[IC] 🆃🅷🅴 🅼🅰🅶🅸🅲🅰🅻 🅿🅻🅸🅶🅷🆃

[Gareth]

JamieAelarElyraDariusRazer

Jamie looked up as Elyra approached her to help. She offered her her palm, although she thought she had done a good job so far getting the splinters out. Of course, it was generally a two handed job. She withstood it, not relishing the pain but also not particularly showing it. Plus, the numbing stuff on the arrow was helping. "Thank you" she said, as Elyra helped her. [color=f7976a][/color]"still, I think I came out on top in that battle."[/color] she smiled, a cheeky grin that show she thought her final move had settled the battle.

Razer followed Elyra as he lowered his paw. Curious as to why Jamie needed help. Then he noticed the splinters in her hand and winced, even though he wasn't the one suffering. Once again, Elyra used her knowledge of pain relief to excellent use and Razer learned one thing.

She was definitely reliable to take care of others and she never asked for anything in return. She even goes out of her way to help us, 'heal' us. It's rare to see such kindness, towards other races. It certainly never happens in my Varilo. As we keep to ourselves and alot of the Kil'garen there are afraid of 'strange beings'. Perhaps its time that we change that. He reflected to himself, curiously.

Razer smiled and frowned throughout, Elyra's explaination of what she thought he was. At least she recognizes that I am smart. Although I don't know if she realizes that we are at least in my opinion equals.

"What's your name, elf lass?" He said with a feline grin spreading across his face and a friendly twinkle in his eyes.

She smiled "Elyra of the Navarr clan. Outside of the country I guess my name is Elyra Navarr." She grinned at his friendliness.

"Elyra. Nice name." he noticed she was also smiling and so he continued speaking, "Navarr Clan. This is new to me, there are Elven Clans?"

"Yes there are. Most of the time a clan consists of its children and several generations so they might all have a lot of different names if they were all humans but for us clan names mean more." Elyra wondered. "How is it where you are from? Do you have clans or prides or some other way of addressing your family?"

Razer nodded slowly, it seemed to him that the Elven clans members were all directly related to each other, it was similar to how it was back home for him. He replied to Elyra, "Not really prides or clans, but bloodlines. For us, since long ago, us the kil'garen have different places or status in our society, based on what their blood forefathers, or blood related ancestors have done."

He coughed as he tried to simplify this, "Simply put, my great great great, grandfather saved the Kil'garen species from extinction from a terrible monster that we do not speak of. Because of that act, he gained royalty status.", he waited a few seconds to make sure she was with him, "And since I have the same blood in my veins that he does, I'm the prince of the Kil'garen. The other Kil'garen are lower in status, because their ancestors were lower in status and both ancestor and descendant have the same blood.."

He watched her reaction, to this.

Elyra was piecing something together and it was more than royalty. "With those bloodlines you must have a lot of enemies and great responsibility. Hmm..." she thought to herself. "I wonder if the emperor picked us because we are from old families, prominent families."

Razer nodded at her observation to his identity reveal. He kind of winced as he just realized he had given himself away to an outsider. Well, I had reason of why I did it. I trust her as she has only been kind, honest, and all around nice.

He heard her mention that the emperor might have picked us deliberately based on our family status. His eyes widened as a thought occured to him, he voiced it. "Elyra, do you think he chose us specifically to throw away 'leaders' of other races, because they are a threat to him?"

He couldn't prevent his voice stammer a little on the last sentence.

Elyra nodded. "It's quite possible. Looking at who is in this group, we have 2 elves from prominent families, you are royalty heck even The Shadow is capable of fitting in that group. I'm betting most of if not all of the others would fit into that category. It would not surprise me in the least."

Aelar quietly observed as each of his party members displayed thier particular skills. He even used Nature Sense to closely observe the nurse, Elyra, when she helped with James's muscle pain and the two rogues as they dueled learning much with his enhanced senses. He began to walk towards Elyra as she treated Jamie's hand catching parts of her conversation with Razer and finding her to be quite kind and open-minded from the few words he heard. "Elyra do you think you could teach me some basic treatments other than my magic the best I can do is sew stiches and wrap a bandage." He asked as he drew closer.

Elyra looked up to see Aelar approach and she smiled and said, "Hello and sure why not? I can teach you some basics and if anything serious were to happen to one of us I might need your help. Until then please don't use your magic if you can help it. I was told it uses your life force. I worry that it would take too much from you."

"Thank you for agreeing to teach me. Also about my magic while it does use life force it doesn't use that much as the spell is very basic, however I thank you for your concern and will take your advice" Aelar said with a smile.

Elyra wondered what part of the elven country he was from. "Aelar? Where were you born?"

"Well I can't be certain but judging by my last name and the information on the only clan with that name, I am the son of a human noble who married into his wife's clan. The Starseeker clan is ancient it existed long before the magi war they were known and should still be known as one of the best craftsman clans in what is now the empire. If my guess is correct I was born in The Embrace as that is were it is located." He responded with a sad smile.

Elyra smiled. "I was raised south of there. My grandfather is the patriarch of the Navarr clan. We are one of the oldest clans still around. I moved into the city when I decided to study medicine. The only reason I'm not a doctor is that I am female and as you know that is a title reserved for males only." Elyra was obviously slightly frustrated with this fact.

"You are from the main bloodline of the Navarr clan? Well that explains why someone as kind to us mages as you was allowed in the Citadel. I have read as much as I could safely about the various clans especially elven ones and the Navarr clan is one with one of the highest esteems of all elven clans." Aelar said with obvious interest.

"Yes, it had a long bloodline. Unfortunately, I believe that my father is the reason I was chosen for this mission, unless they really expect us to accomplish this mission and return unharmed. I can tell you one thing. I am going to find a way to counter those incendiery devices they shot us with."

"Well if you can find a way without magic that is good but I believe that the enchantment that activates it would have to be broken first. I have read of magic that has a similar effect, unfortunately I only ever saw a description of its abilities which are much broader than the devices they injected us with."

Elyra frowned at this information. "Well, I'm still going to work on it. I can't stand knowing that any minute we could all blow up. It's idiotic really. They send us into a battle and we all die for the misfortune of one."

"Well I will talk with William about the magical approach as well as try and find more information about canceling out enchantments like the one that was used. However I have a feeling this mission is not all that it seems to be, I'm not sure what exactly gives me the feeling but I think we will find out as we locate pieces of the amulet."

"You may be right I have that feeling also. I also wonder if we were picked because of our families or our bloodlines?You, Razer and I are all from old or prominent families, his even moreso Razer's as he is royalty. It feels more like a puzzle than just an ordinary mission."

"That is quite intriguing and would help explain why they chose me a 'rebel' on death row, perhaps the amulet has some sort of bloodline enchantment? They are generally used on heirlooms and such to make sure they stay within a clan."
The more Aelar thought about it the more likely the possibility seems.

Elyra thought about that and said, "That is also a very plausible scenario.I wonder what Razer would think about that." She motioned over to Razer and said, "Listen to this, Aelar brought up something we hadn't thought of before."

"Well basically there is a form of enchantment called a bloodline enchantment, it uses much the same principle as the magi trackers in that blood is taken to create it and it only responds to someone with the same blood. Bloodline enchantments make it so only those with a certain bloodline can use an item, I think it is possible the amulet fragments have such enchantments and require someone with a certain bloodline to obtain it." Aelar explained.

Razer walked over to the two, as Elyra beckoned him. A little curious as to what they were discussing he approached them, ears moving slightly. He arrived in time to hear Aelar speak of the bloodline enchantment and he linked it to the amulet we were searching for. So this has gone full circle, people chosen because of status and now well wow.... this could be super important to our mission....

Waiting for Aelar to finish, he then asked the Half-Elf, "If it does indeed require a certain bloodline for these amulet pieces that we are searching for, then does that mean, if the wrong person finds one, its useless to them?"

As he asked this question, he noticed Jamie hanging out next to 'Shadow', and he beckoned her over, as he wanted her to know what was going on.

"Not quite, as the amulet was originally one item I believe it may be possible to obtain all the pieces as long as you obtain one. Also a mage that is powerful enough can break the enchantment though magi that powerful haven't shown up since before the war 100 years ago. There may also be ways of circumventing the enchantment if you can obtain blood from that bloodline, the purer the better."

Elyra thought about it a moment and said, "What if it needs all of us to make the amulet work once it's put back together? If so that would make the built in bombs make sense. It means we all have to survive to make it work, without all of us we are useless to it and them." She wondered if they were over thinking it or if they were really on to something.

Razer commented under his breath, "Well, there better not be any souped up magi around, otherwise we in big trouble then..." He hoped nobody heard him, as he might have offended someone with that. The whole circumventing? It was a weird word but it made Razer think of a parasite, especially when Aelar said the words 'if you can obtain blood from that bloodline, the purer the better.' It sounded like a bloodsucker, disgusting. To Razer bloodline was everything, and it should be respected not stolen in order to obtain power, like what this amulet thingy seemed like it was immensely powerful.

Then Elyra made the point about the bombs, "Elyra, I think you are right about the bombs, that we are linked together as a giant bomb, based on bloodline.." He shook his head in disgust.

He then looked at them and asked, "Does anybody know how many pieces there are out there?" He said spreading his tiger arms around him, indicating the world.

Jamie had been listening to them as they spoke, flexing her fingers and making sure there hadn't been any serious damage when the arrow splinted. As the talk turned to blood lines, she frowned to herself. She was just a daughter of a simply farming family. There was nothing like royal blood or such in her veins. Just simple blood, from a simply family.

She let the others speak, pondering their words, before finally saying "I don't know about how many pieces there are. But I do know, unless my parents were lying, my blood is farming stock and that's it. So I don't know how I could be linked by bloodline. But then, I don't understand how magic works" She was noithing special. Just a human who had trained to be where she was.

Elyra wondered, James last name was Blackwell and she wasn't sure if that was his real name or the name he was given after he lost his family. "It could also be that there are a few with bloodlines to it and the warriors are here to protect and fight. I'm just here to heal. I think."

Darius blinked once, and mostly ignored everyone. When Jamie had walked over to him he shifted his feet, slightly uncomftorable. Then when she left he relaxed slightly. He had not expected her to do what she did after their fight, normally the losers in his fights lie dead at his feet. He was uncertain what to do with a loser he couldnt kill. When the conversation steered to bloodlines, he pondered that. But quickly dismissed the idea. He is, while humbly admittedly legendary, a common man who rose well above his station. His parents were no one, they were travelling merchants. His bloodline was going to stop with him and nothing would come of it.

Darius watched the rest of the group, eyeing his new companions carefully.

Razer turned to Jamie as she didn't know how many pieces and stated she had a farmer's blood. His eyebrows raised, he was confused, was the bloodline idea, the real thing or a fake? He didn't really know. As she Jamie said she didn't understand magic, Razer smiled,

"Don't worry, I don't know magic either." trying to comfort her, by saying she not alone in that respect.

Elyra's idea was different. that maybe the bloodline idea could work with few strong bloodlines? "Gah.... This is so confusing." He said aloud to their little group.

The Tigerish Kil'garen then yawned widely, exposing his large mouth with its powerful feline teeth.

"It's getting late." He said as he looked at the rest of them. The sun had already fallen, the clouds were a thick blanket blocking the moon and stars. There was even a cool breeze, pushing branches of trees this way and that in the distance.

Noticing the abrupt lack of light Razer asked the obvious, "Does anyone here have some tents or something we could sleep in?"

"Or" Jamie said "It could all be spectulation and we could discuss this until the cows come home, but we won't know until we get to the end." She didn't like thinking she had only been pulled out of a list of names to simply die. She gave a sigh, "I have some camping stuff, but I normally sleep under the stars when I'm outside. If it rains, that doesn't matter"

She glanced about, looking for a good place to set up camp. "I'll see if I can find some firewood" She said, leaving her pack and other supplies in the groups hands, she kept her bow, in case she game across some game.

Razer eyes lit up as he heard Jamie, had camping stuff. Yes, I'm lucky enough to have someone helping me even here. It probably was his royalty status that kind of screwed him over. Because you'd think he could provide for himself by killing animals and stuff, because he looks like a tiger. But Razer actually doesn't have the first clue about hunting. Razer frowned as he heard that Jamie, didnt have a care if she got wet or not, while he hated being wet, it made him feel like he was sick

He decided, "I'll get some dried meat out, and wait for Jamie, to bring the firewood, so that I can start the fire." With that he took his leave of the group, leaving Aelar and Elyra to watch Jamie's stuff. He moved about 40 feet away from where he was talking to them pulled out his flint and tinder and waited there for Jamie. He kept his eyes out for her for when she would be again visible to him.

