Time: Afternoon
Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe
Interactions: @Helo@Potter


“Ah...I see, well nice to meet you Lucia and Frodo, I will gladly sit with you two.” He said, before pulling up a chair from another table and while he did this, he cast a spell to talk to “Frodo” in his mind

“If you are going to pick a name try something more elven.” Vaeril could see through the lie: his hair, facial structure, skin art, and his hesitation to speak after he introduced himself. The young man was stuffing his food to avoid speaking. Vaeril was old and had seen all many trying to lie their way through things and it was not hard for him to notice the signs.

Vaeril sat down and picked up the menu casually while he had done this, not looking Leon in the eye as he had spoken to him telepathically. ”Think I’ll try out the soup.”He told them with a smile. “So tell me about yourselves.”

Time: Afternoon
Location: The forest, now closer to River Port
Interactions: @Helo@Tae@Potter


Ezeri listened to Elsea and forced herself to smile back. She did not have the resolve to tell them this creature wasn’t obeying out of its own free will, more of a false form of it but over time the bond would become natural, so she didn’t say anything, nodding her thanks to Corvina’s kind words. She looked at Cade next when he spoke, “Ah. Well I am not anyone special but thank you for thinking highly of me. I enjoy your company too… Err.. Anyways, unicorns seem very nice and less dangerous than when I am used to. I suppose we shouldn’t stay in one area too long. I do have a question though where were you heading in the first place?
She asked as she went to the side and jumped quite high and swung her self on top of the unicorn with Melzor perching on it's head holding onto the horn.

Myra looked at Malachi, tilting her head as she saw him smiling towards Mathis and talking about his life. While at the beginning he was much more serious, it seemed like he was starting to get less wary and suspicious around the others, especially after they talked a bit about themselves.

When she spoke about herself though, she was surprised to see Malachi laughing. She could see that he was slowly warming up to the others but it was the first time she saw him laughing like that. Myra looked at him, tilting her head, a bit confused as she tried to understand why he was laughing. When he called her name though, she straightened her head, paying attention to him as he took a small piece of cloth out of his pocket and dipped it in water before approaching her, bending down in front of her with the wet cloth still on his hand. Myra did flinch a bit at first, surprised and a bit wary. Since he was approaching her slowly and delicately though, she simply stood still, curiously watching as he used the wet piece of cloth to clean a bit of dirt that was in her cheek, which Myra replied with a kind smile while he was still bending down.

Myra was undoubtedly glad that the group was starting to feel more comfortable around each other. After all, the tense atmosphere from a while ago with all the questions, distrust and wary stares was really exhausting. Other than Malachi, Valok too seemed to react to what Myra said about the forests. His reaction though was much more different than Malachi's. Saying that Myra was strong, he closed his fist, smacking it into his chest. A gesture Myra had already seen some green skins doing to each other. Closing her fist, Myra looked at it for a brief moment before imitating Valok, looking at him and tilting her head, almost as if she was asking if she did it correctly.

Still, the only one left that was still very serious was Belladonna. Myra didn't know why she was still so wary about them, especially since they had spent some time together already and no one did anything to each other. That meant thy could all trust each other, right? After all, if anyone was bad, they would have already done something. As Malachi, Mathis and the others said that they should keep moving, Myra gave a few steps towards Belladonna, looking at her curiously. Myra was a bit cautious at first, since she didn't know if the girl trusted her yet. Looking towards her, Myra put her fingers on the corner of her mouth, slightly pulling them and making a smile before pointing towards Belladonna and tilting her head, her question being clear despite her lack of words.

The very second she finished doing that though, Myra suddenly started looking around, sniffing the air and with her tongue darting in and out of her mouth, trying to identify the strange scent she was feeling in the air and the noises that she was hearing every now and then. Judging by her alert posture and how agitated she was, it was clear that something wasn't right. Looking to the rest of the group, Myra turned back at the forest behind them, assuming a threatening posture and showing her teeth and her claws.

---

---

A loud and menacing roar reverberated in the air, sending shivers down her spine. If that didn't daunt her enough, the appearance of the dragon certainly did. Tough scales, deadly fangs, and sharply curved talons. Zephyrine was so stricken that she hadn't even noticed Arwen getting tossed carelessly to the ground. Everything seemed to fade into the background as her eyes focused on one thing. The beast. As she watched the wyvern soar up to the sky, she felt a sudden fear - it blew through her body like a gust of wind.

Zephyrine was not prepared for the sudden move of the creature, swooping downwards with the intention to kill. She stumbled backwards, her mind being ravaged by pure panic. As the dragon rapidly closed the distance between them, Zephyrine's fight-or-flight instinct reared up, her scarlet wings fluttering with speed. She soared swiftly backwards, missing the wyvern's attack by just a hair's breadth, it's claw managing to tear away the lowest fabric of her dress. At the thought of what could've happened if she had been a second too late, every muscle in her body tensed.

