[IC] The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Redwater Point
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

The knights reactions were swift, effective. Ethelred’s lance would not find the intended target of the larger fomorian, by the time he had charged the thing was already leaping towards the two wayward children. The lesser fomorians, barely managed to get out of the way, Ethelred catching one under the hooves of his steed while impaling a second on his lance.

The lanky fomorian was only stopped mid-air by Reinhardt’s harpoon as it impaled the thing in its chest and was pulled away mid leap, sending the creature hurtling to the ground and pulled towards Reinhardt with a pained shriek. Not out however, it would quickly scramble to its feet, leaping towards its assailant, claws bared to dig into Reinhardt’s neck and shoulders and teeth to mangle his face.

Unfortunately for the others, they would be caught up in marduk’s assault - the half elf leaped right into the middle of their formation, scattering them from the sudden appearance of a third foe. They’d quickly recover, though, as his staff would connect with the skull of a second, sending it to the ground as the remaining four would in turn focus on him. One of the smaller ones carrying a fell colored blade aimed to attack him head on, the second deciding towards flanking from the side with its own blade.

This however, left the third remaining one…to focus on the children.

“Guh…I-I’m not scared of you!” The young boy with the sword would hold his ground as they’d approach. It attempted to swing at the boy, only to be met with the clang of steel as the boy’s blade was effortlessly cast aside as the fomorian cackled wickedly, preparing a follow up strike.

---

@Pyromania99
Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

Ah, it smelled so good. There was something special about the atmosphere and general feel of a slightly cramped dinner hall that she could never get tired of. Probably due to her own upbringing and her past, really. She’d inhale the scent of cooked meat, listening and following Luna to as they’d come to the kitchen. Ah, it all smelled so good. She’d hover over where they were cooking the various cuts of mutton, deer and wild boar common in Albion. She’d look less like a queen and more like a kid watering over a piece of candy…in fact it Luna could almost imagine she saw a tail wagging back and forth like some sort of excited puppy.

An excitement that completely disappeared when Luna handed her the bowl of stew.

What were these horrible green things…

“Luna you know d-ahem-I don’t normally eat plants.” She’d say, fidgeting on the spot as she’d hold the bowl some distance from her. “I-In fact you could say I am allergic to vegetables. Please remove these from the bowl and fetch me a nice, fresh, juicy cut of meat hm? Maybe add some bread? I wouldn’t mind a fresh potato.” The Queen met Luna's stare with a friendly smile of her own. “Yes, this is also an order from your humbly beautiful queen to her knight. Get to it, go on~”

@VitaVitaAR

---

“...hm? Like…what?” The maid tilted her head slightly, moving the heart away from Fio just slightly. “Oh…this? Its…cursed? Oh, good…I thought it might have gotten…un-cursed somehow…” The sickly maid covered her mouth with her free hand again to mask a…muffled laugh? “Mhm? Why do you look…perturbed?” She’d proceed to pull the heart closer to her chest, shoving her hand and the organ both inside of a small cutout in her dress that was fairly cleverly concealed by overlapping fabric.

“Mhm…Sucaria. Maid of the Lightsword family…” She’d remove her hand from her dress, revealing it now empty save for the blood that drenched it. In fact, now that she had time to look there were splotches of blood all over her dress. Her non-bloodied hand would hold a cloth up to her mouth, cleaning the small trickle of blood from her cheek. “Can…I help you…? You seem confused…Or do you want to see it again?” She’d stand there, sleepily waiting for instruction, using the cloth to clean her hands. Surprisingly the cloth itself didn’t seem to get dirty no matter how much she used it to clean up.

“...I know where almost…every book in the library is located, if that’s what you’re here for…” She’d tiredly state. “Also…somewhat good with magic if you need something done…”

@FrogRFlowR

---

“Hm…scout the exterior, huh. Alright, sure I’ll-” But he was off before Gabe could finish his sentence. The Lightsword knight watched in a mildly impressed manner as Niall ran off, a small smile creeping over his features as he’d chuckle…and start doing as he was asked too. Shouldn’t be too hard, hm?

