@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord @Crimson Paladin

“Hmm,” was just about most of her reactions to the font of knowledge that Lazhira poured out. She was a bit disappointed about being outshined, literally, by the others’ light spheres, but the wisdom coming from their host’s mouth was far too important to not focus on. Leannah had asked some important, and fruitful questions. A fellow named Novak who accompanied them did as well.

She had seen him around with most of the other ‘earth group’ people, but at least to her, his presence was so diminutive that she embarrassingly hadn’t paid much attention to him until now. She would have to engage with him later to see what his demeanor and intentions were like.

Nonetheless, the mythology that Lazhira spoke of sounded important, almost Greek, if she put her head to it. Narkissa couldn’t put a thumb on it, but there was a dimension of her storytelling that made her feel there was a little more to Lazhira than met the eye.

When she got her answer to her own questions, she was disappointed. It seemed like if there was a trading fleet, the bulk of it wasn’t near the village, nor were there any exceptionally elaborate ships to inspect. The fact that there weren’t many major oceangoing vessels was an important insight, though. Given the chance, she could likely blow whatever shipmaking secrets those Mountain Folk had out of the water.

Narkissa was about to ask more about Lady Mie when a strange noise interrupted the flow of the conversation. She immediately put her guard up. It was good that she did so; a moment later, they were attacked by a group of strange feathered beasts.

“Shit!”

While Narkissa didn’t think to make an elaborate prayer to the goddess like Leannah had, she certainly did make a brief entreaty as she pulled out her own sword. Leannah had moved in to protect Lazhira –Although Narkissa has a suspicion that she could very well protect herself— and Novak took the initiative with a counterattack.

She herself wasn’t exactly a swordswomen, but she hoped that a sword in the hands of an amateur could deal with a dumb beast. Dropping into what she felt like was a good combat stance, she warily approached the creature leaping towards her. Staying in a guard stance, she would attempt to dodge and then slash out at the creature as it passed.

Dungeon Diving ho!~
@Crusader Lord@Crimson Paladin@Click This

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“Weh! Leannah! At least feed me first before getting rough-!” Throwing the native girl seemed to have at least the desired effect. With the sun in the sky, sunlight flowing through her veins Leannah launched her hands forward. Her hand wrapped around the leg of one of the birds, the creature squawking and clawing at its captor. Its beak and the claws upon its wings cut into her flesh, deep wounds from sharp claws drawing blood from the martial artists body.

And as she swung, within her soul she prayed. Prayed to a Goddess she didn’t know. A goddess that she knew nothing about. If you had asked any other Bastelian, she was lucky simply to not have been immolated on the spot. Time seemed to slow. Her body began to heat, almost as if she was burning alive from within.

The sun above seemed to shimmer. Briefly, Leannah would find her vision filled with something else other than the forest around her.



Reality began moving again. The sudden whiplash of the all to real vision caused her to stumble lightly as the feathered creature in her grip was swung, slamming into one of the other nearby birds. The one that was it, was knocked clean out of the area and into the fog, the other managed to pull itself from her grasp, but dazed from the impact as it scrambled to get to its feet. Several feathers from the creature was ejected into the air, broken free by Leannah’s grip. Yet, oddly, among them...a single, bright yellow colored feather that seemed to shimmer, giving off a soft yellow glow and oddly warm to the touch.

Lazhira stumbled to the ground some distance behind the group. Novak was swift to react next. Following the movements he had observed earlier, his blade cleanly thrust forwards. The blade met the creature's side, skewering it upon the blade. It thrashed, trying to remove itself from the blade.

Narkissa, thankfully, could evade the one going for her with the other three being fairly easily taken care of. She evaded just in time, the claws of the bird barely missing her face as the blade was swung, a rather deep cut being slashed into its abdomen and sending it careening to the floor.

“Oof...” Lazhira got back to her feet after being roughly cat-handled. “Ugh, these things are always a nuisance. Their eggs and meat go great with fruit though.” There were two birds left. The one that had been ejected into the fog didn’t seem to be returning. Both, however, seemed to decide they were in over their heads that their little ambush had been soundly defeated, and made a move to flee the group. Seemed at least they knew when to scatter in front of a bigger threat.

“You guys are pretty good. Thanks for the save there, Leannah.” Lazhira giggled in thanks. Perhaps she could defend herself in some manner. She had made no secret of walking around the forest by herself...and if predators were common here, then how did she deal with it if they bothered her? “Anyways! The temple isn’t much further! Probably. We're still on the right track, i think, heheh!”

Lazhira would quickly start walking again, and true to her word they soon stumbled upon the front of the temple. An impressive piece of stonework. The exterior was covered with vines, plants and greenery quickly reclaiming the likely ancient building for nature. It was difficult to make anything out, but oddly there seemed symbols similar to the tattoo on Lazhira's arm upon the door and exterior in some places.

The interior was similarly defunct. Snow covered the ground, obscuring much of the stone floor, that seemed to have a few stone carvings in it. A number of massive stone pillars upheld the ceiling, what were once braziers of some sort carved into them for lighting. One seemed to have been broken at some point, however. Against the walls were some shelves, littered with fragmentary remains of the people who once lived and worshiped here. Frayed, old ropes faceless masks and old robes, it seemed frozen where they lay. A number of other artifacts lay scattered around the place. Old stone tablets with unintelligible writing, books filled with similar writing.

The walls too, were full if iconography of varying degrees. On the left, seemed to show people flocking to what was an old man with a cane. An orb of light in hand as he gave it to them. The right wall, instead showed what seemed to be a cloaked, old woman with a macabre grin offering something else. Both processions of people however, were expertly worked into what seemed to be the centerpiece of the temple.

A large, stone idol that ran from the floor to the ceiling. It was simple in scope, but impressive nonetheless. It was vaguely human in shape, with an extremely top heavy design. Towards the floor it was tapered, likely mimicking feet, before it slowly growing in size as it went upwards, abruptly ending with its 'shoulders'. Upon it rested a single, smooth stone in the center, with two curved horns extending from its side. In the wall above, was a small indentation of a white stone. Oddly, the stone was impossibly smooth to the touch. Almost a glassy, surface that seemed like it should have been impossible to make.

As they entered, a slight sense of awe would wash over them. As though this was some place where not many would come.

---

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

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The girl’s eyes shifted between the human and the elf before her. Initially, her grip on the dagger tightened, taking another unsteady step away from them. It very well seemed like she was about to just make a run for it, but by the time she seemed to have made a decision her legs failed her. The elf hit the ground, falling to her knees and dropping the knife onto the ground.

“...not any more...” The small elf held her arm with her good hand, a few tears starting to form as she began to speak with an unsteady voice. “T-the Apostles...we were heading to Gloomhollow...” As far as Augusta could tell, she wasn’t lying, though she obviously would have no idea what Gloomhollow was or where it even was. Isidore though, would likely be initially relieved to at least find nothing out of the ordinary among the ridges leading up the mountain.

At the dropping of the knife, Isidore placed his hand on Augusta’s back, pushing her forward further. He remained where he was, however, just outside the radius of the crackling fire’s heat. “Is Gloomhollow a safe place for you?” he asked, maintaining his body’s furnace-like heat as the storm continued to beat down.

Augusta noted the assistance Isidore gave her and ever so slightly rolled her eyes. She thought the best course was to let Isidore ask questions for now while she tended to the girl's injuries. Gently she moved, walking to the girl before lowering herself to her level and moving the knife aside.

The elven woman looked over the girl taking note of her wrist and ribcage. She made an assumption her uninjured, or mostly so, wrist was the one who's hand could move enough to grab her arm. She took her healing fire and held it to the wrist. If anything was healed easier, it'd hopefully be the wrist. "Perhaps you would grace us with your name, as well."

With her power, she of course knew the girls name, but didn't want to surprise her with knowledge she shouldn't have otherwise.

“L-Leuca...” The girl replied, wincing lightly as Augusta approached, though didn't object to letting her do what she needed. “Its...erm, the home of the Shadow Elves. Gloomhollow, that is...” She continued, replying to Isidore. “But w-we lost our guide. The only other one who knew the way was big sis Sorcha, but...” She cast her gaze towards the ground. “She led the Apostles further up the mountain...”

As Augusta applied her cleansing flame to Leuca, the small elf watched with muted excitement. Considering what she had likely been through, she probably wasn't feeling very hopeful or excited. Still, as she worked the fractured wrist seemed to mend just fine, though it still seemed to be slightly swollen.

“...U-uhm...so what's...your name? I didn't think there were any more of us...outside of Talamn...” Augusta would not get long to answer. Isidore's watchful eyes would catch a flash of color, something moving just a bit on a ridge just a few yards away up the mountain. Definitely not an animal, and there seemed to be more than one.

“Call me Isidore,” he spoke, drawing his sword out of the ground. Keeping his distance from the young elf, he approached one of the dead men and wrested the shield from his grasp. He slid it over to his companion, then appropriated a dagger from the man’s belt as well. “Augusta, we’ve company. Up the ridge.” These ‘apostles’ that Leuca knew had headed up the mountains, but the deer had spoke of other races as well. ‘Those of Shadow’ must’ve referred to the Shadow Elves that the child identified with. Were these the ‘Mountain Folk’ then?

Augusta kept her attention focused on Leuca and kept healing her injuries. She noted the warning and shield that was slid to her. She peaked up to see if she could make a note of anyone or anything with her ability. "Octavia, can you help keep an eye out?"

“Leuca,” Isidore said, as he pulled the cloak off the corpse and tossed it in her direction. “Are ‘mountain folk’ your enemy?”

"And how is your hand? Better?" The elven woman mention, being careful when touching the wounded girl.

“Y-yes, thank you.” Leuca replied, flexing her hand. “...a-are you a druid, lady?” She asked, frowning lightly as she glanced over to Isidore. “W-wah? N-no, they're our allies! O-or should be...! We can't even get to Gloomhollow without their help...”

Despite what Leuca had replied, those moving on the ridge above soon realized they had been seen.

“Stone it all, we've been seen! Get the girl and leave the wench and that flat ear for the wolves!” They'd quickly reveal themselves. Three short humanoids wearing what seemed to be heavy, if somewhat primitive looking metal plates of armor covering their entire body. Augusta's eye would quickly reveal these Mountain Folk were not to be taken lightly if scanning a single one was anything to go by.

It could be assumed all were of similar skill level and ability. Two of the mountain folk were wielding large two handed axes, the third possessed a large shield and a simple, but rather humorously large for their size blade. They didn't give Isidore and Augusta much time to prepare for a defense, quickly descending towards the group.
“W-wait! I'm Leuca of the Sirithen! You should have been-!”

The girls cries fell on deaf ears. Assuming that Isidore was the most dangerous looking one of the group, the two with the axes rushed towards him, one coming in swinging with a heavy overhead cleave with their axe. Even with Isidore's ability, that seemed like a dangerous blow to take the full brunt of.

The second quickly followed up with a thrust with the blunt head of his axe to Isidore's torso.
The third, was hanging back slightly, shield In hand and slowly circling the fight towards Augusta and Leuca. Octavia had situated herself near the fire,growling and barking aggressively towards the Dwarves.

Compact, armored, and intelligent. Damn.

Without hesitation, Isidore drew his arming sword against his left arm, brow furrowing from the searing pain that dulled moments later. Black, crystalline material spread from the wound, coating the rest of his body in its entirety, but the material itself was still flaky. If he wished for armor strong enough to ward off the axes of these creatures, he’d have to take another couple hits, at the very least.

Or he could just evade instead.

Short, and muscular, with polearms to make up for their lack of physical range. A lower center of gravity, making them more suitable for combat on sloped hills. Armor, though primitive, allowed them to attack fearlessly. As two rushed for him, Isidore backstepped to the steeper portions of the mountainside as he continued to build up heat in his stomach. The cleaving blow smashed into stone, and Isidore slammed the pommel of his dagger into the flat of the thrusting polearm, deflecting it sideways. Maintaining his distance, maintaining the circulation of his magic, he positioned his arming sword on his shoulder and brought his dagger in front of him defensively.

“We’re allies of that shadow elf there. Are they your enemy now?”

“Alliances don't matter out here human.” The dwarf harshly replied, bringing his axe back to a resting position after having missed. “How about you hand over that thing instead and we won't turn ye your friend there into wolf food. Lord Firebeard might even pay ye for handing her over.”

The second one made a flourish with their weapon, somewhat overly eager to fight.

“...U-uhm...I'm not...a Shadow Elf...I'm a Sirithen. Like the lady here...” Leuca moved closer to Augusta, shivering slightly, but not from the cold. “We were traveling to Gloomhollow...I was supposed to be tutored by their Queen...”

“Ahh, yes, the bartering for children. Sounds like a wonderful life you Dirithen live.” Augusta mentioned as she grabbed the shield Isidore rolled over to her and readied it on her arm. Her eye started to glow as she went to read the status of the other two dwarves while still applying some of her healing magic to Leuca’s rib cage. Mostly, just to catch their names. While most of the information she gleamed was basically the same, the names were, obviously, different. Bera Stonefist, Fasti Axebreaker and Anunder Longarm. Things she’d keep in mind.

The woman made sure to pull the small elf girl closer and held her shield up, keeping an eye on the blade of the dwarf in front of her. Worst case, she was ready change from healing Leuca to firing a bolt of fire at the dwarf. She wasn’t sure how effective it would be, but she needed to defend herself if it came to it.

Isidore looked at the short man, at his overeager companion, and then finally towards the ‘Sirithen’. The dark-haired ‘human’ was quiet for a moment. In the next, he stuck his sword into the slushy ground, then beamed a bright, placating smile towards Augusta and addressed the short men before him. “Now now,” Isidore said. “I’m not that attached, and we should always keep our options open. What sort of payment would you be offering though, friend?”

