Veragwen shook her head, "No Caelyn, you need to stay with Mara. I'll go with Jerus. Perhaps when you've recovered you can go with him. I know this area the best and my bow will make hunting much easier. I'll go with him if he really needs it." she looked at Jerus, "For the most part the area around Seles isn't all that dangerous. That scorpion that attacked the town wasn't native to this area. Plus it's...ya know....dead now. If you can use those weapons of yours decently well you should be okay. But as I said, I'll come with you if you wish. It certainly is much easier to shoot an animal than it is to stab it."

She turned to Mara, "Either work. I suppose it depends on if you want to be able to hide in the forest or have good visibility of our surroundings. I wouldn't worry about dangerous monsters. The worst we've got around here is bandits or a bear. I can take care of either of those myself. We might make faster progress through the prairie though."

Marmalade considered their options for a moment. It would probably be smart to go through the prairie. An hour at most extra wasn't going to hurt.. much.
However, food would probably be more abundant in the forest, as Jerus said. While the prairie was more out of the way, Veragwen was right, progress would be slower through the trees. After a few moments more of careful musing, Marmalade decided the prairie would make a better route.
"I have the feeling we should go with the prairie. I am sure we will be able to find enough food to last us until Bale." She picked up the pace and fell in just behind Caelyn again. After hearing her repeat the words she said and a possible sad moment, Marmalade wrapped her right arm around Caelyn.
"Don't you worry, we aren't parting ways for a while, I think." she smiled at the woman as they walked. Her scythe now hung over her left shoulder.

The land was fairly flat as they walked along. The prairie seemed to go on forever. There was no sight of a monster and, thankfully, no giant ones either. There was a peaceful beauty here and Marmalade couldn't help but take in a deep breath of the fresh warm air. She looked around at everyone and smiled. There was almost nothing better than the smell of the summer breeze. This was definitely the better choice.

"I believe that the forest will be safer... The major threat was destroyed as far as I've understood, and deserts or prairies contain more poisonous animals like snakes and scorpions, that are harder to spot. We would also be at risk for lack of water sources..Even if it's just one day, the sun shouldn't be underestimated." Nayash said with a tone of concern. "Besides, Raena disappeared here in the forest, and there's a chance that she won't find us if we take the detour through the prairies". And I won't get my hammer back...

She leaned back on Veragwen, smiling apologetically, and then asked "So, the plan now is...? Find Raena or make camp? Or should we just continue walking? I mean it's still quite early in the day.."

Veragwen smiled, "I haven't heard of many people running into snakes or scorpions Maybe a bee or two. Are you afraid of bees, Nayash? Most animals and insects around here won't bother you if you don't bother them. Also, I think a forest has far more places to hide than a prairie." she pointed up, "In the treetops for one. In the trunks too just to name a couple. And I don't think we need to worry about water. There's plenty at the cave and we have a good amount in our canteens to last us a bit."

"As I understand the plan is to make some more progress and then make camp. There's really no reason to stop right now unless someone needs a short break."

I simply followed the group as they discussed the various options, recognizing the thinning of the trees as we approached the edge of the forest that gave way to the prairie. Less game, but probably easier to spot if I play it right. Wish I'd spent more time paying attention to dad's hunting tricks. Resting a hand on my sword for good measure, I watch Nayash as we walk and wonder how she'd even managed to get the wound to put her on the limp. Then it occurred to me that I was the only male traveling with these women and I mentally frown.

Oh boy, this'll go over so well in the next town... Perhaps separating from them until they reached an inn once they actually made it there would be the most prudent method to go with. Returning to watching for game, he hears an opportunity to make a joke and smiles. "If Lady Nayash really is scared of bees, it would be my honor to slay the foul insects if they get too close." The fact that I was making a joke really stood out, and I really hoped I hadn't insulted her honor by making such a joke.

"We are going to try and make it to the cave before sun down. Its probably a good idea to take a rest soon though." Marmalade said after a few minutes of contemplation. She wasnt sure how Caelyn and Nayash would hold up if they continued walking for a long while. Marmalade let her mind go as the trudged on.

"Mom! Mommy!" Marmalade called as she walked around their house. Despite being in Bale, the house they owned was small and slightly shabby. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to think of her childhood, but something about it was clawing at her. She was always teased by the other children because of her tail and gills. Her mother would tell her it was because they were jealous she could breathe under water. Since she was young, she believed that. She learned later it was because she was different. A half-mermaid.
On this day, Marmalade had spent the morning in the garden playing with with the pond fish. Now it was the afternoon and she was hungry! She found her mother in the kitchen staring out the window, a somber look upon her face. She did that often and Marmalade couldnt help but wonder what she was thinking about. She never did find out.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marmalade snapped back to reality and found that present company were in front of a small cabin. It looked relatively run down, but a safe place to rest for a few minutes. Not wanting to force everyone to rest, Marmalade looked at her group.
"Does anyone need a rest?" She asked.

