_@Kenaron


Whoosh went Alberich's battleaxe as he swung, and clunk went his body as he fell to his knees. They, Rothar and himself, had everything perfectly planned on how to defeat these supposed soldiers of the Dark Lord, yet Alberich was the one to fall first. He felt a shooting pain in his ankle, as if the lumberjack had slammed it into a giant rock the size of a bowling ball. "Vile use of magic..." Alberich muttered as he spit out some blood, doubtlessly caused from the shock of hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. His eyes darted around the general area for Rothar, but he was nowhere to be seen. No... he wouldn't betray me. A knight wouldn't break an oath! The lumberjack thought, and Rothar's sudden disappearance from the battlefield only served to infuriate Alberich even more.

Alberich reached for his handaxe, and unclasped the loop holstering the weapon. The unwieldy battleaxe was near Ysran and the witch, and if the lumberjack wanted it back, Alberich most certainly had to fight for it. Crawling to his knees and ready to continue the fight by tackling the elf like a linebacker, Alberich was only stopped by the sound of rustling leaves and clicking. "The necromancer..." He said as Alberich's eyes glanced in the direction the loud sound was coming from. By a distance, Alberich could see a few walking corpses sprinting their way. "You say you're not with the Dark Lord, yet you have the aid of a necromancer. Stop spitting out false tales like the rest of your kind, elf. You will not fool me." Despite that Ysran specifically told Alberich to stay down, the lumberjack rose to defend himself from the undead.

Ysran locked eyes with the bulky man throughout his speech. Anger was a powerful emotion. You can use strength unknown to you, or perhaps even take a hit from something that would normally kill you. However in most cases, you leave your mental state in a vulnerable position. This man had done just that. In a matter of seconds, Ysran had full access to his mind. Not in terms of mind reading, but in terms of overpowering him. Ysran, Priming a spell in the back of mind, never stopped maintaining eye contact, yet he could hear a large group approaching."I do not wish to fight you. There's likely a small group of zombies to my right. They likely will just try to protect Thiara and I. If you do not attack us, no harm will likely come to either of us. But, should they attack on sight...Do whatever you want to them. Let's just...Talk this out." Walking a few steps forward, Ysran kicked the axe back towards the man."Should these guys attack you, you'll likely want that." Turning his head towards the group approaching, yet still maintaining eye contact, Ysran spoke:"Caractacus! Get over here! We need to have a...'Discussion'. We seem to have reached a misunderstanding..."

The zombies, as Ysran predicted, took a defensive position surrounding Ysran and Thiara, insulating them from the axe-wielding warrior, though now he was disarmed, there seemed little reason. Caractacus followed after, stopping halfway between the burning treeline to watch with a clear view without putting himself in danger. The warrior was on his feet already, armed, this time with a smaller hand-axe. Still enough to split a skull. Caractacus could only half hear the warrior as he shouted to Ysran. Something about the Dark Lord, and an elf.

Ysran called Caractacus over, saying there had been a misunderstanding. What a surprise. He could only assume that one or more of the people present were assumed to be servants of the dark lord. He sighed, and called his zombies back with a quick command. They shuffled out of the way for him while he approached. "Ysran, th-this man was trying to kill you and the witch here. Might I assume it was because you th-thought he served the Dark Lord, or that he thought the same of us?"

There are a few things going through Kathryn's mind. One of them being find a cart or something, between her armor and her gear she was carrying a lot of heavy equipment. And for the amount of walking she was doing, she could have used less. She decided after her next engagement she would drop some of her gear, she was close to a lot of the trouble. She passed a recently burned village along her path so far, so the other thing going through her mind was all the things she planned on doing to the raiding party which had done the horror she had discovered.

She didn't get much further before she found a strange mess of a situation. A conflict between all sorts of people, and a bunch of dead people who seemed to be missing the main bit of being dead. She had a few options though, go in and kill the dead things, let things play out, or try to talk. She was tired, sore, and still a bit bruised from her last engagement. She could still fight if she had to, but she didn't have a lot left in her at this moment. None the less, there was nothing to stop her from getting involved.

She pulled her "New" bow from her back and nocked an arrow in place, slowly advancing. It wasn't aimed yet, but if she had to fire all it would take would be to raise it and pull back in one fast and smooth motion. She approached the group of people in their more or less standoff and readied her bow. "Hey! You guys wanna explain the situation with the dead people and the sharp things?" She stopped for a moment to realize how unprofessional her sentence sounded. Well, to bad there's no backspace for speaking.

