Digging her own dagger deep into her own clone, who was still pinned down under her, Ayita raised her head, looking around her to assess the situation. Thanks to her wind magic, the group was able to clearly see the rest of the pathway, leading to the forest outside. Not only that but they were also able to see the one who was responsible for the mist and the attack. Standing guard right next to the exit, surprisingly enough, the caster didn't seem to be alone, instead being holding someone by the throat. Ayita wasn't able to see very well due to the smoke quickly blocking their vision once more but she was still able to identify the woman who was on it's hands. It was the very same woman she had seen before at the ball, the one who openly had defied Aklenroth, Risa. Struggling against the caster's grasp, not only she was visibly wounded but she was desperate for help, with the last thing they could see before the mist blocking their vision again was the wounded and exhausted Risa, raising her hand towards them in a plea for help.

Looking to the rest of the group, Ayita saw how Torvi's heavy strike made Kuroi's clone disperse in blue mist. Meanwhile, the other clones were still confused due to Baraian shadows, swinging wildly at the shadows instead of paying attention at the group.

While she was assessing the situation though she didn't realize that her own clone still hadn't dispersed itself in blue mist and could still fight. Taking that chance, her clone swung at her, hitting Ayita straight in the side of the head, making her fall back and freeing the clone. Thankfully, before the clone could do anything more, Kuroi's wakizashi came flying towards her, decapitating Ayita's clone and finally finishing it. As her clone dispersed into blue mist, Ayita quickly grabbed her knife back before throwing Kuroi's wakizashi back to him.

"Normal wounds wont do! Try to decapitate them!" she said to the rest of the group, still dizzy due to the attack suffered by her own clone.

Listening to Torvi calling for her, Ayita forced herself to focus herself on the battle again. Torvi seemed to have a plan, having asked Ayita if she would clear the mist once again.

"Yeah, I- I think I can do it once more." she said, shaking her head. Doing it once had already taken a toll on her already exhausted body, if she did it again, it would be very likely that she wouldn't be able to use her magic until she rested properly and recovered herself.

"I have only one more shot!" she said as she gathered wind around her once more.

"Make it count!" she shouted as she once more, used the wind to disperse the mist and give Torvi a clear view of the path towards the exit, where they saw the caster a few moments ago.

Mead and good food had granted the large dragonborn demihuman a long and rich slumber in a room he had rented out. He awoke in the late morning oddly enough in a wheat field. As the high sun prepared for noon, its warmth and light pulled Valaeon from sleep. He quickly jumped up with an excited roar.

"A field of all places?! Who would have guessed that it would make for great bedding?!" He laughed boisterously with a hand at his gut. Below him was an imprint of his giant winged body in the field. He held a toothy grin at the sight of his unintentional art. He had not remembered how he wound up outside of the port town or fallen asleep in a field for that matter, but the world was still intact. Besides, he was sure Carneylus would prevent him from overdoing himself.

He took in his surroundings, also noting he was alone. Then… his stomach growled.

"Hmm… Time for…" He looked up at the position of the sun. So high… 'Brunch! Two meals in one sitting!" He cheered before launching himself in flight towards the port town.
--

After such a long and hearty brunch, Valaeon happily marched around town. He spoke to whomever he deemed friendly or harmless, which to him, meant everyone. During his many conversations, he got a tip from someone who had fled Roshmi by pegasus claiming Aklenroth's forces had failed to locate Risa Millinia and many of the figures that had spoken up during the ball. There was a note made of a woman yelling for people to travel to a port. It was now sometime after that in which Valaeon had much time to ponder this information, and there had been a few trips to a particular fruit stand

"Carneylus!" Valaeon roared for his friend, a peeled avocado held in his clutches and a beaming smile on his face. His usually white teeth had stained green from how many of his favorite fruit he had eaten. "Carneylus, my friend! You must hear me!" Several people around winced at the loud dragonborn who sat down outside of an inn he planned to successfully sleep in the next time night fell.

Location: River Kingdom
Time:Evening

---

Kyran spent most of the day heading towards the River Fairy Kingdom after being left by Ezeri in the cave. He only took a few rests, bounding on all fours in his fox form. Eventually, he had made it by the evening. He knew Risa would probably have headed here to get new clothes and such.

He stopped once at the edge of the River Kingdom and had to pause and think about where’d she’d go. She couldn’t go home, thanks to Xenelith. Her family was in hiding. Then he suddenly remembered that she had become very close friends with the strange bartender at the Pretty Flower. There wasn’t any way Risa could just walk around the kingdom casually, so she must have only gone somewhere she could trust.

Kyran began to go around through the woods, moving closer and closer to the plaza. But before he could get there, he heard:

“Kyran!!” Risa came running toward him from between the trees. She must have been just leaving to go through the woods to another location. His timing had been extremely lucky. She jumped up and tackle-hugged him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. ”I am so glad you’re here! And you’re okay! I am so happy!”She squeezed him tighter than she ever had, rambling, ”I mean I know you were okay because I asked the birds to check on you but STILL! To see you!!!”

Kyran embraced Risa holding her up by her behind, spinning her around with glee. She looked unharmed and he was relieved. “Of course, I am okay especially now that I know you are safe!” He said, kissing her forehead. “I need to know what has been going on. Would you mind filling me in, miss princess?”Kyran’s friendly and caring voice came in higher-pitched than usual.

She giggled, taking his face in her hands, ”I ran into Artemis then we were supposed to meet up...Oh geez...” Her smile faded as she realized what he was asking and what had happened. ” Oh Kyran. It’s so much.” Her entire expression fell along with her smile and tears brimmed in her eyes.

“Listen if it is too much to talk about right now we can wait, just know that I am here for you always.” He said calmly but inside he was worried. ”Maybe we should spend some alone time away from the chaos just for us to hang out and catch up as we did before this mess.“

Risa gratefully nodded in response to his offer to not talk about it yet. She wrapped her arms around his neck, ” Where should we go?”She asked. She knew Artemis was safe at the healing center, so it was no rush to go see her.

