The slow journey to the caravan paths was uneventful at best, though the story of the first Champions of Hope that the Storyteller told did interest Ivan a bit. Ivan turned to Zenovia with an interested look. Its funny really, the first Champions were formed to fight a warlord while we were formed to fight a warlock... Only difference here is that we're up against an orc army rather than a human one... I guess that makes things interesting wouldn't you say?

---

As they moved passed the trees, Zenovia could feel the gaze of other wood elves upon her. She knew that they wouldn't hurt her, considering she was one of their kin. Also, the spirits didn't seem agitated by their presence. Perhaps they looked upon the band with curiosity. In the background she had heard The Storyteller talking to Vert, however she decided not to listen, as it had nothing to do with her.

The wood elf responded to Ivan's funny expression with a small smile, "History likes to repeat itself in interesting ways." She replied with a slight chuckle. She decided it might be a good time to start to get to know the people she was going to be travelling with, especially since this journey wasn't about the end anytime soon. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do before being brought into this.. quest?" She inquired.

Vert turned her attention to the story teller as he told of the other champions of light. "I will admit. I never approved of what the high elves did. All races are capable to ruling themselves. Sure there would be war, but isn't there always some kind of war?" Vert said. She didn't much care if the others would like her less for this comment, they already didn't like her after all, what harm was there in making them hate her more. "Honestly it feels like we're all just pets to them. They care about us sure, but they never allow us to rule on our own." Vert added looking towards the sky.

In truth this was also telling why Vert didn't try to kill herself right away after she killed and ate her entire town. Deep down there was a part of her that agreed with the warlock. That was the whole reason she kept going, or atleast that was what she told herself kept her going. Though in truth, Vert had no idea what the warlock had as a goal.

Location: West Mountain Pass

A bitter chill seeped through her armor as the Captain waded through the snow. A blizzard was coming soon, and from the looks of it, there was no way they'd reach the tunnels before it hit. Already a fierce gale tore through the gaps in her bear hide and threatened to pierce her padded armor. She dragged up one foot and plunged it into the snow, then the other. A cloud of vapor trailed from her lips as she struggled to do it again. Behind her, three hundred orcs marched silently behind her. They were cold too, though not nearly as much, and more physically fit.

Yet none of them dared pass the Captain. Even Gilf, who was usually rambunctious, walked just a step or two behind her. The Captain's boot dug a little too deep in the snow and tripped her over. Gilf tenderly picked her up by the arm and set her on her feet again. "You don't have to do this..." he pleaded.

The Captain squeezed his hand and continued her exhausted slog.

I should have trained... she thought to herself.
I should have come earlier...
I should have let them carry me...
They'll all freeze here because of me.
They're trying so hard to be good
And I'm holding them back.
Why am I so foolish?...

The winds were getting stronger now.

Pride. It's my own pride.
Pride goes before a fall.
Speak of the devil...

The Captain tumbled down again. Now, her limbs utterly refused to obey. Get up! Get up! Get UP! Her struggles came out as low moans, and this time, Gilf could restrain himself no longer. He beckoned for Tomas to approach. "Please-" Gilf begged, but the vast orc needed no prompting. Tomas slung her onto his back and resumed his march. The warmth in his back filled her chest.

"Thank you..." she whispered in his ear.

The world seemed to drift away into a cloud of white. The other orcs formed up around her.

Then the storm hit.

@Darkmoon Angel

---

As they moved passed the trees, Zenovia could feel the gaze of other wood elves upon her. She knew that they wouldn't hurt her, considering she was one of their kin. Also, the spirits didn't seem agitated by their presence. Perhaps they looked upon the band with curiosity. In the background she had heard The Storyteller talking to Vert, however she decided not to listen, as it had nothing to do with her.

The wood elf responded to Ivan's funny expression with a small smile, "History likes to repeat itself in interesting ways." She replied with a slight chuckle. She decided it might be a good time to start to get to know the people she was going to be travelling with, especially since this journey wasn't about the end anytime soon. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do before being brought into this.. quest?" She inquired.

Ivan thought on Zenovia's question for a minute before answering. "I was... A traveling knight along with my friend Noire... We were part of a large house until it... Was destroyed and scattered... Even if he was simplifying it, Ivan didn't like talking about his past. House Stormwall, betrayed and destroyed by a rival house, it was something that was burned into his mind.

"Call us what you like... Men for hire... Sellswords... Mercenaries... But we are still knights... And we will protect and help those in need... It's our duty..." He smiled a little at the end of his statement. "And what about you? What were doing before all this?" He asked her.

