Argurios was lieing on the ground. His head about to explode, in his ears he could hear a constant beep. The pain from the elbow and ankle were making Argurios dizzy, the world began to spin. When he noticed the boot in the air it took him a moment before he realised what’s going on. As he raised his arms to protect himself he saw Brisa jump in and prevent the kick. Everything seemed so hard, every move, every thought, to even understand what’s going on, everything was so hard that in some moment Argurios believed he was dreaming. Then the pain within his chest began to grow. Stronger and worse by the moment. He clenched his shirt and under it, he could feel the relic he found at his father’s house. The strange item was radiating warmth, yet at the same time caused him pain and messed with his senses. The pain slowly grew too much, and Argurios passed out. His hand still clinching the relic inside his inner shirt pocket. To him everything seemed dark and quite. The pain from the injures subsided, but the effect of the relic remained. ------------ As Dreknor turned around to face his new enemy he was surprised by the weapon the enemy held. Though he did not have the knowledge of its power, he did know that it can hurt his body and even the gods shadow within him. Now his focus was all on the priest before him. The staff presented danger, and so the man must be eliminated at all costs before continuing with the killing of children. Dreknor Rushed forward in a simple attack, overestimating his speed and power, which was blocked and countered forcing Dreknor back for a moment. Dreknor circled his opponent, then as he was about to attack, the enemy surprised him with an attack, the first hit Dreknor dodged, but for the next he had to move out of the enemies reach, prolonging the fight yet again.

Brisa felt like her eyeballs were rattling around in their sockets when she finally was shaken off. She huddled trying to get her bones to stop rattling. It didn't take long because Jatan was saying something and she had to fight through the confusion to answer him. “Hold him still” The words slowly penetrated the thick fog that was Brisa's rattled brain. She shoved herself to her hands and knees and crawled over to where Jatan and Argurios were. Argurios was still, very still, and for an instant she thought he was dead. Only when she saw him take a breath did she herself breathe. She looked at the new boy, she hadn't even really met him, such a brief encounter but now she hoped he could help. Magic, divine or arcane, was as familiar to her as breathing by now. She saw the potion and put two and two together very quickly. She just gave a curt nod to the boy, Argurios wasn't moving so that wouldn't be a problem, and turned to find Aiden. She spotted him on the other side of the fight, he had been kicked or tossed or something to the far side of the alley and was lying on the ground. From here she couldn't tell if he was ok or not. She would have to figure something out. She clutched her satchel to her, somehow she had managed to keep it around her neck and shoulder the whole time. Then steeling herself she ran, well to the side of the fight, to Aiden's side. With relief she saw Aiden was hurt, but not badly, not like Argurios who was lying on the ground behind her. She couldn't focus on anything going on around her, but the sounds of the fight threatened to burst into her concentration. She may have been a mageling still, but she had studied concentration and with a great effort of will she shut herself off from what was going on around her save Aiden, Jatan, & the unconscious Argurios. “Come on” she hissed softly at Aiden, grabbing him by his shirt front. She wasn't strong enough to haul him up but her presence was enough and he got up. Without waiting for him to collect his crossbow, it was shattered and broken into several pieces anyway, Brisa did her best to drag him away from the fighting and back to to the other two. She caught a glimpse of the fight out of the corner of her eye, two against one...it should have been unfair but it seemed that was not the case. Both monks were injured, though this did not stop them from fighting, and they seemed to be working as a pair to keep Dreknor's attention on them. Brisa wasn't going to question this gift. There was no doubt in her mind if the evil man turned his attention back to them they would be dead. She got to the others just as Argurios was sitting up. She had no idea what had happened, he looked like death warmed over, but he was sitting up. “Lets go” she said in a low voice when she was close enough to be heard. Of course she had no idea where to go but since the fight was blocking the way they came the only option was to continue down the ally street to the waterfront and hope they could escape on the smooth river. She hoped there would be something there, a raft, a boat, a floating log even...she couldn’t swim. She would risk it though, over the death that waited behind.