“My favorite spot of course! Remember the treehouse your father built for you when we were younger. I am sure it has been safe from everything it was quite well
hidden.”

Risa smiled and tapped his shoulders. She flew up and around him and climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist.“Giddy-up!”

Kyran laughed as he started to bolt towards the direction of the treehouse, “Hold on tight!” He said, feeling the wind against them. It took about 15 minutes to get there from their previous spot. “Finally we are here!” He said excitedly, setting her down. The place looked as if it hadn’t changed since he last saw it.

Risa stared up at the treehouse from below. The same small wooden hut was up in the trees with flowers and vines along the outside. It was hard to notice at first glance, but for Risa, it was like looking straight back into the past. “Wow. I feel like a kid again looking at it.” She took a moment to take it in and then glanced at Kyran and offered her hand, ” Need a lift?”

“A lift?”He chuckled, “I can climb you remember, I don’t think you could carry me.” He said as he ran up to the trunk and began climbing up into the treehouse, lifting the little hatch at the bottom letting himself in. The inside was filled with old drawings on the walls of the two as stick figures together with lots of doodles of flowers, and in one corner was a small bed.

Risa flew in and jumped in place excitedly.“Oooh!! It’s just as I remember!” She flew over to the stick figure drawings to trace them with her finger in delight. Giggling, she ran around the room looking at everything in delight, completely forgetting her terrible night in the moment.

Kyran went behind her, placing his finger on the stick figure of himself tracing it along with her, “I remember when we drew this together.” He smiled. Remembering the times he had spent with her here. “You know I dreamed of us being together like this..” he said, kissing the top of her head.

Risa leaned her head back onto his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him, looking up at him, ”I don’t know Kyran. Your memory isn’t super reliable. ” She teased. She turned around and gave him a passionate kiss. ” But I’m sure you’ll remember that for a while.” She wasn’t sure why she was doing this now, but she wanted to and it felt right.

Kyran returned the kiss.” I will keep that in my heart forever.” He said placing his hands on her face, kissing her more slowly, moving his hands down her sides to grip her hips. Kyran then pulled her towards the bed and into his arms.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down. Breathe underwater? No. Trust me that would have been the first thing I learned to do!" Darius argued as he walked over to the wall of water surrounding them. It was thick enough that he could drown if he plunged his head into it. He scoffed before thrusting his face into the water for several seconds before jumping back with a shocked look on his face. "Oh shit! I can fucking breathe underwater. Like a fucking fish!"

The momentary emotional spike caused the calm gelatinous looking cone to pop, splashing water over the two. Darius immediately held both hands up, keeping the scattered water suspended in the air before gathering all of it towards himself into a giant sphere over his head.

"See I got it." Darius smiled at Aklenroth. So far compared to Kol, he was… less tough on him. He seemed honest, but also didn't fire blasts of dark magic at him when he screwed up. "So, the key to this is having a big imagination because of the limitations? No molecules, no magic…" Darius' face became serious as he felt a tinge of envy. "The human we killed had air. He could use his magic anywhere. Earth magic is probably just as nice. Not sure about fire, but that means I need to focus on two things to overcome the limits of water." Darius flicked his hand, sending the massive sphere crashing into the flowing river. The sudden mass of water overflowed the waterbed and spread across dry soil.

Darius turned away from the river and held his right hand out as water droplets began to float towards him from the forest. It started small but water began to pull from plants, rapidly withering them. Darius held his left hand out towards a large tree and watched as the leaves went from vivid green to a stale brown. The bark lost its color as the sound of dried wood crackled within it. The water gathered into another sphere, smaller than the last.

"I have to be able to do that faster with more reach. Then I can use my magic practically anywhere." Darius took a step towards the half drank bottle of mournwine. Opening it, he chugged some of it and made a sour face as poured the rest out onto the ground "Definitely not a favorite… Just needed the bottle anyway… Ready for the second thing?" Darius asked with a grin.

Cade nodded and managed a half hearted smile at Elsea’s words, and he was thankful for them. He still felt uneasy but her reassurance that what he saw was an illusion calmed him enough to put it out of his mind for the time being. He headed forward, more than ready to leave the campsite and the smell of smoke and ashes behind. Just as they headed forward something barreled into him. Cade moved to swat at it but missed as the small flying imp stumbled about. The imp asked about the fire, and shortly after another appeared with the same question. He glanced around looking to make sure they were not more strangers approaching, and he saw more flames around Cora’s hands. Cade let out an exasperated sigh.

”Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage today.” Cade asked quietly, as he turned towards Cora. His eyes looking from the fire that once again danced around her hands before meeting Cora’s eyes for a brief moment. His tone came out harsher than he intended and he doubted there was anything friendly in his eyes. He felt guilty for doing so; he knew that they had all seen horrible illusions and that Cora seemed to be more deeply affected by it. But she had also unleashed destruction, allowed parts of the forest and other creatures to become collateral damage and he could not let that slide. He wished he could manage a reassuring smile, something to let her know they would be okay in time but instead he simply looked away and towards the strangers before them.

Cade kept a tight grip on his halberd, noting how the horned and red skinned woman had drawn her own sword. He walked ahead of the humans, keeping himself positioned between the devil and his companions. To Cade the creature appeared to be a demon, and demons were certainly capable of powerful magic. She had shown up just as the illusions ended and it was possible that she was the one behind them. But he didn’t know for sure, so he tried to appear non-hostile, not wanting to escalate things into a fight if it wasn’t necessary. Cora had already summoned up fire, there was no use in trying to pretend like his companions were anything other than humans. The devil’s companions, the flying imp and a strange fleshy and hissing beast, didn’t look as dangerous as their leader. Cade bowed his head to the creatures, as he greeted them.

