Passing through the woods, Bishop could see the unease that each of his companions had. Being cautious never hurt anyone, right? He too, had his eyes open for any danger that could befall them. Finally reaching the river a wave of relief took over Bishop, now being far away from that flame elemental and closer to reaching their destination. First things first, they had to cross the river.

Seeing a portly man with his feet in the water, just about when he was gonna notify the others, the man whistled and got all their attention.
"Y'all lookin' for passage?" he called. "Twenty hoops."
Hoops? hmmm hoops... Some kind of hoop shaped items, their currency? Maybe they call a "hoop" something completely different from what they are in my world. Anyway, back to the main point, we need money..ahem..hoops. Since we just got here and don't currently possess any...well time for plan B.
Bishop started checking for the means of transport that he would grant them passage with. Not seeing anything in site he got suspicious. Maybe he would use magic?, like every other thing that has happened to us and/or made contact with us?

Then, Morgan asked:
"What, exactly, is a 'hoop'?"
Awaiting for an answer when the masked guy @Billsomething replied before the man could: "I am sorry while i too do wish to know what hoops are? i must ask what is exactly stopping us from just killing you and commander whatever form of transport you intended to use to help us across?"

Bishop turned to the masked guy, thinking on what insane thought in his mind pushed him to say that? For all we knew that man could be a grand fucking magician..although not looking like much. Anyway, the point is that he shouldn't go about threatening everyone that crosses his path, that way is surely gonna get HIM killed and EVERYONE with him.

Well nothing to be done about that, now that the words were spoken. Bishop turned and spoke to the masked guy:
"I hope you have a plan if he was about to use some kind of magic as a means of transportation, and before you said anything, we at least had the chance of tricking him into letting us pass, then you could kill him if you desired although I would be/am still strongly against it"
then an idea popped into his mind, what if the bridge was invisible and they couldn't see it? Maybe it was as a scam of transportation fee made by that man. Bishop then proceeded into gathering rocks from the ground and throwing them across the river, hoping for a result [@C3p-Oh]. Maybe the bridge was further down the bank, all things considered it was worth a try.

@Bishop Cronus waited patiently for answer from the man when the hooded tag-along spoke to him "You worry far too much and it wasn't threat, it was a merely question that just so happen to be about violence" Cronus told the hooded thief

The feminine bandit entered the tent once again, some time after Clifford managed to free himself. She didn't notice the loose ropes, the dirt blending in rather nicely with the wooden post. Cliff was feigning slumber as she approached him, holding another cup of water. She knelt down, examining him, lightly tapping the unburned side of his head to wake him up.

Clifford suddenly threw his arms over the bandit's head, pulling her close and turning her, wrapping his arm around her neck and rearing the other one back. He held her jaw up as best he could while she thrashed about, trying to break free. But Cliff's grip was stronger than her own will. Her motions began to slow, and soon enough, she was unconscious.

Clifford retracted his arms and laid the bandit on the ground, immediately moving his hands over to her pockets and equipment. She had a dagger strapped to her belt, which he promptly used to cut away his binds. He searched again, but not much else was on her. Thus, he dragged her aside.

He peered outside of the tent, checking as subtly as he could. There were three more tents, and a fire going not too far away, with the rest of the bandit party settled around it. Clifford only counted five in total - the same five who'd taken him here. Perhaps the female bandit was more their maid than one of their comrades if she hadn't been involved in the capture, and delegated the chore of watering the bounty.

The glow of the campfire revealed the nearby wooden fence, which all five of the bandits' horses were tied to.

And an idea began to manifest inside Clifford's head.

In the cover of the night, he lowered himself to the ground, and began crawling towards the nearest tent in the general direction of the horses.

