the interlopers and she could hide within the trees to...” She didn't want to say it so she skipped the word that went against all her thesis and learning. “Thus preventing her from needing to reveal herself so soon and removing an element of danger from the field?” She looked to Darek then, wondering what his reaction would be not only to her suggestion but her show of ability. After all the last he'd seen her she had no 'magic'.

[Zhoren]

Grove of Silence - Midday (Leaf's POV)

"Orcs?" Leaf seemed to think bit on Kyoht's question.

It was common knowledge that orcs were a warlike race, who liked nothing better than to engage in bloody warfare with just about every other race on the entire continent, and even amongst themselves. Of course, different tribes had different methods of engaging in warfare, and different levels of hostility towards the human race; but when it came to killing orcs, nothing special was required, for they died just like any other humanoid when gutted in the right place with something sharp.

"Um... no, I can't think of anything special to kill them with. I guess you just stab them with something sharp." He said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"I've seen some of our guards pummeling them to death with their gauntlets though, and I've seen master decap...." Leaf suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence and scrunched his nose, as if he had remembered some unpleasant memory.

"Ugh... nevermind." He added, before turning his attention towards Darek, who had started briefing them on how they should proceed.

Having listened intently to Darek's plan until the point the lordling asked whether anyone had any questions, and had started looking at each of the persons in the group for reasons Leaf could not fathom. The apprentice mage turned his face away and scratched his hair nervously; apparently he was dissatisfied with something, but unsure whether or not to reveal it to the group. However, seeing as not doing so could lead to an early retirement from their mission, Leaf eventually decided to ask.

"Sir... I'm sure you already know of the goblin shamen's ability to divine our presence some time before we make it to their camp, and have developed some sort of countermeasure for it." He said. "I was wondering if you could... um.. tell us about it before we set out..."

The apprentice mage continued staring at Darek expectantly, until Amaro decided to make his own addition to the plan. At that, Leaf nodded. He liked the idea of keeping the matter quick with each camp, and go for the targets directly. After all, goblin tribesmen were nothing without their tribal leader, and would likely fall like grass to the adventurers' blades once their brains were taken out of the game. The fact that goblins were following the lead of orcs, was slightly worrisome, seeing as it could potentially mean that they had somehow gotten themselves enough brains to learn war tactics from them. That wasn't a good sign at all no matter how he looked at it.

Nonetheless, Leaf decided not to disclose his suspicions to the group at the moment as he saw no point in causing panic amongst the party at this early stage.

Before he could return to Darek with his question, Yolanda agreed to be the one to draw the goblins out. He had his reservations about sending a dancer who knew nothing of the landscape of the swamp to draw the goblins out of their ; if anything, he himself would probably be a better candidate for it seeing as he used to train here. But Leaf decided that it would be better for his mental health not to disclose his views at the moment. Subsequently, the dancer inquired about crossbows, at which point he turned towards her and shook his head.

"Nope..." He said promptly, "the treehouse only had some longbows and several quivers of arrows. If you wanted one, maybe you should have brought one from the town armory."

"Or maybe you guys already brought one.... or a few.." Leaf stared pointedly at the bulging bag of supplies that the party had lugged along with them from town. The size of the bag would easily make one wonder what exactly was in it which would help them out in the one-day campaign. His attention was then drawn to the magic spell used by Selena, and the explanation she eventually offered for it. He was quite fascinated at the effects of the spell as it seemed to solve quite a lot of their problems in one go.

"A-anyway..." The apprentice realized that he could no longer just be a bystander and observer as was his original plan. Things had already gone plentifully wrong, and things unforeseen in the original mission statement had occurred before they had set foot outside the Grove of Silence. What's more, for some reason the stampeding sounds had stopped, and a state of complete silence now preceded over the area, save for the sounds the group themselves were making. There was no sound of battle either.

It was clearly the calm before the storm...