”No need for a fight, Demoness, fire has been extinguished.” Cade said, managing a friendly smile. He elaborated no further on how the fire started, unwilling to place blame on Cora in front of strangers, that was between the three of them. ”Some sort of sorcerer lurks in this forest, we are leaving.” He added and waited to see how she responded. He occasionally stole a glance at the smaller, foul mouthed, flying creature as he still hovered about.

Valok paid attention to the way the others responded, from the corner of his eye he caught Myra’s reaction as he mentioned Aklenroth. She was viscerally uncomfortable, which he found to be a strange reaction from a demon. The Great King had always been a friend to the demons, hadn’t he? That was what he was taught, Aklenroth supported those whom the other race’s had cast aside, those others wanted destroyed. A true hero to dark elves, orcs, and to demons, allowing them to flourish, but Myra’s reaction gave him the smallest bit of doubt to that. Myra then followed with her own answer, a list of names that she spoke with great care, as if speech was difficult. He tilted his head at the curious creature who looked wild and untamed. He’d never heard of wild creatures learning speech before and the feat seemed quite impressive.

The other man, the demihuman, offered a very simple answer, he stood against Aklenroth. Myra’s proximity and smile towards Mathias told him that the demon stood with demihuman. Although he wondered why they had such hatred for The Great King he kept his questions to himself. He didn’t need to appear more suspicious, he just had to wait, eventually he assumed their motivations would be clear and he could learn from them. The woman was apparently not expected to answer the question, but as the light elf answered his own question he figured the two shared the same sentiment. Malachi’s answer, while more complete than the other’s, did not tell him anything of use. His reasoning against Aklenroth was too personal, not one that Valok could truly understand. Casualties in war were inevitable, and change would bring more casualties. This was part of life, not a reason to rebel against order.

The light elf offered the path along the cost as a safe means of travel and Valok looked once again out at water. It was tempting, a quiet peaceful place, and he’d never seen anything quite so beautiful before. But he knew war was coming, it was coming to all places, even this one, and to look at it for too long made his eyes hurt from the brightness of it all anyhow. He did not want to be uninvolved, but he didn’t know if the kind of change Malachi spoke of would be a kind one for his people. History told him it likely would not be; what would stop light elves from thirsting for the same revenge as his people had? Valok was not interested in traveling with them through deception, he would not proclaim an allegiance he did not feel. He kept his words sincere and accepted whatever consequences that would have.

”I have nothing to gain from betraying you. I deserted the army, even if I were to return with the head of the rebel fairy herself my kindest punishment would be a quick death. And as you know my people are not known for kindness. If my goal was to kill I would’ve stayed where I was, but I want something more than to kill just because another tells me I should. I wish to learn, to see for myself if a better way exists.” Valok said in a calm and even tone.

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


Vaeril laughed amused at his reaction to being able to breathe underwater and the water splashing the two before gathering back and creating a sphere over his head. “You remind me of my son, always so excited to learn new things and outgoing when he did. I think I am going to enjoy training you, Darius.” He said, letting himself ease up from being so uptight.

“Yes, that is a very useful thing now that you know, one warning I have for that is if you are going to surround yourself in water, make sure you avoid being attacked by ice magic as that could end up killing you.” He told Darius.

“Overcoming limitations and obstacles is always key when using magic especially the more you strategize and get creative the more you can do I have seen many humans use their magic in unique ways none are ever the same which is the reason they can be so dangerous to Avalia the extent of their powers is immense and I am sure you can find your way if you maintain the mindset you have.” Vaeril continued to help Darius with his knowledge.

He then watched as Darius drained the water from the plants and trees with his magic creating another ball of water. ” Interesting this is what I mean, I have never seen someone do this in all my years of dealing with humans. Your species never cease to amaze; your quick thinking will surely make you a strong magic user almost as if you were born for it.” Vaeril truly saw so much potential in Darius. Kol must have done well with the basics but there is so much more Vaeril could teach him and that is exactly what he planned to do.

“That will come with time the speed and control will come easier the more you use it; your body will adapt to the consumption of mana to make it more effective and preserve more mana while doing repeated things as your powers grow , your emotions also have a very big effect on your magic. Anger and hatred will make it more powerful but will also consume more mana and you mentally. Just like Jack, his crazed emotions consumed him but allowed him to unleash the devastating full power of his magic to the point, he was out of control and needed to be killed or his destruction would have continued until he died of draining his mana and life force. That is another thing I should tell you if you run out of mana in a desperate situation, you can take from your life force using it to restore your magic energy. This is what I call soul energy, it is extremely potent but very dangerous. Keeping a calm mind and your emotions in check are necessary for fights that are drawn out.” He finished then watched Darius take a swig from the mournwine then poured the rest into the dirt. “Of course show me what you can do.”

Darius nodded at Aklenroth's word as he found his knowledge valuable. He was aware emotions could boost the effectiveness of magic, but he didn't know about the draining effect it could have. Then there was the mention of using lifeforce as a desperate means to fuel magic as opposed to mana… And also confirmation that the human who they had killed was none other than Jack.

More reason to keep pushing forward to the destruction of dimensional rift opening machines.

"Alright then!" Darius didn't take note of Aklenroth's demeanor much, but Malgormuun did.

The awestruck kept silent, observing as Darius seemed to… No, the king was simply playing a part. Fooling the human with generosity. At least that is what Malgormuun wanted to believe. He had already watched how Darius confused the angel of death. He WOULD NOT confuse the lich king!

Darius siphoned the water from the levitating water sphere into the empty bottle before sealing it closed. He faced Aklenroth with confidence as he dropped the wine bottle."

"Bam!" The bottle stopped before hitting the ground. Darius lifted the bottle to eye level with a smile. "I gotta be versatile. That's the second thing! Like… just look at this!" Darius made the bottle float around, directing it with his hands while grinning menacingly.
"Hehehehe! Hohohohoho! I'm Umber the big dumb naked demon!" Darius mocked before grabbing the neck of the bottle and holding it up above his head with both hands. Focusing on raising the water, it carried the bottle with it, as well as himself.