"T-That was close!" Zephyrine shrieked, but she wasn't sure her voice actually made a sound. The small voice in her conscience was telling her to run - abandon the others and save herself - but she reasoned with it. What would she do afterwards? She might find herself in an even more unfavorable situation in the future, and when that happens, she would be all alone. She bit her lip and agonizingly came to a decision. The survival of the others would be much more beneficial to her in the long run. 'Yes.. That is the only reason why I am choosing to stay.'

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her leg and caused her to wince. Zephyrine looked down, only to realize there was a gash on her inner thigh, just right above her knee. Her awareness of the wound made it hurt even more, and she hissed. Fortunately, only the tip of the wyvern's claw had managed to graze her. Otherwise, the scene before her would be much more grim.

Zephyrine's face darkened as blood trickled down to her ankle, her fear long forgotten. Currently, she was too vexed by the possible scar this wound could leave on her unblemished skin. She realized her emotions were slightly out of place, but she couldn't help it. No person or beast had ever managed to tarnish her complexion before. Her fear was dulled, replaced by pure disdain. Only as the wyvern released a mencacing growl did the fear return slightly in the background of her mind.

Before Zephyrine could open her mouth to vocalize her grievances, emotions of grief and rage ripped through her consciousness - but it wasn't coming from her. It was coming from the wyvern. Just what had caused it to be in so much anguish? Zephyrine intended to communicate with the wyvern, but before she could make an attempt, it got ready to pounce. It descended quickly and headed towards them, it's talons ready to strike.

"Kenia, watch out!"

---

Once he had collapsed up against the sewer wall, he couldn't help but look up at Baraian as some sort of provisional savior. He had no qualms as Baraian began to carry him throughout the sewers. The vulpine's energy was almost entirely sapped, and all he could do was mumble out slurred directions to Baraian in hopes they'd get out soon. By the time the group had escaped the sewers, the smell of fresh air was a reinvigorating scent. He ears and tail began to twitch and sway respectively, eager to finally be able to breathe in comfort once again. After ten minutes of being able to enjoy his sense of smell again, he let out an exhausted laugh. His gaze switched between his companions for a few moments before he finally closed his eyes and gave in to exhaustion.

The last thing he remembered was easing himself into the back of a cart, snuggled up against a rather bumpy blanket. Several hours later, the sounds of speaking caused him to stir momentarily, his eyes weakly opening up at the sight of a young man around his age. All he could do was reach up to gently rub his beanie-covered head before returning to slumber, not able to produce any sort of facial expression due to his exhaustion. Kuroi snuggled up against the shared blanket once again, enjoying the much-needed rest he required as the others conversed.

---

The two creatures were stalking the group for some time now as they had entered their territory. Twelve feet tall and 2000 pounds of beak and claws, covered in brown fur and feathers, and beady eyes that rapidly searched their surroundings, these owlbears were large and in charge of this area. Known for being aggressive, they had spotted the five and immediately began hunting them. Now that they were getting close to the den, the owlbears decided it was enough and split off to enclose on their prey. The owlbear in front decided to show itself first, letting out loud screeches and roars. It moved forward on all fours slowly then stood on its hind legs, showing its great height as it towered over everyone before lashing at the group with its large clawed paw. The other owlbear stayed hidden for now.

Belle had been silently listening to the others conversing. She had kept her comments to herself. They had a fighting pit here. What was this, the fucking Hunger Games? What was Daka Island? It didn’t seem like a lovely place to be, considering the way the two spoke. Then Valok lifted his shirt to show his scar and Belle had turned to look. Eyebrows raised, she thought about mentioning the few she’d picked up from her days with the Hunters. She had some on her ankles and on her back. Jumping through a shattered window hadn’t been her proudest moment, but she’d evaded police out of her craziness.

Smirking, she turned away. There weren’t many ways to cover it up without giving it away. She stood up and watched as Malachi approached Myra to remove some dirt. She turned away, but then the creature was moving in her peripheral vision. Belle turned to watch her smile then point at her and smirked. ”Smiling isn’t my forte.” She told the girl and then frowned as she became alert. It didn’t take them long to find out why. A giant bear-owl hybrid thing was coming at them. It roared and caused Belle to make a face. Did it have to roar that loud? She inhaled as it swiped at with its giant ass paw and backflipped out of the way and back onto her feet with surprising agility. She stood up and glowered at it. What the hell is that thing? Belle bit her lip and hesitated. It was huge and had claws and large beady eyes. Its’ paw was enough to kill her. She would have to make sure she stayed a safe distance away from it so she wasn't injured.

