Time: Morning
Location: Forest
Interaction: @FunnyGuy Darius @Helo Bowyn @Alivefalling “Vaeril” @Dezuel Elthrael @HowlsOfWinter Zephyrin

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The conversation between Bowyn and Elthrael spoke enough volumes to the idea that he felt the same distrust of the fairy that Kenia was feeling. Bowyn voiced Kenia’s very concerns about not knowing where Elthrael’s intentions lied. Vaeril was ahead of them, voicing that he’d like to be left behind. Considering Kenia did not trust him much either, this was positive news. Darius seemed aligned with the drunken man, so she supposed he’d join him. She didn't even acknowledge the elven man any more than a wave to show she had no qualms leaving him behind. She decided remaining with the two fairies of grey intentions would be a waste of time.


Bowyn’s words of revenge against Aklenroth seemed to come out of sincerity and Kenia trusted him. She turned to him, whispering to him to suggest a plan and hoped he'd be okay going along with her. She knew others would likely be suspicious, but she truly didn't care. This group was a disaster and it was time to fix that.

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Elsea had to keep her wits about her. Whoever was messing with them could easily turn them on each other and she surely didn't want that. It seemed like that's what he was trying to do too, as Cade appeared once more with that gleeful grin. She didn't attack, though, as she had to be sure it wasn't a trick. Before she could say anything, however, the gleeful grin vanished and she soon realized they were surrounded by fire. This wasn't her doing, she thought as she quickly looked at her small bit of flames and extinguished them. She then looked back at Cade as he spoke. Was this still an illusion or was this real? She debated for a moment on what to do, but then made a decision. "I believe you Cade." Was this the truth? Not entirely, no. As Umber had pointed out, Elsea didn't truly trust anyone, but until she knew whether or not this was an illusion she'd at very least go along with helping those she'd allied herself with and that required her believing her allies words for now. She'd keep alert, however, just to be safe.

She then turned back to the flames as Cade asked if it was in her powers to help get the fire under control. She saw Cora still fighting whatever demon she saw and sighed before reaching out with her power. She could feel the difference between Cora's flames, something she could not control, and the flames that had spread from the woman's magic and weren't being controlled by anyone. Those were the ones she reached out to and tried to get under control. They were like a bunch of toddlers running around, not wanting to take their naps. It took some focus and quite a bit of energy, but Elsea did eventually wrangle in the flames and put them out. "I've put out what I could take control of and I'm doing my best to keep them at bay, but we need to snap her out of this and get her to put out the rest of the flames." She said as she glanced back at Cade briefly, but then she began to move. She headed straight for Corvina, walking through her fire and tymrying to focus on keeping her clothes from burning. Some still got singed, but at least she still was clothed.

"Cora! You need to snap out of it! Something is playing with your mind, there's nothing there! You need to put your fire out otherwise you're going to burn down the whole forest and alert others to our location!" She slowly moved closer and closer to the girl until she was close enough to touch her. "Please Cora. Whatever it is can't hurt you anymore. I'm here with you and so is Cade, we'll help protect you." Her words were gentle and kind as she slowly reached out and touched Cora's shoulder, preparing for the worst.

Darius has listened quietly as the arguments between Elthrael and Keni continued, but then Bowyn was drawn into the bickering as well. Back and forth. This and that. The shared goal of the group was being muddied by their varying motives and goals.

He sighed. It was better than speaking up and adding more fuel to the fire… They were at best, a dysfunctional ragtag group. If this was what the rebellion amounted to then Darius was right not to pick their side. Aklenroth was the tyrant of this story, but at least he was not doomed to fail. If Darius was going to risk his life to help the rest of his kind, then it was only natural he pick the winning side. Avalia was not his world, so he wouldn't meddle where did not need to.

Destroy the DROMs and this will all be a dream…I just have to deal with these guys being assholes to each other. Oh… lucky me.

When Aklenroth feigned weakness and leaned against a tree, Darius grunted and shook his head at him, at least until he presented the choice of sticking with him or leaving him behind. Darius pondered the decision presented all the while observing his current company. He watched Kenia pass with an unnecessary wave. He frowned. Why?! Why are elves assholes? He then watched as she whispered to Bowyn. At least those two got along, but it wasn't enough.

Next, he glared up at Elthrael who had something in his sights before looking to Zephyrin who was pointing at smoke in the distance.

"I'll stay here. Vaeril and I will meet you all at the port or whatever… Might even beat you there if he sobers up. Right Vaeril?" Darius crossed his arms at his chest with the mournwine bottle still in hand. His eyes now on the smoke billowing into the sky from what he guessed was a fire in the distance. Friend, foe, or natural occurrence, he held no fear of it. Only curiosity.

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

"What I want? Haven't you listened, my vengeful friend?" He mused softly his mouth forming a slight grin, then he slid down closer towards Bowyn, almost as if trying to circle around him. Then the moth fairy lowered his voice and leaned in slightly.

"Names matter not as much as the actions one take, to advance oneself in the world is a natural thing which all living beings do since birth. Would you think me an exception to that? Hahah... ahh... but what would I sacrifice in the name of rebellion? The least for the best effect." He smirked as he flew back abit.

"There's more in my words than mere letters. Ahh, a pity the dear little 'princess' didn't heed my words neither, or she might not had been taken by that servant of the lich. Oops... the princess is out of the bag! I forgot to mention that part... Not that such a thing is going to discourage you from continuing along the path now hm? Have more faith in oneself than others, that way you are less likely to be disappointed." He added and set his eyes on the others in the group wandering over them with his eyes.

Zephyrin had spoken up, having said that the rebellion didn't matter to her, yet at the same time she craved adventure. Her words were not adding up. For what greater adventure would there be in attempting to dethrone a king? The matter in question wasn't simply a thing that was irrelevant to anyone present, the outcome of the rebellion would shape Avalia for times to come.

