Yoo-hoo. Hi. Hello. Little Adventuring Orphan’s. My name is Fortune and we will meet someday. For now, just know you are very loved and very blessed. Because of this I ,as a treasure fairy, deal strictly in the distribution of treasure from beyond. With that out of the way here are your gifts;



x12 Crux Gems - to distributed evenly among the cast

That's all I have for now. Buh buh bye now.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Map For Reference


The group has just left Cosmo City, looking over the map brought with them they determine the direction they should go. The origins of the Dark Witch’s home is unknown and they have no leads to go off of. Looking at the region map there are several options to discuss among each other. The orphans lay out many ideas, when Sith takes the reigns and suggest if the Dark Witch is as powerful as the stories claim, than the group should level up first. However, the path is not set forth, just yet. Knowing Sith is in the lead means perhaps an aimless direction. It’s why Francis steps forward to provide the plan Sith does not have. Now the Orphans have a base to go off of;

-Find Information about the Dark Witch
-Explore the world for Gems, Spells, and Ruins to activate Waystones

Rhaya looks nervously at the forest, a bead of sweat rolls down her forehead looking over the map with the others. While she has agreed to this journey, she cannot help, but feel a little unease with the groups decisions. At first it seemed like merely a joke, or a childish idea they were pursuing, now it all seemed to real as they decided where to go, "I have a feeling we should take the path that's easier than wondering in a random direction and running into something that can kill us easily." She suggest an pauses when she notices the group looking at her.

"Mostly because I just got here only five months ago, sooo, I would probably be lost like a sheep," She adds onto what she just said awhile ago," she nervously adds to the group as if she has to explain her position.

Archibald on the other hand stares at the forest. The trees all look like monstrous shapes, looming over him and ready to grab him. He looks over the map, knowing full well the things that dwell in the trees and man cannot always be too trusting, "Everywhere looks scary..."

Seeing the two others look nervously at the map. And Archibald's fear, Astraea steps up, she looks confident and bold that she has a plan. Perhaps to ease their fears and worries. Smiling she proudly announces to the group,"I feel that heading towards the forest would be the best place to start. There are plenty of places to camp, hide, and a multiple amount of creatures that could be used for food or perhaps will have information for us if intelligent. We could head through the forest towards the direction of a city to stop for supplies later."

Do these people know how to give directions? They are as vague as a two year old drawing you a swirl and telling you that is a dinosaur. Where? In what world does a whirlpool equate to a dinosaur. Valeo begins to slow clap, "So far only one person has had a more sensible answer, do you know where to go though princess? I say we check out Crystal Grove. We are after all looking for spellstones, waystones, and knowledge about the Dark Witch. This isn't a camp out, you're suppose to have more direction when figuring out direction."

Well he had one thing right, still Sítheach couldn't help, but feel a little peeved that Valeo had been the one to have given the only location of the group. He had hoped to see the group struggle and then he would have come in with an answer. Accepting their praise, ah Sítheach you are so wise and well guided. Now another person wanted to stick their nose into their business and he didn't even really like Gertrude. Still he just laughs and smiles at the group, holding in his resentment.

He claps his hands excitedly, "No one said you had to come Archy. You can go help Gertrude and send us letters if you like." he pauses to look at Valeo, "Crystal Grove. I heard there were horrible monsters there that rip people's limbs off."

"Yeah, but that's the whole forest, anything can rip a limb off, it's the ones that melt you into non existence, or drown you in the depths you have to worry about. You can survive being an amputee, you're not going to come back from being people juice" Valeo sharply retorts.

Yep, he's going to irritate him throughout this whole entire journey.

Francis steps forward to stop those two from turning this into a battle of wits, "Crystal Grove sounds fine. Like Valeo said, everything's going to try and kill us. Might as well go to the place where we can actually get something out of it. I'm sure we can find some villages out there too if we don't reach cities to resupply."

Meanwhile, Archy in a small voice, trying to vye for the attention of others, remarks to Sítheach, "N-no I want to help too..."

Of course he did. No one denied that. What Archy made up for his cowardice, was sheer moronic willpower. Though Sith could admire moronic willpower, than someone idly sitting by and doing nothing.