”Alright bitch, you want to do this the hard way or the easy way?” She didn't wait for Malachi to toss her the bow; she wasn’t waiting around for anyone. The group's life was endangered and her own. Besides, he was likely going to be better with it than her. It was new to her and they didn't have time to try shooting it. This meant she'd have to use her damn magic and reveal herself. She raised her hands and water began rising from the creek around them. Droplets of water surrounded the group as shields began forming around half the group. She was concentrating on more but it was proving difficult. Myra was shielded, but she couldn’t tell who else had it. Her gaze wasn’t moving from the owlbear.

”I usually cut corners and do things the easy way but something tells me you’re not going to do that.” Belle scowled at the owlbear. She raised her hands higher and began forming more droplets around herself to begin creating multiple spheres of water. It was challenging and she was quickly becoming frustrated with her power. She took a few deep breaths. Be one with the water. she told herself. Water is all around you. You have an advantage here. She smirked as she began concentrating harder, not wanting to die a lousy death to this weird hybrid.

”You need a fucking mint.” she told the owlbear angrily and picked up a few stones from the creek. She then whipped it at the bear and aimed for its eyes. ”What the hell is this thing?”

Time: Afternoon
Location: Tailor, River Port
Interactions: Darius @FunnyGuy
Ambiance: River port


Nur walked next to a beaming Darius. A man who loved to shop was a man after her own heart. She was eager to buy something too, actually a lot of somethings. Leaving Haldir meant she would leave behind most of her possessions. She didn't mind, replacing them was half the fun of it. New dresses, new jewels, shoes, the works. The best place to start was the tailor. Nur had a specific kind of taste, everything had to be just right. She wouldn't settle for any old cotton dress.

She wondered if the perfume he bought was for his "friend". If it was, her hunch was right, and it was a girl. She didn't like her already. Nur wasn't used to having to worry about other women all that much. It wasn't easy to compete with the unnatural beauty of a succubus, but her powers were fading. It meant that one of her most important weapons and means of survival had suddenly become temporary. It was this nagging feeling, causing a pit in her stomach. She hadn't grown used to it, and she didn't know if she ever would. She didn't want to get used to it, she wanted to get it back.

It was only her first day at River Port, exploring the coastal town would help her find the rebellion. It could be anyone walking in the street. She still had no clue how to identify them or where to look. Nur kept her eyes and ears open. In the meantime however she could enjoy herself. Darius talked funny, was unfamiliar with the most common things, all in all kind of weird, but likable and funny. Handsome too. She was sure she could make him want to have her around without too much effort. It was like a fresh breath of air, her life had been pretty stale with Haldir. Still at the time the dark elf was her best bet.

Partially lost in her thoughts Nur almost missed the tailor shop, passing by the window with a mannequin wearing a custom made garment. The tailor almost looked out of place, like a store you would find in a big city like Roshmi. Nur guessed some pretty wealthy travelers passed through the port town, they would appreciate craftsmanship like this. She sure did.

Nur squeezed Darius's hand lightly to draw his attention.
"Store number two" She said excitedly.

Terneus Andros

Oh the way to the River fairy kingdom...

It was a sight of darkness that met the elven governor, was he dead? No there was no way he could be dead. He was to rich to die. Too rich in character, too rich in amas, charm, wit, beauty and so much more. But the thing he could feel the most of was now his body being suppressed by something being on top of him, an odd building. Terneus tried to stand up but he felt the hut itself not moving an inch from where it had fallen on top of him.

He began to pant and cough, how had this building gotten the better of him? Better of him? There was no way he would allow himself to be beaten by an inanimate object. He would be the laughing stock for generations to come, and this was something he could not allow. He felt the anger within him swell until it reached the boiling point as he shot out his light powers from himself, sending the debris on top of him flying in all directions and some of it disintigrating on the spot. Then he was met with light again. He could see. The hut was gone and so were all of his food and drink supplies.

"Ahhh!" He gasped when he looked back at the remnants of the sack with just a scorched big hole in it. Not even the wine had survived.

"Hnn..." He got to his feet, clenching his fists as he did, he felt how he got instantly warmer in his face and one of the stitches that held together his facial would snapped.

"Ack!" He lamented and grabbed unto his face in the swiftest yet gentlest way he could.

"I'll flay that beast and his dark elf friend for this..." He spitted to the earth itself, as if cursing it for having done this to him.

But there was no use to linger in the forest, and thus the governor began the long and tiresome journey through it, scaring away all manner of animals and things in his path. Cutting down trees that simply were in his way rather than going around them. After all, he was an important person. No. The most important person. As the next day dawned he came upon a sight, that he for a moment thought was an illusion. He rubbed his weary eyes and blinked a few times. Further down there was a road, and upon said road a carriage was travelling. Not just any carriage but his second carriage. The first thought crossing his mind was joy, followed by a gasp and anger. Who had dared to take his carriage out for a ride without him? The elven noble made his way down to the road and waved both his arms.