Finally breaking eye contact, Ysran explained the situation to Caractacus. From the initial bolt that struck Thiara, to Alberich almost murdering him. He then explained their short story about him. From waking up with no recollection, to meeting Caractacus, to here and now. "And that concludes my story. Does anybody have any questions for-" Ysran then heard shouting from his left. The whole "Who are you?" Speil. Ysran Closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and sighed loudly with barely contained frustration. He looked over towards the voice. An elven lady had her bow drawn."You. Get over here. He explained with a gesture towards him. "I'll explain this one last time. Please put your bow down and listen to the story."

Alberich gazed at the necromancer with an infuriating rage resting in his eyes, but he did not move a muscle to signify any ill intent towards Caractacus. The lumberjack had a burning desire to bring rest to the fallen the necromancer had so easily raised to fuel his undead army, but there was little room for him to make a mistake that might cost Alberich his life. Rothar had not shown his face despite their plan, and the lumberjack was surrounded and outnumbered. As the zombies pulled back and Ysran explained the situation to the necromancer, Alberich looked on in confusion. His captors kept stating that they weren't allied with the Dark Lord, yet there was a necromancer right in front of him, body and soul. Were they just toying with him before the lumberjack was to die, or did both parties truly misunderstand?

The lumberjack began to think the latter as Ysran politely asked the archer to stand down, just as he asked Alberich. There was a misunderstanding, alright. A soldier of the Dark Lord wouldn't ask such a thing in such a way. If they were allied with him, I'd most likely be already dead with these numbers. Taking the time to fully stand up and sheathing his weapons, the lumberjack turned to Ysran, but with caution in case the newcomer might try firing that bow of hers. "Elf, I do not know your name, but I must tell you. There is still another in the forest that was to aid in me our assault, but I haven't seen him since we parted ways. He may still be out there, waiting for an opening." Alberich stated as he glanced at the apprentice that almost took his head off with a powerful lightning bolt. He wrinkled his forehead, his gaze signifying distrust. The lumberjack was always against magic, and she had just so carelessly shown to the world why Alberich disagreed with such use of the gods' power.

Caractacus nodded while Ysran explained the situation. It had been as he thought, a thorough and foolish misunderstanding. At least now no one was hefting axes or hurling lightning bolts. Caractacus released his spell, as the lumberjack stood down, his zombies losing their empowered state. Caractacus was glad to be rid of the unnecessary drain on his own energy. "Very well. I am glad n-no one came to too much harm, yes? Aheh. Now, while I am s-sure I would seem intimidating, with the, er, zombies and necromancer garb, I a-assure you, I mean no harm to you. You m-may call me--"

Before he could introduce himself, Caractacus was cut off by another stranger from the woods, demanding yet another explanation. Caractacus didn't even bother to raise his staff. Still, he looked to make sure he wasn't moments from death. An elf, armed with a bow, ready to shoot. Caractacus gave a soft order, and one of his zombies stepped in between him and the armed elf, providing at least temporary shelter from any arrows she would send his way. "I s-suppose I will introduce myself to her as well...

Well, that escalated quickly. Thiara put a hand on her mouth as she watched the events unfold. Apparently the bandits weren't such, just a lumberjack and his partner who had confused them for the disciples of the Dark Lord. Well, with the necromancer and the scaled up elf, who could blame them? Besides, Thiara herself had nearly joined the Dark Lord's faction.

At times like this, she might aswell have done so. But the situation was ebbing and flowing quickly, and with a little push a team of adventurers could be formed. A team with glorious loot. Thiara took the initiative. "I'm SORRY!" She squeaked with a stammer, as she did a exaggerated bow to the lumberjack. "I'm new to this kind of heroic witchy thing! I thought you were an evil tree slayer who worked under the Dork Lord." She let the slip of the tongue intentionally, as new appearances seemed to skirt the forest.

"Hi. I'm Thiara. A witch. I also try to kick orc's butts." She said to the newcomer, as she waved her staff energetically. "Can't we all just get along?" She finished.

But there was something in the back of her mind, which she could not shake off. Where had that woodsman yeller gone to?

