Thomas jumped back into the carriage. He looked over at the girl with alive stuffed animal. He felt ridiculous even thinking that. "I like your rabbit, it's cute. I like his attitude. Either one feel free to wake me if something happens. As a theif I spend my days asleep and my nights prowling the streets. So right now is well beyond my normal bed time. He laid his against a sack of whatever, before falling asleep he stowed his gear between his body and the carriage. While asleep he reverted to his normal appearance.

Eir glanced over in surprise at the woman (@SanaChan), seeming to relax just slightly. Eir felt as though she really was a good person, and trying to help her. Her tone may sound a bit rough, but then again, so does Ama's to those who aren't quite used to her yet. She raised Roger up to hide the slight smile that met her face, barely a twinge of the corners of her mouth as she whispered a quiet little "Thank you."

The little thing sat back down quietly, gently rubbing Roger's ears in an attempt to calm him down, as he was still fuming. "Eir, why do you let people talk to you like that? It's, it's not fair."

The white haired girl paused, blinking her good eye once curiously. "I'm not doing this for them. It doesn't matter, really. I just want to do this for Ama."

Roger turned to look at her with his blank button eyes that somehow could still shine with love for the girl. "You really are such a good person, Eir."

Eir blushed slightly, giving another slight Mona Lisa smile towards her rabbit when the thief (@Burning Kitty) from before spoke to her. Eir shied away, unsure of how to have a real conversation with someone, but the rabbit seemed to know how to speak perfectly well. "Why, thank you! I meant to compliment you before on your skills! You are quite good. My name is Roger, by the way, so I'm a 'he' not an 'it', but I don't mind it's easy to make such a mistake. Oh, and Don't worry, I'll wake you." His stubby stitched tail flicked happily behind him as he sat comfortably in Eir's lap.

Circe had woken up that morning in an alleyway, curled up inside an old box, bolstered nicely by a pair of old worn pallets she'd found close by. Beside her, curled up like a loaf of bread was Duke, his dark brown fur matted and dirty. It wasn't lavish by any means, but the box made for a decent night's sleep, leaving her surprisingly chipper while she crawled out of her makeshift home. It was midday by now, and she realized with some alarm that she was late. Indeed, today was the start of her grand adventure, and she'd gone and overslept.

"Damn.." she muttered under her breath, quickly turning back to her box and shaking it harshly. "Hey, wake up boy! We're late!" she spouted to her four legged companion, smiling when he came jumping out of the box, tail wagging lively. Apparently, he'd slept fine as well.

Circe and Duke moved quickly and efficiently through the city, ducking through allies and behind houses as quickly as they could, dodging strangers and carriages the whole way. The were suppose to meet their intended party at the west gate, if she recalls correctly, mentally mapping out where she was in comparison. Hopefully, they hadn't been left behind.

Several minutes of running later, the girl and her dog finally jogged up to the large gate, passing through it at a slower pace and looking around expectantly. Sure enough, she spotted a small group on horseback, gathered around a carriage; that had to be them, she smirked. She gave Duke a quick nod, and the two quickly caught up to the group.

"Hello~" Circe waved as soon as she was sure she was within earshot, not bothering to introduce herself or ask any questions before she abruptly scrambled into the carriage behind everyone else, hoping no one noticed how late she was. Duke was stuffed under her arm, tongue out and tail wagging while she managed to find them a spot to sit. She preferred to be near a window or a door, if possible, as she wanted to be able to see outside while they traveled.

Upon getting into the carriage, Elias had edged himself as far away as possible from the others, pressing himself against the far end of the vehicle by a small window. The boy was not pleased with being stuffed inside a carriage with the same people he had just squabbled with, and he found himself even less pleased when a filthy looking girl and a dog crammed themselves into the carriage. Elias wished he had brought a horse- although the Beauvallet's horses were more like pets than transportation. His mother spoiled those animals rotten anyway. He doubted she would let him bring one for the journey.

