Ssarak Dyreackthanose, Darius Jura, and Alaira

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Darius spat on the ground. It was nearing the end of his watch, and he was beginning to hear movement around the cabin. He had spent most of his watch thinking about the fight at the bridge, both on the day before and the one before that. While it seemed that both times there was an incident about to occur, Alaira had been the one to start it. One time should have been it, but it had happened twice, and Darius needed to make sure that it would not happen a third time. Pushing himself off the wagon, Darius began to make a beeline towards the door of the cabin.
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Despite the looming danger they were in, and the stress of worrying about what they knew they would be walking into, Ssarak slept well. He awoke shortly after Meirin, reinvigorated in both body and motivation. There was much he wanted to set his mind on, mostly relating to Meirin, but as both of them had acknowledged the previous night, their current worries had to take precedence. Before they even had a fire going for their breakfast, Ssarak was up and ready to tackle the first order of business: Alaira. While Meirin went to collect Lyn to keep her occupied and out of earshot, Ssarak decided to find Darius, as he felt that confronting Alaira would have a better chance of success if he had help. Or, at the very least, it would be easier to handle any physical outbursts.

Ssarak assumed Darius was still outside, as he had taken the last watch after Ssarak, so he started to head outside, only to run into him at the door. "Ah, Darius. I was searching for you." He began as his voice quickly became much more quiet. "I was just about to have a...conversation with Alaira. Would you care to join me? Meirin is occupying Lyn, and I believe the caravan master is either asleep, or just waking up, so we should not be disturbed."
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Darius nodded. "Good, I was about to do the same." It didn't take that long to find the Half-Elf. She was inside the wagon that Darius had been watching. He hauled himself into the wagon and shook Alaira's shoulder. "Wake up. We need to talk"
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The half-elf rolled slightly as she was shook, groaning quietly. It took a few more shakes to get her to even speak, however... "N-no Mama, I dun wanna get up..." She said, half muffled by the sack of flour she was using as a pillow...
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"Alaira." Ssarak said loudly and firmly as she began to stir. He did not want to appear aggressive, yet, but he made sure his entire demeanor demonstrated that he was serious. Since simply shaking her did not seem to work, Ssarak grabbed her shoulder, then rolled her onto her back and off of her pillow, which would hopefully grab her attention more quickly.
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Alaira seemed to wake quickly as she was rolled over, letting out a yelp that would have almost been cute if not for its source. She scrambled to a sitting position, calming somewhat when she realized nothing was going to hurt her... She didn't like being caught without any sort of weapon handy. "Ugh... The fuck do you want?" She asked, rubbing her eyes as she chased the sleep away.
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Again, Ssarak remained firm in his attitude. Normally, he liked to approach situations calmly and patiently, but that had already failed once with Alaira, so it was now time for a different tactic. "I believe you can take a guess. We can go no further without discussing what you have done. On two occasions, you have put us all at risk, and we need to ensure that is not going to happen again."
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"You act without thinking. That is detrimental to this group. To that child you seemed to be so concerned about yesterday." Darius paused as he remembered the last time the child was mentioned. "We have done our jobs to protect this caravan. You have not."
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Alaira wore the same grim expression as they spoke, clenching and unclenching her fist. Really? She had to wake up to this? They couldn't wait until she'd been up for a half hour or so? And then they did it again; used Lyn as a tool to keep her in line. It happened in the blink of an eye, her fist lashing out like the tail of a scorpion. But... No blow came. She had stopped her fist a scant inch from his face, crackling with energy. She huffed, the energy around her arm dissipating as she shook it off.

She grunts in irritation, leaping over the side of the cart as she stretched and loosened her arms. She turned back to the two, frowning as she cracked her knuckles. "You know... I ain't so sure that's right." She said, turning around again to take a look at the sky. "Why am I here then?" She asked, her voice level for once. "So I've been thinkin'... I think this thrice-damned cart is... What do you soldier-boys call it?" She asked, cracking her neck. "A secondary objective, that's it. Do you really think a smart gal like Lucilia would put me, me on this little job if she gave a rat's ass about this here cart?" She asked.

She sighed, before continuing. "One gods-damn cart doesn't win a fucking war, and there ain't nothin' on it that makes it worth posting four blooded like us to it, shitty as we are." She turned around pacing. "But this ain't about just one cart, is it? If these asshats keep fuckin' these up, we'll starve or something. But we can't put fucking wizards on every damn cart, and we can't put all our guards out here." She spat, turning back towards the two again. "She knew you guys'd just do the job, wouldn't take any risks and be all practical and shit. and she knew nobody'd wanna sign up for a merry game of 'hunt the bandits'... And she knew me."

She threw her arms up, raising her voice some in frustration. "I've done exactly what I'm supposed to do! If I turn every gods-damn problem into a fight, we're forced to kill all the bandits!" She stepped towards Ssarak, her voice low. "And I want you to think long and hard... Do you believe for a gods-damn second that anything would have turned out differently if I didn't act first?...
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Ssarak allowed Alaira the opportunity to vent her anger and made sure to pay close attention to the actual points she was making, mostly so he could refute them. From what she said, he could understand how she might justify her actions to herself, but he still disagreed on almost all points. He did not expect pure logic to actually change the mind of Alaira, but he needed to have a reasonable base for his own argument.

"It seems to me that you do not fully understand your mistakes, so I am going to explain them, one at a time." Ssarak said, his voice firm and serious. "To answer your question, yes. Things would have been very different, in both cases. In the first ambush, we were just starting to form a plan of action when you ruined any hope of a good outcome. All of us were suspicious of the duelists on the bridge; we were all expecting an ambush. Don't try to say that we would have stumbled into it blindly, because that certainly was not going to happen. But, before we could make a plan, you burned the field, panicked our horses, and forced us straight into their ambush. If you had not 'acted first,' we would have fought them on much better turns, and perhaps actually killed them. You claim that your actions have forced us to kill the bandits, but if you remember, they got away. We did not kill them; they are still out there and able to prey on travelers because of your actions."

Ssarak scarcely took a breath to pause before he continued, not intent on allowing anyone to interrupt him. "Then, there is the second ambush. You were indeed correct in that they were hostile, but that was sheer blind luck on your part. If you remember, you claimed it was a vampire ambush, in broad daylight. At least that time, we actually did break up their operation, but without your mistakes, it could have been much easier. Just like before, we did not trust them. I could not communicate with you due to your unique weakness, but we were making our plans, then, having no proof they were corrupt, you attacked. What happened afterwards does not truly even matter, for that action alone has compromised this mission. What you said about this cart's importance is true. There is nothing special about the contents of this specific wagon; what does matter is that wagons like this keep the college linked to the rest of Tien. Even if we make it to our destination safely, what do you think will happen? And even ignoring the bandits we were unable to kill, what testimony do you think our caravan master is going to give about the college? So far, one of his guards has nearly caused his death on two occasions. What sane merchant will deal with us after hearing of our supposed recklessness? Even if you make no more mistakes, it is going to be difficult to salvage this mission." Ssarak finally stopped to allow a response, but he was not expecting her to suddenly be convinced. Regardless, he needed to establish the basis of his problem with her before continuing.
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Darius had been expecting Alaira to lash out at him, but he had not been expecting the speed at which she did it. He barely had enough time to prepare for the punch that did not come. It took everything he had to not chase after her and try to beat some sense into the woman. He listened to Alaira state her view and Ssarak's reply. He frowned at something Ssarak said. "What is this weakness she has? Does it have something to do with why she tried to kill that man for no reason?"
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Alara was growing angrier and angrier as Ssarak spoke. She clenched her fist some s he spoke, sparks dancing along her arm as she did so. Still... Attacking him wouldn't do any good for anybody, even she could see that. "I never said it was working! I'm saying we're being played!" She said through gritted teeth. "And... And you know what? Yelling at me for all my fuckups isn't going to change any of that shit! How about instead of that we work on getting through this bullshit?" She slammed her fist against the side of the cart, which startled the horse some. She rolled her eyes as she approached the creature, gently patting at it and whispering to calm it down some as Darius spoke.

The beast complied, grudgingly almost, as it settled down. Alaira sighed, stepping back to the others. She narrowed her eyes at Darius. "None of your gods-damn business." She stated coldly, turning her head to the side and spitting. She sighed once more, taking a seat on a nearby rock. "Look, I'm..." Another sigh. "I'm sorry, okay?... The first idea was stupid and I was wrong about the other one." She said quietly as she looked over to the horizon. The sky was lightening more and more by the moment as the sun rose...

"But I can't do shit your way. This is Djarkel!" She said, raising her arms to the sky for a moment. "Way out here, it's bandits three outta four times. The other times, it's toll guys. the only difference is the uniforms." She spat. "You wanna plan, soldier boy? Fine, we'll plan. We'll find those damned bandits and feed 'em their spines!" She growled, pounding her fist into her hand. "Carava guy's gonna hate us either way, I've seen to that..." She said, just the tiniest hint of shame in her voice. "So, we find where these guys are hidin', and kill 'em... 'Cept I'll let you know when the fightin' starts this time, fair?" Well, that was a start at least.
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Ssarak watched as Alaira went back and forth between anger, and something that actually seemed like regret. It was obvious she did not intend to harm the mission, though the fact that she could accidentally cause them so many problems was just as unsettling. "Look, Alaira, I cannot let this go forever. You can do things our way. We know the dangers we face, and we know how to deal with them. You agree that your choices were mistakes, but you should not just keep doing the same thing and expect anything to change. If you are in a fight and your opponent is blocking all of your strikes, you do not just keep hacking away fruitlessly, you try something new to bypass their defense. Just the same, if your choices are not working, then you can choose to follow the judgment of your allies."