Tiberius was at the back of the group, still thinking about everything that had transpired over the day that he had arrived. First it was the letter, from a old friend who would not reveal their identity. It told him he would be a champion of Sadron for whatever reason, but the funny thing was, the letter was right. At the meeting he was given more details on what was going on, and it was decided they who had arrived would be sent to stop the threat of the Warlock. Then a monster murdered innocents, but freed from death by a fools kindness and now she was walking besides the Storyteller in conversation. The final letter came next, and in it Tiberius found little answers and even more questions.

He wasn't terribly confused but it was nagging at him that he didn't have answers. Who was his old friend? Who was Druth Vanarys and why was he forgotten? In his newest letter his companions were also addressed but how did this writer know he was to be with them? Enough was enough, instead of sulking about with unanswered questions, perhaps his companions might want to know about his letters. It would be nice to get to know them for whatever it was worth, Tiberius didn't want to be seen as mean but it was his right to be defensive about who or what they brought along.

He casually rode Lancel next to the others and cleared his throat.

"Hello...I-I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't want that to be my first impression upon you all. I didn't mean to sound so angry but I'm not going to take anything back, we just have to be careful now. It is my duty to protect you all from harm and I shall do just that, not matter the risk."

He paused to let that sink in before continuing, "I received another letter before we departed from my "old friend". I know not who they are but I stand by what I said at the meeting, I don't think they mean us any harm. In it, I was given a backstory of sorts as to what happened four hundred years ago. But that's not the best part, they also said- Ah, you know what. I'll just read it."

He rummaged around his horse until he found the letter, and holding it by one hand he read aloud,



"So, as you can see, there is much more going on then what we were told. I also followed the advice and went to the Records Hall. I found information on a funeral for Lady Sadronniel but also a name. One that the clerk said vanished over four hundred years ago, Druth Vanarys. Does it mean anything to anyone? The clerk said his name stopped appearing in records after that point and it makes me wonder, who was he? Anyways, there is more to the letter, Kaite, Ivan and Zenovia, you have been addressed personally. If you wish to read it, let me know."

Tiberius then looked at Liana and softly said, "Whoever my old friend is, she sends her greetings and wishes to meet you personally. And for you Storyteller," Tiberius turned to look at him, "She says hello and very much wishes to see you again. There was nothing for you Xen."

Tiberius done talking, waited to see what his companions thought of this new information. It felt good to get the letter off his chst and out.

@Lord Zee

The Storyteller had opened his mouth to reply to Vert's words, but closed his mouth when Tiberius began to speak. When Tiberius was done talking, The Storyteller finally spoke. "I know of Durth Vanarys" The Storyteller said "Druth Vanarys was a leading member of the High Council, and the strongest wizard in history. He knew every kind of magic imaginable, and even things like transformation magic were not entirely unknown to him. In fact, he invented most of the magical techniques used today. Mana generation, soul theory, spellcasting, cursing, all were first introduced to the general public by him. And then he just simply disappeared. To this day, his disappearance from history is highly mysterious".

---

Xen pursed his lips as he rode along the path, his staff situated into a leather strap that ran across the body of the horse. His pace was a slow trot, his eyes scanning around him as they moved further away from the main city. It had been only a couple of hours since they had departed and he had taken the time before their arrival to retrieve provisions for the road. The distance was a short one, relatively speaking, but he knew that the morale of this band would be greatly improved if some respite can be found in between engagements. Especially when the blood began to flow.

He was thankful, of course, to have a healer on hand to mend wounds and gashes, but he wasn't so sure how experienced this woman was. Was she able to mend severed muscle and tendon as much as skin? Could she graft a new cellular structure if one were to be severely burned? Or reattach a lost limb? Of course such magics are incredibly powerful and only a handful of surgeons were capable of such a thing in the world. He only hoped that none of them would break before they were truly needed. Everyone had a breaking point. This was a fact of life. He had seen enough warfare and spoke to enough veterans to know that even the strongest of men had a thread that if pulled too tightly snapped like a loose hair.

As Tiberius spoke, his brow rose a moment, considering the words. None of these people knew who Xen truly was and that was to his benefit. He didn't fully trust any of them, Vert least of all. Too convenient it was to have captured a creature from the Warlock's grasp, and to turn her so quickly. Something was off about the entire situation, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. He was beginning to suspect Vert was a distraction, meant to throw them off from the scent of the real wolf in sheep's clothing. He would have to be vigilant.

"We are a few hours off. We will make camp a half day's ride from the mines to determine our plan of attack." He rummaged in his satchel and pulled out a map. "I assume some of you have military experience. Review this topography and come up with a strategy. We will discuss it soon." Xen handed the map off to Kaitra and rode in silence, waiting to hear what they would talk about or their idle banter. His hand gripped his staff absentmindedly, knowing full well they were being watched by the denizens of the forest.