The winter fairy girl was hiding her true feelings. Were she an opportunist seeking to gain a thing or two along the way? To Elthrael it didn't matter, what did matter was that he would find the tool necessary to kill the lich and hone that tool well. Only after the lich would be dealt with her could seize control over the fairy kingdoms. It was imperative that the fairies would be kept out of the rebellion as much as possible so that the takeover after the lich would be a powerful and swift move. Once the king would have no place left to run. Elthrael knew he had to return to the river fairy kingdom, or at the very least the flower fairy ones.

Though such matters were for a later time, for where they now where, there were still various conditions which had to be met. Would the key to end the war be lost or simply insufficient, it would be pointless to fight the lich. It wasn't that he doubted in his own ability to do battle, but in the past many had fought the lich king and died trying to stop him. To simply face the lich face to face was not a wise action, if at all it had to be done on his terms. The winter fairy, Zephyrin began to point out to the sky about something in the distance, and Elthrael had already caught whiff of the scent. Fire. Something was burning in the distance. A forest fire? A campfire? It could be many things. Yet to not inspect it would be folly, yet diving in too deep would be even more so.

"Indeed... we are not alone. Do excuse me... I have a key to find. Catch you folks later~." Elthrael made a half-efforted bowing motion in the air, before he darted away quickly through the air in the direction of the scent, making sure to also keep an eye over his shoulder in case someone would follow or attack him. To animals, the scent of fire could be caught from far away, his own senses were impressive aswell. As he began to get closer he caught whiff of another familiar smell which caused his eyes to narrow slightly.

'It better not be...'

Bowyn found Vaeril’s request to be left behind worrying. He didn’t trust the wealthy noble elf who had hosted a ball, an event so full of excess and waste while so many in Roshmi struggled and starved. An event marked by slaughter. The elf had power, he had fought with them at the inn and so Bowyn had accepted that keeping an eye on him and allowing him to be useful seemed fine, but leaving him behind, with every opportunity to betray them, that was a risk. It was believable that he was just a soft noble unable to truly hold his drink and unused to things like hard work and dangerous travels but a man like that was just as likely to betray them as someone with more devious motives. As much as he didn’t care for that amount of uncertainty he simply shrugged and left the elf behind. There was nothing he could do about that potential threat, his magic was more than likely far stronger than Bowyn’s and even if wasn’t, to attack someone on mere suspicion was not something he wanted to do.

Zephyrin meanwhile stuck with her claim that she only cared about an adventure. He knew what life was like in the winter village, and for those whose every day wasn’t a constant struggle for survival, it was comfortable and dull. Anyone who wanted an adventure badly enough to go this far south, risking abduction, traveling alone, was willing to take great risk. She had potential, but lacked the motives for joining the rebellion, and that was disappointing. Kenia, the only one in the group he had any trust in, whispered something to him and Bowyn simply nodded with agreement. As a whole this group was a disaster, and he missed the assurance he had when with his previous human friends, that feeling of being among friends, with people he could trust.

Darius had chosen to stay behind with Vaeril. He could guess as to why, perhaps they really were friends, or maybe the human wanted to stick to whoever had wealth and power to make his time in Avalia more bearable. It didn’t really matter, Darius seemed comfortable enough with his magic that he could take care of himself, and he was free to make whatever choices he wanted. Ethereal made more cryptic statements that meant little to Bowyn, and then the forest fairy took off. His statement of putting one’s faith in one’s self and not in others, that had Bowyn’s way of thinking for a long time. That motto did the job, prolonged survival sure, but more recently he had put faith in Torvi and then in Belle. Neither had let him down, they had his back, and ultimately that time had been better spent, offered more reward than just survival. Bowyn now found it better to simply carefully pick who he put his faith in, the question was, would he be willing to put some of that faith in Kenia? And what about Zephyrin, could he convince someone of the worth of cause he had only just accepted. Or more accurately reaccepted, because he had believed in it before it was so deeply personal, back when he still felt a sense of connection and community in his village.

“You don’t care about rebellion? What about the winter fae stolen and sold into slavery on the black market? The Dark Elves and their reign of torment and slaughter? The destruction of forests, the rising tides of poverty and suffering? How does all that sit with you Zephyrin? All of it caused by the lich, fueled by him. Ours is not an adventure for tourists, that smoke, likely Aklenroth’s forces burning the forests just on the chance he might kill some of us. Destruction and murder just to keep us all subjugated.” Bowyn said as he glanced up at the dark smoke that the other fairies had also noticed. ”If you’re looking for something easy, you are probably better off following the moth than with us.” He added.

”That smoke is pretty close, I think we need to pick up the pace and put as much distance between us and it.” Bowyn added, turning his attention back to Kenia. With most of the group gone it did occur to him that he and Boreas alone could cover more ground in the air than on ground. Begrudgingly, he decided he didn’t want to spend his time alone though. Maybe Kenia was worth the risk, she didn’t seem too bad for an elf, and maybe she wasn’t but the only way he’d know for sure was to stick around and find out. An even worse realization was that the large bag of alcohol he had been carrying would most certainly slow him down if he wanted to get far away from whatever was burning in the forest. With a heavy sigh Bowyn lightened the bag, dumping out the bottles and keeping only a couple of the stronger ones to carry with him and leaving the rest by a tree.

”Thank you.” Cade said to Elsea relieved that she both believed him and quelled much of the destruction the fire was causing to the forest. He retrieved his halberd from the entrance of the cave before following close behind Elsea, approaching Cora with caution. Whatever the magic was that had affected all of them, was certainly more potent against Cora. Elsea got much closer to Cora than he did. Cade hung back from the fire and watched as Elsea spoke calmly to her. Cade was sure he would’ve been that calm, and while he knew he wasn’t going to attack the human, he didn’t want to say anything in anger that he would regret later. He saw no sign of whatever had cast the enchantment on them, but large amounts of smoke billowed from their location, surely alerting anyone nearby that someone was in the area.