“H-huh!?” Leuca's eyes widened at Isidore's words. “Y-you wouldn't! P-please If its money u-uncle can pay you more!” The girl took a few steps away from Augusta, holding her hands to her chest, clasped together, eyes constantly switching between the dwarfs, Augusta, and Isidore.

“Ah, a reasonable human.” The one who spoke before replied with a laugh. The one with the shield stopped moving, but had positioned himself some a bit too close to Augusta for comfort, though Octavia had positioned herself between them. “Lord Firebeard wants that elf, and is even pulling a few strings to make sure it happens. Strings that could get him into a lot of trouble for pulling.” Leuca had slowly inched over to where her dagger had fallen earlier as the dwarf spoke. “For the ensuring the safety of the elf...no less than thirty gold pieces.” The dwarf took a few steps closer, lowering his weapon. “And he might be interested, in further cooperation from a human supposing you'd be interested. Are you interested, friend?”

Augusta noted the look Isidore gave her. That seems an unnatural look on the man. Hmm. A ruse? She hoped so, since the words that he spoke were… Definitely not the words she’d say. “Isidore!? How dare you!” That seemed convincing, right? She took a step back from the dwarf that was much too close. “What does your ‘Lord’ even want with her!?” She exclaimed, shooting a glare at all those involved. She let Leuca go and stopped channeling her healing spell. She was ready to quick cast magic if necessary.

“That certainly sounds tempting,” Isidore replied, sucking in a breath. Thirty gold...even disregarding the meager size of the coinage, that was a hefty price to pay in the world he came from. He had done worse work for less, back in his youth. But that was then. And now?

Isidore didn’t need money.

Still posturing contemplation, Isidore reached into the depths of his stomach, where he had been gathering and circulating energy the entire time, and pushed it all out at once, feeding it with the lungful of air he had just sucked it. Last night had been an accident, but accidents that could be reproduced were just new techniques. A burst of flame shot out from his mouth, hopefully potent enough to blind the two mountain men in front of him, and he dashed off to the side opposite of the first’s halberd, aiming to drive his dagger into the back of their knee before pushing them down the slushy slope that Isidore’s internal heat had generated.

“None of your business, elf. We don't ask-” He was cut off before he could finish that sentence. A flash of heat from Isidore's mouth, from the forge of his stomach billowed forth. “Sage's blood! You back-stabbing-gha!” The dwarf flailed, swinging his poleaxe wide, but Isidore had the advantage. His dagger found its target, the dwarf crying out in pain as his footing was lost.

He slid.

Right down the slope, rolling like a snowball.

It didn't take long for the second dwarf to realize what was happening. Just as Isidore finished, he'd find himself on the receiving end of the others axe. Bone crunched, blood flowed from the wound on his shoulder, the dwarf trying to cleave him in two. Yet, what the dwarf wasn't prepared for, was for it not to work. Isidore's armor held despite the deep wound. He'd only have a handful of seconds before the surprised dwarf retaliated again.
The one nearest Augusta charged towards the elf, blade striking forward to draw blood.

Octavia had...ran off somewhere? Augusta was pretty sure she'd have seen her chasing a dwarf rolling down the mountain.

Augusta smirked as she saw Isidore trick the dwarf as she had expected. And she knew, this would cause these dwarves to turn hostile. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure if Octavia chasing the dwarf falling down the hill was good or bad, but she didn’t have much a chance to yell at the hound. The dwarf in front of her was attacking. Luckily, she had a shield in hand. She reached out with the shield to throw aside the sword and hopefully throw the dwarf off balance. Then, she aimed and fired a bolt of fire at his face, hopefully blinding him. She was ready for that to fail however and try to receive another attack, whether shield bash or weapon attack.

His armor held, even as his bones cracked from the force of the strike, and instantly, it hardened further, more of the black crystal growing out. Isidore's vision blurred from the sudden jolt of adrenaline through his body, the pain that shook down one side of his body enough to drive him to his knee. Without Augusta's healing, without his armor, he'd be dead.

But his wagers were founded on all available resources, and in close combat, a dagger was many times faster than a halberd.

The crook of the elbow, the armpit, the space below the jaw. Frenzied by impending death, Isidore stabbed the armored warrior thrice before kicking himself away, rolling down the slope and getting some distance to regain his composure.

As Augusta expected, deflecting the sword of a seasoned warrior wasn't the easiest of feats. The sword slammed into her own shield, force enough causing her own arm to strain against the blow. The following fireball had about as much of an effect as she hoped. The dwarf grunted from the impact, the heated metal of his helmet sizzling slightly, but ultimately was not too injured. With a mighty yell, the dwarf brought the sword back down towards Augusta, seemingly intent on just brute forcing his way past her defenses.

Isidore's opponent sputtered, unable to react fast enough to Isidore's assault. Blood flowed from the wounds, the dagger having found their targets. The dwarf stumbled as Isidore pushed himself away, grunting as he realized he had been injured. Isidore had succeeded in putting some distance between them, having slid down the slope a bit further than he intended. It ikely wasn't to last long, however. His opponent was already hefting his axe in his good hand. Realizing that he couldn't just cleave this seemingly unarmored opponent in two, he took a slightly more cautious approach.

Leuca, meanwhile had retrieved her dagger, and was worriedly watching the fight play out.

Augusta, taking note of how little her bolt did, decided she needed to make a new plan. She took a step to the side, since Leuca seemed to have moved away a small bit, pivoted her torso and lifted her shield to let the blade slide off into the open air. As the weapon met with her shield, she lifted her free hand, aimed at the dwarf’s face and fired a continuous stream of flame akin to a slightly downsized flamethrower from earth. If a bolt of fire had little effect on him, perhaps she needed to up the firepower a bit. If he recoiled any, she would aim with her other hand towards the lower part of his body.

Perhaps she just needed to roast him alive. Despite what she had imagined about dwarves, they have no resistance nor heat so fire should do just fine.

Isidore stood up straight as well, the snow continuing to fall around him. Three blows, and it didn’t seem as if the mountain man was going to bleed out any time soon. Resilient, but that could be accounted for. The world was muted, the gouts of flame from Augusta’s position seeming so distant. He pressed the dagger against the bloody gash on his shoulder, then flexed his arm. Good. If it was for simple motions alone, he could still force it. From the slurry of mud and slush, the dark-haired youth retrieved his sword, held his dagger in his injured arm, and breathed in.

He had demonstrated strength. Axes, regardless of individual strength, were top-heavy weapons. With only one arm, the shoulder would be used as leverage to launch it out. Diagonal attack then, coming from the outside. Could not discount the ability to use the other arm, but it was weak, and the man didn’t have another visible weapon, not one that could deal as much damage as a two-handed chop. Sword will block from the shaft. Lock weapons. Step off to the right, away from a potential kick. Leverage length of legs to push the axe up. Dagger will slip into the armpit. This time, ignite and burn out his heart.

Isidore breathed out, bent his legs, and charged.

The dwarf, unfortunately, was far stronger than Augusta was. His sword met her shield, unable to deflect the blow of someone who simply was just much stronger than she was. A crack of noise as Augusta felt pain radiate from her wrist and into the rest of her arm. Had something broken? Or just bruised? Either way, she did at least manage to get off that flamethrower she envisioned with her free hand.

“Ghaaa-!” The dwarf recoiled as his vision was engulfed in fire. Even in the cold, the sudden scorching heat from the fire proved effective. The dwarf stumbled back cursing and screaming as the helmet was turned into a furnace, almost burning his head alive. Before Augusta could use her second hand however, he used his shield to block the rest of the fire Augusta was slinging at him, frantically taking off his helmet with the other revealing a now burned face beneath.

She had managed to subdue him, but her reserves for magic couldn't last forever.

Isidore imagined the scenario perfectly, almost. His opponent lost most of the use of his injured arm from the stab, severed arteries and muscles rendering it a bleeding, useless, mess. It would play out almost exactly as he envisioned. He charged. The dwarf swung his axe with a mighty heave. Isidore deflected the blow, his blade catching his opponents weapon. His dagger found the target. Fire billowed from the weapon, a bloodcurdling scream from the dwarf as it was burned entirely from the inside out.

His axe fell to the snow, soon followed by his limp body.

It had gone as planned, so there was no reason to linger upon the expected result any longer. Letting out a sharp breath, Isidore twisted his dagger out of the smoldering corpse of the mountain man, and then dropped both his weapons onto the ground to pick up the axe. It was heavy, stained with his own blood, but the top-heavy nature of the weapon made it excellent for one thing.

Throwing.

Pushing past the strain upon his left shoulder, Isidore grasped the haft of the weapon and brought it back. He centered himself onto the dwarf who had been held down by Augusta’s flames, took in a deep breath, and widened his eyes. It was the posture of a gunman, but he was throwing an axe. The man could have smiled about this, with a couple drinks. But instead, he tightened his muscles and swung the halberd towards his target, hands still extended outwards as the weapon cartwheeled towards the mountain man’s back.

“Erupt.”

A final surge of energy shot out from his veins, linking to the part of him stuck upon the spinning blade. Blood ignited explosively upon the axehead, adding a burst of speed and destructive ability that should cause the armored man to falter long enough to be overcome by Augusta’s fire. And if not?

Isidore picked up his dagger and sword, and began to approach him.

The weapon sailed, wind whistling around its blade as it careened towards its target. Even if the recipient had saw it coming, it was either the axe, or being burned alive. There was a sickening crunch, and a muted grunt from the dwarf as his body was knocked down by the impact.

Dead.

Leuca let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

“...oh, thank the ancestors...ahah...” The young elf let out a mirthless, dry laugh. “You two...were amazing. I-isidore...I didn't think there was a human capable of weaving spells like that...And Augusta. I don't...even think Sirithen druids can do it so easily...” Her voice was quiet, eyes cast down towards the quickly freezing over slush. Despite her compliments it was clear the kid wasn't doing well.

Finally too, Octavia returned to Augusta's side, a long tongue licking fresh red blood from her maw. It was easy to figure out why the third dwarf hadn't come back to pester them, at least.

Perhaps it might be best to find some shelter, now. The storm was still raging, and it didn't seem like it was going to be stopping anytime soon. Leuca sheathed her dagger somewhere under her cloak, looking between the two.

“Thank you for the assist, Isidore. Perhaps I should learn some Lightning magic to help deal with enemies wearing armor.” Augusta mentioned, giving a nod to the man before looking down at Octavia. She wanted to say something, but sighed and pet the dog anyhow. “Thank you for dealing with that man, Octavia. Good girl. Only kill people that threaten us though.” She didn’t seem upset or anything. She just smiled, though winced a bit as she pet the beast for a second time. Right, her arm was messed up. She hoped she hadn’t broke a bone but she should be fine.

Octavia tilted her head to the side as though she didn't entirely understand, but barked happily in response.

She rested her other hand on the spot that hurt and weaved some of her healing magic into it, though the initial touch made her wince a second time. It was fairly obvious she was hurt, but she didn’t make a show of it. “I don’t know many things, but what I can say is I’m no druid. Heh…” She looked around at the camp and frowned. “Guessing we shouldn’t stay here. Is there anywhere else we can go?” She asked, looking at Leuca. “You still need healed and there’s plenty of questions for both sides.”

Isidore only nodded at Leuca’s praise. Good. It would be troublesome if this level of ability was something commonplace in the world. A fight would be much less predictable, after all, if everyone had access to the steadily-growing suite of abilities in his grasp. Walking over to the other two and casting a brief look at Octavia’s bloodied fur, Isidore didn’t waste time stripping the cloaks and belts off the humans. His arming sword had served him well, but the scabbards of those knights’ belts only fit their own sword, so he swapped it out, tying the belt to his own body and sheathing the longsword he pilfered from one of the knights. It would take some time getting used to the sensation of something hanging against his waist, but he’ll get used to it.

It was more important, after all, to have his hands free.

While Augusta healed herself, Isidore kept busy with slicing off hunks of steaming meat from the roast. Throughout the entirety of the fight, no one had knocked it over, so he was more than happy to help himself to a hearty meal. He tore a leg off the creature to feed Octavia, and then pulled the shield off the arm of the other man. Scrubbing the surface with some snow, Isidore soon used it as an improvised plate, efficiently slicing off more cuts of meat for the others to eat.

“I’ll bury them,” he said, tilting his head in the direction of the five corpses that they now accompanied. “Leuca, eat up, rest up, and tell us everything you know. We leave when you’re ready.”

Satisfied with the quick meal he had, Isidore wiped his dagger on his sleeve, sheathed it, and kicked up the axe that he had thrown previously. A shovel would have been nice, but an axe could do the job in a jiffy. Better than just a stick, after all. He stood at the perimeter of the camp, drew in a breath to stock the internal furnace within his body, and as his body temperature began to rise once more, Isidore pushed the energy first into his injured shoulder, and then into his arms. Perhaps he could strengthen himself and heal up while he got with this task.

Snow melted underfoot, as the axehead smashed into dirt and gravel. A shallow grave would suffice.

“R-right...” Leuca took a seat by the fire, taking Isidore up on the offer of eating something finally. It had been...an entire day? Or was it almost two? Since she had eaten last...right before...he elf hugged herself. She couldn't be this down. She had to...help Isidore and Augusta, right? Maybe they could...

“...U-uhm, I'll try. I'm not sure if anything I know could help...” Leuca replied. “L-let me start with myself again. I am Leuca Whelani. My U-uncle is King Boidmal of the Sirithen...” Her voice slowly steadied itself while she began talking. “I was supposed...to be heading to Gloomhollow, The Urutha...er, Shadow Elves home. Our relationship with them has never been good. They...they used demonic magics to keep themselves alive in the Moonless Era before, and still practice it...” Leuca frowned. “But this was supposed to be a peace offering of sorts. I was...supposed to be sent to learn from their Queen, Ereleiva.”

