---

---

Overnight, a portion of the forest began to glow in a sickly shade of light blue. Glowing spiderwebs covered the trees and grass, and trapped against them were the skeletal remains of woodland creatures like deer and squirrels, even those of demihumans who were unlucky enough to cross paths with the Plaguemother. She had to devour as much as she could as she needed all the energy she could get in laying her eggs.

She sat on her large web atop the trees as large bulbs of silken eggs stuck against the branches around her. Her lair was covered in blankets of blue spider webs, and anyone foolish enough to touch even a strand of her glowing silk will be stuck and gradually weaken due to how poisonous it was.

She leaned forward to gently caress one of her babies and she could see it move erratically inside its egg. "My children, my pride and joy. You all put a smile on your mother's lovely face. Soon, you will be born unto this world and feast upon the living's warm, tender flesh. You will all move forth and destroy everything in your path to cover the entire world in a sea of blue webs."

As Hōshasen spoke, some of the eggs began to crack as plague spiders emerged from them. Their black chitin was covered in bright blue markings. Their front legs were turned into claws capable of grabbing their prey as they inject their paralyzing venom unto them using their large fangs. Their sizes ranged from rabbits to canines but they all had the same levels of hunger for meat as they all rushed out from their mother's nest into the world.

"Yes, yes... Yes! Go forth, my wonderful children. Kill everyone in sight! Kill in the name of Hōshasen, the Plaguemother!" She screeched as she laughed loudly and evilly, her children raining down from the treetops to crawl along the forest floor as some of them jumped from branches to branches. They didn't have any direction in mind, they just randomly went on their way in search of food.

All of those who were within the forests could hear the loud scuttling of spider legs as the plague spiders drew near them. They could be easily defeated by any means and their most proficient weakness was fire, although the heroes would have to think twice before they could accidentally light up the whole forest. They must be careful not to get bitten by these horrific creatures as one bite will be the end for them. Some of them began to approach the other groups and individuals within the forest but the majority of them were creeping up to the group of heroes closest to them which was composed of Malachi, Myra, Kyran, and Belladonna.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

The moth fairy had smirked at the idea of keeping watch with the elven woman, that she assumed he would sleep amongst them in the open where anyone of them could plant a dagger in his back or worse. Thus he departed from the group as soon as the first group went to sleep.

"Afraid my sleeping manners are too different from yours and thus I shall find my own refuge a distance from here. Fret not, I shall be able to hear anyone of you scream for aid. Would such be required." He said in a soft reassuring manner, followed by a chuckle.

He flew into the forest and began to use his plant manipulation to form a field of thorns and poisonous plants in his path before creating several 'cocoon' like covers from a few trees, so that his location would be harder to find. The various plants would emit their pollen and shield his presence decently enough he thought. After having drifted off into rest at his own little makeshift sanctuary the fairy awoke to the scent of of the flowers. It didn't take him long to form a small tree with juicy fruits to eat, after all he too had to eat and drink. The drink came in the form of sweet nectar from another plant. The breakfast was light, but then again so were he. He needed to be in order to make use of his flying and mobility. During his breakfast he pondered on the happenings of the day before, and how the fairy girl Risa had slipped out of his fingers and her whereabouts were unknown even to him. Had she been taken captive by Aklenroth's servants? Had her vulpine friend caught up with her? It no longer mattered, the girl had refused to go along with his plans.

'What a pity, little princess. I suppose I shall seize the throne by other means, I'll take back what your kind stole from mine. This group may indeed prove more useful than the last, the human male shows more promise than Elsea. The winter fairy is a thinker, a refreshing change. I do hope I won't see his companions again, unless they come in a lighter dressed up shape. The two elves however does not show as much promise. The woman is suspicious and one to carefully watch over. The male is even more a problem, he has for the most remained silent. It is the silent ones you've ought to watch out for, or those who are more drawn to you than you are to them.' He thought to himself as he got up to his feet and then jumped from tree to tree towards the area where his group had been the night before.

That's when he caught it in the air, a sweet smell. "Oh? What's this then?" He sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes looking about til he found the one emitting it. What he found was another winter fairy, which had stumbled upon the male one and the human. Or rather stumbled upon the ground so she was now muddy and messy. Yet even so she had fine looks which intrigued the moth fairy, and without wasting much time he jumped down to the ground in the vicinity of the pair, approaching the woman as she was lying on the ground.

"Good morning, my new associates..." He first uttered before continuing to speak.

"Well, well, what have we here then? A rose amidst the mud? I don't think a fine looking fairy such as yourself ought to be crawling in the mud. I think one ought to rather pick you up. I'm Elthrael." Elthrael said in a far softer tone of voice than he had used the night before, almost as if he was dipping his every word in honey. It didn't take him long to walk up to her and offer his hand down to her. "Ah, you must be hungry. I think I can provide you with something to take a bite out of. A few sweet fruits for such a sweet wintery rose. Though you might also require to clean yourself abit, fret not such can also be arranged." He offered a soft smile, his golden eyes setting on Zephyrine.

Terneus Andros

The walk in the night had been tiresome, even for someone as highly accomplished, esteemed and powerful as the ever so benevolent governor, Terneus Andros. He had turned around to look how far he had gotten several times, even if he possessed the ability to create light, it was not an ideal thing as he would be making himself a target. There was also no fancy pavillion, bed or carriage where he could drift off into sleep either, and sleeping on the ground was something only dogs did. Or other kind of beasts. The elven man felt how his back, his legs and pretty much his entire body ached, how could that port town to the north be so far away? It had seemed so close on the maps, and when he went around by his carriage.