Darius stood in place with nothing to say. He had not brought ant equipment with him besides a pouch with a few medical supplies and a few weapons. He watched as Razer moved over and did his thing, watching where his eyes were watching. He saw he was watching Jamie and frowned. Darius sat down and pulled out all of his weapons, placing his quiver in front of him, his bow, his hidden knives, and his hidden dagger. His other tools in his pouches he kept hidden. He ignored mostly everyone, keeping one eye on his surroundings and one eye on what he was doing. He began sharpening his weapons with a grindstone.

Jamie gathered up wood, constantly looking about her. She knew there probably wasn't much game around, or if there was it was skittish this close to the citadel, but there might be something she could take down. Fresh meat was always welcome. Besides, they might have need to the cured supplies later on. Why use it now?

She let her thoughts wonder freely, soon filling her arms with suitable wood. It was as she was coming back that she spied the rabbit. Carefully putting the wood down, she drew an arrow. and pulled back on the string.

She only had one shot. She had to be sure.

She let the arrow fly.

She walked back to the others, the wood and rabbit in her arms, smiling happily. Plopping the wood down by Razor, she plopped down, and began to skin the rabbit, using one of Darius's knives she hadn't returned as it was at hand. [color-f7976a]"Pity I didn't find some herbs, would be nice with the rabbit, but at least its something fresh[/color]

Razer grinned at Jamie as he spotted the rabbit she had in her arms. He put the firewood she plopped down about 5 feet away from them. Then set the tinder down on top of the logs, to make it look like a bird's nest. Lastly, he stood up as he pulled out his sword and went about sliding the sword blade along the flint to create sparks. He already had the fire started, when he heard her say she had no herbs. "I do have some spices with me that can make the rabbit taste a lot better." Razer offered.

Jamie smiled at hearing about the spices and accepted Razer's offer.

Razer took out one of the bottom logs, out of the pile, that had a fire going on top. He used his sword to make a thin stick out of the log.

Jamie had finished skinning the rabbit and so Razer took it and impaled on the stick lengthwise. He then emptied his leather pouch onto the ground, used the empty pouch as a glove to protect himself from the heat, as he rotated the rabbit above the fire. It was cooking rotisserie style. As Razer finished cooking the rabbit, he added curry powder to half of it. He then broke the rabbit in half and gave the half with no spice on it to Jamie.

Darius finished with his weapons, when he realized soimething was off. He packed away his equipment, but something felt different. He patted himself down then began looking at the ground around him. Thats when he noticed Jamie and Razor, with Jamie holding something. He squinted, and saw that she had one of his knives. Darius blinke once, and felt himself growing angry. Who was she to think she could steal his gear? Yes he had used it in their fight, and she had used it more than likely when she counter attacked, but in no way shape or form was this ok.

Darius walked over to Jamie and crouched in front of where she was sitting. He kept a neutral face.

"So....thats mine."

Darius quickly snatched his knife out of her hand, slightly forcefully.

"Do not steal from me this is your only warning child."

"hey!" Jamie said as Razer seemed to miss putting spice on the rabbit her gave her, "Flavor, man! I like spice!" She gave a laugh. She wasn't surprised when Darius came over, and smiled sweetly.

"I know" She said, letting him take his knife back, "It got you over here, didn't it? As for being a child....Well, children haven't done the things I have...besides" and here, with amusement, Jamie quickly darted in, since Darius was conveniently crouching in front of her, and stole another kiss from him, [color=f7976a]"[I bet I'm older"/color]

"Oh woops." Razer said as he quickly added some curry powder to the rabbit half in Jamie's hands. "I hope the spice isn't too strong for you." He said with concern on his face. He then started eating his own rabbit half. The curry made it taste great, giving it more of a mature taste and taking away from any bland parts of the rabbit that was in his mouth. He then noticed Darius as he said "that's mine" and snatched something from Jamie. His eyes widened, but he only watched as he continued to tear into the rabbit with his teeth.

He abruptly felt very tired and as he finished the last bite of his rabbit, he kicked out the fire, making sure there was no flames left. And then picked up all his stuff, moved a good 30 feet away from Darius and Jamie, dropped his stuff. Then lay down on the grassy turf beneath him and fell asleep.

Darius flinched when she kissed him, and slightly jumped back. Recovering quickly he leaped forward, pinnning her to the ground. He pinned her arms and legs down so she couldnt move, and held his knife he recently took back to her throat. His face remained calm, but his eyes shone with the murderous intent that made him "The Shadow".

"You impotent little.......dare to touch me in like fashion again and I will slit your throat you insolent cur. I will do so without a second thought."

Jamie didn't panic. Nor was she afraid. Why should she be afraid, when technicalluy she could die at any second, exploding from the bomb within her? She might as well have a little fun before she went Ka-bloom! She blinked up at Darius, the cool feel of the knife the only thing stopping her from kissing him again.

"Do it then. Because I'll just "Dare" again" She matched her voice to his tone, and narrowed her eyes in challenge.

Darius kept still for a second, then removed his knife fast slightly slicing the edge of her neck but not causing any serious injury to her neck. He moved faster than he did in their fight, faster than the blink of an eye, and brought out another knife. He plunged his knives downward, and he impaled the palms of her hands. Then he let go of his knives and punched Jamie in the face.

She did the last thing anyone would expect her to. She laughed. Gathering her strength, adrenaline surging through her, washing away the pain. She knew what she was going to do would hurt, but she would never be one to be subdued so. She let out a breath, and brought one palm up, digging the knife in deeper, so she could grab the hilt, and free her hand. She managed to removed the knife, and She plunged it into whatever part of Darius she could that wouldn't kill him, and snatching the other knife from her other hand, and wriggled away, and then, because why not, she darted back in, and kissed him again, before running. She clenched her palms as she ran, in an attempt to stem the blood flow there, pouring on the speed, she darted away, It wasn't in fear that she earn another wound. she supposed it was another sort of challenge.

She reached up, more then sure her nose was bleeding too, but she ould do anything about that. And she was sure she wouldn't bleed out from the neck wound. She dashed away from the camp site, listening to see if she Darius, or anyone for that matter, was following her.

Darius held up his arm when the knife was plunged in. It was in deep but wounds of this caliber never worried him. He left the knife in his arm and looked out to where Jamie was running. He brought out his bow, and aimed down his sights. This was when he noticed everyone else, watching them. He sighed, and sheathed his weapons. He did not apologize or look sorry. He nodded at everyone and ran off, towards where Jamie was running. She was getting fartehr and farther, almost to the body of water that was just out of eye sight of the group. It was a bit of a stretch to run, but she was probbaly doped up on adrenaline.

Darius ran after her, all weapons sheathed but ready to draw on a moments notice. He ran and ran, finally catching up to the bleeding Jamie and tackled her from behind. They rolled as they fought, stopping just before the body of water with Darius on top. He hit her in the face, once, then twice, then aimed a jab to her gut. He rolled backwards and flipped her, throwing her back.

Jamie blocked the blow to her stomach, not wishing to experience that again. When he threw her back, she rolled, letting herself go with the force of it. She decided to throw all restrictions out the window, and throwing the knife she still held down, she said . "Lets face it, Darius. If you wanted to kill me you would have, bomb or no bomb" She dug the balls of her feet to the ground, and leaped at him, not caring if the force of her attack sent them tumbling, not caring if they fell into the water, . "You're scared" She said, dangerous words she knew, but she was far beyond caring, . "Of being perceived as anything but the cold hearted killer. Guess what? We could all die, no body gives a damn about your reputation. If we all come back alive from this, it will be a miracle" She grabbed his arms, so he couldn't hit her again, and she kissed him again, for the fourth time and this time it was hard, filled with the anger she felt, the adrenaline helping to fuel it, nothing like the quick kisses from before.

Darius paused for a second, and for a moment he actually weakly slightly kissed back. He regained his control a millisecond later, and threw her off him. He got up and on his knees, drew his bow, and shot an arrow at her leg, watching as it missed as she rolled away.

"Let me make one thing clear. The only reason I dont kill you, is not because of fear. I accepted a contract and I will fulfill it, and if one of us dies more than likely we will all die. I am scared of nothing, and I couldnt care less on how you people thinnk of me. The only thing I demand is a the slightest ounce in repsect by,"Darius held up one finger," A do not steal from me and," Darius held up a second finger," B do not violate my personal space by kissing me. Unless you something in our mission involves us talking leave me alone. After this mission is done, for the first time in my life I will have a new mission, one that isnt derived from a contractor. I am putting a contract out, and accepting it myself. It will be to kill you."

Darius sheathed his weapons and began walking past her, back to the rest of the group.

The minute Darius drew out his bow, Jamie was moving. She rolled back, away, avoiding the arrow. She already had enough wounds, she didn't want another one. Especially one that would debilitate her so.

She shook her head as he spoke, and said as he walked away . "You're scared of me. Of what I could represent" There was an odd tone of sadness to her voice, and she turned away, walking towards the water, as far away as she could from the camp site, circling the water so she was more towards the trees then anything else, crouching down so she was out of sight, she began to clean her wounds.

Beyond caring, Jamie tore her shirt up, so she was only wearing her under clothes, and use that to bandaged the various wounds about her body, pressing a wad to neck, and splashing her face with water, closing her eyes tight. She hadn't meant to let it get that far, to push that much. She had just been enjoying herself, as strange as it was. She had just...let something else fuel her, and now...she pressed her wounded and bandaged palms to her eyes, cursing her own foolishness.

Well. He could just bloody well try to kill her. He would find that when she wasn't playing around, she would be hard to kill.

She could feel the adrenaline wearing off, bringing about the pain of her various wounds. Her hands, particularly her right one, hurt the most, and she gritted her teeth. She stayed crouching at the edge of the water, eyes closed tightly to try and prevent herself from crying, whether from pain or something else, she wasn't sure. She pressed her palms against her stomach, as if that could stop the pain. Maybe Elyra would take pity on her and try to find her, but she wasn't going to go back to the camp, not right then.

@Ashevelendar@dabombjk@Wick@Shadow Daedalus@Caits@Venku

[MarshiestMallow]

Jamie, Darius and Elyra

Elyra jumped up and saw Darius attacking Jamie. She saw the kissing again and wondered what the hell kind of fighting strategy this was. Then she saw him plant knives through Jamie's hands and it was only a moment or so later that she took off running. Elyra grabbed some supplies out of one of the bags on the travois and she grabbed a couple of larger stones.When Darius came back into view Elyra slung her sling shot and nailed hi in the forehead with a stone.

She was infuriated with him. It was the second time since they all got stuck together that he had attacked Jamie.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Leave her alone before you both get us killed!" She  ran past Darius and followed Jamie into the darkness.

Darius scoffed at Elyra, and ignored her as she ran off. He touched his forehead and felt the spot where she had nailed him. He did not care to dodge the attack, and why should he? Darius walked a few feet away from the group, then sat himself down. He patted himself all over, and sighed gently when he realized he had all his weapons back. He had instinctively grabbed his knives when he left Jamie............

Jamie.....Darius sighed in annoyance when he thought of her. Who the hell did she think she was? Darius shook his head, determined to forget her, He laid down on his back and shut his eyes. He was not asleep, but relaxing.

Elyra ran into the darkness and had to stop for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She saw her over by the trees and she ran that way. Elyra called out to her, "Jamie! Let me see your hands." She walked over to her and the moonlight shone on the damage. Her heart went out to the girl. "What is it you two are trying to acomplish? What's going to happen is if you survive your hands will be useless to you and the others will all die when I kill Shadow! And what the hell is with the kissing your enemy? I've never seen that and I'm terribly confused by it."

Jamie looked up when she heard Elyra approach, blinking as she called out to her, letting her look at her hands, the rough bandages she had made for herself already turning red with her blood. "I didn't consider him my enemy" She said softly, her voice thick with tears, that she refused to let fall "My mother always said I went at life hard and fast. That everything I did, I did with my whole heart and soul. I wish she wasn't right"

She bowed her head, "My left will be fine. My right...that might not be. But I'll be okay. I always am." She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the damage again, "I let myself be fooled....no, I fooled myself. How can I continue with this stupid mission now?"She would of course, she had no choice. And there was that hope...but there she went fooling herself again. "I should never have agreed to that fight this morning"

She wanted to curl up, and not move for days, weeks, months. But she didn't, instead she looked away from whatever Elyra was doing, opening her eyes, and letting them fall on the stars beginning to appear. 