"Gotta give that demon kudos though for giving me the idea." Darius said as casually hung from the bottle before letting himself drop comfortably. "So you taught your son magic huh? Where's he at anyway. He could have probably shown me the ropes better than Kol. That dude always pissed at something."

Elthrael Vol'Kerno

None had attacked nor followed him by the looks of it, in his investigation of the scent in the air. Yet the closer he came to the source, the less pleased he became. Perked up into a tree a clear distance away he stopped, taking cover behind a tree, the various branches and leaves the tree was offering and extra layer of camoflague. His eyes soon enough searched the area ahead to confirm if what he had thought was true. And indeed there she was. Elsea

'So she's still alive? I guess she is more lucky than most, but that alone will not suffice. These companions likely share her views.' He thought as he observed Cade and Corvina, and also Ezeri.

'Another human? A pity the company has no doubt destroyed any chance of making that one into a potent weapon. A weapon which do not heed it's wielders command cannot be truly called a weapon.' He shook his head softly to himself, before letting go of the tree and dashing into the forestation again, flying back towards the direction that Bowyn, Kenia and Zepherin had wandered off towards. He would have to catch up to them, yet adandoning all sense of reason in a forest was not wise. Even if he was most certainly the most dangerous thing in it. After all the forest itself was his area of expertise, unlike the plains or the many towns and cities. After he had travelled quite the bit by air, although under the tree crowns to avoid being seen from above, he allowed himself to briefly ponder.

Does the key even exist? The male human who controlled the earth proved unwise and unreasonable and died for it. Elsea failed too as far as he saw it, yet she still lived. The other man human, Darius was behaving oddly compared to the rest. He was more withdrawn. Something was not right with that one. Why had the elven man told him to stay behind with him, when the humans were the key to defeating the lich. The elf was most likely using the human for his own design, perhaps having paid him or made promises. This other girl which had just been seen alongside Elsea, it was too late to mold her into a weapon most surely. How many more humans were remaining in Avalia?

What if there would be none capable of defeating the lich? He had considered that possibility, what would he do if the rebellion itself would fail and the humans perish. There was no point in keeping up a struggle against the lich without them, while the moth fairy didn't doubt his own power, there had been many who had defied the lich. They all were slain or made into his servants or worse. When the rebel force would amass, if there would be no sight of a key. Then he felt the best cause of action would be to return to the forest he called home. It wouldn't even matter if he was able to seize the fairy throne, when the lich would hold all the other cards.

It took him awhile to track the others down, and when he did he announced his presence while standing on a branch up into a nearby tree, still aware that at any moment one of them might be startled by his sudden appearance. "What a pity, I found nothing of interest over yonder..."

Carneylus Creznek

Some time had passed since the dark elves had been taught a valuable lesson, some of the locals had saw to dragging them to the healers for aid. Keeping them alive would be far more beneficial for all involved, as they would no doubt have a newfound respect for the locals. And if they did not like the treatment they receieved they could always report their failure to their superiors who in turn would punish them even further. Surely they knew better to cause more trouble from now on.

Carneylus found himself standing and leaning against a wooded fence, looking through the darkly tinted glass of his visors at all the different people walking around. How long could there be relative peace in the port town which he had spent so much of his time? Surely the days of peace was nearing an end, or was it actually beginning? It was hard to tell, and the breeze in the air didn't answer any of his questions. The winged man was brought out of his thoughts as he felt something being hurled in his direction, and he tilted his head to the side to dodge the projectile flung in his direction. The pebble flew past and with a plopping sound landed in a waterbarrel slightly behind the winged man.

"Carney! Ya stupid seasnake!" A loud yet high pitched voice reached the keen ears of the bat-man, who couldn't help but stick a finger into his ear to momentarily give relief to it, before he turned fully towards the direction of the voice.

"Hnn... ya bastard! Ya think I didn't see what ya did?!" A short demihuman with bovine ears, a pair of horns and a tail spoke out to him. This was however no stranger, but someone he knew well enough for the last few years. An opportunistic, yet resourceful youngster with a temper.

"Good day, Minothea. Afraid you've caught me at a bad time, I have no idea what you are refering to..." He explained, a soft smile on his lips and his arms folded over his chest.



"Don't play games with me ya stupid dingbat! I saw what ya did to those dark elves!" The youngster retorted fiercely, her eyes glimmering as if on fire, nose slightly fuming and the ears twitching just a slight bit.

"Oh.. you mean that." Carneylus said while closing his eyes, his right hand reaching up to scratch his neck. "That was just a misunderstanding... it wasn't a fight. You'll get it when you grow up." The winged man explained calmly, yet with a slight sweatdrop at his neck.

"Don't play innocent! Ya probably just beat them up because ya were bored! Have ya forgotten our bet?!" The girl reached out and pointed to his face accusingly, her face fierce despite her barely reaching up to his waist.

"Oh right.. that bet. I must have forgotten..." Carneylus said as if there had been a sudden revelation from the very sky itself, and he was bathed in the enlightenment.

"Ya couldn't even stay away from meddling for a single day! Ya are hopeless! Ya suck! Easiest hundred amas I've ever made, and an extra fifteen for having to look for ya dumbass! Ya better cough it up or I am going to bullrush ya! I'll also bite when I am hungry." The girl barked out in a demanding manner, holding out her right palm facing the sky. It was in that moment of need and realization, that aid came in the form of another voice in the distance. A loud voice which could only belong to one man.

"I think I can hear Valaeon. It sounds very urgent. Do excuse me!" Carneylus took flight with his wings, lifting from the air and flying towards Valaeon.