"By order of the dawnlord, hold it right there!" He yelled out as loud as he could and the man holding the reins brought the carriage to a halt. This man was someone he recognized, it was one of his men which had been left behind in his elven home.

"Milord Andros, is that you?!" The finely dressed kknight yelled out as soon as the carriage stopped.

"What does it look like you idiot? What are you doing out here in my carriage?!" The elven governor stormed closer with fierce steps as the carriage doors were opened and two more elves appeared. Another knight and the other was a shorter blonde elf which he knew very well. It was his advisor and local aide, Halma. Who had been left to govern while Terneus had attended the ball and searched Roshmi for humans.

"Terneus! By the elder elves, what has happened to you?!" Halma spoke out and blinked his eyes in sheer surprise as the governor stormed closer and closer, until he found himself having the governor's firm and noble hand grabbing unto his shirt.

"Halma! It is LORD TERNEUS ANDROS! And I ask the questions here! What are you doing out here?! I didn't give you permission to take my carriage! But... I can oversee this minor thing." Terneus allowed himself to regain his composure and brushed off Halma's chest momentarily before adjusting his own dirtied attire.

"I shall board my carriage right now and we are going to return home to regroup. The humans have slipped away... according to my plan." He explained as he moved towards the doorway leading into the carriage, pushing the second knight out of his path.

"My appologies my lord, I didn't think throughly... I was overcome with joy on seeing you. B-but we cannot return to our home... there's been complications." Halma explained ans his entire form seemed to sink in on itself. The ever so patient and understanding noble governor raised his even more noble eyebrow and turned to look over his own shoulder. "Hm? What? Speak up!" He turned quickly and walked up to look at Halma.

"Wait.. who did you leave in charge? There was only three of you... don't tell me you.." Terneus head tilted slightly as he gave his aide a judging look.

"In your absence, there was an uprising back home. They began to execute your... I mean our supporters, using your highnessess guilliotine. Then they came for the tower..." Halma said and gulped slightly, looking more nervous by the second.

"Nevermind the useless fools, I had planned to get rid of them eventually anyways. You cannot trust those slithery second rate nobles anyway, but my tower? What about my tower?! Did they break into it?!" Terneus voice raised and his eyebrows twitched as he waited for his aide to continue.

"M-my lord.. when they came to your door... we... got scared and they would kill us if we didn't... please try to understand... we... opened the doors..." Halma said in a tone that was both filled with shame and fear.

"YOU DID WHAT?! YOU IDIOT! YOU LET THEM ROAM INTO MY HOME AND STEAL MY THINGS?!" Terneus screamed aloud so loud that the knights flinched in reaction to it.

"No my lord, when we opened I deviced a plan to save what we could so.. I took a torch and opened the door and then... I put the tower on fire.. and faked that we were with the rebels... please I had no choice..." Halma held out both his hands in a begging manner and looked at Terneus with pleading eyes. The governor who was a man of great age, wisdom, charisma and knowledge of elven culture took the news well. Another stitch on his face snapped.

"Halmaaaaaaa!" The governor screamed as his noble hands wrapped around the shorter elf's neck and throat, lifting him up and pressing his body up against the side of his carriage, choking him bit by bit.

"You bastard! You put my castle, my home to the torch! How daaaare yooou! All of my amas! All of my collection! My wine! My garments! All gone! I shall kill you for this!" The silverhaired elf began to press more and more against the shorter elf's throat, and Halma was trying to speak and hold on without passing out.

"My lord! Master Halma was able to save some of your garments, food and drinks! It's in the carriage! We were going to find you! It was master Halma's idea!" The knight closest to the carriage door said and tried to easen the situation. Terneus eyes darted to the side and momentarily let go off Halma who fell to the ground. The governor soon after went up to backhand the knight across the face.

"Can't you see I am busy?! But fine! I shall postpone your immediate death for now, Halma, I require you to pay back for your incompetence! And that useless commander Feldrin got himself killed in Roshmi! And it was you who recommended him!" The governor barked out before going into the carriage looking over his supplies and finding an outfit he could make do with.

"A change of plans! We are going to the River fairy kingdom, those disgusting dark elves should still have it under watch and we can catch an amora from there and head north. We shall confiscate supplies from the fairies along the way. We are after all servants of the king it is fully within our right to do so." Terneus explained as he began to undress inside of the carriage and dress up in some new clothes and clean himself with some towels and water.

"My lord... isn't that banditry?" The knight next to the door asked, without looking inside the carriage.

"No you dimwitted beastbrain, all of these lands rightfully belong to the elves. Besides what are the fairies going to do? Stop us? Please." He allowed himself a rare amused chuckle.