[Kostvel]

Kyoht listened quietly to leaf's words, and killing orcs seemed to be pretty standard from what he was receiving. He went over Dareks plan in his head, and it seemed simple enough. Better to keep it straightforward as no plan survived contact with the enemy. Darek himself seemed to be a bit shaky on things, but as long as Kyoht had a designated and easy task he didn't really care all that much. And Amaro's point was fairly valid as well, although he was guaranteed to not be the distraction. With the weight of his armour there was no way he would be mobile enough to move quick enough to provide a decent distraction. Although the answer of who was going to do it was quickly answered by one of the group volunteering.

Shuffling his feet and adjusting his hauberk, he waited, beginning to get a little impatient as the others hashed over the details of the plan. His attention only drawn back to the talk as Darek mentioned that the goblins could divine their presence as they approached. He didn't really like the idea of all this magic going on about, seeking them out and how they had to counter it and all that. He had always found magic theory and application to be rather boring and tiresome, so it was things better left to Darek and Leaf to deal with.

His eyes were instantly drawn to the healer as a gust of wind picked up from the edges of the clearing drawing in to wrap around her. He watched curious on what was going on and the eventual culmination into a magical ball of light, and the explanation following it's creation on it's supposed purpose.

Kyoht wondered along with Leaf on what the pile of luggage was supposed to be fore anyway. Everything he needed was currently carried in his belt pouches strapped to his person. It was at this moment, that Kyoht began to notice the lack of ambient noise about the grove, up to and including the sounds of battle that only momentarily had surrounded the grove.

Looking about he realized that it wasn't just him and that the others had noticed it too. Drawing his sword slowly from his scabbard and clutching his shield closer to his body he looked about.

“Whatever our plan is, we better do it fast, or do something. I have a feeling that sitting here isn't the best option anymore.” He commented quietly, before proceeding to the edge of the reeds near a fallen log. He peered through the foliage trying to spot anything approaching the grove, both friendly and hostile. He strained his ears as best as he could, but couldn't really hear anything other than the sound of his own heart and the others located in the grove.

[qichao]

Darek stared at the little ball of light bobbing above the palm of Selena's hand. It was a little mesmerizing.

He had felt a flush of vindication when the others agreed to his plans, even though there were minor modifications, and even though they hadn't even yet started fighting, he already felt that half the battle was won. He waved away Leaf's comment with smile.

"Goblin divination. Pah."

Orcs and goblins be damned. People were listening to him.

"I will weave a counter-spell. They won't notice our presence until they see us with their own eyes." A small voice in his head told him that it had been nearly three years since he had last cast a spell, let alone this type of counter. He pushed it down and ignored it. He was Darek Aralys! He would not fail the group; that was not what Lords did.

He gave the crude stick drawn diagram one final glance as silence fell over the grove.

"We better move," he said, his voice hushing to match their soundless surroundings. "We will aim for that big boulder set above that side entrance; the one with the elm tree growing over it." He paused.

"You all know what elm trees look like, right?" Silly question, Darek! Get on with it!

"Amaro and Yolanda, you will double around and create a diversion however you see fit." Better let the damn pirate have his own way with something... "We'll take care of the rest."

With that, he turned with a slight flourish, although the still air meant his cloak didn't billow out quite as he would have liked it to. He would lead this sorry little party to victory, of course he would. He would not accept failure!

With that, he strode forth from the grove. As he walked, he focused his mind inwardly, forming in his mind the picture of a giant oaken gate. Just a little. I just need a little...

He eased the gate open slightly, and suddenly his mind became infused with a purple haze, flickering and cascading out of the crack. This was the energy, the arcane flow that bounded forth from the arcane planes, and was the basis for all elemental magic. Darek clenched his fists, concentrating as in his mind, he grabbed hold of the flow like one would a snake. It writhed and twisted in his mind, as he began to systematically shape it into the right form.