Ysran held up his hands. "Are we all good now? Nobody's going to try and kill each other again? Because I will not intervene this time." Ysran looked down the trail. The sun was hanging low in the sky. "Well, looks like we've managed to waste an entire day screaming at each other. Great. So, we going to move along, or try to make camp somewhere?" At the end of his questions, the Scales on Ysran's body began to rapidly dissappear into the void, revealing his pale skin. Ysran inspected his limbs. "Well, at least that's taken care of."

Alberich looked in silence at the young witch. He was angry because the witch had almost blown off his head with a lightning bolt, but ultimately, everything had been a huge misunderstanding. Thiara's stammer reminded Alberich of his own daughter, and what was once a tough front quickly melted away to shine the lumberjack's true nature. "Do not worry, Thiara. I may be at odds with magic, but if one apologizes for their mistakes, I can always forgive. Besides, I had tried killing the two of you as well. I should be apologizing too." The lumberjack smiled gently at the witch, and bowed before her.

Heaving his giant battleaxe over his shoulders, Alberich looked up at the sky. Just as Ysran had stated, the sun was slowly settling. They had spent the entire day bickering and trying to murder each other. The soldiers of the Dark Lord were known to prowl during the night, and it was better to have a hideout to stay in during those times. Luckily for Alberich, the elf sorcerer had seemed to have the same opinion. "Listen. I know we may have had some... recent unfortunate events, but I believe, since we have a common thought towards the Dark Lord, that we can camp somewhere without trying to off each other with our weapons or magic. Not far from here is a large lake, and we can use that to at least cover one of our flanks if we end up under attack during the night." The lumberjack explained as his gaze turned to Kathryn, and then to the other newcomer as he went to introduce himself.

"What about you two? Will you join us?" He asked, keeping a lookout for any suspicious signs in the now toasted forest. The corpses beside Alberich bothered him, but he felt that he could bring up the topic with Caractacus later. As of right now, his eyes were searching for any enemy soldiers, as well the oath breaker that had abandoned him after they had planned to attack the now friendly party.

Elyria had been watching the group most of the day. It was quite comical to her how many times one of them tried to kill another. She had come to the conclusion that they were on her side. She was still concerned that they would consider her an outcast as she had been cast most of her life. Deciding that it was now or never she pulled the cloak off of her head and allowed her blue hair to show as it flowed halfway down her back in soft waves. Taking a deep breath with her hand on her sword she stepped out of the trees and into the clearing where they were.

She watched each of them carefully and was keenly aware how vulnerable she was at the moment. Each step she took she saw another head turn towards her. Her elven ears at least gave her an advantage in that Elves were considered excellent warriors.

"I'm Elyria."

As the new Elven lady stepped our of the trees, he hoped his best that she wouldn't ask questions, and would just roll with it.

The woman spoke "I'm Elyria"

Ysran turned to her. "Congratulations. You'rethe only person today who hasn't drawn your weapon on us. I'm Ysran. This is Caractacus, Alberich, Thiara, and Kathryn. He pointed at each member of the party as he said their respective names. "And since today seems to be my day for telling stories, do you need to hear it? Or are you just here for the ride?" Ysran desperately hoped for the latter.

Elyria smiled knowingly and noticed that he wasn't being rude to her about her obvious difference. She nodded.

"No that is okay, I've been watching you all for quite some time today. I basically know who you all are." She said this last part slightly blushing about having been spying on them. Her glance made it's way around the group and she nodded at each of them in turn. A couple of them caught her eye but she didn't let them know it. Getting a better look at Caractacus she wondered about his loyalties and where they truly lay.

Her eyes landed on Sakem Ba. This man seemed a little overbright in his hello. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing you til just now."

@Lich@Lord Orgasmo

Elyria nodded at Sakem Ba. He left her feeling that there was something wrong there. She smirked at Ysran and walked up to him.

"I have a question for you as well." She stated, her eyes twinkling with laughter she asked quietly. "Are you witch as well as elf, like I am? What spell did you use to become covered in scales."

She was trying to be careful not to let the others hear her questions as they were not meant to upset him. She was comforted knowing that there was another elf in the group.

@Lord Orgasmo

@Wick The new girl, Elyria walked up to Ysran. And whispered a question to him.
"Are you witch as well as elf, like I am? What spell did you use to become covered in scales."