The most unexpected thing happened. A rock finally made contact with on object or force field. Throwing more rocks toward that part of the river, Bishop finally filled the invisible pathway* with enough rocks to tell that it connected the 2 banks of the river with each-other. The man that until now was chilling, abruptly got up while saying something like:"I just remembered a thing I have to take car..*vanishes*"
"That sneaky little cunt!"-Bishop replies.-"Getting free taxes from new people that just came into this world, he figured that they were the easiest prey to fool."
"I'm having second doubts about the small town business. I bet he is gonna spread nasty rumors about us as soon as he gets there, we have a high chance to be greeted by mad people when WE get there."- Bishop also added-"I don't see us going anywhere else. We got nothing waiting for us behind and this may be our best chance in getting information."
Stopping for a moment to think. His mind still at the 2 girls trapped in the woods with that flaming elemental. Nothing to be done there, we barely escaped its grasp ourselves.
Turning to everyone @Billsomething@jordy0403@fateWeaver Bishop decided on a vote.
"So guys, I want you to tell me your opinion. Either we go back and tell the others about our predicament and what happened while also checking on the female knight and the medium in the forest OR we continue forward facing whatever difficulty as a united group with no regrets about our decision. I, myself, vote for the latter."
Doing this, Bishop wanted to remove any doubts on the current path we would all take, and also remove the regrets that might spark flames of war and desertion in the group. He didn't want to become responsible for what might happen along the way to the village, or when reaching the village.

@c3p-0h
Luce struggled awake from her unfruitful sleep. She always had trouble sleeping. It was never enough and her sleep was never deep.
Get used to it Luce. You have too much on your mind to ever have a good nights sleep. she thought. As Luce opened her eyes and expected to find her completely black room and her body under the covers of her bed, instead she awoke to fog. Fog for miles. Her mind was suddenly in a whirl of confusion. She was on the ground with no covers and her room was gone. She looked around her to try and gauge her surroundings but couldn't. The fog was so thick she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face.
She began to panic. WHERE WAS SHE? HOW THE HELL did someone manage to get her out of her bed and into the woods? Or wherever she was right now. . . Was she just kidnapped? Drugged? She had no idea. She was even too afraid to stand up and wander around. For all she knew, she could take one step and fall over the edge of a cliff.
Luce decided to just stay curled up on the ground and play dead for a while. After all, there was no better plan of action she could see right now.

Robyn and Valencia

The man looked down at Valencia with a raised eyebrow, silent during her tirade. Then the corner of his mouth quirked up in amusement.

"Feisty," he said, voice laced with what might've been respect. He looked between the two women in front of him, much less exasperated than he'd been upon arriving. "Also, that was rhetorical. Obviously you don't know how you got here. I do, I just have no clue why." His expression sobered as his eyebrows drew back together and he looked down at the two of them like they were an odd puzzle he couldn't figure out. He seemed to give up, shaking his head to himself. "Cináed," the man introduced. His easy smile was back and he dipped into a low bow that seemed just a bit too exaggerated to be sincere. "And I would never dare harm ones so fearsome as you two" That had definitely not been sincere. When he straightened up again, he leaned on his staff and glanced around.

"As for where you are… I don't think this field in particular has a name, but the town over there," he nodded in the direction of the rising sun, "I'm pretty sure is Nocklin. I dunno. I don't really keep up with all the little settlements." Cináed scratched at his neck and opened his mouth to speak again, before closing it and looking back at the women.

"You two got names?"

@LizLegend@ariplotter

---

Bishop, Caleb, Cronus, and Morgan

As the con artist made his lumbering escape back towards the town, and the men discussed their next move, the river rushed and babbled before them. And if they listened closely, a soft, keening cry could be heard from the water.

At first glance, the river was empty, save for the stones and algae resting along the bottom. The current kept the visibility low, but upon careful examination, life could be found. The creatures seemed almost translucent as they flitted through the water. The only clue to their existence was the way shadows danced over the rocks, obscuring them from view. Then, one of them breached the water in an elegant dive, its call like a song.



It wasn't a very attractive thing – with a vulture's face and thin, antennae-like hairs protruding every which way. But its body made elegant arcs, shimmering fins trailing behind it as it dove. More and more jumped from the water in a flowing display. And then one noticed the strangers. It glanced their way, diving one last time into the water. When it rose again, it flew in a smooth arc over the river and to the men, its song ringing through the air.

One by one, more of the creatures gathered around the men, dipping and swimming through the air. They grew less cautious, getting closer until fins were brushing against their clothes and skin. One flew up and paused in front of Morgan's face. It tilted its head to the side for a moment, taking him in.