He watched, only slightly satisfied, as Cora put out the fires she had unleashed on the forest. He noted that she paused, seemingly taking in what she had done and he hoped that the human had at the very least realized the gravity of her actions, her loss of control. Then Cade approached the two humans, he saw enough of Cora to tell that she was upset, troubled by whatever the magic had made her see, but did not address her directly or even maintain any sort of eye contact. To say anything now would only further drive a wedge within the group, she was upset, and he didn’t want to make it worse. He didn’t trust his control over his own temper enough to talk to her, he was still shaken by what he had seen that was not true and by what he had seen Cora do.

“I saw, or I thought I saw Ayita slain by something that whoever did this had conjured up. Do you think that was false as well?” Cade asked, looking at Elsea, his voice hopeful. No matter her answer he wasn’t entirely sure he would believe it all fake unless he saw Ayita again at the port town. It had all been so real, not only in sight but in sound and smell as well. All too unnerving, but he could at least hope that wasn’t the truth, at least enough that the thought wouldn’t haunt him for the entire journey. He wanted to go back and check, to see if the body was still there pinned to a tree, but there was no time for that. Their location was compromised and they had to leave now. ”We’ve wasted enough time, let’s get going.” He added looking towards the distance, and still keeping from making any direct eye contact with Cora, at least until some time had passed.

Time: Afternoon
Location: Near the coast
Interactions: @13org@Helo@Potter@Eviledd1984


Malachi followed the interaction between the dark elf and Belladonna as he offered her food. His eyebrows furrowed, untrusting of the elf, but he relaxed watching the dark elf eat it first. It was strange to meet a dark elf, but not completely impossible to meet a dark elf that wasn't hostile. He had met a few reasonable ones here and there but he still couldn't find it in himself to be completely relaxed around them. Raised to be vengeful against light elves and with powers that were rumored to be from a source of dark intentions, it was practically considered foolish to trust dark elves. This male was generous and unthreatening, which of course could all be a clever trick. Belladonna seemed more nervous than he was about all of them, but ended up gratefully accepting the food from the dark elf.

Myra pointed them in the direction of the sea and he gave her a small smile in gratitude and a nod. She seemed happy about going to the coast. Her companion didn't speak much. His intentions and the dark elf's were awfully unknown to him and it would be foolish to bring them to the port. However, he decided to move for some time before addressing them to make sure they had come alone.

Malachi side-eyed Belladonna as he felt a tap on the bow on his back. She was looking at him with raised eyebrows while throwing a glance from the bow to the others. He supposed she was distrusting of the others and wanted the bow. Using her ability in the event of danger in front of the others would be foolish without knowing their intentions. He was confident he could throw it to her in time if she needed it and thought it would sully his next move, putting everyone on edge if he were to suddenly give Belladonna a weapon, especially considering he didn't know for sure what she wanted with it. For all he knew, she could turn and shoot one of them. It wasn't like he knew her well.
They would probably tense up sensing that she had asked for a weapon. The more relaxed they were, the more relaxed the others would be.

His gaze moved back forward and disregarded Belladonna as if she had done nothing. He led them forward until the sound of crashing waves reached their ears and the smell of salt reached their noses. The path had come to a break towards a sandy area, however, it was blocked by bushes. He held apart some bushes and moved through, then held the shrubbery apart for everyone to go through. Turning to face forward, they faced a blue horizon as the sun rose to the top of the sky, reflecting against the ocean in their view.

Malachi turned to face the group suddenly, asking without hesitation or falter in his blank expression, "With who does your allegiance lie?" The question would be quite out of nowhere and sudden, possibly surprising them. He was carefully reading their reactions. His voice was neutral yet stern. He did not want to move further without this information and was keen on getting it. "Answer carefully and honestly. Your answer will not endanger you."

Time:Evening
Location:The Pretty Flower


The winged female who had helped Risa had told her she'd hold onto the favor of repayment until the time arose she needed it, to which Risa had smiled weakly and gratefully accepted that deal. Her smile fell as she was left at the backstep of the Pretty Flower. She knocked on the door as she slid down onto the floor. The door creaked open as the crickets chirped in the night.

Vereon knelt down with a gasp of horror. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and sat her down on the couch, murmuring words of comfort with panic. He told her to wait as he went down into the bar to fetch a healer. He came back with two females who went to work healing Risa, kneeling at her side and stroking her hair.

He didn't ask what happened for whatever reason. Once the fairies had finished their job and departed, he sat by her side silently.

Risa had felt intense grief for a while now and she didn't want to. So much was at stake: her friends, her family, the nation, and now her brother. She did not have time to take in this new trauma on top of losing Dionaea. She had to just keep moving. But how would she do it feeling like this? Her eyes were brimming with tears and her body shaking, but she made no noise. After a moment, she looked at Vereon, "I need to drink."

He stared at her and shook his head, "Risa. That's not such a-"

"No. I am going to drink. Your shift ended right and Ashera's bartending?" She already felt a bit numbed out but she wanted to feel nothing. Then maybe she could sort this all out in her mind without wanting to break. It'd be so easy. So much had happened so fast and she was not very old at all, but she couldn't. She wouldn't.

Risa got to her feet and moved to wash herself quickly. She dressed in a plain dress and braided her hair simply after going into the closet once she was done washing up. Vereon did not stop her and watched as the door closed behind her finally as she descended the stairs to the lower floor. She heard him follow behind but didn't look.

The bar was filled with loud laughing and the sound of clinking glasses. There were only a few tables being as it was a very small bar. It wasn't overly busy tonight but there was a good handful of regulars. It was mostly fairies but there were a few elves present along with an orc. She slid onto a stool and leaned on the wood of the bar.

A young pretty dark-haired fairy with her hair in a messy bun and heavy makeup on her eyes was working the bar. She didn't take long sliding a drink in between Risa's hands. Risa glanced up at her and she smiled sadly, apparently having caught on to Risa's mood real quickly.