Caelyn did a quick stretch of her abdomen to see how her ribs were mending. Even now she could feel the stones magic working their tendrils. It felt like little strings were being mended around each bone and holding them in place until she was fully healed. She knew it was still going to be a bit, but she knew already from the time they had left town to now, she had healed considerably. She almost got her arms straight in the air before a lancing pain brought them back down. Hopefully Mara didn't see Caelyn recoil quite so quickly.

"I don' need to be restin' yet. I think we may make the cave 'fore night fall. With some luck, I might be able to even take a watch or two." Caelyn grinned. She liked pushing her limits, always had. Even when she was little and she used to go diving for pearls. Her father told her not to stay underwater for longer than a minute, but she found a minute was so easy. She could often stand down for 5 minutes before realizing she needed air. When she asked her father about it, he would always just smile stroke her hair and say, "It's because you are so special. You can not tell everyone about this though, it has to be our little secret."

Caelyn would always reply "Yes Da'." She never really wondered why it was, until just this moment. She found her gaze falling over Mara, she was so deep in thought lately it had her wondering what it was.

"Anythin' on your mind yer wantin' to talk about? I can try to be a good listener, although, I was never good at listenin' to me da'." Caelyn let out a fierce grin. "Might ye want to race Mara? Or you Veragwen, I'm bettin' I may beat you both."

Veragwen shrugged, "I'm fine for continuing even if I am half carrying Nayash. I may not look extremely strong, but I worked hard on endurance." she said, smiling as she flexed an elegant but well-toned arm. "I always felt that was more important to protecting people than raw strength. What good is that strength if you're too worn out to use it, right?"

She gave Caelyn an even look, "I'm glad you're in good spirits, CaeIyn, but I don't know if you should be running around just yet," she grinned a little, "I'm also a little offended that you'd underestimate me so....perhaps in a day or two we can find out the winner, though."

She had been noticing the looks that Mara and Caelyn were giving each other. It was like....they both suspected the same thing but didn't want to discuss it unless in private. Vera decided it was best to let them do their thing. She wasn't one to pry and when or if they trusted her they would tell her on their own.

I look at the cabin and a small smile crosses my face. My father had many times delivered equipment to hunters who lived in cabins like this, though it was typically in the form of new knives and repaired traps and other such things. Still, Marmalade's question needed answering and he couldn't pass up a good chance to find some game. "I do not need to rest, but might I recommend we rest here and catch some game? This old cabin seems like a good place to clean and prepare the meat we'll get at the very least. Maybe three or four hours." Taking the time to hunt from the cabin would also give their wounded a chance to recover some strength as well, even if they'd never admit to needing it.

I sat on my heels while I waited on a decision to be made, still watching for anything that might try and sneak up on them to make a meal of them. The prairies had their predators as well, and I was sure the darker it got, the more likely they were to find them instead of the game they would like to use for their food supply. That scorpion must have been quite tough to wound such capable warriors. And their wounds make crossing at night dangerous, since predators always go for the sick and wounded of anything.

”I am most DEFINITELY NOT scared of bees. I just know that open terrains have more threats than meets the eyes, and most of them involves poisonous insects and reptiles… Ah, forget it.” She was slightly annoyed at the joke. However she didn’t know why, so she didn’t say much more after that.
As they reached a cabin Nayash had started to zone out her surroundings. She was thinking about who she could have been, what actually happened through the fight before she was placed in the inn with these people. She knew her name, and that was about it. Her clothes looked foreign and she knew she was from somewhere warm based of her brownish tone in skin. But why had she been in Seles to start with?
She started to break out in sweat as one of them - she didn’t quite catch who - mentioned the sight of a cabin and she debated how far she could go on. She didn’t want to be a burden.
“I can stay behind, rest up in the cabin as you go on. You could make it there before the daybreak, and I could wait for Raena to come around..?”

Marmalade chuckled hearing Caelyn challenging not only herself, but Veragwen to a race.
"I agree with her, you should wait until you are better healed."
Ahh! She had known someone would be feeling the walk! Then she frowned. They weren't going to just leave her behind.
"Nayash, you are too weak to defend yourself or get away if another one of the monsters pops up. If you are staying here, then we are too." She turned to Jerus, "Hunt away maestro. I am going to stay here with Caelyn and Nayash. Maybe Raena will pop up too." Marmalade gave Caelyn her pack with the spirits and shuffled over to Veragwen, whispering to her, "Are you going with him?"

