~Randall Durant~
Expedition Lead
It was a calm, pleasant day. The skies of Themis were clear of any clouds, and a warm spring sun shined its light over the region. It was around midday, and at this rate they would reach the edge of the forest by nightfall. A good place to make camp and send a few people scouting into the forest to see what exactly they could be up against in terms of how difficult it would be to travel for the wagons, horses, and themselves.
At least the rocky plains that surrounded Themis' land offered little in the way of obstacles as they traveled. After all, they were still in known land. There may not have been any official roads to Crux, but it was mapped and they had planned a route where they would meet as little resistance from the land as possible. It helped that there weren't many large creatures that called the area home. Every once in awhile something came from the forest or the northern mountains, but the guards were able to handle them if they did. Or that holy woman from the church.
Either way, the country side was more or less safe, which made the first part of their journey all the much easier. Randall was thankful for that at least. He wasn't looking forward to fighting something, and he knew sooner or later that was going to be an inevitability no matter how much he disliked it. He was getting too old for this, after all. He had a wife and kids to think about, after all. Sarah had been quite displeased that he'd even accepted the offer, but when his old friend asked...well, he couldn't say no. At least the bunch that had been gathered looked like a capable bunch.
He took a look behind him from where he sat on the wagon at the front. Aside from a few guards Alena had sent with them, there were about four wagons full of supplies - mostly food, tools to repair the wagons with if they broke, and some extra armaments if they should ever need them. He didn't know much about how long this was going to take, and neither did the crowns. They would likely having to end up hunting a bit if they didn't reach their destination in time.
It was a round trip, after all, and there was no guarantee that their food would last. Just another worry he had to add to the list of things that could go horribly wrong. At least their chances of dying at the hands of some beast were low at the moment. They had some of Themis' best with them, from what he saw.
Two saints from the church. He knew they were a reliable sort at least, though he didn't like the look of the kid. She looked much to green to be out here, not to mention the fact she looked like she barely knew how to handle that sword of hers. Randall felt a little concerned that she was going to be one of the first to go if something went awry. He'd never be able to clear his conscience if something happened to her.
Same could be said for everyone on this expedition, even if he didn't necessarily like all of them, like that Soyala girl. He turned his head to the noble kid who was sitting in the back of the wagon they were currently sharing. He had run ins with her father before. A quite ruthless and shrewd businessman indeed, and one that he had lost a lot of money to as far as the merchant business went before he became the royal smith. At least he was certain her magic talents would come in handy.
Then there was Amelia that...scholar. Randall wasn't sure she was entirely all there, but at least she probably knew some things about the outside world, and could be quite helpful...if he could get her to focus on something other than the rocks under her feet for more than five seconds. Not to mention Katherine Lindall. The secretary to the headmistress of the Academy. He could guess why she was here. Probably at the request of the Headmistress. It wasn't hard to imagine why the head of the Academy had an interest in this supposed relic, after all.
With a sigh, the older man turned his head back towards the path in front of them. The massive trees of the forest loomed in the distance. Only an hour or two away at this rate.
A small shiver ran down his spine. An ill omen, or just anxiety he wasn't sure which.
Whatever it was, he couldn't turn back.
Eirwen Soyala
Yawn~
A tired yawn came from Eirwen as the group trudged forwards. She had never been one for crowds, loud noises, or the incessant chattering of the commoners. In this case, it was more of a hushed murmur between a few people as they neared the completion of the first part of their journey. There wasn't enough people to raise the volume of talking to levels that made her angry, but it still annoyed her. She'd be grateful when night came and the talking would hopefully die down and she could get some peace and quiet, and maybe finally a few hours of much needed sleep.
She of course wasn't walking all the way there - that wouldn't be fitting for someone like her. Instead, she had taken up a seat on the wagon at the front with the expedition leader. A Randall Durant, she believed. She didn't know him personally, but she knew her father had a rather high opinion of the royal smith, so that was enough for her to tolerate him to an extent. The rest though?...she could honestly care less about them. Except maybe Tamia. The slave was...well, her presence was welcomed, as long as she didn't disobey her and didn't try anything out of line.
She'd tolerate all of their presences, though. After all, it would be rather...bad to make enemies of those she was traveling with.
Tools were tools after all, and an abused tool broke when you needed it the most.
Honestly speaking though, she didn't want to be out here, but sending someone else would have been just an altogether bad decision. She couldn't trust anyone but herself, after all, and she wanted that relic for herself. She'd get it...and be able to gain the crown for herself if its power was what it was supposed to be from the rumors.
For now though, she remained quiet, eager to simply reach their first destination. Perhaps she should attempt to get to know some of the others though...keeping a good relation with her tools was also a good idea to keep them from breaking.
but doing that would require a bit of energy she didn't have at the moment.
"Curse this cursed Insomnia" She grumbled, another loud, long yawn escaping her lips. Maybe there was an off chance she'd find a cure for this...whatever it was on this journey. A bit of a dream, but if there was a chance she could...well, she'd take it no matter the consequences. Meh. For now though, she was feeling a bit hungry as she usually did, so she reached into a nearby supply barrel and retrieved an apple, not caring if anyone even said anything to her.
~Amelia Xylander~
This.
was.
so.
much.
FUN!
She almost wanted to squeal like a little girl, and she hadn't even seen any new or interesting sediments, rocks, or anything else of the nature yet! No, she had thoroughly explored the plains around Themis in her thirty odd years already! Nothing new or interesting here, but the anticipation of finding something in Crux? It was almost too much for her to take. She wanted to hurry up and arrive at the forest, but such a thing would be rather difficult. Teleporting wasn't her forte, and such magic was difficult to use anyways, at least that's what she had been told.
"Sable!~ This is so exciting! Finally we're getting out of Themis. Ahh, the anticipation is killing meeeeee~" The older woman giggled in a way that may have been inappropriate for her age, but it didn't seem she cared too much.
She was walking along the road in front of everyone else, if a bit off to the side of the makeshift path they were following. She may have already thoroughly explored the area, but she wasn't going to overlook anything. She may have missed something the first time around, and she would be completely crushed if she missed something important thanks to her own oversight.