Then it opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of water at him. It darted away, its song sounding more like a bubbling laugh, and its companions followed its lead. Soon enough, the men were all being sprayed by the flying creatures, herding them towards the bridge.

@Billsomething@FateWeaver@Bishop@jordy0403

---

Clifford

As Clifford crept towards the horses, sounds of eating around a campfire could be heard. The voices of the bandits could easily be picked out around mouthfuls of food, but higher, more feminine voices rang through the night as well.

"Aww, c'mon babe, you know–"

"Don't babe me, Jost," a woman cut him off, "The last ones you sold me didn't last a week. Consider it insurance." She spoke in a sharp, exacting voice, her words cutting through the air. Jost replied in a more subdued tone, too low to clearly make out among the other night sounds. The horses snorted a bit and stamped their hooves as Clifford approached, but otherwise made no move.

Then a knife sang through the air and embedded itself in Clifford's left foot.

"Well, you're an ugly thing," a higher, smoother voice said. Ten yards to his left there was a woman – more of a girl, really – leaning against a tree, shrouded in shadow, but every now and then the firelight flicked against her skin. A silver bracelet, same as the one the woman in the tent wore glinted in the light. "Got yourself a runner, Jost," she called. Muffled curses could be heard, as the bandits scrambled up to investigate.

@SepticGentleman

---

Charles and Luce

In a foggy wood, two more forms flashed into existence. As they slowly awakened, the only thing clear to them would be that they didn't know where they were. Like so many before them, they'd been stolen from their lives and dropped in a world of strangers. It was impossible to tell how long they laid there after being transported. But eventually the snapping of twigs and rustling of clothes could be heard, along with an awkward, uneven gait.

The footsteps paused for a moment between the two bodies. Then a wooden staff nudged both of them in their sides.

"C'mon, sprouts," an old woman's gravely voice said. "No use pretending you're still in bed at home. Best to get a move on."

@User@Alina13

"You ugly fucker!" One of the bandits called out, running up and nailing his fist into Clifford's face, knocking him back onto the ground as he attempted to get up. But the pain from the knife lodged in his foot wasn't having any of it. So he just lied there, on the ground, gritting what teeth he had left.

"Un-fucking-believable. How'd she let him get free?" The bandit Jost called out.

"Forget how." The younger woman replied, "Just tie him up again. Triple this time, and not just the joints."

Two of the bandits walked over and grabbed Clifford by his shoulders. The woman walked over and stood before him. "Probably could've made it if you were just a little better." She said, "Though honestly, you shouldn't have bothered trying in the first place."

"Oh, look at his fucking foot!" Jost said, "He's bleeding all over! Why'd you have to damage the goods, Diana? Now he's not worth as much!"

The woman, Diana, rolled her eyes some and turned to the man. "Jost, if I hear anymore stupid shit out of you, I'm going to-"

She was cut off by the sound of Clifford brandishing the dagger he'd taken earlier, jabbing it into one of the bandit's throats, and pulling it right back out. As he fell back, the other one attempted to draw his sword, but Clifford did his best to ignore the pain in his foot and lunged forward, repeatedly plunging the dagger into the second bandit's face.

Even with that blast injury of his, it was easy to tell Clifford was royally pissed off at this point.

Diana drew another knife herself and ran forward, only for Clifford to turn and charge forth, tackling the woman by her waist and pinning her on the ground. He beat her armed hand with the handle of the dagger, causing her to drop her knife, and then picked her up off the ground as Jost and the other bandits rushed forth. Cliff was still trying to ignore the pain in his foot, but it was starting to come back. He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and held the knife up to her jugular.

"Stop!" Diana called out. And the bandits did, swords out and ready.

Now, it was a standoff.

Cronus' questions initially caused Morgan to look at him with an eyebrow raised, questioning his character. Moments later, however, he decided that he had no call to judge this unfamiliar man who had come from a world unknown. In the mean time, he studies the water while one of the other men among them, Bishop, begins to fret and consider another path. It was then that the swirling shadows first caught Morgan's attention, and he stepped closer to the water.