She looked at where Isidore was burying the dwarves.

“I don't...know why the Dwarves would do this.” She shook her head, frowning. “The Shadow Elves and them have been allies since someone they call the 'Great Sage' led them against some threat in that era. The Dwarves live in the mountains, and Gloomhollow – the Urutha's home, lay beneath. A-ah...and the Apostles...I don't know much. They're just...humans who follow some Old God from before even the Moonless Era and who see this world as 'wrong'...or something...we don't know. They just really don't like anything non-human...that's all I really know.”

"So these Apostles have your… Older Sister, Sorcha?" Augusta asked, continuing the treatment on her arm. That dwarf swung pretty heavily with the bladed weapon he used. Perhaps she'd take that with her. "Speaking of enemies, what do you know of this Lord.. Firebreat-- Firebeard." The elf corrected herself. "Is he Lord of the dwarves here? Or is he merely some faction leader wanting a prize, or perhaps hostage?" She was starting to formulate plans to go about preventing this dwarf from claiming a prize while saving this elf girl's sister-apparent.

“I don't know...he's not their King so he might be one of the higher ranking Raider Captains or maybe one of their warrior poets...but I'm not sure.” Leuca frowned, shaking her head. “Sorry, I don't know much about them. I-i've never been outside the forest before a few days ago and only know the most important people...” The girls lips however, turned into a small smile soon though.

“Ehe, and I wouldn't worry about Sorcha. S-she's not actually my sister but she helped raise me when my father and uncle were too busy. She's been with the Royal Family since before was born and is probably the strongest warrior in the forest!” If nothing else, it seemed like talking about this Sorcha improved Leuca's mood a bit. “She has this really amazing sword that goes 'fwoom' and 'zwoom' when she swings it, eheheh!”

A sudden gust of harsh, cold wind nearly blew the girl off her feet. The storm was getting worse, now.

“Ah...w-we should find something to block this wind…!” The wind indeed, was one of the worst aspects about this storm. Crackling thunder and lighting already descended aside, the wind was now carrying large amounts of snow, whipping it into a white, freezing blizzard. It was almost getting hard to talk, too.

"Yes, let's find a cave to get out of this wind. We can gather stuff to make a fire on the way." She looked to Isidore who she hoped was done with whatever he was doing. "Lets get moving." She picked up the trophy sword and made sure to eat some of the lizard meat before they left.

Her arm was better. The soreness was mostly gone. "Come, Leuca. You can tell us more of Sorcha when we find some shelter." She hoped this would help encourage the child in finding some shelter as she wrapped an arm around the child to help prevent her from flying away in the wind. It also helped her apply some healing magic. "Octavia, keep an eye out for dangers."

The storm was getting stronger, and Isidore didn’t plan on lingering for much longer either. Tossing the last of the dwarves into a shallow grave, he shoved a pile of dirt over them, only an inch or two’s worth, before hurrying over to salvage what he could from the fallen knights. It was a shame about their armor; he’d have loved an opportunity to pull it apart and take it for himself, but Isidore focused on their belongings instead, utilizing the rope they had on them to make a rudimentary sling pack to carry the bundles of fur and cloth. The preserved food was a wonderful addition, and he took up the shield as well.

Though snow lashed against his face and lightning cracked against the mountainside, Isidore could take stock of all that he had gained and be content.

He pushed to the front of the group, just a couple steps ahead of Leuca and Augusta, to serve as a windbreak for them. Heat, emanating from the circulation of energy from his body, was pushed back onto them, offering a warm breeze for the two. The skies were dark though, and it was still unclear where a shelter could be found. “Twenty minutes,” Isidore called out. “After that, we’ll dig a trench and hunker down inside there.”

Their progress was slow, winds berating them with cold, though Isidore managed to keep them from getting frostbite, or worse. Octavia elected to stay near Leuca, who was having trouble simply walking in this wind. The Elf child didn't seem to be able to keep up very well, and was hampering their progress up the mountain.

Slow progress, was still progress, however. There was nothing immediately around them that seemed to pass as a shelter, though the blinding winds of the storm didn't make that a particularly easy feat in and of itself. Soon they'd find themselves traveling further up the mountain. They hadn't been too far up it in that camp, but slowly and steadily they would climb.

It'd be about fifteen minutes into their trek, hope of finding shelter slowly dwindling when they finally spotted something that might at least, be somewhat decent. It wasn't a cave, but a formation of rocks creating a small natural alcove on three sides leaving only the top, and the open side exposed to the harsh winds. The space inside would be cramped for all three of them, but it might be better than simply digging a trench. But such a small space, could likely be easily heated too.

Isidore stared at the alcove. Once, twice. Shook his head. Was it still there? Good. His thoughts were beginning to wander, so monotonous the trek through the storm had been, and the fact that he was burning up energy just to ward off frostbite was slowly fatiguing him. An alcove like this...would be friendly enough. He let out a sigh, then pulled Leuca up into the alcove, practically pushing the long-eared child into the back of it. Snapping out the heavy blanket, the dark-haired man motioned for Augusta to grab the other end.

“I’ll do the top. You handle the bottom.”

Without another word, he climbed above the alcove, pressing the blanket against the ground, before shuffling whatever heavy rocks he could find on top of it. Snow was used to pack down and maintain the positions of the rocks; Isidore turned them into slush with his heightened body heat, before letting the cold temperatures themselves freeze it into ice. It would take some effort to remove the blanket in the morning, and they would have to periodically slap the snow off it during the night, but this way, they had a windbreak. Hopefully.

Isidore frowned. The weather must be doing a number on him. He wasn’t predisposed to hope alone, so he packed some extra snow and stone on top.

Augusta had a thought in mind on how to keep the blanket up. She just hoped that, given her past experiences it'd be as easy as she hoped. She held the blanket and melted some ice on the rock with her flames and let it flow on to the blanket a bit. Then she thought about how ice was made from water, how freezing occurred and pointed her hand. Slowly, the water froze into ice and stuck the part of the blanket to the stone.

She repeated the process until she had got the blanket fairly well anchored. She wondered if perhaps it would have been better to make a wall of ice but gave up the thought as she wasn't sure how she'd go about doing that. "Hmm." For now, perhaps it was best to gather something flammable. They needed a fire to keep warm. Hopefully, with all four of them huddled together in a small area they'd keep warm.

It was a shelter, however makeshift. Leuca quickly positioned herself at the back, Octavia deciding to curl up next to the elf child. Leuca pulled her ragged cloak tighter over her body, glad to finally be out of the wind. Thankfully, Isidores and Augusta’s efforts proved effective. It was still frigid, but now that the wind had been cut off from all but one side at least they no longer had to deal with the wind chill.

Now they just had to weather the storm, and some method of warmth. No telling how long it was going to rage for. If nothing else, Leuca was good at passing the time with idle conversation. She spoke a great deal about this ‘Sorcha’ person, taking up Augusta’s offer on talking more about her. The rest of her family and the elves too. Apparently ‘Talamn’ was the elves' current home, located some distance to the south still. Across a vast snowy plain that some race called the ‘Bastelian’ home. Apparently the Apostles also had some home somewhere further to the southeast, close to the ocean though she didn’t know where exactly. They only occasionally came close to Talamn, but when they did they typically just murdered any non-human they could find.

Needless to say, they were not the friendliest sort and people had very little information on them. Eventually though, Leuca slowly fell asleep - though it didn’t look like she slept very well, not for very long moments at a time and even if she did she tossed and turned. The storm would rage through the night, the storm piling more and more snow upon the front of the alcove, until it had halfway buried the entrance under a pile of snow.

At some point in the night, they would vaguely hear what sounded like it might have been a horn periodically, but it soon faded. Aside from the cold, lightning thundering and cracking overhead, the rest of the night would pass uneventfully until morning came and the storm finally let up.

After they would finally dig themselves out of their shelter for the evening, they could still see angry gray clouds rolling overhead. It seemed like it might start again at some point, but for now they could make an attempt to travel further through the mountain, though any path that may have existed was thoroughly buried under snow, now leaving nothing but rocks, and thick drifts of snow to traverse.

Leuca would have been the last of the group to wake. The elf would slowly pull herself out of the shelter, seemingly still half asleep.

That just left them to figure out where they were going and what they were doing, now.

---

Wayward builder
@Guy0fV4lor@PaulHaynek

---

“If she is possessed that’s a big deal! You should seek assistance!” The woman replied with an exasperated and concerned tone. “What if she hurts someone! She could get hurt too! We should bring her to a shrine to-” It seemed as though she hadn’t been able to take Nicks joke as a joke. Considering the nature of things, possession may not be an entirely. She did manage to stop herself, however, and merely clear her throat.

“N-no, its fine. I should not speak out of turn.” The woman replied, seemingly trying to stop herself from speaking more. “And...I apologize again but I can not speak so familiarly with a human. I am Haruno. I am one of Lady Mie’s retainers, though she currently tasked me with talking to the villagers.” Haruno replied. “I apologize again for not being more help in whatever trouble is plaguing here. I would need to get Lady Mie’s permission before I could, and she’s currently busy. I would suggest meeting with lord Enli. He lives in the longhouse up there. He’s this towns...Chief, I think they call him.”

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

The birds looked at Malphas.

Then glanced towards where he had pointed. A few exchanged what seemed to be communicative squawks. They looked back to Malphas, only to find him fleeing. Well they certainly didn’t like that. With an Angry squawk, the group began running after him. Yet, they did not get far. Malphas didn’t either.

Before he was able to run very far, he’d find him almost coming face to face with what seemed to be one of the huntresses from the village. She smirked, before using the butt of her spear to knock the feet out from under Malphas sending him face first to the snow.

The birds, somewhat confused but not entirely caring as long as they had some prey quickly focused in on their new target. The huntress, though, was definitely prepared. More than Malphas was anyways. One of the birds leaped towards her, but she was faster. Metal met flesh, the weapon slamming into the bird, cleaving a large, deep gash into its breast and sending it careening towards the ground. The second bird went for the feet in an attempt to topple her, but the armored foot slammed into its beak as she kicked it. Spinning the spear, the butt soon slammed into the third, cracking its skull with a loud cracking of bone. The fourth, was soon similarly dealt with before it could flee. Ducking under its lunge, she then reached out and grabbed it by its tail feathers, slamming it into the ground and crushing its head underfoot. By now, the fifth was already fleeing the scene, thoroughly spooked.

In all, it had taken barely twenty seconds for her to deal with the birds.

She walked over to where she had tripped Malphas, holding out a hand to help him up.

“Glad I decided to see what you were up to.” Once he was pulled to his feet, the Huntress rested her spear on her shoulder. “Soyala. If you were too inebriated to remember.”

Ah, it was the girl from last night. What was she doing here though?

“I suggest you get a move on to the temple. I was told not to help, but...well, I’m not good at doing what I’m told.”

Even at the height of his power and influence, Isidore had not had the pleasure of sleeping with two women of extraordinary beauty. Part of it, perhaps, may have been his age at that time; certainly, his youth had been occupied with proclivities sexual in nature, such that if not for more pressing concerns, he’d have indulged in such debauchery freely. But though his heart beat faster, though he had regained his physical youth and some semblance of his vernal predilections, Isidore kept his distance within that cozy alcove, only occasionally reaching over to scratch Octavia behind the ears.

The alcove offered sufficient cover from the blizzard, and Leuca’s stories kept his mind busy. It was a pleasure, that he could hold onto his thoughts so easily. Superhuman when it came to the mind too. Wonderful. The Apostles were humans, armored and xenophobic, claiming that this world was false. It was worth interrogating, to see if they were otherworlders like himself and Octavia, if they held the same goal of ‘return’ as Nicholas did. The long-eared came from further south and were possibly nomadic; their current home being Tamaln. The Bastellians lived across a snowy plain, emphasis on ‘snowy’. Either this world had no seasons, or they were far north enough that snow didn’t melt even in summer, even across open plains with no mountain to cast shadow. The Urutha, the Shadow Elves, lived in Gloomhollow, with previously friendly connections with the Dwarves, and Leuca had come here to foster more positive relationships between the Urutha and the Sirithen. The Dwarves, at least a faction within their society, does not approve of this, however. Lord Firebeard is an individual of influence within their own society, and perhaps, if Leuca’s own information was out-of-date, had become the leader of the Dwarves. That may be unlikely though. Firebeard specifically wanted the elf, and would be in trouble if such was found out. So the Dwarves were splintered. Some amongst them, perhaps, wished to sabotage relationships between the Urutha and the Sirithen. Now, why would the Dwarves wish for this upon their allies?

Dwarves? He pulled at the threads of his memory a bit more. Dirithen, that was what Augusta had called them. Interesting naming conventions then, for the people present. Sirithen for the pale and long-eared. Dirithen for the short and stocky. Urutha for the ‘shadow elves’.

More thoughts connected, a network of names, faces, and ideas, but after a certain point, Isidore was content to close his eyes and listen to the sound of the wind and the snow, the thunder and the blast of a distant horn. More Apostles to worry about, but with snow this thick, they’d have to walk over the alcove to see it. Nothing to worry about then.

Nothing, but he still only snatched snippets of sleep throughout the night and woke up bleary-eyed.

Isidore forced himself up anyways. The deathly quiet and the miserable cold reminded him of the location, and the aches of his body reminded him of how long it’s been since he’d rested properly. He grabbed a handful of snow, scrubbing it over his face to chase away the last of his sleepiness, and then split up portions of preserved food for the others to eat. With four mouths, they’d be going through the rations at twice the speed, but with any hope, they’d find a way to the Urutha before then as well. Which meant they couldn’t linger.