Niall swiftly approached the front entrance, the cover of night obscuring him from the bandits rather lax lookouts. He could vaguely makeout a brief conversation between the two.

“Can you believe it? We actually caught the guy.” One of them said with a chuckle.

“What ya think they’re gonna do with him?”

“Same thing they do with the rest of them, what else-ah?!”

A brief moment, and the cloud of darkness would fall over them, their conversation interrupted as a dark cloud fell over the moon obscuring their vision even more. A cold wind blew past them, Niall expertly lunging past before the two could barely register what was happening…but he was in, but as soon as the cloud of darkness passed, seconds later the two guards looked up towards the sky. No clouds they could see.

“...oi, go tell the other guards on the walls about this and go inform Annagan.”

“...ahaha, you can’t be serious? You think one of those humans would-”

“Shut your mouth! Just do as your told.”

Niall would have no trouble finding a decent place to hide. Behind the hastily constructed wooden shelters and the canvas tents the bandits had set up, was a perch for a lookout and a sniper, thankfully unoccupied. Leaping atop its roof, it was far from the highest point in the camp - but here he had a much better view of the happenings.

The camp was roughly rectangular on one end, and circular on the other. The entrance he had come in was one from the eastern side, and the other was on the north. The rock that sat at the back of the camp was the west with the southern side seemingly having to entrance or exit at all, blocked completely by palisades. About four lookout towers including the one he was on, some covered, some not, dotted the wall. Two were occupied.

As far as buildings went, there were about five temporary tents made of a variety of materials, and three temporary somewhat large wooden shacks put together by the bandits, no doubt made from trees in the area. There didn’t seem to be much organization to their layout, the only noticeable thing was the clear path down the center that lead towards the back of the camp towards the rock wall where the largest building was. Built into the rock face was a large wooden building, built a bit off the ground and decorated a bit lavishly with hunting trophies.

A majority of the bandits were gathered around a large bonfire where they were busy enjoying themselves with food, and…well, more than a little drink. It was hard to get a full count since not all were likely in the open, but he could at least count at least two dozen outside.

Curiously, towards the large house in the back, seemed to be a one stationed as a guard outside a small dug out place that seemed to lead towards some sort of basement.

Sadly though, there did not seem to be many weaknesses he could exploit from out here. Their defenses weren’t anything spectacular, but they weren’t exactly bad either, it seemed. He had a layout now, and a good grasp of their numbers. Unless there was something he wished to investigate in particular, now was likely a good idea to finish before he got caught…

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred managed to spear one of the creatures on his lance and catch another beneath his mount's hooves. After charging through, he turned his horse around, and shook his lance to cast off the impaled Fomorian. He didn't have time to freeze his foe, but with such a large hole punched through such a comparatively small Fomorian, it probably wouldn't be walking away.

Ethelred's companions had joined the fray and struck at the Fomorians whom the Frozen Knight had missed. However, there was still one left, and it had decided to ignore the knights altogether in favor of attacking the child. Ethelred was aghast at this, that a creature would be so dedicated to inflicting pain and suffering on others that, upon being attacked and having their fellows killed just a few paces away, their only concern is trying to kill a child, with no sense of self-preservation. This Fomorian was clearly either extremely dedicated to its task of killing the child, or more likely, simply possessed by a mad, destructive depravity. In either case, it needed to be dealt with.

Ethelred galloped towards the Fomorian, swinging his lance like a sword at the Fomorian just as it prepared to strike the boy. He needed to kill or subdue the monster as quickly as possible, before it had the opportunity to hurt those children.