The thought of having lost his carriage made him grit his teeth, and he felt the need to blame someone for it's destruction. It wasn't his fault for certain. The mothlike fairy? Commander Feldrin? His incapable disappointment of guards? There were many to blame for his ill fortune, it couldn't all be a test from the elder elven gods could it? Had they not already tormented his pride and honor enough as it were? To humiliate him in this manner, it was likely signs of much good fortune to come in the near future. All he had to do now was to hold on. Terneus could also feel how his throat was getting sore, he wanted some elven wine... and food. But there was no servant nearby to provide him with such, he should never have gone out of the city. 'It's all those idiotic beastfolks fault, they hogged all the food and let this happen to me.' He thought and wrinkled his face, to the point his injury reminded itself of it's presence.

'At least that damned commander Dreadclaw got what he deserved. Good riddance!' He mused. But it had been a filthy half-breed that had summoned the large demon. It was surely not one of King Aklenroth's servants, why would he surround himself with beings of lesser worth? A bird should be in a cage. Be it as something to look at, amuse yourself with or have in a prison. Or teach it to repeat your words, even if it's pronounciation is far from correct.

It was then, caught amidst his thoughts thinking of himself that the ever so humble governor saw salvation ahead. It took the form of a muddy pool of water. It was water... but it was tainted water. But he was thirsty... his throat was killing him about as much as the rest of his body. Upon closer inspection as he approached it he saw a squirrel come running towards the pool of muddy water.

"Oh no you don't! Scram! It's mine!" He screamed out and hurled himself forwards, slipping in the nearby mud, his once white attire being torn and no longer recognizable as white. The elf snarled at the squirrel which halted it's approach and ran back to a nearby tree and looked at him and chippered in an angry manner at the elf which now was stealing his water supply. The governor breathed heavily on all fours and looked at his own reflection in the muddy water, he had never looked as bad as he did now. The elf felt like crying, but crying were for commoners and not rich people like himself so he suppressed the feeling. He gave the muddy water another glance of a mixture of disgust and craving at the same time.

'Why? Why must you punish me so? Have I not been a rightful, kind and just man? What have I ever done to deserve this?' He momentarily looked to the sky, as if expecting mercy from the elven gods. His head soon fall back in a sense of hopelessness, throwing a glance at the squirrel still watching him. It felt him with new resolve, this little mammal had no right to drink this water. It was now his. The elf breathed out heavily, looking around to make sure he wasn't being watched by anyone else. Before he cupped his hands together and lifted the muddy water to his mouth and began to drink it, it didn't take him long to begin to cough. It tasted terrible, as if it would have been wine made by the demi-humans, or an orc. The coughing got more and more violent but then he set his eyes on the squirrel again, it was still watching him.

"It's good! Bet you want some of this you filthy fur ridden treerat?! Well you can't have any! It's mine!" He barked out and took another sip, he felt like throwing it back up but such actions were not befitting of a noble of his standing. The elven man finally got back to his feet, muddied and less gracious than before. But at least he was no longer thirsty. Thus he left the pool of water behind, to which the squirrel quickly and happily made over to and began to drink.

"Damn it all... " Terneus muttered, he was too weary to smite the squirrel for it's audacity. Too tired to care for it's theft of the muddy water. The governor knew he couldn't have that long left, he proceeded forwards and closer to the edge of the forest.

Myra was still a bit worried about Darius and Artemis. Even though Mathis said he would help her to find them she was still a bit worried. After everything that happened, who knows what could have happened to them? She could only hope they were safe since she simply couldn't go running around to try and find them for two reasons: Not only the amount of smells was too much for her to track them down properly but if she got separated from Mathis and her new friends and lost, things might get even harder for Myra. The fact that she would likely have to look for them on the town, a place she wasn't familiar with, was even worse for her. The fact that the yellow haired elf said that he didn't saw them made the idea of Myra going herself looking for them even more unlikely to succeed. Still, she wasn't alone. Mathis would help her to find them as he promised.

With the night getting darker, they needed to find a place for them to rest. When the yellow haired elf mentioned that the city was dangerous and saying he was going to go to the forest with the girl, Myra immediately looked to Mathis, nodding towards him, making it clear she agreed with the elf and that they should go to the forest as well. Not only she was going to be way more comfortable and calmer on the forest, she would also be able to get something for them to eat.

Myra got immediately a bit calmer once she found herself in an environment she knew and was accustomed with. Although she was fine sleeping almost anywhere, she still didn't completely trust the elf nor the girl. Even though they had indeed helped to heal her, they were still strangers for her. Unfortunately, even though her idea was to go to the forest but not together with the elf and the girl, it seemed Mathis had misunderstood her and they ended up going together, which didn't prevent her from keeping her eyes on the two while they looked for a spot to stay for the night. Even though it took some time for Myra to be able to sleep, especially due to being together with two strangers, after she finally fell asleep, Myra had some well deserved rest that night, especially after everything that happened, which definitely had exhausted her both physically and mentally. She did wake up a bit alarmed when she heard some movement around, but after realizing that it was the elf, whom seemed to not have slept that much, Myra laid down again after looking at him for a brief moment to continue resting.