He dug out of the shelter, brushed the snow off the blanket they’d used, melted it loose, and then flung it off dramatically, exposing any of his still-sleepy companions to the painful brightness of pure white snow. It was bothersome, that the snow had covered up any paths and had served too to hide any dangerous crevasses in the mountainside, but there wasn’t much that could be done about it.

“Should advance early,” Isidore said. He removed the cloak he had pilfered from the knight and tossed it towards Augusta. There were only two, and both the Dirithen and the Apostles cared only for two people within this group. “Hoods up, Leuca, Augusta. With luck, they’ll only see three humans.”

There it was again. ‘Luck’. He narrowed his eyes.

“Any signs for Gloomhollow to look out for?”

It seemed that Malphas underestimated his ability to jump. Rather than leaping to the treetops of this forest, he instead found himself face-first into the ground! Not realizing that one of the hunters had followed him, Malphas wondered if this was truly the end set up for him. Perhaps those scheming against him had finally decided to act against him! And to do so while he was already taking his leave? So uncivilized...

About twenty seconds later, and about fifteen seconds after Malphas resigned to his fate, he was lifted up by the villager who had tripped him earlier. It was from there that Malphas had recognized her in full, the huntress he had gotten to know a lot of the night prior! Was she here to continue their nightly escapades now, or...

"Ah, how could I forget? Malphas, although I'm sure you're quite familiar with calling out to it last nightx" Malphas chuckled as he was lifted up, dusting himself off rather quickly. For a man such as Malphas, who loved his followers like they were his own, recalling the names of past lovers was child's play, no matter how drunk he was. "I see now that you have a talent for making me fall for you then, Soyala

"It is a shame you caught me with my pants down, again. I've never traveled through the woods alone, much less used something like this." Malphas blushed as he drew his bow out, flexing the string. "Not my style, admittedly, although I still wish to learn how to use it as it was given to me as a gift. I'm sure you understand."

Malphas was quite surprised that Soyala had known about his quest. Disregarding how loud he might have been about it, Malphas was sure that the vision he had regarding that place was something of his own. Perhaps he should keep his big mouth more closed next time. Still, to see that the huntress is granting her aide regardless... Perhaps Malphas can indeed make something of an ally out of her.

"Whatever do you mean? You were quite fine following my directions earlier." Malphas gave a teasing wink as he let his tongue out, walking ahead. "Very well, then. I'll lead the way. Feel free to do as you please. All I ask in return is that you believe in me." With a playful hum, Malphas continued his march for the temple, keeping an eye out for that same flower the foxy merchant had asked him to find.

"I must ask, by the way, Soyala.... but is there anything that interests you about the temple? Perhaps something interesting enough for you to follow me to it? I'm quite new to this place, so I'm not too sure of the tales surrounding it, myself..."

Unsure of how long they would be stuck in this small area with only the four of them for company, Augusta settled herself as quick as she could, taking special care to keep this young elf girl warm. Perhaps it was just the shared ears they both had, but she felt a need to protect her. She also listened to all the stories the girl told. Making note of everything she mentioned, the woman smiled and nodded at the girl. When that was all said and done though, and it was time to sleep... Augusta found sleep hard to come by. A good portion of it was spent keeping an eye out in case the Apostles or those dwarves found them. Eventually, she fell into the clutches of the night and her eyes closed.

She found herself wake up to Isidore making noise and forced herself to wake up. She'd love to have just went back to sleep at that moment and pull the covers over her shoulders, but that seemed an impossibility at this point. As they went about their morning, Augusta thought some on the previous night and encounters. Firebeard. He was a threat to them on this mountain as were the Apostles apparently. She really should work on some magic aside fire. Perhaps thunder as she had previously considered. If someone were wearing metal armor, it only helped the magic. Perhaps she'd ponder that for the day as they traveled to keep her mind off the snow.

She made sure Leuca woke up and had her rations, as well as Octavia. She felt responsible for them, though it was Isidore that secured the provisions from the dead Apostles. Perhaps they would make it to Gloomhallow and the "Shadow Elves" would assist them. Perhaps... Nothing seemed right on this mountain at this point so she had her doubts. After eating her rations, she stepped outside the small shelter and took a look around with Isidore. The clouds in the sky were not the best looking and seemed to threaten them just by existing. With a frown she agreed with him. "Yes, we should move." She caught the cloak and was thankful for it. The cold was getting to her ears. "Octavia, how are you feeling? Still cold?" She asked, petting the demon dog.

The battle ended almost as abruptly as it had begun. The technique he had copied from Nobunaga had once again proved useful, allowing him to letally skewer the bird. A second bird was fatally cut by Narkissa, and the remaining two retreated after being knocked around. Novak wasn't entirely sure what Leannah did to those birds, having been too focused on what he was doing to catch a glimpse of it, but it must've been pretty impressive, the way they went flying away.

Whatever she did, she must be a pretty capable unarmed fighter. Perhaps her techniques might be worth using his ability on, although Novak would need to properly observe her to assess the usefulness of what she's capable of.

Lazhira remained as unflappable as ever, cheerfully thanking Leannah and remarking on the edibility of the birds that moments before had tried to kill her. She did not seem to have taken part in the skirmish, having been pulled to safety by the cat-girl. Judging by how two of the birds lunged at her, however, it seemed clear that Lazhira was not off-limits to the dangerous beasts that inhabited these woods. These observations further piqued Novak's curiosity as to how this seemingly harmless girl was able to safely navigate these woods.

As they made their way into the temple, Novak noted how the symbol on the door resembled the strange tattoo on Lazhira. Let's see...if I remember correctly, this is the temple of the god of knowledge, whom according to Lazhira, village was compelled to abandon the worship of as part of their covenant with the Kyrinth. But why would Lazhira be marked with the symbol associated with the temple of a god that they were supposed to have stopped worshiping?

The interior of the temple was quite a sight to behold. From what Novak could discern from the illumination cast by his three companions, the walls were adorned with images detailing two processions of people, likely illustrating an important tale in the god's faith. If he had to guess, the old man holding the light was either the god of knowledge or a prophet or herald acting on his behalf. The other procession, the one with the woman, had a more sinister feel to it. Perhaps she was an adversary, tempting away the Illuminator's congregation.

The shelves were lined with clutter such as books, stone tablets, and what looked like ceremonial garb. It was a shame that Misaki hadn't come with them, because if she could understand the village's books, perhaps she could make sense of these as well. Novak considered taking some of the more intact-looking items. They might learn a lot if they brought one of the books back to Misaki, and one of those ropes might be a handy emergency tool in case things go sideways. Lastly, he couldn't help but wonder how much one of those ceremonial masks might be worth to a collector.

The feature that stood out the most was a strange statue or idol. Embedded in the statue was an equally strange stone. On the wall behind the statue, Novak noticed what appeared to be an empty indentation in the wall roughly the same size. It looked like it might be a socket or receptacle for a stone like the one in the statue. But why was it empty? Could the missing stone have anything to do with the troubles that the village was having?

"Lazhira, you seem to know a lot about this place, and about this god," Novak spoke up, still staring at the empty indentation. "What do you make of this statue, this stone, and this empty socket in the wall?"

@Crusader Lord@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

---

"It's no problem, Lazhira, I just kinda acted without thinking-"

But as Leannah reacted to Lazhira's safety, having just breathed a sigh of releif to see her safe, reality came suddenly crashing back into her mind as the glint of that golden feather in her hand caught her eye.

Eh?

Eh?!

EH??!!?!

B-But it, but she, but how, they, why...how. She was just some random from another world who got thrown into this one by some capricious catgirl-loving being! It was a good taste in catgirls admittedly...b-but they had a similar taste?! Or maybe she was just imposing her thoughts on the other party. Oh heavens above this was equal parts awkward, embarrassing as all hell and then some, and also the GREATEST COOL EVER!!! If she'd been back home she'd have shit herself on the spot after experiencing this, like THIS THING, at all in the first place. That or someone spiked one of her drinks or she was at one of 'those' parties, in which case it'd all still make sense but...ok, no, getting sidetracked there. Far too sidetracked. But the feather! Yes, the feather! It was a sign, plus she also wasn't dead! But still, the biggest thing she'd experienced in this world so far was that...

...There was a Cute Bird Sun Goddess in this world~!!!

Seriously. Sure she was excited to no end, but like at the same time she did begin to settle down as old college studies kicked in. Soon the visibly thrilled-to-no-end catgirl would stop herself, taking a few deep breaths as the others began to leave her behind. She had to be objective about this, and yeah the goddess has made it clear that she could incinerate her quite easily. Definitely deity behavior, and a big red flag that would require taking caution in the future yes. but the almost tsundere-sounding bit at the end was still utterly adorable and endearing. That or she was getting a bit heavy into the tropes. She was an Egyptologist, not a total weeb! Er, "Japanophile". Ugh. either way she was most versed in anime watching and video games and one mobile game on the side, really, so she wasn't an expert on the whole place by any stretch.

Wait. Oh hell. Oh hell. Oh hell. This meant she really had to kill one of those Elder Beasts that she'd been told about before by that other being...goddess...well, whoever they were beyond her current running theory anyhow. That had already been apparently a thing on the list of to-do's for getting sent here, but frankly until now it had been a somewhat more distant thought. More so she had been jolted and startled by the fact a deity answered her stupid prayer and then gave her a mission to do. Giant stone golem? It had been a fight for survival. Rocketing herself out of the compound like a flaming hot catgirl cheeto coated in nitro? Instinctive. Beating up a zombie-looking thing in that little tower? Honestly not as jarring to her.

For the most part she'd been riding the wave with things, taking it in and doing what she could and frankly not being as oddly shaken as the average person might be. It was a new life after all, so it was more interesting to think about all the things around her and explore them. But her inner Egyptologist screamed in pure delight at the fact she'd spoken to a literal goddess in a vision! It'd be like if she'd been talking to Ra himself or Thoth back home or something! It was a plot out of fiction, or anime, or ancient legend made truly manifest before her mind's eye! How would that not be either terrifying or cool or BOTH to someone?!

Looking up and noticing she was falling behind, however, Leannah lightly slapped her own face to 'snap out of it' before tucking the feather away somewhere 'safe' (considering her attire and situation). She then took a few more controlled breaths, stilled her nerves a bit, and then jotted along quickly to follow her compatriots. No, they still had some ancient temple exploring to do! Hopefully the tropes of traps and giant falling rocks and so forth didn't apply here as they had in Earth's own movie tropes, but at the same time such silly information was all she reasonably had to run with in terms of caution. Frankly the mysterious fog was already something of a red flag about potential things mulling about this place or set up within it.

It didn't even soak in yet that she'd used one bird to knock another one out into the fog like a pinball on steroids, but as she caught up and walked in with the others the scenery itself was something...beautiful. Beautiful in an archeological sense anyhow, between the plant-covered overgrown stone walls, to the odd symbols that she noticed Lazhira seemed to also have tattooed on her arm (that would be a question for soon or later depending), to other carvings and pillars and former braziers and iconography and more! But as she'd already gotten a bit too excited back there about something more, cause what were some ruins to a vision where one talked with a goddess after all, she held her cool. Even so a sense of awe washed over her, and such was the only natural response to something like this in her mind even with her trying to keep her cool.

The catgirl looked at the glassy-looking stone, which from here already seemed impossible for some ancients to make with older types of tools alone, but every bit of media knowledge she had from back home told her to 'not go and just grab it' outright. More so, she looked down and began reaching around their feet and the floor somewhat to look for a book that was as intact and best-quality. At least as far as one could hope in this place anyhow. Sure the writing was unintelligible on fast glances, but perhaps magic could fix that! Maybe. It was worth a shot in the dark to be frank, to satisfy that curiosity and hopefully not 'kill the cat' as the old adage said.

Though whether she found anything worth picking up or not, Leannah would stand back up properly and listen as the odd man who'd accompanied the three of them here spoke to Lazhira. Huh. Another Earth person perhaps? Maybe she could ask later. Either way his question seemed rather valid though.

"I'll second that question, actually, though after back there I also wonder how you get through that fog so often and so safely," Leannah said, giving a small nod to Novak inn agreement before turning her her toward and directing the rest of her words at Lazhira herself.

@Rune_Alchemist @Crusader Lord @Crimson Paladin

To Narkissa’s surprise, the giant birds were not the mortal foes that she had expected. Her pittance of a plan worked flawlessly, and as she side-stepped the bird’s attack, the cutting edge of her sword sent the creature crashing to the ground. And it was over, just like that. The two other birds seemed to come to a mutual understanding that the fight wasn’t worth it, and to her relief, they beat a swift retreat.

“Bloody hell Lazhira, you call those nuisances?” Narkissa didn’t know whether or not to laugh or to cry. She shot a glance over at Lazhira, who’d been thrown back behind them some, with a bit of a peculiar look. The girl was completely unfazed; the fact that she referred to them as a nuisance and even suggested them as a food pairing reconfirmed her belief that there was more to this girl… or at the very least, she was hiding her strength in some way. How else would a defenseless girl walk around in this sort of place with those clawed birds around?

It took a bit for her adrenaline rush to die down before she followed Lazhira. Not before she looked back to see Leannah sperging out over something, though. Slightly weirded out, she gave the catgirl a stare before continuing.

Indeed, it wasn’t before long that they came across the temple. It was a masterwork of masonry, and definitely looked weathered from centuries of neglect, to Narkissa’s eyes. There were some strange symbols about the structure, which was particularly eye-catching since it appeared Lazhira had a matching tattoo.

Quite a curious coincidence.