"Get back here with my amas ya swindling swampbat! Grrrrr!" The girl yelled out and rushed after him through the various people wandering the port town marketplace. Once the bat-man landed he had his old friend, Valaeon in sight he landed close to him. "Valaeon! What's the matter?" He asked as if the matter was one of life and death, and it might aswell had been. Speaking of possibility of death, the sound and footsteps coming closer had the bat-man slightly turn to the side to reach up a single hand to block the horned rush of the short girl that had charged into him. Minothea was cussing, and being held from plunging her horns into the man, by a placed palm at the middle of her forehead keeping her at bay.

"Grrr! Tell this flying leech to pay me for his lost bet, Vally! The bun & shrimp are only going to be open for a couple more hours and I am a growing girl! Ya better pay or I will make ya pay!" The girl said in a manner of promised pain to come, whereof the bat-man began to reach for his sword- no... it was his pouch with amas.

"Ofcourse, I always pay what is due, Minothea. Thank you for understanding..." The man had barely finished his sentence before the pouch had been snatched from his hands, and hidden on the girl's person.

"Pleasure doing buisness with ya." The girl took a few steps back, and twirled around, placing both her hands at the back of her neck. "Try keep this idiot out of trouble, Vally."

Time:Morning --> Afternoon
Location:Roshmi Sewer --> Wilderness
Interaction:@Tae@Helo@HowlsOfWinter@Dezuel


Clara had spent more time than she had liked to in the sewer. The stench had her holding her nose and grimacing. Still, she kept happy thoughts and tried her best to go the way toward the exterior of the city. She was walking for a good hour or so, so she used the time to try to process losing her elf companions. It was terrible they had died protecting her and escorting her. They had given and done so much for her. It was hard to comprehend that it all really happened. She couldn't even retrieve their body and bring them to their families. On top of that, she didn't even know who their families were!

She swore to herself at that moment that not only would she make them a nice grave someday in their home village, Sun Elf Village, but she'd also not give up on their fight. It was important that not only she survived, but she kept fighting for the cause they died for.

Proud of herself, she grinned to herself, only to be interrupted by voices and all sorts of noises. She moved around the bend of the sewer to peer down it. There was a lovely exit right down the hallway, but there was also a bunch of strange folks and some weird mist stuff going on. Clara scratched her head, intrigued but wary of getting in unnecessary danger. However, Will Smith came in handy in that moment, his words echoing in her mind.



Seemed like four of them had a handle on the fight and had it taken care of, but they'd also probably kick her booty too if they weren't good guys. Thus, she turned and retreated to find another way. It took a little longer, but Clara found another exit. She moved the lid out of her way with her ability, then jumped up and climbed out into the grass. The sounds of horses neighing and the smell of hay reached her nose. She lifted her head. There was a long, wide, and sandy road in front of her, flanked by woodland on both sides. She tilted her head over her shoulder to see the Roshmi City border walls, along with its big gates which opened up to the road. There was a small stable off to the side with all types of mounted creatures, but mostly horses. A sign read: Sturdy Stables.

She jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "I am victorious!"

Guards that she had not quite noticed right away stirred from their posts. They were in heavy armor and it was clear they were dark elves. A good handful of them moved toward her immediately after a slight pause. She supposed they wanted her alive since they hadn't taken out weapons or tried to throw magical balls at her.

Clara felt adrenaline shoot through her and she smiled big and wide, running immediately for one of the horses. She had never ridden a horse before but she figured now was a good time to try it out. She clumsily got onto it and gave it a little kick while yanking at the reigns. It neighed and started galloping her down the road... right towards an army of armed skeletons. The color drained from her face. There were hundreds of them and they were moving ever so slowly and eerily toward her while the dark elves shouted from behind her. She figured they'd probably get on horses too.

Her gaze shifted and locked on a break in the trees. She yanked on the reigns, struggling to get it to change direction for a moment.

"If you stop now, we won't have to kill you!"A dark elf was calling up to her.

"Oh but to die will be an awfully big adventure!" She called back with a giggle. Of course, dark elves hadn't read or seen Peter Pan so she was sure they'd think she was badass. Once she was getting a good lead, she made sure to yell as well, "Hasta la vista, baby!"

Miraculously, Clara was able to keep a good lead on them as the horse galloped over bushes and rocks through the woods. For a while, it went well. She spent another hour or two just putting distance between her and her pursuers. Her heart was pumping. Getting chased was truly as exciting as it seemed in the movies. Clara had no idea how long they'd try looking for her before returning to her posts and sending others. She needed to get as far as possible.

The horse started to slow suddenly. She tilted her head to look at the horse's face and petted his mane. "What's wrong? Want something to eat?"She frowned and glanced around.

Then she saw the spiders. They were bigger than she had ever seen before and they were glowing as they scuttled through the woods.
She stared in shock for only a second before a loud voice yelled.

"Little girl!"A big orc jumped out from Clara's side, making her scream. The horse neighed in panic and bucked upward. Clara cried out as she fell backward. To her surprise, large hands caught her from behind and set her on her feet. She blinked as she watched the horse gallop away from the two of them.

"Wait! Come back!" Clara yelled and moved forward for a few steps then sighed. She knew it'd be fruitless.

"GO! Gorgon is running and you RUN TOO!" The orc patted her back to push her forward then took off in another direction. She stumbled forward then started running as well. Clara soon regretted not befriending the big guy. He could have possibly been a real help and he had seemed like he was a good orc despite looking so scary.

She found herself moving through the woods on her lonesome, calling out for the horse for a short while before giving up on that. It was probably a bad idea to bring attention to herself. She had already run into a skeleton horde, giant spiders, and an orc. "Okay... Clara you got this..." She said to herself, moving into a small break in the woodland to lean on a tree stump. She pulled her backpack off and began to assess her supplies. The elves had equipped her with a map, some food, a knife, some rope, and a blanket.

Clara unrolled the map and began to try to figure out where she was when she overheard a voice.

"What a pity, I found nothing of interest over yonder..."

She raised a brow and narrowed her eyes, trying to peer through the trees in front of her. She nearly gasped, biting her tongue in order not to do so.

Fairies!