Elias did his best to ignore the others, pulling out a large leather-bound tome from his bag and positioning it up to his face so he couldn't see the riffraff near him. He looked quite uncomfortable, even ridiculous, pressed against the edge of the carriage with the huge book covering his face, but he found it quite convenient. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was outside on horseback with his fellow nobles, impressing them with his knowledge and expertise.

The group must have finally started moving, as one of them had caught up to him. A small one, well smaller one. Most seem small to it, but this one reminded him of a small deer. Does it startle the same? No matter, it has asked it a question, a simple but loaded question. The girl knew not the weight of the question, but now was not the time for metaphorical questions of identity.



Rather than await her response, it opted to levitate a bit higher off the ground. Almost the height of a horse. For a moment it seemed to slow its pace, as arc of electricity began to run along the nearby structures, winds began to seem to push away from the suit.

LaMontiya was riding along though she looked a bit perturbed, likely because this horse was a horse...and not a teleportation spell that would easiiiiily save them countless hours. But magical wards and the uncertainity of the crag likely would make it more dangerous, not to mention that the more novice mages in the party would likely not handle the long distance travels. But then again if they died from the stress were they really ready for such a venture.
She noted the late arrival with a raised brow, "Oh look someone who can't keep up with the hours of the day...That bodes well." Not that she was truly worried, it was more to get the thought out of here head so she could have the confidence that she got her opinion out there for any who could hear it.

Suddenly her horse reared back, almost throwing her off! "Wh-what?" Something had startled the beast! As LaMontiya got herself straightened she felt her raising slightly?! Looking about the source of the strange occurance looked like a beacon!

"Faster"

Growing energy and the vocal cue made it clear he was likely about to start going far faster than the horses could go! Not to mention probably be far to noticeable for this some what quiet journey.

"Darling! Darling wait a moment! Do you understand that this is supposed to be low-profile?! Miss Valtoris, can second my opinion. Let alone the damage your about to do to the road! If I have to ride a horse you have to go a speed that the rest of us can match as well!"

A bit of worry trailing onto her rather irritated pleading. A lot of emotions in such a short time!

Miral had been looking back at their newest recruit coming along before she heard the noise of the Warden gearing up and LaMontiya's panic. She sighed heavily, why could no one just behave?

"Warden, you are instructed to stay your pace!" She said firmly, knowing the thing would only respond to certain command cues and hoped she had enough authority to stay the thing, "Our horses cannot go that fast, you cannot go "faster"," she said firmly, not needing the map to take off into the sunset. The last thing she wanted was to either be lost with this lot or have to go get a new map.

Seeing that most, if not all, the companions that would be in the cart were onboard, Ryfon started to go the same speed as those who were on the horses. He got a visual cue from Miral that he was allowed to speak in their current company and nodded before looking back at those behind him, "I would suggest not sitting too close to the edge or standing up while we're moving. Obvious statements, I'm sure, but I feel it best to say them nonetheless," he didn't want anyone getting hurt. As far as he was aware the little girl was the only one who could heal them, and that fact within itself was troubling, "Also, I'm sure you're aware, sir, that reading while riding is likely to make you sick," he said to the young protesting nobleman that he could tell Miral just really wanted to knock into shape. He'd have to be really careful about keeping her temper in check during this journey. To display his point, she had turned to the other noble.

"Speak with a little more of the authority you're due else no one is going to take you seriously," she said with a twinge of annoyance, "Not quite to the point of the rugrat, but enough that you actually think you have some authority at least," she waved her hand at the cart and then looked at the late arrival that had a horse, "And you don't go poking your nose where it doesn't go," she wanted to nip that searching of the warden in the bud now. She did not want to have to waste time explaining that, though if he didn't reign it in, she wasn't going to have much choice.

She did have to say she relieved that they were finally moving forward. The sooner they reached the deadwood and were through it, the better. Maybe they could avoid dealing with any of the nasty beasties that were rumored to wander its shadows.