As he paused for a moment, Ssarak closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "But, there is one thing I can agree with you on. The psychomancer's belongings, along with the information we gained from the guard captain, makes it clear what we will be walking into. We know the ambush is coming, and we know there will definitely be a fight. It will be a small group fight with no ambiguity on who we should be fighting. I will concede that you have talent in that particular situation. So yes, let us gather everything we know about about the coming ambush and make a plan of action."
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It took everything Alaira had to not roll her eyes yet again. Yeah, I do keep hitting him. I hit him fast enough he doesn't have time to hit me... She thought, though she kept it to herself for once. She actually appeared confused when he continued... She had no idea how he of all people was the one to suggest that plan... "Wait wait wait... We have info?" She asked, incredulous. "The fuck are we doing walking into an ambush? Why don't we just go where they live and kill 'em there?" She asked...

Come to think of it, willingly walking into an ambush was not a great idea, even for Alaira. At least, not when there were options... "Let's try one of those Metaphors. if you got a Bee's nest to deal with, do you wait for the fucks to come sting you and kill 'em there? Fuck no, you find their hive and burn it to the Gods-Damn ground! The thing'll just make more bees if you leave it!"
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"As much as I want to find these men and end them," Darius began. "That is not our mission either. We are to guard this caravan and discover the source of the demon attacks to these caravans." He looked at both Ssarak and Alaira. " And I am starting to think that there have been no demon attacks." Scratching his jaw, he continued. "I think we need to bring the caravan master into this discussion before it goes any further."
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"I did not say that we could not do that, only that there is no question we will be entering into a fight. If we want to attack them at the source, then we will need to find exactly where their camp lies. Myself and Meirin looked over the map we recovered, and we believe we have narrowed down where it might be, but we will still need to scout the area for it. It might be a risk to search for the camp, but if we do find it safely, then you are right that it could be easier to clear it." Ssarak responded, pulling the map from his satchel as he spoke and offered it to Alaira so she could review it.

Ssarak looked to Darius and gave a nod. "You may be correct. Neither the caravan master nor Lyn should be anywhere near the camp when we attack, but he needs to be aware of the plan. Could you go collect him? He should be awake by now."
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Darius parted from the group as Alaira was looking at the map. It did not take him that long to find the caravan master. Darius nodded to him. "Good morning. We are making plans about what to do with the information we got yesterday, and since this is your caravan, I thought that I should bring you into it."
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Alaira remained quiet as she looked over the map. Now, she couldn't read, which put her at a disadvantage... However, deciphering a map probably didn't take reading. She knew a few words. Important place names, like Djarkel and Eania. Common race names, like human and elf, but not ones like Naga. Wanted, Reward, Capture, and Kill, for bounty hunting. Inn, Tavern, Smith, and Market, for trips to shops. She also knew Ale, and Mead. And finally, numbers. She understood numbers just fine. She looked at the map, little circles everywhere... She saw circles and Xs all over the roads in places, a small settlement or two, but... One circle was just... In wilderness. And if you looked at all the marks everywhere, it was a central location, all the farthest points on the map were equidistant. That was her other advantage. She couldn't read, but she was very perceptive.

She showed the map back to him, and loudly jammed her finger on the one mark. "Here. Motherfuckers are around here, I'd bet my life on it." She said, confident. She placed the map on the cart, and loosened her neck some. "It's the only place to hide, and it might be the same symbol, but what kind of bandits ambush a random hiding spot in the wilderness instead of a juicy road? And the thing's right in the center..." She said, spitting. "The question is, uh... Where do we put Lyn?" She asked, biting her lip nervously. It was still odd seeing her like this, even after months. Alaira never showed concern about anything, up to and including herself. Yet the kid of some people one might conceivably describe as acquaintances provoked that sort of response in her... One could just tell the poor kid's presence here was driving Alaira insane with paranoia and worry.. just look what happened earlier.
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Ssarak allowed Alaira to look over the map, to which she came to much the same conclusion as himself and Meirin. They had a spot they could search for the camp, though until they saw the camp themselves, their plans could not be too specific. Still, there were preparations they could make with the information they had, such as what to do with Lyn: a concern which Ssarak also shared.

"I believe that Lyn will be safest with the wagon and the caravan master provided we can find a suitable place for them to hide. Perhaps some place close enough to the road that dangerous creatures will not be a great risk, but still out of sight. I do not know too much about the topography of this area, but Meirin or the caravan master may be able to give some suggestions." Ssarak proposed as he took the map to point out some notable features to Alaira. "In any case, once we have found them a suitable hiding spot, we will still need to scout this area to pinpoint the camp's exact location, and to give a sense of the numbers and fortifications of these bandits. Depending on the weather, I may be able to do some scouting from above, but I would need to make sure not to be seen. I would have to fly high enough to either not be clearly visible, or so I could be mistaken for a bird or other creature. However, at that height, I cannot discern any details other than location and basic topography, so we will need to scout on foot as well. After clearing the camp, providing we are successful, we should not have a problem moving the wagon through. If these bandits are robbing people of trade goods, then they would need paths to transport them to their main camp. We can use those to get back to the road."
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Alaira listened, nodding slightly as he spoke. It all made sense, which wasn't exactly uncommon with this guy. "Nah, no fly-overs." She said, eventually. "Too risky. My eyes'll do just fine." No point getting him killed for a relatively minor advantage. "And let's see... Fortifications don't matter too much either. If they're wood, I can burn 'em down, and if they ain't I can just jump over 'em anyway. 'Sides, they're bandits. It's not like they're gonna have fortress walls." She said. As for Lyn... Ugh. "If someone does find her, she's screwed. I doubt that merchant guy could fight his way out of a broken net." She said, with some disdain. But it wasn't like they could take her with them... "And no, I don't have any better ideas."

All that was really left to consider was a plan of attack... But that would have to wait until they found the place...
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Soon after Darius left, he and the Caravan master returned. As usual he looked grumpy and was in a hurry to get the group moving. He also smelled faintly of alcohol. "Hmph. We need to get going soon. Already put away most of the cooking gear. What are you all doing anyways?" The Caravan mastered eyed all of them. He guessed from the presence of Alaira that Ssarak and Darius had been talking to her. Where they finally telling her to leave? Yet somehow he doubt it was that. No, it could be worse. "Well? Out with it."
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Ssarak turned to the caravan master as he approached. Naturally, he wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but hopefully with recent events, he would understand the need for caution. "We are planning. You recall yesterday after the fight, when we were interrogating the guard captain who had been under the psychomancer's influence? He divulged to us some useful, but worrying information. You...were not in the best condition yesterday, so I was unable to discuss this with you at length." Ssarak explained. After the fight, the caravan master had been quick to turn to drinking to calm his nerves, so he ended up too intoxicated to have a useful discussion. "His testimony, combined with a map we recovered from the psychomancer, indicates that we are almost certainly walking into an ambush. There are multiple paths ahead, but all of them are being watched by these brigands. We were discussing how we can most safely proceed, and we believe we have an idea. It is not perfect, but it is the best option we see. Judging by the locations on the map, we think we have narrowed the possible location of their main camp to a particular area. With a few hours of scouting, we could locate the camp, then attack them ourselves. Instead of letting them ambush us, we fight them on our own terms. Of course, you, your wagon, and Lyn will be hiding safely away from all of this. After the fight is over, we can use the bandits' paths to get the wagon back on the road and on our way to our destination."
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"Wait wait wait wait. You're suppose to be protecting my caravan, not hunting down bandits! This isn't what I signed up for!" The Caravan Master shouted. He knew he was shouting at people who could easily kill him, but he has had quite enough of these people calling the shots for his life and his business. He already lost one assistant due to the bridge incident because of Alaira (The assistant later ran away when they arrived in Wayward, sensing the trouble they were going to find themselves in), and he wasn't about to risk himself again to let his only guardsmen go out and try to find a bandit camp. And even if they did find he, he wouldn't believe that they could take on an entire camp themselves.