"This setback of losing my precious home... and wealth shall be remedied in time. The elven gods have a master plan, and I am in the main role. I shall become richer tenfold no... thousandfold! Hah hah hah!" He allowed himself a cruel laugh as he peeked out from the carriage now dressed fully in a black overcoat with golden details to it. "Well? Get into the carriage, we have work to do. Pull your idiotic self together Halma or I shall snuff you out like a candle!" He barked and soon enough the carriage was on it's way towards the River Kingdom of the fairies.

O'Ner Faister

TIME: Afternoon, Day 2

LOCATION: Forest near Coast/Creek

[/quote]

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

O’Ner made sure to listen intensely while the others were talking about themselves, of course there was not much being told by Malachi and Belladonna. Although he didn’t personally care much for the two, he found them to be more of a nuisance than an assistance. The only people he felt sympathy for was Valok and Myra. His train of thought was distrubed by the presents of a strange creature. In all of his years living on this planet, he had not seen such a creature before.

Holding out his staff in front of him, his staff transforming into a large looking scythe. “Keep close everyone.” His eyes looking over towards Malachi, he was the leader of some sorts. “Do you have a plan on how to kill this thing?” Asking if he had a plan of some sort. If not then they would have to improvise for the time being. Even though he could decay the beast into nothing, that would expose himself, and he did not want to expose himself to the group.

Keeping an eye on Myra, he had a feeling that she would rush at the beast and hurt herself. So he would try his best to protect her. Perhaps he could do the same with Valok, however that could not be said for the others. He didn't care if the two get seriously wounded or killed.

“If you are going to pick a name try something more elven.”

Leon looked around without moving his head, his eyes darting towards both Lucia and Vaeril, and noting no one else was really around. Neither of them had spoken the words, and really, it had been more like they had been spoken directly into his mind. Well, that’s uncomfortable. Was he hearing voices now? Leon was more than willing to admit he was a bit on the eccentric side but he was pretty sure he wasn’t voices in your head crazy. He wasn’t going to talk to the voice, that would be crazy. Did that mean someone was in his head, that wouldn’t be good. Best thing to do was to fully focus on the most annoying song he could think of.

Yo listen up, here's the story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night
And everything he sees is just blue
Like him, inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
'Cause he ain't got nobody to listen…

Perfection, nothing was quiet as annoying as retro dance music being stuck in your head. His head bopped slightly as he chewed the rest of the food he’d shoved in his mouth to avoid talking. Damn, why did he like this stupid song so much, maybe he was crazy. He was going to have this stuck in his head all day and he only hoped whoever hacked into his brain would now too. Once Lucia had finished giving the briefest biography of herself, she asked how his food was. Again. She had also grabbed his hand and he had a weird gut feeling. He kept thinking about the same song and followed her lead, giving a similar story about his own life.

“Same, we grew up near each other. My parents owned horses, and I guess they gave them all the good names and I got saddled with Frodo. Guess that’s what I get for not being half as impressive as their favorite stallion. And the food's great here as always. Can't say I've ever tried the soup here, though, still centuries shy of wanting to eat anything so mushy.” He said, more calmly than when he’d given his dumb fake name. That at least wasn’t far from true, his actual parents had been more interested in their work and less than impressed with him. He also hated soup, mushy food was worse than food cubes. He let his mind slip back into the annoying song, though he was excited to hear about the Roshmi Ball. He had wanted to go, but Lucia was always thinking way ahead of him, she had known it was going to be dangerous and based on what they’d heard recently, she’d be right to skip it.

Time: Afternoon
Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe
Interactions: @Helo@Potter


Vaeril let them speak and listened. The boy was clearly trying to come up with things, trying to match the story given by Lucia and giving cover to his so-called name. “Well I grew up in the Moon Elf village as well.” He smiled as his food had finally been delivered. “Thank you,” He told the waitress before continuing to talk to the two. “Yes, anyways I was at the ball and just about every ball in the last few centuries. I am the one who hosts and sets them up, but I could have never expected what had happened this time. I didn’t think it would be infiltrated so easily by Aklenroth’s forces. I just hope this rebellion can do something about this, I plan on doing what I can to provide for its cause.” He said. Vaeril had eaten his garlic lobster soup fairly quickly after and decided he wanted to go check some other places out. He paid the bill once it came, the total had come to 30 amas, smiling at the two, ”This is for letting me join you for lunch. I’ll cover it.”

Vaeril stood up and pushed his seat in, “Well, would you two like to come with me to check some other stores? I will gladly pay for something you two want.”