@Guy0fV4lor@Cu Chulainn@Rune_Alchemist

[Cu Chulainn]

To Battle

---

The two Fomorians that surrounded Marduk would quickly be met with retaliation for their futile effort. The brazen fool who had rushed the warrior head-on would be met wit the end of Marduk's staff lunged into his face with enough force to knock him back a few yards, if not kill him outright. As for the one who had chosen to flank Marduk, he would simply step to the side, sweeping his already outstretched staff towards its direction and slamming it into its side. Its blade would simply meet Marduk's cloak, the elf being too quick to be dealt with by such a rudimentary flank.

As he glanced across the field, however, Marduk would soon notice that the others weren't having as easy of a time as Marduk was in their respective battles. While the frozen knight seemed to have the safety of the children already covered, it seems that the brutish knight was having a bit more trouble with his adversary. Noting this, Marduk quickly moved to end the engagement he was currently in. With a series of strikes to its legs and arms, Marduk quickly crushed the limbs of the Fomorian he was facing before kicking him in the chest, away from the elf. Diverting his attention away from the glorified torso of his own making, Marduk then took a deep breath as he began to draw upon his Leargas once more.

Before he fully committed to his trance, however, Marduk, instead chose to end the battle without the aid of his ancestors. He would run towards Reinhardt, his staff clutched tightly in one of his hands. As he closed the distance between himself and his ally, Marduk would grasp his staff with his other hand, winding it up for a strike. Utilizing the momentum of his charge and his sheer strength, the Elf would swing for the Fomorian's head as it was essentially held in place.

Once more, Marduk wished to play baseball, except now he is taking the position of the batter.

[VitaVitaAR]

"..."

It was clear the person she was dealing with was...

Perhaps abnormal was the best word for it. She couldn't be entirely certain, but going off of her strange, sickly state, the fact she could freely remove her heart and put it back in, and the fact her own blood seemed to dot her outfit all indicated to her that she would absolutely be dead on the spot if not for whatever curse was currently inhabiting her heart. A curse that the inflicted actually found to be beneficial?

If not for how incredibly squeamish the sight of the heart made her feel, Fio would almost have wanted to see it again just to understand. But the fact it made her feel ill just to see it, as well as the embarrassment she felt over her initial panic, made it impossible.

"No," she said, "I most certainly do not need to see that again!"

Fio paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. The assistance from someone who knew the library certainly would be useful, but why did she have to introduce herself like that?

The Sword Witch cleared her throat.

"I have plenty of questions, but first I'm looking for any books you might have relating to Fomorians, specifically any factions formed by them," she brushed her hair back over her shoulder as she spoke, "If you have any related to anything called the 'Wings of Dark' that would be especially useful."

@Rune_Alchemist

[FrogRFlowR]

So they were smarter than Niall thought. It seemed they suspected something was afoul when his darkness dissipated, but they still did not see him or knew for certain someone got it, so he was still safe.

While the camp was ordinary enough, it was well protected by it's location. Assaulting it would be difficult, as he previously thought. If there had been nothing else, Niall might have called it enough and head back top the meetup point, but something the guards said caught his attention. They apparently had a prisoner, or at least someone they kept somewhere and planned to "do something with him". MIxed with the basement entrance that was guarded, Niall's curiosity was picked. Furthermore if it turned out to be something or someone that could jeopardize a future mission on this camp, he'd rather bring the information back to the Queen.

With the moon still high, Niall decided he would attempt to gather more information. Stealthily, he made his way across camp through elevated position or by sneaking between tents, whichever was more practical. He would use his Eye of Night only if absolutely necessary, seeing as how the two others seemed to think something was amiss. Then again, the one sin the camp seemed far too busy to drink and revel around the campfire. Once close to the entrance of the possible basement, Niall went high and scouted around to make sure the guard was alone before striking. He threw his land into the ground close by the guard, hopefully forcing him to look in the direction of the noise at the very least, then Niall would drop but a second later behind the distracted guard and take him out silently. He would then grab the body atop his shoulder and head into the basement. Before he was too deep, he propped the body against the wall inside as if the man was sleeping, which he might as well be since Niall did not kill him, only knocked him out.