"Things have gone straight to hell ever since that elf over there nearly burned us alive, and that incident alone killed my assistant, and nearly killed the rest of you as well! Then you ended up picking a fight with guardsmen, GUARDSMEN, who summoned demons and monsters and... And... Was this her idea? Are you actually going to do what she suggests?!" The caravan master looked accusingly at Alaira. If he wasn't half-way to drunk he might have tread carefully around her, but he was filled with the liquid courage to speak his mind. "Everything she has tried to do nearly killed us all, and now you're actually going to go along with it? I mean, before the odds might have been even, but you're going to a bandit's camp! There could be hundreds of them!"
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Alaira seethed as the Caravan master spoke. She hated the bastard, and hated him more and more the more he belittled her. She stepped forward, scowling at him. She loomed over him, more than two whole feet taller and a HELL of a lot bulkier. "Now... I want you to listen to me very carefully..." She said, her voice low, dripping with hate. "I fucked up, twice, I know that... But you know what? YOU let a little girl tag along!" She said, her voice low, but forceful. she points back towards the building as she takes a step back. She didn't notice, but she had teared up just the slightest bit at that. "Maybe you didn't know, but it was your responsibility to know what the fuck was in your own cart." She finally wiped her eyes, and resumed speaking, her voice firm.

"Attacking those fucks is our only choice that you might survive through. If we go on those roads they're gonna be ready for us, and you're gonna be in the middle of a big ass fight." She explained, that hard edge remaining in her voice. "If we take it to where those bastards live, we can find a nice cushy hiding spot for you and Lyn, while we take care of them. If we win you get where you're going safe, and it'll be safer with less bandits if you go out again... If we die, you're fucked. But this is the best choice we have." She glared at him for a moment, before speaking once more, the anger finally gone from her voice. "Don't trust me? What the fuck ever, I don't care. But the big guy here? He thinks it's a good idea, because it's the ONLY idea we have. Trust me, if there was a better plan he wouldn't have told you this shit at all."
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The Caravan Master may have looked like he was standing his ground, but that was due to the fear making him freeze in place, and the alcohol giving him a false sense of confidence. He expected Alaira to roar at him like a monster, but instead she spoke low, almost made it hard for him to hear her. All the more reason why he had to listen however. He gritted his teeth at the mention of the little girl (Lyn) stowed away in his wagon. That was hardly his fault, but he stayed quiet and just met Alaira's glare. She continued to snarl at the caravan master, explaining the points that Ssarak told him earlier. Not that the Caravan Master had a better idea, and it was apparently obvious that everyone has already gone and made a decision for him. He turned on his feet and threw his hands into the air. "Fine! Fine. Five hours, I'm giving you all five hours to find and kill the damn bandits. If you don't come it's cause you're dead and I'm not going to find your corpses." The caravan master grumbled as he returned to the wagon, stumbling over the door frame due to the strange way he was walking. He smelled faintly of feces.

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Darius watched as the Caravan Master walked away. The way the discussion had been handled was terrible. The Caravan Master should not have been strong-armed into the plan, but it had happened, so there was no use trying to rectify it. Instead, Darius looked at Ssarak. "It has been decided. Let us make these five hours count." Without another word, Darius made his way back to the cabin to pack up.

Myrn showed up to Tyrael's office just in time to hear him explain the mission. While Myrn has never been to Tidehome she has seen a lobster before in the markets of Eania. Big creatures, from the size of her foot to a dog. She wasn't sure what kind Tyrael wanted them to find, but she was confident that they could get one. The only hard part would be finding them, because from what she remembered it takes a specialized fisherman to actually find these bottom dwellers. Myrn knew how to swim, but she was more used to swimming in a river or lake, not the sea. "Hmm..."

The elf followed Baulder and Tyrael to the forge. Her sword would be useful against bandits and the like, but if they were going to capture one of these lobsters alive Myrn wanted to get a cage or something. And since they were sea creatures she figured a box or a barrel that could contain sea water would be needed as well. Lastly, Myrn could use a bow and arrow. She only had her blade, and while she was confident in it's use, she wanted to make sure she had a ranged option as well. If these lobsters prove more difficult to catch, than it may just be easier to shoot them and try not to kill them with the first shot. She's done that plenty of times before; she was hunter after all. One of their hallmark skills was being able to subdue a target nonlethaly. ""Excuse me, Sir Tyrael, you have a bow and arrows I could use? And perhaps something we can use to keep the lobster in? A cage, or a barrel, or something?"

No more rain or drizzle as the storm clouds passed, leaving the skies free of the rain that once poured downward. There was no light drizzle or mist hanging in the air, bring relief to the mother roc at last. It might've been nothing more than a minor annoyance to fly within but it was one the roc could've done without. Most of her focus had been in reordering her nest while she shifted branches and greenery from one side to another, pilling it near the milling herbivores. Every so often her feet gingerly shuffled about to check on her larger eggs. She would nuzzle and gently untangle the brush gathering with each small jiggle, the soft sounds of tapping coming from within. They were close to hatching. Even the small mage novice, hidden among the pilfered goods, would be able to tell it wouldn't be long until she had unwanted company.

After a few more fussy movements, she looked to the horizon as if expecting something. Or rather, someone. The skies had dimmed to the dusk and lowered the light compared to the twilight midday, casting longer shadows. No sign of the late male which stirred the roc's inner, instinctive dread. Something was wrong. After a bit, the roc's head moved down and preened a loose feather from her chest then moved to the nest edge.

Branches, trees, and other assorted shrubbery made crackling sounds under her great weight, protesting her massive steps. Herbivores immediately perked their heads up from their feeding and watched careful, mindful where her bulk started to move toward. Their silhouettes tensed in silence as if holding their breathe. Inwardly they were determining if they needed to be fearful and scatter, the roc eager to snatch a snack, relaxing when she climbed the nest edge. Bracing herself, the roc spread her wings and abruptly dropped from sight. The wind whipped up to quickly catch her outstretched wings before it pushed her upward and caused her to glide over the cleared area then into the sky. It would be a few short minutes until Colette would spot the large shape gliding overhead.

Caravan Mission

After the group finished their preparations, putting away their equipment or preparing their other gear, the caravan master and crew continued onwards. About two hours into the trip the caravan master stopped. The group was now in the general area of where the bandit lair is suppose to be located at. The caravan master was both quite a quite drunk during their trip, but now he had moved the wagon to a fairly hidden spot in the forest. It was rather difficult coming in, but here it would be difficult to both reach and find the wagon. It would have to serve to keep the wagon safe without anyone to actually protect it. Lyn and the Caravan master would be staying here for the next few hours. With any luck the students would return before sundown, which would be when the Caravan Master himself would take the wagon to Hysteria, with or without his guards.

After dropping off the caravan master and Lyn, it took the group about an hour to find the location of the bandit lair. They operated out of a Ravine entrance; the surface camp was crudely fortified, using poorly cut logs as walls and as the base for watch towers. All thing considered rather impressive for a handful of brigands. Currently, there was a few guards paroling/lodging the camp, about seven total. Some where asking about "When are the others coming back", and following conversation implies that some of the other bandits are out hunting to the north. From the stench of watered ale wafting through the air and the general atmosphere of the group, it seemed that most of them were drunk and bored. There was no immediate signs of their leaders, though one of the bandits who actually seemed like he was doing his job also was one of the biggest and imposing. Unlike the others who wore leather or hide armor, he wore platemail and had a studded threshing flail and a an axe by his side. The others had an arrangement of clubs, axes, and swords. Some who where in the towers had crossbows.

"Look alive you dolts!"

From the Ravine came a heavy cloaked figure. He was much bigger and bulkier than most of the bandits, with a spiked chain wrapped around one of his arms. "I just got word that Zarak got himself killed. Get ready, in about an hour I'm going to need five of you lot to come with me and see what happened. So get your lazy, drunk asses up and get ready!" The voice was deep and orcish. Some of the bandits began to stir lazily and prepared themselves to leave the camp.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

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Ssarak, Darius, and Alaira were hiding a fair distance from the camp to stay out of sight, but close enough that they could hear and observe what was happening within. While the others might be able to maneuver closer, Ssarak, in his cumbersome, metal armor, did not want to take the risk. Meirin had elected to remain back with the wagon to protect Lyn and the caravan master. Ssarak was nervous about splitting up, but was eventually convinced that it would be the safest option for everyone. Regardless, he had made sure to leave one of their ethers with Meirin, and had given the other to Darius. For himself, Ssarak reasoned that, since he tended to be conservative with his use of magic, he would have less need of it.

The trio was of course outnumbered, as expected, but that did not mean they could not emerge victorious. They were more well-armed than their opponents, likely better trained, and had the element of surprise. The greatest worry in Ssarak’s mind was that Alaira might refuse to go along with any plan they create and instead charge straight in. Given her history, that was a believable outcome. However, as long as his plan involved her fighting in the open, he reasoned that she may cooperate.

Ssarak whispered to the others in lieu of telepathic communication, due to Alaira’s weakness. ”Now that we have seen the fortifications, we need a plan of attack. We are outnumbered right now, so a direct attack would be unwise, but it may not necessarily be a good idea to wait for most of them to leave either. We will likely need to clear the camp before we can bring the wagon through, and we do not have unlimited time. Currently, most of the camp seems to be intoxicated, which should work in our favor. We could search for a good approach to attack now, or wait and until the group their leader is gathering starts to leave, then attack before they are fully out of range to separate them into groups. Although, we also have to bear in mind the other group we overheard them talking about. I would prefer to clear the camp before they return so we can set up an ambush.”