At the same time Valeo saw this as more of an opportunity. Always searching for the weakest link. Working in a group was a new dangerous gambit and trying to figure out who was to break first was a matter of life and death, "Even more fun we can bet crystals that BooBoo over here will be the first amputee and if he's lucky just a puddle of half Vampry juice. Unfortunate he drowns in the sea or in a lake, terrible way to go."

Sith would made a similar joke. Instead of being annoyed he merely laughs, "Sure I am willing to bet. I am going to go with eaten and digested."

Francis efforts to stop these two from going back and forth seemed in vain now as Valeo remarks, "A classic, you are a traditionalist."

Sith merely smiles and merely reminds Valeo the difference between him and the half deamon, "I am an old fea. We prefer things to be done in a traditional way. The first traveler should always be eaten. A boy and a girl shoved in a stove eaten by a Crone. A Orc eating you raw, limb from limb. A tiger munching on your innards before going in for the leg meat."

Naturally all of it falls on deft ears, as Valeo merely remarks, "Now you're just trying to get on my good side with that comment."

Francis begins to walk off from the city gates. In hopes that his lead will start to move everyone forward in direction. They all begin to follow his lead. It seems to have silenced those two for now.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Somewhere Very Far;

"The children have left Gertrudes," a silhouette in the dark can be seen bending, even in the dim and faded light.

"So they have finally left the safety of the nest," a feminine voice replies, she could be barely seen in the dim, faint purple light of the smooth, black stoned Spire. It hummed with an ancient power, an old power. Only she understood what it said to her. She could see the writing on the wall that they could not.

"That is correct," the man watches her, even in the faint glittering light of crystals that have replaced flame for light, she is beautiful, her back exposed in a dramatic swooping gown, it leaves much to the imagination, yet her pale skin and spine exposed tempts him to walk closer.

She turns around as if sensing his intentions.

"Pay someone to deal with them," she says.

He looks taken aback.

"You don't want to hire one of the Generals?" he ask her.

She plays with her fingers on the jagged, ebony, black throne. Her black nails coiled around the spines of the chair playfully.

"A true manager of war does not send their best to assess the strength of others," she tells him.

"Very wise, I will have that setup," he says.





While true Gertrude's health was on his mind, he was glad that the others had agreed to this journey. If she hadn't gotten ill he didn't think any of them would have agreed to come along. Why should they? They were comfortable in their beds and comforted by the warm familiar comforts Gertrude brought. For all that he considered of her, what was most important to him was recovering his lost memories. Not something he could do, sipping on tea and slipping in the silken sheets. Furthermore though, something bothered him. This note from a mysterious fairy. As if, suddenly the world awaken and they became the center of the world's vision. Suddenly things were beginning to revolve the orphans. As if agreeing to this journey they had actually signed a contract that put their lives on the line.

Fortune and this key. They had not actually distributed the gems. How much did they know of fortune or who the mysterious benefactor was. Why give them a key like this? Something about its shape seemed familiar to him, though he was rather unsure of why. Like something in the back of his mind, crawling to the surface, yet barely visible.

"About the key," Sith called out to the group that had fallen silent once they passed the threshold of security. Cosmo City slowly beginning to become a distant vision. Behind trees that created a natural passage, and a natural wall, the glittering barrier could still be placed in the distance, "Something about it. I have a familiar sense with it. Do you think it could possibly be a new memory?"

If anyone was paying attention they probably saw Sith smile. The possibility that he might be reminded of something meant that this road to recover the fragments of his mind, might already be working after all.

Francis still wasn't all that comfortable going on this adventure. The first steps out of Cosmo City was made through sheer want to get moving - to stop Valeo and Sith from going further with their debate and also further making Archibald uncomfortable. Though now that they were on the move, Francis felt flashes of his childhood coming back to him - the forest trying to eat him alive. Never letting him live the events down. He took the lead, not just because Sith had no plan but because he didn't want anyone to see that he was becoming more uncomfortable.

As they moved forward, he began picking on his glove. He's trying to keep his breath steady, and he wasn't sure if it was because it's been a while since he's walking through an unfamiliar place and he's tired or if it's because he was beginning to actually get scared. He shook his head. This was just nervousness. Besides, he wasn't alone this time. He's rather sure that a Half-Celestial, a Half-Abyssal and a Fae would be able to fend off whatever the forest threw at them. They had Rhaya too, who was rather well-trained by her academy. Surely, they could at least handle the monsters that they pass by.