Only then would he head further in.

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Redwater Point
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

Ethelred turned, facing the fomorian just as it made its first strike against the child who barely had enough strength to deflect it and leaving him completely open to the fell creatures follow up strike -

“Ggggrrrk-!”

Ethelred charged at the creature, his lance once more striking true just as the blade would swing downwards and impaling the fomorian on it. The ice covered armament slammed into the fomorian sending it stumbling away from the children and Ethelred both as it clutched its chest, gurgling in pain, small crystals of ice forming on its body from the impact. The two children took several quick steps away from both the Fomorian and Ethelred both, obviously put off by his appearance as the boy regained his composure, holding his sword defensively in front of them again.

“...w-who…w-what are you!?” He’d ask.

“Brother…I think he saved us…”

“...A-are…you a knight from Harzel, mister?” He’d nervously ask.

Marduk, meanwhile…was playing ball. The Lanky fomorian that Reinhardt had decided to wrestle with was proving far more of a challenge then he might have initially thought. It had lunged towards Reinhardt, barely missing the stalwart knight as its claws dug into his skin…but attempting to latch onto Reinhardt and claw his throat out, left it open to swift retaliation from the Elf.

crack

There was a sickening crack as staff met fomorian skull, the fomorian flying a fair bit of distance from the duo as it would land rather roughly right on top of a pile of rubble under a half decayed building…that would subsequently cause the rest of the roof to fall onto it.

---

@Pyromania99
Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

Vegetables are for peasants

“Apologies, Your Majesty, however… Sometimes, a Knight must not follow their master’s orders when said master’s best interest is in mind.” Luna said, firmly yet gently pushing the bowl back towards the Queen. “I insist, you should eat more than just meat and bread.” Luna seemed confident that she could get the Queen to eat the leafy greens somehow.

“But meat and bread is the only food I-nnnngggh-” The Queen responded with a huff, grabbing the bowl and staring at the contents in a somewhat disgusted manner. It was soon followed by a crackle of energy, a bolt of lightning seemingly zapping the bowl and its contents, burning it all and sending the bowl flying out of the queen's hands.

“...see?” The queen responded, holding in what seemed to be a fit of laughter. “Allergic. They just spontaneously combust when I touch them.” She’d clasp her hands together, holding them to the side of her head with a smile. “Now if you’ll fetch me something actually appropriate for a queen of my humbly beautiful and powerfully merciful status…”
The bowl would land right on top of Luna’s head, spilling the rest of the contents all over her.

As the wooden bowl landed on top of her head, it covered her eyes so the Queen couldn’t see her eyes. Shakily, her hand went up to her head and grabbed the bowl and promptly broke it in one hand. She stared at the Queen with a somewhat worse gaze than before, though it seemed slightly impassioned… Though the gaze itself would feel somewhat sinister, “You want something appropriate for a Queen? No, I think you need something appropriate for a petulant child.” She was quite obviously very upset. The Knightess stood from her chair and moved to grab Queen Sorcha by the ear, like a child.

“Oh would you look at that I think I heard Gabriel calling me. I really must get going. Do enjoy a meal without me, toodles~!” Sorcha would deftly evade Luna’s attempts at grabbing her, still smiling completely innocently as she’d pivot on her heels, and then proceed to sprint out the door.

“Gaberiel left on your orders, Your Majesty.” Luna said as she started pursuit of the Queen. “You still need to eat, Your Majesty.” This wasn’t the first time she chased an unruly child around this camp. For some reason, she felt that this wouldn’t be the last. The knight bolted out the door behind the Queen, intent on catching her.

“Eer, I meant Leo! And I’m suddenly not hungry any more!” Sorcha shouted back, bolting by some guards and nearly knocked them over as she’d turn a corner. Right she was a super might queen among other things, surely running from a single misguided knight was easy for her! Sorcha would find herself running up a flight of stairs.