Alaira Taenn

Alaira was crouched down beside Ssarak, watching the bandits from a bush. She was crouched low, and was the first to arrive at the agreed location. Alaira was surprisingly stealthy when she wanted to be; her usual 'scream and charge' method useless when one had to hunt for food. She was also an excellent tracker, and while the bandits had chosen a good spot, they weren't subtle enough to hide it from her for long. She reached to her neck, frowning. She knew she had left her bow with Meirin, so she had a less risky way to kill anyone that tried to do the same to her or the others, but she had just seemed to keep compulsively checking for it...

She listened to Ssarak's words, carefully. She had a lot to make up for, and while she probably wouldn't do just anything he said, she would think things through a little better. Sh had a plan, and it would sound bad at first but she hoped to whatever god was listening at the time that he would accept her suggestion... this was exactly the kind of situation she excelled in, and he'd have to be a fool not to realize it. "No, direct attack's good. These guys are drunk, and lazy." She whispered, aware of their lack of time. "So we blitz 'em. I attack first, kill that hooded guy, he looks like the leader, then, while they're freaking out, you guys swoop in." She said, pointing to several places they could enter the fight. "We attack them hard and fast, from different directions, and don't give them a chance to rally, cause as much mayhem as possible. If they're panicking, they're easy pickings..."

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak nodded. "That is a valid point; most of them may not be prone to thinking rationally under duress at the moment. Though it may be easier to fight them in groups, it may be risky to wait for them to separate. If we wait, the others may return and we could find ourselves outnumbered by less intoxicated foes." He reasoned. He still did not like that they were going to be outnumbered regardless, but with a proper plan of attack, they could push the odds more to their favor.

"Very well, if we are going to attack now, we should plan our attack. As you said, eliminating their leader first would be our best bet. From what directions would you two prefer to strike? For myself, I believe I can surprise them with a high angle of attack. I can back off, then fly up above the trees and use them to hide from their line of sight. Once you attack, their focus will be on you, so I will likely be able to eliminate at least one target without much resistance. If you haven't killed the leader by that point, it would certainly be him. Otherwise, I could focus on the next largest threat." Ssarak suggested.

Colette

Colette took a deep breath as she held the skull Liam had given her. The thought of the male made her flush a little and her chest skip a beat. She shook her head clearing her thoughts of what had happened earlier with him. Focus girl, you need to focus. People are depending on you to help she thought to herself mentally slapping herself. She tensed when she felt the wind shift and saw a large shape gliding overhead

"I is t that it..." she asked shocked as her demon bat which she had summoned a few minutes of leaving Liam's presence make small sounds as if asking the same question. She looked to her friend Annabeth and saw she already prepared to do her part. Colette turned her focus on the thing above holding the skull a little tighter. When she saw it again she saw her chance to do her part of this mission. Before sending her bat another direction she placed the skull on its body tying it down with some of the vine rope I made then she ran for it running into the open, the grass beneath her cringing and breaking as she ran over them with her heeled boots which surprisingly didnt break from how hard her feet hit the ground. She wanted to freeze where she stopped when she saw the roc look down at her with a murderous look for going near the nest.

"Um well I distracted it..." she said gulping her already white skin turning more white if that was even possible. She eeped when it started to come down at her and she ducked and rolled away just before it got her. She make a small, but loud sound to signal her precious bat friend and watched as her bat flew up to it and claw at it's eye.

The Roc had been looking for something, anything, to feed her soon to hatch children. However, nothing had turned up. Her sharp eyes busy scanning the ground, she didn't notice the movement of the small blur until it was too late. Her eyes jerked up just in time to feel pain gush in her vision and blood blind her left eye. Her beak let out a painful screech.

Colette covered her sensitive ears when the roc suddenly let out that horrible loud screech but that didn't stop her bat at it continued to attack with its tiny fangs and claws distracting it perfectly. She gasped in horror when the roc suddenly retaliated and sent the small bat into a tree. She tried to make a run for her bat but before she could get no more than two feet away from where she stood, the roc landed in front of her looking down at her with her only good eye while blood seeped from the other. She froze fear seeping in her body when it suddenly began to lunge at her.

"I would rather the kid live, and if he does die, it will weigh on me." Leith pushed himself off the ground. "But the kid is going to wake up, and I'd like to have him wake up when we know he will." He glanced around the group. "Any idea about how we go about this?"
__________________________________________

Coco's leaves bristled at the mention of trusting the child. She stood up soon after Leith, "We should tie him to a rock, then. Another group of travellers will pass by one day and he might be sane enough by then, if he doesn't die of thirst before." Coco then brought a hand up to her head and gently prodded at her leaves, then pushed them against her head so they'd relax. The dry texture confirmed her thirst.

"I need some water. Do you guys want water too? I'm really thirsty."
__________________________________________

Mar shook her head at Leith's words, though she considered making an argument but wasting the energy was pointless. Leith wasn't the one that had to both deal with Grey's determination to prevent the man from killing the boy or the exhaustion getting anything useful while also not dying. In the Naga's mind, this choice felt wrong. It was like baiting an animal into attacking when it was known to be rabid and one still expected it to cooperate. Her chest seemed to be crush by an invisible force deep within her core as she listened to the Foreas request water, her eyes watching Althaus gather his crossbow, loading it. Unlike Grey, Althalus hadn't given his word he wouldn't kill the kid at any chance provided and that bothered her.

Inhaling, she slithered over to the wagon and retrieved one of the water skins then passed it over to Coco. "Here."
__________________________________________

Quickly, Coco poured some of the water on her head. Her leaves quivered for a moment, shaking some of the water off themselves, but rapidly absorbing the rest. Coco then poured some more water on the rest of her body and her leaves.
__________________________________________

Mar turned back to Leith's earlier question, her arms crossed over her middle when Coco took the skin, to reply, [color=lightsalmon]"That's why I disagree with this plan. We're baiting a rabid dog, one we know is sick, and expecting him to cooperate. Namely without any way to prevent him from hurting us as I recall Althalus saying a Necromancer's summons can't be stopped save by killing him."[color]
__________________________________________

Althalus sighed. "That's correct. Unless the Necromancer willingly stops his summons, the only way to keep said summons from killing us while he's unconscious is to kill him. If there's no necromancer, they don't have anything keeping them alive. So, basically, what we've come down to is two options. We can go into the forest and pray we don't get murdered by the mages we know nothing at all about who have the advantage of knowing the forest at least a little bit better than us, or we can wake up this madman, try to reason with him, and pray he doesn't kill us with our own weapons. Great!" Althalus rubbed his eyes. "I'm voting for waking the kid up and having two people who are likely to have theh best success with him talk to him. It's easier to control that way. If it goes wrong, one crossbow bolt to the skull will end him. Quick and clean. If things go right, we still have him in our custody to get him the help he clearly needs. Any other ideas?" Once again, Althalus studiously avoided Mar's eyes. He didn't want to deal with what he would see in them.
__________________________________________

Coco bristled her leaves and turned towards Althalus, "And you believe I don't know my own home more than a bunch of murderers?"
__________________________________________

Althalus resisted sighing again, eyeing Coco. "You've been gone from this place for months on end. The mage murderers have been here for at least a good few weeks. Which means they have a base of operations in the area. Which means they have to know the Forest pretty well to move around in it. Which means they know the safe spots and the traps they've set up. Which would be the smart thing to do, and these mages don't seem stupid. They convinced him to kill his entire village after all." The assassin gestured to the still unconscious boy. "So, despite all that, you're telling me that you know this forest better than they do?"
__________________________________________

Coco stiffened at Althalus' insolent words, then she turned away and kicked up some dirt. Her artefact seemed to blink and attempt communication, but no sound came out. She was too angry at him to select thoughts to relay through the artifact..
__________________________________________

"I disagree with... him," Mar began, her anger still lingering when she didn't utter Althalus' name. Her eyes glanced over to where Coco was displaying her frustration and didn't react beyond looking at her during her words, "but the points he makes can't be dismissed. Changes are a factor since they have been here for weeks, but the extent aren't fully known and might not be as great as it is assumed. Still, none of us are not familiar with this place. A matter Coco can at least help because even the male can't deny that getting lost isn't helpful.”
_________________________________________

"Did they convince them to kill his entire village?" Leith asked, hoping to change the subject. "The fact that there are signs of noxomancers in this village shows that the mages had a hand in this massacre." He scratched his temple. "Before he raised the dead, he looked like he was absolutely livid at them. We might be able to use that to our advantage."
_________________________________________

"He also told us to leave and never return, but we didn't." Mar said bluntly, revealing the main reason this was going to be difficult. She inhaled a bit and continued, her eyes turned to fix on Leith. "The boy admitted to killing his family, but the village wasn't supposed to be massacred. Only restrained which was what angered him, setting him to attacking anyone that arrived."