Barely noticing what appeared to be an invisible bridge, he watched the creatures jumping from the water with mild fascination. That fascination turned to anxiety when the strange things gained the air, displaying a versatility the knight had never seen. The curiosity of the creature that approached him was reflected on Morgan's own face. Until the damn thing spat in his face. Angered like he hadn't been in a long time, he takes steel to hand and in one swift motion, cuts at the retreating creature. It proves to fast, however, and Morgan staggers as another spray of water hits him from one side.

@c3p-0h@Bishop@Billsomething

Clifford

Diana was a small, slight thing. Clifford was older, taller, heavier, stronger, and downright scarier than her. And this man who towered over her was currently holding a knife to her throat. And yet, the corner of her mouth quirked up.

"That actually wasn't half bad," she said to him in a patronizing tone.

"Oh my god, Diana don't –" Jost started, sounding defeated. But he was cut off with a look by a woman who sauntered up next to him. She looked completely out of place – silver haired and steely eyed, dressed too finely amongst these dirty brigands – and wore a large-brimmed hat with three long feathers coming out of it. The other bandits looked at each other, unsure, while the Madame just smirked at the scene.

All the while, the knife held to her throat had slowly been melting.

Diana's smile grew and she clenched her fist at her side. A metal shard that had broken off against the bone in Clifford's foot twisted.

@SepticGentleman

Caleb was about to step onto the invisible bridge when the weird creatures came out from, the water. So, there was this vegetation stuff, and someone was pouring water down a trench? What use was that? He thought to himself. Then of course, there was the person who tried to get some kind of currency from them, and these weird creatures jumping from the water. This place is weird, he thought. So, trying to get away, he stumbled back as they started spitting water at them. "You people go, I'm not going to risk those... things." Then, he turned back. At least the fire thing hadn't done anything to them, Caleb thought, with water all other his clothes. Rushing back to the clearing, he saw a fancily dressed man with the two woman from before. Sliding behind one of the vegetation, he watched, suspicious.

The pain shot through Clifford's foot like fire. He dropped the melting dagger and keeled over, Diana releasing herself from his grip. She turned and delivered a swift kick to his abdomen, sending him back down onto the ground. She walked forward and planted her foot on his chest, a smirk etched across both her face, and Madame's.

"Not half bad at all..." She said, looking down at the subdued Clifford, fist still clenched. She was just about ready to twist the knife some more, until-

"THIEVES."

A booming, gruff voice sounded from the darkness surrounding the camp. All the smiles immediately disappeared.

"ROBBING HIS LIFEBLOOD, FROM HIS FIELDS."

All of the bandits turned towards the campfire. A tall, lumbering, gaunt figure dressed in torn formal wear stood over the glow of the flames, wielding a long, serrated knife. His bloodshot eyes and ragged hair were illuminated by the flames, as were those of his several companions, all of a similar physical nature as him.

"SLAUGHTER THEM."

The figures charged, towering over the bandits, all raising their weapons. Diana forgot entirely about Clifford and rushed to Madame's side, both holding their own against the fiendish abominations.

Clifford wasted no time crawling towards the horses, all very much spooked by the encounter. He brushed by one of the bandits he'd killed, grabbing the sword at his side as he got up on one foot, and one knee. He neared the closest horse, which was thankfully already saddled with plenty of equipment that he'd go through later. As one of the attacking figures rushed past him with a bandit in his hands, he hauled himself up the worried horse's side, clinging as best as he could to the saddle. It took some doing, but he managed to lift his foot over in relatively safe time.

The horse was still kicking, but as it turned, Clifford managed to take the sword and swipe at the rope connecting it to the wooden fence. The horse was free, and off it rushed into the surrounding darkness with Clifford riding atop it, away from the conflict that had ensued.

Clifford leaned his head forward, doing his best to keep stable and ride through the pain. He was indeed a tougher man than most, but these weren't the mundane conditions he was used to. Every time he thought he was within a safe interval, this place just pulled the rug out from under his feet.

But now wasn't the time to make sense of it. Now was the time to escape.

@c3p-0h

Valencia Tempest
The Quick-witted Pirate with a Gentle Heart

*****

Valencia crossed her arms over her chest, leaning into one hip in a defiant stance. She could easily tell when someone wasn’t truly taking her seriously—that was something she’d dealt with her whole life, as a young, pretty female buccaneer.