Aiden saw Brisa rush to him to help him up. It took a few moments for him to be able to move again and he started to stand after she had drug him a bit. In Aiden's mind, he had failed once again. First his family, then Sarah, and now here. How many people would pay for his weakness? If it weren't for the monk, they would all be dead. and from the looks of it, the monk will be dead. He looked into the direction that Brisa was wanting to go and something caught his eye. "Look, there are some skiffs ahead," he told Brisa flatly and quietly.

Brisa looked down the alley and spotted the skiffs. “Good idea” she said softly while at the same time trying to tug Argurios to his feet. He was bigger and considerably less movable than Aiden had been. It took her and the other two to get him on his feet, but whatever Jatan had done had helped. He could walk, sort of. Brisa had no idea of the pain he was in, or the beating his body had taken, she was only concerned with the immediate problem. She narrowed all her focus to the task of getting out of here, the next problem would come soon enough. They had to get out of here. The skiffs were the best bet, if they could get in one the river could carry them out of their. Even if it was kinda sluggish here, it was movement and they wouldn't have to walk. The smoke in the far corners of the city was dwindling and Brisa knew soon they would have more than one priest after them. It's not like they could be more dead, she hadn't learned yet that death was not always an end to things, but she didn't want to be dead at all. She had almost forgotten why they started this whole thing, right now surviving was the only thing on her mind. With the three boys they half-ran, half-limped down to the skiffs. There was no dock or anything, these seemed to be just personal boats tied up along the river. One was as good as any other and she made a beeline for the closest one. “Come on” she hissed to the others, keeping her voice down though she wasn't sure why she bothered to keep it down. The fight was behind her, she could still hear it, but even it was getting less; she didn't even know how but it sounded less something. She was afraid to look and see who was wining...she was also afraid she already knew the answer. They could all fit in one skiff, barely, they were made for 2-3 adults so four children could fit if the were willing to be a little cozy. Brisa beckoned everyone to get in. She'd never been in a boat in her life, she had no idea how hard it was to quickly pile into a small boat. She also grabbed the oilskin tarp lying nearby, thinking in the back part of her mind, that they could hide under it just to avoid notice from the townsfolk. She didn't factor in how hot and uncomfortable that would be of course, once again the reality of the situation escaped her. She just had no experience in this sort of thing.

*******************Group A (Brisa, Argurios, Jatan, Aiden)*******************


The cool of evening was a vast relief to the four children crammed into the small boat. The adrenaline of their escape had worn off, and while the crash hit each of them differently they all felt it. Brisa felt like she had just been present at the casting of a vast magic, like when she helped Autry enchant her house for protection. Every bit of her was drained away and she slumped in the boat. She was bone weary, her eyes barely open, and her chin rested on the satchel she still clutched tightly in her arms.

The river was wide, the current slow and sluggish, but it was steadily taking them away from the danger of Loudwater. That was all that was important at the moment. After they had piled into the skiff, packed rather tightly together with the bags of gear that Argurios had procured, they had pushed off from the bank. The current had grabbed them and slowly pulled them further away. Brisa didn't look back, afraid of what she might see.

The river ran through the edge of town, and since the kids were still in danger of being caught, they pulled the oilskin tarp over themselves and huddled, best they could, in the bottom of the boat. It was hot, sticky with humidity, and terribly uncomfortable. Fortunately the river was doing the work and they could sit in misery without speaking or moving much. Anyone who saw them would just think it was a boat that was adrift, and while they might have once leaped in to tow it to shore, the townsfolk were simply too distracted at the moment.

So for three-quarters of an hour the children drifted downriver, in silence and steaming discomfort, hidden under the tarp. When the finally felt it safe the pulled back the tarp, breathing deeply in relief as the fresh air cooled their sweat soaked bodies. Tired and pain filled as they were however, and with the humid heat of the river soon pressing upon them, they remained lethargic. They had been injured, some quite badly, during the escape from the city and that and the stress had taken its toll. It was not until the sun began to set that they started to revive. Soon it would be dark, and drifting in the dark would be problematic...if there were rapids, or rocks, or worse in the water. They would have to do something to be safe through the night.