Once inside, she was suitably impressed by the carvings and interior stonework. All about her were curious imagery; the large idol in the centerpiece was awe inspiring indeed. From an archaeological standpoint, considering the condition of the building, she was quite surprised to see relatively intact fragments of artifacts inside the temple. The cloth robes and old ropes, though worthless, particularly stood out since she thought they would have rotted away. Seeing books, she was drawn once again to the curious tomes, and she searched for interesting volumes despite the unfamiliar writing. She gave up after a while, but not before deciding to pick the best looking one to bring back, pending permission from Lazhira.

That done, she gave more attention to the large statue, and strange indentation of a stone. If she was good at guessing, she’d have thought it was a crystal of some sort that powered something in the temple. Huge buried alien space ship, maybe?

She was going to ask Lazhira about it, but the others beat her to it. Instead, she asked about the walls. “Lazhira, along similar lines… do you know what the significance of the scenes on the wall are?”

“N-no, its fine. I should not speak out of turn.”

Nick had to stop himself from laughing. This girl was taking this joke way too far and way too seriously. He wanted to stop her and explain but it looked like she managed to stop all by herself to explain further. Still, the concern she showed for a stranger's sister's well-being earned her a good first impression from Nick. She might just be some guard for someone around here, Lady Mie from what he heard, but Nick now at least knew a contact he could count on.

“I apologize again for not being more help in whatever trouble is plaguing here. I would need to get Lady Mie’s permission before I could, and she’s currently busy. I would suggest meeting with lord Enli. He lives in the longhouse up there. He’s this towns...Chief, I think they call him.”

"Alright, me and Donny here will go see this Enli guy. Thanks for the help, Miss Haruno." Nick finished. "...Hmm, you don't happen to be free to join us, are you? We sure could use the company of someone familiar with the place." Haruno didn't seem to be a local of this village, though. But even so, she definitely knew more about this place than Nick right now.

Regardless of Haruno's answer, Nick would head to the longhouse where this Lord Enli resided. From there, questions would be asked regarding this settlement's problems and Nick would add if Lord Enli knew anything about this deer god named Kyrnith.

---

@Rune_Alchemist@PaulHaynek

Donovan's eyes went wide as he sank to his knees, wheezing as he grasped at his aching stones. "Dammit Malphas!" the man hissed as he tried to regather himself. Unfortunately for Donovan; whatever spike of adrenaline that had numbed the pain the last time Malphas nutshot him seemed to have decided against making a second appearance. He could barely register a word that came out Malphas' mouth as he ground his teeth, clenched his eyes shut, and shakily rose to his feet.

He didn't hear much of what was said, but he did hear Nick make some kind of decision, "Aye lad," he wheezed, "Sounds good"

Dungeon Diving ho!~
@Crusader Lord@Crimson Paladin@Click This

---

“Ahaha, do I?~” Lazhira replied, smiling in a somewhat too innocent manner. “Well, Uhm...I’ve been in and out of the forest since I could walk, hehe. Not that I had anything else to do. I was one of the only kids in the village for the longest time, and since none of the grown ups wanted to play...I just sort of...learned how, I guess.” A flimsy, but not implausible sounding series of events. “I always got in trouble with Enli and the hunters after, though, heheh. Especially if I told them I was poking around this place.” She at least didn't seem to think she did anything wrong there as she glanced back towards the statue, the others doing a bit of investigating of their own as she answered.

“Its a depiction of the God of Knowledge. He’s called the ‘Faceless God’. They say he doesn’t have one - or that the light that comes from his crown blinds any that attempt looking at it.” Walking over to one of the murals, she placed a hand on one of the carvings, lightly running a hand over the visage of the old man. “I could be wrong, but I think its a depiction of him giving knowledge to the people here.” She continued. “Since his real appearance tends to cause problems, he likes walking around as an old man with a cane, or a dirty old hag whose face is always wearing a grin. No one knows what he really looks like, though.” She frowned slightly, glancing to the side. “...according to some things I’ve read in Enli’s records though, he’s prone to being unpredictable and uhm, somewhat...difficult. He likes to tempt mortals with knowledge and seeing what and how they’ll use it or what lengths they’ll go to learn it.” She turned back to the group.

“...he also has the right to take it away from people, too. Apparently that’s why the people in Dawn forgot how to make paper, the ability to make this temple, and well, a lot of things since he left.” She walked over to the statue and the socket in the wall, frowning. “I dunno about anything else though. I’m pretty sure this place is bigger, but I’ve not been able to find anything else. There’s probably some hidden or blocked passage though. There’s also faint traces of magic on the idol, but I’m not sure what it’d be for...”

Leannah would pick over the scattered remnants of the temple's previous occupants. There was little in the way of anything useful left behind. A few tattered robes. Some pottery. The books, ancient and faded with most of their words likely unintelligible...though one, seemed to stand out in particular. Simply marked with the same symbol Lazhira had on her arm. A quick check would allow Leannah to see it seemed to mostly be pictures depicting various things. A robed man with a cane. The stormy ocean and a fishing boat upon it. A woman wearing a tattered cloak...holding a white-eyed child and dropping it into the ocean.

That wasn’t the most helpful thing in existence, but at least it seemed oddly more well preserved than everything else. Perhaps she might find something else if she took time to look over the books.

Narkissa too, would also find something useful among the tomes. A book, written in similarly unintelligible words, yet the most intriguing things were the diagrams within. Perhaps they wouldn’t make any sense to anyone without her knowledge or background, but she could easily tell what she was looking at.

Ship building.

Not small canoes or fishing vessels. Tried and true wooden vessels, albeit roughly and crudely drawn.





“Feel free to take anything you want. I don’t think anyone would miss anything. I’d rather you guys take it and have it be used for something instead of rotting away here... ” Well, if that was any permission the group needed, there it was. Lazhira walked back over to the group, glancing over to Leannah.

“...Oh, Leannah. Your arm.” Lazhira would walk over to the cat girl. Leannah might not have noticed right away, but that bird had done quite a number on her arm. The gashes its claws made weren’t deep, but by no means were they trivial either. “Hold on, I got some bandages somewhere…”

If Leannah wanted, Lazhira would bandage up the cat girls arm, at least so she wasn’t bleeding any more. They were also seemingly soaked in some sort of herb that smelled oddly like pine needles, and helped ease pain, though only a small amount.

---

A totally not suspicious little fox
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

---

The tent was lively, but hardly impressive for Nobunaga. She had seen marketplaces before, and while she did not originate from the modern world this was still more understated then she was used to. Still, she could certainly understand why the locals were enthralled with the wares on display here… and identify which ones were actually worth the prices they were being sold for.

At first glance that was only the preserved foods.

The black-haired girl regarded the fox-tailed woman at the stall for a moment. This confirmed what she expected quite handily. Such people were an ordinary part of this world, and thus there was no reason for anyone to expect anything was amiss with Misaki.

Excellent.

“My sword? I’m afraid not,” she began, “I’m quite attached to it, for the time being.”

It was her only weapon, after all, but no-one else needed to know that.

A slow glance around the tent to gauge what she could about everything brought only mild disappointment to Misaki, who simply furrowed her brow as she glanced over the goods lying about. Though she was no geologist, something at the back of her mind—likely the ‘gift’ that the Goddess had seen fit to give her—made clear that the ore that had been talked up was not particularly high quality. The fact that there was so much buzz over it spoke to two possibilities; either the villagers were starved for metals, or the shopkeeper was lying through their teeth. It was possible that both held true, but at least to the foxgirl it was better to hope for one or the other instead.

The textiles fared comparatively better in comparison, both in terms of popularity and efficiency, but the deep frown on Misaki’s face as she stared at the goods on the ‘higher’ end of the price spectrum betrayed her own opinions on the matter. The goods were shoddy compared to what she knew would have likely been the norm for the rich during any era prior to the Heian-era boom in silk, which in other words…

“A swindler…” she said to herself quietly in Japanese as the owner-apparent turned their way. Her initial reaction was not lost upon the foxgirl as she watched ‘Lady Mie’ approach the two of them, but Misaki decided against pressing further for the moment.

“Ah, no room for negotiation at all? How sad.” Mie replied with a small sigh. “I'd love to add it to my collection, but if you are certain...that aside.” Her eyes glanced between the two. “Its rare I run into those from my homeland on my travels. Care to join me for a private chat? I'd love to hear more of, well, what brings you two all the way out here to this middle of nowhere village.” Her tail swished as she waited somewhat impatiently for an answer from the pair.

Nobunaga considered the offer for a moment. While she did not know about this land in detail, the fact that it had such similarity to her homeland… that was promising. On top of that, this was an opportunity to learn more. On the other hand, it was quite clear that the fox was a swindler, just as Misaki had surmised.

Still, it was an opportunity that could not be ignored.

“Now that is an offer that I can entertain. I would quite enjoy a chat.”

“Ahaha, excellent.” Mie's tail swished as she turned. “I'll bring out some drinks.” She'd lead the pair out the back of the tend, where a small storage area seemed to have been set up. A few Oni workers greeted their employer with a bow and nod of their head as she passed as they went about their tasks. On one opposite end, seemed to be several animals. Large...looking chickens? With bright red feathers were corralled into a small area. Nearby were large, furry creatures reminiscent of a weasel. Silver colored fur adorned their bodies, thick to help protect from the cold and snow. Several of them were lazily lounging in the snow while a few workers fed and groomed their fur. Another was being loaded up with what seemed to be supplies. Animals of burden of some sort, from the look of them.

Their destination though, was a small tent set up on the opposite end of the small field.

Mie led the two through, holding the tent flaps up so her guests could enter unimpeded. Within, the room smelled faintly of exotic incense, foreign to both Misaki and Nobunaga. A mat had been set up in the center of the room, and a table atop. Pillows had been stationed around it, for obvious seating arrangements. The rest of the tent was fairly plain, save for a cot near the back, and several chests and storage trunks likely for Mie's own belongings and for locking up more expensive things.

“Come on, take a seat. I only bite people who annoy me.” She grinned. “Its rare people from Chagawa leave, and even rarer to meet them on my travels.” The fox walked over to a chest, upon which sat a flask of liquid and several bowls and cups. She took a bowl herself, and set a few more along with cups on the table. She poured herself some, followed by a glass for both Nobunaga and Misaki. “Don't worry, it’s not poisoned or anything, fufu~”

She sat, languidly bringing the bowl to her lips.

“Haaa...now then...who are you two? You obviously know me, but I've yet to hear your two's names.”

Misaki quietly nodded her head in response to the shopkeeper's offer, following after Nobunaga as the three of them left the shopfront. It would have been the height of folly to deny Mie's offer, even if her apparent business acumen led her to sell subpar goods to people. Granted, the villagers here might not have had the goods to be able to barter for anything higher in the first place, but misrepresentation of the truth was one step too far.

The scattered animals behind the tent did catch Misaki's eye, however momentarily; all of them seemed to be at least somewhat closer to things she had known on Earth than the monsters that her other companions had felled the day before, and given how all of them had tried to kill her before, it was nice to see animals now that weren't trying to rip her head off.

The tent that was their destination was oddly cozy, but the white-haired foxgirl was not a fan of the smell of the incense. It was bearable, yes, but it was not necessarily something she would want to smell outside of a visit to a temple or something of the like. Regardless of what she thought, though, this was still a negotiation, and so Misaki refrained from commenting on the matter and simply sat down upon one of the pillows, seiza-style. A slow glance at the drink that the shopkeeper had poured for the two of them was soon followed by a furtive sniff, confirming the presence of alcohol within.

Taking a small obligatory sip of what had to have been some variant of unrefined sake, Misaki slowly placed the cup back down in front of her before nodding.

"Introductions, then... My name is Takeshima... Ma—No, Misaki. Takeshima Misaki," she said, mentally reprimanding herself for almost using her old surname. It would take a little bit for that habit to go away, but it probably would in due time. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Similarly to Misaki, Nobunaga picked a pillow and sat down in seiza as well. She had noted the animals prior, rather curiously. They were more familiar than the creature that attacked the hunters before, but still retained notable differences to any creature that she was familiar with.

The unrefined sake certainly wasn’t an unpleasant offering, and the small black-haired girl took a sip herself before she next spoke.

“My name is Oda Kipposhi,” she introduced herself, avoiding the usage of her full, adult name. While it would have no significance to the fox, the same could not be said for those she may speak to. “I am pleased to meet you.”

“Misaki Takeshima...” The fox let out a breath, before turning her playful gaze towards Kipposhi. “And Oda Kipposhi. Hmhm, I see I see...well, welcome to my humble little establishment, fufu. I'd offer more, but I wasn't expecting to entertain guests until this evening so you'll have to forgive me for that, and I don't have the resources to ah, splurge a bit on the tail end of my trip.” Mie took another sip of her drink.

“So...how long have you two been traveling? Any recent happenings in Chagawa I should be aware of before I return? Heizo still having trouble with the Oni clans?” The question seemed more intended towards Kipposhi.

“My, how long have we been travelling? At times it can become difficult to keep track,” Nobunaga replied, without too much delay, a hint of humor in her voice as if she was admonishing herself for her lack of organization. She was going to have to improvise, now, “Takeshima-san is a scholar, you see, so we’ve been quite focused on learning what we can while we’re here.”

Establishing her fellow foreigner to this world as a scholar may have been risky… but at the same time, it was an excellent excuse for them to be abroad.

At least, so the small black-haired girl hoped.

“We intend to return soon, so I suppose we shall see the results of Heizo’s struggles first hand in relatively short order.”

“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. When I first started I had no idea what I was doing, but well, keeping track of days and time helps greatly when you’re in my position.” Mie replied with a friendly chuckle, gaze shifting to Misaki.

“A scholar, you say? Admirable...though I can't imagine those at the Shrine were too happy about you leaving, caught up in their prayers and offerings as they are.” The black eared fox smirked. “Though I can't say I don't understand. How are things on Mt. Kozue by the way? I've not been back in...well, never. The Nori tree isn't doing any better, is it?”