There were about three of them and an elf. She had seen them at the ball but to see some so close was so interesting. Two of them were absolutely enchanting with their white hair and dreamy, beautiful features. One of them was kind of odd-looking, but interesting all the same. He looked more like a moth than a fairy. Maybe he wasn't one. She shrugged it off. The elf girl dressed and looked more like a light elven woman. From what the other elves told her, most light elves didn't like Aklenroth and would be friendly to other elves. She flicked her own ear, wondering if it was even passable, or if she'd be obviously a human.

Will Smith's advice rang in her head again. She bit her lip and took another attempt at trying to figure out where she was on the map. Apparently, there were little roads and settlements all over the place, but only the important ones were marked. Clara didn't like the arrangement at all. She supposed she could try detailing her map as she went to make a better one. If only she had a compass. This map was useless to her without one.

Clara decided to just try her luck asking for directions. After all, she was curious about what fairies were really like. She knew they'd be nothing like Tinkerbell, but nonetheless, she was excited. She brushed the dirt off her clothes and glanced down at herself. Pants didn't seem super common on the women here, though she saw some wearing them. She pulled her cape around her and ran her fingers through her long hair to tidy it up. No way was she making a bad impression on fairies. Slowly, she moved through the trees and held her hands up to show she was unarmed.

"Greetings. " She assumed they spoke English as well since the moth wings guy had spoken it. The elves she had met had seemed kind of up-tight and haughty. Clara put her arms down and folded her hands neatly in front of her waist. "I require assistance knowing which way the coast is. I am interested in completing some trades in the port town ... yonder... However, I seem to be lost. Anyone know where we are currently located on this map?" Clara held up the map and tapped it.

---

---

Maneru's plan was working. The rebels were currently occupied with his clones and mist while the illusion he made of the rebel princess seemed to stir them up even more. Little did they know that that wasn't the real leader of the rebels as it was him all along disguised as her. He pretended to fight the fake him, letting out cries of pain and defiance as he 'knocked out' his fake self and made him slump on the dirty waters. He could see Kuroi was just a few feet away from him as the group each destroyed their own clones. He's supposed to trick the group into making them think he was Risa then watch the fear and confusion in their eyes as their so-called leader of the rebels were killing them one by one.

That would've been the perfect plan indeed although he was surprised when Ayita used her powers to blow away the mist the second time, giving them a clear image of Maneru disguised as Risa. Kuroi was indeed close to him and Fake-Risa spread their arms around. "Thank you so much! You don't know-". Maneru spoke in Risa's voice and his plan would've succeeded if not for Torvi. He didn't know she would automatically use her earth powers to entrap him. She would've been aiming at Maneru and didn't expect for Fake-Risa to be standing there instead.

"W-What? No! Let me go!" Maneru shouted in Risa's voice. He thrashed against the earthen constraints but his only downside was that Maneru was physically the weakest amongst his group. No matter what he did, he couldn't break free from Torvi's power. "I said LET GO! LET ME OUT! I WANT TO BREAK FREEEEEEE!" Maneru screamed, his Risa voice gradually breaking apart and being replaced by his real raspy one. The blue mist gradually dissipated as Risa turned more and more reptilian until Maneru's true form was revealed.

"No! No!!! My plan is ruined! Why won't you work, you damned mask?! Master is going to kill me when they find out!" He screamed at himself, his voice muffled by the demonic white mask he was wearing that covered his face. The rest of the blue mist dissipated along with the rest of the clones. At the realization that he was completely defeated and the group now knew what he looked like, the tone of his voice changed to nervousness and cowardice.

"Heh heh... Heh heh heh... N-Now now, I really didn't mean it when I said I w-want to k-kill you guys. C-C'mon, why c-can't we just all g-get along eh?" He stammered, beads of sweat rolling down his neck as he panicked. "P-Please don't kill me! I'll do anything you g-guys want! I'll serve under the r-rebels, sharpen your weapons, g-guard your treasure, anything! Oh, h-how about... I know! I'll tell you guys a secret! Yes, that's right, a secret!" Maneru said, his voice a sign he's close to unhinging due to sheer desperation.

"T-T-There's... There's a... a s-s-spy! There's a spy among you! N-Nothing is what it seems! What you-you see isn't always the truth!" Maneru said as he laughed out loud like a maniac. One of the consequences of the powers his mask gave him was that it reduces his sanity until he's nothing but a former shell of himself. "Liar, liar, burn in hellfire! Hahahaha! A trickster in your midst! Friends fighting friends! It's an endless cycle of death and standing at the center of those corpses are you all! Because you all chose to trust her! You all chose to trust my master! My master whose name is-"

His screams of insanity abruptly came to an end as a kunai was sticking out of his mask where his mouth was and at the back of his head. It ultimately silenced the crazed Maneru forever as the life gradually disappeared from his eyes. Green blood spurted out where the kunai struck through his neck and mouth and weirdly enough, the kunai dissipated as well as if it was made from darkness. When it disappeared, a hollow hole was formed where the kunai originally was and Maneru's head slumped forward, green blood continuously flowing down to the earth.

Under the shades of the trees not far from the exit of the sewers, Maneru's killer stayed for a little while longer to ensure the traitor was dead before he too disappeared into the shadows.

One by one, each person from the group replied to the blonde elf's question. While their answers were slightly different from one another, the meaning behind them was overall the same. Other than the dark elf, who seemed to be... uncertain, most of the others said that they didn't like Aklenroth as well, which was something Myra could identify herself with. The blonde elf also seemed to have something to say to the dark elf. Despite his answer, the blonde elf seemed to believe in him, offering even to help him. Not only that but the dark elf also seemed to answer favorably to the blonde elf's offer. While Myra didn't trust people who were close to Aklenroth, if the blonde elf trusted him, it was enough for her.