The Warden hadn't given her any answers, just a name. Fietra flinched when he suddenly decided to hurry the journey along. Was she the cause of that? Lady Valtoris' voice slashed through the air with a bluntness that made her blink in surprise. Chewing her lip, she turned away from The Warden.

With a jolt, she noticed a new aura had arrived. A dog. She glanced around her but couldn't spot the creature. Focusing, she slowed until she was able to see into the wagon. A dog lay there, filthy but his tongue lolled out happily. She smiled at him then looked to the girl. When had she gotten here? The dog glanced up at her and wagged his tail lazily in greeting.

"Is he yours?" she asked the new girl.

Circe smiled when the cart finally began to move, her eyes glancing over the others in the group before focusing on the scenery around them. She patted Duke's head silently while the others on horses talked, listening and noting to herself who the different voice's belonged to, and guessing curiously which one was actually the leader here. She thought it might have been the floating armor when she first approached-- because really, how could someone so amazing looking not be in the lead of this sort of venture? But then again, they hadn't seemed too free to act on their own, so it couldn't be him.

"Is he yours?" she asked the new girl.

The question snapped Circe from her own thought's quickly, and she turned to the girl on the horse who now rode beside the cart, her eyes on Duke, who had already spotted her too, and was smiling now.

"Yep~" she answered happily, patting his head again, "He's my partner, Duke." she said fondly, and quickly added, "Oh, and I'm Circe. It's nice to meet ya." she said with a friendly grin, which Duke seemed to reflect as well, his wagging tail picking up speed excitedly. So far, others seemed friendly enough to Circe. Sure, most seemed like they outclassed her, but outside of that no one seemed especially different or intimidating-- except maybe the armor, but that was for obvious reasons.

Elias looked up in surprise at the driver of the carriage. He hadn't heard him even speak since his arrival, and Elias hadn't even noticed the man, who seemed to linger behind lady Valtoris like a shadow. Elias glared at him from behind, but gingerly shut the book as he was told.

Staring down at his lap, he muttered " I know that..." He did not, however, move from the edge of the carriage, not minding the driver's suggestion. The young nobleman's eyes wandered to the girl on the other side of the carriage and her little toy. Regardless of what the others thought, he still was convinced there was a mistake. He wasn't impressed by her little meek act- no matter how apologetic or shy she acted, that didn't change his suspicions about her. For now, he would keep his distance from her, and the same went to the thief, who had made himself at home in the carriage, sleeping away. Not a bad idea, sleeping the trip away, except for the fact that Elias could be robbed blind.

He found himself bored without a book to read or a task to complete. Elias's mind was never at rest, and he felt uneasy without something to do. He could only hope for a quick arrival to their destination. He wondered what the party intended to do after dark, when rumored beasts came out to prey on weary travelers and children. Elias could think of a variety of terrifying monsters, and none of them brought comforting thoughts. He shivered, thankful that he could be protected by defensive spells.

When the Warden powered back down to his normal state, resuming his normal pace- though did Miral detect it moving a little more stiff, like it was angry?- she sighed, shaking her head. She looked back hearing the conversations and noted the boy genius minutely seeming to follow Ryfon's suggestion, though he seemed like he was on the edge of brewing over because of being stuck with the riff raff. What nobleman doesn't bring a horse? For that matter, LaMontiya didn't come on one either. She looked over at the other noblewoman, now scrutinizing her actions. Why hadn't she been on a horse??

Miral turned her attention to Ryfon motioning for him to come along. He nodded and increased the speed on the carriage to keep up with as she moved forward enough to keep up with the Warden and perhaps reach a pace that wasn't breakneck for the horses, but enough to satiate his desire to go a little faster. They needed to cover ground a little faster anyway. It wouldn't do to actually take the whole day to get to the dead wood- if they could get there before the sun went down, there would be just a little less of the more extreme monsters to be wary of. Sure the thieves and the little girl might have had some use, and she was sure that little girl packed some sort of hidden secret, but they would be in serious danger up against the beasts said to roam there.