The white-haired foxgirl let out a nervous chuckle as she subconsciously rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of how exactly to respond to Mie’s prompt. Being placed in the role of ‘scholar’ by Nobunaga, while not necessarily incorrect, also prompted a bit of requisite knowledge onto her shoulders.

Knowledge, of course, that she did not have. Even so, Misaki had to come up with some manner of response to keep the charade up, but that was easier said than done. In her mind, the best way to go about this matter was to try and disassociate herself with the group in question, but lying was most definitely not one of her strong suits—especially so in this situation.

“Ah… Well, that makes two of us, then,” she responded, smiling weakly in response. “I was always burying my head in my studies, so keeping track of those sorts of things was a bit… Well, unlikely, I suppose?”

Beyond that, Misaki found herself unable to figure out what to say, if anything. Taking a closer look at the shopkeeper’s wares could provide a bit more information on their craftsmanship, but regardless of how far they properly deviated from what was widely available in Chagawa, it could be seen as a bit rude to try and directly criticize them in the first place…

“...is that so.” Mie narrowed her eyes at Misaki. “Curious. The Nori tree is a sacred tree. Everyone in Chagawa knows of it, and the Kitsune are its caretakers...” Her mouth curled into a smirk. “...well, I suppose there's always one or two misfits. Not like an exile from the Shrine like me has any room to talk, heh.” Mie took another sip, letting out a long, languid sigh. It was difficult to tell if she entirely bought the lie, but at least it didn't seem like she was going to press the issue if she did.

“If you are traveling back to Chagawa, I would be more than happy to have you accompany me. We lost a few good men on this expedition, got caught in some Elder Beasts path to the northeast. I could pay you for your time, too.” She smirked playfully. “It will be dangerous, but ah...I have a good eye for people.” Her gaze turned back to Nobunaga. “I think you could handle yourself.”

“Forgive my companion, her dislike of talking about her obligations should be quite obvious,” Nobunaga commented, before considering the offer that had been made. On one hand, pay sounded quite excellent in a situation like this. Additionally, the opportunity to learn about this mirror of her own homeland was a rare one.
However…

Her desire was to gain and exert influence. Going back on the offer she had made to the head of this village would do quite the opposite.

“I would gladly accept your offer… however, I must know how long you plan to remain here before I do,” the petite black-haired girl said after a few moments of thought, “You see, I have volunteered my services to the townsfolk, in hope of mending a contract that the had made that has since seemingly been broken. I pride myself in my skills at negotiation, and thus I cannot pass up this opportunity.”

She brushed her silken black hair back.
“Provided you remain in this town until my obligations have been fulfilled, I would be happy to offer you my services as well.”

“I see.” The fox took a moment to silently sip her drink, obviously weighing her options. “I can respect that. Going back on ones word is the height of folly, especially for a merchant.” That probably didn't sound convincing, from what Nobbu and Misaki knew of her goods. “...but we've also been away from home for quite awhile. My people, are understandably looking forward to returning sooner rather than later...and considering we're not going to turn a profit at this village any longer, I could honestly care less about what happens to it.”

Mie held a hand to her chin.

“I was only planning on staying a day or so...but very well.” Mie nodded. “Five days. I can wait five days before I need to return. If you solve whatever it is you agreed too, you're more than welcome to join me.”

Five days?

That was fine.

Negotiating with a fantastical beast in under five days? She had accomplished plenty of extraordinary things before. She could not in good conscience bear the name Oda Nobunaga if she could not accomplish diplomatic endeavors as well as military.

“In that case, unless Takeshima-san has any objections, I believe this matter is settled,” Nobunaga replied, clapping her hands together with a smile.

"Wonderful then. I'll look forward to it." Mie replied with a nod, the conversation coming to a close as Akando, the lead hunter lifted one of the tent flaps. "Ah...yes, that matter." Mie frowned slightly. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got another thing to take care of. Now if you'll excuse me. Talk to one of my retainers if you need anything." Mie would show the two out of her tent, a guard curiously taking position at the front of the tent to ward off any eavesdroppers or anyone that might intrude while she was busy.

Now then, that left them mostly to roam free now. Perhaps they should attempt to seek out this Kyrnith, now? How would they even begin to search for it.

---

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

They were quite high up now. Back to the north, the way they came...they could see the shoreline stretching far. The forest they had been so close to previously, seemingly stretched for miles, massive tracts of likely untamed wilderness. Far, far in the distance to the east a plain stretched into the horizon.

Perhaps, adventures for another time and later.

Leuca barely caught the cloak isidore tossed towards her, stumbling slightly as she yawned. She didn’t complain, quickly wrapping it and the hood around her. Octavia simply barked in response to Augusta’s question, happily wagging her tail and sitting near Leuca, though the Elf didn’t seem to acknowledge the pup itself.

“...mhm. I’m not too sure...” Leuca would finally reply to Isidore’s question. “Sorcha mentioned something about other entrances the Shadow Elves use for access so they don’t have to bother with the dwarves.” The small elf paused for a moment, frowning. “I-I think she said to look for Mushrooms from the Hollow near the entrance. Something about...them glowing? The shadow elves usually only travel at night, though...so it might be hard to find something during the day...without a guide...if Sorcha was here she would know, but...”

She glanced to the sky, then back towards Isidore and Augusta, then frowned and pulled her cloak tighter, taking a few steps away from Octavia...who simply sat up and walked back over.

“O-oh! Uhm...I-I forgot but, Sorcha and my uncle mentioned an Elder Beast that lives on this mountain. It doesn’t usually show itself on the surface, but...its been known to from time to time. They say it makes the whole mountain tremble...”

The conversation was interrupted by the deep call of a horn echoing across the mountains. At least they definitely knew they had in fact, heard one last night during the storm - but that left the question of who was calling. It repeated the same call, several times. A single long note, followed by two short ones. It repeated this style before falling silent, likely expecting a reply of some sort, yet none seemed to come.

Whenever the party decided to start moving again, the safest path seemed to be deeper into the mountains. They had yet to crest a peak, or see the world that lay south beyond. Perhaps they would never. A cavern was likely easy enough to find now that they didn’t have to worry about dying from hypothermia.

Eventually their path would take them around a small hill, their feet leaving deep footprints in the snow as they walked. Not having a clear path caused the groups travel to be slowed a good deal, and Leuca’s small legs weren’t doing so well carrying her through the deep drifts, but Octavia made sure to keep near to prevent her from there being too much of an accident.

Soon however, after some minutes of traveling they’d see smoke rising in the distance. If any went to go check, they’d find a small camp of around twenty humans all set up at the foot of a large outcropping that blocked most of the wind from the previous night from their camp. Several wooden fortifications had been made. Large bonfire seemed to have been constructed in the center of the camp, where the black smoke was coming from.

A tattered, white and black flag depicting a serpent swallowing a star waved lightly in the wind.

“...apostles…!”

Leuca hid behind Isidore. No one in the camp seemed to have seen them yet, thankfully...but perhaps this could also be an opportunity? They were free to turn around and do something else entirely, too of course.

---

Wayward builder
@Guy0fV4lor@PaulHaynek

---

“Apologies, I’ve work to do for Lady Mie.” Haruno bowed slightly. "I was merely wondering about that black-haired girl...something about her is...mhm, n-nevermind. That's nothing I should bother you with. If you'll excuse me then..." A respectful farewell later, Haruno turned and left, heading back towards the docks she had been at earlier and seemingly quickly getting lost in discussion with some nearby fishermen.

Nick and Donovan would then head up towards the longhouse where the villages supposed Chief was. It was easy enough, and aside from a single hunter standing guard, nothing hindered his progress. A brief hello and a statement of why they were there, and a friendly waving in from Enli from within, he was let in.

Warmth from within chased away the cold from outdoors, coming from the large fire pit in the middle of the room. Hunting trophies donned the walls, with tables and chairs sitting against them. Perhaps they were used to holding festivals, or gatherings here at times. Bookshelves and scrolls donned the back wall of the room.

"More travelers? The Goddess is certainly planning something isn't she?" He would muse as he glanced over Nick. "...and one so young and inexperienced seeming. I welcome you to Dawn. What can I do for you two? We don't have much, and with the forest getting more and more dangerous these days I can offer little in the way of hospitality." The older man lacked any particularly notable features, save for his red robe.

As far as Donovan could tell, too, despite wearing the same symbol upon his robe as that girls tattoo, he was utterly mundane.

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

“Heh, honeyed words as always.” The huntress mused, following after Malphas. “Indeed, it's always good to use gifts given to you. Waste is how one goes hungry, after all.” The woman, Soyala at least, seemed open to following his lead, spear ready to strike again should any creature decide to bar their path. “If you desire, I could train you. I may be better with a spear, but I can show you the basics once we’re done here.”

There was a definite difference between this huntress and the others. Some sort of instinctual understanding that his words were working. His ability at least, seemed to be working on this woman.

“No, not really.” She continued answering Malphas’ question. “It is a relic of the past, and a...distraction, if you will. Nothing more than a trap laid by the one who built it.” She smirked, laughing lightly. “And I prefer keeping my eyes on the future. Like making sure you get your legs in this land.” Thankfully, it didn’t take the two much longer to reach a small hill overlooking the temple. The area, dimmed by the thick trees overhead, cast a gloomy shadow. He could see a few animals and figures moving within the fog below, too. Soyala knelt closer to the ground, checking the soil and ground.

“...seems there’s people already inside. Probably that reject and some of the other travelers...” She hummed. “I’d suggest finding another entrance, Malphas. Best not to ah, get involved with that failure.” She smirked, standing again, playfully winking at Malphas. “Of course, I already know where it is...but where would be the fun in telling you? Should probably find those herbs for the merchant, too. She’s not someone you want to cross...or have her ‘debt collectors’ after you.”

She pulled something from one of her pockets. A round, smooth stone, similar to the one the hag had given him last night. The same exact engraving, too.

“Don’t worry about the fog as long as you carry the Illuminators protection with you. The fog is terrified of those bearing light from the divine.”

Now he just had to go and inspect the temple...granted he wanted to go along with what Soyala was saying. She seemed to have some connection to the hag from the previous evening, and it seemed the Hag wanted him to travel into this temple for some reason. He could always turn around and leave. It seemed like Soyala might just follow him regardless so long as he provided an entertaining reason.

“Might be best to use that bow to pick off a few of those animals before you go in.” She slipped the small stone back into her pocket, waiting to see what Malphas would do from here.

Isidore dropped down low as Leuca hid behind him. He counted twenty easily, armed and armored just as well as the two that they had come across further down the mountain. It was more than he was willing to deal with, perhaps even more than he’d be willing to fight if he had a gun. His eyes lingered briefly on the star-eating serpent that served as their banner. Curious imagery. Snakes were devils, back on Earth.

“Augusta,” he murmured, keeping his gaze on the encampment. “Can you read them?”

Augusta stared over the camp, worried that one of the many men there might notice them at this point. She double checked her hood to make sure it was pulled over her ears tightly. When Isidore asked if she could read them, she shook her head. “That they have names. Not much more from here. Maybe I need to level up my eye so I can glean information from further out.” She pondered for a second before removing the thought from her mind. “What’s the plan, Isidore?”

Isidore raised a brow, shifting slightly to face her. “How would you “level” it up?”

"I'm unsure if it's possible. Some of this has seemed like a game so it was a bit of a thought." Augusta shrugged, the faintest hint of defeat hovered on her face. "Becoming practiced perhaps."

He nodded, then fell into silence for a while longer. The ideology of these humans, beyond their racially-charged violence, was that the world was false. A dream perhaps, the whim of a god or two. That wasn't so far off from his own beliefs about the place of the Storyteller in this world. And if they are to move through this place safely…

"Leuca and Octavia stay behind. We are travellers, seeking the land beyond the village. We'll approach. We return the horn, and direct their attention to the dead at the foot of the mountain." A pause. "If they discover who you are, Augusta, talk your way out of it. If we must run, go first; I'll follow."

"A dangerous proposition you have there. Though, it should work nicely if all goes well, I can't imagine us coming out of this well if it all goes south." Augusta seemed somewhat hesitant of the plan considering the wrong step would sic twenty hostiles on her. "But, i'll trust your plan."

Isidore closed his eyes, calculations of risk and reward whirring through a brain that envisioned everything so much more clearly than it used to. A moment later, he stood up and strode towards the encampment, Augusta following from behind. In one hand, he held the dwarvish polearm, and in another he held the horn that he had taken from one of the dead men.

Locking eyes with the guard on the outermost perimeter, Isidore raised up the horn in the air. “This belongs to yours, yes?”

She's evading the question, I'm sure of it. Something strange is going on with her, Novak noted as he listed to Lazhira give her reply to Leanna's query about her ability to safely navigate these woods. None of what she said added up to a reasonable explanation as to how a seemingly normal village girl could travel to and from this place with such dangerous, aggressive beasts around. Novak was convinced that Lazhira was withholding something from the group. He did not mind people having secrets, it was rather concerning that their guide, whose expertise was the only reason they were even able to get through the fog, was not being entirely forthcoming with them. It was understandable that she might not want to reveal everything to outsiders whom she had only known for two day, but Novak wasn't entirely comfortable with being left in the dark while sticking his neck out. They had already faced dangers while undertaking this expedition, and who knows what else they might run into out here?

Novak considered Lazhira's words carefully as he looked over the murals. So this Illuminator gives knowledge, but also takes it back. I wonder, what were these people like before he relinquished his gifts of knowledge? Lazhira had mentioned paper-making and stone-working as knowledge that had been lost to them, suggesting that they were once much more than a quaint town of hunters and fishermen. Could there be other past works somewhere in the region? Were there other stone structures that they might have left behind?