Elyra cleaned the wound and she pulled out the special salve that she had invented on her own. It was amazing stuff. Even her boss was impressed and he kept some on hand. She had refused to tell anyone what was in it.  Elyra looked at it and told Jamie to open up her mouth. She shoved a piece of leather into her mouth and she said. "Bite down, this is going to hurt but it's the only thing that can fix the nerve damage."

Elyra put the salve inside the hands and she held Jamie's hand steady as it felt like fire on the open wound. Next the other hand came into some of the same. After both hands had been taken care of she bandaged both hands. 

"I know it hurts, but we are going to have to do this twice a day tomorrow and the next day. It should completely heal your hands. It's worth the pain. Come on, let's go back."

Jamie bit down on the leather, keeping her eyes trained on the sky. The only sound that escaped her was a whimper, but she refused to let anything else through. She nodded at Elyra's words about the treatment, but said "No, I don't want to go back to camp." But she knew she had to, and that made her angry all over again. She let out a breath, knowing she couldn't ask Elyra to stay with her all night. 

"Oh, to hell with it" She rose, sure she was a fright. She didn't doubt that there would be bruises, especially to her face, but she was going to wear all the wounds with pride. "Next time, I won't play around. He went too far." 

She swayed, the pain starting to become a little overwhelming. She was suddenly glad she had slashed her hair short, or else it would be flying freely over her face, sticking to the blood there. "I won't let it effect the misson, you don't need to worry there Elyra"

Elyra caught Jamie and kept her from falling and steered her towards camp. "Assassins don't care about anyone, you would do well to remember that. With all of us tied together you might want to avoid him or it might be the death of us all when I kill him." 

When she got back to camp she pulled Jamie up closer to the fire and helped her get her stuff set up. Elyra glared at Shadow and smirked slightly at the large bruise on his forhead. She set herself up next to Jamie so she could keep an eye on her wounds and so that Darius stayed away from her this night.

Darius opened one eye slightly, seeing Jamie and Elyra show up. Elyra was glaring at him, and he could basically feel the murderous intent. He felt happy at this. He felt right at home with that intent. Then he looked at Jamie, and he sighed. It was clear to him she had cried slightly, and he could see how hurt she was. He had not hurt her out of abuse, he would never just hurt someone to just hurt them. He was an assassin, not a monster. He only reacted to her challenging him, constantly. He warned her. Darius sighed and knew he was going to regret what he was going to do next. He didnt know why he felt....anything but he guessed it was because she looked like a spouse abuse victim. Darius pulled out a throwing knife, while laying down, and used another knife to mark the bottom of the handle. He engraved D.M. in very small letters on the handle, signfying his names initals. She wouldnt get that part, but hopefully she would understand what it meant with him giving her his knife, after his rant about not stealing his stuff. Without looking he accuratley tossed the knife, it landing in front of Jamie. When she looked at him he offered her a two finger salute without opening his eyes or looking.

"No" Jamie said softly, "If I avoid him, he wins" SHe let Elyra guide her back to camp, let her set her up, and when Elyra sat by her, she leaned back into the other girl, deliberatly staring into the fire, and no where else. She curled her hands in her lap, remembering the rabbit, she sighed to herself, supposing someone else would eat it. She didn't mind that, but the spice had looked delicious. 

At the thump of the knife, she looked towards it, frowning. She went to reach for it, but pulled her hand back, not touching it. She risked a quick glance towards Darius, looking away quickly. Her gaze wandered back to the knife, frowning still. 

There was a sick feeling in her stomach as she wondered if it was one of the knives that he had shoved into her hands. She didn't understand what he was doing, or why, after his actions so far. She looked to Elyra, seeing if the other girl had any clue. 

Elyra looked at the knife and reached for it. Glaring at him she tossed it back to him. "She doesn't need your pity or your stupidity. Leave her alone."

Elyra couldn't for the life of her figure out why he got under her skin so much. Of course she could, she thought. He was her exact opposite. Where she cared for others and healed them he had no emotions at all and killed anyone he chose for no reason but money. She hated that he was hurting Jamie. 

The others probably thought it was cute that the little elf woman would stand up to the big mean assassin. She wasn't usually this forward but someone had to step in and help Jamie.

Jamie watched Elyra pick up the knife and throw it, opened her mouth to object, but it was too late. For perhaps the first time in her life, Jamie was uncertain. She bit her lip, grimacing at the pain there, and with a sigh, Jamie rose smoothly, refusing to let any weakness show, she managed not to sway this time. With a few long strides, she closed the distance, and snatched up the knife with her left hand, turning on her heel and returning to Elyra. She was such a fool. 

Without a word of explaination, Jamie put the knife with her bow and quiver, returning to the position she had been, leaning against Elyra. She might not know why he was giving her the knife, but she wanted the damn thing. 

Darius had eyes closed the entire time, but he heard everything. He felt like Elyra did not like him for some reason, but he was too.....indifferent to Elyra to care. Although she was their group healer so......he may be screwed. When she tossed him his knife back he almost threw it in her face, but he calmed himself. That was not the proper thing to do. When Jamie retrieved it, he smiled inwardly. He felt like he was in the right about the whole situation, he even thought that he should have shot in her the leg with an arrow, but he withheld his thoughts. They had a mission. He never failed a contract ever. It is part of what made him such a good assassin. Darius opened his eyes and looked over at Jamie. Her short blonde hair laying gently against ehr face as she laid agaist Elyra. Her eyes were closed, and if you looked past the bruises she had quite delicate features. 

Darius had an impulse he never usually had, and it was to go over to her. He had not worked with a group in a long time, and anyone he has ever fought usually ended up dead. He never looked back, and he never cared. So already this contract was getting complicated. He shrugged, and stood up. He stretched slightly, then took off all his equipement and set all of his weapons down. He turned around and walked away from the group. He would return in the morning.

[Ashevelendar]

William heard the discussion about the blood lines and didn't want to join at first but then he said " If if would be that bloodlines were what activated the amulet then would mean that one of us or even all of us could be linked to the Magi Council. The ones that declared themselves Gods and started the Magi War in the first place. That would mean that our families are not what we've been told they were. Well I don't know almost anything about mine , I just know that I descend from criminals. My last name literally means "death" so who knows ? If I had to guess , I would say that they either put all these explosives in us so that we can't run away from them or something totally different. I don't know really. A mage that was killed a few days after me and Aelar were allowed to study magic , once told me that there is a guy in the "my homeland" that dealt in stolen artifacts. He said he knew that from a guard that he used a forbidden spell on him. Something that Aelar might learn , maybe ? He was a human. ".
William then left the group and gone to sleep on the ground as he was used to and quickly fell asleep.

---

Gun'Tar grunted when he heard the others speak about the reason of our mission. " That would make no sense. We are not the only team they've sent. We've all seen that more Templar and Magi were being called to the Ascended Templar. That would mean that either everyone has a long-lost bloodline or you all talk shit. Ok ? "

Gun'Tar was not surprised to see that Jamie and Darius fought between themselves , even drawing blood. He didn't even move a muscle as they are fought. He simply sat down on the ground and watched them. Every now and then he yelled " Don't kill us , please. *or* Shadow , just put a knife in her neck already. Maybe then I could finally get some rest. *or* It was bound to happen , don't worry. " his voice was calm even as he griped his harder and harder.

@Caits@dabombjk@Wick@Shadow Daedalus@Caits@Venku

[Wick]

James and Elyra

collaboration with @Shadow daedalus

Elyra had awoken to find the camp still quiet and she had gotten up and repacked the travois and her own things that needed to be. She took out her hair brush and brushed her hair. Her mind was tired of thinking about why they were here. She wasn't sure it mattered. She looked around the camp and noticed that the assassin wasn't back yet. She wished he had not been added to the mission at the last minute he was hurting Jamie and she didn't like that. Her eyes glanced over her sleeping companions and landed on James. She smiled softly and her mind drifted off to happy memories.

James's sleep was restless, despite his body laying in perfect motionlessness. A sharp eye might have seen the small movements, but most were hidden underneath his red-tipped hair. A hazy image kept replaying in his mind, of featureless figures, a man and woman with blood red eyes and a building in flames until everything went black. His eyes opened slowly and he blinked once before he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Without a word, he seemed to glare at something in his palm before his eyes flicked over to the elven healer, lost in her memories, and his features softened. He turned quietly, picking up his bow and strapping his quiver onto his lower back and stepping away from the camp as quietly as he could.

Elyra reached for her slingshot and realized it wasn't there. "Oh, I must have dropped it last night." She remembered it in her hand when she had gotten to Jamie. She headed out to the lake taking the same trail she took last night. It must be by the lake she thought to herself. When she got to the spot she had been at she started looking around. Her father had given it to her so it meant more than just any old slingshot.

The string of James's bow groaned as a single red eye lined the steel tip of an arrow with the soft area between a young doe's jaw and neck. A single, long breath was inhaled. James let the bowstring slip out of his fingers and a single arrow flew straight at its target, the sharp tip easily penetrating the soft flesh. The young dear fell with a strangled cry and a few birds took flight as the black-haired hunter approached. Something knocked against his foot as he crossed a worn path, and looked down to see a small, but finely made slingshot. It didn't take him long to place it as Elyra's. 'She dropped this? She's probably quite worried about it...'. He quickly put the weapon in his pocket and made his way over to the fallen doe. Pulling its weight on to his shoulders, he began to make his way back to the camp until something caught his eye. 'A lake?'. He walked towards it until he came to the waters edge. Setting the animal down a little further up on the shoreline, he took a single, calming breath before he began to remove his clothes and dove straight into the water.

Elyra was starting to panic. She had to find it. She heard a splash and she looked up and saw someone in the water swimming. She wished she had found it so she could do that too. Upon closer inspection it was James. A smile automatically appeared and she felt herself blushing.

Elyra was becoming disheartened at ever finding her slingshot. She decided to ask James if he had seen it. She walked over towards where he was when she first saw him and she saw part of it sticking out of his pocket. She smirked and picked it up.

Swimming was a past-time not many people knew that James enjoyed. It was a good for him to burn off stress, but he wasn't someone that liked an audience. Treading water for a second, he turned on the spot and dove back towards the shore. As relaxing as it was, he couldn't spend much longer until the people at the camp began to wake up and start making speculations. As he was pulling himself onto the shore, he became acutely aware of two things: Firstly, a beautiful elven woman was standing nearby his clothes. Secondly, he wasn't wearing any of those clothes, so he was completely exposed. He did the only thing he could think of. He blinked. "Can you please pass me my trousers?"

Elyra had been looking at the slingshot and noticed she needed to change out one of the cords soon. She was suddenly startled as James asked her for his pants. She automatically looked up and saw him. She blushed and covered her eyes. "Um, yes of course!" She looked down and grabbed his pants and stood up and walked to him. Her eyes covered so that she could only see the ground in front of her. She quite literally walked until she saw his toes on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to invade your privacy. I was looking for my slingshot." She watched his toes as he put one leg in then the other. Her eyes still covered. She tilted her head up and removed her hand from her eyes. She was standing about a foot from him and she was suddenly reminded how short she was. She had to look up at him otherwise she was staring at his exposed chest. She blushed all the way to her toes.

"It's fine. I'm sorry about... this. I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here so early..." He waved a hand at his discarded clothes, not quite meeting her eyes. He leaned down and began to pull his undershirt onto his dripping torso.

Elyra stammered and turned. "I-I should go. I'm sorry I..."

James's hand closed softly around her wrist, stopping her from leaving. "Not yet. Stay, please?" Emotion swam behind his eyes, but he managed to keep a slight smile on his face. "I want to talk to you for a bit." He let go her wrist and spread out his coat along the ground. He sat down and made a space for her, giving her a small smile.

Elyra had stopped as soon as she felt his touch on her hand. She nodded and sat next to him. She felt her heart beat start racing and butterflies in her stomach. "It's a beautiful morning." She looked at him a little closer. "Are you well? Is your neck bothering you?" She touched his shoulder as if looking for something visible. When her eyes went back to his she smiled softly. "What is it?"