@Lord Zee

Once Xen had finished speaking, The Storyteller drew level with Tiberius. "May I see that letter for a moment?" The Storyteller asked as he held out his hand for the letter "If the sender and I know each other, I might be able to deduce who they are".

---

Zenovia felt the overall atmosphere of the conversation go a little more sour than she had initially thought. Of course, she didn't know what he had been through, but she didn't think that it would come up in such a way. "I-I didn't mean to make you remember something so terrible.. I'm sorry. She said apologetically, bowing her head to him slightly. When Ivan put the question back onto her, she also took a moment to think about what she would say. She hadn't really done much before all of this..

"A-anyway, I- uhm.. I was training as a Shaman before I was summoned here. Talking to the spirits and practising magic." She chose to omit a large portion of what she could've possibly said. Who she was wasn't important in such circumstances. She paused for a moment before finally saying, "As long as you follow what you believe in, what you're called doesn't matter, right?"

Her gaze turned to Tiberius who had decided to ride up closer to the group, apologising before he began to read a letter he had received. She found it a little strange that an unknown person would tell them to stay away from Sadron, the man who had started this quest. Not to say that it didn't make sense, it just seemed very 'out of nowhere'. When Tiberius and Xen had finished speaking, Zenovia decided to respond, "As Xen says, we'll be making camp soon. I'd like to read the letter when we set up.. if that's alright." She said in her usual soft voice. She couldn't imagine what would be in the letter. It couldn't possibly be from her House.. Although she did leave without saying goodbye. Spirit Walkers weren't really the kind of people to care too much if one of them walked off somewhere.. It's in the name after all.

Vert looked to the ground as the storyteller waved her off. Of course others didn't care for a monster. After all she was a danger to everyone. Vert had heard them talk about making camp soon. At this point she wouldn't be surprised if she were to be end up being tied up to a tree just to make the others feel safer. After all what else were they to do with a monster.

Then there was the healer, Zenovia. The poor girl was terrified of the Vert, and rightly so since she tried to eat the mage. However she couldn't help it. It's what she was ordered to do, and she had a hard time refusing what the warlock told her to do. In truth all that Vert ever wanted was to be truly liked. No one enjoyed her company not even before she became a devourer. Those who seemed like they enjoyed her company just ended faking it because of her position or power.

As Vert was deep in thought and her head down she ended up walking right into a tree and falling on her back. "Ow..." Vert said quickly trying to get up as to not give the others anything to worry about.

Inside the Tunnel

Tomas deposited the Captain against a rock so their medic, Gilf, could tend to her. "Where are we?" Gilf asked. Tomas lit a match and held it up. Light scattered over the walls and spilled over patch of earth where several names were scrawled.

Uglithug was here
Youlo Nerot was here

Nilfrog chuckled and pointed to the first name. "I knew that one. Hell of an orc."
The Captain crawled over and put down her own name. Several orcs studied her a moment, wondering whether to be worried for her health or happy that she was moving again. Then she looked back at them and grinned.

"Well, I was here too, wasn't I?"

Their faces softened and their shoulders perked. Satisfied that she had sufficiently eased their tension, she leaned against Gilf's arm and got to her feet. "I'll lead the way. Rengar, may I have my staff please?"
The orc called Rengar handed her a white staff that was as long as she was tall. Aside from its pristine condition, it looked like little more than a nice rod. The Captain rapped it on the floor, and a bright light shone from its upper tip.

She squeezed her grip on it with her left hand.
I only have a few hours of magic left in this thing. We have to get moving. The Captain reached into her thigh pouch and withdrew a crude map. Though it was only the second time she'd ever been this way in her life, her first trip was so etched into her memory that she couldn't help but remember it. The difficult part was working backwards, since this time she meant to use the tunnel to get out of Fellmore, rather than into it.

More importantly, she hoped that she remembered the path correctly, because one wrong step meant dropping into a chasm or waking up the trolls.

With a long sigh, she waved her right hand forward and began to march into the darkness, staff held high to light the way. The tunnels were like a dungeon maze, with forks, dead ends, and traps at every turn. The oppressive darkness fought to snuff out all excess light, allowing vision only in a small radius of the staff's position. Three hundred orcs may not seem like a large number, but in the relative absence of light, it was a dangerous number when the light ahead turned a few corners. A couple times the Captain had to double back to make sure no one got lost.

Then, just as they spotted the light at the end of the tunnel, it happened.