He stumbled over a root, not quite paying attention to where he was walking, and lost his concentration. The flow writhed and twisted in his head, and he suddenly lost his grip. It spiralled away from his desperately grappling mind, and he felt a familiar heat course through his body. The spell was being loosed, but without form to the flow, the effects would be random.

Darek felt the power slide out of his body and held his breath, praying that whatever it did wouldn't attract any attention. All was silent around him for two seconds, and he breathed a hidden sigh of relief; perhaps he had gotten away with it. And then, a guttural cry was raised the camp; one of the orcs had been set on fire.

He cast about at his companions. The plan they had laid would now surely be in tatters. His panicked mind raced. What do I do now? What do I do?

[Hymusia]

Yolanda- The Desert Warrior

The plan seemed to still revolve around her and Amaro being bait. They were certainly the most agile here so it made sense, but she still fought to keep her tattered courage in check. She was of the Aemthyst kingdom, she was a romani, she had braved the wilds of a sand torn kingdom for years, her people had met and beaten everything from the sand pirates to the vicious beasts between the mountains and the dunes. She would not fall to a bunch of green skins. She was as wild as the sands, as cold as the desert night and as agile as the winds that blew, no city folk and no swamp dweller could keep up with her and she would certainly not give any lord the satisfaction of falling here.

Nerves restored she felt a small wave of passion run through her body, the old women would have called it the magic of life. Though it was nothing more than pure emotion and even had it been magic she had no earthly way to wield it, however the superstition gave her courage, pride. Like the great tree her roots were firmed once more, she danced in ways men did not think possible and women wished to emulate. Fighting was like dancing and as long as she remembered that she'd be fine.

When Aralys said it was time to set off she did so, not waiting to ask what an elm looked like; how many large trees were there in boulders in a swamp? Hopping down from the ledge that earlier Amaro had been looking from and landing on a shelf some feet beneath, she moved silent as the sands across the ledge and swung herself down onto a tree branch, disappearing amongst the leaves and vines as if one with the very woods. She was not born to a wooded area, but she was a thief and the swamp was no more an obstacle as the city itself was.

Readying herself to make a distraction she heard a terrifying scream and looked over to see an orc had caught fire. “Oh to the spirits.” She whispered, she wasn't far from the camp and if she could make it seem like her doing the plan still had a shot at working. Think of the money Yolanda, think of the money and the freedom that comes with it. With a deep breath she traversed the branches and hopped down into the camp. Flicking out a hip in a rather jaunty manner she offered her best disarming smile, her hands upon her sides, toying with the daggers clasps. She had no idea if she'd be able to use them or not, her best option was to avoid a fight altogether. “Well hello boys.” She purred in that smoky sensual tone of hers, her grin turning devilish and taunting, “Want to come play?”

Another roar would echo through the woods and had Yolanda not been such a stubborn wench her scream would have followed. “I won't give that lord the satisfaction.” She mumbled to herself as she turned and ran, jumping over the corpse of the orc on the way. Well, she'd distracted them, she was at least pulling some of them away from the first camp. She could hear their heavy breaths, their grunting, their fat, flat feet slapping the ground, trying to catch up with her in galloping strides. Somehow, somehow this is all Aralys' fault, I feel it in my gut! A bitter thought but not a bad one she guessed if it were to be her last.

So that her boys did not get bored she made sure to entertain them, slipping under a willowy branch but grabbing its end only to let it spring back and whip an orc in the face, legs or chest. Suitably enraged then to chase her, at least a little longer she hoped. Then again if she'd played her role right they might even think she was the sorceress!

Selena- The Sacrifice

It seemed the plan was in place and people were moving, the time for talking was done, which was well in time with what she had estimated. Lord Aralys was rather confident he could cast a counter spell and she wondered what exactly magic looked like for him, for she herself saw none even while pulling it to use it herself, it was as if her magic was not part of the magical realm but a part of her. Of course, it seemed ridiculous to think that, didn't it?