When Myra finally woke up, the elf had already made a campfire and was making some food. After stretching herself, she walked over to Mathis to see if he was already up. If she found him awake, she would point towards her open mouth, in a clear sign meaning "food" and then to the forest. She wanted to go catch something for her to eat but she wanted to at least warn Mathis that she would be out for a moment in case he got worried.

After talking with Mathis, Myra dashed away inside the forest, disappearing in the blink of an eye due to both her speed and the fact that she was already used in moving herself in such places. After only a few minutes, Myra got back to the camp with an adult hare inside her mouth, carrying it to the camp. While it was but a 'bite sized' meal for Myra, it was already good enough for breakfast. Plus, she made sure to get the biggest rabbit she could see. Laying on the ground with her tail around her, Myra started to take off it's skin with her claws. Since she had no use for the fur, she simply shredded them to bits so she could reveal the meat underneath, taking a good bite out of it with her sharp teeth once it was done.

A few moments after she was finished eating though, Myra stood up abruptly, almost as if she had heard something. Looking around her in a rather alarmed manner, sniffing the air and sticking her tongue outside as she did so. To everyone watching, it was a clear sign that something was very wrong. A moment after that, the sounds began echoing through the woods, loud enough so everyone in the camp could hear it regardless if they had their senses as sharp as Myra or not. The terrible scuttling sound, approaching them made Myra look around and assume a threatening posture, hissing. Only a moment after that, spiders began appearing from the forest. Both their colors, how they looked and their dangerous appearance was something Myra never had seen before. She did know the danger that some animals in the forest could pose even to a predator such as her, like poisonous snakes and spiders. That said, it was clear for Myra that those spiders weren't something one would normally see in the forest.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Morning

LOCATION: Cave a mile from Roshmi

INTERACTIONS: @13org Myra, Malachi @princess, @PotterBelladonna.

O'Ner looked over towards Myra; moving closer towards her; “Are you feeling better my dear?” He asked. Once he had gotten her response he turned his attention towards the male and female. “I do not disagree with your statement; And if you would permit we would like to follow you”. He called for his horse who slowly made her way towards Myra and O’Ner; Climbing onto his horse waiting for Myra to be seated behind him; The two rode along with the male and female the four of them stopping inside of a cave.

The cave was quite damp and cold; although he could not feel it; it would be uncomfortable for Myra. Transforming a nearby rock into a sleeping bag for Myra; for himself he was fine sleeping on the ground. During the night he could not sleep; most nights he could not sleep so mostly he tended to his garden or read a book or two. He is so tired he wished to get a good night’s rest one day.

In the morning he made his way outside of the cave and towards the male demi human. Nodding his head towards him before turning northwest of the cave. Walking further away form them to collect some meat which he knew that Myra would be craving. So he hunted for some rabbits, something that would fill her hunger. Coming back towards their camp carrying two rabbits in hand; it was quite tough for him to take down the creature. He did not want to drain it’s life since it would not be very edible; instead he used his sword and magical arrows to kill the beast.

Setting down the rabbit before looking over at Myra who was sniffing the air; his sight caughting the approaching figures of the spiders. “Damn; everyone stay close” His staff turned into a bow.

---

A scowl came from the vulpine's face, his eyes shutting tight and his fist clenched tightly. The vulpine's wrath began to visibly show itself, marking a milestone in his descent into desperation. He wasn't angry at Ayita, nor was he even angry at Baraian anymore. It was not Torvi's fault either. All he could think about was how his life had gone to shambles - he had been destined for so much more than this. Kuroi had hit the wall with a hammer fist, baring his fangs as if he were a fox in the wild. As he had his episode, he was eventually snapped back into reality by one of the women that had been following him.

Letting out a sigh, he met eyes with her and nodded his head, "It seems to be the wisest choice...there is an entrance to the sewers not too far from here..."

He awaited responses from the other two but had already come to terms that they were barely able to speak after the ungodly trek they had committed to overnight. Kuroi closed his eyes and relaxed, wanting only a few minutes to recuperate himself. His hand relaxed against the wall, anger left him, and he soon found himself in his a safe headspace. "Let us...rest for a few minutes..." he mumbled out weakly. Kuroi had been through a lot these past few days. His life had taken a change for the worst, and many of the people that surrounded him now were people he was unsure he could truly call allies. Regardless of whether or not there was disproval from the only vocal human in the group, he needed at least a few minutes to rest himself, free of adrenaline and free of worry. It was his greatest wish at the moment.

To be able to relax and regenerate oneself before they encountered their next foe. After all, with everything that happened at the ball and a bounty on Kuroi's head, it was inevitable.

Cade found Cora’s request a bit strange; did she not know how to hunt at all or did she wish to learn how to hunt like a cat did? It seemed unlikely that a human could hunt like a cat, they lacked the teeth or claws for it, but he could always give her pointers on how to stalk one's prey. “I could try and give you some pointers, how do you normally hunt?” Cade asked nodding as he thought on the subject. “But it’s certainly not a burden, in case you haven’t noticed, I am built for it after all.” Cade said grinning as he flexed his claws for her to see. Even as he tried to lighten the mood, he could sense that she shared the same anxious energy he also felt. He watched the human as she tried to warm herself with fire, noticing how unlike few the humans he had met so far differed from the old stories he had heard of past humans in Avalia. These were not the grizzled heroes from stories who always knew exactly what to do to win, who could easily conquer any foe set before them. Instead they seemed so much more real, more like him, just trying to do what they could when facing impossible tasks.