Cináed, as he called himself, became less and less threatening the more he spoke. In fact, Valencia found herself feeling not quite fearful anymore... more like extremely irked by his amused smile and patronizing tone. Just who did this man think he was?

Still, there was no telling what sort of powerful abilities he could unleash upon them if he desired; even though that didn’t seem to be his intention. Cináed appeared to be perfectly content with making Valencia feel like the butt of a joke that was not particularly humorous.

She felt her cheeks glowering as he swept into a ridiculous bow, and added, “And I would never dare harm ones so fearsome as you two.” Cináed straightened up and took a look around, finally giving the girls an answer to at least one of Valencia’s questions by telling them the name of the nearby settlement.

Valencia refrained from scowling again, since she had a feeling that would just amuse this fancy-pants scoundrel even more. Instead, she raised her chin a little, showing that she was above his opinion of her.

“Valencia,” she told him reluctantly. “Valencia Tempest. You’ve told us the name of the village, but I want to know the name of this land, and if we are even still among mortal realms.” She raised her eyebrows, realizing that Cináed had said he knew how they got there, just not why. “And if you do, as you claim, know how we arrived, by all means; enlighten us,” she told him. “I’m sure Robyn here is just as curious.”

@c3p-0h @LizLegend

Robyn stumbled slightly when Valencia pulled her out of the way of some sudden intense flames, and then before them was something similar to the flaming character from before. When the flames died down, Robyn still got on guard with just simply putting her right foot back quickly as she was alert.

Oh. That's right. There was a flame guy. And now he's back. ...Crap.

Except, though, the flames took shape more similar to a man. And then it winded up looking like a man in particular clothing. Like...a fire wizard? Fire mage? Sorcerer? What is this a video game? Honestly, this could totally pass off as a video game. But alas, it was reality. Still, out of instinct, Robyn couldn't help but slowly bring her hand up towards the shotgun sheathed on her back. She stopped though when the lightest touch of her middle fingertip reached it, obviously not going to take it out just yet; although, could this even have any effect? Robyn only went to the shotgun because she thought the pistol on her side wouldn't do as good against something so unfamiliar, but would a shotgun make any difference?

"Ok, so how the heck did you all get here?"

...Wait. Was he seriously saying that he isn't the cause that everyone was here? Was this sarcasm? Robyn is usually good at spotting sarcasm but now she just can't tell. What. Is. Going. On anymore.

Valencia replied first, in her own...spirited way. Robyn could tell she was not at the sight of this guy. Robyn isn't happy either, but she'd been in...'similar' situations so it's only a natural reaction for Robyn to display this kind of expression. Eying down the suspicious character, hand near the weapon, a cautious face, and taking everything slow. For Robyn, it's routine. When a guy you don't know comes up to you, even looking as innocent as possible, you know what to do. Robyn was surprised when Valencia told the guy to get it over with if he meant harm, on her part at least; she briefly glanced back at her. It actually caught Robyn a little off guard it could only get her thinking.

"Also, that was rhetorical. Obviously you don't know how you got here. I do, I just have no clue why."

...Oh really now. The first two statements didn't amuse Robyn but the last one certainly did. So he does have something to do with it. Well, er, at least he knows something about it considering on he doesn't know why if he was speaking honestly. Robyn only slightly took her hand away from her sheathed shotgun above her shoulder, but it still hovered.

"And I would never dare harm ones so fearsome as you two"

...

That only made Robyn narrow her eyes in unamusement. You know, coming from the tone.

But at last the one now introduced as Cináed finally told them where they were, or at least where they were near. No point in mentioning of how unfamiliar it sounded, as everything else was. Robyn put her hand down a little more. Then he asked for some names. Robyn stood there in silence for a bit until Valencia introduced herself and introduced Robyn to Cináed for her, along with the important mention of wanting to know how they got there. "Very," Robyn reinforced Valencia's last statement. She was indeed curious without a doubt. And there was another question she had that had crossed her mind previously. Robyn adjusted her footing, turning her head slightly to the side where her left eye would be shown more towards Cináed, "Besides us and the other ones that were just here, was...anyone else...brought here?" she asked with cautious curiosity. Robyn didn't mean to change the subject, if she did. She just had to get the question out before she missed her chance.