Following Aralys as the two groups parted ways she kept her eyes on the road as they walked, the silence unsettled her and her hovering sphere now glowed lightly beside her head, lighting the path as it went. Dispelling shadows and the possible hiding places of any potential enemy. For the most part it was silent minus their boot falls and the steady clank of the armoured one. Occasionally she saw a shadow that flitted through the tree's, or at least she thought she did, paying very little attention above her just yet.

Before she could understand what was happening there was a violent scream and her eyes passively moved in it's direction. She was cool, calm and seemed for now in control, with a gesture of her hand which swiped towards the direction the scream had gone in the ball of light flitted off as if a dog chasing a ball. Weaving expertly through trees and obstacles and all the while in partial connection with Selena, she could not so much see it but feel it. “I do not know what happened, but maybe yet we still have the element of surprise. Lord Aralys, what would you have us do now?”

Glancing to him she saw the panic in his face and felt a compassion for him, “Ah I see, how foolish I was to doubt you Lord Aralys, already you have a plan I can see it in your eyes. You are thinking that this may be the distraction we are waiting for, while we are not close enough to our targets just yet perhaps we can approach from the far side that we are not too many metres from. You've already figured out even a divination spell takes time and it can not pin point accuracy without great stores of magic. So we still have time to surprise them, my little friend will act as a further distraction to disorientate them and buy us the time we need. Ah...I beg you forgive me Lord Aralys, you really did not need me to repeat your own thoughts to you.”

She flashed a brief smile but fully expected to be berated for her words, it was bad manners after all but he seemed to need the hand. For a moment her eyes grew an icy dimness that was a kin to the final moments of death, she swayed but caught herself with her staff and a moment passed, a deep breath taken and her colour returned. Whatever just happened, she really didn't want that to happen again, it hurt more than words could describe.
* * *

Meanwhile the light had fluttered into the camp, very few remained though their echoes could be heard, it flitted like a dragonfly back and forth for a moment before aiming for what appeared to be the shaman. However a pair of hard, callous hands had clapped around it, catching it and squeezing it within it's grip. Only for a moment however as the idiot creature realised quickly that the glowing ball was too hot to handle and retracted his hands which smoked and hissed from the burns left behind.

[Zhoren]

Grove of Silence - Midday (The Battle)

As it just so happened, both orcs and goblins were very fond of salted meat. Thus, human meat was considered a delicacy since it spared them the trouble of procuring salt from any external source. Nor was it surprising that the orc that was hit by the willow branch found Yolanda to be particularly delicious, which is why it didn't waste any time in going after her, the small number of remaining goblin guards behind him. The silence of the forest was crushed mercilessly by the violent roaring of the orcs and goblins. However, the main battalions having already left, and the only remaining guard regiment having been tricked out of the camp by the wiles of the exotic dancer, the camp was all but empty besides the goblin leader, the shaman which was currently dealing with distractions of its own, and few of the remaining goblin guards. Apparently, the distraction had worked extremely well.

As if on cue, the rest of the forest also erupted with roars and battle cries from many different sources, including both human and monster. The calm shattered, the storm had finally begun...


The creatures chasing after Yolanda proved most persistent. With blood-curdling savage roars, the orc crushed its way through the obstacles of the swamp, the goblins following a short distance behind him. As they approached an intersection however, an adventurer emerged from the bend, followed by several others. There were about ten in total; apparently, a few of the groups that had split from the main body in their search for gold and glory.

"Eh?" Muttered the adventurer who seemed to be leading the others behind him, not bothering to hide his surprise at the approaching bunch.

After all, it was hard not to be surprised at the woman who, from their point of view, seemed to be leading an orc and a battalion of goblins and heading straight towards them.

"Ah... so a human's leading these monsters." The adventurer muttered, nodding sagely to himself. "Then let us end this farce here and now."

"FOR HONOR!!" Raising his tower shield and pointing the the tip of his sword at the approaching bunch, the adventurer let out a fierce battle cry.