Risa tried to smile back but it probably wasn't much more than a slight upturn of her lip corners. Her gaze fell down to the wood she leaned on as she sipped at her drank, images of her brother's face flashing in her mind until a burly hand landed on her shoulder. She saw Vereon out of the corner of her eye get behind the counter to seemingly clean some cups, but she knew he was watching over her. He was glaring at the orc who touched her but the big guy did not seem to notice.

"You SAD?"

She glanced up to see a young, large orc sitting beside her, who struggled to even fit on the stool he sat on. However, he had a gentle expression as he looked down at her. He had to hunch over a bit so his head didn't hit the ceiling.

"I sad too. Gorgon lost friends tonight. Far from home now too."

Risa softened and gently placed a hand on his arm, "I'm so sorry...Is there anything I can do?"

The orc smiled, "This good."He patted her head clumsily with an oversized hand, messing her hair up quite a bit.

She clutched her mug for a moment before picking it up, "Cheers?"She faced him as she spoke.

He suddenly excitedly exclaimed, causing a few head-turns, "Gorgon cheers!" He hit his mug into hers.

As the two of them drank, both of them became more open and chatted quite a bit. Gorgon told his story, some of the guests around them joining in to listen to him. It wasn't often orcs came around the River Kingdom who weren't hostile. He was an orc who had gone adventuring with his friends only to end up the sole survivor in a sudden attack by large spiders that had been roaming the woods earlier in the day. After spotting the spiders, Gorgon's friends had tried to attack in worries they'd hurt someone and it hadn't been successful. Gorgon had run away in fear as he was very scared of spiders, and had thought his friends would do the same, even calling to them that it was time to run. He was struggling with the guilt of abandoning his friends now. After telling his story, it seemed like everyone in the bar was eager to cheer Gorgon up and let him know it wasn't his fault. This cheered Gorgon up visibly as he didn't feel so alone and sad.

Risa was glad to see him smile and she wished she could too. Many turned to Risa and prompted her to tell them what was wrong, but she politely refused and focused on drinking. It wasn't long before Risa had drunk a bit too much. She was small, so it never took very long. Vereon snatched her mug after watching her almost fall off her stool.

"Yeah. Ye're done." He had said curtly.

She gave him a disappointed look but she knew it was best she didn't overdo it. She was silent rather than loud and obnoxious as she had always been when she was drunk prior. Risa was thinking through everything she could at the moment.

Helio. Dionaea. Kyran. Elsea. Artemis. Avalia.

A determined look crossed her face as she finally found some certainty with her decision.

I will not be beaten down so easily, Aklenroth.
I've only just started.

"You ready."

Gorgon spoke to her. He had been watching her for a few minutes now.

"Risa found purpose. In eyes. He pointed his fingers toward her eyes. "You know what do."

Risa nodded, "Yeah. I know what I have to do. A lot of people are counting on me. My brother is counting on me. "

"Gorgon thinks Risa strong. Family important. Protect family."

"Something happened to him and I'm not sure what. But I know he'd do anything to help me if the situation was reversed. I am gonna do my best to save him and to help lead the others. I'm the one that gave them that speech and I can't abandon everyone because I'm scared. I have to keep trying no matter how hard the world tries to make me stop." Perhaps she was oversharing as she quietly spoke to the orc and Vereon as he listened in, but hearing herself out loud helped her convince herself.

"They want ye to, Risa. Yar the one who told all those folk at Roshmi that freedom was in their grasp. That a better world was possible. Now those who don't want us free are going to do whatever it takes to break our spirits. Ya have to prepare for that. There's no turning back now. "

Risa listened to Vereon. He was right. There was no turning back now. She had made her choice that day she saved Jean-Luc.

The pain was almost too much, even this drunk. She could feel it trying to break through. Risa knew she'd have to use her anger towards what had happened to those she loved and her determination to keep those she still had safe as a tool to keep herself stable. If Helio was alive, no matter how he was, she'd see it as a good thing, that she had a chance of having a brother again if she could somehow fix him. She knew Aklenroth had a hand in the situation and that defeating him would be a key component in making something like that possible.

So for his sake, and the others' sake, she'd do it.

With that decision, she then began describing Artemis to a few of the folk of the bar to find out if anyone had seen her, to which someone described seeing someone of a similar description at the healing center.

Valok only nodded as the woman thanked him for the food. He supposed her comment on it being satisfying was simply an attempt to be kind as he knew no one who found the cheap protein bars to be satisfying. But food was food and they traveled well and were dirt cheap. Based on the clothing of the others, with the exception of the white furred Myra, he took them all to at least be wealthy enough to not be accustomed to peasant food. Luxuries like real meat and food made for taste were not wasted on those raised to be disposable, it was for those with coin. He wondered what they did to earn amas, the where and why of their travels. They were all mostly silent as they walked, secretive even as the male elf and woman exchanged not words but gestures and expressions to communicate something. He watched them closely, less interested in what they were up to and more taking in how they interacted. Valok had never been around light elves in any sort of amicable setting, it was new, a more interesting thing to focus on than to wonder the reason for their secrecy.

The other man, possibly some sort of demihuman creature, had become quieter, more lost in thought. Valok saw him frequently watching the demon Myra as she moved with the unencumbered freedom of something wild. These four were not one cohesive unit but two pairs traveling together, they did not explicitly interact together but the overall lack of tension was noticeable to him. None of them seemed primed for attack or ready to defend against one from the group, watching more for outside danger than from within. In his experience dark elves were never like this, at least not in the army, they would never treat something so unknown as anything but an immediate enemy. He did his best to emulate this state of calm around strangers, focusing on studying them over trying to determine weakness, even as his training told him the latter was more beneficial.