They were filing past a dark side opening when a low groan reverberated through the halls and shook dust from the roof. At first everyone thought it was an earthquake. But the Captain knew better, for she could hear better. A nameless fear pricked her heart, and she staggered back into the marching column. "Captain?" one orc protested.

Something is in there.

She pushed off him and approached the opening once more. She raised her staff to shed light on it. There in the shadows laid a creature she never ever wanted to meet in her lifetime. And it was wide awake.

A word escaped her lips before the thought even crossed her mind. "RUN!!" Trained to obey without hesitation, the marching orcs broke into a jog. The Captain tore off her gauntlet, exposing a silver ring on her finger to the light of her staff. She bit her finger just above the ring and allowed a trickle of blood to pool around it.

That should be good enough for a spell or two. She got her gauntlet back on right before the creature plowed into her. It slammed her into the wall and shattered rock when she landed. Hot breath sprayed her face. Panic seized her, and she took a wild swing at it with her staff. It missed. And for the first time, she got a good look at the face of her enemy. It was the face of a dragon, red as a fire's dying embers, its yellow eyes slitted in fury. The Captain immediately recognized what they were up against: the Wyrm, one of the several great Guardians of their world.

It opened its mouth wide. She swung her staff again, and this time, several shards of earth shot down its throat. Its resultant gag reflex gave her the break she needed to make a run for it. The Captain scrambled on her hands and feet to catch up with the column of orcs, the Wyrm close on her heels. We're getting so close to the exit! Why can't these things just leave us alone? she thought as she stumbled over another pile of rocks.

The Wyrm suddenly snapped its jaws over her leg and started to drag her backwards. The staff fell out of her hands as she fought for a grip against the gargantuan creature. No! No! It can't end like this! "Help! Help me, please!" she cried. For a few harrowing moments, she thought no one had heard her. Then, the Wyrm let out a surprised gurgle as another massive creature hurled a breath-taking punch at its face. The Captain fell out of its jaws. She could hear the grunts and shrieks of a violent struggle as the Wyrm and its enemy thrashed about in the darkness. A voice she recognized called out to her.

"Go! I'll take the beast!"

It was Tomas. "N-no! Tomas!" the Captain stammered.
"Now!" he ordered.
She hesitated.
"Trust me!" the orc pleaded.

I trust you, Tomas. I always have and always will. Just...come back to me alive. She tore herself away from the fight and turned to head for the exit.

"I trust you, Tomas," she said at last. "Report back to me when you're finished."

With that, she fled for the light at the end of the tunnel, grateful that the metal mask on her face hid the tears she left behind.

@Cuccoruler"Agreed... It would be best for us to make camp... Can't stop a caravan of supplies without rest and a plan right?" Ivan said towards Xen. Nobody had to worry about Ivan, he knew a thing or two about strategy, this caravan will be a breeze. He was about to continue on with his thoughts when he heard the thump of a tree and Vert falling on her back. With what has happened so far in terms of her, she must've had a lot on her mind.

Ivan walked over to her and helped her up. "You ok? You don't want to fall behind do you?" He had a friendly smile on him, Ivan was never a fan of people in pain or people who were stressed or sad. He had to cheer her up somehow. "Look... Some people may be a little cautious around you... But i know things are going to get better for you... He patted her back and continued walking with the group.

@XenoCyanide@Lord Zee

After satiating the two youths with a repeat of her heinous 'trick' in payment for retrieving her steed, Kaite rode off with her newfound crew. It wasn't much different than other excursions, silently stationed to the side of the group to break and intercept threats if they occurred.
Her position fluctuated from one side to the next, seemingly paranoid in their vigilance though eventually calmed after coming to the conclusion that she wasn't babysitting tactless goons. The idea of 'Peers' was tough to get used to, but she supposed that's just what came with being a loner. Calming, Kaite finally took the time to pay attention to the conversations going on throughout the group at the mention of her name.

It was beginning to be some kind of comedy for her, not only receiving a letter with the implication that her whereabouts were known, but having been mentioned in other's letters as to hint that spooky faceless parties knew where she was and who she was affiliated with. It gave the knight a bit of a headache to think over, opening her visor to get some fresh air while those mentioned clambered for the letter in some vain interest of what someone they don't know thought of them. However, Kaite would be lying to say she didn't care, only that she was fine with waiting until a more appropriate moment like after they set up the camp that Xen alluded to moments before handing her the map like some kind of school assignment.

