" I suppose that we're here to seek our fortune. But of course, I'm not entirely sure, " he uttered. He kept looking at the mark, feeling slightly sorry for the exile.

" So, how did you betray your king? " he asked with curiosity, whilst hoping he didn't pry too much.

"I chose a comerade over my king, a fellow knight... I aided him and my king learned of my actions." The man explained as he turned his head. "I may be called a traitor for that... but I stand by what I did. Even as I suffer for it." The knight said it almost proudly as he looked upon the two, his resolve was clearly still strong despite his terrible position.

"What situation could be dire enough for you to choose a fellow over your king?" Eldarin asked curious by the man's story. Clearly he believed in honor, but he wondered what situation would force a knight to turn against his king. "As for my own purpose, I'm simply more curious than anything else." he said clearly, it was true more or less.

"The king, he ordered an execution upon the beloved of my fellow knight... he confided in me and I aided their escape from the city. His highness was... not in the best of minds." He spoke still somewhat fondly of the king, wording the insult softly... now, he looked upon the two with a gaze of scrutiny. "Do you intend to seek out the source of the ichor?"

" Yes, sire. We plan to seek out the source of the ichor. I take it that you know where it is? " Wegnus inquired, feeling that he could be a good asset to them. " What happened to your friend? Is he well? " he inquired afterwards. This, of course, was just a question that his curiosity wanted to know.

"I do not know what became of him... he escaped to the mountains with his beloved and I was banished afterward..." he looked wistful again before he seemed to remember something. From behind the rock, he pulled out a leather bag and opened it. "The ichor is in the river, so follow it to the river's source. If the ichor is what you seek, you should take these tools with you." from the bag he produced a collection of glass bottles with cork stoppers and a strange spout took with a sharp point and a curved angle.
"These are blood letting tools." he explained. "The golden blood of the Godless is a valuable commodity here and it's effects can even heal you in dangerous circumstances."

Eldarin looked at the tools somewhat warily, were they supposed to become vampires. Still, refusing the gifts would be rude and if worst came to worst them may need them. He stepped up and grabbed the bottles, as well as the spout and carefully put them into his own pack. "Thank you, any last words of advice before we go?" Eldarin asked as he slowly began walking away, following the river.

"If it bleeds gold, it is a Godless. Even if you do not partake in its ichor, keep it. Many here will want it... and do not drink from the river, ever." The man finished as he seemed to settle back down into a slump, moving his hood back up. His eyes glinted slightly.
"One more thing, if you find a man named Rudyard... tell him an old friend wishes him well. He will understand..."

Eldarin nodded his thanks, "Very well then, I'll keep that in mind." he said simply and began walking down the river towards the kingdom, curious to see if this was the only such outcast. Perhaps any others wouldn't be so peaceful, he would have to keep his guard up, especially if he found one of these... godless.

From beyond the clearing, they came across the river. It was fairly deep and decently wide, no easily getting over it. Amidst the water currents, they could spy small black things flashing in the water, akin to schools of eels wriggling in the water. Could this be the black ichor contaminating the river?
Further thoughts on that would have to wait as a growling alerted the pair to a collection of wolves that had managed to surround them from the other side. There were 4 in total, all thin and gnarled looking, like they hadn't eaten in a while. They were surrounding them so their backs were to the river. Each one looked ready to pounce.

Eldarin considered his option briefly, fight the wolves in a 2v4 with a friend who didn't appear to be a fighter, or attempt to escape through the water he wasn't supposed to drink. Would swimming through it hurt him? A question that might've been helpful earlier, he thought wistfully. Maybe if there were only two wolves and him he would've risked it, but he wasn't willing to bet on his companion being able to take two hungry wolves on by himself. Of course his bets were equally low that the robed boy could successfully swim through the water, but hey, take what you could get.

"Run." Was all Eldarin said before turning his back on the wolves and jumping as far as he could across the river to the other bank. After that he fully intended to swim to the other side, perhaps the wolves could swim, but if so he had a head start and once he got to the other side could kill them as they attempted to cross. What a great start to this adventure, he'd have to make sure to find a good campsite early, fire might not even be an option if the rest of this forest was as hungry as these wolves were. Good thing he had extra clothes, he didn't relish the thought of dying to wolves in the middle of the night or sleeping in soaking clothes.

" Well, one versus four. HEY, WAIT UP! " he shouted as he ran to the riverbank, hoping that nothing would pounce on him and rip his throat out. He'd swam before, but not in a river that has something swimming in it.

He did what Eldarin did, jumped as far as he could, hoping it wouldn't be quite far from the riverbank. As he swam, he kept his head up, and he realized. He forgot to bring extra clothes.

The river consumed them to about their waists as the wolves showed an instinctive fear of it, backing away and snarling at the two men working their way through it. The water itself didn't feel particularly different and the current was manageable... but something they realised fast was strange brushing up against them from the ichor in the water. It didn't seem to effect them any, but it was creepy the way it brushed off them like fish.

Eldarin mentally shrugged at the strange feeling around his legs. He'd guessed that there weren't any aggressive fish in the river but he could've been wrong. Either way it wasn't like he could fight them in the water so he kept swimming as fast as he could to the other bank, at least the wolves weren't chasing them anymore.

As soon as Eldarin got ashore, Wegnus followed, scurrying to get on the other bank. " Any idea what was in that river? " he couldn't help but ask whatever was in the river.

Whilst saying that, he shook the lower part of his body a bit to at least get some of the water off, as he didn't have any extra clothing on him. Hopefully there'll be a warm inn or tavern along the way; or, at the very least, a not-so-warm night. Oh, wait, I don't have a sleeping bag, he thought.

They reached the other bank without a scratch on them. Across the river, the wolves growled at them before taking off and bouncing upstream, disappearing from view.
The path still lay along the side of the river as the trees arched around them.

Eldarin shrugged, "No idea, but not drinking the water sounds like an even better idea then it did before." He watched the wolves run upsteam warily, perhaps they knew of a crossing? Regardless they couldn't do anything other than continue following the river and looking for a good campsite, so that's precisely what he did. Though hopefully this time they wouldn't get ambushed so easily.

The path continued uninhibited, the rush of the river ever present beside them. The quiet atmosphere of the forest was almost smothering with only the slightest rustle in the thick dark green canopy to break the silence. As they continued, they spotted something odd at their side. It appeared to be a large red pod of some kind, a strange form of plant neither had seen before... it seemed to pulsate, akin to a beating heart.

Eldarin glanced at the blood-red plant curiously. Off-handedly he would've say it probably made good eating, but he was reluctant to trust anything in this forest if even the water wasn't safe. Still he felt he might come upon the plant later and he hated not knowing things, so in hopes of learning something he gently poked it with his sword. If that had no effect he would poke it gradually harder, until something happened.

" I wouldn't poke that if I were you, not that I know what it is, but hey, it might be poisonous, " he uttered, thinking that the red pod might be poisonous, or maybe there would be something inside that wasn't so keen on letting them live. Or maybe it was just... A rare plant?

" Hopefully there isn't blood inside. That would be gross, " he said, projecting his thoughts.