“I imagine you have sacrificed a great deal to be here, to be taken from your own home, and to be in a strange place during its darkest time. The way I see it, Avalia herself chose the very best warriors of earth to come to her aid, and you, and those like you, answered that call. So to me, that makes you one of Avalia’s most honored guests, and any assistance I can provide is no burden, but an honor and a privilege. I am grateful that you are here, that you are willing to stand with us even while so many who call Avalia their home would rather turn a blind eye to everything that is wrong here. You showed great bravery last night, you should be very proud.” Cade spoke earnestly, doing his best to make sure that Cora knew that he could be trusted, that she was welcomed company, and to say the sort of things he would want to hear if their roles were reversed.

---

Bowyn, startled by the stumbling fairy who approached, jumped up from his spot near the campfire where he had been crotched as he tended to the cooking fish. Darius spoke first, though Bowyn would hardly agree that he had caught the stranger. It would seem picking up strays was becoming a habit of his, though he had to admit that thus far it hadn’t really turned out poorly for him. ”Sorry, I guess I should’ve been paying more attention, didn’t realize I was being followed.” He said to Darius. Bowyn made note of this, it was careless of him to not take extra steps to ensure he was alone before heading to the shared camp, and he was admittedly lucky that he’d been followed by a fairy and not some dark elf or demon.

He eyed the stranger with suspicion, although she did not seem outwardly threatening. Something about her was eerily familiar but it wasn’t until Elthrael spoke, referring to her as a ‘wintery rose’ did it click with him, what an odd twist to run into one of his own kind this far south. To say Bowyn had conflicted feelings in regards to his own people was an understatement but while he had no intention of ever setting foot in his home village seeing one of his own kind here was different. Even so far south of his village, he still felt that slight hint of shame as he stood before another winter fae. Shame that out of dozens who had made a small stand against the dark elves he had been the one to return home when all of them deserved that more than he did. But he also felt the sting of nostalgia for the good parts of his home, the better memories, and the parts of his village that he rarely allowed himself to miss.

“Well, since you were right about the demi-human last night, got any thoughts on this fairy?” Bowyn asked, turning towards Boreas.

“Kinda looks like you, smells a bit like you, so probably nothing but trouble.” Boreas answered as he noted the disheveled appearance of the winter fairy. He left the picked over remains of his breakfast and flew to Bowyn’s shoulder, and the merlin’s watchful eyes studied Zephyrin.

“Excellent news, the bird here approves of you, though he has a history of taking to mud covered fairies wandering around forests.” Bowyn said, now addressing Zephyrin, while also teasing Boreas. Bowyn glanced at the fish and back at Zephyrin, recalling his childhood, when sharing everything he had was second nature, even when what he had fell short of enough. “Feel free to join us for breakfast.” Bowyn said, extending a similar offer of hospitality as Eltheral had, and he gestured towards the fish and the campfire. He didn’t regard his own people as a threat, and it didn’t seem right to disregard the type of hospitality that was so common amongst his people.

With the decision made by the group to stay and rest a little, Ayita sat down against the wall for a moment. She was exhausted but there was still so much to do... Even after finding other humans, other people who also wanted to, or at least said they would, fight against Aklenroth, Ayita didn't feel like she could trust them that much. More importantly... She didn't know if they had what it takes to do what needs to be done.

Interrupting her thoughts, Kuroi's voice drew her attention once more as he stated that there was an entrance to the sewers not far from there. It was indeed the best alternative if they didn't want to draw any attention. Maybe not the most pleasant but the one they needed the most.

"It would be wise to... Although we can't sleep... Not yet... Stay awake." she replied, not just to Kuroi but to the rest of the group as well. It wasn't any secret that Ayita was also extremely exhausted and was struggling to keep herself awake as she sat down to rest for a few minutes and she knew how much the others might want to close their eyes and sleep.

"Conserve energy. We are all exhausted and every single bit of energy we can save might be the difference between life and death." she finished, talking in a low, slow voice, almost as if she was trying to move her mouth and vocal chords as little as possible.

Even though she didn't know if she could trust them completely, Ayita could relate to how the rest of the group probably was feeling. Sitting down and trying to relax, trying to rest and not being able to sleep despite how exhausted they were was akin to torture... But they didn't have many alternatives if they wanted to get out of the city and get somewhere safe.

Time:Morning
Location: Cave a mile from Roshmi
Interactions:@Potter


"No, no."Risa had replied in regard to Artemis's inquisition. "We're just not too far from Roshmi yet, I think it's best we keep moving and maybe stop in the River Kingdom tonight a moment before going to that port town. We could probably make quick haste if you take to the river and I take to the sky?" Risa wanted to change out of the gown and perhaps check on the state of the River Kingdom. Being that she could fly quicker than on foot and Artemis could swim, they could make it to the River Kingdom by tonight and still make it to the port town by the end of the following day.