Without turning her head, ice blue eyes snapped to the corners of their sockets to look down at the man, an eyebrow raised in critical interest for his audacity to task her with something so benign as reading a map. Presented with such vague information as 'come up with a strategy', Kaite had half a mind to simply release the map to the wind in sheer defiance of the aristocrat who clearly demanded respect without showing it in return.
Kaite hadn't even looked at the map, still tall-ly watching Xen before asking, "Defense or offence? What are y'expecting ta be there or am I simply picking out a campin' site for your highness?" in a cold manner before gesturing with a nod to Tiberius. "E' probably has the actual military experience...or you...?" Kaite mused, looking down at the map after tossing off a tone that casually questioned Xen's significance beyond his title of 'leader'. In all honestly, if she knew what was being asked of her, skullduggery and experience as a bandit chief could easily give anything on the blank map a hard time.

The Champions of Hope bickered on until the evening. The sun dipped below the horizon and carried the orange sky with it. Soon, darkness fell over the camp, and still the Champs bickered over strategy and who should come up with one. Their quarrel was interrupted by howls from the north. It was not the howl of wolves, for it was too deep and throaty. It was the howl of wargs, the fell creatures of the tundra and servants of the dark one.

Wargs only howled after bringing down prey.

Vert looked up at Ivan as he helped her up. "Try telling that to the others that look at me with scorn. They want nothing more than to see me dead." Vert said while standing up and after giving a glance to the others.

Later that evening Vert turned her head when she had heard the sound of warg. "Wargs!" Vert yelled to the others hoping they would be ready in time. In the mean time she saw one rushing at the others. They were powerful creatures for sure, a common human couldn't stop such creature. But Vert was not a common human.

As a warg came ahead of the others it seemed to be aiming right at Tiberius. Vert without a second thought jumped in the way about 16 feet in front of Tiberius with the maw coming out of her chest. The maw chomped down on the warg. Vert had stopped it in it's tracks. Vert had chomped down around it's front. However the maw had been big enough to go around the creatures head and onto the neck. Allowing the mouth to bite down on Vert's tounge. She was in pain but she had stopped the first warg.

@Cuccoruler

While the other champions bickered around him, The Storyteller sat in silence as he made a few additions to his storybook while deep in thought. After reading the entirety of Tiberius' second letter from his anonymous friend, The Storyteller had a hunch as to who that friend might be. But it was only a hunch and he never enjoyed spouting misinformation, so The Storyteller decided to wait for a little more in the way of confirmation before declaring his theory. It was at that moment that he heard the sound of howling wargs and Vert's warning to the rest of the group.

The 1st of the wargs arrived soon after. It seemed intent on mauling Tiberius, but Vert stood in its way and stopped it with a snap of her abdominal jaws. The beast wasn't dead though and judging from the look on Vert's face, the warg was giving her a hard time. "Hold it steady, Vert" The Storyteller said as he rushed over with sword in hand "Don't let go". With a strong downward stab, The Storyteller repeatedly impaled the warg with his sword until it stopped moving. "Be on your guard" The Storyteller said to the other champions "The rest of the pack won't be far behind". The Storyteller then looked over at Laina. "I think we'll be needing your talents over here, Laina" The Storyteller said.

@Cuccoruler@rush99999
Laina instantly rushed over to Vert when she heard the Storyteller's notice. "Are you okay? What happened?" She reached into her bag and brought out a couple of bottles filled with mysterious substances and powder and knit her features into a concerned frown.

No other wargs seemed to follow the one. Still, one could feel their presence, watching, sniffing, hating. Your hair stands up on end. They are still here.

Vert looked up at Ivan as he helped her up. "Try telling that to the others that look at me with scorn. They want nothing more than to see me dead." Vert said while standing up and after giving a glance to the others.

Later that evening Vert turned her head when she had heard the sound of warg. "Wargs!" Vert yelled to the others hoping they would be ready in time. In the mean time she saw one rushing at the others. They were powerful creatures for sure, a common human couldn't stop such creature. But Vert was not a common human.

As a warg came ahead of the others it seemed to be aiming right at Tiberius. Vert without a second thought jumped in the way about 16 feet in front of Tiberius with the maw coming out of her chest. The maw chomped down on the warg. Vert had stopped it in it's tracks. Vert had chomped down around it's front. However the maw had been big enough to go around the creatures head and onto the neck. Allowing the mouth to bite down on Vert's tounge. She was in pain but she had stopped the first warg.

And this evening was going rather peacefully too. Ivan stood up at the sound of the howling and immediately got his sword and shield ready. The first warg was easily dispatched by Vert and the Storyteller, but didn't ease Ivan's worries. "Clever... Sending a scout just to see what they're dealing with... Very clever beasts indeed..." Sparks of electricity began coursing through Ivan's blade and shield. "Alright, keep together people! Kill anything on four legs that has razor sharp teeth!