Eventually they came to an area of sand and brush where waves of the ocean crashed against the shore and the air smelled of brine. The beach here was soft and calming, even the harsh sun of midday looked welcoming when reflected back in the blue ocean, the colors blending in a way he had not seen in the north. He paused for a moment, allowing himself the opportunity to take in the view, appreciating the way the ocean looked without the distraction of voices yelling to keep moving. He was both distracted and more relaxed than he should be when the light elf asked his question. Malachi’s stern tone snapped him back to attention, his posture stiffened and his eyes focused entirely on the other elf. His immediate answer in the company of his own kind would have been to shout his allegiance to the king, a reflex drilled into him and one that would’ve naturally slipped out had the other elf not continued to speak.

But that was not a true answer, nothing he’d done since he had deserted the army had been in service or allegiance to the king. He wanted to serve the king again, desperately, but in a way that felt right and not in a way that felt only cruel. That life had been easy, there were less questions, more certainty, but it now felt like something that he had lost or given up. While he found himself curious about the goals promised by the rebel fairy he did not know enough to offer his allegiance to Risa either. The other elf offered no clue as to what answer, if any, was the correct one, and Valok doubted that the wrong answer would be free of any danger.

”I don’t know.” He stated simply, offered what was the most honest answer, though he knew it was far from a satisfactory one. Valok thought for a moment more; deception would gain him nothing and even if he could think of one, he doubted he could lie with any sort of conviction enough to convince the elf anyhow.

”I know what I was told my answer should be; that I exist only to serve The Great King Aklenroth. But that path would lead me to become something I don’t want to be, something twisted and cruel. Instead I seek a different path but I don’t know what that looks like yet. Nor do I know where my allegiances will lie should I find it.” He added, expanding on his answer honestly. He left out any mention of the rebel message he had heard in Roshmi, feeling it was a subject too dangerous to mention casually.

Despite Myra not being hungry, she still approached the girl, looking at her curiously as she ate. Myra did find it strange at first on how despite her smile, she seemed to be so wary but a moment after that, she let out a genuine smile, thanking for the food. The moment the girl looked at her, Myra smiled amicably in return before she turned away and walked a bit ahead, continuing to follow the blonde elf.

After some time walking, the blonde elf suddenly stopped, turning towards the group with a serious expression. His question made Myra genuinely confused, both at his words but at the question itself. Tilting her head, she simply looked at the blonde elf, confused. What did he mean by 'allegiance'? Was he asking who were her friends? Looking towards the blonde elf and then to the group, almost as if she was searching for something that helped her to understand the blonde elf's question.
Unfortunately, the dark elf's reply didn't help much in that matter. Despite that, the moment Myra heard Aklenroth's name, she immediately looked at the dark elf, wary. While her reaction wasn't nearly as strong to when she saw the spiders or when strangers approached the group, not being hostile in any way, she was still wary and uncomfortable. Not much was needed to understand that she didn't like Aklenroth not even one bit.

As Myra looked back at the blonde elf, it was clear to him that she was still confused by his question but she tried to answer nonetheless.

"Darius, Artemis, Skar!" Myra said after some thinking, counting on her fingers as she said the names of her friends, including Mathis, pointing towards him with a smile. Her pronunciation of the letter 'r' was better than it was before but she was still emphasizing it's sound as she spoke in a noticeable manner, almost as if she was doing so to make sure she wouldn't say it wrong.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Morning

LOCATION: Forest outside Roshmi

INTERACTIONS: @13org Myra Zelginn @Dezuel, Malachi @princess, Belladonna @Potter @Helo Valok

O’Ner made sure to keep his pace with the others; noticing that Myra was being given food by someone in the group. Not that he was responsible for Myra’s well being; he was not her babysitter or caretaker. Even though she seemed to him to be mentally challenged; he was impressed by her progression of learning names and learning to be civil. He was sure they were safe for the time being of any spiders or other acolytes of Aklenroth. The undead being was keeping himself close to Myra; since he knew her a bit more than the others. However, he seemed to have the trust of the feral woman; so that was the advantage he had in gaining the trust of the others.

When the one named Malachi asked the others of their allegiance; now was the time to choose his words carefully. What he says next could affect how the others will trust him when they go to where the other rebels are. He listened to the other male in the group mentioning how he was created by Aklenroth; a smart person would be weary and separate him from the others. But he guessed the others were stupid enough to believe an evil creature created by Aklenroth could change. That assumption could be wrong if they were willing to kill him.

For the time being, he was going to try and fool the others that were on their side. “If we can nail that bastard Aklenroth somehow; I'm wish you folks all the way,” He said. He hoped they were buying that he was a demi-human mage that was willing to fight this great evil.

Time: Morning
Location: Sewers of Roshmi
Interactions: @13org Ayita @hide on mana Kuroi @Dezuel Baraian @baraquiel Maneru
Mentions:

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Torvi’s take down of the clone was far too easy for her liking. Battle should be much more of a challenge if you asked her. How it had disappeared, though, had her quite curious as to what was going on. Was all this merely an illusion? She glanced around at the other clones as her companions attacked them, but something else quickly caught her attention as Ayita sent a gust of air through the blue mist. She silently took note of the other humans' magic as her eyes locked on to Maneru. He seemingly had the pink haired fairy girl, but Torvi wasn’t too quick to believe it was real. If she were right on her theory of things being an illusion then this could also be an illusion. They needed to find out for sure, however, and she quickly tried to take note of where the two were as the blue mist closed once more.

Torvi closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as she reached out with her magic. She could feel particles of earth all around them, especially within the water, and she began to call them to her. Once she had a sufficient amount under her control, she glanced back at the other human woman. “Ayita can you do that again with clearing the mist?” She asked the woman, but as she asked she sent her gathered earth heading towards the direction of Maneru, keeping it hidden underneath the water. She had confidence she remembered where the man and the fairy were, but she awaited visual on them again and that’s when she would strike. She’d send her earth to wrap around the man and then yank him swiftly back in the group's direction, thus bringing the fight to them.