"Screw yer honor...." Said a dwarven adventurer from behind him, as he unlatched a massive battleaxe from his back, "everything I see belongs to me.."

Having said that, the dwarf charged, with roar much like the orc, the rest of the adventurers following in his wake.

---

Grove of Silence - Midday (Leaf's POV)

Leaf was never much for complex magicks such as divination, let alone countering such. So he had taken Darek's word for it; and satisfied that his query had been answered, he had followed behind the group, taking up the rear guard position alongside Kyoght. As they approached the camp, Leaf could see the creatures that remained behind through the bushes. Even with the majority of the goblins gone, the remnants still formed a rather large group, capable of swarming them if need be; and even more concerning was the fact that there were multiple orcs with them. These ones he had not noticed through his scope, and the only explanation he could think of were that they had probably come out of one of the tents inside the camp.

He looked at Darek for order, or directions, or anything at all, but nothing came, besides the telltale flow of arcane energy, which he could sense since he was close by. Apparently, the lordling was weaving that counterspell he spoke of earlier, which was all the better, since they were now close enough to be in divination range.

Looking back through the bushes, Leaf observed the camp as he waited for directions from Darek; but in the next instant a scream could be heard from the camp as an orc was lit on fire. It was powerful magic that killed the orc outright. Leaf wasn't sure what that was supposed to be, but it certainly didn't look like a counterspell, however it seemed to have done a good job nonetheless of distracting everything inside the camp. As he observed, Leaf could see Yolanda approach from the other side, and say something he could not hear due to the sound of battle that had erupted from all sides following the scream; nonetheless, her words seemed to rile up the orc, more so since it was hit with a willow branch in the next instant. Soon after, the orc ran out of the camp behind her, a large number of goblins following behind it.

The plan seemed to have worked extremely well, and the few creatures that remained seemed easy enough to handle between the rest of them, so long as the shaman did not get in the way with its nature magic. Fortunately, it seemed to be currently distracted by the ball of light Selena had summoned earlier. He wasn't sure if Darek had meant for all that to happen; in particular, he could not fathom why he had attacked the orc without warning the group first, but since this is how it turned out, Leaf decided that he might as well take the cue.

Of course, he would not dream of charging in alone, and since Asvald had disappeared somewhere, he turned towards Kyoght.

"Well... I suppose that's our cue.." he said, "we should be able to finish up the rest of them, if we do this right."

Unsheathing the blade from his hip, Leaf took out a small square object from his pocket and inserted it into a strange looking slot on the hilt of the sword, causing a very small amount of flame to erupt from the center of the blade and lick at the edges, but the fire didn't seem to be causing any damage to the blade itself. Those learned in magical arts would immediately recognize this as one of the simplest techniques used by spellblades, fitting for a apprentice in the art. They would also recognize the fact that Leaf had inserted the rune in reverse, thus significantly reducing the effect it was supposed to have. Whether that was intentional or not was hard to tell however...

With the fiery blade, Leaf slashed at the bushes through which he was spying the camp, causing the foliage to catch fire, which soon spread, causing quite a lightshow. There was too much water and moisture in the swamp to cause a forest fire, but this would no doubt create a distraction for a little while, which was his intention. It immediately drew the attention of the Goblin leader and two of his guards. who approached the bushes to investigate, thus separating from the rest of the goblins. The shaman and the remaining goblins were too busy chasing after the little firefly Selena had summoned at the other end of the camp.

"OK, here goes..." He looked at Kyoght. "I'll charge from the left, you deal with the right side."

Having said that, Leaf darted off behind the treeline somewhere to the left, before emerging out of the foliage just inside the goblin camp, to the left and out of sight of the goblins who had come to investigate the fire. Steeling his mind, and letting the feel of the blade in his hand take over his thoughts just as his master had taught him, the apprentice waited for Kyoght to charge in from the right, planning to lunge at the goblins on that cue.