Her body was slightly tense at the thought of the diplomate's words and jawline tighted to keep her silence. Her home was completely gone. The thought brought an unexplained pain in her heart as she shoved it down, swallowing the inner pain and hidding it on the surface. "Any other questions to explain why this is a bad idea or should we just wake him now?"
_________________________________________

Althalus barely resisted glancing at Mar, feeling pain at the way she suddenly returned to the first day they met all the way to his core. Now wasn't the time. He merely made a note to apologize to Coco later, feeling slightly bad for the way she had reacted to what he had said, as her anger was low on his list of priorities. Listening to her and Leith talk, he finally looked wearily at the Naga. "What else can we do Mar? Go into the forest and pray? He's the only one with the slightest idea of where the Mages are. Afterall, they had to have met and talked somewhere. I doubt the village would just allow random strangers, especially the ones that the only survivor described, to talk to their children. We have no choice but to try and talk to him. Which I leave to you and Leith."
_________________________________________

Leith nodded, "Alright, but before we go about waking him up, we need to make some quick preperations to hopefully lessen the chance of harm to us and him. We should clear an area of anything big he could use to harm us at least ten feet around the kid" He looked at Mar. "What do you think?"
_________________________________________

Mar didn't want to understand Althalus' logic or the desperation in his usually positive tone, her heart seeming to clutch itself at each word.Her hands wrapped protectively about herself as if the action would've spared her the guilt and hurt filling her. Instead it only made it worse, unable to argue with Althalus, while she stood in silence until Leith spoke. That was enough to break her inward focus as she focused on the matter at hand. "It might. The only reason my words got through to him was because Grey's fingers were inches from his throat and the possiblity of death was too real, stopping him from getting his revenge. Clearing the area, which I think Althalus, you and Grey should be set to, would prevent any surprises but would it really be enough?"

She took a deep breath and paused to think more, adding her own thoughts. "I think it might be ideal to seek an open, wide area and clear that instead. We'd be able to tell easier where the danger will come from and can react quickly. Someone also should burn the bodies, preferably away from the child so they can't be used against us. I think Coco and I can accomplish that task as it wouldn't bother us the most. Finally we'll need to keep him tied and in something that he can't bring to life. That bit is much more difficult as the only thing I can come up with is my coils which even if he manages to kill me, will continue to restrict after death, and could be used as a last resort."
________________________________________

"Yes." Coco said to Mar, going over to her side. Fleshlings are gross, though. I'll have to bathe after this, I swear. She perked up and listened for Althalus. The moment she located him, at the same spot, she bristled her leaves with a light shudder. He's just another dumb fleshling. Right now, Coco felt Mar was the one on her side, so she leaned in towards her and whispered.

"I can't wait to burn these fleshling bodies, they smell and feel so gross."
________________________________________
Mar's eyes paused only long enough to note who had pulled up beside her, spotting the greenry and nose catching the rich, chocolately scent filling her nose. She caught the whisper, a part of her agreeing in failing to understand the importance of some bipeds' traditions regarding death. She nodded but said nothing when Leith chose to speak, her eyes returned to their origin position and absorbed the words.
________________________________________

"Well, if we do this right, no one will die." Leith clapped his hands together. "Lets do this." He looked at Althalus and frowned momentarily. Now was as good of a time as any. Leith walked over to Althalus, pausing when he reached the point that the shrieking would have started before he continued. "I have something interesting to discuss with you."
________________________________________

"I can see no other options. He'd make anything else come alive and free himself or kill us." Althalus spoke flatly, hiding his pain. Later. I'll deal with it later. He turned his tired gaze to Leith, sighing again. I don't want to talk, I just want to kill the damn mages and go back to the College, where things were nice and made sense. There was nothing to do but keep going forward. "Yeah. Might as well get started." This damn conversation had better not be about my mask, or anything to do with Mar and I. I still have a loaded crossbow. I can blame it on one of the mages.
________________________________________

"The buzzing and the shrieking disappeared." Leith showed the Althalus the ring that had molded itself to his hand. "I think this has something to do with it. A voice also mentioned you once the buzzing stopped, as well as something called the Wild" He looked around the destroyed village. "A change in scenery mught help with talking to the kid."
________________________________________

Althalus barely kept himself from flinching surprise at the mention of the Wild, his mind darting back to when his brother had glowing purple eyes and the more recent mad child. It would be best, he decided, to not let Leith know how closely connected to the Wild itself and the child. "The Wild? I've heard rumors, legends, myths. Something about an energy that wants to destroy the entire world. I'm not quite sure. And yes, changing the scenery might help him not want to murder us, if only out of confusion where he is."

In Leith's mind, the voice whispered, He's lying. He knows more about it than anyone here, even the boy.
______________________________________

Leith frowned as he listened to what Althalus said. That didn't sound nice. The fact that the voice said he was lying about what he knew didn't surprise him as it had said that Althalus had had a bad experience with the Wild. "Alright. Lets go find a quiet place to wake this kid up."
______________________________________

Grey had been silent the whole time, save the ever present noise of his whetstone against his axe. Everything that had happened had weighed on him heavily, but out of all of the horrible things that had happened, his own actions disturbed him the most. He'd... he'd never thought he'd be so willing to end a life. He could justify it all he wanted, but he nearly murdered twice in the last few hours. The only thing keeping him sane was the fact that he couldn't really be blamed about his approach with the child...

He would not be happy about it, but the kid was trying to (and nearly succeeded, even) kill them. Going after him was not what bothered him. What bothered him was his dedication to that course when another way had presented itself. That, and the diplomat...

One was mad, and was likely beyond saving. The other was a vile, repugnant human being he was sure no one would miss... But what gave him the authority to take their lives? Was it justice he sought to carry out, or was it misguided delusions? The guard sighed, the first vocalization he'd made in quite a while as he wandered past Leith and Athalus... He had wanted to talk to Leith, but the two were busy. "I'm going to fetch the child. I'll return soon." he said as he passed. He had also wanted to speak to Mar.

It didn't take long to find Mar and Coco, the two already set about their grim task. "...Mar? A word, please?" He said, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.
________________________________________

Coco threw one of the mangled bodies into the fire, then turned towards Grey, leaves shivering in humour. "Gross. There's your word, Grey." She said, "By the Tree, I had no idea fleshlings were so squishy and had so many things inside of them..." She was quick to get back to work though, her speech dissolving into static and finally into silence.
________________________________________

Mar had purposely avoided the dead children, her hands and coils easily swept the part, bits, and other vile anatomy into the growing pile. Her hands smelt foul as she rubbed them against her scales, marring the surface, when Grey spoke up. Her head tilted in his direction when he touched her shoulder and her instincts fought for a moment to react. Mar refused to allow them, jerking her tail to coil underneath her and partly pinned it down.

She was spared a minute from replying immediately, fully sure her voice would've sounded strained and harsher then intended, when Coco piped up with her own word. If Mar had been comfortable showing the emotion swelling within her, she might've smiled at the Foreas' disgust. Instead she let her emotions settle after the small start Grey had given her earlier, still not quite use to direct touch, when she focused more intently on him. Though he was supposed to be helping Althalus and Leith to clear the area of any unnesscary debris, she could tell through his depressed posture and his tone something was weighing on him.

"Coco, there's some cloth in the wagon for makeshift carry. It might help." Mar said, stating bluntly and to the point, hoping Coco would've drawn her own conclusions. Namely to use the cloth to keep them both cleaner and not have their scents give them away to the enemy. Once Coco started toward the wagon, her eyes gazed on Grey. "You wanted a word?"
______________________________________

Grey suppressed a light 'Heh' at Coco's... shall we say, 'grim' humor. He let her talk, the poor girl descendig into babbling as her speech slowly turned into white noise, as if her translator thing had decided to take a nap from overexhaustion. He hadn't expected the snake-woman to be so... Jumpy, and he flinched a little when he saw that tail move... and was surprised when she... for lack of a better ter, sat on it. That looked pretty involuntary... I probably should avoid touching her in the future... He thought, mumbling out a quick 'sorry' as he turned his head away, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

She spoke to Coco in the moment Grey was busy feeling sorry for himself, which promptly snapped him back to reality as he watched the little plant... girl... thi- No, thing wasn't the right word... force of habit. Anyway, he watched her leave.

He nodded when she spoke directly to him, straightening a bit. "I wanted to..." His voice caught in his throat for a mere moment, his thouhts dragged back to earlier. "...to thank you. For... for stopping me..." He stated, his eye drifting downwards to the ground for a mere moment, before looking up once again. "I... I don't know what came over me."
______________________________________

"The same thing most bipeds struggle with. Emotions," Mar stated simply though her heart seemed to warm at the thankful, her body slacked and confusion flickered in her eyes before it faded, "I don't understand them myself to be honest though it seems what you display might be the very reason my kind are taught not to display such emotions outside. Those who do, tend to lose respect and if it continues, are banished in the end."

Her chest inhaled for a moment then pushed the thoughts of Mesa Gaan away, knowing her home was gone, any chance to return no longer possible. It felt like a hole had started within her and grew, worming its way into her core until it started to fester. "I don't know why I stopped you, but I couldn't allow you to kill the boy. I'm...glad you chose to let him live."
____________________________________

Grey frowned a bit. Sure one could blame emotions, but emotions were what made life worth living. Well... It was the difference between living and existing, anyhow. He felt he had to make a counter-argument as she continued... "With respect, I don't agree with that... If I had acted without emotion the child would have died. He was an immediate threat to the lives of those I protect and myself, and I knew slaying him was the quickest way to end the threat." He said, fighting the urge to rest his hand on her shoulder.