She could feel something tugged her onward towards the crag, like she didn't honestly need a map to find it (though she would to find the bridge), and it bothered her just a hair. Surely all mages felt this pull to their source of magic, yes? There was nothing to be so uptight about...

"How fast can you drive that thing, Ryfon?" she asked her cousin, wanting to pick up the pace, though her horse seemed a bit uneasy as it felt her energies changing.
"The carriage might not be built for harsh treatment," Ryfon warned but sped up a little more. He noted her odd behavior but figured it was just nerves. Everyone had seemed to defer to her somehow, which made some sense, she hadn't shown an ounce of hesitancy thus far, but what most didn't realize she did it because she was actually incredibly nervous and wanted to make an incredible impression on her comrades because there were other nobles, or middle to high class at least, among them. She had worked hard to get to where she was, and she didn't anyone questioning them.
"It was meant for a literal cross-country expedition, it will be fine," she sighed a bit, shaking her head

The rabbit had been silent for the most part, only whispering to Eir when she visibly became nervous, and she easily relaxing for another stretch of time from his words— whatever they were.

But, as soon as a certain companion (@PM) joined the group, Roger would have turned white in the face if he were human.

"D-d-dog!"

The stuffed figure leaped up on top of Eir's head, shaking like a leaf as she attempted to gaze up at him with confusion. "No no no! Good doggy, nice doggy! _{Please don't eat meeee...}"

The small girl let her eyes drift over to the dog, noticing it's non threatening puppy grin with lolling tongue and his wagging tail. "...cute..." The girl placed Roger down, moving a little closer to the animal.

Roger was about to scream. "Nooooo! Eir, stay away from it! Dogs are wild beasts! _{I still remember that Rottweiler... oh my stuffing was everywhere...}" The stuffed rabbit trembled in his post traumatic memory, Eir ignoring the little rabbit.

Her bright big blue eye, her only good one, raised to look at Circe hopefully. "May I pet him...?" She asked in her quiet voice.

Elias was grateful as he noticed the carriage was speeding up- the sooner he could escape, the better. But, since Elias was Elias, he had to have something to be annoyed at all times, and this time, it was the dog stinking up the wagon. The carriage had been somewhat quiet before the peasant girl, who called herself Circe arrived. It seemed like everyone was suddenly starstruck with the animal now that it arrived. He didn't understand the appeal of dogs. They were smelly and mangy animals, always lumbering around with the stupidest grin. And even though his family had done a fine job chasing off the stray mutts that wandered nearbye, they still plagued the city. His companions' adoration of the creature was misplaced for sure. If anything, they should have been treating him like that. Elias folded his arms, cross that still, nobody had commented on his impressive reputation.

Having temporarily decided to be polite, Elias decided to say something about the dog. Maybe the girl would get it out if he asked nicely." Wouldn't your dog prefer to be out of the carriage in the open air?" Elias suggested through gritted teeth.
@PM

Thomas was awakened by the smell. He sat up and looked around. "Oh a mongrel beast. Such an uncivilized thing. Nobility's obsession with them is mind boggling. Cats are superior. They are good for cannon fodder though. Why do dogs always smell bad? Cats almost never stink. If that thing licks me, it's going to go out the back." He lays back down and turns to face the side of the wagon, so that the dog couldn't touch his skin. He pulled out his blackjack and held on to it.

Frowning at the others, she didn't see how the dog could be such an issue. He was a loyal one. She trotted steadily behind the wagon, examining everyone's faces. She wasn't sure if she liked the one trying to sleep, how could he look at the innocent face of the cute dog and think 'beast'. Yes, she had decided that they wouldn't get along.