He took another look back at the group. If he were to be honest, he had his reservations about taking Archibald with them. If anything, it was because he was too young and scared. Not necessarily a coward, but close to it. Francis understood it though, that's just how it is. Archibald had always been under the protection of Gertrude and never stepped outside Cosmic City. Unlike all of them who traversed the land because they had to - they were forced to.

Or well, all except Rhaya (and Sith but who knows about him). The girl noble had come on her own accord on a quest given in her hometown. She had stayed with them for some months. It surprised him that she decided to come along despite having no obligation to Gertrude. But he was more than glad to have her along. She was trained to fight, apparently, and he appreciated having another human around. Whatever that meant for him.

Maybell, someone who's tastes in books he appreciates, is useful in her own way. With her small body and unassuming appearance, and her penchant for illusions and trickery, she would be helpful when they need to break into someplace. The thought of it was amusing to him before and entertaining it was wrong, but now that they had to do whatever they had to to complete their quest.

Francis would list out every personality trait that he liked about Astraea. She was the older sister type, or maybe even a mom. Kind and caring. Those kinds of things. She easily made friends out of everyone with the sole exception of Valeo who seems to not like Celestials all that much. But he also doesn't want to get any closer to Astraea than he already was or else she'll begin to catch up to his thoughts. He has not hidden it for this long only to be prodded open by a half-Celestial.

Francis didn't like Valeo, not all that much at least. Maybe it was because of his personality. Maybe it's because he was coping better with loss than himself. But he didn't deny that Valeo's inputs were actually useful in terms of the outside world. He survived on his own after all with the minor help of Magnar, his tiger friend-sibling. Which reminded him, where was that tiger anyway? He was there this morning but once they were out and about, he was gone. How odd.

Sith managed to snap him out of his thoughts as he talked about the key. "Maybe." He agreed with Sith. "If it seems familiar, then it must have a connection. And even if it doesn't, then maybe if we find something like it, it would unlock some other memory." Francis at least wanted Sith to remember his past because it seemed important to him. And hey, if this adventure helps, then so be it. A win-win situation, provided they survive.

"Hm, that so?" Francis looked forward once more when Valeo pointed out that important detail he seemed to have forgotten to tell them when they were deciding on a place to go. "Do you know anything about him then? We could start to plan on how to defeat him if we know something about him. If not then..." He pursed his lips. "I suppose we will burn that bridge when we get there." He didn't like not having a plan, but if things fall to that, then they would have no choice but to wing it.

Rhaya was a bit nervous leaving the safety of a Great City since it reminded of her hometown Vaira Stars, which also had a barrier surrounding it. She waved nicely to the guards as they left Cosmos City. The guards waved back to Rhaya, mostly because of her entrance five months ago was a bit frightening to them. She couldn’t help but sweat drop at the back and forth between Sith and Valeo, who were making her uncomfortable. Mostly because of their teasing of the youngin’ Archibald.

She saw Francis taking the lead and she smiled with relief in it. She couldn’t help be proud at the fact someone thought to get ahead of the group to stop the two in question from teasing Archibald. She always gotten nervous when people expect her to lead, which was mostly her problem within her Academy she trained in. It was mostly because of her last name, that people expected her to lead especially her mother. She didn’t want to lead an outfit of hardcore women knights that expected everything of you to lead properly.

She was proud of her entire family’s history but out of everything she didn’t feel like leading. Even though she constantly got into arguments with her mother about it but she stuck to her inner Tempest or soul. Her mother did constantly realize her daughter was pretty hard pressed in sticking to her future goals rather than the goals of the family’s name. They had a long talk about this and her mother suggested something like mission or goal she could do, outside of her hometown and explore the world more or less.

She came back from looking into her past, into the present that is now. She looked around the orphans, while she was walking with them. She liked Astraea for whom she is even though she only knew her for five months so far. She’s the one person she likes to talk to about her insecurities about certain things. She always has a smile around Astraea, her motherly persona definitely helped her be slightly less so strict laced alike her schooling taught her to be.

She was hopeful that Archibald was okay, from the constant teasing he got from Valeo and Sith. She only saw about five months worth of that and was a bit tired of it. She couldn’t really hope to stand in the middle of that since she’s not really that good with pressure. She usually helped him up from falling on his face after falling on it. Whenever, Astraea wasn’t there to help him up that is.