If she could make it outside to some balcony or something, there was no way Luna could follow her!

“You’re lying, Your Majesty! You’re always hungry!” Luna yelled at the Queen as they ran. Luna had one desire in her heart right now. Disciplining her royal like the child she as acting like. As the two ran past any of the guards or soldiers on the grounds, she would give them a death stare somewhat translating to, “Speak of this and you will be punished”. When Sorcha ran up the stairs, Luna took them multiple steps at a time to try catching up to the queen even faster. All she needed was to get a hold of the queen and it was (in her mind) her win and she felt like she was gaining.

The guards proceeded to continue their patrol routes like they had seen nothing. Not a single thing as the Queen and Luna ran past them at high speed.

“I’m fasting! It's a foreign festival for some short blue elves!” She’d shout back, reaching the second floor of the fort. Sorcha didn’t even bother looking back as she’d pick up the speed, turning another corner and almost immediately running into a few servants carrying a few boxes of supplies. She’d deftly leap over the boxes, flashing a playful smile at one of the servants as she’d land, rolling and immediately continuing her sprint.

“You would eat the entire festival’s supply after having a full dinner right before.” The knightess said before she started to curse as she saw the servants. “Aside!” She shouted, going for the low drop between them and under boxes, sliding past them before popping back to her feet and chasing the queen again, sprinting after her.

The servants, of course, did exactly as they were commanded by their lord. They’d swiftly clear the halls, letting the two continue more unimpeded.

“That’s not even what fasting is!” She’d shout back, having climbed another flight of stairs, passing another servant who was carrying a tray of food. Coincidentally being some freshly cooked mutton. “Besides, I have to eat so much! It all goes to my…assets!” She’d snatch the entire roast, giving the maid a friendly wink and blowing her a kiss as she’d run by, promptly stuffing her mouth with the meat.

“I thought you were fasting, Your Majesty!” Luna angrily complained, pushing herself harder to catch up to her Queen. “If you can eat that much, you can eat some greens!” The knight growled. Luna seemed very keen on forcing the Queen to expand her diet.

“I’m a queen! I do what I want!” She shouted back in turn, reaching the flight of stairs again and running to the final floor - the roof of the fort, serving as a lookout and observation point for the rest of the immediate land. “And vegetables and stuff, hurt my assets!” She’d somehow managed to eat most of the entire half of mutton roast in the time she had climbed the final set of stairs. She’d stop at the far end, standing next to the edge of the battlements. She’d turn to face luna with a smirk, seeming none to bothered by the fact she was effectively at a dead end.

“I have you cornered now. Or do I?” Assets? There were other things to worry about right now. “Vegetables don’t hurt you… Ahem… Assets.” Luna said, sighing a small bit. “What do you plan on doing now? Jump?” She was slightly worried about that. While there was a chance the royal could jump and splat on the ground… Knowing her, it was more like that she did something to land safely. Luna wiggled her fingers a small bit and then offered her hand to the Queen. “Now, your majesty, please come with me and let us end this farce.” The motion was also a feint of sorts as she created a light barrier alongside the edge Sorcha was next to.

She took a step or two forward. “Come with me, Your Majesty, and I’ll be nice as long as you eat a bowl of that stew.” She had some hope that her barrier would be enough to at least stop the Queen for long enough to “capture” her.

“Hmm…” Sorcha seemed entirely unfazed still. “I suppose I should commend you for being able to keep up. Your keen observation and skill do you well. Unfortunately,” She’d place a hand on the barrier that Luna had put up. “I cannot abide by your offer. Now, if you’ll excuse me…I think it is about time we ended this farce.”

The queen smiled.

“This flimsy barrier won’t hold me!” Electricity ran along the Queen’s body, magical energy building within as her arm was coated in lightning. Luna’s barrier fractured, lightning starting to run along it in a fractal pattern, cracking and splintering the barrier.

grrrwwwwl

All at once the magical energy left, the queen blinking in mild surprise as the barrier in fact, did not shatter as her stomach loudly complained about lacking any food it seemed, despite eating a whole roast in mere minutes.