"Hi Duke" she smiled and the dog and got a tail wag back. I'm Fietra, in case you were wondering." After a pause she continued, "I do hope we reach our destination soon, Sugar is getting quite bored."

Sugar snorted in agreement and eyed up the nearby reeds. "Don't try to eat anything" She warned the horse.

Circe hadn't even noticed Eir scootch closer to her, until the small girl mumbled the word 'cute', and met the elder brunette's eyes. "Oh, yeah, he won't mind." Circe quickly gave the girl approval, knowing well that Duke was more than well mannered around strangers, even if they wanted to touch him. He even had the patience for children, who often got a bit rougher with him, not that he ever seemed to mind. Affection was affection, for him.

Circe made a curious face at Ellias, as if he had just stated the obvious. "Well, yeah. We both would, just like I'm sure you'd like to be somewhere reading right now. But we can't waste our time or energy doing such things, because we're all on a mission, and sometimes for that, sacrifices must be made." she said overly-dramatic, immediately grinning down at her furry companion until their noses touched. "In't that right boy? We're gonna finish this adventure even if we have to live in this carriage for a whole month!" she spouted, and the dog followed with a bark, as if agreeing. She chose to ignore Thomas after his comments, seeing him as more threatening than the others, and choosing to avoid the conflict he'd cause all together. She didn't care if anyone else disliked them, because she and Duke were a team and they had a mission they'd set their minds about doing, and it would be a cold day in the tropics before you stopped that train of though from rolling.

"Mmm, I agree." Circe began, now addressing Fietra, who trotted quietly behind them at an easy pace. "Duke loves carriage rides, cause he's lazy like that._{Though, we only ever get to enjoy such luxuries if we sneak on them..}, but I tend to get antsy when sitting for so long, so I hope we at least stop through the night and camp." she said curiously, not really too worried either way. She'd make due, as would Duke, and they would be okay, like they always were. After a quiet moment, Circe let her eyes wander along Fietra's horse.. Sugar? Yeah, thats what she called her. The woman seemed close to her horse, Circe noted with a smile. It was good to see others who bonded so well with animals, especially in a world so fraught with violence and cruelty.

As the troop traveled on, Miral found herself swearing as they were reaching the dead wood. It was getting late, and that meant that there were going to be all sorts of beasts roaming these woods. But they had to go through. If they tried to go around this trip would take almost a year. She looked to the traveling companions, trying to decide on a plan. She walked her horse back to the side of the carriage and, using her pike, burned a symbol onto both sides of the carriage, careful not to catch the whole thing on fire. It was a simple protection rune, but she hoped it would be enough to keep the beasts of the carriage, "If you know any methods of defense or offense that involves projectiles, it is going to be key at this moment," she said to the occupants of the carriage, looking around it to the woods. Nothing was stirring yet, but things here were said to have a conniving, malicious nature and would probably wait until they were deep in the throng of the trees, "Ryford, stay to the path. Even if something tries to lead you off it, do not waiver," she said firmly. Her cousin nodded, guiding the horses to the opening of the path into the trees, "You," she pointed to Fietra, [colr=firebrick]"Get to the back and stay behind it, don't let anything get up on the carriage in any way you can.[/color] she moved her own horse to the front, her pike lightening up in flames. She was hoping she could cut down whatever came their way but there was always the distinct possibility they would overwhelm them or simply overpower them. She had no idea what they might encounter.

For a moment, it seemed calm and quiet, as if her panic was for nothing, but then a garbled growling surrounded them in the woods and a somewhat foul, almost toxic order filled the air as deformed beasts strangely similar to dogs or wolves came crawling out of the trees. Their fur was long gone, their skin black with strange reddish-orange welts on their skin, oozing with bloody pus. Their eyes were solid black in color as drool dripped from their slackened maws. Their drool was the same color of the welts and seemed to burn and kill whatever ground it touched. Their walk was disjointed as if their limbs weren't really being held together.
"Don't let them touch you," Ryford said, increasing the carriages speed to try and get to the bridge, the stone mass yawning out in front of them, "Their saliva will burn and eat at the flesh and if they get their blood on you, you'll be infected and no one has survived that thus far," he said firmly. As they reached the bridge, there was a shuddering in the ground that made the horses jerk back. He swore aloud, trying to get them to move forward, but something had spooked them.
Miral got to the side of the carriage and started blasting at the dogs, that seemed only vaguely aware of when they were hit, even though the fire was eating away at their rotten flesh and killing them. Their purpose was set as they closed in on the carriage, "Damn!"