---

Grove of Silence - Midday (Somewhere)

Unknown to the party, there was a goblin patrol which was in the process of returning to their camp after hearing the battle horn. They were patrolling on the other side of the swamp, which is why it had taken so long to return for new orders. The patrol itself wasn't that large, and included several goblin footpads and archers -- a group of scouts, so to speak. However, as it happened, they had approached the camp from the same direction as the party had, and had thus noticed the adventurers from behind. They were quick to conceal themselves, as was normal behavior for scouts. Their crossbows were trained on the adventurers, as they waited for the right opportunity to strike, and said opportunity seemed to avail itself as a scream could be heard from the camp, followed by sound of battle from all over. The goblins observed a bush being lit on fire and one member of the group disappear somewhere; the various distractions meant that it was the perfect opportunity to move out.

Silently, the footpads approached, and the archers awaited their cue to shoot...

[Kostvel]

Kyoht lingered slightly behind the group as they moved toward the goblin camp. He did his best to attune his senses to the environment, working at making sure nothing was moving in behind the group. Looking forward he could see that Darek seemed to be concentrating on something, and was sure that he was protecting the group from enemy magics and such.

Carefully scanning the camp and its surroundings for anything unusual, a sudden scream brought his eyes about instantly, and he caught a glimpse of what he assumed one of the orcs burning to a crisp from some sort of summoned flame. He had no idea if Darek of Leaf had cast it as some sort of plan, but wondered why they didn't just target the shaman in the first place.

He watched also as Yolanda taunt an orc and it's band, and then her prompt exit of the scene as she deftly spun and ran, jumping over obstacles in her way. Whatever she had said seemed to be effective enough, as it dragged not only the orc along after her, but a good number of the goblins in pursuit as well.

With that, he heard leaf spoke up and nodded to his comment. The camp was now fairly empty from what he could see, and the two of them shouldn't have much of a problem dealing with the rest in a concerted attack. He watched curiously though as Leaf unsheathed the sword he carried at his hip and then slot something from his pocket into a slot on the hilt. Almost instantly the blade erupted in a coating of dancing flame. Looking at such reminded Kyoht that he could do similar, and he transferred his sword to his shield hand, held flat in the open palm of his left hand. Quickly sketching a rune above it with two fingers of his right hand, leaving a slight glow of energy in the air sketching out the shape and form of the rune.

Once that was done he grasped the sword again in his right hand, and the plain blade of the sword took on a slight blue tinge. While not as fancy as Leafs flames, this affect caused the sword to freeze things upon impact. Multiple impacts upon an enemy blade or armour would cause the metal to shatter from frost, and a good his upon flesh would make a much greater impact essentially rendering the particular limb inert. The only disadvantage really was the amount of contact required to shatter other steel, and the fact that any frozen wounds inflicted wouldn't bleed due to freezing.

Nodding in reply to Leaf, he pushed off past the flaming brush in a wide leftward arc ultimately aiming at the shaman and his few remaining goblin guards. He was sure Leaf could handle the leader and his two goblins in a pincer movement from the right while Kyoht came in from the left at the Shaman's group.

Just before the edge of the camp Kyoht paused for a moment, internally releasing the tight knot of energy he had gathered in the past while, causing a rush of energy to suffuse through every limb, all the way to his toes and fingers. The feeling of Kracht Bewegingen was completely unexplainable to those who hadn't felt it, but the closest he could come would be the feeling of a second wind after a long run. He knew with the amount of energy he had gathered, he would feel quite nauseous after coming out of it, but he had a long time before it ran out.

With that he sprinted into the camp, with good speed. He was only a little faster, and only a little stronger. The real advantage was that since he was using excess energy taken in from the environment, that he wouldn't become tired even after hours of fighting. And even a little extra speed and strength made a difference.