"But I did the illogical thing and spared him... because it was the right thing to do, and because you convinced me of that. Emotions are things to be wary of, things that need to be controlled. But to completely deny them makes us no better than golems... and that's worse, in a way." Of course, the irony of being told such things by a golem was lost on everyone. He sighed, looking about before he continued, a little more quietly. "I... worry about you. You seem afraid of them, so you bottle them up, and I know you feel things just like the rest of us... And I don't know what'll happen if this keeps going..."
____________________________________

"It doesn't matter if you agree or not with it," Mar pointed out bluntly, though not in a harsh tone, while she looked toward where Coco was. She was ignoring the flies now starting to gather around the bodies piled up, their corpses' hollow eyes stared at her and gave the impression they were silently accusing her to crimes not her fault. It made her throat tighten, constricting until it felt like she was going to suffocate. A matter that was merely in her imagination.

With the bodies piled high and stinking, she had delayed the burning in favor of talking with Grey. It was another reason she couldn't fully understand why despite it feeling suitable.

"You can't change a whole culture's beliefs with your own, Grey. It is all we've known and change for Naga is something we find hard to accept quickly," her eyes shifted, resting briefly on Althalus before she turned away. The conversation made her recall how much change she had already adapted to, knowing deep inside her connection with Althalus wouldn't have been offically approved of by the matriarchs or what life they had created. So much change... it wasn't something she wanted to face just yet. "The fact is I'm not human. Nothing you, Althalus or others are able to change it. To ignore my culture because of other's views is turning my back on what I am, pretending to be something I can't be and isn't that just as bad?"

She paused for a moment, and added. "As for what will happen... your worries are the same as mine. I can't predict the future but only brace for what comes and hope I'm strong enough to survive it. It's all any of us can do in the end."
______________________________________

Grey nodded, considering her words... A tiny part of him wanted to say something along the lines of 'well, look where it got them', but that notion was quickly crushed and ignored, for there was no way he would say something so unimaginably cruel and insensitive. "My uncle used to always tell me that those that couldn't adapt would always be crushed by those that could... He would also tell me that change for it's own sake was bad for civilization as a whole... So make of all that what you will." He said, rubbing his chin as he spoke. He noticed the bodies had gone unburned, likely because he was distracting her.

He set about dousing the bodies in the lamp oil as he spoke, though he would leave the actual lighting to her. "You mistake my warnings for orders, friend." He said, reaching for another lamp they'd collected as the previous one ran dry. "I am merely speaking of my thoughts on the matter... I understand that how you choose to live your life is ultimately your decision. I don't expect you to completely change, nor do I want you to. But I've wasted too much time..." He said, standing as he emptied the last lamp.

He turned, approaching her once again. He had nearly touched her shoulder again, but he stopped himself, withdrawing his hand as he continued. "You also have my sympathies..." He said quietly, his expression turning solemn as he remembered the diplomat's words. "If there is ever any way I can help you or your family, let me know, alright?" He couldn't do much aside from guarding and smithing, but he was very talented at both.
______________________________________

Coco could be seen walking towards the both of them, cloth slung over her shoulders like some sort of fashionable animal skin. Just as she reached the two, she sniffed at the air and clenched the cloth in her fists.

"You guys already finished carrying the bodies! Why did I have to look for this cloth?"
_______________________________________

"We'll need it to help haul the dead kindling... unless that will upset you?" Mar asked, her eyes looking at Coco a bit in reply to the creature's interruption. She minorly relieved as it prevented her from answering Grey's comment or saying anything at all towards it. Not because his was words were lost on her, but in the end, the more the conversation went on the more it hurt her ending with her mind in a confused and dizzy mess. Until she had time to consider what path she would choice, talking about it only lead to hesitation and fear, neither good in making her decision.

Her nose caught the scent of the lamp oil leaking over the bodies, a matter she didn't enjoy as it might've spread to the plants which would've resulted in a wide range fire. However she wouldn't scorn his gesture, aiming to clear the place around the bodies, lowering the chance greatly. She waited for Coco to disapprove or vent, much like with Althalus, over her suggestion though she did consider and expect Coco to put another option to start the fire on. Unless she expected for either of them to start the fire directly on the bodies and risk burning themselves, the fire's spark instantly increased by the lamp oil dousing the dead.
_________________________________________

Coco shrugged, "What's the 'dead kindling' anyway?" She passed the cloth over to Mar and sat down on the ground a few meters away from the pile of bodies. She pointed at Grey and Mar and spoke, "You're going to clear the area surrounding the bodies of plants, right? If so, do it yourself, I won't hurt any of them."
________________________________________

"Dead kindling is what I believe you would consider plant corpses. Plants that aren't alive and since they are lifeless, they could enrich the corpses and help them burn easier. It's that or my own body we use, but considering we still have mages to fight and I'm only a novice..." Mar let Coco put the rest together as she hoped it would help coax cooperation from the plant. She nodded at Coco then added. "If I knew for sure we could keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the forest it wouldn't have been nesscary."
_______________________________________

"Dead plants, then? Sure, you can use them. I'd rather not touch them myself though. Squishy fleshling bodies are gross, feeling sap and dead plants is even worse. The smell of cut grass just kills my senses if I'm too close to it."

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

--

The group continued to discuss the fine details of the plan for a few more minutes before they felt they were ready. Although Ssarak was worried about attacking whilst they were outnumbered, he agreed that the opportunity afforded by their intoxication was too good to pass up. Their priority would be killing the leader, after which they could divide and eliminate the remaining bandits.

”Okay, we have our plan, then. I am going to back away and get above the trees. Exactly three minutes after I step away, you attack. I will time my strike so that it comes once you have their attention. Kill the leader first if you can; otherwise, I will target him from above. Remember, three minutes.” Ssarak explained just before departing from the other two away from the direction of the camp. Immediately, he began to keep track of the time in his head as he put some distance between him in the bandits. Once far enough away, he looked to the tree canopy until he found an opening large enough for him to fit through.

With a running start, Ssarak leaped up into the air and took off above the trees, quickly circling back in the direction of the camp. Based on his count, the others would be attacking shortly, so he needed to be ready to strike quickly and efficiently.

Aramir

"Okay, sneak up the mountain while you distract the Roc. Simple!" Aramir said, only slightly nervously. Here she was with Auriel and Liam. The other elf she knew could move quietly through trees, but she had no idea if the fox was any good at not attracting attention. Specifically the attention of a hungry giant bird. As soon as the others went to do their decidedly far deadlier mission, Aramir started moving. "Lets try to not get murdered by the the giant bird, secure the wagons, and get the wagons down the mountain and hope the Roc isn't interested in us or our friends any more! Simple." Aramir put her bow on her back, and started heading up the mountain. She resolutely didn't look at the screaming Roc. If she looked at what it was doing, she knew she would stop. She moved as quickly as possible, hoping their distraction would be good enough. "I swear to all the gods if I get eaten by a giant bird after surviving all the crap I've been through I will do all with in my power to give said bird horrifying indigestion. Like, the kind that makes you fall from the sky and break your feathery neck." Aramir muttered to herself, trying to keep the prickly feeling that something was about to swoop down upon her from making her slow down.



As Leith, Grey, and Althalus finally found a clear open plain for their interrogation of the boy, someone walked out of the woods around them. She was covered in rags, and her head was wrapped tightly in bloody bandages, clearly just wrapped. She was clearly an forest elf, with her pointed ears poking out of wrapping. As soon as she appeared, Leith's ring spoke again. The eternal Hunger, as she now calls herself. Deranged, dangerous, and a vitamancer. Pyromancy incredibly useful against her. Kill her. Behind you is Legion, demonomancer, sane, and still useful. Don't kill him. The one with him is Farian. Out for blood, but still sane. He still has a conscience. Kill him. The wild has no use. He is a pyromancer, so vitamancy is incredibly useful against him. Grey would never forgive himself if the two females died, so protecting them should be tantamount. Defend them. Grey and Althalus can handle themselves.

Althalus obviously distrusted this newcomer, aiming his crossbow at her. "That's far enough!" She laughed, and the assassin felt a shiver go down his spine at the contemptuous, madness filled sound. "I think we found one of the mages." He muttered to Grey.

For Mar and Coco, the pile of bodies erupting into blood red flames. "Whores of the Eanian Empire! Prepare to defend yourself! The flames of justice come for you." Another blood red bolt of fire hit nearby them. Their attacker was a human man. Or at least the remains of a man. His eyes were nothing more than blood red flames and every time he spoke or breathed, flames erupted in short bursts out of his mouth. Fiery cracks extended outward from his eyes and mouth, pulsing as he breathed as well. In the background, sitting on a rock with a greatsword was this man. He seemed content to watch for now.

Grey Onyx

Grey sighed, dusting his hands as he found a rock to lean the boy against. He had simply taken his leave of the other two, Not keen on causing Mar any more stress, inadvertent though it was. No, he had a job to do. Athalus and leith were available as well, which eased his fears somewhat. Between Leith's gauntlet-assisted might, Athalus' skill, and his own endurance, they could likely handle anything the child could throw at them... If he were capable of removing the chains and ropes Grey bound him in, at least. He sighed, leaning down to wake the child when he saw... a woman, was it? He tensed when he got a better look at her, reaching for his axe and his shield... He had forgotten the child could manipulate those, and had foolishly brought them with him. This turned out to be for the best, it seemed.