**************************Group B (Mia & Divine)**************************


The City of Scomber had fallen silent, unnaturally so. Once a bustling city, situated on prime trade routes, it was now silent and still. Not a being moved, even the animals had deserted it. All that lay within its walls now were the few dead, and the ghosts of memories. It was far too large a city for its demise to go unnoticed, however many of the cities and towns nearby were experiencing some of the same problems. The distances to the unaffected settlements were vast, and the news wouldn't travel as fast as one might think. So for now the lonely city stood on its own, the last two children left alive having deserted it themselves.

It was two days of steady travel on the Black Road, east and north, following the path the priests had been known to take. For that was the only thing out of the ordinary, the only thing different in all the time, that could possibly be connected to the unknown attack. If attack it could even be called for there were no signs of a struggle, no indications of resistance. Everyone had simply vanished. Save three, three were undeniably dead. But the rest...the rest might still be alive, somewhere, maybe. If they looked maybe they could find answer; and the best bet was to start with the strange visitors.

Though neither was used to traveling, the wide trade road was easy to follow and the trees were thin enough that clearings could be found with ease. Additionally as it paralleled the river fresh water was always in abundance. The weather had been comfortably mild, the days got a little warm and the nights a shade too cool but overall it was not bad. That left only food, and though they had supplied themselves before they left, the food had to be rationed for who knew when the next town would appear on the horizon.

When Argurios came to his senses he thought it was night, then someone said something and light shown into his eyes. It burned him, but at the same time made him realise how weak he is. He could hardly move, he wanted to ask what just happened but was too tired. After awhile he began to put things together.

For one they were in a small boat on the river, in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't remember how they got here. Last thing he remembers was running with Brisa on his back. Second he realised what happened when he woke up. It seemed they were covered by something at the time. But it was too late to wake up from sleep. As Argurios thought about it, he remembered his dream, and all the dread he felt with it.

In his dream everything was foggy. He remembered the pain from his ankle and elbow, but then there was a pain that radiated over his whole body, and pitch total blackens that engulfed him, all negative feelings disappearing. For the rest of the dream was foggy, this scene was as clear as day. He was kneeling/sitting in front of a dark hooded figure, sitting on a throne made by muscles entwined and stretched by each other. Then the figure spoke something and offered its hand. Agurios wanted to take the hand, but something touched, shook and lifted him, and the figure disappeared.

Argurios was lost and alone in the darkness, but not for long. Feeling himself being lifted to his feet and pushed forward, Argurios simply gave in and tried to walk into the direction he was pushed. The tiredness and pain returned to him, and with that the foggy dream. As he was looking around he saw one man tear another man's head off. Then everything was dark again, but not like before, this time it was just like someone would put a blindfold on, with a couple of holes that enabled light to shine through. He wanted to move but was to tired and slowly the dream ended and now he woke.

Argurios was dazzled by the dream, and noticed he was in a very uncomforting position. It took him all his strength to readjust himself. He wasn't tired physically and he was slowly beginning to regain his senses more and more. No, he was tired in his spirit, soul, like some heavy feelings of guilt, anger, desperation, and all other dark emotions had been resting upon him for generations.

After awhile as he wanted to talk to Brisa he noticed how everyone was exhausted, and beaten. At first he didn't understand it, but then he noticed his ankle and elbow showed signs of damage as well. Now he realised what was going on, his dream was not a dream, but reality. Reality of how his companions tried their best and just managed to escape the grip of death. In their escape they did not forget him, and this brought a warm and refreshing feeling to Argurios. As the warmth flew through him, he touched his chest and remembered the amulet and the pain it gave. At first Argurios wanted to check the amulet and if there was any sign on his torso., but then he did not want to alarm others if there was something, and in his current state he was lacking the energy to do it. His decision made, he will check himself once they make camp and when he will feel more like himself.