Red met blue for a moment before whatever left of his walls finally cracked. James was usually a closed person, but around Elyra he always seemed... softer. "It's... not that." He looked away, a pained light in his eyes as he watched the lake in the light of the early morning."I'm... afraid I guess. Afraid of losing the person I care about, again." His voice dropped to barely above a mumble. "Afraid of losing you..."

Elyra's entire body started to tingle and she thought she misheard him for a moment but the look in his eyes was clearly telling her that she had heard correctly. She was a little scared so she moved slowly to face him and she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

It took a second for James to register the soft sensation against his lips, but slowly he moved to deepen the kiss. His arms slowly wrapped around her and pulled her closer as his eyes drifted shut. Soon, the only sensation he could feel was the soft warmth of her lips, the warmth of her body against his and soft lapping of water from the lake's edge.

Elyra gave into his kisses. She had had feelings for him for a long time. She had just never thought anything would ever happen. As their kisses deepened she got lost in him and it was going to be up to him to pull away. She wasn't sure she could now that it wasn't just a dream.

James's lungs began to beg for oxygen but he refused to stop and pull away. He was afraid that if he did, and he let go, she would fall from where he could reach her. Finally, he couldn't hold it any longer and he slowly separated from the elven beauty's lips. Almost fearfully, he opened his eyes to see Elyra's own flutter open. A fire started behind the blood red as he mentally resolved himself. 'I've finally got someone to fight for, and like hell am I going to let anyone take her from me'. His eyes softened again and he gave a small but genuine smile. A smile he hadn't worn in years.

Elyra's lips left his as he pulled back. She clung to him and hugged him tightly to her. "I'm not leaving you." She whispered near his ear. She didn't want to let go of him yet. She wasn't sure what to say so she just told him the truth. "I've been waiting a long time for you." She said quietly but clearly to him as she became acutely aware of the sun rising higher and others making noise at the camp. She groaned at their timing and looked up at him smiling.

He caught the sound of the camp off in the distance and he narrowed his eyes in the direction before he turned back to Elyra with an apologetic expression. "The others are awake, and I'm still wet. As much as I never want this moment to end, we should head back soon." He slipped his arm under her legs as he stood, shifting her body into a princess carry while smiling softly to her.

Elyra was surprised and she chuckled as he picked her up. She rested her head on his shoulder and then she kissed him once more as she was put onto her own feet. She smiled and waited for him to get ready. "Do you want me to go ahead or wait and go back with you?"

"Grab my bow and go on ahead, I'll grab this morning's meal." He said, pulling the doe onto his shoulders.

They headed back to camp.

@caits@gareth@venku@dabombjk@ashevelendar

[MarshiestMallow]

Jamie woke to find Elyra gone. She gave a heavy sigh, and knowing she should eat, if only to help the healing, she found the rabbit from the night before, breaking off few pieces, she grimaced at the pain as she put a morosal in her mouth, starting to chew. She very nearly just gave up, the bruising and tenderness making it hard to eat, but she didn't. She forced down a few bits of the spicey, seasoned rabbit, before rising and going over to the water, using the light of the dawn to examine her reflextion in the water.

Her face was a motley of blues, blacks and purples, her cheeks slightly puffy, as if there was swelling, her lips split, and blood still covered her face. Gently, she cleaned her face, careful of her hands. She rocked back on her heels, glancing about, yet Elyra hadn't returned from where ever it was she had gone. She figured that the healer would want to check her hands over, maybe put some more salve on, but she wasn't there.

Rising, Jamie went back over to her gear, picking up her bow and quiver, she walked away from the camp, just out of sight. She knocked an arrow, pulling back on the string, she grimaced at the pain in her hands, but satisfied, she let it fly. As it hit the imaginary target she had drawn, she nodded with satisfaction. If she could still pull a string, she was content. She retrieved the arrow, examining it for any cracks, before putting it back in the quiver. She returned to camp, not wanting to get yelled at by Elyra for being reckless, setting her gear down, she picked up the knife.

She stared at it for a few moments, trying to ponder the meaning of it. Why would he give her a knife, after all the fuss? Her fingers trailed over the engraving, D.M. it seemed pointless to try and figure it out. She'd let the whole thing get out of hand, and right then she was wishing she had injuried him more than she had. A simply knife to the arm wasn't enough, for the damage to her hands. But she hadn't wanted to hurt him. And that had been her weakness. With a heavy sigh, she slid the knife around her belt, retrieving a new shirt from from her gear, she hesitated, her fingers brushing over her leathers. They could very well run into a dangerous enemy, and she'd be foolish to not have her armor on.

She slid the leathers on, grimacing as she tried to do up the laces, but her hands wouldn't allow it. With a sigh, she slid on her shirt, intending to ask Elyra to do them up for her when the girl returned. She packed up her gear, standing up straight and glancing about, seeing the figures approaching camp. One seemed to be moving faster than the other, the other misshapen. She narrowed her eyes, recognising Elyra, and after a moment, James, carrying a deer. She started to go forwards, as if she could offer some help, but grimaced, looking down at her hands. Firing a bow was one thing, helpign to carrying a large animal was another.
@Wick@Ashevelendar@Gareth@venku@dabombjk

[dabombjk]

Darius Montgomery

My Hider

Darius walked slowly, walking back to his original spot, then sat down. He had been gone all night, and had several cuts and bruises on his arms and chest. One or two cuts on his cheeks as well. When he sat down he pulled out his pouch and began applying a light green paste over his cuts. Then he pulled out a small white pad and some tape, then taped on the white pads where he had applied the paste. He gave no explanation to what he was doing, where he had been, and why he did anything. He put all of his gear back on, and checked himself. All of his weapons were hidden in their usual spots, he had his dagger, his quiver and bow, and all of his other supplies. Darius eyed the prize a few of his comrades obtained and met Elyra's gaze at one point. Her hate had not shrunk but swelled three times the size by the look of it. He passed his gaze over Jamie, to whom he had nothing to say. He already apologized, somewhat not really but im his own way he had let her know in his own way. He still believed it was her fault, and he still intended to kill her once the mission was complete. That is if they all survived the end.

Darius stood up, and looked over everyone. He then looked over himself. He decided he needed to bathe. He walked past everyone, knowing if they left he would be able to track them. He walked over to the river, then took off all his clothes. He walked into the river, until he was waist deep, then began to clean himself. His bandages were wet, but did not seem to be ruined.

@caits@wick@gareth@ashevelendar@venku@shadow daedalus

[Gareth]

Razer woke up after a rough sleep, in which he woke up three times over the course of the night. He had unpleasant dreams that were foggy in his memory. At best he could remember a few clear images of what his mind showed him while he was unconcious. He had a bad feeling today, like something would go wrong.

He shook himself up and down as he stood up, trying to push the feeling away and forget the nightmare. He put his flint, tinder and other things back in the pouch, tied up his equipment to him and moved back to where they had the fire the night before. He sat down and ate bits of his dried meat, it was shredded fox meat with salt added to keep it safe to eat over long periods of time. The taste was only okay in his mouth, as he munched it quietly, ignoring everyone.

@Ashevelendar@Wick@Shadow Daedalus@dabombjk@Caits@Venku

[MarshiestMallow]

Jamie, Darius and  Elyra

Jamie crouched by her gear, carefully rummaging through until she found a suitable knife to skin the deer, although she was sure James would have one, but she wanted to feel like she was doing something at least, rather than standing around waiting for Elyra to reach the camp. She couldn't even tie up the stupid laces of her damn armor. Furious at herself, Jamie put the knife where james would see it, before turning once more to the laces, twisting slightly, she flexed her fingers, and began to try once more. If her hands weren't bandaged, it wouldn't be so hard, as it was the added bulkiness of the bandages hindered her movements, as well as the pain. 

If she could just take the bandages off...she frowned to herself, wondering if that would do any damage. She really didn't want to get on Elyra's bad side. She gave up on the laces again, resigning herself to having Elyra help her. 

She checked her water supply instead, and decided that while she had the chance, she had best keep her stock full. Ands at least it was something to do. She hated this feeling of helplessness, she gathered up the water skin she had drank the day before, and one that was half empty, starting towards the water. . 

Darius washed his body with rag, cleaning it of the mud and blood splattered on him. Last night, when he dissapeared, he went to go train by himself. He learned long ago that if you can train yourself mentally it can affect you physically. He had walked a great deal so no one could see him and began. He spent the rest of the night doing that, and wore himself out. He passed out for one hour, then awoke and headed back to camp. After he gathered his equipment he headed towards the river. 

Which is where he was now. He tried to watch his surroundings, but he was admittedly tired and this was relaxing. He stood in the water waist deep, and facing away from the direction he came from. This showed the scars and wounds on his back and the backside of his arms, show casing a lifetimes worth of injuries from several things.

Jamie cursed silently to herself upon seeing that Darius was in the water, and then simply steeled herself, approaching the water, kneeling, not saying a word, and definetely trying to not make a sound. She uncapped the water skins, gently dipping them into the water, being caring not to get her bandages wet, although she was sure she couldn't avoid that completely. She watched the water, waiting for the bubbles to stop, a good indication that the skins were full. 

Darius calmed himself, and closed his eyes. He snapped his rag against the water, then sent it flying in the air. He moved swiftly, practicing martial arts, throwing punches gracefully and kicked the water then slicing it with an open hand slicing motion. Darius stomped the water then front flipped through the water he kicked up. Darius kept his eyes closed the entire time.

Jamie refused to look up, instead she kept her eyes trained on the water. As she went to cap the skins, she fumbled the second one. She stared at it for a few seconds as it fell into the water, and she almost seemed to not be breathing. Why? Why did even that simply thing have to be so hard? This time she cursed outloud, and crouching, began to try and fish the skin out the water before it got to far. She would have just walked away and left it, but this might be the last source of water they saw for a while. She couldn't just leave it. 

Darius paused mid strike, caught the rag as it fell close to him, tightly rolled it up, and threw it at whoever or whatever made that noise. It sounded as if something small was nearby but he felt like someone was watching him. 

Jamie batted the rag away, and standing up, she threw the water skin she had just retrieved at Darius,  not caring anymore. She was angry, and in pain, and she just wanted to let a little bit out. Without waiting to see what happened, she spun on a heel, holding the second skin tightly as she started back towards the camp. 

Darius jumped forward out of the water, and grabbed a knife from his breast pocket of his shirt which was on the ground. He took aim and threw it, the knife landing in front of Jamie. He stood there, slightly breathless and naked, he stood there as he watched Jamie.

"Halt, perverted spy."

Jamie's stride halted for a moment, before she stepped over the knife. She debated about not answering, for a second. She stopped, "Throw a knife at me again..." She bent smoothly, scooping the knife up in her left hand, the less injuried one, and as she rose, she spun flicking the knife back towards him. 

"Don't flatter yourself, I was filling up my skins. Its not your lake" She turned back, starting to walk once more. 

Darius was slightly confused. He caught the knife right before it struck him, and caught it smoothly, but was slightly not as ease. This is what he wanted, for her to leave him alone. So why....

Darius shook his and when he stopped he threw the knife again, landing in front of Jamie once more.

"I do plan on killing you after all this is over, but I refuse to kill such a weakling. Stop pouting and come over here. I have something for your wounds."

Jamie resisted letting out a fury filled cry, barely. What the hell did he want? {i]leave  me alone, oh,  but don't. Screw him![/i]. "I am not a weakling" She wanted to yell it, but ahe kept her voice low. "And I am not pouting" She slowly turned around, keeping, she hoped, her expression neutral. 

"What is it that you want? You said to leave you alone, to not talk with you. And now you won't let me leave. What the bloody hell do you want?" her voice rose now, as she demanded the answer, refusing to go over. 

Darius rolled his eyes at Jamies words and sighed.

"And we got along so well at first. You challenged me what did you expect? Im an assassin, and you truly thought you could escape unharmed?"

Darius shook his head.

"Im not going to apologize, but I will offer to treat your wounds. Im not a doctor but I can numb the pain your feeling so you can fight. Stop being sensitive."

This time Jamie couldn't keep her anger in check. "You know nothing! I didn't expect to escape unharmed. But you crossed more than one line. You went for my hands. You used your strength and weight to make me helpless. Any girl would retaliate, would fight for any ounce of control they could get back. 

The difference? I didn't want to cause physical damage." 

It might be petty. It might be foolish, but she stayed where she was,  not letting herself be drawn closer. "So I fought in a different way" She looked away, "I'll stick with Elyra's treatments. I don't mind pain." And she didn't want to owe him anything, not now. And she might, perhaps out of spite, kiss him again, and she didn't really want any more lasting injuries. Because she knew she would resist causing any damage. 