"No, I am not a witch, nor a Warlock. I am what's known as an Occultist. My magic does not stem from arcane arts, but rather the Eldritch, and forbidden knowledge. Most people in my shoes have gone mad, or worse. Yet I somehow have persevered. Even still I must be careful with my magic, lest it drive me mad, albeit temporarily. The spell you saw earlier was a spell known as Fishscales. I can cast it on others, yet a also have a superior version. If you wish to know more, I can tell you, but I will warn you now, it may take its toll on your mind."

Alberich glanced in the direction of another newcomer. It was odd that suddenly everyone had started to appear, but perhaps the world had more people with a will to fight against their oppressor. He didn't mind the extra company, but Alberich knew they had to start moving or their inaction would cost them. "I don't mean to be rude and interrupt your conversation, but we should start moving. We know the orc warband still prowls throughout the forest, but who knows what other dangers might lurk nearby." The lumberjack stated, looking at his several newfound companions for approval.

"I can lead the way to the lake, but if you all are tagging along, I expect you to help prepare the encampment. We'll have to decide who'll take watch. I'm sure each one of you can handle that, right?" Alberich asked, yet his eyes mainly fell on Thiara. They had known each other for a few minutes, but the lumberjack also knew that the witch was a force to be reckoned with. Surely, with her explosive lightning magic, any foe that came after them would be forever known as burnt toast. Alberich felt he could somewhat rest easy tonight with that notion in his head.

Elyria listened as Ysran explained that he was not a witch but an occultist. She was unaware that there was another type of magic user other than mages, wizards and witches. Her brow furrowed in question. As she was about to ask him another question she heard the large man interrupt. She nodded her head at Ysran and turned to listen to the man they called Alberich.

Realizing that he had noticed that dark would be approaching soon she wrapped her cloak around herself and pulled it up and over her hair. She didn't want her hair to give away their location. Her bag was in the bushes and she went to retrieve it.

Kathryn

Kathryn slowly lowered her bow as the situation was explained. In basics, everyone was more or less on the same team. Or at least not with the Dark lord, which is as close to loyalties she can hope for in times like this. As things started to calm down she put her bow back on her back, it seemed like it didn't have a lot of use left in it, she figured she would have to get rid of it or replace it sooner rather then later. She still didn't feel safe taking off her helmet or any other part of her armor as of this moment though, she would need to wait until it was safer for her to do so. Or until she could start trusting someone.

As more of the situation was explained someone who Kathryn guessed was human stepped out, the tribal markings though gave her an odd feeling, though it was more expressed as I have a knife and if you try anything I will impale you with it as she turned around holding the knife by its tip ready to throw it. She figured actions speak louder then words, so she kept quiet while doing so. As he explained himself she slowly put the knife back in it's sheath, which took a moment to find. She made a mental note to find better gear she wouldn't have to replace so obtain so that she could find things easier. But from what she could tell, a concerned by passer of the situation, she was fine with that, maybe they had food.... Food would be nice.

She turned to face the next one to speak, this time with out a weapon drawn. "Are we all good now? Nobody's going to try and kill each other again? Because I will not intervene this time." The elf spoke, she would need to make note of names soon. Or wait to see if this band held together longer then the last few. Though the question was a good one, she actually stood there for a moment thinking of a decent answer. "I want to say maybe. There's never a guarantee for anything." She spoke casually. At one point in the conversation our friendly neighborhood lumber jack asked about joining them on their quest to handle the dark lord, and to survive the night. Both sounded pretty good to her really. "I think that would work out pretty nicely, we may want to consider getting some basic supplies to make sure we can hold out longer if that is the plan. I don't know about you guys but I don't really have enough to last more then a couple days on me."

Soon, another figure showed up, this one a lot more calm to approach but still. Kathryn was ready, she had her hand ready on the hilt of her knife, but kept it in it's rear sheath. She hated this paranoia but after so many raids against the Dark lord, one can only be careful nowadays. She introduced herself as Elyria. It was a beautiful name, but the paranoia stayed. Kathryn did let go of the knife though.

Soon enough, it was time to move onto their new camp. How long it would stay their camp depended on a lot of things. Food, how clean the water was, who knew where it was, how long they could hold out, etc. But she would follow them all to the camp, keeping near the back of the group to try and keep an eye on everyone at once.