Resting for the rest of the smooth ride, Argurios was slightly napping, recovering his strength. As the sun began to set Argurios woke up and looked around him. He still felt a tad tired, but not like before. With his energy back, Argurios decided to take the role of the leader of this company as he did while he and Brisa travelled to Loudwater. Only that this time he will do it better. Argurios could feel he wasn't like he used to be. The meeting with the dark figure changed him, the bitter feelings still there in his memory of emotions. He promised himself no one will have to go through the same experience as he, as long as he lives. To insure that, he decided to act more like a leader, more like the great war heroes, who lead the men in time of war, that his father told him about.

Looking at the sky and birds he got the necessary information. ''It will be dark in less than two hours. I recommend we make a small camp on land in those woods.'' Argurios spoke pointing towards a forest that was a couple of hundred meters away from the left bank of the river. '' We can carry the skiff with us, or preferably just hide it by the bank and return to it in morning. I think its better we travel by river a bit more. It allows us to rest as we travel and we cant get lost. Sooner or later there has got to be at least a village.

Aiden, who has been tending the paddle since they lifted the tarp off of themselves. Unlike normal he was silent. Still thinking back at how weak he was. The whole time they were floating down river he couldn't sleep. His mind was still running through everything that has happened these last couple days. He couldn't help but ponder on how things may have been different. Like how if he could have tried to find a way around the bandits, Sarah might not be gone. Or if they had just left that Jatan kid alone and not followed him, that they might have been able to escape without being noticed. And now he didn't have any weapons. He knew he was strong, considering his upbringing and stature, but he still wouldn't be able to hold his own too long or even protect someone without some sort of decent weapon.

When Agurios spoke, it pulled him out of his trance. He looked over to when he was pointing and nodded. "I do suggest we take the boat out with us then. We don't need someone running off with it, or anyone to find it should they come looking for us." He started to guide the boat over to the embankment and then he landed it, a little bit off fom where he was aiming but he was able to manage it. Hopefully, He may at least be able to find some decent green branches to make a bow.... or, at least... try. He had arrowheads so it could be worth a shot. If not that then at least he could make a decent club or spear. Honestly, wood could be used effectively weapon for piercing or blunt force if carved correctly. Its not anything he couldn't make better in a proper forge, but it should do for the group to be at least lightly armed.

For 2 days they had travelled and for 2 days Miss Divine of the Night Scene dancers held her tongue on the matter. And it was eating her up inside. She had never been one to worry so much-- so much infact that she started a terrible habit of wringing her hands together – but something like... losing them all. All at once. A whole city. For 2 days now she held it in but today? Right now? Right now she would stop wringing her hands.

“Why us...?” her voice was but a wee bit over a harsh whisper and barely audible over the sweeping roar of the river beside them.

Soft light amber eyes held a sheen of wet emotion over them as she cleared her throat and turned her visage towards Mia. This time when she spoke it was a tad louder but her full lower lip trembled beneath her small, yet sharp tusks.

“What makes us so special then? Mia, why us? Why were we spared...? Why...?!”

Off into the distance, just above the tree tops and towards the lowering ball of fire in the sky did Divs gaze. She shook her head and wiped her eyes. Oh, but she was being such a silly. She should be thankful that she was alive, not guilty for surviving. And at any rate, who said they were dead? Was that not the reason they followed the 3 Strangers? Did they not have the answers they sought?

But of course they did. Yet into her thick skull this reasoning was not enough.

A fingerless, black leather gloved hand she ran through the strip of cherry black hair at the top of her head.

Divs was a good gal, yes, but the sharpest one? No.

The other hand wiped away at soft amber eyes before tears could fall.

It was hard for her to think for herself; a bit naive, a bit sheltered, and a bit too dumb. Strange that she held such great confidence and pride in her skills as a dancer, acrobat and thiefperformer, yet in social situations or during times of planning or decision making process, she fell flat. Needless to say she was someone who thrived in group situations but failed without a a strong personality to lead her.

And so, while she tried to act brave, she needed constant reassurance and constructive words to build her up. Those in her dance troupe knew that and were able to persuade her and guide her as to how she should be. And those like her mum, Dorianna, knew just how to manipulate and squeeze the most use out of her. But as to what kind of reactions she would receive from Mia, Divs was rather unsure.