Maybell, was an interesting opossum, she enjoyed her passion for reading every single book or any of the ones she missed. She couldn’t really tell much about her, since Maybell was a bit cute and caused her to blush and make her leave the room. She would usually say, she’s not into cute things but blush nonetheless when around Maybell, because the cuteness of how she spoke was definitely a cause for her to walk away or run away.

The only person that she didn’t like much was Valeo and his way of his speaking to every single person, especially the nickname, he gave her. It kinda made her a bit uneasy to hear that from someone like a half-demon boy. She usually tell her to stop calling her a female version of Francis, but he wouldn’t stop with his witty remarks at about her. She, however, never raised her voice to Valeo mostly because of the tiger, that he kept around him as his tiger friend-sibling. She remembered the name by Magnar since he scared her one morning, and Valeo was laughing much at her expense.

Sith managed to snap her out of her thoughts as he talked about a key. She had no idea what’s going on, mostly because she never really talked to Sith that much. She heard what Francis had said towards Sith and she felt a bit lost in what’s going on. ”Everyone has their memories I suppose. Some are better to remember than others,” Rhaya said, with a tone of confusion in her voice. She didn’t really ask if Sith forgot anything about his past since he constantly teased her, like a big brother would even though she never had one to begin with.

She felt nervous when she heard Valeo’s remark about the Bearon made Crystal Grove their home. She sweat dropped and sighed slightly at what he remembered. ”Seriously Valeo, now you mention that? Could’ve been helpful if we heard this sooner,” Rhaya said, with a bit of a nervousness to her voice. She heard what Francis had said about the whole situation and kinda nodded in agreement. ”Unless you were only wanting to say this to scare, Archy even more. Valeo you do constantly tease Archy a lot...,” Rhaya said, while staring at Archy, while being a slightly nervous.

Equipment

• 0 Crux Gems
• Bag of Holding, Focal Crystal, and Chain Whip

---

Dread, it snaked around her being and caused each breath to feel like a struggle, a deep weight upon her chest that she couldn't shake though no one would have guessed it from her calm outward appearance. Inside, she felt a swirl of emotions battling to take hold as it felt like the past was repeating itself right before her eyes with yet another one of her caregivers being sick, life draining slowly from them. She wasn't useless this time around but there was always this possibility that Gertie might not make it or that they would fail to save her in time. Was there even a tea set? Were they chasing something that had been long destroyed? She didn't know, the answer covered by many mysteries and different stories told. She was not able to truly help her mother and this adventure was a hope that she might be able to change fate this time around. It seemed most of the group was apprehensive about leaving the safety of the glittering barrier that surrounded the great city that was now behind them and she couldn't blame the others if they felt that way. Astraea had been in the forest before and moved through various places, each day out in the wilderness just wondering if it would be her last but her mother's teachings had been the key to making it through. She was not the only one that had been through the forests or traveled great distances and had a knowledge of what they would be dealing with but this time they would be looking for trouble instead of avoiding it. She hoped that with some of the knowledge they had, that would be enough. Astraea took a moment and tried to push those thoughts away, taking a deep breath and centering herself as she focused on the soft lush green grass under her feet, the warmth from the sun on her skin, and the light breeze rustling through the trees creating its own unique music that she could listen to for hours. Astraea's sky eyes gazed over the group, changing her focus onto them so she wouldn't worry herself into madness over Gertie.

Sith seemed to be looking forward to the possibilities this trip might have in store for him. She had no doubts he cared for the woman that took him in with no doubts or hesitation but you could see the true excitement in his eyes as he looked to the key he held. It most likely was a hope at finding something familiar along the path to pull his lost memories to the surface. It had to be hard, being who you are without knowing where you had been. Would you be the same person you were now if you remembered the past? Would you hate who you were or would you be more disappointed in what you had become? It had to leave an emptiness inside and a struggle to know more that was just at the tip of the surface before disappearing from your reach. What he lacked for in memories, Sith made up for with his confidence and attitude which was like a flip of a coin. At times, he could be charming and in others, he could be relentless in his teasing or darker humor. She had grown used to it and knew that he meant nothing by it and honestly, Archy made it easy by getting riled instead of learning to roll with the joke or ignore it. The boy was still young though and would learn with time, for now, she was there to protect him if it got out of hand. We were all still fond of him even with his quirks if choosing him as their leader was anything to go by but to be fair, Francis was just as worthy of the title and good at keeping Sith on track and probably not letting them all be killed.