---

---

Elsea hugged Cora back tightly, her heart aching for her friend as she’d seen tears streaming down her face. Whatever the girl had seen had been rough on her, that was quite evident. She was relieved the fire was completely out now, but knew there had been some damage done as she glanced at the injured deer. She would have to consult the gods later and ask for a speedy recovery to the forest.

Cora began asking questions quickly and Elsea had almost forgotten how she’d looked, but at the question if she were okay it was like it triggered the pain of the cut on her hand. ”Oh aye, I’m alright. I just had to make a blood offering to the gods to help me through my illusion.” How she said this was as if this was something normal to do, not even thinking twice about how it could be abnormal as she tore part of her dress and wrapped it around her injury. ”Cade is quite alright too. Come.” She said as she glanced back at the large cat man and began heading towards him, but not before she noted the sparks crackling around Cora’s wrists and the flames from her footsteps. What had truly happened to the girl? She’d have to ask her later about it.

Cade then asked her about Ayita and Elsea tried to give him a reassuring smile. ”I believe that was likely an illusion too. When you were calling for us to follow I didn’t see anyone there and so that leads me to believe that it was all part of the illusion the creature was feeding you. There is a chance that Ayita is fine and you will see her again at the port. Don’t lose hope, my friend.” She said as she gently patted him on the back before glancing at the campfire and making sure that was completely out. ”I believe we’re all ready to go, lead the way and we’ll follow.” She said as they began moving, motioning for Cora to go ahead of her. Elsea brought up the rear, but stuck close to the woman just to make sure she was going to be alright. She’d seemed really shaken and it was concerning to Elsea.

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Zephyrin raised her eyebrows at Bowyn's questions. How would he react if she told him that the lives already lost meant less to her than her own? Perhaps he would find her so cruel and abandon her here in the forest.

'Does it matter?' She answered his question in her mind but refrained from saying it out loud.

There was nothing Zephyrin could do for the dead; they were gone. But she was still here — living and breathing. There was a plethora of things she could do for herself! Others might find her sentiments self-serving, but Zephyrin only had desires to live for herself, not others nor Avalia. If being selfish kept her alive, how could it be wrong?

Zephyrin tilted her head to the side as she fiddled with a lock of her hair. She did it out of habit whenever too many thoughts whirled around her mind. Zephyrin carefully selected her next words, leaving out the bits that might incur the wrath of her male counterpart.

"Everyone is driven by different desires and motives. At the end of the day, aren't we all just seeking to fulfill our own selfish desires? Whether we desire a life of peace, revenge or pleasure. Who's to say what is right and what is wrong?"

Bowyn and Elthreal were good examples. Although they shared the common goal of overthrowing the lich king, they were driven by their own personal reasons. Should one reason be more justified than the other?

Zephyrin fell quiet as she pondered what it meant to be right. Everyone's reality was shaped by their own beliefs and experiences. Therefore, reality was subjective. In that sense, neither Bowyn nor Elthreal were right or wrong. They were just different. But if that were truly the case, could the same be said about Alkenroth? Zephyrin frowned — confused. The concept of right and wrong were too vague for her to understand.

Bowyn had referred to Alkenroth as evil. But would the death of the lich king rid Avalia of evil? It would only be a matter time before a new kind of evil would arise and replace him. Just like night and day, good and evil would always exist — whatever those words personally meant to each person. The universe was governed by this duality, and these forces were interconnected and interrelated in the natural world. There was no use fighting it.

Winter fairies had only managed to survive by hiding and avoiding danger — not confronting it. Perhaps Bowyn was different from them, but for someone who had lived in the settlement her whole life, it was all Zephyrin had ever known. Hide when you can, flee when you must.

"..Nevertheless, I won't get in your way!" Zephyrin added quickly before Bowyn could further attempt to shoo her away. She nimbly moved to position herself closely behind him, as if to silently protest that she wasn't going anywhere else!

Staying behind with Darius and Vaeril was not an option for Zephyrin. Traveling with a human companion would only attract all sorts of trouble. In addition, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't sell her off to the black market if they got the chance! At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about that with Boywn and Kenia.

Following Elthrael, as Bowyn had suggested, also didn't seem like a wise choice. There were too many uncertainties surrounding the moth fairy. Saying goodbye to those tasty apples would be a real shame, though. On the bright side, Bowyn was skilled at catching fish! Indeed, Bowyn and Kenia were her best options. Bowyn was a good cook, and Kenia seemed like a capable fighter. She wouldn't allow them to shake her off so easily!

Zephyrin followed closely behind the two, picking up one of the bottles Bowyn had decided to leave behind. It was some kind of liquor she had never seen in the village before. She popped the bottle open and took a small sip.

'That tastes.. gross!' Zephyrin grimaced as she forced herself to swallow the pungent liquid.

--

They continued to traverse through the forest, putting a safe distance between them and the smoke they had spotted earlier. Before she knew it, it was already past noon, and she realized this after her stomach grumbled in protest. It was time for lunch! Zephyrin stared at Bowyn expectantly.

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Time: Afternoon
Location: Near the coast
Interactions: @13org@Helo@Potter@Eviledd1984


The dark elf stiffened. Myra looked confused. Mathis perhaps thoughtful if anything.

Malachi had analyzed each of their reactions swiftly as their body language and emotional reactions had been the most important part of his game. However, none of their reactions revealed his companions to be obvious enemies. An amateur would not have been able to hide their nervous reaction. If any of them was to be his enemy, then they were not certainly an amateur, either having guessed this question to come up at some point or they were not someone so easily shaken. However, what slight reactions Malachi did catch on to did give clues for him to consider.

The stiffened elf spoke first, stating he did not know, which wasn't an answer Malachi expected, however, he had a hunch there was genuine sincerity to it. Malachi noted Myra's slight negative reaction as the dark elf continued to speak. The word Aklenroth had created visible discomfort for the creature, who had acted in a rather simple, animalistic manner up to this point. He wasn't sure if she was capable of deception to any complex level.