As a result, the mixed-orc would defer to just keeping her mouth shut.

She lowered her pack and staff off her shoulders and laid it down in the grass near her feet. Divine knelt down and reached into her pack. After a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled out her packed rations and goods and unrolled them. Eyes closed, she sighed and began unbuttoning her black leather coat starting from throat and running downward to just beyond mid thigh. The coat draped her pack and soon after, the fingerless gloves and black suede riding boots joined the pile. Another sigh, then she untied the drawstrings at the chest of her white long sleeved poofy blouse before unbuttoning the cuffs and rolling them up.

With a cup in either hand, she scooped up fresh, cold river water and stood. With a polite smile and nod, she offered a cup of water to Mia.

“Sooooo... dear Mia...?” she said shyly, amber eyes shining with trepidation over the ceramic mug, “what do we do when we meet these 3 Strangers then? And sooooo what do we do if we meet up with a bunch o' strange folk along the way? We're but lasses me n' you, aye? Indeedy we are... and so Mama Dori always said that stranger men only want one thing from gals and they'll do anything to try and get it from them... especially if they're alone. And here we are, Mia. Alone. Just you and I. And soon it be night again.”

Divs noisily sipped at her water, then ran a hand through her strip of cherry black hair at her head. Another sigh before continuing, then:

“And a big as I am... I do not fight. Well, I been in fights but.. actually no. I just been pummelled actually... hahah... but I gets away for the most part... but one time me eye-- this one here-- swolled up so much I did not see from it..! Umm... But... aye sooooo... what I'm trying to say is; what d'ye wants me to do if we encounter stranger men then? If y'don't mind me askins' that is. Dear Mia. Aye. Aye, indeedy... hahahah... Ahem.”

Divs took another noisy sip of water to shut her mouth. Soft amber eyes shone at Mia, peering out from just over the rim of her mug.

The scenario of the event that had occurred just two days prior played over and over within Mia's head as she and her new found companion, "Miss Divine" as the orc, or half-orc, whatever she was, Mia didn't care, had identified herself as traveled down the road, in pursuit of the three strangers. She was in no mood to discuss things, as she was to focused on finding out where younger brothers were, finding out if they were even still alive, and if they were dead, finding who was responsible for their deaths' and gutting the monster(s) alive.

When she heard the barely audible voice of Divine speak, she gave an audible groan. She was angry, not at her companion, but at the situation and herself. She felt utterly hopeless and filled with rage. She wanted answers just as much as "divsie" did, but she had nothing. She bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at the other girl. She didn't deserve any cruel words, for she was just as lost and confused as Mia herself was. She found herself to actually taste blood and she sighed, eventually calming down and was ready to speak.

I told you before Divine...I have no idea why we weren't caught up in whatever happened. Maybe we just hid better than the rest, or maybe we do have some real purpose/destiny as to why we were left, or maybe we're the unlucky ones in some hell come to life and the others got lifted to a better place...I know I've done my fair share to get some punishment. It doesn't matter now though. We do what we planned to do, find those 3 and get some answers.

She looked over to the half-orc and noticed that she looked about ready to cry and couldn't help but sigh mentally ~Have I bit off more than I could chew, bringing this girl along?~ She thought to herself, but shooed the thought away. Even if she did prove to be a liability, Mia would be able to devise some way to make her useful. Besides, having to travel alone would be completely boring and at least with what she knew about Divine and her old troupe, she at least could provide some entertaining tales to keep their minds off the bad in their journey together.

When she was offered a cup, she gave a slightly forced smile and said Thanks and quickly took a large gulp from the cup, taking a seat on the bank of the river. She removed her boots and rolled her pants legs up enough and let her feet and lower legs dip into the river. It was cold, and after the intial shock Mia relaxed and let herself lay down and stare up at the sky. It was a rich blue, and she wished that it wasn't such a nice day, given the events of what happened.