@c3p-0h@ariplotter

Cronus was unamused as the fish continued to spray water at him, while the water itself did no damage. thanks to his assortment of thick clothing but the way that the fish continued spray water and laugh as they did so just reminded him too much of D.A.I.S.Y as she tended to enjoy deploying these exact tactics, and like her these things where beginning to irritate him immensely.

So Cronus aimed his shotgun and fired. the sound of the gunshot alone was enough in sending the pests scattering but he likes to think that sight of three dead pests made them think twice of attacking in retaliation. but if Cronus was to be honest it was only luck that he had managed to kill three of the pests in the process, having only intended to scare them off. so with haste he walked over the bridge but not before grabbing his kills and placing them in a empty bag he had on him

@c3p-0h
Luce wondered who this rotting old woman talking to her was but she sure as hell didn't want to get up and follow her. What happened to "Don't talk to strangers?" She looked around her and suddenly noticed that there was another figure on the ground a few feet away from her. He didn't look like much but you never know. She watched the old woman hobble away and wondered where she was going. Luce decided to get up and try to gauge her surroundings. She went in the general direction of the old woman and once again, saw nothing but more fog.
The, her classic instinct kicked in and she decided she couldn't leave that other person alone whoever they were. She went back and stood over the body of the sleeping one, trying to figure out whether it was a boy or girl. She couldn't see well enough to tell so instead, she nudged it with her foot and said, "Hey! Wake up! We need to go." Waiting for a response, she looked around her and found the old woman staring at them from a distance away. Luce couldn't help but be a little wary.

Just when the group was about to agree on a course of action, strange creatures with scales and antennas protruding out of their body were made visible in the surface of the water. Not a really pretty thing to look at but it had some of look to it...in a way. Well, that mostly coming from seeing it for the first time, they peeked his interest. Were they sentient creatures? Predators maybe? Anyway it was always good to be cautious. The closer they came to the group, the further back Bishop withdrew.

Until one of them flew up and paused in front of Morgan's face, tilted its head to the side for a moment then it opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of water at him. Morgan was pissed, to say the least. He slashed the creature, but being too fast it dodged his attack and retreated to the water while "laughing"?, it sounded like that. Then the other flying fish started spitting water at all of us. I managed to dodge the first one headed for my face, but more of them kept coming and more water came flying from all directions. Not currently having any "weapon" in me, all I could do was shield my face and try to dodge as many water torrent coming at me, all the time hoping that was only water...Caleb was being pushed back by the spit barrage, stumbling behind he said he was going back not risking anymore with coming with us and headed back to where we came from. They were swarming at us, most of them blocking the path leading to where we came from until Cronus fired his shotgun, catching 3 of them for a "TRIPLE KILL"(announcer voice). After that I saw the other creatures expand their scales letting out a bubbly hiss then turning back and diving in the water. Cronus then proceeded to gather the ,now lifeless, bodies of the creatures that he shot and put them in a bag for god-knows-what-reason.After bagging the bodies he started heading for the town.

Hesitant to follow him at some degree, taking in consideration his temper and the way he did things, Bishop started heading to the town with him. I guess he managed to clear the path and get rid of those...creatures, who really behaved like dolphins to some degree, although just a warning shot in the air would suffice. Not saying a word.

The man, he seems, ok. Though Caleb. But best to stay hidden for now. Trying to move into a better position to see them, Caleb immediately starts breaking branches underfoot left right and center. Freezing, his only though was, why couldn't we wake up in a desert?

@c3p-0h@LizLegend@ariplotter

Morgan ducked his head at the sharp retort of the shotgun being fired. The explosion of noise and light seemed enough to drive the strange beasts away, but three also fell dead to the ground. Curious as to how the weapon worked, but mostly relieved that the mocking, fish-like creatured were gone for now. Hurrying to catch up with his traveling companions, he sheathes his sword. One less in number, they made their way across the bridge.

Now calmed considerably, Morgan finally takes a moment to study the impossible bridge. Looking at it now, he became suddenly wary. Were the invisible barrier to disappear, he would surely drown due to the weight of his armor.