Time: Evening --> Morning
Location: Roshmi Hall
Interactions:@Potter@Eviledd1984@13org


"Paid for them?"Malachi repeated to Belladonna and shook his head. "They're from a birds' nest. They seemed to be in just the right development for consumption." He was wary of all of the other two and ad been up quite early. He nodded back to the male and watched as he and the white creature had left. He consumed his eggs and gave some to Belladonna in the meantime. Once they had returned with rabbits, "Names?"He asked them. They wouldn't have much time to reply, however, for the sound of scuttling made him grab his bow and get to his feet. Giant spiders were emerging from the woods. "Oh disgusting."He grumbled and immediately strung an arrow to his bow. Imbuing it with light, he sent one straight for the closest one. The light briefly lit up the cave. He went to work immediately preparing his next.

---

---

Hōshasen has been in her nest, concentrating on laying more and more spider eggs while the rest of her babies that remained in the nest tended and protected them in case of an intruder who's dumb enough to attack them. She was so proud of seeing her babies hatch from their eggs and watching them go out to the world to feast upon warm, tender flesh while killing everyone in their path in her name. It took a lot of effort to lay her eggs but she knew it was all worth it.

One of her babies came scuttling back to the nest, making her surprised and worried upon seeing it. "What's the matter, my sweet?" She softly cooed at the spider, picking it up as she caressed it in her hands. The plague spider made a bunch of clicking noises and the Plaguemother's serene face was contorted into that of horror and anger. "They did WHAT?!" Her voice boomed throughout, causing the rest of the spiders to scuttle away in panic as the spider web that kept her den up at the trees shook.

"How dare... How dare they kill my precious children?! They will pay for this treachery with their lives!" She shouted angrily and pointed a finger out to the forest while ordering the rest of her children. "Kill them! Kill those who have mercilessly slaughtered your brothers and sisters! Make sure they will suffer for what they have done. And I..." The claws on her fingers got sharper and both her human and spider half bared their teeth. "I will eviscerate some of them myself."

As more and more plague spiders crawled out of their den, they've become much more aggressive than they were before. Their mouths were filled with poisonous froth and the heroes could see them better as the blue markings on their black exoskeletons were glowing now. Even the group of Malachi, Myra, Matthis, and Belladonna could see a faint blue glow from a distance further in the forest from where they were, and this glowing spot within the forest was indeed Hōshasen's den and the source of all the spiders. Will they be brave enough to challenge the Plaguemother and her horde of spiders before she completely took over the entire forest?

---

---

It was only after Zephyrin had taken a good look at his face that she was able to recognize him as a fellow winter fae. Despite being a total stranger, he had felt strangely familiar and she didn't understand why. Now it finally made sense why she had felt so drawn to him.

'I knew I didn't just follow him because of the fish..'

Zephyrin was about to explain herself when a tall, dark and handsome man showed himself. What had surprised her was not the water sphere dancing in his palm, but rather, what he was.

'A human..!'

Zephyrin had only heard of them from stories passed down. She was shocked and wondered if the tiresome journey had finally broken her and she was hallucinating. But after she shook her head and rubbed her eyes, the human had not disappeared.

After she regained her composure, she narrowed her eyes at the direction of his hand. He wasn't going to hurt her, was he? He only seemed wary of her presence, which was reasonable, but Zephyrin still took a slight offense. How could he suspect a beautiful winter fairy in distress? Perhaps it was due to her disheveled appearance, but her beauty could still be seen under all this filth. After a bath, she would look even more stunning.

"I-I am just lost." She explained, mainly directing it towards the human. Zephyrin had heard stories that humans were very powerful. She was afraid of saying something that might incite his anger. She had only just gained her freedom; she wasn't trying to lose her head now, so she swallowed her pride.

On a side note, how tall was this man? She had to crane her neck just to look at his face.

As if there hadn't been enough surprises for the day, a forest fairy had also sauntered in, offering Zephyrin a hand. He had hair as white as Zephyrin's, but what had really caught her attention were his piercing, golden eyes. They looked somewhat strange, yet fascinating. His gaze was sharp, as if he was dissecting your innermost being.

Zephrin took note of his sweet way with words and pegged him as a womanizer. She would reserve her fair judgement for later, but as it was, she could already tell he was a cunning sort. She would recognize that trait anywhere, because she was the same. That aside, Zephyrin was pleased by his chivalry. At least he didn't treat her with hostility.

More importantly, what was a winter fairy doing with a human and a forest fairy? Was it normal for races to intermingle with each other? Since Zephyrin grew up sheltered in her village, her knowledge of the outside world was very limited. She only knew that most races liked to keep to themselves, especially winter fairies.

It took her a couple moments to process the situation she had found herself in, and a few moments more to realize that she'd barely tried to move away from her position on the ground.

"Ah, thank you." Zephyrin took the fairy's outreached hand and got up from the ground, dusting her dress before dipping into a polite curtsey.

"My name is Zephyrin, it is a pleasure to meet all of you." She smiled and spoke in a soft tone. If she were to gain the trust of these men, she would have to play the role of a docile and well-behaved lady. She would have to conceal her.. not-so-pleasant qualities. Although Zephyrin found herself pleasant in all aspects, plenty of people back in the village thought of her as a spoiled troublemaker. In Zephyrin's defense, they were all just too uptight for her free-spirited nature.

With a smile on her face, Zephyrin accepted the offer of joining them for breakfast. She immediately took one of the speared fishes, as if she was afraid the winter fairy would change his mind and say there wasn't enough for all of them to eat. There was no hesitation as Zephyrin took a big bite. As she chewed on it, she glanced at the three men, then at the merlin who was studying her. They really were an odd group.