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: River Kingdom
Interactions: @princess Helio @FunnyGuy Umber @Potter Artemis
New Outfit: Outfit

---

Disgusting feelings? Azriel thought to herself as she glanced at the woman in the cage. Just who was this woman and who was she to Helio? Perhaps she’d find out eventually. Umber had seemingly ignored Helio’s revelation of her saving Risa and she found a bit of disappointment in his lack of response, but she pushed it aside as she watched Umber levitate the two she’d just brought and then the woman in the cage. He seemed to want to play a game with his two children here. It was a game she was quite familiar with as he’d used it to teach her how to maximize torture of others. He’d often had to keep their mouths shut, however, as if they’d started begging for their lives she’d often just end it out of irritation. It seemed like he was doing it this time as well.

”Fine, I’ll humor you I suppose.” She said with a sigh as she made her way over to the woman she’d cleaved the hands off of. She stood behind the fairy woman and could hear her panicked breathing. Umber could stop her from speaking or screaming out, but he couldn’t keep the panic and fear from her breathing. Azriel plucked one of her mithril feathers and used it to slice open the back of her dress, revealing her back. She then placed the feather dagger against her upper back, watching as the girl’s muscles tensed. She waited a long moment before slicing into the skin and slowly peeling it away from her body. After a few minutes there was blood covering the ground beneath her and there was a section of skin on the girl's back that was completely missing. She walked back around to the front of the girl, who had tears streaming down her face, and tucked her now normal feather into the fairy’s hair. She then looked to Umber and tossed the section of skin she received to him. The most impressive part of it was the wings that were still attached to the skin now at Umber’s feet. ”There you go. Figured you might appreciate that.” She said as she crossed her arms over her chest, appearing to be bored.

Darius hadn't even waited a second before stuffing his backpack with the clothes he purchased. He had wanted to get moving with Nur to the next shop so fast that he even placed the perfume he had bought her inside of the bag too. He then quickly fastened the utility belt onto his waist before securing his large red potion to it and slipped his wayfinder into an empty compartment. Darius figured he could fill the other compartments as he visited some of the other stores. Lastly, he slung on his backpack and held his newly purchased instrument in hand.

Just when he going to fiddle with it, Nur locked her arm with his. He held the instrument in his free arm, ready to get going. Tuning could wait. When Nur squeezed his hand, he smiled and looked at the shop beside them.

"Oh a clothes store! I should have known this would be high up on your list." He gave a smile before nodding at the door to the shop.

---

Elsea glanced at Cade as he apologized to Corvina and gave him a smile. She knew it must have taken a lot for him to do that and she was proud of him for it. She hoped that Cora could forgive him as well. She didn’t want there to be tension within their group. They needed to trust each other as much as possible if they were going to make it to the port safely. They also needed to get moving, just as the others had expressed.

She glanced back at Ezeri as she hopped on the back of the unicorn while her companion perched on its head, holding onto the horn. It was slightly a humorous sight and she giggled just a little bit at it, but the Ezeri asked where they were headed. Elsea glanced at the other two for a moment, unsure if they should answer honestly or not. Cade seemed to trust Ezeri more now as well for seemingly the same reason Elsea did and Cora also appeared to like the devil. So she made a decision as she looked back to the woman on the unicorn. ”We’re heading to a town to join a fight against an undead tyrant that rules this land.” It was risky telling her, but she was willing to take that risk. She was also careful not to say exactly what town it was they were headed to just in case.

---

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: Forest
Interactions: @13org Ayita @hide on mana Kuroi @Dezuel Baraian
Mentions:

---

It seemed that Ayita had similar thoughts to Torvi when it came to the information the trickster gave them before the mysterious person killed him. ”I agree. I think we shouldn’t dismiss the idea at all and just remain cautious for the time being. At least we know that the spy is female if he was telling the truth.” She said with a nod. Should they be skeptical of everyone? Perhaps in a way they should, but they couldn’t be overly paranoid that was for sure.

Before she could continue, there appeared a man hidden under the blanket that Kuroi had been snuggled up to. Torvi had grasped her sword in a defensive way purely out of habit as she stared at the “newcomer” in confusion. He went on to speak, introducing himself as Caelan, and spouting off some nonsense question about who was the DM. Koto was also glancing back now in confusion at the guy. ”I swear I had no idea he was here.” He said to the group and then looked at the man again. ”What in the world are you wearing? I’ve never seen anything like that in Avalia before.” Koto was obviously thinking out loud now and Torvi sighed as she set her sword back down. This man likely wasn’t a threat and even if he was, he was outnumbered. For some reason Kuroi’s reaction made her relax even a little more and laugh just a little bit.

”Well I have no idea what a DM is, so I can’t answer you that question. As for where we’re going we’ll decide if we want to answer that after we learn some more about you.” She told him, but she gave him a friendly smile to try and reassure him that she meant him no harm. She took note of what Koto had said about his clothing and she had to admit that she had yet to see any clothing like that either. She had a theory of what was going on, but she needed more information first. ”I’m Torvi. Now why were you hidden here on Koto’s cart?” She asked.