The small girl gave a gentle smile, beating Mona Lisa at her own game. She reached down with her small hand, placing it on the dog's head. (@PM) She noticed him twitch at her touch, and so quickly pulled back with a sad look. "Sorry, puppy... I know, my hands are really cold..." Eir whispered softly to the mutt.

But she was jerked from this quickly as she heard Miral's (@SanaChan) shouts from a little further ahead. Was something going on? Roger quickly darted his stuffed body over to his friend, jumping into her lap for safety as she put her arms around him. Eir's lips pursed, she squinting with her one good eye into the dying light outside. It was her ears that picked up the beasts before her eyes did, she giving a quiet gasp and scooching a little further away, eye wide in shock.

Speechless, she watched as one of the mutated canine creatures lunge forward onto the edge of the cart. It's mangled claws reached out and clawed at her dress, tearing it only slightly. Without thinking, Eir automatically lifted her hand as a billowing cold whirled around her fingers and palm. She pulled her hand back, and quickly shot it out at the creature, a bolt of ice sharper than a blade cutting through it's shoulder and forcing the already crippled beast off the edge of the cart, unable to keep up any longer with such an injury.

"Eir, watch out!"

As the little rabbit exclaimed this, the cart came to a halt that bumped the poor girl's head against the inside. The pack of animals was nearing. Eir stood, placing Roger down by her feet. A cold wind began to build around her, frost creeping out from where she stood. As another creature stalked forward, Eir prepared a spell to attack.

Elias jumped in surprise as something lunged at the cart, snarling and slashing with its knarled claws. His eyes widened in shock as he got a closer look at the creature- it was hairless and red, covered in patches of rotting flesh. Pus oozed from the beasts. Before he could react, the animal had already lunged for the small girl. He gasped, drawing his arm out to cast a spell before the frail little thing could be torn apart. To his surprise, the beast was impaled by what appeared to be a long, transculent crystal. Ah. So she's not completely useless- at least she can perform elemental spells.

The young noble turned in surprise as another rotting canine clawed at the edge where Elias had so eagerly stayed before. He stared in horror as it grabbed onto his leg. Elias resisted the urge to vomit as pus and blood from the animal dripped onto his clothes. More out of panic than anything else, the young mage outstretched his hand, his palms facing the animal. A small rune etched onto his hand began to glow a luminescent green before bursting out of his palm in a flash of light. As the burst of energy collided with the beast's chest, it fell limp and slid off the carriage. Wasting no time, he tried his best to conjure up a protective shield around the carriage. It almost seemed to work- a transparent green dome began to form around the carriage. Elias found himself smiling smugly despite the situation- making a spell for something so big was hard, and he was quite proud of it. That pride quickly evaporated as he discovered the force field had only covered about half of the wagon.

" What the hell are those things?" Elias yelled, loud enough so those outside of the carriage could hear him.

Thomas had awoken before dark as usual. He studied the beasts coming for them. The one that Eir he could have easily shot before it got close but he needed to see it up close. He climbed on top of the carriage and found a decent spot to make his stand. "Everyone coral them into groups as much as possible, the bigger the better. My explosive arrows should be strong enough to kill them immediately, but my supply is limited." He pulled out a broadhead arrow and sent into the canine's head killing it immediately. Where ever they were going to resupply he hoped they carried arrows, and not just shitty hunting arrows.