As a thought passed Zephyrin's mind, she slowly moved closer to the winter fairy and swallowed her food before leaning in and whispering, "You're not being held captive, are you? Are they going to sell you in the black market? I can't fight, but my wings are pretty fast. We can make a run for it. Just give me a sign!" Moving away, Zephyrin flashed him a cheeky grin before returning her attention to her fish and devouring what was left of it.

---

Kuroi gave a slight nod in response to Ayita's words. He was currently doing his best to not collapse into slumber right now. He forced himself to wag his tail around, no matter how difficult it felt at the moment, he needed to concentrate on not falling asleep. After a grueling five minutes, the vulpine slowly opened his eyes, looking around in absolute exhaustion. "We...we should really get going..." he says softly.

It was audible in his voice - Kuroi, like everyone else, was tired of running. The idea of just collapsing regardless of repercussions was so enticing right now. Kuroi, however, knew best and forced himself to stand up, letting out a weak exhale. "This way to the sewers..." he mumbled under his breath, starting to lead the group back into the slums, hoping that a second wind would give him the energy he needed soon. "Perhaps...as unsanitary as it sounds...we can actually rest once we're in the sewers..." He croaked out before covering his mouth with his arm. Letting out a few dry coughs, he began to follow the road in order to encounter the manhole cover off to the side of the road. Secretly, he couldn't remember precisely where it was. Escaping alongside Baraian was more important than memorizing Roshmi's manhole cover locations. He could only pray silently in hopes he would find the entrance they needed.

...

After about an hour of searching, Kuroi sighed in relief, collapsing onto his knees as he stared down at the manhole cover. Weakly, he wrapped his fingers around it and threw it aside, having lost all care in the world if anyone saw them. If they were to be pursued, it would be under the guise of darkness where he had the advantage (despite his fatigued state). "...The gate is in the direction where we came from...so now we'll be backtracking through the sewers..." He said before slowly crawling into the gods-forsaken hole. Grabbing onto the ladder, he began to descend into the sewers, hoping he wouldn't lose his sense of smell after this horrendous journey.

Myra had learned a lot of things while living in the wilds by herself and among them, she knew that despite the fact that she probably could hunt or flee from anything in the forest, there were some animals that even her should be wary of. As experience showed her, bright colored insects and animals were, in the majority of times, very venomous. Even though she had never seen those strange spiders before, their appearance almost screamed to her that they too were incredibly dangerous due to that very fact.

Myra watched as the male elf used his bow to take out some of the spiders and as Mathis turned his staff into a bow. Those would be really helpful, since she really didn't want to try her luck and go near those creatures to attack them with her claws. She didn't know, after all, if the spiders were just venomous or if their skin or blood was also dangerous. Not only that but the amount of spiders that appeared, one after another made it clear that if they moved carelessly, they would be completely cornered and overwhelmed by them.

Myra was hissing towards the spiders, giving a few steps back while she did so. Stopping for a moment, she looked to Mathis and the rest of the group, pointing towards the exit of the cave with an urgent expression before returning hissing and trying to intimidate the spiders again. They needed to get out of there and run, lest they wanted to be overwhelmed by the spiders. Unfortunately for them, their situation was about to get much worse, as the spiders suddenly became more aggressive, glowing brighter and with even more venom coming out of their fangs. Now that the spiders were glowing brighter, it became even more obvious that they needed to run. Looking towards the forest, the group would easily be able to see even more spiders approaching and a stronger glow in the distance, what probably was the place where the spiders were coming from.

Judging that staying there would be too dangerous, Myra grabbed Mathis' hand and began pulling him towards the exit, searching for a path that would avoid the spiders and lead them to safety. Myra looked towards the group as well, pointing and signaling that they should also run.




While Ayita would be vehemently against the idea of going into the sewers at any other occasion, she knew better than to complain at that moment. No matter the smell or the filth that they would have to face, the sewers were indeed the safest place at the moment, somewhere they may be able to rest a bit better and it was evident that if they didn't rest soon, they would risk simply fainting out of exhaustion.

Even though the few minutes they had spent there could hardly be called 'resting', being closer to a torture, it still helped them to conserve some energy. As Kuroi stood up, Ayita nodded, agreeing with him as he said that they should start searching for the sewers. It did take a while, but thanks to Kuroi knowing well the city, they finally found a place that was connected to the sewers. Just as Kuroi had said as he grabbed the manhole cover, they would be backtracking the very way they came from inside the sewers, which would hopefully take them outside.

"I just hope we won't... collapse due to the exhaustion before we're outside..." Ayita said, fighting the exhaustion and forcing herself to climb down the ladder to the sewer. The only good thing in all that was that she was so exhausted that the foul smell coming from the sewer was the least of her problems and ignoring it wouldn't be that much of a task... Trying to stay awake and fighting the exhaustion though was another story...

Zephyrin's claim of being lost in the woods softened Darius' expression. He knew how it felt to be unfamiliar with the wilderness while it encroached itself around you. His first week on Avalia was spent trekking the wilds with a nomadic orc and a forest-dwelling demon. Without them, he might have ended up looking as troubled as the stranger before him. Myra… and Skar.

The water in Darius' hand dissipated the more the group interacted with the mysterious fae woman. Elthrael was a lot more welcoming to this woman than what Darius witnessed previously with the others. He nearly smirked at the interaction between the two fae.