“...ahahah~” Sorcha glanced to the side, avoiding meeting Luna’s gaze. “Caaan I ask you to be gentle? Its my first time~”

Luna’s eyes oozed malice as she stomped over and grabbed the Queen by the ear and promptly dragged her back down the stairs. As she saw some servants she asked them a question. “Is there an empty room?” The servant swallowed and pointed to one of the store rooms. As the two entered the room, the servants escaped the floor and prayed for the Queen.

—-

Some time later, the Knight and Queen found themselves back in the dining hall with a bowl in front of the Queen. “Now, eat it, Your Majesty. I swear on the Lightsword name it doesn’t taste as bad as you think it does. It’s a recipe of mine.”

“Didn’t I ask you to be gentle…” Sorcha replied with a whine, holding the bowl of stew in hand. “I can’t even sit right…This is cruel and unusual punishment…” She’d pout, sitting uncomfortably in her seat and lifting the spoon in the stew to her mouth. She’d put it into her mouth, biting down and swallowing with a slight visible wince.

“...jokes and everything aside.” Sorcha would say with a smile, seemingly putting aside the early nights misadventure as she’d offer luna a smile. “Have…you ever heard of the Elder Beast of ‘Lucent Ataxia.’”

Luna was mostly happy now that she exacted her vengeance, though there was a small frown when the Queen winced. Still, a question about an Elder Beast, “Lucent Ataxia?” She hadn’t heard of that one. She shook her head. “Not that I recall. Why do you ask?”

“Hmm…well, I don’t know its actual name, but that was what it was.” Sorcha replied, taking another spoonful of the stew. “A beast of conflict, a beast who shone so brightly that it could cause men to go insane and turn on their allies in the midst of battle.” She’d look a bit longingly at some meat being passed around as she’d continue. “I ask, mostly, because I am curious about it, that’s all. It was killed a long time ago by the Old King during his Elder Beast hunts, you see. Quite dangerous because of its aforementioned ability.”

“Hmm… That does sound quite dangerous.” Luna said following the Queen’s eyes. “Did it have a reason for doing such a thing?” Luna asked, curious to see what the Queen knew. “Or was that just it’s nature?” She as turned to the chefs and made some hand motions at them. One gave her a spoon. “I’m not the most knowledgeable on Elder Beasts, I’ll admit.”

“Hm,” Sorcha hummed lightly, setting the bowl aside for the moment as she’d reach for a drink. “I…don’t know. Beasts are complicated creatures. Some function merely on instinct, carrying out whatever it is they represent with barely a thought. Ones that can think…often do not have the same thought processes as humans do. Take…the Elder Beast that lives out in the Field of Ghosts. Have you ever seen it? I’ve actually had the pleasure of speaking with it.” She’d chuckle. “Quite the interesting thing. I can not claim to know what its purpose is, but do you know what it does with the bodies and souls of the creatures it collects? On occasion, I have seen it sink below the Whispering Sea, and come back with far less than it had some days later. Curious, isn’t it?”

She’d take a swig of what was very obvious alcohol.

“Who knows why the beast of Blinding Conflict did what it did. Perhaps, it simply thinks that such conflict is the nature of the world and how it should be.”

Luna thought on what the Queen had said for a minute as the Queen spoke. “Elder Beasts are quite the curious creatures.” The Knightess used her spoon to take a bit of the Queen’s bowl. It tasted good to her at least. She wondered what made the Queen wince at it earlier. “Perhaps Lucent Axatia does think that. It’d be hard to say I suppose, if the Old King had taken it out. Do you intend on speculating on it?”

“No, not really.” Sorcha responded dismissively. “I was just curious. You know how I said I have memories of the king? Well, its just, there’s a particular one that’s been bothering me lately involving it, is all.” She’d take the stew bowl, and instead of bothering with a spoon would instead pull the entire thing to her lips and start just…drinking the whole thing, greens and all.