Valeo, on the other hand, was a little different than Sith as he was constantly sarcastic with some sort of quick remark or when teasing went about it a bit darker which she had noticed didn't sit well with most of the others. She didn't think it bothered him a bit what the others thought of him and if anyone was to abandon them or wander off to be alone, it would probably be him. Astraea didn't view this in a negative way but rather if you saw a beautiful tiger, roaming free and content in their solitary then why would anyone think that they wanted to be in a circus of other animals even if possibly compatible or trapped in a cage. It would be more likely that they would shy from that in whatever way they chose to express it. It was one of the reasons she was suspicious of his so-called brother to suddenly be gone. It was Valeo's choice if he parted ways from the group but he could just outright tell them so but at least she should be grateful that he offered a choice on where to go that would be dangerous, yes, but would benefit the group in the end. Astraea doubted she would be able to say thank you on behave of them as she avoided being near Valeo. He seemed to dislike her and maybe it was because of what she was or possibly her personality annoyed him but it seemed like she would never be the one to find out. She was used to judgment and if it really was her personality then she would treat him with kindness when interaction was a must and leave him be otherwise. She did not wish to cause him trouble or push friendship if it was unwanted. If anyone in the group had a chance of learning anything about the half demon, Valeo, it would probably be Sith as they seemed to be on at least understanding terms and could hold each other's jokes but even that was low chances in the sharing department.

Speaking of sharing, Francis was another that was not unlike herself. He held his feelings in, though those molten gold eyes would betray him at times and there were other things that gave hints. She often called them nervous ticks though she wasn't always sure that was exactly what it was. The best example was at the current moment, he was picking at his glove so there was something stirring in his mind but that is something he wouldn't share with her. He didn't give her the feeling that she was disliked but there was this distance that was noticeable there. It was like someone being careful where they stepped. She was starting to notice that wasn't the same with all nobles like she had thought for so long. Rhaya had opened her eyes to that which had only made her look more into what Francis did and what it meant. Astraea hoped that one day that feeling wouldn't be there and he could just talk to her if he needed someone to lean on but at the same time that would mean her having to open up also as communication is a two-way street and that was something she wasn't ready for with anyone. It felt like a burden to give someone else and she had been able to just fine so far.

At least not everyone was distant from her in one way or another, her eyes looking towards the younger ones in her group. She always hung back or matched paces with them to make sure nothing could happen easily without her being able to protect them both. It was often times she would keep them busy or even carry them if they needed it and sometimes if they asked nicely. Astraea knew this would be difficult for Archy as Gertie's home and the city were all he had ever known from growing up there with not many opportunities to travel. She knew he was scared but she was glad that he had decided to come. She would not let him be harmed if she could help it and that was the same for Maybell. She was so small, even by opossum standards which could be helpful but it could also be a major downfall at times. She was an adorable and bright energy in the group while Archy made her smile and though it might be cruel to say, his clumsiness made her laugh since she found it so him. It was a part of his charm in her book though she did wish he would be careful. The two could make her day feel so much better when she was down. It was nice watching Maybell try to figure out a puzzle or Archy showing her something new he had learned. It was this thought that made her want to reach out and ruffle the boy's auburn hair or offer to carry the little opossum on her shoulder. Astraea held back, letting her eyes drift to one of their other newer members.

Rhaya was different then she had imaged she would be when she first arrived at Gertie's home. She had never really seen female knights and it made her think of the tight-laced, loyal, hard men that she had come to know and had wondered if she would be the same. It was stories of her father that made her think that maybe all were not like that and she had yet to meet them. She had heard he was a soft and loving person. He had been strong and loyal but with a heart not meant for fighting. Rhaya seemed to have a little bit of that in her as well. They had talked a lot, whenever Rhaya seemed to need someone to lend an ear and let go of her insecurities or to be there for her which she was more than happy to do. It was nice to see her when she looked at cute things. She tried to hide it, probably to seem stronger but it was nice to know someone strong could also be soft. She looked out for the two younger ones in our groups, especially Archy when she was not nearby which she appreciated.