Just swooping in to be her superman, huh? Darius wouldn't knock this guy's game, but he was sure there was someone else who might if they took the chance at it. Kenia came to mind, but judging by how she looked this morning, it might be best to leave her be. Vaeril or Aklenroth kept to himself. Part of Darius wondered what the Lich King's next action would be. Would he really wait to get to their destination, where his enemies would convene? Maybe Darius wouldn't need to do anything after all. His eyes then landed back on the female winter fae.

Another bystander that might become collateral…

He grabbed a speared fish for himself while the others seemed to take in the lost woman. He simply shot Zephyrin a kind and apologetic smile as his way of assuring he was no longer hostile to her.

"I'm Darius." He kept his introduction short before he moved around the firepit and took a seat on the ground. He had put a bit of space between himself and the faeries. Zephyrin seemed to warm up to Bowyn and Elthrael a bit more anyway, especially since his first impression was a not so friendly.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Morning

LOCATION: Forest a mile from Roshmi

INTERACTIONS: @13org Myra, Malachi @princess, @PotterBelladonna. @baraquiel Hōshasen: The Plaguemother

O'Ner fired a few shoots at the spiders coming toward the group; he was worried about the many numbers of spiders coming towards. Noticing that Myra was pulling on his hand; indicating them to leave the forest. “I think leaving would be the best course of action; let us make haste before we become their breakfast” He whistled for his horse. Tulip came running towards the two of them; standing beside O’Ner. Lifting Myra onto his horse and straddling his stead; "Do you have a horse? If so then it would be wise to follow me” He was addressing the male and female of group. Perhaps he should give their names before heading off so they could try to reach each other if separated.

“My name is Mathis, and this is Myra” He said pointing to the feral woman behind him; “If we are somehow separated then i will try to contact you. For the time being we should stay together” When the lich stopped addressing the others; he turned his horse away from the spiders. He was not sure if the male and female had horses to ride away; but he would try his best to ride at a steady pace.

And he was getting more worried that he would have to use his life draining magic; but that would be a last resort. He was worried he would be caught if used this kind of magic in front of the others. Ruining his disguise and being captured was not on his to do list. O’Ner started riding his horse towards the nearest village so that Myra was safe.

Time: Morning
Location: Forest near Roshmi
Interactions:@Potter@Eviledd1984@13org


Malachi gritted his teeth as the situation seemed to worsen. The spiders had begun to glow brighter and multiply in number. He analyzed the situation quickly, his gaze zeroing in on the froth in their mouth, the blue glow, and then moving quickly over to fixate on the faint glow of blue coming from the distance. Mathis introduced himself and the creature as Myra, suggested they stay together then took off on his horse, expecting them to follow.

Normally, Malachi would agree. Why risk their lives when they could just leave the situation? But Malachi could not leave here in good faith, not when Kenia, Rei, and Corvina were in this same forest as well as other humans. Furthermore, the mother of these spiders was probably a formidable enemy that needed to be vanquished. He also figured he could find out how much Belladonna knew and push her boundaries with this task, as fighting Aklenroth would be much more difficult.

"Right then. Belladonna, it's just you and me. "Malachi had a feeling this girl had heart and would not be walking away from the battle either. He strung another arrow into his bow and began delivering blows to the closest spiders, increasing in speed as he focused. "The foul bubbling in their mouths is possibly poisonous. Don't let them get near you. Let's see how much you were taught. There's a much worse enemy behind these little ones so do not waste all your stamina."

---

"Better we collapse here than anywhere else...although I think the stench will be what keep us awake through this horrible endeavor..." croaked out Kuroi, gritting his teeth as he looked around, covering his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his kimono. It smelled absolutely horrendous to him. He didn't even want to talk as the stench affected him more than it did anyone else - curse his good sense of smell! On many occasions, the vulpine could be seen trembling and having shaky legs. The smell was getting to him far more than it was anyone else. It got so bad to the point where he collapsed on his knees, wincing in what seemed to be like pain to him. His ears and tail had become entirely stiff as he began to retch out, hoping to get the horrible smell out of his system via some miracle.

His current state of being combined with dehydration ended up being awful to him, he wasn't even sure if he could keep going. He couldn't speak anymore without inhaling that gods awful stench, and it was becoming troubling to stand back up onto his feet. It took almost all of his willpower (and the help of the wall) to pull himself back up, allowing him to continue the journey at a snail's pace.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

"Oh pleasure is all mine~." The forest fairy had replied when Zephyrin had introduced herself. The presence of the male winter fairy so far south was an uncommon thing, but to encounter yet another one and a female at that so soon after was even more a rarity. While Elthrael had considered that they could had been servants of the lich king, it was no use dwelling on such possibilities. If they would turn out to be such later, then he would deal with it as he did most other things. Like his old mentor had taught him. He had to remain flexible and able to adapt to his surroundings. Of those in the company, the most suspicious was the male elf who kept to himself still. The female elf not as much, she was too aggressive. Or at least that's how he viewed her. It was the silent types which generally had things to hide, after all the less you speak the smaller the chance of you saying something that could arouse suspicion.