When the question of what they'd do when they would encounter the figures came up, Mia laughed and said with a cold tone We ask them what happened. If they lie, or choose to keep the truth from us, we beat them bloody. And don't think just cause you don't know how to fight well you can't fight well. I made my living by beating people up, and I'm shorter than you and most guys...That doesn't mean anything if you know how to make advantages...Here, I'll show you some tricks.

She stood up and grabbed a hand full of dirt and sand from the ground, and then said Just pick up some dirt or grass even, and throw it at their face. They'll either duck and create an opening, or they'll get dirt and stuff in their eyes making them blind. Either way, you get the chance to strike. Also, don't be afraid to go for cheap shots. Groins and throats are good examples. You can also stomp on feet to make people lose their footing. Hell, even something as simple as throwing a sheet or jacket in their face and then attacking through it can work...The point is, you don't fight fair. We can and will use whatever we have to so we can either defend ourselves or get the info we want.

She put her boots back on and rolled her pants legs down and said Come on. We should close the distance as best as we can before we lose the light. We'll setup camp on the river bank like we did the past two nights and take turns taking watch. With that, she continued to move along the road after the 3 figures.

----co-post with @Shadowefil----
Jatan's arms ached. Then they burned. He felt the stab of a splinter making its way steadily into his left index finger. Come on, come on, just...a bit...farther...there! A sigh of relief escaped his lips. At last, the skiff was safely laid to rest near the spot the youth had selected for their makeshift campsite. But, as the weight of the skiff dropped from his hands, a new, deeper weight replaced it. Like a falling oak, the heaviness of the day's events toppled down upon Jatan, crushing the breath out of him once more. What kind of coward flees from a brother in need? What kind of coward flees the only family he's ever had, the only father he has ever known? Edgar, Kevar, even the hell that was Loudwater...Torm has taken everything from me, he thought, sinking to his knees, his hands raking through the dirt. I have nothing left...not one thing left to hold on to...not one thing left to love...nothing left…"Nothing left," he whispered.

Meanwhile, Brisa set to making a fire as soon as her feet touched dry land. It was habit, routine. All the days with Argurios she had come to know this was the first step. He would take care of a few other things, her job was to gather a bit of brush and sticks and start a small fire, the kind one could huddle close to without getting too hot. Even in the rain they had had fire, for her spell, minor though it was, would light even the wettest branches. It had been up to Argurios to jury-rig a shelter to keep it dry, but Brisa could always get it started. So that's precisely what she did. The spot they stopped was nice enough, better than some of the places she had camped recently, worse than others. But there was a nice clearing for building a fire, and not a cloud in the sky so no need to shelter it.

She set to the habitual movements without even really thinking about Aiden or Jatan. It wasn't until she had the clearing for the fire made that it dawned on her. She stopped what she was doing and abruptly blinked in the falling evening light. Argurios was wounded, badly, she could tell by the way he moved though she couldn't tell how he was injured. Just that something was very off. The other two she wasn't even sure about. At least knew Aiden even though they hadn't been friends everyone knew everyone where she came from."I'm going to get a fire going" she muttered softly a bit less confident now that the danger was passed and they were once again on the road. She had relied on Argurios to tell her what to do and she had done it, they had managed well enough together. Now she was off kilter. She looked at Jatan and smiled tentatively…"Could you, do you, have anything to help my friend?" she asked softly.

She had guessed the potion he had used before was used up, but maybe he had another, or something. She didn't even think to consider he might be struggling with the death of the monks who had clearly given themselves up to save the kids. She was just too impulsive that way, and to unskilled in social behavior."Nothing left, nothing left, nothing left." Jatan's murmuring halted. The sound of Brisa's voice drew his gaze upward, and his voice trembled. Unblinking, he met her gaze, the wail finally ripping forth from his soul, "I have NOTHING LEFT!"