Judging from her... less than sane appearance, she was probably one of the mages they sought, and after a rather hideous laugh, Athalus confirmed his suspicion. He looked behind him, letting out an audible gasp of shock when he noticed the the crazed... Well, pyromancer was obvious at this point... He barely registered another one too... Yeah, these were the rogue mages, they must be. His mind raced, assessing the situation... One combatant here, three allied warriors, two combatants over there, two allied warriors... He needed to go help Mar and Coco, three men on one lunatic was overkill when they could have the numbers in two places... But who to send?... Athalus, the others were a ways off, and Athalus had a crossbow.

He looked forward, narrowing his eye as he regarded the elf, she had his full attention now... "Athalus, head back and assist the others, Leith or I would never make it in time." He ordered, slowly strafing to the side a few paces... Just what tricks did this girl have up her sleeve...

The task was almost done, Mar thought bitterly. Her eyes stared at her hands, covered in various wounds and splinters, still lightly bled in her efforts to tearing wood once nailed down. It had taken a long time to find, pull and tear apart the various broken furniture and floor board to add into the dead's pile. She needed the kindling to help feed the oil and keep it going, allowing it to become hot enough to turn the bodies into ashes. Most of it was from the ghost village, making the pile higher now. It would've went faster had Coco helped but she refused, for personal reasons, instead allowing Mar to work alone.

Now came the exhausting work. Sweat and blood weren't strangers to her, though the manual work done by farmers was clearly not something she was designed for. Her work methods clumsy and crude in nature. First Mar began to flattening and dig any large plants within a three foot radius around the burn area, slowly at first. Whatever she couldn't pull up she covered over with dirt, filling the air with the rich, thick earthy scent. It mingled in and out of the corpses' rotting smell, the pile left to linger, drifting the graveyard stank through out the camp. Occasionally her eyes flickered over to the pile. She caught glimpses of the male and female bodies, ranging from child to adult size, all left covered in the lamp oil thanks to Grey. She kept her tongue firmly in as she set about her task to keep the plant ‘massacre’ short and painless. Using her tail to sweep and dig up much the earth below it, her job was nearly complete the moment she heard Althalus call out.

Mar’s head jerked to the three males’ direction, her body positioned near the body pile, when someone stumbled out of the forest. A wood elf, dressed in ragged and tattered garments, her head bound in bloody bandages, appeared. At Althalus’ warning, the woman let out a disturbing, blood curdling laughter. It made every instinct in Mar’s body flare into alert while her head turned to locate her scythe. During her task, she had laid down the scythe after cutting much of the grass low and now was unarmed. That was dangerous in her mind, her spirit rapidly trying to mend her error.

Too late.

Red flashed at her vision side causing Mar to react to protect herself, her arms jerked up. Her head lowered when the flames roared up suddenly in the pile beside her. Heat washed over her skin and pain seared into her brain, the edges brushing closer than comfortable for her, causing minor burns. Impulsively she twisted her back to shield her face from being burnt off. It was minor compared to her prior wounds but no less pleasant. Another blast and more red, her tail coiled back. She felt her torso jerked away from the crackling fire, her arms lowered on hearing a male's voice ring out. Her hardened eyes easily spotting the source.

"Whores of the Eanian Empire! Prepare to defend yourself! The flames of justice come for you." A human male stared, his eyes and mouth flickered with fire at each word.

Taking a moment to survey her damage, Mar's eyes dropped to see her forearms. The flesh was dark pink and hot, the affliction caused by the fire had dulled to a tolerable ache, as she let out a loud warning hiss. Fangs ejected and tail pushes underneath her, raising her a good foot or more higher than before. Her mind noted the intensity of the fire. How quickly it was now turning the corpses into ashes, unusual for a normal fire, which it would’ve taken minutes or days to do.

“Who...are you?” While Mar asked, her tail reached subtly for her scythe just a foot from her.

He was flying... like a flying skull. It was amazing though slightly disconcerting. The rope tying him together seemed a bit weak, poorly tied. Pfft, some people just didn't know how to tie a knot. Though he was flying, it was quite entertaining. He focused on the bat. "Hey, can I have your body? Being a head is great but I'd like to have wings. They seem like fun." Then came the Roc, the bat swooped into it's eye and the rope got weaker. As the bat was knocked away the rope gave and he started to fall. Though, in a cruel twist of fate the Roc dived and landed on front of...

What's her face. Well, he liked what's her face.

She let him fly. Opening his mouth he fell down onto the back of the Roc and clenched his jaw as shut as hard as he could grabbing flesh below feathers. The beast screeched before taking off again.

He didn't think this plan quite through to the end.

Oh look, he was flying again.

Alaira Taenn

Alaira nodded as Ssarak explained the basic plan... any plan involving smashed skulls and charred bandit corpses was a plan she liked. She quickly stalked back into the brush, three minutes wouldn't be very long at all, and if she struck too early support may not be able to arrive in time. She trusted Darius to let her have the first strike, as she had a battle-plan in the works that would certainly demoralize them.

She scaled a tree a ways ahead of the bandits, watching them intently as she counted the minutes down... Two minutes left, the bandits were approaching... She adjusted her grip on her mace, exhaling softly. She was itching to smash'em now, but patience would be rewarded... One minute... if they got too much further the main-camp bandits might get their shit together when it all went down... Ten seconds, they were getting close. She ground her teeth, reaching her hand to the metal objects she kept on her belt... Three... two... one...

She leapt into the air, assisted by her magic as she struck her hand against all six of the devices in total, power she had only dreamed of coursing through her, wreathing her form in a storm of crackling energy. She was completely obscured by the energy, appearing as lightning molded into the shape of a mere mortal. She bellowed a mighty war-cry, the nimbus of power distorting her voice into something inhuman as she came crashing down to earth, aiming for the big man in the robe...

...And struck, screaming as all the energy was forced into him... and beyond. A maelstrom of thunder and lightning issued forth, Bolts and tendrils lashing out at everyone nearby as her primary target was annihilated, His body collapsing into ash and exploding with a loud bang. She stood slowly, stomping a boot down as ash fell from her, small arcs of residual power reaching from her as she bashed her mace on her shield. "Come on then, if you think you're hard enough!"

Darius watched the man in the tower while he counted down the time until the attack. While having Ssarak fly into the fray sounded like a good way cause confusion, these men had a way to shoot Ssarak out of the sky. Drunk or not, that was a chance that Darius couldn't take, so he positioned himself as close as he could to the tower. It was almost time.

An explosion rattled the quiet woods. Darius smirked. If anyone knew how to make a scene, it was Alaira. Without another thought, Darius made his way to the fence that separated the woods from the camp. It was obviously made to keep the wildlife out. Humans were another matter. With a grunt, he pulled himself over the fence and entered. There seemed to be no one around the area he had entered. Good. Darius unsheathed his dagger and climbed the tower as quietly as he could.

---

Leith sighed as Grey put the kid down. It was time to see what this kid knew. He was on his way to fetch Mar when the voice spoke to him again, stopping him after a few steps. Leith frowned as he looked from the woman in rags to the man who spoke of justice, an idea forming in his mind. As he started making his way to Mar and Coco, Grey spoke, telling Althalus to go.

"I think I am better equipped for fighting fire. Besides, you do not want her to get close at all. She's a Vitamancer, and I don't think she's like Lidda at all." Leith paused for a second before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a rune and handing it to Althalus. "Here. It's a Psychomancy rune for communication. I've got the other one. Think at it, and it should work." Without another thought Leith ran towards Mar and Coco. When he arrived, he frowned at the man. "You speak of justice, but aren't you the one of the people that massacred this village?"

Caravan Mission

Like a bolt of lightning, the situation at the camp turned bad for the bandits. Just as the robed mage managed to get a group together to come with him, Alaira struck. He didn't even see what hit him. One moment he was about to bark out the marching order, and the next moment the searching heat energy of Alaira's magic surged through his body. At first it was simply numbing, as if he had fell asleep with a heavy weight on his body. But than came the burning. It was like his body was thrown into a furnace. And than the boiling. His flesh did not even have time to burn before it began to liquify from the flash of pure electrical power. But even the boiling state did not last too long; from burning to boiling to simply vaporizing. Thanks to the unfiltered power of Alaira's batteries, the robed man went from a standing, healthy humanoid form to a gooey, semi-liquid pile of slag. Kind of like a jam, but it solidified in the air, turning it into a crystalline substance that shortly than shattered into the much more familiar looking ash that everyone could see.

The robed man was not the only victim of Alaira's attack, though he took the full brunt of it. Two of the bandits who were standing near by, while not vaporized like the robed man, still were caught by the uncontrollable shockwave that fried their bodies and even caused them (Or at least some of their possessions) to burst into flames. They suffered for the extent of Alaira's initial strike, and fell when she challenged the other bandits.