The thoughts on their last member were cut short as Sith spoke up about the key and the familiarity of it. "It is possible, there is really no way to know for sure until the new memory is triggered." It wasn't too long after that Valeo confessed that he had forgotten to mention a Bearon had made residence at Crystal Grove, the very place they were headed too. She didn't even have much of a chance to think on that before Francis was trying to set up a plan of action with any information Valeo might have and Rhaya stated it would have been nice to know sooner and was also softly fishing for a reason it wasn't mentioned sooner. It seemed like she was stating it might not have been a slip up in memory. She decided that it was supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. "At least he spoke up now when he remembered it instead of waiting for us to get there. Hopefully, we will not run into the Bearon but the more information we have would help with a better plan. I would not like to have to hope for the best and have us all plan while in battle." Astraea replied to the others statements.

Maybell barely even noticed that the group had come to a decision on where to go. She wouldn’t have had much useful input anyway, as she didn’t know much about the surrounding area other than the forest being awful. Like, just the absolute worst.

No, she was occupied with that key. Really, how could she not be? That was some mysterious, call-to-adventure, first-chapter-of-an-epic-novel business right there! The possibilities were endless and Maybell was delighted.

Was the key meant for some huge treasure chest? Or maybe a secret door? Or what if it didn’t unlock anything and it would be a clue in solving some other puzzle? Or maybe the Dark Witch was secretly allergic to keys? It could be anything! Except maybe that last one. Regardless of likelihood, she wrote down every possibility in her journal.

Maybell came up out of the mental rabbit hole she had been going down and picked up on their destination and the trouble they’d have to deal with there. She would be lying if she said the idea of facing a Bearon didn’t scare her, but the anticipation of a great adventure overshadowed any fear she was feeling.

She would have been much more afraid if she were alone, though. She felt secure alongside her friends. Of course, it helped that most of them could fight if they needed to. Sometimes, Maybell wished she could fight too, just to be able to help out more, but she was too small and weak to do any damage to anything.

Well, at least the others could make up for what she lacked. They had an adventure to start; it wasn’t the time for insecurity!

Closing her journal and storing it in her pouch, she spoke up, “How far away is it? Sorry, I didn’t get a look at the map.”

As the group carried on. Seemingly growing suspicion of each other, their thoughts are interrupted by the sound of screams. A boy in rather worn clothes, covered in mud is swatting the air.

“Aaaa! GET THEM OFF!” he shouts, as he’s running out of the brush, five Jeweled Hornets are following him trying to stab him with their pointers.

Rhaya and Francis being the sensible individuals they are try to rush into to help the boy. Distracting the Hornets with hand waving. It seems to work as two of the Hornets move their attention to the both of them. One of them trying to pierce Francis. The other trying to pierce Rhaya.

---

Archy toddled along behind Astraea being quiet while they walked. All the talk of fighting and this Bearon person was getting him pretty worried, Archy didn't want to fight people. Well he didn't want to fight anything if he was being honest, but he knew it was unavoidable. Archy's worries were interrupted by the scream of a boy, he was being chased by a band of Jeweled Hornets. It seemed like that combat Archy was dreading had shown up. Archy watched Rhaya and Francis spring into action grabbing the attention of some hornets.

Archy quickly pulled his focal crystal from his belt and created a ball of water in his hand, he knew that bugs couldn't fly with wet wings. So maybe if he hit them with a water bomb they could leave the Hornets alive. Though while Archy had this idea in his head his body was still a little reluctant when it came to actually moving. You got this Archibald! You just gotta hit the one chasing Francis. Archy took a moment to Crystal in one hand and a water bomb in the other, he squinted finding it a little harder to aim properly the in daylight.

He saw the Hornet go in for a stab at Francis and saw this as his opportunity to strike. He hurled the water bomb like a baseball, the projectile aimed directly at the massive hornet. But the harsh light threw of Archibald's aim and the ball of water went too high flying right over Francis and the Hornet.

---

Rhaya went to help the boy she heard scream about large jeweled hornets that were trying to kill him. ”I will always be prepared for anything. It will require the full scope of my focus to defeat any foe, Wind Bolt!” Rhaya said to charge up a wind bolt spell. She wasn’t really allowed to fully charge the Wind Bolt spell since the Jeweled Hornet struck her with its stinger. She completely missed the Wind Bolt target, which was the same Jeweled Hornet that stung her and hit a tree. ”I’ll help you kid, just have to get this bugger off of me,” Rhaya said, with a pained tone in her voice since the sting hurt.