Artemis watched the interaction play out. She watched Helio turn to face her. She froze briefly, and wondered if she had triggered him. She didn’t have time to ponder it; the demon had started speaking. His words caused her to grit her teeth and scowl. Unexpectedly her cage flew open and she was forced to levitate in front of Helio, her arms out to her sides. Horror didn’t describe her emotions. For a moment, she was frozen and unable to breathe. As he twirled her, she began pondering what exactly its powers were. Clearly it had empathy and could it see memories? If so….

Her eyes met Helio’s. She took a deep breath and tried steadying her racing heart. The wails and sobs of the fairies was something she worked to drown out. She couldn't help them, and their deaths would likely be agonizing but swift. They weren’t used to torment like she was. She swallowed and began to compel herself to relax. The sooner this was over with, the better, and not only for her sake. She stared at Helio, not allowing herself to tear up or show her emotions. Despite her breathing, she was scowling.

This demon - no, atrocity… It was going to force Helio, despite being out of his mind, to torture her. And if he messed up…. Artemis shuddered, then took another deep breath and fought off looming traumatic memories. She stared into Helio and blinked a few times to clear her mind and then compelled him.

’You will make sure to do a good job, enough to prove yourself. Do not let my reaction deter you. Do this, Helio.’ Artemis shut her eyes to hide her pupils dilating and reopened them once they were regular again. She swallowed and braced herself for pain of any kind. Whatever they threw at her would be hideous. These were Aklenroth’s goons after all, and this demon seemed to specialize in torture. She had to survive long enough for….

Artemis felt the corners of her mouth twitch and awaited whatever hellish fate would come.

---

Cora turned to Cade as he apologized to her. Her expression lit up and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She stopped petting the unicorn and came over to Cade. Once there, she pulled him into a gentle, unexpected hug and then let go. ”Thank you Cade. I am so, so sorry. I didn’t lose control. I thought I was fighting off someone and got carried away in the illusion. I promise I won’t let it happen again.” She paused and wiped her eyes, then continued. ”I’m going to make sure I master my control though.”

She moved away from Cade and stared at Ezeri. She laughed with amusement. Ezeri had climbed onto the unicorn and her imp on its head. She petted the unicorn once more and began heading forward. She wasn’t sure how to respond, so she instead allowed Elsea to reply. Thankfully her response was elusive yet honest enough. She nodded in agreement and turned to glance over her shoulder. ”How close are we, Cade?” She felt joy rise inside of her. She was one step closer to reuniting with Kenia, Malachi and Rei! Cora’s eyes were bright as she added, ”And plenty of other people too, Ezeri. All kinds of people you can befriend.”

---

Lucia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Surfside Cafe
Interaction: @helo Leon & @AliveFalling Vaeril

Lucia listened to Leon and folded her hands. He seemed nervous, but why? She would have to find out later. She listened as Vaeril spoke. He grew up there too? She wondered if she had run into his family. Silence followed after a brief pause while she was deep in thought. Then, she offered a friendly smile.

”Works for me. Thank you so much! What about you Frodo?” She glanced at him and nonchalantly taped her fingers against her temple. It was a secret code she had developed with him asking if he was okay. She turned to glance at Vaeril as she adjusted her grip on her staff. ”Very nice of you, sir. We appreciate your kindness.” Lucy waited for Leon’s confirmation. Her gut was telling her otherwise and she knew to trust it. However…. Her gaze flickered to Vaeril. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Elleta appear and disappear as quickly as she’d come. For a moment, Lucy hadn’t been sure she had even been there. She resisted the urge to chuckle.

Time: Afternoon, Day 2
Location: By a spring, closer to River Port
Interactions:@13org@Helo@Potter@Eviledd1984

"Aklenroth isn't the only one doing misdeeds in this world. Blaming him solely would make him a scapegoat. It's understandable how your kind feels. There are many problems and the only issue is that Aklenroth needs to either start listening and start sharing his power to make decisions with others, or we need to make him leave his throne and have those more capable and not bias toward treating any race better than another."Malachi spoke to Valok, sharing his thoughts on his statements. He enjoyed his unbiased and intelligent philosophy, finding him comfortable speak to. However, before they could continue their conversation, dreadful noises filled the air.

He turned around, stringing his bow with an arrow as a large owlbear stood up on his hind legs. Mathis spoke first, urging them all to stay close, then inquired of his plan. His gaze fixated on the staff as it turned to a scythe. He pushed his thoughts about that into the back of his mind. "Yes-" He lowly began to speak, intent on rapidly giving them orders but Belladonna spoke to the bear, challenging it with a stupid phrase as if it could understand her. His eyes traveled to her reluctantly when the sound of water moving reached his ears.

Oh you've got to be kidding me you dimwitted little... Do you have any idea what you have just done? He thought, but said nothing aloud.