Novak shifted his gaze to the old shelves. Narkissa and Leannah had already begun to look through the books lying about, and Lazhira had assured them that they could take whatever they could find. With that in mind, he decided to get a closer look at some of the objects himself. He grabbed a discarded rope and gave it a good tug in his hands to see if it had any strength left. Assuming that the rope did not disintegrate in his hands, Novak would gather it into a bundle around one arm. They hadn't exactly made a lot of preparations for this journey to the temple, and a serviceable rope could make for a useful tool. With his other hand, Novak picked up one of the masks, and carefully examined the front and back of the trinket as he slowly made his way back to the center of the temple.

According to Lazhira, the old man and the old woman are both forms that the Illuminator takes to interact with mortals. I suppose that means these murals are depicting the Illuminator granting gifts of knowledge to his followers, he thought to himself as he looked at the murals. I wonder if there's any meaning to his two different forms. Because all three of the group's sources of illumination had currently congregated to where the books were, he was unable to make out the details as well as he previously could. Perceiving what he could with the sub-optimal lighting, Novak's eyes followed the processions to where they converged at the idol.

Lazhira said that she could feel faint magic on this idol, he recalled, looking closely at both the embedded stone in the statue and the empty socket in the wall. She also thinks that this temple is bigger than just this room. Could that be the receptacle for a key of some sort?

It was only at this point, when he turned to the others to ask for their opinion, that realized what was going on with the others- Leannah was injured, and Lazhira was offering to patch her up. Novak hoped that Lazhira had a very good reason for not telling them how she was able to get around here safely, because Leannah had gotten herself hurt trying to save the girl's life. If it turned out that somehow Lazhira had never actually been in any danger, and Leannah had gotten herself wounded for nothing, it might sour Novak's view of her. On the other hand, she was at least trying to help, and that should count for something.

"It almost looks like something is supposed to be placed in that socket in the wall," Novak asked, shifting his attention back to the matter of the statue. "Do any of you see something that could fit into it? Do you think this stone on the idol would fit into it?" Novak didn't dare touch the stone, however. Perhaps it was some vestigial instinct from his previous life, perhaps it was simply Lazhira's observation that it was magical, but he felt that that messing with it might incur some risk.

Hmm, I wonder...

Novak held the mask up to his face, curious to find out he'd be able to see anything special- or anything at all- through it.

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This@Crusader Lord

In the end, there wasn't much that Misaki could actually say about how the negotiations had panned out. In the end, the foxgirl found herself more than thankful that Mie hadn't pressed her further regarding her origins, despite her apparently fumbled lie. It wasn't like the conversation didn't at least give them some information to work with, of course, but it really seemed like she couldn't even get away with half-truths at this point.

There wasn't a reason to decline the offer that the shopkeeper had given them, though, which really just meant that Misaki could simply respond with a nod of assent before the two of them were escorted out of the tent. At this point, they had already seen what they needed to see from the shop itself—namely, the lack of any proper quality goods to make use of here beyond the rations. It wasn't like they could purchase them in the first place, though, but that was a different problem altogether.

Figuring out what to do after being pulled aside for a sudden conversation was a bit trickier, though; with Lazirha and the others off exploring a temple or something of the sort, both she and Nobunaga were left in town with less direction. Without Novak, diving into the forest seemed stupid, especially considering that she couldn't fight, which really only left one path forward.

That path, of course, was the tried and true RPG method of 'chat with people who look interesting around town to see if you can't find anything out'. The memory of the goddess' 'gift' to her meant that she could use this time to scrounge up information about... Well, anything about the world, really. She was a historian, not a survivalist, after all, but starting to form a mental encyclopedia of edibles and medicinal objects seemed like a better way of spending her time than moping about being unable to fight.

As to where to start... Well, she'd let her senses lead her somewhere where that information was likely to hide. The beachfront seemed a good a place as any to start (maybe there was some sort of salt production here?), but it wasn't like that was the only place here that she could examine. Maybe there was an herbalist or something of the sort here, too...?

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

"The Illuminator's protection? Ah, so the same being had visited you, as well?" Malphas asked Soyala curiously. In truth, this feels like a path Malphas has once again been forced to take by beings far above him. It was annoying, but at the same time understandable to a mam of faith such as himself. Of course, Malphas was used to being on the other side of things as far as he was concerned, but this was before he had known such wonders existed... And besides, he was not a true man of faith until moments before his demise.

Instead of questioning Soyala further on her aims or why she's helping him, Malphas will take advantage of the assistance he was given instead. Evaluating her strengths as well as his own capabilities, it was clear as day just how these two would operate. It's because of this that instead of knocking a few arrows and firing at the animals nestled within the mists, Malphas instead procured the stone given to him by the hag from last night.

Malphas kissed the stone before he knelt down in prayer, his eyes closed as he clutched the stone tightly and dearly.

"O, Illuminator... If it is you who has put this path before me, then allow me to bear your light. I wish not to use the knowledge you bestow upon others for my own gain, but instead to enlighten those wayward souls with your omniscient light. O, Illuminator, I ask of thee to grant me your light, and name your Torchbearer."

Without opening his eyes, Malphas pulled a single arrow from his quiver, raising it to the temple as offering.

"Please accept this meager piece of tinder as an offering, as a vessel to receive your spark of knowledge! Allow me to bear the flames of knowledge, so that I may enlighten those within the confines of your sacred grounds, so that they may be liberated from the boundaries of the mind!"

And so, Malphas picked up his bow once more, knocking the very same arrow back as he aimed in an arc. He tapped into the spark within his soul once more, envisioning the same bright light that he had once before. Except instead of a blinding white light, it was a warm, orange one... In other words, Malphas sought to set his arrowhead ablaze. No matter how big or small the fire would end up being did not matter, for Malphas had faith. Faith that his shot would hit true, faith that his arrow will set afire brilliantly, and faith that the Illuminator has guided him to this very moment.

"The others who have gotten here first... You mentioned a reject among them, yes? So they would not be missed? And as for this temple... You said it was simply a trap by the one who had built it? This would also mean that someone must be given the duty to trap those who would tread too far in?"

Malphas asked these two questions to Soyala coldly, without turning away from the temple. He smirked slightly.

"I do hope that flower I'm tasked to find grows just far enough from the temple, itself."

Malphas released the arrow, aiming for the temple itself. Whether the temple would be set ablaze, or their path would simply be illuminated meant little to Malphas, as he was filled with conviction. Conviction that he was not given this bow to draw blood from others, but instead to pave the path ahead with a single arrow. In his mind, he envisioned himself atop a white steed, bringing Conquest to this wayward land, just as the goddess who had spawned him wished... and riding off behind him, atop a red steed, was his trusted lieutenant, encased in armor and wielding a sword. Today is the day Malphas would see if he would learn the identity of the one who would ride alongside him.

"The way has been illuminated. Cut down those blasted animals and whoever else stands in our path... but allow them the chance to submit while they can. Do this, in my name."

Malphas ordered Soyala, his voice filled with confidence in her ability. He clutched the stone tightly, slinging his bow on his shoulder and procuring his dagger as he marched forward. Whatever treacherous beings that laid in the fog, Malphas was not afraid, for he had a purpose. This was where he was supposed to be, after all... This path was made for him. And there was only one thing in his mind that he was concerned about.

Now where could I find that blasted flower?

---

The catgirl would pause, taking a look down at her right arm before letting out a sigh. She probably had that coming for gunning at giant predatory birds with a taste for flesh and fog. Or probably stuck in the fog and had a taste for flesh. Mmm, those questions could come at a much later date. Leannah would allow Lazhira to patch up her arm, and at the very least she found that the pain was subsiding to at least being a bit less than it initially was as she'd begun to notice it and the pain began to kick in finally. Thanks the heavens for adrenaline being a thing. Perhaps she could see if magic could be used to heal herself as well though? Mmm, maybe not in the middle of the totally-not-suspicious temple though, especially if those birds were such a minor threat overall. In fact, perhaps they needed to get moving even more before something else came knocking. For all she knew some idiot was going to barge in with Malphas-style flair and challenge them to a duel or something.

However, the picture book she'd found was interesting, and she gently dusted off the cover before holstering it in her waistband on her left hip. It seemed similar to how the ancients would depict scenes of legend on walls, so it only made sense that this book could hold similar value from what she could see of it already. Maybe Lazhira or someone could translate? Only time and trying would tell.

"Thanks, Lazhira," the catgirl said, giving her compatriot a warm smile, before returning her own gaze to the floor and beginning to dig around the books one last time. It was worth a shot to see if she could find one more thing, one more book or tome in the best quality she could find it. It was knowledge, information of a long lost past, and maybe it would help 'illuminate' what had gone on and what was going on...or something of the sort. Anything useful would do frankly. If she found anything, she'd holster it in her waistband on her left hip as well with the old picture book.

Still, once she was done with the digging about for good, she would look back up at statue and orb on it ahead, and for a brief second pondered something. She then let out a drawn-out sigh, and glanced over at Novak, "Well, there's one way to find out for better or for worse if that orb goes in the slot...just be ready in case something falls from the ceiling or something in the process."

Imagining rolling up her sleeves, the catgirl moved forward with a small running start toward the idol. She tried to channel some magic in her legs, using the mental image of a river to focus some power to there. Just enough to leap up. Her plan was to get up onto the idol, grab onto the orb itself, and get down quickly. She'd seen one lumbering stone attack dog, and it had almost killed her. She didn't want to deal with another if she could. Still, her aim and effort were to to grab the orb swiftly and get back down to go stick it in the slot on the wall herself!

Maybe this would go well? She hoped. But chances were that something, anything would happen at this venture. Didn't want to waste the good daylight sitting about more though!

Still, some questions began to bubble up into her mind. How did Lazhira manage her trips here? Why was the symbol on her arm like that on the temple here? Did she have some connection to this place? Why was the Illuminator not worshipped by the people due a kyrinth (whatever that was) telling them to? It was all so odd, and it all brought on more and more questions that seemed to unnervingly go without answer. Yet for now, there was the exploration! The adventure! The looting! Telling people these things belonged in a museum! Seducing women and wielding a cool whip-...ok that one sounded a LOT worse in hindsight. To let it wander too long in her thoughts, being carefully shifted to the backburner as it were, without it being relevant enough at this very moment to pursue was foolish.

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Click This

When Lazhira spoke about her background and her relationship with the temple, Narkissa didn’t really buy it, and she was sure her fellow worldly companions from earth didn’t, either. She felt that Lazhira clearly had reasons to hide her ability to fight, or her ability to safely navigate the region around the temple. Whether or not that meant she had ulterior motives that were harmful to her guests remained to be seen, but Narkissa was of the option that a young girl this cute and innocent surely couldn’t be harmful, especially after housing and feeding her and her group for a night, and now, aiding Leannah with an injury.

Whatever it was, though, she was very knowledgeable about… the god of knowledge, and Narkissa was able to easily absorb the details and scenes in the temple after her explanation. She did find it strange that he could revoke the knowledge of papermaking from people. After all, if paper still existed, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out what it was made of and reconstitute a method after trial and error. If she didn’t know better about the strange laws and beings that governed this world, she would have immediately discarded those words as exaggerated legend… but she wasn’t quite so sure.

Was it simply a case of knowledge lost over time due to societal collapse, or perhaps a far more violent end to a relationship with a vengeful god? Did the curse that Lazhira mentioned have to do with it? And how recent was that event, if it were true? Considering that many of the things in the temple would have deteriorated after a few mere years without care, Narkissa couldn’t help but to feel a faint form of dread building up in the back of her head that something might have gone terribly wrong in this temple… and more recently than what things would immediately suggest, if her hypothesis proved correct.

Like Novak, she pondered over the meaning of the murals, and then at the idol, the Illuminator, the Kyrinth… the fact that the answers cascaded into more questions was unnerving, and Narkissa couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that was pervading through her body.

On the other hand, she was absolutely giddy over one of the books she found. She immediately recognized the tome as a book on maritime architecture based on the diagrams and sketches within the book—cross sections of hulls, planking, and various other ship-related material. While Narkissa did know some actual methods of timber shipbuilding –she’d been involved in that experimental archaeology effort in launching the replica of that Revolutionary War-era French frigate a few years back—actually having a book like this on hand would be fascinating to decipher and see how the natives here built their wooden oceangoing vessels compared to how people on earth did, and what sort of differences there were.

She had to try very, very hard to not sit down right there in the temple and engross herself in the book. Instead, after flipping a few more pages, she reluctantly closed it and glanced at what her companions were doing, keeping the tome very close to her chest all the while.

And well, she looked up just in time to see them engaging in some very reckless and dangerous acts.

“My god, are you sure you two know what you’re doing?” Between trying to force that orb into the slot and potentially activating whatever dangerous or strange function there was to this temple, and Leannah jumping about the failing masonry, she really didn’t want to be standing in the wrong place.

Deciding that wherever Lazhira was standing was probably the safer place, she made it her business to be near her.

“So, Lazhira. How long has this temple been abandoned for, anyway?”

Entering the Chief's longhouse was easier than Nick expected. A sole hunter stood guard and was quick to let them in once they stated their purpose here.

As they entered, Nick felt warmth emanate from within. Probably coming from the big fire pit sitting in the middle of the longhouse. It was a nice change of temperature from the cool outdoors. Trophies from hunts hung from the walls with tables and chairs under them. Bookshelves filled with scrolls and papers could be seen at the far back. Nick was honestly amazed at what he saw. Not even the museums back home managed to capture the aesthetic of life in early civilization this vividly, and here he was experiencing it first hand.

Lord Enli then presented himself, an old man in robes with a notable emblem on it.