Brisa eyed him, not unkindly for a few seconds. She knew in her gut he wasn't talking about not having a way to help Arugurios. It was more than that. Finally she spoke."Neither do I" said Brisa her simple voice full of both hurt and resolve. She wanted to touch the quivering elf boy but this time controlled her impulsive side. "At least I didn't. Three priests came and took away everything I knew; simply made them vanish and killed my teacher. I'm guessing something similar but different happened in your home. Now I have Argurios; I'd never really met him until after all this. But he's saved my life more times than I car to count; a friend where I had none before. And I have a goal; a mission to find those priests. So that's two things. And if I don't give up...well who knows." She paused for a moment to nurse the vain hope that if she found the priests she could somehow, someway, right everything. Then she continued, her voice even softer than before. "Sorry. About everything. I'm sure its our fault you had to leave your home. If I can help you somehow I will."

Jatan was still reeling as she spoke. Brisa's words swam around his head like fish, wriggling and slipping out of his grasp whenever he tried to hold them down. The few words he heard lay caught before him, and he wove them into his question, "Made them vanish? What do you mean?"

Brisa shrugged and looked around her eyes flicking to her companions. "Don't know" was her honest answer. "Town is empty, all the people gone....” She trailed off as she blocked certain dark thoughts from her mind. She kept telling herself they were on a rescue mission, despite the fact that in the cool dark recesses of her logical self she knew that there was no hope of rescuing the people of Twiddledale. She was not prepared to admit she was on a mission of vengeance. She quickly squelched any unpleasant thoughts and set to tell Jatan the story of their adventures, some of them anyway, in hopes to learn from him what happened in his own hometown. She knew they had to be connected, and every piece of the puzzle put them one step closer.

*******************





***Group A***

The cool of the evening was a blessed relief to the small group. The humidity still filled the air, but in the the coolness it didn’t seem so bad. Brisa's fire was small but comfortable, providing more than just warmth and keeping the wilderness creatures at bay, the presence of the fire lifted the mood of the children around it. There was something comforting in it. They had survived, they had a fire, they had food, and they had plenty of fresh water. Sometimes the simple things were the most important. Mysteries could be solved on the morrow, worries would come back, but for this moment a chance to rest in relative comfort was to be treasured.

The drizzle started with several hours yet till dawn. In the darkest part of the night the clouds had rolled in, blocking the moon, and bringing with them moisture. The misting rain was light, but enough to worry Brisa who well remembered the discomfort of walking days in the rain. In the darkness she could not see the masses of clouds that had moved in, could not see the vastness of the weather pattern. But she worried that there were more seemingly endless days in the rain ahead of them. She was not wrong.

***Group B***

For the two girls from Secomber the night began like the two before. They were not used to traveling, or being alone at night on the road, but for now the nights had been easy on them. The weather was mild and the road level and clear. It was more like a field trip. Well except for the endless walking through the muggy heat of the day. And the sore legs and backs. And the hard ground. And the rationed food. But the nights...the nights were nice. Even the sounds of the night, the river, the wind, the animals, were easy to get used to and sleep seemed almost safer here somehow. At home, in the city, one always had to sleep with one eye open so to speak. Life for the denizens of the criminal layers of the city was not always simple or easy. It seemed that life on the road was.

It wasn't until well past midnight, dawn was still several hours away as well, that the rain started. And easy misting rain that managed to get everything a little bit damp. For now it left the leaves and the grass sparkling in the moonlight, but given time even the mist would soak everything they owned leaving them wet and uncomfortable. It would soak all the wood to leave making a fire near impossible. It would coat the ground making it just slippery enough that one had to pay attention as they walked.

----Groups A & B-----
The rain didn’t let up, all through the night. It was soft, and pleasant, but the unending drops soon soaked everything that wasn’t well protected down to the core. Soft and pleasant turned to chilly and soggy. The fires soon hissed and died out, but fortunately by the time they gave up a very dark dawn was on the horizon. Neither the road, nor the river, offered much shelter from the rain, and as light finally filled the sky the children could see that it was fighting a losing battle against the clouds. Thick and gray they stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. The question became to wait out the weather or push on regardless.