"Why do you even care?"

Darius walked out of the water, fully naked and soaking wet, and walked over to Jamie. He could tell he terrified her, and some part of him was happy. He was someone to be feared. But another side of him was slightly ever so torn. He walked up to Jamie and stood up straight in front of her. He reached out, and could see Jamie almost jump away but for some reason she didnt. He took her injured hands in his and softly touched the palm of her hands where he imagined the wounds would be.

"Two years ago, I was given a contract. The contractor was the emperor himself, paying me to root out an insurgent bent on toppling his rule. So pretty standard, nothing I havent done before for others. I spent days trying to track down the insurgent, I went with every little snippet of info I could grab and was given by the emporor, and I could not find a trace. This upset me greatly because that was unusual. Then I had an idea. Maybe I couldnt find the insurgent because I was given less than trust worthy details. Turns out, after stalking the emporor for a bit which is way too easy in my opinion, this contract was all a set up. He was going to de fame me, learn anything about me, and then.....I am still not sure what the plan was that. Enslave me? Kill me? Fuck me silly? Either way, I never let it dampen my spirits. I ended up finding an actual traitor in their midst by following the emporor, and turned in his hand and plans. But did the emperor care? No he double crossed me in a fit of blind rage. He set his soldiers on me. I will admit this was not my proudest moment."

Darius took Jamies right hand and put it over his heart where a lower case t looking scar presided.

"They attacked me, and I fended them off well but numbers were not on my side. They overpowered me, held me down, and tried to impale me through the heart. Through sheer will power, and possibly the ancient entity of murder, I was spared. The sword missed my heart by a fraction of an inch."

Darius looked Jamie in the eyes.

"After that I obviously killed everyone, the emperor paid me, and then hired me from time to time again with no repeat of his previous error. The point to my story, is I do understand. Your right not exactly, for I was not you when I hurt you. But I get the feeling, of being wounded in a place that you desperatley need with a man pinning you down. I will not apologize I said this more than once. I cannot. But......please understand that.......I wont do it again."

Jamie resisted leaping back. She didn't know why. She flinched though as he traced the bandages, wondering why that gesture seemed...tender. She listened as he told his story, keeping her gaze anywhere but on him. She didn't quite know what to make of this sudden...exposing. It seemed to be totally out of character for him especially after everything. How was she meant to react? She wasn't too sure. 

She shook her head, "Sometimes, actions are worth more than words." She pulled her hands back, now understanding the knife. For a moment, there was a flash of amusement across her bruised features. "The emperor would have sought to break you and then use you for his own ends. Just like they want to do now, with the bombs."

A small laugh escaped her, and she shook her head again, "Which they may find will come back to hurt them". She thought about the knife he had thrown-given-to her the night before. "What is the D.M on the knife?"

Darius glanced in all directions, then leaned in and whispered into Jamies ear.

"My name. It was suppose to be.......a sort of peace offering. I shall tell you, It is my most closely guarded secret. One I would die before sharing................The D stands for Darius. Tell anyone and you die."

Jamie pondered that a moment, and then nodded. She didn't bother saying anything. Sometimes actions were louder then words, quick as the blink of an eyelid, she scooped the knife up, and she pressed the hilt into his palm. And then-to hell with it-she gave him a quick kiss, before dashing back to camp, hoping Elyra was there, finally. 

Elyra happened to be looking for Jamie and she had realized that she was not the only one missing from camp. Elyra came across them and she blushed when she realized that this was the second time in an hour she had run across one of her male companions naked. This difference was this one was an ass.  Just after Jamie moved out of the way Darius was struck in the forehead with a stone. It left another large mark on his head. 

She chuckled to herself and walked back towards camp. Once she got there she waited for Jamie and then she said, "Why in the world are you messing with that guy? You are so much better than that and he flat out tells you he will kill you." Elyra put the leather in her mouth and reapplied the salve. The burning wasn't quite as bad as it had been the night before. Looking at the wound Elyra was pleased at the results. She hugged Jamie. "Stay away from him, he can only hurt you."  Elyra walked over to help with the food.

Jamie just gave a smile and a shrug, letting Elyra deal with her hands. She wasn't too sure just what she could say. Relieved that it wasn't as bad as the night before, Jamie eventually said, after the leather was out of her mouth, "At least he says he will kill me, unlike the people that simply injected us. I did try to stay away.  He wouldn't let me. As for why? Well...I can't truly say" She flexed her fingers once more, testing them again. She returned Elyra's hug, "I know what I'm doing, Elyra." Well, at least she thought she did. After all, she still had half the engraving to solve. "Hey, can you tie up my leathers?"

Darius held the knife in his hand, pondering his words and actions. It has been a long time since he told someone his first name, and he did not lie he would rather die than give in to duress and say his name. He felt it was both a blessing and curse. He flipped his knife, grasped the handle, and walked back to his gear. He was clean enough he supposed. He fully clothed himself, checked his weapons, then walked back to camp. He munched on a few nuts and small things had he to munch on. As he walked he felt his forehead where their healer had struck him again. She wa starting to become an annoyance. This contract was becoming more than it was worth. He already found one contract already after this one was over, but he wasnt careful and if their healer did not stop with the insolent rocks, he was lash out. She had done this twice now. A third will not happen. But Darius thought of it as training. He was still prone to his emotions somewhat, even though he was completley hollow inside, like a dead man. 

When he arrived back at camp, he could see most everyone was up and about, and he walked over to his favorite spot. When everyone began moving he would stay on the groups side, keeping a watchful eye for beasts and traps.

Elyra was watching the food cook and she glanced over at Darius and she walked over to him. She glared at him. "You didn't think I would know who you are. You should remember me. You killed my brother five years ago. I immediately made it my mission to find out who you were. I hate you and all you stand for.If we weren't linked by this incendiery device I would have already killed you. I will heal you if necessary for the duration of this mission but that is it."  Elyra turned to walk away.

Darius watched as Elyra turned to walk away, and while normally he would just let stuff like this go, he was having a very strange morning. He spoke up.

"Miss Elyra isnt it....would you remind me who your brother was? I apologize but you see, I have killed so many peoples brothers it is hard to keep track. Five years ago? Refresh my memory. I killed a lot of peoples brothers five years ago."

Elyra stopped and flexed her hands to keep her control and she said, "My last name was Navarr of the Navarr clan. He was an elf like I am. Figure it out." She went back to walking towards the food. She looked up and smiled when she saw James.

Darius eyed Elyra, and in fact knew exactly who she was referring to when she first approached him a few moments ago. He knew this wasnt going to end well......and if she was not bluffing.....then he just found his second contract after the mission was over. He caught Jamies glance, and for some reason could not help but smile at her.

@Gareth@dabombjk@Wick@Ashevelendar@venku

[Wick]

Elyra

Elyra remembered Jamie's leathers and she tied them on for her while she watched Aelar and James cooking the doe. She smiled. With the exception of the assassin she was with an exceptional group of people. She wondered how long it would take for them to get to Milas at this pace. Luckily they had made good time once they had left yesterday.

"Aelar? How long do you think it will take to get there from here?" She said as she looked down the road. She had moved over next to James and sat next to him. She looked to James and said, "Aelar wants to assist me with medical issues as they arise. Isn't that nice?"

@shadow daedalus@venku@caits

[Ashevelendar]

William was getting bored of the road and approached his fellow mage. " Aelar. So...what do you think ? Bloodline magic or simply lambs to a slaughter ? Something tells me that it's the second one but I want your opinion about this. *speaking in a lower voice* Do you think we will meet The Saint ? Do you think he is the real thief ? ". William has questioned himself all the time since they've left. Is The Saint really the thief ? The Magi legend that every Magi knows ? The one that evaded and fought the Empire and won ? Every Magi thought of him as a living legend but was it even possible to be him ? Those questions never ceased in William's mind.

---

Gun'Tar was getting restless as well. Approaching " The Shadow " he watched him closely and said " So. Shadow , is it ? What's your game here ? The greatest and most wanted assassin in the Empire works for the Empire now ? Don't tell me you wouldn't find it strange if you were any of us and also. You are wanted everyone in the Empire , it's curious why they would've offered you a job of this great importance. Don't you think something is rotten ? " Gun'Tar loved the Empire and all that it represented but something seemed off about this mission and not the mission but also the Emperor's commands. This Emperor was recently elected and when his father died a mysterious death and since then , everything started to go wrong.

@Shadow Daedalus@Wick@Caits@Gareth@dabombjk@venku

[MarshiestMallow]

Jamie

@Ashevelendar@Wick@Gareth@dabombjk
There still wasn't much that Jamie could do. She checked her gear over, ensuring that the travel hadn't damaged anything, glancing up and smiling as Elyra came over and helped her witht he laces for her leathers. Jamie wasn't a shy person, quite obviously. The brief period her skin was shown as the laces were done up didn't bother her in the least. Once Elyra had finished, Jamie walked off slightly, and went through some exercises, a few basic exercises that would keep her loose and limber, working out any sore spots after her battles with Darius.

With nothing else to do, Jamie sat back against her gear as the doe cooked. She took out from a bag a shealth, which she tied to the backside of her left leg. Taking out the knife Darius had given her, Jamie smiled slightly, before sliding it home in the sheath. Does he think his death threat will phase me, after he has already told me he will kill me after this is over? Or has some part of him already forgotten that? But either way, I don't betray secrets. If Darius wanted to keep his identity a secret, so be it, Why he would trust her with his name, she had no idea. Why he had shared so much, when he was just going to try and kill her anyway was a mystery to her, especially when he had shown he didn't care much beyond his own person.

She sighed softly, leaning back against her pack, closing her eyes. While she nejoyed puzzles, she thought that Darius migh tjust be one that would be near impossible to figure out. And perhaps that was a good thing. She breathed in deeply and out, so that it almost seemed like she was asleep, yet she wasn't. She was merely letting herself drift into a meditative state, collecting her thoughts, and assessing inwardly every aspect of her body. Her stomach was tender, which didn't surprise her truly. Darius did pack a punch. But it wasn't painful, so she figured she was clear of internal bleeding. And thankfully it seemed like he hadn't hurt her ribs, or else every breath would be a pain. Her face hurt, her jaw and cheek bones, but again she figured if either were broken she'd be in a lot more pain. Her lip gave her trouble, as well. Split, it made smiling and even talking hard. Still, all in all, she wasn't bad off. she lifted a hand to her neck, tracing the line across her throat. No doubt it would scar. But she wasn't worried about that. She had scars anyway.

She wondered when they would be ready to leave, and restless, Jamie rose. If they were going to be standing around here for a while, she might as well get in some practice with her bow. Grabbing it, and her quiver, she moved away from the camp a bit.

[Shadow Daedalus]

James Blackwall

As Elyra sat down next him, James allowed himself a small smile. The doe was cooking nicely and It was almost ready to eat. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she spoke him. "It's good to hear that, god knows what we're going to have to face out here. The better equipped we are to deal with the wounded, the more likely we can make it though this mess."

He paused for a moment to check how cooked the doe was before he looked over the fire at Jamie, seemingly sleeping against her gear before she got up with her bow in hand. Every time he looked, it looked like she'd fought another battle or gain another wound. His eyed narrowed toward Darius before he looked at his elven company. "What's going on between Jamie and that assassin? It looks like he's trying to damn near kill her and she just keeps letting it happen... What does she see in him? He's an assassin." His voice dropped and he turned away to carve off a few pieces of the doe. "Heh, not I'm one to talk. You're in love with a known criminal you're too good for..." His words were quiet, but if someone listened close enough they could here them over the fire.

Without letting Elyra reply, he handed her a few pieces of venison on a small tin plate he had borrowed from someone's camping supplies. "Here, food's ready. Can please you give these out to the others? I'll leave some for you and myself here." A small, sad smile was on his face for a moment, but he forced it away as he turned back to the roasting deer.

@Wick
@Venku

[Wick]

Elyra

Elyra heard every word of what he said and she delivered the food and came back and took her plate and his hand and pulled him a little ways off to speak to him in private. She put her plate down and said, "James, I have loved you for a long time. Yes, you have done things you might not be proud of. We all have. You are every bit good enough for me, believe me. The goodness I see in you all the time outweighs the bad things you have done. By saying that you aren't you are saying that I am making a mistake with you and I don't believe that for one minute. Please don't think that. It hurts me to think that you feel that way when it's not true." She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips.