When Alaira spoke her challenge, the most of the other six bandits were still confused as to what was going on. It was an attack to be certain, but no mere raid. If Alaira had simply come in and strike the Robed Man down, there would be no doubt that the other bandits would converge on her and attack. But they were still trying to comprehend if that was indeed what happened. Due to their inebriated state most were trying to make sense if Alaira was actually a hallucination of their minds and what had actually happened was that the Robed Man was simply struck by lightning, or if they were actually under attack. And if she was real and she had actually disintegrated the Robed Man and killed another two in the resulting shockwave, would it be smart of them to attack? The best most of those bandits could do was just draw their weapons and try to make sense of what happened. A state of fear and confusion took most of them.

Except the big one and those with crossbows. The big bandit had enough sense to know exactly what had happened and took charge appropriately. "Attack you fools! Kill the mage before she casts another spell!" This bandit drew his weapon, dual wielding his flail in his right hand and his axe in the left. The bandit in the tower and one on the ground, somewhat more sober than the ones on the ground, took aim at Alaira and fired their crossbows at her. They focused solely on Alaira as she was the only one who revealed herself, as well as being the biggest threat.

Annabeth Gulch

It was time. The Extraction Crew (Auriel, Aramir, and Liam) had already left the wagon to go sneak towards the nest. That means the Bait Team (Annabeth, Colette, Arcadius, and Eural) needed to draw the Roc's attention away from it's nest for about... Thirty minutes. Or so Annabeth hoped. Thirty minutes for the Extraction Crew to at least get to the nest. If they had wagons and horses they could make it to the college... Perhaps without the Bait Team. But Annabeth wasn't about to consider throwing their lives away. She was going to bring everyone home. She promised that much to them.

Annabeth's plan with the bait team was simple. Since Colette was the only one who could reliably see in the darkness, she would serve as the bait. It's not that Annabeth wanted this to happen, but currently she was the only one who knew how to operate the balista, and if the roc saw it first it might destroy the only weapon they had to fight against it. Colette at least had her bat demon to help distract the roc, and since it could fly it was much more reliable at fighting the roc in the air than Annabeth would trying to shoot it down. And soon they would see if that's true.

The roc arrived, zeroing in on Colette quickly. Her bat was sent out to hold it off, just long enough for Annabeth to get into position. "Now, let's move!" Bursting from the forest Annabeth and Eural headed strait towards the roc. It wasn't long however before Colette's bat was knocked away, allowing the giant bird monstrosity to go back to attacking Colette. She tried to run, but couldn't make it far before the roc landed before her. She was frozen in fear and Annabeth had to act quickly. She aimed the balista the best she could, as she was unfamiliar with using such a weapon. So she relied on her knowledge of archery and horse-back riding. She got into the rhythm of the wagon jolting up and down, the movement and speed of the vehicle in relation to the location of her target. Taking a deep breath, Annabeth fired the balista bolt right as she exhaled.

Unlike a regular bolt, she needed to fire this one close. The wagon was barely over thirty feet away from the roc when it was shot. And while a regular bolt fired in a semi-strait path, this one quickly split into two separate directions once it was shot about ten feet out. The two bolts would completely miss the roc, but the rope tied between them would catch the roc right around the neck. If Annabeth was lucky, the bolt may even go far enough to wrap around one of the roc's wings or legs, tangling it. Either way however, she needed to do one more thing: Save Colette.

"Colette grab my hand!"

As the wagon was about to go right on by the vampire Annabeth extended her hand out to her friend. Now that they had the roc's attention Annabeth needed Colette to stay with them, for her own protection. While a more pragmatic person would take this time to load another bolt, Annabeth was more concerned about securing Colette before taking down the roc.

Lobster Hunt

Practically right after giving them their mission briefing the two students followed Tyrael back to the forge. Baulder wanted a polearm to cut off the lobster's legs, as if he didn't listen to the whole "Bring them back alive" part. The demon would hit Baulder for his foolishness, but he did at least consider that they might run into trouble along the way. It wouldn't make sense to send a mage who doesn't know any magic without some sort of weapon. Still, Tyrael wanted those lobsters alive, which meant they would need their legs. So moving from the forge to the armory Tyrael came back and gave Baulder a bec de corbin; a sort of warpick on a eight-foot long wooden shaft. cutting off a Lobster's leg would prove difficult for such a weapon, but more practical for breathing through their armored shell if it came to that.

"Bring them to me alive, mortal. If they are dead when you return, you will join them in the pit."

The other student, Myrn, asked for a set of bow and arrows, as well as something to contain the lobsters. Tyrael returned with a bow carved from stout iron wood and a quiver of arrows, tipped with steel. He also came back with a wooden crate with metal bindings meant to keep water inside. "Remember this well: I only require one live lobster. This crate has enough room to hold at least five of decent size. I have a wagon pulled by an ox which should be able to get you to the coast of Tidehome within the day. Now leave."

Tyrael ushered the hunters out of his forge so that he may resume his work. Their time was dwindling down, so they would be sent off to Tidehome immediately after. However in the wagon which would take them to the location of the hunt was a box containing fuzzy strips of leather and sheets of tin foil. There was a piece of paper within instructing their purpose. "Don the foil as a hat and use the mustaches to disguise yourself. This would make it easier for you to attract lobsters." The penmanship was elegant and dainty.

It would take about a day before the wagon would arrive to the coast of Tidehome, but sure enough they would arrive just as day broke. There was little to harass the hunters aside from bad weather, and even than it was simply cold. It was low tide and the waves were largely calm. There was no immediate signs of any lobsters.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak's timing seemed to be right on the mark, as he could hear the commotion beneath him when he flew overhead. As planned, the bandits had their focus solely on the electrified form of Alaira, so he went unnoticed in the skies above them. Even so, Ssarak had only a few brief moments before he had to strike, since Alaira would need his help quickly. He could not spot the prominent figure of the robed man, so he assumed that Alaira had targeted him first. As such, Ssarak quickly shifted his focus to the next largest threats. There was only one figure moving towards Alaira with any speed, but she could handle herself in melee combat, so Ssarak was mostly concerned with ranged opponents. The one in the tower was the most obvious, but there was also another on the ground who he could clearly see taking aim. Normally, the crossbowman in the tower would have been his target, but Ssarak guessed that the figure he could see scaling its side was Darius utilizing the element of surprise. Therefore, the crossbowman on the ground was the best target.

If there were any other immediate threats, Ssarak did not have a chance to notice them in the quick few moments he had to look over the area from above. Now that he had his target, he was moving for the kill. Ssarak went into a dive, straight towards the crossbowman on the ground, flaring our his wings in the last few seconds to slow himself just enough that he did not cause any injury to himself on landing. The bandit would certainly hear the wind from his wings as he drew close, but by that point, it was too late. Ssarak quite literally fell upon the crossbowman with his pollaxe in full swing. The axe head chopped straight into his chest, just below the left shoulderblade, while Ssarak's considerable mass knocked him to the ground. The swing benefited fully from the force of the landing and penetrated so deeply that it took a notable effort for even Ssarak to pull the axe from the body. Blood poured from the wound at a rate which indicated that Ssarak's blow had severed one of the largest arteries in the man's body, leaving him to bleed out in seconds.

To capitalize on the confusion, Ssarak decided to use fear to his advantage, though instead of expending his energy on a psychomantic attack, he made use of a more traditional form of intimidation. As he brought his weapon to bear, Ssarak let out an animalistic war cry in the form of a bellowing roar worthy of his draconic form. With luck, the combination of Alaira and his own surprising arrival would be enough to panic some of them.

Alaira Taenn

Alaira smirked, this would be a rout, not a fight. When you had your enemy so terrified as to question what was real and what wasn't, you may as well have beaten them already. However, she had frowned when she noticed that several of the bandits had kept their nerve, two Crossbowmen and one really big one. He roared an order to his men, advising they kill her before she cast another spell... She flashed a toothy grin, crouching lower into a combat stance. "I can smash you all just fine without it..." she growled, before noticing a glint of sunlight reflected off... something.

Time slowed down as she realized she was seeing one of the Crossbowmen, ready to fire. She evaded to the side as fast as she could, a quick burst of aeromancy propelling her a few feet... And just enough it seemed. The first bolt (which she hadn't noticed) clipped off one of the steel pauldrons on her otherwise leather armor, sparks showering for an instant as it dragged across. But the second was much closer, grazing the side of her neck... She came to a stop, her hand flying to her neck to assess the damage... Without her aeromancy, she would likely have a punctured throat. She might have lived through something like that, might... But that would have made her an easy kill for the bandits... Alright, enough playing.

It was time to actually show those other two what she could do in a real combat situation. The instant Ssarak landed she took the opportunity to take another bandit out of the fight as she rushed forward. She could take the big guy one-on-one, but only if he had her full, undivided attention. As tough as she was, four on one odds were not something she wanted to take a chance with. She leapt a ways into the air as she boost forward with her Aeromancy, delivering a rising knee to an unlucky bandit's gut at great speed. Still moving forward, she took a hold of his head and toppled him forward, slamming his head to the ground as she continued past him. She dug her boot into the ground, pivoting back around as she raised her shield, charging towards another bandit to see if she could brain him with her mace before they got their shit together.