-----------------------------Brisa---------------------------
For Brisa she wasn’t bothered, well she was, she hated it, but she would carry on. The only true difficultly presented was her morning studies. She normally woke extra early and by the light of the fire she studied both her book of maps, worked on her translations of the strange language, and memorized her spells. Then she would prepare breakfast for herself and Argurios, usually leftover meat from the night before reheated in the fire and if they were lucky a corn cake or two also left over from the previous night. This morning she still had to study, a spell had to be learned, but the rest of her work went untended. Breakfast would be cold and from their travel supplies, she absently munched on a piece of unknown dried fruit as she bent her mind to the task at hand.

Raindrops spilling down her face, eyes, chin, she bent her mind to the task. This journey had been stellar for one thing…concentration. She could tune out everything else to focus on a single thing, in this case the arcane words and formulas that she was committing to memory. Cantrips were simple things, but she was very young for a magician, young in mind and young in magic, and they still took much of her focus.
Still in a tiny sliver of her mind she began to wonder if she couldn’t push herself, expand her mind, learn more magic. With no teacher she had assumed it would be impossible, but would it really? She would mull that over for the next several days, trying to decide if it was possible to teach herself magic.

----Hairlissa (NPC)----
The being known as Hairlissa in a hollow created by an upended tree. The shadows in the hollow kept her concealed from almost everyone, and those creatures that wandered too close soon wandered away for she was unlike anything the natural denizens of this land had ever encountered.
Though her body, human at the moment, hairless and naked, remained here her mind was far away. She was deep in meditation and communion with her god. The chill and rain went unheeded. As an ectothermic creature all it would do was serve to make her sluggish anyway, she didn’t get cold. She got slow.
She had tracked the dark priests from their homeland, knowing they were up to no good. The dark god wasn’t well received in Chult, his cults were secretive and small, but here in Faerun he was unknown, and growing in power rapidly. Too rapidly for her own god’s comfort.

Hairlissa had been considered weak, an inferior among her own people, until it was learned she walked with the god’s favor. Now this pureblood had become one of the most powerful of her species, a favored of her god. And she had followed the priests on his command, to learn what she could and stop them.
But with the growth of Eshowdow’s power, with the flood of new worshippers fueling him, even she would not be able to stand against him. So she watched, and studied, and listened. And she saw what Eshowdow and his priests hadn’t. She saw children escape the shadow-enslavement or zealot-law of their own homes. She saw children go unnoticed by priests and dark god alike. She saw determination, a will to live, and more importantly she saw a spark of revenge burning in some of them that could be fanned into a flame . Human children, or mostly human anyway, weak and soft yet there was something there. Something unnoticed and unremarked on, so small and insignificant were they that they just slipped through the cracks.
So she pondered what she had learned and how to use it as she poured out her mind to her serpentine god.

watch, study, learn came the reply

Should she help?

Lurk, hide, observe.

It was clear, if the children could not survive they were not the answer. But if they could, if they made it to the sea port, then and only then….

speak, aid, poison

She opened her orange-gold eyes on that last word. Poison. She knew poison in all its glory. Not a poison of the body. A poison of the mind and heart. Some were halfway there already. Hate and revenge tinting their souls. It was a good start. Poison would strengthen them. She would see to it.

As They landed and decided on the spot, where they will camp for the night, Argurios dropped his pack and began to work on the groups shelter. but he was still to tired and worn out to make it as good as he can. once he was done the shelter gave a weak roof and crack in it made sure the wind could be felt. he did not eat much, but just unrolled his blanket and went to sleep. Though sleep did not come as quickly as he hoped. he heard other talk and later began to think about everything that has happened in the city and how it has affected him.

As the strong rain began to shower the land, Argurios was the second to wake up. As he awoke he found a gashing hole in the roof above him, which explained why his head was as wet as a hogs ass. He got up and spotted Brisa working on something, the others asleep. He packed his things hoping they will not get wetter than they are. Once done he nudged the two sleeping boys. "Guys get up, we need to rebuild the shelter fast. Its pouring to hard, and the shelter is falling apart." Argurios had no idea what he rain could bring.

COCKROACH RACE WOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!