Veragwen giggled at Nayash's reaction to her joke, "I apologize, it was merely a joke. I should've known that a little bee wouldn't scare the mighty Nayash!" she said, smiling at her and giving her a little wink.

She was shaking her head before Nayash even finished her suggestion, "That's a bad idea. With your wounds you'd be almost defenseless and getting anywhere would be not only painful but take a lot of time if Raena doesn't show up to help you. You're with us for now, my friend. We'll rest a bit here and get going in the morning." she said, giving the woman a warm smile.

Vera nodded to Mara, "Yes." she said, handing Mara her pack with the spirits in them, "I can keep an eye on him and protect him if there's any real trouble. Besides, maybe I could find some herbs for potions or medicines while I'm out there..." she looked at Jerus, "Are you ready, Jerus? Shall I hold your hand so you don't get lost?" she sighed and smiled "Sorry, I guess light hearted jokes are a coping mechanism for me...Let's get going."

Emerging from the cave the group was headed towards, was a distinguished looking man on a pure white horse, his clothes giving away that he wasn't any old distinguished person, he was a noble. Two heavily armed men rode on either side of this noble, "How much farther until Seles?" the nobleman asked the guard on the left. Pointing toward the forest, the man spoke, "Just beyond this forest, Lord Armond." he replied. The nobleman identified as Armond sighed, "How droll, why do I have to be the one to visit this backwater town?" he asked out loud. The guard on the right spoke, "Because, my lord, the king needs you to inspire the warriors gathering there." Armond rolled his eyes at this. Though he disliked this idea, he remained silent, allowing the guards to guide him through the first bit of the forest. It wasn't long after they entered that the guards stopped and dismounted, drawing their swords. Before he could ask, he could hear what they heard, voices. It was clear they were unsure if the voices belonged to travelers, or to bandits. In either case, Armond dismounted as well and followed the guards, staying several feet behind them. Eventually, they came to a spot where they could see the group, "They look like travelers, warriors perhaps. You think they're heading to Seles?" one guard whispered to the other. The second one shook his head, "No, looks like they were in a fight already, perhaps they're coming from the village? I think they fought the scorpion...do you think they killed it?" he asked. Before either guard could react, Armond stepped out from the brush, the sun catching his blonde hair. "Forgive me if I've startled you, but I am curious as to how such fine warriors as yourselves managed to get injured so." he asked without warning.

I nodded to Veragwen and stand up. "Very well, milady, but if I come running towards you screaming, assume something large and hungry has decided to turn the hunter into the hunted and either follow or make a stand." I had a silly smile on my face the entire time I spoke and had already started to turn when I heard something rustle in the brush before someone stepped out of it. Purely on instinct, my sword left it's scabbard and the dagger it's sheath, both poised to strike before I realized that I was looking at a noble. And not just any noble at that, but Lord Armond. His being here meant they were probably checking on the situation in Seles and that wasn't going to be happy news to deliver. "Forgive me if I've startled you, but I am curious as to how such fine warriors as yourselves managed to get injured so."

Lowering my weapons, I rest them by my side, but stay on edge all the same. I never felt at ease unless a fire was lit or I rested indoors, since I'd had wolves, bears and other such beasts try to make a meal of me before. "They were wounded defending the now desolate Seles. The monster is slain, but at the cost of the towns people."

If it was one thing that Caelyn could not stand, it was nobility. She remembered when they would come to Rogue on there "visits". Mainly it was a way for the kingdom to keep tabs on the town and tax them. It was funny, you laid taxes for the kings army for none of the protection.

"Don' be worryin' your pretty little head lad, we took care of the big bad scary. You did no' even have to get dirt on those nice shiny boots of yours. I suppose this is another victory to be claimed by the king then? He did do such a nice job with those fliers."

Irritated through her own doing, Caelyn trudged past the man without offering a bow or even a nod. Her father's quick witt and temper channeled through her in a final remark. "As the boy said it came at the cost of a whole town, thank the Lord for your fliers..."

"Ahh, thank you. Come Nayash, lets sit a moment and rest." Marmalade said as she took the bag from Veragwen.

Marmalade nearly jumped out of her skin when some random nobleman came out of the treeline. She immediately readied her scythe and was about to swing when she saw that he wasn't a threat. With a huff, she lowered her weapon. Nobles. They always thought they could sneak up on people. Oh! How she wanted to cut his head free of that pretty little neck. They never did an honest days work and usually ended the day with their pockets lined with the peoples tax money. No wonder a giant monster destroyed Seles.
"Thats right, the people are dead because the crown decided to hide behind its walls rather than send aid. Instead they sent out fliers to lure unsuspecting victims to a fight that was near impossible to win. Not only that, but Serido has its first ghost town. Good job." Marmalade stomped after Caelyn, her usual calm exterior nowhere to be found. Those damn nobles were indirectly responsible for her mothers murder, and she would never forgive them.