With the matter of 'allegiances' solved, she turned to the dark elf and giving him an amicable smile, a quick signal that she did trust him before turning towards the blonde elf again as he offered them two options, either continuing with him and the girl, whom apparently was named Belladonna or they could keep walking on the path he indicated and reach safety. Uncertain what to do, she looked to Mathis, tilting her head. In one hand, she wanted to find her other friends but in the other hand, it was very likely that the blonde elf and Belladonna were going to the same direction. Not only that but she was probably already too involved in what happened at the ball to just go back.

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


Vaeril watched Darius as he siphoned water into the bottle. He raised a brow as Darius mocked Umber, but he couldn’t hold back his smile. ” That was an interesting technique, however, I wouldn’t speak negatively about someone you may be working with in the future, especially one who can read your emotions.”He warned.

When his son was mentioned, he stiffened. ” My son passed some time ago. He was receptive to my teachings and probably would have taught you well. He had a sense of humor just as you.”

Just as he had finished speaking a large guttural croak echoed down the river, turning Vaeril towards the noise. “How prepared are you to fight do you think, Darius?”

The large frog shook the earth around as it hopped towards the two attracted by all the noise and small prey it saw before it. Bushes were crushed underneath its feet as it took its place in front of the two, letting out a larger, deeper, and more threatening croak.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Afternoon

LOCATION: Forest outside Roshmi

INTERACTIONS: @13org Myra, Malachi @princess, Belladonna @Potter

He was sure that his answer would relieve some of the tension that could be felt in the group. However he had the feeling that he would need to somehow gain their trust further; the word of Myra he thought would not be enough to save himself. The best idea he could think of was helping the rebels without exposing that he is a general for Aklenroth. He turned to Myra; he felt that she was not going to see her friends whatever their name was. “Do not worry; i am sure they are with the other rebels” He tried to reassure her. He was sure that they would run into her friends sooner or later. Turning to face Malachi and Belladonna; Finding them to be a nuisance and would be to be ruined quickly and painfully. Especially Malachi who would need to be decayed slowly; O’Ner was thinking about starting with his mouth first. “Do you know where the others are; perhaps you could lead us?” He was sure that Malachi could play the leader and take them to where the other rebels were.

Once they started walking; he stayed closed towards Myra. His eyes watching the others in case they try to attack him or Myra. Although it would be strange for them to attack civilians; he believed it was possible. He kept his staff close to him; He looked over once again at Myra with a smile. The undead general once again found himself being strangely protective of the feral woman; perhaps he thought of her much like an innocent child that needs to be cared for. Or perhaps he was reminded of his daughter and grandson; and felt the human emotion of empathy. Empathy and opening up towards her was going to be the second death of him. He does not want to get close to anyone and be hurt like before.

Time: Afternoon
Location: Forest
Interaction: @Helo Bowyn @Dezuel Elthrael @HowlsOfWinter Zephyrin @princess Clara

---

Slowly it seemed like the group was dispersing on its own and it actually had Kenia a bit relieved. The only one that had stuck around that she didn’t trust was Zephyrin, but having one person she didn’t trust was better than four. For now she’d deal with it as the girl really just seemed more selfish than having ill intent, but Kenia wasn’t about to let her guard down there.

As morning turned into afternoon, Kenia showed no sign of slowing for lunch. She’d rather keep moving until the lost light and then they could stop for a meal. She was willing to skip out on food in order to get them closer to where they needed, but she also was taking the time to do what she could to lessen the chances of them being tracked. She’d considered briefly checking out the fire, in case it was Cora or Elsea, but she decided against it even though her heart ached to be reunited with Cora and Malachi. She needed to stick to the plan and hope that they ended up at the port as well.

A semi-familiar scent struck her nose and she sighed as she looked up to see Elthrael as he landed on a branch. ”What a pity indeed.” She said in response, not stopping from her path until she heard another approaching. Her hand had gone to one of her daggers as this scent wasn’t familiar. She watched as the girl emerged and slowly eyed her as she spoke. She appeared to have elven ears, but there was something in her stance that seemed...off. Perhaps to an untrained eye it wouldn’t appear so, but Kenia had trained to watch for subtleties like this. Then the girl spoke and Kenia had a feeling she knew what was going on here.

The girl was quite obviously young and she spoke of making some trades in the port town, but there was one problem, people in the profession of trading traveled with a lot more than she had. Kenia debated only for a moment on what to do, did she really want to be responsible for another tagalong? Well if this new one was a human then her answer would be absolutely, at least until she knew for sure where her loyalties lie. That information could be drawn out of her as they traveled. ”Well it so happens we’re heading in that general direction. If you’d like you can join us and we can make sure you make it to that port town safely? It’s definitely better to travel these woods with a group, especially if you’re not familiar with them.” She was curious to see if the girl could find some hidden meaning within her words and if she did that would tell Kenia quite a bit about her. For now she’d just wait and see her response.

---

---

They didn’t make it very far when some imp like creature bumped into Cade. Shortly after followed a red devil woman and...some kind of chicken? Elsea wasn’t entirely sure what the beast was, but either way she eyed the trio with alarm, especially as the woman unsheathed her sword. Cora reacted as expected, but Elsea knew they needed to not use their magic again unless absolutely necessary. ”It’s okay, we’re going to be alright.” She said softly to her friend as she reached out to Cora’s magic with her own, trying to calm it some. Earlier she’d felt some sort of connection between their magics, almost as if the magics were living things and were happy to be around each other. Almost as if they were sisters. Perhaps it was because they kind of were sisters, what with it being the same type of magic.

Elsea took a moment to glance back at Cade and the trio as he spoke. There was no hiding the fact that her and Cora were human, she only hoped this woman would be an ally. So she remained quiet as it seemed Cade had things under control, but Elsea remained incredibly cautious.

"To fight? What do you…" Darius stopped speaking as he caught sight of the frog that hopped towards them. He faced it, initially with a frightened look on his face.



The frog was now in front of the two. Darius glanced at Aklenroth who had crossed his arms. There was no time to think about him, the enemy required his attention. Quick and merciless. That's how Malgormuun and Kol showed him.