Elthrael had nodded in agreement to Bowyn's invitation to join them to eat, overall the male winter fairy was the least suspicious of the bunch, with his merlin companion sitting on him. Would the moth fairy not have had access to his plant magic, this merlin might have very well been dinner. Though it appeared as the pair was quite inseparable. The fish having been caught was not of interest to him however, after all he didn't know if they had been poisoned. To allow himself to fall prey to such a thing was out of question, to offer others a piece of food however or take some from his own grown plants was far more appealing. As they sat and ate by the campfire, the girl had begun to move closer to Bowyn. Were she feeling cold? The moth fairy allowed a very soft chuckle to exit his lips as he moved closer towards the girl as she gradually made her way over towards Bowyn.

"Enjoying the little swimmers are you? Yet whilst such be good and all, one ought to not forget to have something sweet aswell." Elthrael said in a soft tone, followed by a wink as he watched the girl eating up her fish swiftly. It didn't take him long to lift up his both hands in front of himself, twirling them in slow motions and forming a single capsule, or rather a seed inbetween two of his fingers. The moth fairy held it out towards Zephyrin to have her look at it.

"Everything begins with a seed, yet with enough time, warmth and care it slowly begins to grow..." He softly continued, as his magics began to open the seed and create a tangling vine, which began to gradually spread more vines and flowers would begin to decorate it. The moth fairy allowed the vines to dig into the ground, then the creation began to take the shape of a small tree with green apples on it. The fairy ceased his channeling momentarily, reaching out and unhinging one of the green small apples, placing it into one of his hands before resuming his magic to cause it to grow in size and colour. Becoming a very tasty looking red apple.

"...until it reaches it's peak." The moth fairy held out the red apple towards Zephyrin, while his other hand swiftly created a red rose. "Yet like everything else, it someday will also become one with the earth again. The natural cycle of things." He softly smiled and formed his mouth into a 'O' shape, blowing the rose petals from the rose, causing them to fly up into the hot air created by the campfire before raining down.

"Yet a red rose, does not have the clarity of a pure white one. Nor the rarity, as a diamond amidst the coal or the moon in the starry sky." He softly murmured as he began to regrow the top of the rose-stalk and making it into a white rose. The fairy soon after snapped the stalk and reached out to try place the rose in Zephyrin's hair.

"Life may be sweet and juicy just like these apples, yet it may also be rotten and barren. What decides it? Your choices does. There is an old saying, that if one were to eat the gift of the gods, a gift like this one, one could someday become just like the gods themselves. Powerful, wise and all-knowing. Perhaps this is nothing but an old humantale, told to us faekind as a lullaby. Yet curious nontheless don't you think? People ought to pay more respect to fairytales overall. Especially those of the olden days..." He set his golden eyes directly towards Zephyrin's ruby eyes, his smile soft and beckoning.

Cade stared deep into the crackling fire as he thought about Cora’s question on what had made him join the rebellion. From the moment he lost his brother becoming a part of the rebellion had felt less like a choice and more like the only path he could imagine being on, the only thing that felt right. It wasn’t something he’d ever had to put into words, those in Avalia that felt the same never needed such a thing explained. He wondered what his world must look like to Cora, to see so immediately all the darkest parts of Avalia, all the evil the lich brought so up front and to experience the apathy of so many in Roshmi to it all. To think that doing the right thing seemed an extraordinary thing when to Cade it was the only thing when faced with true evil.

“For a long time I did not give much thought to rebellion, it has, of course always been whispered about here and there, but I was young and selfish. The lich and his evil never really seemed to have a big effect on my life but my brother saw things differently. Shadow was always the brave one, the one who stood up for the right thing, and that got him killed. It wasn’t until the lich’s rule really affected me that I was able to see it clearly for how evil it is. Avalia is my home, the evil that reigns here, it touches and corrupts everything. I have to fight, both to honor what my brother stood for, and died for, and because to know what is happening and to do nothing would make me no better than those who serve the lich. I have seen the pain his rule has caused so many people, sometimes I think I can even feel it in the ground beneath my feet. So, even when faced with sights as terrifying as a dracolich or the demon from last night I feel it in my blood that this fight is worth it, this is something that is even worth my life.” Cade spoke in a tone much softer than usual, taking great care in his choice of words, and trusting the human with his complete honesty.

After he spoke Cade realized just how little thought he had given to the likelihood that this rebellion truly could result in his death. He wondered if it was strange that the possibility of death held no sway on how he felt. Even the thought that it might be for naught, that they could very well fail didn’t hold any weight to pull him for this path, there was only the sense that if he can do something to make this world better than he must. He thought about this as he removed the cooked meat from the fire for him and the two humans to eat. Cade wondered if something was wrong with him, fear of death was natural, but it wasn’t as if he had ever lived with great thought towards the future.

“Do you think it makes me sound crazy? That I’m not even afraid to die for this? I mean I don’t want to but thinking about it, that I might, I just feel strangely like that would be alright.” Cade asked Cora. He realized his question was probably too morbid, it wasn’t like he was the one with a large bounty on his head, and bringing up the subject of death with the human was not the best way to start the morning. Cade fidgeted uncomfortably and shook his head. He spoke again before Cora had any time to answer his question. "Nevermind, that is poor breakfast conversation, my apologies. Tell me more about Earth, the other human I met shared marvelous stories from her tribe. Earth sounds like a fascinating place. Cade smiled as he changed the subject quickly, hoping to turn the conversation towards a lighter topic. They had a long journey after breakfast and he didn’t want to put the group into a somber mood.