"As for Jamie and Shadow...as weird as this sounds I think she likes him. They are a strange pair. My hope is to keep her alive and well and him alive just enough so he doesn't blow us all up." She giggled a little bit. "I have an evil side. Whenever he does something to Jamie I slingshot him in the head with a rock. I guess I'm hoping to knock some sense into him." She started to eat. "This is good."

@shadow daedalus@caits@dabombjk

[Wick]

Elyra and James

James smiled at Elyra's comment about slinging rocks into Darius's head and tried to picture the assassin's reaction before his smile fell away a little. He managed to pick himself up before she noticed it, and decided to respond to her last comment. "I'm glad it came out alright. Neither me or Aelar are particularly good cooks." He began to bite at his own piece, his plate already in his hand as he was pulled away before she had begun to speak.

Elyra smiled and looked at him as he ate. Her expression became a little somber. "I know the basics of what happened kinda sorta. What was her name? What happened?" Elyra didn't like the idea of making him rehash what happened because it obviously hurt him but at the same time the more he spoke about it the better it helped him heal. Still, it made her feel insecure talking about how much he loved a now dead woman. She couldn't compete with a ghost and it would always win.

James couldn't stop the slow exhale he felt as he thought back to the time he had rebelled. "It was what? 4 years ago? This isn't something you'll like hearing..." he paused, waiting for a confirmation of some kind.

Elyra nodded, "I know, but I should know anyway, please tell me."

He waited for a moment before he sighed to himself as he closed his eyes. "Athelia. Her name was Athelia Westward. I hadn't been a Holy Paladin for long at the time, and I was deployed to a village suspected to be harbouring a mage. That intel was... off. Turns out, it was a trap. One thing lead to the next and before I knew it, I was disarmed and at the mercy of a very irate mage." He stopped and looked up. "I thought i was dead, until that mage's daughter convinced him to spare my life, that I could change. I guess it worked. We got closer, and I tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could. But life wouldn't have it. A year later, she and her family were exposed by Empire spies. By the time I got back to her village, everyone was dead and I had to bury everything I had come to love." Small tears ran down his cheeks, not that he even noticed. His eyes burned with a long dulled rage and sadness until they passed over the elven nurse and an underlying fear eclipsed it.

"I managed to keep myself together for another year or so. But then orders came through to wipe out a village of farmers suspected to be mage sympathizers. They weren't even a threat, they simply didn't agree with the Empire's treatment of mages, yet I was sent as part of a full platoon. I couldn't do it. It reminded me of what happened too much. So I murdered my CO, stole his anti-magic sword and ran. I ran, and I fought the Empire as a mage sympathiser. It wasn't until about 9 months ago that I was finally caught. The only reason I'm not dead is because of my service record. So they forced me to train more of their magic-hating drones, to get better at killing a people that don't deserve it." He looked at Elyra with every emotion burning through his eyes. "That's why I don't deserve you. If you become my lover, they'll just use you as a leash to control me. You don't deserve to be used like that."

Elyra listened intently to every word he said. "First off, I agree with everything you did. I think I may have done worse in your situation." She took his hands in hers and she stood up in front of him and put his arms on her hips and walked into his arms. "Second, the emperor is a hateful man and I think he deserves what he dishes out. Thirdly, it might not be physical yet but I already am in my heart and no one is going to control me or you. We are strongest together and we both deserve to be happy. Don't be afraid. We'll be fine. Ok?" Elyra kissed him softly.

James couldn't say anything, he didn't trust his own voice. He simply returned the soft kiss, and when they broke it, he gripped her in a tight but tender hug, his neck bent to press his face into her shoulder despite the difference in height. A sound slipped from him he hadn't made in over 4 years. A single, broken sob. He stayed like this until he could regain his composure, taking what seemed to be an eternity but was probably less than a few minutes, and he looked straight into her eyes. "I guess we'll have to be, For each other's sakes." He softly kissed her again before he looked back in the direction of the camp. "We should head back. The group is going to be moving soon." His arms slipped from around her and took her hand with soft grip.

Elyra stopped him from going back just yet. "I should tell you something. The assassin and I are not going to get along and when we finish this thing I'm likely to have a serious confrontation with him. One that may get me killed."

The ex-templar immediately narrowed his eyes towards the camp, where Darius should've been, before he looked back at Elyra with hardened eyes. "That isn't going to happen. I don't care what I have to do, but I am not going to lose you.That snake will suffer before I'll let him." His expression softened again, if only slightly. "Besides, the Blackwall family crest is a dragon. And dragons don't lose to snakes."

He stopped for a second to give her a quick, small smirk before a curious but worried expression settled on his face. "Why do you think there'll be a confrontation?"

Elyra was very serious when she said, "Because five years ago my brother and his best friend were in the city and his friend apparently had a hit on him. I don't know why. My brother was very loyal and would not leave his friend and he killed him for no reason. I happened to show up just as my brother fell. I locked eyes with the assassin and did everything to find out who he is and I have. I told him not half an hour ago that I knew what he did." She looked down at her hands and said. "I'll keep him alive until this mission is over and we are freed from these murderous bombs but after that....I'll find a way to kill him...maybe it's just me but isn't my plotting to kill someone worse than you doing it spontaneously?" She smirked. "Maybe I don't deserve to have you?"

"Don't. Don't even start. Your hands are clean, even if you wish to dirty them. My crime is done, and I can't change that, but I swear to whatever power I need to that yours doesn't come to that. Are you really sure that you can kill him? Because the blood of another person is heavy. Heavier than I would ever want you to carry. I'll put him down myself if I can spare you from that."

She looked up at him questioningly. "You think I should let it go? Shouldn't he have to pay? I must admit I do not like the amount of energy that I've spent letting it eat at me. Does it weigh enough that he suffers from his kills or is he so cold he can't feel them any longer? Please tell me what I should do?"

James's eyes swam with sadness and fear at the prospect of her with blood on her hands. "I know that this is important for you to have closure, even revenge. I won't stop you from seeing him die. But I'll be the one to do it. Your hands are ones that should save lives, not take them, and mine are stained enough that this empty man's blood will make little difference." He stepped closer and pulled her into another hug as he bent his neck to whisper in her ear. "But that doesn't mean I won't accept you either way. Even if it's too hard for you to let go, even if you have to do it yourself, I'll still be there by your side. Even if this blood is too heavy for you, I will never stop supporting you. But at least let me try to save you first."

Elyra put her hand softly on his cheek and said, "I would have let the authorities do it but they had no proof and they couldn't catch him. Besides he is getting paid by the emperor to do this mission so I have little faith that he would punish him. I think that it is possible that now that I'm happier my need for revenge may not be as strong as it was. I don't want that put on you either. It's not your problem. I would rather let him go than to see you tormented or punished for it."

Elyra took his hand in hers and let him lead her back to the camp.

As the pair stepped back into the camp, James dropped her hand with a quick kiss before he went over and began to pack up the last of his gear into his bag. He strapped his twin swords onto his hips and quickly strapped his gauntlet onto his left arm, flexing the mechanism to let a bolt of lightning dance down into his palm. Lastly pulling the rest of his armour, he looped the red fabric of his scarf back around his shoulders before he looked over to Elyra for a second, smiling at the sight.

Elyra smiled. She looked at James and wondered how such a wonderfully sweet person ever ended up in her life. All she knew was that she was grateful that he did. While she was cleaning up the dishes and getting them repacked afterwards she was wondering what was in store for them as far as accomodations once they got to the capital for the mages' training and how long they would be there? She stole a glance at James and blushed at her own thoughts.

She sighed and looked over at Jamie and shook her head. The poor girl was likely to get killed by her own love interest.
@caits@dabombjk

[dabombjk]

Darius Montgomery

My Hider

Darius kept doing what he was doing when Gun'Tar walked over to him. When he spoke to him, Darius kept to himself while listening to him. When he finished speaking Darius turned to Gun'Tar and looked him in the eyes. He was slightly bigger up close than he had expected.

"I dont care. I have been paid to complete a mission, and I will complete it. It would be wise not to have thoughts outside of the mission like this. They can be distracting and distractions can be fatal."

Darius nearly turned away, but at the last second stopped. This was uncharacteristic of him. Damn Jamie.

"But....If I did have those thoughts.....I would say that theoretically while there is no proof I would say nothing happens in the empire and nothing the emperor does is coincidence. It is too unlikely that I came here on a random contract only to be taken captive and given another contract. It is too unlikely that an artifact of this caliber was stolen now, and we are all here. But like I said, that is just an untested theory with no facts behind."

@ashevelendar@caits@wick@shadow daedalus@gareth@venku

[Venku]

Hearing Elyra ask him if he knew how long it would take to arrive he turned towards her. "I do not know as all the maps I have seen of the kingdom were not to scale. However I do believe James or Gun'Tar may know."

As Aelar was eating William walked towards him. "I honestly am not sure but if it were to be bloodline magic it would mean that the thief would probably come after us sooner or later. I do not think the thief is The Saint I think the thief may be connected to The Saint maybe a disciple or something. Still we may be in danger either way as we have no idea what the thief needs the amulet for and we also don't know of the dangers surrounding the other pieces either."

@Caits@Ashevelendar@Wick@dabombjk@Shadow Daedalus@Gareth

[dabombjk]

Darius Montgomery

My Hider

and
Jamie

My Hider

Darius had enough of this conversation he was having Gun'Tar. Darius gave Gun'Tar a two finger salute and turned around, getting ready to start their journey by scouting ahead, when he noticed Jamie. She was off by herself shooting arrows. Darius almost turned and walked off by himself, but grunted and almost stomped his foot. He faced Jamie and walked over to, swiftly and silently. He walked up behind her, without realizing how stealthy he was naturally being, and tapped her shoulder. He had to jump back when she attacked him.

Jamie had found a good place to set up, and had began to attack a nearby tree, shooting arrows at the trunk. She had slipped into the act of shooting, and appeared to almost be in a meditative state. As something tapped her shoulder, she spun around, and nearly let the arrow she had just knocked fly. She caught herself just in time, and drawing the string back in, she took the arrow from her bow. "Do you want to get skewered?"

"If I wanted to get skewered I would have done so ages ago. There have been many opportunities."

Darius cocked his head slightly.

"You could gain more power if you did not draw your arm back as much on every shot. It is effective for one shot, but after one arrow your strength suffers."

Jamie frowned slightly, looking down at her bow, shaking her head. "I wasn't aware I was doing that." Nor had she been aware of the pain in her hands. She gave a sigh, and went to collect the arrows she had imedded in the tree. She knew she shouldn't press her luck any further with her hands, not wanting to aggrovate them and make the healing worse.

She soon returned with the arrows, and carefully checked each one, before putting them back in her quiver, "Did you want something else?" She was trying to figure out why he would come over, and couldn't come up with anything.

Darius almost sighed out loud. More talking and more explaining. He crossed his arms.

"Because I figured since we are the two rogues here, we should move on out and scout ahead. I could do it myself if you would rather not come with me."

Jamie glanced up, slightly perplexed, but she smiled and gave a shrug "Sure, I'm getting tired of staying here anyway" She slung her quiver and bow over her shoulder. does he actually wanted me to come? He came over, so... "let me get my gear"

Darius took his bow off his shoulder and held it at his side. He nodded at Jamie and walked over to the front of the main group.

"Listen up! Jamie and I are moving out and scouting the way forward for any enemy threats. You never what may happen. We wiill meet up everyone at the next rendevous point."

Darius turned around and began walking away, slowly so Jamie could catch up.

Jamie gathered her gear, nabbed a piece of the doe, and gave Elyra a hug, before starting off after Darius, breaking off a bit of the slice of meat, she carefully chewed it, soon catching up.

Likely the next rendevous point would be the next camp, later that night. She scanned their area as they left the camp, although she was sure they had already made enough noise to bring down a herd of wild animals.

Jamie cleaned her fingers using a bit of water, careful of the bandages, before putting the skin back, glancing back at the camp, she waved to their fellows.

Darius pulled out his map of the area. He saw that there was quite a distance between where they are now and where the road forked into two paths. Thats where they would wait for the rest of the group. He turned his head ever so slightly.

"Lets Go!"

Darius began walked at a normal, faster pace.