"Can we hurry along please? This thing makes me nervous," he says, gesturing at the hidden platform.

"Hmm?" Cronus briefly stopped to look up into the sky and judging by the angle of the sun it seems that night will soon be upon them "it would be in our best interest to hurry up, for night will soon be upon us" he told his companions

Caleb, Robyn, and Valencia

Cináed raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder eyeing a noisy shrub. Turning his attention back to the people in front of him, He nodded.

"Robyn," he said, pointing to the one in question, "Valencia," he pointed at her too. Then he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, in Caleb's direction. "Lurker. Got it." He nodded again, still leaning on his staff.

"This 'realm' is mortal enough. I mean, as mortal as any other. We never really bothered to name it, but I guess you could call it whatever you want. How about George?" Cináed stopped when a loud crack cut through the air. Immediately he looked over towards the river, eyebrows crinkling together. Then he sighed, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Just about every living thing you see," he said, his voice sounding almost pained, "from the grass I may have accidentally incinerated to whatever those idiots are shooting at was brought here at some point, just like you, because that's just how this world works and the details are too annoying to think of when I'm trying to figure out why the heck there's so many of you this time and why you're all so trigger happy!" He shouted the last words in the direction of the river, and slammed the bottom of his staff in the ground, the ball of fire at the top growing wild. Flames erupted in a circle around him, but dissipated quickly with nothing to feed them.

Cináed groaned and ran a hand over his face.

"Ok, I have to go make sure Itsaso doesn't drown them now," he said, looking back at Robyn and Valencia. Suddenly he turned over his shoulder to see the shrub. "Lurker!" The bush hiding Caleb erupted into flames. They flickered dangerously close to him, but soon enough the fire had eaten through the shrub and it turned to ash in the wind, revealing him. "Stay with them," he commanded. Then he turned back to the two women, expression thoroughly annoyed. "Please at least try to not make another mess for me to clean up." With that, fire once again engulfed him in a whirlwind, and in the next moment he was gone.

@jordy0403@LizLegend@ariplotter

---

Clifford

It didn't take long for the horse to tire. After a long day of riding with the bandits and all the chaos from camp, it had used the last of its reserves to carry Clifford a respectable distance away towards freedom, to the edge of a forest. But eventually it got to the point where it refused to move forward no matter how he urged it.

If Clifford squinted through the trees, the faint glow of a campfire could be made out. Illuminated by the flickering light was a swordsman, pale and gaunt, but no less imposing for it. He sat before the fire, his jaw clenched as he stared into the embers. A crow sat on the branches above, watching over him.



@SepticGentleman

---

Charles and Luce

The old woman stared back at Luce, face impassive. She raised her wrist and tapped a gnarled finger against it, signaling that she should get a move on. With that, she turned and hobbled away, her form disappearing in the mist.

Then the ground underneath them started to shift. What looked to be tree roots, brown and shriveled, were tunneling up through the dirt. The tips wandered around the surface, searching. Then they found the two bodies and started to curl, climbing their way up the warm flesh.

@user@alina13

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Bishop, Cronus, and Morgan

As it turned out, Morgan's fear was not misplaced. The river surged under the bridge, growing more and more wild with each passing moment. Water rushed beneath their feet, sloshing against the banks and the bridge, seeming to take on a life of its own – until it truly did. Just as Bishop and Cronus stepped from the bridge onto the opposite bank, a fountain of water shot up and arced through the air. It nearly missed the two of them. Morgan was not so lucky. In a rush of water he was swept off the bridge and into the river, his heavy armor hindering his movements.

With one victim claimed, another arc of water shot up, headed straight for Cronus. But then a wall of fire erupted from the ground, evaporating the water mid-flight. Steam billowed out on impact. More and more water shot up, but the fire only grew to meet it. Soon enough, the scalding steam filled the air, all but blinding the two men, and forcing them away from the battle of elements.

Every step away from the river pushed them closer to the town, and soon enough buildings could clearly be seen. They were shoddy and dilapidated, but stable enough to be lived in. Even at a distance, it was clear it wasn't the richest town, but compared to the war being waged behind them, it looked inviting a place as any.



@Bishop@Billsomething