With his shield held before him in his left, and his sword held low in his right he approached the shamans group who at the moment were currently focused on the orb of light. As he approached and was only about twenty paces away a few of the goblins noticed his presence and alerted the others. The speed of their noticing him and their reaction was surprising to Kostvel, as the goblin guard moved swiftly to impose a barrier between him and the Shaman. This left only the Shaman and another goblin to deal with the orb, but put a fair amount of bodies before the shaman in protection.

No choice left now Kyoht silently charged froward, pushing everything he could to squeeze everything out of his legs for an extra ounce of speed. The goblins before him completely consumed his vision, and the Shaman behind them his goal. Closing the gap in what felt like an instant he impacted a goblin squarely in the front with his shield causing him to fly back from pure momentum and tumble into another. With his right he swept his sword in a low arc, and if anyone observed closely in the wake of the blade thew would be able to see miniature snowflakes. The sword cleaved cleanly through a goblin spear taking both goblin arms with it, and culminated in an arc ending in the left side of another goblin.

Although the Goblins were smaller and didn't have the weight and size advantage, they were much faster than Kyoht, and at the moment held the advantages in numbers. With their speed they had already moved to Kyoht's flanks and were reaching in to strike with their weapons, causing him to spin and react with his sword and shield in a deadly whirling dance. Even though Kyoht paid out every strike with a counter and a block slowly taking apart the goblins, a few strikes landed, mostly for now skipping of his mail or getting caught up in his tabard.

[Hymusia]

Yolanda- On the Run.

She had no time to be shocked or surprised by the lumbering beasts quickness through the swamp, she only had the time to be glad she was quicker. They were right behind her, squealing and shouting in an unintelligible rabble, they were probably going to eat her if they caught her. If she was lucky that is. There was a reason men were compared to orcs after all and it was not a rumour she wanted to test today. The forest weaved and wound and in the honesty of whatever god was watching them she had not a clue where she was going. Only certain to give a good enough chase that the green skinned creatures wouldn’t get bored and give up.

She skipped through tree roots and over hurdles, causing the creatures to either stub their toes or land on sharp rocks she’d avoided. She had to admit though most of this was due to luck. She didn’t plan to test this luck too much but felt that there ought to be a little more incentive to have them follow her. Slipping around a spindly tree she managed to kick, rather feebly, one of the goblins over. She was as surprised as the shrieking green skin but as she burst back the way she came they were confused enough for her to get a good little lead on them again. The problem was she had no idea where she was supposed to lead them or for how long to keep them occupied. How long was it going to take to take down the first Shaman and head?

She needed a plan and she needed one quickly, while she was in good health the new items were weighing her down and exhausting her much quicker than usual. She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer. The yells and cries of victorious battle reached her however and it gave her an idea. The adventurers! Surely the other groups and teams would slay the annoying green skins chasing her, perhaps they’d even offer her a little water before she had to make her way back towards the others, if she could even remember the way.

By sheer luck a wandering party found her, or she found them. For a moment he felt untold relief, ready to fall into the arms of the leader of the group and proclaim him her hero. They spotted her and she was ready to wave and call for help when she had all her hopes dashed in an instant.

“Ah…So a human’s leading these monsters!” Hey wait. What? “Let us end this farce here and now!” END?! “For Honour!” Screw your honour! “Screw your honour.” Echoed from the mouth of one of the others, Well said that Dw- “Everything I see belongs to me!”

“Frell.” She uttered beneath her breath.

No help would come from these people, the bunch of inane imbecile’s that can’t tell when a group of green skins were trying to eat someone or not! The Dwarf came first, but he was a Dwarf and so with a muttered apology she hopped nimbly over his head and ran straight towards the knight. If she had the breath to speak she wasn’t going to waste it on these men, with a mischievous smile and a wink she allowed herself to skid between the knights honourable legs, popping up behind him, his team having flanked his sides not having the chance to catch her and soon having run head long, literally, into the orcs and goblins.