She decided to take out her magical weapon and tried to strike at the Jeweled Hornet. She was a bit too focused on the pain of where the Jeweled Hornet stung her and hit the dirt and kinda had to sword stuck in the ground. ”Oh good lord, looks like I am not having a good day today. Though my mother always told me counterbalances always happen,” Rhaya said slightly annoyed with her weapon stuck in the ground.

She pulled as hard as she could and she was able to get her weapon unstuck out of the ground, it was quite not her day. She hoped her other companions would have a better time against these Jeweled Hornets. She moved her hand where the Jeweled hornet had stung her and moved her hand away and noticed blood on her hands. ”You are definitely going to die Jeweled Hornet when I get much more focused.” Rhaya said, annoyed and a bit angry at the Jeweled Hornet.

The conversations were sparse and most of them just was interested about the Bearon that was awaiting them at the Crystal Grove. Honestly, he didn't mind that their mind was on the right track. He could hear that Maybell was questioning how far away they need to go. He didn't exactly memorize the map in its entirety so he wondered as well. Though, he wasn't exactly going to complain even if it was far away. He was rather sure that this trip wasn't exactly going to be very short. At least the mission kept his mind out of certain things while he walked down the forest.

Then, they heard the piercing scream of a young boy. Francis immediately felt like he needed to do something and rushed forward. He saw Rhaya do the same thing. They went on to distract the Jeweled Hornets and they turned their attention to them. Francis took out his sabre when the Hornets turned to them. When one of the Hornets tried to stab him, he dodged the attack successfully and tried to pivot and strike the Hornet. Though, he magnificently missed and he clicked his tongue. Well, no use crying for spilled milk. He'd just have to do something else.

He pressed his hand against his sabre and chanted. "Ferrum Aceres." The blade glowed for a moment, hinting that the enchantment had been successfully planted. He then backed away for a moment, eyes darting at the boy who was cowering to the side. They needed to get him out of the fire of battle. But they'd have to deal with the Hornets as well. Francis shuffled backwards slowly, waiting for the Hornet's strike and what else his companions had planned on doing.

Equipment

• 0 Crux Gems
• Bag of Holding, Focal Crystal, and Chain Whip

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The group's conversation was instantly cut short by a piercing scream that rang through the area though none of them had time to guess where it came from or what was happening as a boy came sprinting out of the bushes, jewel hornets surrounding the poor fellow while the hornets continued trying to attack. Rhaya and Francis were the first to jump into action to defend the boy which had the attackers switch their attention to the two. It had not turned out favorably as Francis missed his initial attack but had come out free of damage, Rhaya, on the other hand, had been stabbed by one of the stingers. Astraea froze for a split second, panic creeping into her chest at the sight of being of Rhaya being hurt so suddenly when she had no time to even hope to protect her but she quickly shook it off to focus. Astraea's hand curled around her bladed whip as debated strengthening her allies with Miracle's Light but Archy was too close and the distance between herself and Valeo wasn't enough either. Archy quickly stepped up to the plate which drew her notice from her current thoughts just in case she needed to step in but for now, it looked like he was trying to help Francis by soaking the hornet to make its wings inoperable. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side so far as this attack missed as well and going directly over the intended target.

Francis was holding his own and she was close enough to help the younger ones but Rhaya was having a bit more trouble. The pain in the voice of the other as she tried to illude the hornet to assist Archy made her heart want to break from the sound. Astraea closed her eyes, feeling power tingle to the surface and build in her hands before waving her hand in Rhaya's direction. A ball of light shooting out, hovering above Rhaya before seeming to split while multiple lights in the shape of feathers floated down onto her and causing her to shimmer and sparkle with a bright barrier close to the skin. The intensity of Sanctuary's glow meant that Rhaya would receive no more damage at least for now and with that worry out of the way, Astraea drew her weapon out and defensively stood near the youngest of the group. The jeweled hornets had yet to head in their direction with their attention being attracted elsewhere and she wasn't about to draw it to them now if she could help it. She would keep on the defense and step in when needed or if there was a clear opening that could help with one of the members' attacks.