“More food, luna! I ate it so bring me something good already!” She’d shout, slamming the bowl onto the table.

Luna’s eyes went wide before she just gave a small chuckle and smile, “Very well.” She looked back at the chefs. “You guys heard her, get it going.” The chefs smiled weakly and started cooking the meat the way Luna had told them. “While we wait… What story is it you remember?”

“...Oh, well…” Sorcha’s enthusiasm visibly fell a bit at the question, glancing off to the side. Her words wavered ever so slightly as she continued. “For a bit of context…many of the beast hunts happened before he officially became king. Before the golden age. The beast of conflict…if I remember right, was the first and final beast he killed under the guidance of the sage, but…was also the most brutal…if…what I remember is anything to go by. More brutal than when he even had to kill the heinous black dragon.”

She’d take another drink, falling silent for a few seconds, contemplating the mug before her.

“...a bloodbath.” She shook her head. “People that had been friends, allies…family…tearing each other to pieces.” She’d glance to the side, not even bothering to touch the food in front of her when the servants brought her a freshly cooked cut of meat. “The king…me…sinking my blade into the beast's heart as it laughed saying that so long as conflict existed…so too, would it.” She gripped the mug hard enough to turn her knuckles white, a few sparks of electricity sparking from it. “Out of hundreds of people in that battle…only five people survived. Five that would later go on to become the Kings Knights.” Unlike the playfulness earlier the queen had showed when messing with Luna earlier that night, there was nothing now but what seemed like a slow, subtle anger.

“I see.” Luna said, empathizing with Sorcha. She had never fought such a beast but… What could she do if she had? Would she have been strong enough to survive and become one of the King’s Knights? She wondered what it’d be like to be burdened by memories from so long ago. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, having those memories.” She hesitated for a second before putting her hand on top of the Queen’s hand that was holding the mug. “For now, lets get some real food in your stomach, shall we?” She made sure the meat was in front of her. “I’m pretty sure this will taste better than that stew.” Luna said with a bit of a smile.

Luna, would understandably get just a slight bit zapped from touching the queens hand. Not hard, just a little static shock from a bit of electricity.

“Its fine, really.” Sorcha sighed, looking at the food in front of her. “It happened…well, ages ago now and I wasn’t actually there…if anything, I’m glad to have them.” She’d say, mouth turning into a smile as she’d reach for a fork…and promptly shove a cut of meat right into Luna’s mouth. “I wouldn’t have met any of you if I didn’t.”

Luna smiled a small bit until she saw her queen grabbed a cut of the meat and swiftly delivered it to her mouth.

It was small enough she could chew, thankfully. She removed her hand from her Queen' s feeling little need to comfort her again as she finished chewing the piece and swallowing. "Well, you're back to your usual self now at least." The knightess was unable to tell if she should be glad or exasperated at the moment but she figured glad was the better option.

“...I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sorcha replied with a small smile and a laugh. “And now, I shall get my revenge for earlier. Luna! ME. YOU! DRINKING CONTEST!”

"What's this? With all due respect your Majesty… I'm no lightweight. I'm not going to just let you win, if you do."

@VitaVitaAR

---

“Fomorians?” Sucaria tilted her head lazily to the side, reaching towards her chest. “...so you…do want to see it again?” Instead of spooking the sword witch again though, she would turn on her heels back towards the bookshelves. Delicate hands ran over the spines of several books, sleepy half asleep eyes searching for a few book titles as she’d pull one or two from the shelves, and then walk over to the desk.

“...nnhn…heavy…” Sucaria sleepily sighed. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have made a macabre mess with her unique condition. “Fomorians…but…I could answer questions…too.” The dusky skinned elf coughed a few times and muttered a quiet apology before continuing. “I think…the Wings of Dark are from one of the…stories…here…” She’d hand Fio a smaller book. On the cover of it was a relief of what seemed to be two draconic figures, one lightly decorated with a black outline, the other white.