Jamie matched her pace to Darius's. Jamie was quite content to walk along in silence, yet she couldn't help herself to ask "Why did you want me along?" After all, Darius had seemed more like the lone wolf type. His actions certainly showed that. Perhaps she just wanted to see his reaction, or what he'd say.

Darius glanced at Jamie and said nothing. He didnt owe her any explanation. Why would he. But the truth was even he was confused as to why he brought her with him. Darius went a few minutes without saying anything, or looking at her, then spoke softly.

"I realized......that there is a reason why we have a group. This cant be done solo. So why not. I mean what explanation do you want from?"

As the minutes ticked by, Jamie assumed he wasn't going to respond, which was answer enough for her. "That's a good explanation, but you could have taken any of them. One of the mages, even" Although what she'd seem with Elyra's behaviour towards Darius, and then what was between Elyria and james, perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn't thought to take James. "I mean" She said, with a smile and a soft laugh "All I do is annoy you"

"You are annoying. You talk big, but have no idea what the dark side of this world has to offer. You antagonize then allow your feelings to be hurt. Then you-...."

Darius stopped himself midsentence and calmed himself. What was it about this women that made him so damn emotional?

"Don't stop" Jamie said with amusement, before shaking her head and saying "I know about the dark side of this world. I didn't start doing this sort of thing, after all." She found she didn't like being treated like she was innocent, niave. "I've been doing this for 14 years. And who said my feelings were hurt?"

She glanced to Darius, wondering if perhaps she was getting to him more then she thought.

Darius shook his head.

"You dont though. How many times have you had to gut a man, and watch him bleed on to the street? Steal to eat? To survive?"

Darius thought he saw something in the distance and aimed his bow, but after a second he lowered it. Just his imagination.

"What have you done that was so dark that you could never tell a living soul?"

Jamie flinched as if slapped, and looked away. "I may not have had the same experiences as you, but that doesn't mean I don't know" She said softly after a few moments.

She looked about them, but didn't let her gaze fall back on Darius.

"I was ten, and they were killing the scouting party. So I took my bow, and killed them, instead. That was my first kill, it wasn't my last, it wasn't the worst, and no doubt there will be others.

Don't assume I don't know the darkness thats in this world, because I know more than you think"

Darius stopped walking, turned to Jamie, and instantly notched an arrow and put the tip of it right in front of Jamie.

"So you have seen some darkness. More or less one shadow. Do you know how many lives ive taken? For no sense of code or justice, no greater good and i didnt defend anyone, I did it for money. I could kill you right now and not care if I died along with you. That is darkness. You have only tasted it."

"I said it wasn't the worst I've done, didn't I? Yes, maybe I haven't killed like you have, and I don't do it for money. There are other ways to see the darker side of the world.

I grow weary of your death threats." She took a step to the side, and kept on walking, "I'm well aware you could kill me. you've shown that plenty of times, the only thing is, I wasn't particularly trying to stop you, was I?" She didn't care if that agitated him.Didn't care if he took that as a challenge or not.

She was tired of this constant...constant assuming she was just a little girl that didn't know better.

Darius released his arrow and put it back into his quiver. He walked up to Jamie and then jumoe din front of her. He stopped her, grabbing her by her shirt forcefully.

"Ok fine. Enough with the charade, let us drop it. Who are you?"

Jamie blinked. She had to be someone? "I'm a farmers daughter. My brother taught me how to use a sword, and my father the bow. I snuck out, and did what I wanted. Sometimes that meant killing. Sometimes it meant stealing. Sometimes it just meant having fun. Somewhere along the line, I attracted the citadel's attention and here I am"

She was perplexed. She shook her head, and said "I have no charade. So far, I haven't said a single lie, and why would I? I'm proud of where I've come from"

"No that is not what I met, although you seem very familiar at times. I meant who are you? Why are you? You say you have done seen this worlds darkness, but you havent. What have you seen? Why do you-"

Darius let go of Jamie and flexed his fists in frustration.

"You are the most frustrating women I have ever had the misfortune of not being able to kill. With your words, and kissing."

Jamie blinked, and shifted when he freed her. "I have seen darkness, and no offense, but I'd rather not share it right now. Not only because you wouldn't believe me, but simply because I just don't want to"

She straightened her shirt, adjusting her bow and quiver, and her pack.

"Good. I mean to be frustrating" She looked up ahead, then back "Why is the kissing frustrating?"

Darius opened his mouth to speak, then stopped and slightly glanced away.

Jamie turned, so she could see him properly, raising an eyebrow in question. "What, out of words or actions? That must be a first" She said, "Maybe I should refreash your memory, would that help?" She moved, not waiting for an answer, and kissed him once more, an almost passionate kiss drawn on by her own frustration and anger.

Darius was shocked more than anything. He stood there as Jamie kissed him, unsure of what to do. For a moment, all of his surroundings dissapeared, a very dangerous thing for an assassin. Panic began building Darius and he almost tried to break free. Darius grabbed Jamie by her shoulders, but the strangest thing occured. He did not push her away, but in fact tightend his grip on her. He began to kiss Jamie back.....feriously.

Jamie expected to be pushed aside, to maybe be attacked. Certainly what she never expected was to be held tighter, and for Darius to actually return the kiss. But she wasn't complaining. She broke the kiss after a few moments, "So you can learn.Finally figured out what to do, huh?" She flashed him a smile.

Darius hid his emotions behind a mental wall, and let go of Jamie more forcefully than he intended. He took a step back. His face was calm, his demeanor relaxed, but the same could not be said for what was raging inside of him. Darius realized he dropped his bow near him when he.....had done......"that" with Jamie. Darius kept still.

One step forward, two steps back Jamie thought to herself as she watched Darius. He almost seemed like a little child caught doing something bad. Which was oddly sweet. Shaking her head wearily, she said "Come on. At this rate the rest of the group will be on us" She didn't say anything else, starting to walk once again.

Darius watched as Jamie walked past him, and he came to his sense. Darius quickly grabbe dhis bow off the ground and followed after Jamie, catching up and taking point. Every once in awhile though occaisonally there hands or legs would brush against each other while they walked together. Neither said anything about it.

@ashevelendar@caits@wick@shadow daedalus@gareth@venku

[dabombjk]

.

[Wick]

The road to Milas

Elyra finished packing up and looked around the camp in case anything was missed. Seeing that everything was well she went back over to Gun'tar and said, "It looks like we are ready to go. Everything is packed." Elyra looked at Aelar who was almost ready and James who had finished and was waiting. She turned around looking for William and soon spotted him and Razer.

"I'm a little concerned about Jamie on her own with Shadow. I don't want to be too far behind them just in case they fight again."

James looked towards the treeline the pair had disappeared into and frowned slightly. He was worried too, but he knew that the assassin wasn't foolish enough to forget what would happen if either of them died. It didn't do much to alleviate his concern, but at least he wasn't worried about having his heart explode, or worse, Elyra's. "Unfortunately, There's little we can do. They're scouting ahead but none of us can really keep up with them."

Gun'Tar just grunted and said to James " Nor some of us care if we can keep up with them. They just better not go to far, I can't stand to have headaches and I don't want to die just yet."

William simply nodded and said to Elyra " My lady, don't worry. They shall not fight again, hopefully. They both know what would happen if they kill each other and Shadow doesn't look like the kind of guy that would kill himself. I guess. We Magi don't get to interact too much with other people. So, why have you agreed to join the Citadel? You don't seem the person that could hate someone for just being born with something they didn't ask for. "

Elyra calmly said, "Are you telling me that if we get too far from them we will get headaches?" She could tell by his expression that they would. She sighed. "Another nice detail no one ever mentioned. Then maybe we should start moving faster." Elyra took James' hand and started walking.

"William I joined the citadel to help the injured and sick but I was allowed to because of my father's wealth and prestige. I don't hate magi or anyone else for that matter. There is only one person I hate." Her expression was somber and serious.

"Then why not kill him? That's how people from the Empire deal with things from what I understood. "

"Because if I do our heads will explode."

" So. It's someone from our merry band of heroes . That's bad. My lady, you don't deserve to be with us. You shouldn't be condemned to death with us because something tells me...only death awaits us in the Wasteland. That's what people say, anyway. "

"I'm not giving up hope that we all will live. However, I can hope desperately that the devil takes his child back to hell with him and leaves the rest of us alone. I have no idea what I did to get put into this group but I mean to do my best to see us through it. I'm not looking at it as a death sentence." She squeezed James' hand.

James gave her a small smile as reassurance, before his head turned to the gargantu. "The Wasteland isn't some plain of nightmares to be feared. I've been to more than enough battlefields to know that. If you think that we're ill-equipped to deal with this threat, you obviously have less faith in your glorious Ascended Templar than you let on. Me? I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but I'm not going to let him beat me. I'm going to get through this, and I'm going to do it with as many of us as I can."

"I agree with James, while there are many dangers in The Wasteland it is definitely possible for us to survive and even thrive if we stay cautious and use the abilities we have. In fact in some ways the Wasteland is the perfect place for mages and warriors to hone their skills. In fact I have heard rumors of there being ruins that contain both magical heritage and enchanted weapons left there after the war, most of what was easy to obtain has already been taken by the Empire." Aelar added.

Gun'Tar frowned at James. " Kid, you don't know what you are talking about do you? I was there when it happened. I was there after it happened. I saw the Wall being raised from the ground. Believe me when I say that only death awaits us there. That place is as cursed as all the Magi. I believe in the vision of the Empire , James. I believe what it stands for, I believe the vision of the great Empire that was sold to every single soldier before the war began. I wanted that, I still want to but this mission? To fight side by side with Magi? Something is wrong."

William nodded and Aelar's words. "That may be but it's still dangerous and remember if any of us die, we all die. That means the danger is much higher than ever before if Elyra gets killed, we all die. She is the only non-combatant here, so if anything happens we all flock around her and protect her. James, I guess you will keep her safe.

I know my lady that you can protect yourself but it's better that way." He took a pause and heard what Gun'Tar said and he just had to reply. "Yeah. Something is wrong, Gun'Tar. You are the problem here with that attitude. You are the only one here that believes in this "vision" of your great Empire. You say that Magi should all be killed or imprisoned because of what? Being born as we are? Because some Magi decided they were "Gods" one hundred years ago? Really? That's your reason ?!" William was yelling by now.

Aelar jumped in as William finished saying his piece. "Gun'Tar while I understand you have hatred for Magi as you were around one hundred years ago during the war what crime has any of today's Magi done to deserve imprisonment from birth? Has a baby tried to kill a village just because he was born with magical attunement? No, not one of us has ever done anything to harm the Empire in fact if it weren't for the fact I was born a mage I would probably be a Templar myself. However if you insist on hating us all fine I have no control over you and I don't wish to. You don't undestand what it means to be hated by all just because of something you had no control over" Aelar sighed as he said the last part the negative feelings he usually attempted to suppress running in his mind.

Gun'Tar stomped the ground. " You keep talking about how is not your fault that you were born like this. Do you know how it is to loose hundreds of your friends because someone decided they are too insignificant to live? Do you know how it is to see your mother and father die in front of your eyes because a Mage decided they are Gods? And don't let me get to start talking about Milas. The very city we are going right now. Do you know what happened to it? Do you know how it was obliterated by who knows what because some Magi decided they are Gods? Men, women, children and all the animals killed just like that. All in one night. Put yourselves in our place. What would you do to someone with the power to do that because they are bored? Huh?" Gun'Tar was also screaming.

"Both of you! Shut! The! Fuck! Up!" James half-roared at the pair. While he was certainly more inclined to take the side of the half-elf, the bickering was grating at his nerves. "We can have this discussion later." He looked at Elyra apologetically for a second. "Sorry about that..." He whispered.

Elyra smiled at James and heard something in the distance behind them. She stopped and walked backwards to the back of the group. She soon saw who it was and stepped towards her concerned. "Maren? Why are you here what is it?"

Maren took a moment to catch her breath. "Your father, told me you were going on some quest or something. He was worried so I left my father a note and came out to go with you." Elyra looked at her startled.

"No! You must go back this is dangerous. Too dangerous." Maren got that stubborn look in her eye that Elyra knew too well and she sighed as her cousin got ready to dig her heels in. Elyra sighed defeated already and grabbed her and hugged her. "If you get killed I'm not telling your father." Maren chuckled. "I don't plan on getting killed." Elyra sighed, "No one ever does."

Elyra brought her forward up by James and the others. "This is my cousin Maren. She is bound and determined to come with me. Don't try to talk her out of it the last time she just followed me behind bushes until she fell out of a tree." Maren giggled.