"More travelers? The Goddess is certainly planning something isn't she? ...and one so young and inexperienced seeming. I welcome you to Dawn. What can I do for you two? We don't have much, and with the forest getting more and more dangerous these days I can offer little in the way of hospitality."

"Uhh, hello." Nick waved. He was not at all prepared to meet someone who lead an entire village. "Umm... I-I'll get to the point. I'm Nick and this is Donovan and we're here to help out in whatever's troubling your village." He introduced themselves to the Chief. "More particularly, Donny over here met with a deer god in the forest. Kermit or Kernith or something. Anyway, the god said this village was about to blow and we're here to help stop that."

A sinking feeling came over Nick. Enli mentioned 'more travelers' which meant that he and Donovan were definitely not the first ones here. Could there be a possibility that maybe, just maybe, the situation was already being resolved? Well, that would put a damper on things, wouldn't it?

---

@Rune_Alchemist@PaulHaynek

Donovan cracked his neck and straightened his back as he and Nick entered the Chief's longhouse-- despite his current pain, Don knew he couldn't afford to look anything less than absolutely confident in his words and unshaking in his tone. Taking a deep breath he waited for Nick to finish his thoughts. Donovan stared at the symbol on the man's robes; it was similar to the tattoos lining the skin of the lass who'd caught his attention earlier, but he lacked any pouches that might contain whatever it was the girl had hidden as she exited the woods. "Kyrnith, tha Elder beast, not ah god." he gently corrected Nick, before his tone took dire turn as he locked eyes with the Chief himself, "Enli." his eyes bored into those of the man before him, searching his eyes for even the slightest hint of deception, "Do ya truleh care fer yer people?" he spoke, pausing to allow the gravity of the question sink into the man's bones "Enuff tah give up on whatever th' Illuminator es schemin? Or would yah sacrifice em all in his name?"

Above all else, the duo needed to know if Enli could be trusted-- or if he was a pawn of the faceless god. With the reason of their arrival already revealed by Nick, the attempt to strike a deal, or secure a valuable ally was now or never.

Dungeon Diving ho!~
@Crusader Lord@Crimson Paladin@Click This

---

“Aha, don’t mention it. That’s what I’m here for~!” Lazhira replied to Leannah with a smile, Narkissa’s question however, caused her to frown. “...I’m...unsure.” She confessed, furrowing her brow in a manner suggesting mild confusion. “Enli says it’s been like this for awhile, and anyone in the village says its been like this for well...generations. I’m not sure though...I have my doubts about a lot of this temple, but its super interesting regardless.”

Novak picked up a mask from the floor. The smooth surface of its wooden construction, not even eyes for the wearer to see through. Were those wearing it trying to obscure their sights for some reason? Or were they just attempting to mimic how the illuminator looked? Regardless of his thoughts, he would attempt putting it on.

At first, darkness.

Then slowly...ever so slowly, something started ‘fading’ into view. It was...the temple room in front of him? But his sight was odd. It was the same stone room, but all the color had been removed, as though he was viewing the world through some sort of black and white filter. His vision only extended a few feet in any direction, but what he did see might cause some minor concern. Small orbs of silvery light, similar in nature to Lazhira’s orb of light she used to help them get here, were floating all about this place. While those in and of themselves were perhaps, not too interesting, a quick glance to the stone statue would reveal the floor beneath it lighting up in the same silvery white light...as well as the floor immediately in front of it.

Curiously, looking at Lazhira, would reveal her tattoo lighting up in the same manner, with her eyes, unlike being black and white, would be a silver color too. Seeing her like this would make him for a moment, think he had heard something whispering in his ear.

“...see anything fun with that, Novak?” She’d ask innocently, looking to him with a grin. “I tried putting those on once, but I didn’t see anything new.” She pouted slightly. “Apparently old priests would wear those when attempting to gain insight from the Illuminator.”

If Novak decided to take the mask with him



Leannah wouldn’t find anything more interesting in the way written words. At least, nothing else she could discern as such, being unable to read the runes and ancient words within, so she’d set on her next plan.

With a running start, she leaped to the top of the stone idol with a fair amount of agility. The stone was surprisingly light - perhaps it wasn’t made of stone at all? It certainly looked like it should be heavier than it is, yet it was easy enough to carry with both hands with her currently above human strength, and with a bit of agility and strength, she managed to slot it into the wall.

There was a high pitched shrieking noise.

If Novak was still looking through his mask, he’d see the silvery glow fade from under the statue. A voice not belonging to him intruded upon his thoughts.

“The pit. Offer yourself.”

Several things would happen at once.

The temple rumbled, old stone and gears moving. The floor under the statue gave way, causing the idol and the catgirl that had currently done the deed, to begin to fall. Leannah wouldn’t have time to react as she too fell.

In the same instant, blobs of some viscous black liquid began to fall from the ceiling. Each one, eventually coalescing into a creature made of black slime with a greenish glowing light from within, and bony spines growing from various parts in their body. Rather than looking like any sort of animal, once could say they definitely resembled some sort of ‘slime’ creature from some video game, but far less friendly looking.

There were about seven in total that had dropped from the ceiling, and though they were slow moving they were moving towards the group with seemingly hostile intent. The foliage covering the temple began to burn as well! There was no telling how far this fire may spread, now, though given the snow nature of the forest it wasn’t going to go far, that was a small comfort to the party inside, though since most of the structure seemed to be made of stone, if they could get deeper inside or find a safe enough place to wait it out, it’d probably die down soon enough...

“Leannah?! And Fire?! Why is there a fire?!” Lazhira shouted. “And these things, they look...in pain...”

Leannah’s fall, thankfully would be brief. She would fall for only a few seconds before she would land on something soft, wet, and squishy, something that felt mildly like some sort of jello, but thankfully she would be uninjured. She’d have a few moments to take in her surroundings...and notice...she was on some sort of floor made of some sort of black substance. The room was lit by small crystalline clusters of white rock on the walls. On the opposite side of the room, the floor turned to stone, as one might expect of an old temple. A doorway seemed to lead deeper into it.

Looking up she could see light faintly from the room she had fallen from. The idol had sunken lightly into the floor, the top of it the only visible part now.

---

Nobbu and the Fox
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

---

Deciding to get familiar with the town and hunt a bit of information, Misaki decided to walk around the village and see if they could learn anything from the villagers. Her first stop was the waterfront. Her assumption of salt production was spot on, too. Upon initial glance, a few huts nearby the ocean seemed to be dedicated to it - evaporating the water until a salty brine was left and then carried and stored elsewhere. Seemed like they mostly used clay pots and containers to do so, too.

Salt, huh. Salt could be used for any number of things. Preserving food. Flavoring it, but you would easily know these are barely even half the uses salt would have in a more advanced society should you even be able to get there. Indeed, salt was useful in a number of modern applications - deicing roads, plastic manufacturing, as an emulsifier...but such things were not currently useful to you.



Among further investigation in the town, you would also find as you might expect, some sort of herbalist. The hut she used as her base wasn’t very large, but inside were a number of useful seeming herbs. Since you’d seem interested in learning about them, the older woman also would be eager to tell you as much about them as she could. Specifically their names and where they would grow best.



Seems like useful knowledge in all aspects, though perhaps not immediately so. If Misaki intended to expand her knowledge, perhaps it might be a good idea to start maybe documenting some of these plants herself? Surely there would be others out in the forest that had some uses. Perhaps that was something she’d look into later. Her skill might also be suggesting there may be other uses gleaned from the plants if she were to somehow create a mixture of them…

Whatever she decided to do, once she left the herbalists she’d hear something curious. Two villagers were talking about something.

“Ah...you know, come to think of it..has anyone been to the Kyrnith’s grove in awhile?”

“...probably not, I bet the hunters are keeping people away too.”

“Shame. I hope the deer are okay.”

“I bet the hunters started getting to them already. Easy source of food.” If she kept listening, or if she asked the two, they’d eventually talk about or where this ‘Grove’ was. On the southern edge of the forest - quite near where the obelisk was, actually just a little ways into the forest itself was a clearing where people once offered thanks to the Kyrnith for the bounty of the forest.

---

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

"O-oh...okay, I'll stay here with...Octavia." The pup barked happily, running around for a moment before settling down near the elvish child.

The guard watched the group approach, obviously wary as he raised the spear at his side in a somewhat defensive manner as they approached. Upon seeing the horn, however, the man frowned, scowling.

“By the Prophet...this entire trip has been bad luck from the outset I tell you.” He grunted, relaxing his gaze slightly as he looked over the travelers before him. “Wait here a moment. Commander Morgan!” The guard took off into the camp, a light jog as he left his post. They’d only be left there a minute or so before the guard would return with a somewhat listless looking boy that couldn’t have been more than a few years out of his teens.



There seemed to be something with the ‘Ancient Gods Guidance’ that seemed somewhat...different. As though there was something more to be gleaned from it but it was being blocked, or currently unreadable with her current level of skill. As well, it seemed most of the other soldiers here would have a similar read out, with various levels of ‘Martial Training’ along with Ancient gods Guidance and Protection.

“...haaa, that’s definitely one of ours.” He would say to the group. “Thanks for returning it...I suppose the storm got them?” His eyes quickly shifted from Isidore to Leuca and Augusta but if he thought there was anything suspicious, he didn’t say anything. “First that botched raid, the storm blocking the easiest path south, and now this...” He frowned, rubbing his forehead. “Down two men and Captain Railey chased after that beast by himself.”

He let out a long sigh.

“Sorry, you don’t want to hear my complaining. You come from the northern areas, aye? Fiacre Morgan. I’m the commander here, I guess, since Captain Railey’s absent. We’re the Apostles of Rheane. We keep some semblance of order out here. As much as we can, anyways. The Elves and Bastelian don't exactly make it easy on us-" He was interrupted by another knight approaching.

“Commander, no sign of Railey still. The scouts we sent to check the dwarven gates returned - they’re shut tight. The storm doesn’t look like its going to be breaking anytime soon, either.”

“...hm, they only do that if they’re being threatened from something outside...or if there’s a problem within they’re trying to solve themselves. Well, that means we probably won’t have to deal with them, at least. Ha...I’m not going to get to do anything but sit on my ass this time aren’t I?” He turned back to the group having seemingly decided something.

“Alright, thanks for returning this, travelers.” He glanced back towards the camp. “If you're planning on heading south, I'd suggest finding shelter somewhere or heading elsewhere. The pass has been blocked by an avalanche caused by the storm. I'd let the both of you stay here, but our supplies will be stretched thin as it is. We weren't exactly planning on an extended leave from the Cathedral.” He glanced over Isidore. "But...perhaps if you could help find Captain Railey, I could make an exception and we might all be able to get out of here sooner rather than later."

---

Wayward builder
@Guy0fV4lor@PaulHaynek

---

“Y...you met with the Kyrnith?” Enli’s face immediately turned to surprise and mild shock upon hearing this. “And...it mentioned something about Dawn being about to...blow?” He frowned, trying to understand what exactly Nicholas meant by that, but shook his head. “I’m not quite sure what that means, but if you’ve both met with the Kyrnith and are here now...and you want to help...” He held a hand to his chin.

“What exactly did the Kyrnith say? It refuses to speak with those from the village, and most who have tried have ended up injured...or worse.” He looked over to Donovan as he asked his questions. “I’m...unsure what you are implying. We haven’t actively worshipped the Illuminator in...generations.” He replied, yet...there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice as she glanced around the room. “...publicly, and the majority at least. There are no doubt who still do in this village.” He lowered his voice, as though he was afraid of being overheard.

“But...I really have no power here. Akando, is the one with the hunters on his side, and I fear he might be involved in some manner. That girl Lazhira, too. If you’ve seen a girl with an odd tattoo on her arm...she is involved in some manner.”

He cleared his throat, taking a normal pitch again.

“If you wish to help, then maybe you should start with that old temple in the forest. Some other travelers already agreed to help, so perhaps it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to get their help. An odd Bastelian, a black haired girl and Kitsune from Chagawa. Quite a few to be honest.”

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

---

Soyala watched the proceedings. Malphas, taking the stone, offering a prayer to the Illuminator. The process of the arrow being knocked. Malphas focusing inward as he reached for that intangible feeling within. The same otherworldly power that seemed to lace his words at times. It wasn’t very large, nor powerful, but at the same time it would suffice - a small flame, alighting the tip of the arrow.

It sailed through the air, striking the roof in some area. A blaze was lit.

“Pfft...ahahah!” Soyala, merely laughed as she watched. “Full of surprises aren’t you! Alright then...lets clean this place up. I’m sure he’d love to meet you after this.” She hefted her spear, heading into the fog ahead of Malphas. The beings that laid within, were not anything of consequence. A wolf or two. A few of those bird-like creatures. Overall, they would encounter nothing notable over the course of their foray into the fog. The fire they started too, seemed to drive away and weaken it slightly. As they both carried the mark, the fog didn’t seem to have its disorienting effects, either.

So long as they stayed sufficiently far away from it, they would likely be unharmed by what would be within, too.

The flower though, proved a bit more difficult but he too would eventually find it...along with something else. The flower was growing near the base of a tree, thankfully a fair ways out of the path that the fire could spread too. A cluster of them, even. And near them?

A deer.

A mundane looking dear, save for its dark blue coat and white, spotted fur. It had an arrow sticking from its side, and its leg seemed to have been caught in a snare.

“...one of the deer that roam this forest. Meats good. Looks like it got caught by an old snare or something after getting hunted.” The deer tried to back away from Malphas and Soyala, scrambling on the ground making pitiful noises, obviously terrified of its situation. “Give me a moment and I’ll kill it. Careful with that flower by the way. You’ll regret even touching it.”

Of course, if Malphas had other plans for the deer, he could stop her...but there wouldn’t be much point to that, would there?