Veragwen had her hand on her hilt when some random person popped out. She could see he didn't want to fight, though, so she let it drop. She looked at Mara and Caelyn as they both laid into him, "To be fair, I don't think anything else could have stopped that scorpion. What would you have him do? Come rushing himself and die by the scorpion since it's as unkillable to him as it was to anybody else? Also, I don't think deception was his purpose either. That was literally all the details he had on the monster and it needed to be put down quickly before it caused more deaths than it did. A call to arms was the best he could do. People are dead because that thing was unstoppable, not because the King sent lacking aid. It would've been nice if he sent more, but If he had they would just be dead right now, too."

She turned to Armond, "Anyway, yes that's the gist of what happened, my lord. The monster is miraculously slain, but the village of Seles is no more than ashes." she said sadly. "The scorpion let out a dark mist that turned anyone to ash that breathed even a little of it."

Armond saw the first man draw his weapons, though he remained in place, his guards stepping out of the treeline. It was clear the nobleman was coming prepared to assist in dispatching the scorpion, though he lifted a hand as they moved to defend him, causing them to stand down and sheath their weapons. At the man's words, he opened his mouth to speak, only to be forced silent by a woman. Her tone seemed not to phase him in the least, it wasn't surprising to him that there were those who hated nobles, everyone did in one way or another. As she brushed by him, he closed his eyes, "The King has little to do with the flier, Miss, it is I who came up with the idea. Furthermore, I would try and keep that anger of yours in check, it could get you into a lot of trouble one day." he said calmly, opening his eyes to look at the half-breed who was the most visibly angry of them all. Her words annoyed him, more than they should have. As she went stomping after the woman who passed prior, his arm lashed out and grabbed her own. The sounds of weapons being drawn by the guards and those around the pair were heard, the situation had become tense now, and it had the potential to get even worse. Armond brought his face as close to hers as he could, "Listen here, Fish-girl, I won't have one of your kind telling me how to do my damn job. The crown did all it could before I stepped in to assist them. If we knew what we were up against, we would've been able to save Seles, and countless more lives beyond the town. So why don't you shut your filthy mouth and know your place, fish." he said in a threatening manner before letting her go.

He heard one last person speak, this woman seemed to be sensible, she clearly had to be the leader of this band of warriors. "Very astute, Miss. You're right, but to a degree, we couldn't send troops in because our information was so very little on the creature. I'm surprised to hear it was a scorpion, it's obviously not something native to this area, and this fact alone concerns me. I have a theory on what caused this, though I think it better to return to Bale at once, the King will want to know about this as well." he told her. Snapping his fingers, the guards left to fetch the horses, leaving him unguarded. Armond looked over the resting woman, she appeared to be the worst off. He made his way to Veragwen, motioning to Nayash, "I heard rumors of a Death Frontier warrior in Seles, they're strong warriors. I'm surprised to see she's so badly injured...do you know what happened to her?" he asked, looking Nayash over again.

When Marmalade felt a hand grip her arm, she was fully prepared to just shrug it off and keep walking. That is, until she got a look at who was touching her. It had crossed her mind to let this fool have his cake, but he made the mistake eating it. "Fish girl" she could handle, she heard it all the time, but telling her to mind her place? Something snapped. Marmalade felt the darkness creeping up on her like before. This time she forced it away. No matter how much she hated this racist bastard, she wasn't a murderer. Yet.

As soon ad his guards had gone, Marmalade connected her fist to his head, effectively knocking him over. Once he was down, she pinned him to the ground and leaned to whisper in his ear,
"If you ever touch me or speak to me in the way you did just now, I will cut you open and wear your guts as a scarf."
She moved away, her piercing emerald gaze burning into his eyes.

Not a moment later, she saw the guards returning and stood, keeping a tight hold of this nobleman.
"Oh. You seem to have tripped. Please, let me help you up." Marmalade said loudly and not without a note of sarcasm. After hoisting him to his feet, she spoke more quietly, "And mind how you talk to my friends. Do we have an accord?"

Veragwen gestured for Jerus to go ahead, "I'll catch up with you."

She turned back and eyed Armond now that he was back on his feet, "Please watch how you speak, my lord. I don't care who you do or don't like, but I won't stand by while insults are hurled at my friends. Especially Mara, she's the reason any of us are alive right now....Let's all just be friendly, alright? We have bigger worries."

Her features softened as she answered his question and looked at Nayash, "....Anyway, as we fought the scorpion, Nayash ran off to fight a man in a hooded black robe, who I'm fairly certain was responsible for the scorpion's appearance at Seles. He turned out to be far stronger than she imagined and beat her pretty bad."