Darius swiped his hand through the air, causing water from the river to slam against the creature's side just as it let loose its tongue. The tongue fired like a missile, hit the ground next to him with a hard pound. The impact was close enough to make him lean away while shielding his eyes.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck what do I…

Darius sprinted to his left as the frog leaped his way. Its mouth hit the dirt, scooping up soil into its mouth. He had safely avoided the creature and turned to face it as he threw the mournwine bottle at it. It instinctively shot out its tongue, shattering the glass bottle on impact. The creature recoiled from the pain as its bleeding tongue returned to its mouth. It was just enough time for Darius to focus. With both hands out, he quickly pulled water straight from the amphibian's skin. The action appeared to work easier on this particular creature due to its anatomy. In response, the frog jumped into the river in an attempt to rehydrate.

"I think I got this now." Darius said aloud as he allowed the frog to enter its now saving grace. Unfortunately, it would also be its ruin. As soon as the frog entered the river, he focused on filling its body with as much water as he could. The frog struggled to move as it drowned from the inside out. It managed to jump from the river and crash sloppily into a large stone boulder on the river bed. It squirmed before jumping again, this time crashing into and knocking down several small trees in the treeline. It had saved itself from death, but it wasn't in any shape to continue a fight against Darius who was left with an accomplished smile on his face.

He found Aklenroth literally standing in the exact same spot. He wondered if the frog had even paid him any attention. It's faint croak could still be heard in the distance as it clinged to life.

"I should have thought of the whole amphibian thing at the start… And if I was stronger, I could have had him dancing like… Nevermind, he's beat." Darius shook his head as he mentally pushed away the image of the dancing Warner Bros frog. He then sighed as he looked around at the area where he had battled a giant frog of all things. He fell silent before looking at Aklenroth with seriousness.

"So... does this all end at the port? Have all your enemies in one location and then what? We kill that fairy girl?" Darius asked as he was curious about Aklenroth's approach to all of this.

Time: Evening
Location: River Kingdom
Interactions: @princess Helio
Mentions:

---

Azriel had left Risa where she’d been directed and now she was heading back out into the woods. Truly she was curious on whether or not Helio was still around. If he was, would she even be able to find him? She figured she’d merely have to look out for some gruesome trail of destruction. With that thought she caught the scent of blood in the air and decided that was probably a good place to start. Silently she soared through the air, scanning the trees below her until she caught sight of three figures heading in the same direction as her. She flew in lower and silently perched herself in a tree as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Sure enough, there was Helio collecting...arms? Well that was rather intriguing for sure, but the dark and twisted side of her could understand it. Trophies were something she enjoyed as well. She listened to the conversation that ensued, soon realizing that these three were meant to be Helio’s handlers, but the one seemed a little frightened of the fairy. How pathetic. Though Azriel would bet that the fairy could easily dispose of all three of these miserable excuses of life.

Azriel couldn’t keep from rolling her eyes as Helio made quite a few terrible puns, though she’d be lying if she said there wasn’t a small part of her that found humor in it. She watched as the trio left and then she heard Helio call out to her. Of course he knew she was there the entire time. Silently she glided down to the ground near Helio. ”Good evening, Helio. Up to all sorts of mischief I see.” She gave him a smirk before moving over to one of the dark elf bodies and nudging it with her foot. ”Those dark elf handlers of yours are such a bore. You need more companions that appreciate art when they see it.” Her tone was playful as she watched him. There was a part of her that was curious if he knew what she’d done and she had a feeling she was soon going to find out.

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


Malachi listened to Valok and thought about his words. After his pause, he smiled and offered him a hand, “Here’s hoping this path we take makes a better world for both your kind and for mine.” He was sure this man probably didn't see what the rebellion had in it for him. He wasn't sure if he had heard Risa's words, but she seemed more intent on giving them a chance. That was all that she and whoever else was thrown into the new governing system could figure out. "The young fairy girl had spoke of the dark elves living along with everyone else. No longer outcasted. I can't promise that myself, but maybe the rebellion she leads can."

Truth be told, there was a sense of cruelness to it all. The fairy girl was quite young and shouldering the blame for the elves' sin. It was not her rebellion at all, but the light elves who had begun it, yet she had been forced as the figurehead. It was too late to take it back anyhow.

Malachi turned to Mathis and Myra, "Word got around at the ball for rebels to meet at the closest port town. Even if they were not told, if they were kicked out of Roshmi just as everyone else, then they might have fled there. I shall lead you there If we do not find them there, perhaps a carriage ride to River Kingdom would be the next place to look."

He began walking, waving them a bit into the trees. He didn't want them out in the open of the beach where they could be spotted too fast.

"My name is Malachi."He said to them so that if any had more questions they could address him. He surely had his own questions, but he decided a break of sorts was in order.

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


"Oh mischief indeed, pretty bird."Helio spun on his heels to look at Azriel. He watched her move to nudge the body with her foot. "Yes. They were very stupid and died, just as elves do."He said boredly, "Not my art-work of course, but I suppose it is my handywork that I took her limbs. I see no point in waste. Got three more to find on my merry scavenger hunt but I have a hunch where the rest of them are." He made a dramatic gesture toward the river.

Her following words intrigued him and he moved up to her to lean over her, and trace his finger up her neck to her chin, "Companions like you?" He whispered gently and huskily in her ear. "But the question becomes... Are you mine..."Helio retracted his head to give her space back to her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as he did, "Or my sister's?"

Helio let the words sink in and he playfully smiled at her, "It was very funny watching you help her. I couldn't think of a reason why you would do that other than to spite Umber unless you've gone soft... Now that would be a tragedy. The good-girl lifestyle just wouldn't suit you much."He told her and then added with a small sigh, "Nonetheless, I plan to rat you out to Umber whether that's what you want or not. Nothing against you, but I just can't resist my temptations."