Malachi nodded to the elf in reply to his full statement. He was taking it in and dissecting it mentally, deciding on the best course of action whilst allowing the others to speak.

Next to reply was Myra whose reply made the corners of his lips slightly twitch, but he held his composure. There was a lot to question about it, considering he had no idea of the names she was bringing up. This was something he'd have better luck questioning Mathis about at some point. However, there was something pure and innocent about the creature that made him picture in his mind his little boy pointing and smiling at him. His gaze faltered for only a moment.

Meanwhile, Mathis's answer was more difficult for Malachi. It sounded good on paper but less directly answered than the others, which could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. Myra calling Mathis a friend was helpful to some extent.

He was silent then he glanced between the three. "My allegiance is with those against Aklenroth. His attack a century ago caused me to lose everyone I loved. Since then, I've seen both dark elves and demons free to lash out at all types of creatures of Avalia. It would be a dishonor to my family not to do what's necessary for a safer and better world."

Malachi finally turned toward the dark elf, "Your people were exiled because they were thought to be twisted and cruel as you say, however untrue it was at the time. So given the opportunity to get revenge, that is exactly what they became. I believe you when you say that's not what you want to be, but for you to achieve that, you will have to challenge everything you've ever been told and see the other perspective. If you are ready for that, we may be able to help you find your new path."

He waved his hand toward the beach, addressing everyone, "If you wish to stay uninvolved, then traveling along this coast will provide you safe travel away from the forest's creatures. However, if you wish to travel with Belladonna and me, then for our safety, we wish to travel with those similar in motive: to invoke change for the better."

Time: Afternoon
Location: Outside of Roshmi City
Interactions: @FunnyGuy


Vaeril waited for the group to split off and get out of sight before he finally stood up and stretched, “Well that was easier than expected to remove them from the picture. Now, do you see how quick they were to abandon a human? The rebels who had this great idea of using humans to fight for them… They treat them like disposable tools, which is a despicable way to treat those you need to fight a war for you.” He told Darius, touching his shoulder as he spoke to him from behind.

“I suppose we should head over to the river or a source of water. We could get some training in your magic out here while we are alone. It would be useful for you to be well trained in the path that we are moving on.” Vaeril began to head towards the noise of the water, nudging Darius to follow, “If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask. I will help with whatever knowledge I have.”

Time: Afternoon
Location: Outskirts of Roshmi
Interactions: @Helo@Tae@Potter


Ezeri continued traveling through the forest until she reached the scent of smoke and the familiar, welcoming sight of ash in the wind. This intrigued both Mel and Ezeri.

“Holy shit! You see this, Ezeri? That’s a whole lot of fucking smoke, some shit’s going down and I want in! About time we see some action other than some rabid dog. Finally some warmth too!” Melzor yelled and then immediately started flying for the flames.

”Okay, but let’s approach slowly, we don’t know what’s-”She broke off and sighed, running after him while cursing under her breath.

”When I fucking get ahold of you, you’re not gonna pleased, you impatient asshole!”Ezeri called up to him, sprinting towards Mel.

"Right Ez if you can catch me.” He said while laughing, looking back at her over his shoulder. Suddenly he flew into something large and soft, stumbling a bit before regaining his balance, “What the fuck another furry thing? Yo where is the damn fire?” He said to the large cat-like person standing before him. Melzor remained in flight as he looked around eagerly and wildly for flames, only to find none.

Ezeri had finally managed to catch up to Mel, seeing three other people standing before her. She instinctively unsheathed her sword. “What’s going on? What caused the fire here?” Ezeri asked the others. Anzu came bounding up behind her, hissing chaotically.

Aklenroth's current disposition threw Darius off at first. The once helpless drunk now appeared to be the elf he had met just a few days ago in front of the Necropolis of Morteum. He gave the disguised king his space as he spoke of how the others had left him, a human so easily. That's a bit rich coming from the guy who put a bounty on our heads.

It was needed!

Yeah… Aklenroth had a point in what he stated, at least in Darius' eyes. It's not like they proved otherwise.

"Never thought too much of them anyway." He commented coldly before allowing Aklenroth to take the lead. The lich's hand on his shoulder was not as cold as he thought it would be. In fact, it was like any other person's. The form Aklenroth held was more than just an optical illusion.

As they ventured to the river, Darius thought about what he could ask the lich before posing a question. In a short time, Kol shared a lot about the workings of magic. At least generally. Darius was aware that certain emotions could amplify his magic. He knew that there was a difference between the generation of elements versus the manipulation of them in the environment. What to ask…
--

When the two reached the river, Darius immediately made an underhand motion up at eye level with his free hand, causing a mass of water to rise from the river. If Darius could guess, it was enough to fill half a bathtub. Darius looked at Aklenroth with sternness.

"That human. The crazed one back there… He did things with air magic I wouldn't have even thought about…" Darius dropped his hand, which made the water fall back into its source. "Kol taught me about what magic can do… I want you to tell me what water magic can and can't do." Darius recalled how the water seemed to escape his control as Bowyn froze it when creating the protective dome against Jack or how he could barely budge the snow on Daka. Darius set the mournwine down and took a deep breath as he used both hands to help him guide water from the river and surround the two of them in a cone of water. The action was swift and unnatural as it the. Cons. Remained still and clear, waving ever so slightly as if it was gelatinous. He didn't think too much of the display. Oh, why couldn't he just be able to freeze? Perhaps a Winter Fairy on standby?