He watched the droplets of water stretch into shields with a look of pure irritation. With full intent on Belladonna seeing his expression, his head to glare at her as if knives would shoot out of his eyes. It wasn't often too strong a feeling arose, but he felt it rising. The girl started talking to the bear again and he almost threw his arms up in the air when she threw rocks at it.

He grumbled under his breath a few curses before shaking his head. He fired a light imbued arrow and aimed to shoot another one rapidly after, "Belladonna stay back and continue the shielding. I shall keep it busy. Mathis, use that thing and hit it while it's distracted by me. Valok, attack it too. Then, Myra, keep on the lookout in case this vile beast has brought its friends."

Ayita nodded, silently agreeing with Torvi's words. Just like Ayita herself, she seemed to be... cautious regarding the information given by the caster gave them but also thought it would be foolish to immediately dismiss it as impossible. The bit of information that the spy was likely to be a woman though was something Ayita didn't caught previously and it could come to be useful in the future.

Just after Torvi said that though, a man suddenly appeared from under the blanked Kuroi was next to. Ayita watched with the corner of her eyes as Torvi's hand went for her sword almost in the exact same time hers went for her dagger. The presence of the stranger was unknown to the group and apparently, Koto as well judging by the tone of surprise in his words. The stranger quickly introduced himself as Caelan, before making a strange question about a 'DM'. After noticing that the stranger didn't seem to have any hostile intentions, she let go of the dagger she had stolen from the guard back at the ball, although she still kept a close watch on Caelan as he spoke. Not only he was wearing some really strange clothes, but he didn't seem to know much about what was happening.

Torvi was the first to reply, wary and distrustful of the man as she made him some questions.

"I don't know who or what this DM is and just like she said, it's a bit too early for us to answer these types of question, considering we don't know who you are." Ayita said with a wary tone as she watched every movement Caelan made, her words making clear that she wouldn't answer any other questions until she heard some answers of the stranger who called himself Caelan.

Time: Afternoon Day 2
Location: Forest
Interaction: @Helo Bowyn @HowlsOfWinter Zephyrin @princess Clara

---

”Me? Going soft? Now that’s never going to happen!” Kenia replied to Bowyn with a small laugh. It seemed her own apology spurred Bowyn to also apologize and while she didn’t feel he owed any of them an apology as he wasn’t half as bad as she was, she could totally understand it. Hopefully now there wouldn’t be as much dissension within the group now.

They didn’t make it very far before Arwen claimed she needed to use the bathroom and Kenia sighed a little as she paused again to wait for her. Every instinct told her to keep going, but she’d just stated she was going to try to be better and that she would do. ”Anyone else need to relieve themselves before we continue on? I really don’t want to have to stop every half hour because someone didn’t pee before we left.” She asked the other two while making note of the direction Arwen went just in case. It wasn’t too long after she’d disappeared that Kenia’s elf ears picked up a low growl sound and she immediately went on high alert. She quickly began scanning the trees, looking for the source of the growl. ”Something’s wro-” She was cut off as a loud roar echoed through the air and Arwen came flying back through the bushes. ”Shit!” She couldn’t identify exactly what the creature was by just the screech, but she was willing to bet it was either a wyvern or, even worse, a dragon. She briefly glanced at Arwen as she got up and began controlling the rocks around them. A terramancer, that could be quite useful depending on her level of control.

”Still think Bowyn was being judgmental earlier?” Even though they were in danger, Kenia couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tease someone a little as she gave Arwen a joking smirk. She then turned back to the skies, scanning just in time to see the wyvern swooping down towards them. She tried to desperately throw a light shield up over everyone, but the wyvern still broke through some and she still had to leap out of the way. She kept her eyes on the wyvern now as it circled around again. She heard Zephyrin shout a warning to her, but she didn’t move quite yet as she readied an attack.

”Come on then.” She said, more to herself as she gave a grin to the beast. At the last second she threw a slice of light magic straight for the wyvern’s wing before tumbling out of the way. She quickly got back up and quickly looked at the group to make sure all were okay before addressing them. ”Everyone, watch out for her tail. If you get hit by it I can’t guarantee I can administer an antidote for the poison in time. Bowyn, can you focus your ice magic on her wings? I’m going to do the same with my light magic. Zephyrin, I don’t know what your skill is with magic, but if it’s possible can you try and shield us? And Arwen, if possible, try to cover the spikey end of her tail with your earth magic. It’ll at least provide us with a little extra protection and then if Bowyn and I can get her grounded for a moment perhaps you can use your magic to restrain her there? As long as we work together we’ll be just fine.” She didn’t really want to come across as sounding bossy, but if they wanted to survive then they needed some semblance of a plan. If the others had ideas too she was more than happy to hear them.