Her like was cut and covered in the disgusting ooze that filled the swamp but she had managed, somehow, to set out what she had wanted to do. Waving to the adventurers she took a deep breath and then ran back off into the woods before any of them could draw their bow or ready their weapons. Her muscles throbbed, her leg and arm were particularly sore but she didn’t’ have the time for that. Attempting to remember just where she’d left the others she weaved in and out of the trees, following the sound of…well there was no sound to follow so merely hoping she was heading in the right direction.

Selena- The dancing globe.

Selena had not moved since sending the ball of light to go fight for them, it took a lot of concentration and her eyes reflected as much, in some lights the pupils even looked slit like a reptiles and the hue of an aurora borealis. Her hands moved with the most minuet motions and she was utterly unresponsive for the time being, quite incapable of defending herself while so thoroughly concentrating on controlling the orb. Which darted and moved as if it were intelligent, when the Shaman grabbed for it, it would weave quickly in another direction, when it seemed he was getting ready to cast it would strike at the Shaman. Snapping at his rear or legs to get his attention and break his concentration from the spell.

It left hideous raised flesh, the very heat of the spirit ball scorching the shaman and causing him enough anger to keep his attention on it rather than the noise and happenings all around it. Though oddly enough it was restrained, that was the hard part, the part that took her concentration. It could and likely would, rip through flesh and trees, the heat of a star and an unfathomable power within the little spirit companion. However Selena was bound by an oath, she would not kill, could not kill. She was a healer and while these beasts surely deserved all they got she would not be the one to end them.

All she could do was distract the enemy, perhaps even bind them with a spell and heal her allies. She had to hope and have faith in the goddess that her party were able to take care of the rest. She had faith though that they would.

[qichao]

A little voice in the back of Darek's mind told him that he was a fool. He was a fool for listening to his parents and coming on this blasted "adventure". He was a fool for proclaiming leadership of this group. He was a fool for thinking he, a wet eared scholar, could even hope to handle himself in the thick of battle.

And yet, here he found himself. All around him, the group sprang into action; Selena controlling her little white ball, Kyoht dashing in towards the camp to engage the remaining enemies whilst Yolanda ran the others away.

Fool fool, bloody thrice cursed fool!

He felt faint. They could die this day. Their life could be spilled on this ground, and no one would be any the wiser. He cast about him; maybe they should run? The sound of weapons clashing rang through the air. He could grab Selena and leave Kyoht and Leaf, not to mention Yolanda and Amaro behind?

Leaf! God, even that blasted apprentice mage was fighting in the thick of things!

He looked at Selena again, her face a mask of concentration as she directed her glowing ball of an avatar. She was graceful even now, though her faced was edged with the strain of channeling the spell.

How would I even face her again?

Darek turned again, floundering despite himself. He felt like he was sinking as waves of fear crashed unrelenting upon him. He tried to hold onto Selena's words; they had a chance, he had a plan, but the thoughts rang hollow.

How could the others just run into battle like this? Were they not terrified? They could all die out here!

As he cast about, eyes wild. He suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye a figure creeping up behind Selena. Selena! Something snapped in him, a fear even greater than the fear of dying. He fumbled for the gate in his mind, and ripped it open when he found it. A torrent of arcane energy sloshed through his being. He grabbed it with all his might, desperately, like a drowning man a life-line, and shaped it viciously. He was not going to let it go astray again!

The creature suddenly noticed Darek looking at him, and sprang into motion, dagger in hand. Darek loosed the spell, a ball of arcane energy that crackled forth from his outstretched hands. It slammed into the goblin, bursting and dissipating into brilliant tendrils as it lifted him up and blasted him back.

Adrenaline shot through him. He leapt and grabbed Selena's wrist. "Run!" He shouted, dragging her towards the others. "Run!"

Even as he did, he grabbed at the loosened arcane energy in his mind again. It was more difficult this time; he was on the move, and also trying to fashion a more complex pattern. The spell slipped. As he stepped, the air above him began to cool, and formed a patch of cloud the size of a man. It then began to rain on him.

Fool!