Time:Evening
Location:Some ways from River Kingdom, at Jetta's grave site, where Artemis fought four dark elves
Interaction:@Tae


Helio smiled down at the girl with her throat ripped out, deep in thought for some time. The crickets chirped and the area was ironically very peacefully, though long ago he was sure something quite loud had been happening. He knelt down to pet her head twice and then took out his cleaver, humming to himself as he got to work chopping her arms off. He liked to go a few inches away from the elbow, not taking the whole forearm but a majority of it, though sometimes he changed that up. He made a sound of delight as his eyes traveled to her stomach wound. "Oh poor Jetta. Left alone with an empty stomach. No one brought you dinner?" He whispered. After some time, the sound of someone clearing their throat caused Helio to jump to his feet and wave Jetta's arm. "Ah, Vervac! Pleasant weather we're having!"

The dark elf in his cloak stared. He was accompanied by two others. Helio figured they'd come looking for him as he hadn't reported back on time. "Y-Yes. Helio. With all due respect, Jetta was our comrade. You shouldn't just-"

Helio's laugh interrupted him, "Yes yes! Dear ol Jetta! And her lovely sister Harmony. It would be disgraceful if I didn't fetch her arms too. They liked to stay together often, didn't they?"

"Well that's not what I was going to say-"

"Oh and the other two knuckleheads. I won't forget them. I'm on the hunt."Helio moved over and pulled Vervac's arm's open with one hand, the pair of arms in the other as blood poured onto the grass below them from their stems. He shoved the arms into his grasp. "Bring this to my collection, won't you?"

A female elf made a sound of disgust, retorting, "Why must you uselessly waste time cutting off arms? Why?"

Helio giddily didn't hesitate to answer that, exclaiming, "Well you never know when they might come in handy!"He proceeded to clap in their faces."Well. Chop, chop, fellas. Can't you see I got my work cut out for me? I'll be back before midnight."

The dark elves looked very unhappy and reluctant to listen to him, but they did, turning and departing from the area.

Helio tilted his head and grinned once they were gone. "Don't be shy, gorgeous. You can come out now."

Cora noticed Cade’s aversion to looking at her and let out a sigh. She was going to have to talk to them both about what had happened. She remained silent as Elsea and he exchanged words. It was likely it had been an illusion he'd seen. Cade suggested they leave. After Elsea reassured him, she had also agreed on leaving, motioning for Corvina to go ahead. Corvina reluctantly went ahead, remaining silent. The whole blood offering thing Elsea had been spewing had made no sense and sent Corvina's head for a spin. Some thinking on the manner helped her recall that Elsea was from a different time and had bizarre beliefs.

Before they could truly get going, a strange creature bumped into Cade while in flight. A red woman with horns came bounding after. Cora did not even listen to what she had to say, immediately lighting her hands on fire and backing away. She was sure it was some sort of demon potentially so she whispered to the others to watch out. Her gaze didn’t move from the woman, or her companions.

---

Belladonna had been waved off by Malachi to not answer. Given that she had taken her ears off in front of everyone at the ball, he at least knew she was a human relying on him. She wasn't sure what the rest knew. Myra's answer seemed innocent, but she did not know any of the names she was bringing up. Belladonna found that suspicious, wondering who they were. It could be a trick and bringing up names none of them knew proved nothing. It also seemed like she could be helping to solidify Mathis's case, who hadn't said much, seeming even more suspicious. She planned on asking questions as soon as Malachi was done talking to them.

Valok had spoken first, had the most threatening answer potentially, yet seemed the most honest out of the three. She was less suspicious of him than the others, but she was still on edge. Her head was at stake here for money and she wasn't comfortable traveling with him. Malachi addressed him and surprised her. He had given a cold impression so she had expected him to just kick them all to the curb. She was sympathetic towards his story, but refrained from speaking. She nodded in agreement and glared at everyone before he noticed. When Malachi looked at her, her face would be neutral again. She hid her smirk and waited for her opportunity to speak.

---

Artemis spent some time reminiscing and explaining what had happened to her friends. She also took some time to recover, eat, and drink. Then she hugged them and thanked them before getting on her way. She had been told Risa was at the Pretty Flower so she decided to make her way there. She had to stealth through alleyways and trees to make sure no one saw her as her reputation was not the best in the River Kingdom and she also would stand out without having any wings.

Finally, she made it to the Pretty Flower and found it was quite lively inside. Vereon was working the bar with a woman and a large orc was telling stories to a bunch of fairies who had gathered around. She scoped the room as eyes laid on her and voices began to quiet into whispers, but Risa was nowhere.

She looked at Vereon and asked, "Where's Risa? I heard she was here and Risa told me apparently you have extra clothes for me?"

"She went looking for ye at the healing center. Come with me and I'll fetch ya some clothing. Hope no one saw yar fishy tooshy out there!" Vereon replied and led her up the stairs in the back. Artemis snickered and didn’t respond. She was grateful for the clothing and the hood he’d provided her. In fact, the clothes hid her legs as well. She was beaming.

Once changed, she decided to go back out and try to catch Risa outside or at the healing center. She was awfully worried about her.

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forest Near the River Bank
Interactions: @FunnyGuy


Vaeril watched Darius cause a mass of water to rise up out of the river, “Good work with your manipulation, I see Kol has taught you well in that aspect but in the field of magic that is child's play; there is much more for you to learn. He paused to listen to Darius’s request, watching him make a cone of water around them. This was also impressive, but Darius had ways to go still.

“For starters, users of water magic can summon water from the molecules in the air or from the ground. This works in most places but in places like at Daka Volcano where there is less moisture in the air and earth, it will also result in less water you can bring forth. You cannot influence the state of the water by turning it into a solid or gas like you said before you cannot control snow or any solid form of water. It can be manipulated in many ways. Your imagination will come in handy for instance if you take a ball of water and hold it around someone's head you could effectively drown them that way. Also the more water you have around you the more powerful you are and the more you can manipulate large bodies of water like a lake or an ocean you may be able to create a tidal wave or large whirlpool. Additionally, you can breathe under water. If you would like help learning any of these things I would be glad to do so.”

Vaeril took joy as he spoke, reminiscing on the time he was being taught by his father, and on the time he had taught his son in his first days of training. Darius had the same curious outlook on magic that his son had.