James blinked at the introduction before he raised an eyebrow. He let it drop as he began to speak. "James Blackwall. I'm mainly a frontline fighter for the group."

Gun'Tur just grunted and said " Nice. Someone else to babysit. I'm Gun'Tar. "

William shook his head at Gun'Tar's words. "I'll say sorry for him m'lady. He is the group's idi--I mean the group's full loyalist." William extends a hand towards Maren and continues talking." I'm William Mortalis at your service. I'm one of the two...Magi of the group and before you ask...no we are not hunted by anyone. We are sent by someone and no we won't kill you and use your body parts for our "rituals". " said William trying to joke.

"Nice, Mortalis. Freak her out a bit more why don't you?" James sighed to himself.

"Nice to meet you Maren, I am Aelar Starseeker. I am the other mage in the group. I specialize in support magic and swordsmanship." Aelar introduced himself. 'She really is Elyra's cousin all right. are all Navarr clan daughters beautiful?' he thought.

Maren looked at James and nodded but when Gun'tar spoke she narrowed her eyes at being called a baby. She chuckled at William's slip of the tongue and James retort. When she heard Aelar speak she looked over at him and his eyes caught her attention. She extended her hand to Aelar and smiled.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Aelar? what kind of support magic?" Elyra smiled when Maren fell into line and started walking next to Aelar. He was a nice guy and she wouldn't have to worry about Maren.....just Aelar.

A bit startled by Maren extending her hand Aelar took her hand and awkwardly shook it. He was surprised both by the fact that she took initiative to make contact with him, most people he knew would do the opposite, and that she was interested in his magic. "I currently know two spells one of which is a basic healing spell while the other is a sense enhancing spell which I am currently only able to cast on myself. I would've learned more but two spells is the limit for magi kept in the citadel, which is part of the reason I secretly took up the sword."

Maren smiled. "I am proficient in the staff and archery. My father said even princesses needed to know how to defend themselves. I wish I could cast spells. Elyra would have killed me by now if I could though...."

" Well your father ... wait did you just say you are the princess of the Navarr clan?" Aelar was caught off guard by Maren's casual revelation.

"Yes, I did, it's really more of a hindrance than anything. I can't do anything without someone telling my father. I'd rather be like Elyra in that respect."

" I understand how you feel being born under certain conditions can really be a burden. Trust me when I say being able to cast magic isn't really desirable especially for one with a free spirit, however even if you did have magical abilities I doubt Elyra would treat you any different than she treats everyone else, with kindness." Smiling at Maren's mischevious personality.

Maren chuckled. "She isn't always so nice. I once took her slingshot and she nearly beat me silly then she slung rocks at my butt for a week."

Aelar couldn't stop himself from laughing, "Hahaha... Well her slingshot seems to be important to her so I can see where she was coming from."

Maren stopped and grabbed Aelar's arm to hold him back for a minute. Once Elyra was out of ear shot she started walking again. "I need your help. Being a mage you'll know and you seem like I can trust you. Can I?"

"Of course as long as it is within my ability and isn't meant to harm innocents I will help you. And you definitely can trust me." Although startled Aelar was definitely willing to help.

Maren looked at Elyra and looked up at Aelar. "Elyra's father did something that got her put here and when he went to the ascended templar about it they put him in one of the prison cells. He's been sentenced to die. How do I tell her that?" Maren had tears in her eyes.

Speechless for a moment Aelar took time to gather his thoughts."We definitely need to tell her and the longer we hold the information the more it will hurt when we tell her. I think we have no good option but the least harmful would be to tell her right away"

"Come on guys we are getting further behind. We need to pick up the pace, I'm getting a headache."

As they walked, James slipped his hand into Elyra's and smiled a little at her. "Those two seem to be getting on well." He jerked his head towards Maren and Aelar for a second. "Is she usually this stubborn though? She knows how dangerous this is, right?"

Elyra shook her head. "Nope, I told her it was dangerous, too dangerous and she is the most stubborn person I know so it won't matter. She won't listen though so it's of no use. Of all the people to show up..." Elyra was plainly exasperated. "Poor Aelar." She chuckled a little.

"Was she like this when you were little? I've never had siblings, or if I did I was too young to remember them."

"Yes, more so. She was spoiled because of being a princess so she was rarely told no. When they did she didn't listen. She has always been headstrong and a bit of a daredevil. I was going to the city with friends once and she was told no but she followed us anyway and hopped from bush to bush hiding almost the entire time. She climbed a tree to avoid us seeing her and when she fell out of it, needless to say I had to give up my trip and take her home." Elyra shook her head. "We are close but she frustrates me."

He laughed slightly at the story, but didn't say anything for a second. He instead looked up, at the trees as he remembered something. "I used to do the same when I was very young to my old Master. He wasn't as... forgiving though. Intense training for a week." He lowered his head again and looked at Elyra. "I don't mind if she's a princess but I'm not going to call her one. Behind her title, she's just another woman. Is that a problem for you?" He asked, his voice slightly softer.

Elyra smiled happily. "No, I think that is wise and she should be treated like everyone else. I don't think I want her near Gun'tar though. He doesn't seem to like anyone here but me, and sometimes I wonder about that. Maren can push buttons and anger people."

"Hmm. That could be a valid point... That delusional rock-brain is very singluar with his opinions, and she might get onto his bad side quickly. God knows it's a mile long and hard to miss."

Elyra laughed heartily "You are so very right."

Maren ran up to Elyra and James with Aelar right behind her. "I need to talk to you right now. It can't wait."

Elyra stopped and looked at her. "What's wrong Maren? I can see it in your face."

Maren took a deep breath and said, "Your father did something that got you assigned here." Elyra nodded. "I figured as much but- " Maren blurted out, "When he found out you were going to the wasteland he confronted the Ascended Templar and they threw him in prison. He is set to die, tomorrow."

Elyra blinked a moment and she started to run back to the city. Her instincts were to help her father. Tears were running down her face.

James's reaction was so fast it was as if he had teleported instead of ran. Within moments, he was behind her, arms wrapped around her as she struggled against his grip. "Elyra! Elyra, listen damn it! I know you want to help him, but there is nothing we can do! By the time we get there, it'll be too late!"

"MAREN!" Elyra yelled and Maren ran over to her. "When did you know this information?" James grip was still tight on her. "About ten minutes before I left to come here. My father is trying to get him out but.....Your father was really rude and the Ascended Templar was set on making an example out of him." Elyra eyed her cousin and she stopped fighting and turned in James arms and buried her face in his chest. She let him lead her towards Guntar who had not stopped.

Aelar didn't look to good. Maren asked him. "Are you okay?"

' We need to get closer to the others." He said while holding his head as the headache got worse.

Maren grabbed Aelar's hand and said, "Come on James!" She started running with no idea why just that it seemed important. "Why does that have anything to do with the headaches? What is going on?"

The swordsman nodded at her before he looked at Elyra. "We need to catch up with the others. Can you run?" He locked eyes with Aelar for a moment. "Try to explain it to her as quickly as you can."

Elyra nodded and let James pull her with him and they ran. Maren looked at Aelar as they ran.

"Simply put everyone in this group has a magical bomb inside them that goes off for everyone if one of us dies or deserts If we get too far away we get headaches that get progressively worse." He told Maren as they ran forward.

Maren was shocked but she ran faster and pulled Aelar. "Come on then! Who would do such a.....nevermind I already know."

They caught up to Gun'tar and realized that the headaches were backing off. Maren looked over at Elyra who for all intents and purposes was suffering her father's death already. Maren dropped Aelar's hand for a moment and hugged her cousin tightly. Elyra sobbed on her shoulder. Maren kept them moving so they didn't get behind.

If Elyra hadn't needed her she would have gone back and found a way to kill the ascended templar herself. After a few minutes Elyra let go of Maren and held onto James' hand. Maren drifted back to Aelar and took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Thanks for helping me with that. I just can't think of ........this whole thing is crazy! We should never have come near the citadel should have just stayed at home in the clan." Maren declared.

Lightly squeezing Maren's hand Aelar turned to her, "That may be but there is nothing we can do to change the past, that is why we must do all we can to control our present and future while learning from the past. Just remember even the worst things make you stronger when you come through them and there is always a silver lining."

Maren looked at him and asked him, "Is that so? Where is the silver lining in Elyra's father getting killed?" She crossed her arms stubbornly.

" I don't know maybe the fact the Ascended Templar did not choose to kill her and the rest of us as well. All I know is that we will come out of this more mentally prepared to attempt to take revenge. My reason for living is to keep my friends and those important to me alive and kill those who harm them. Right now I can only do the first part."

"From where I'm standing it sure looks like you aren't going to have a very long life, any of you. That being the case I would say start working on your bucket list and do the things you want to before you die!" Maren argued loudly.

"Ok" Aelar said as he kissed her before she could react. It was the first time he had kissed someone and the sensation blew him away. He lingered savoring the feeling, her lips were sweet like a sugar apple. He slowly pulled back looking into Maren’s eyes. “Sorry, but you are right I am probably going to die soon so I shouldn’t hold myself back.”

Maren's reaction was kind of funny. She'd never been kissed before. Most boys were intimidated by her. She looked a little dazed then she pulled him back and kissed him back. When she pulled away they both seemed dazed and they held hands and just followed Elyra and James.

Collaboration with@Ashevelendar @Shadow Daedalus @Venku

@dabombjk@caits@gareth

[Wick]

Shopping in Milas

collab with @venku

When they could see that they were approaching Milas Maren hung back a little so she could speak to Aelar privately. As he was holding her hand it made it easier. She seems a little nervous about how to say it. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Well from the short while I have known you you have displayed yourself as loving, caring, loyal, and considerate. You also are not biased against magi as many are and you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Then you also said that I should start doing things i want to before death, so I decided to be straightforward with my feelings." Aelar said while watching Maren's face to see her reaction. "Why did you kiss me back?"

Maren blushed and looked up at him a little sideways. "I liked it when you kissed me." She paused a little and asked, "You think I'm beautiful?"

"I'd have to be blind not to." Aelar responds with a smile.

Maren blushed so much she had to look away. "We are almost to Milas. What are we doing there?"

"We will be joining a caravan on its way to a town on the border of the Wasteland. From there we will be heading to find the pieces of an ancient amulet that the Magi of one hundred years ago used to power thier defenses. The main piece was stolen the day before yesterday from the Citadel by someone who was apparently a powerful mage." Aelar quickly summarized the current situation.

Maren yelled over the noisy crowds and Elyra and James stopped and waited. Elyra sounded deflated and depressed. "I need to stop and get some supplies. Hold the caravan for us and do you need anything from there?" Elyra didn't even speak she just shook her head.

Maren looked at James and said, "We'll hurry. Come on Aelar!" She practically yanked his arm out of the socket when she jerked him away so fast.

Aelar quickly began to rush with Maren towards the markets. [color=silver]"What kind of supplies are we looking for?"[/silver] he asked as they squeezed through the crowded streets.

"Well....we need a horse to carry everything. I'm not a pack mule and I'm not going to try to be one. We need blankets, cooking stuff. food a tent for bad weather or privacy and I need some clothes that will be easier to move around in. Also some climbing gear just in case. We are going to be in and around the mountains there. And I left my bow and arrows at home so I'll need another set." she remembered something he had said. "I don't need to use the money from the templars I have plenty on my own. Do you need anything?" Maren asked him. "Make sure you tell me, this will likely be our last chance to get supplies."

"Actually there are a couple of things, I have trained in the sword but I have none of my own. Also my magi robes are not quite the best clothing for fighting. I have an idea of what kind of sword I need to suit my fighting style." Aelar said.

Maren smiled. "Let's go get the horse first." Once there Maren argued the price with the man selling the horse and then they went to the blacksmith's and got Aelar the perfect sword for him. It was beautiful and balanced perfectly. He seemed really happy with it. From there they went to get clothes for them both for the trip and personal care items. Maren realized she didn't even have a hair brush with her. After that they got the rest of the gear they would need, pots and pans and a few dishes as well as blankets, gloves, a tent (2-4 people at most) and food. When they returned to the area where the caravan was they were both in new clothes. Elyra was glad that they didn't have to depend on Gun'tar to pull the supplies any longer. She hooked the travois to the horse and that left Gun'tar free to stretch and wander about.

@Ashevelendar@shadow daedalus@dabombjk @gareth@caits