“A Collection of stories of Albion’s peoples”

Upon opening the book, it seemed to be a small collection of a few miscellaneous stories and myths of a lesser known or not quite as popular status, apparently written as a sort of journal or research paper from someone. Many of them were related to the Betrayed God, the Tuatha, and the Giants, focusing much on the time just after the Endless Night and things unrelated or only somewhat connected to the King.

The Giant Hrelskin and it supposedly betraying its frost-bitten kin, something about the Lake Ithica supposedly being able to transport one to other realms, a clan of Tuatha supposedly living out in the Gheslias wastes…numerous myths and stories of various veracity and claim. What Fio, though, would be interested in was one of the longer chapters within the book, and indeed, had some relation to the king.

Wings of Light, Wings of Dark

“What I write now, is a tale both connected to the King, but one that was initially completely unrelated. When the Gods cursed body fell to the earth, its soul was split in twain from the evil the wicked fey set upon it. The cursed ridden body, too, did split. The gods spine, falling to the earth in the form of a hideous black creature that flew, breathed fire, was as black as night and spewed venom from its breath. The other half, became a brilliant white creature that could outshine the heavens and sun, a single beat of its wings turning the entire of Albion into a wind-sheared wasteland ravaged by storm and lightning.

They would become the first of the Dragons in Albion.

The black, known as the vile Varakel ravaged the land with its breath of fire and disease. It ruled over humans with a tyrannical fist, forcing them into its service slaughtering those who refused. Those who refused were turned into little more than slaves and tools, some even forced into becoming experiments to the Fomorians.

The white, who had taken the name of the Land Itself - Albion - mercilessly slaughtered humans in divine, righteous fury. No human dared to get close, for doing so would most have certainly been a death sentence. It had no love, or no use for the humans beneath it, for it had deemed them all as sinners unworthy to live.

The King, Arthwys, would slay Varakel within the wastes where it made its home. He is often referred to as the Dark-Winged Tyrant, the Dragon which brings ruin, the Beast of Destruction and Perdition who destroys all. Some say the dragon slayed by Sigurd, Fafnir, was the son, or had some other direct relation to Varakel.

Albion, however - was oddly pacified by the king in some other manner. I’ve done my best to speak to Tuatha seers, educated sages and the like to find out what exactly happened to it - but as far as anyone knows, it seems to have left Albion upon befriending the king in some manner. I ran across one fellow who insisted that the Traitor Knight had some relation to Albion, though he could offer no evidence of such a claim.

There are some sources that say that when the King Returns, Varakel would once more show up to challenge them. Indeed, I have scoured a few prophecies left by the Tuatha seers, as well as a few scrolls left supposedly left behind by sir Regimbald and that say that such a thing could possibly be the case…

The text continued on, speculating about more and theorizing more upon the nature of the legend and the two beasts. Ultimately, it concluded that it was unlikely that some beast like Varakel that was definitely killed in some fashion, could return. While there were precedents for Elder Beasts and similar creatures being able to cheat death in some manner, the author ultimately concluded that the fact no dragon had been seen in Albion since the Kings old hunts of glory…there is unlikely any dragons left that could be related, or even cause Varakel to return in some fashion.

As Fio would read and research, Sucaria would remain close by in case she was needed. For the most part, she’d stay silent aside from the occasional quiet cough…had she…fallen asleep standing up?

Either way, she had gotten some useful information. She should probably go find the queen, now unless there was anything else she wanted to look for.

@FrogRFlowR

---

Trekking through the camp was easy enough. No one expected someone to actually be inside already, after all, so no one was really looking. Even after being alerted to something possibly having happened, no one really seemed to think much of it. Undisciplined and unruly, as one could expect of bandits.

He’d approach the one standing guard at the stairs leading under what seemed to be the main base for this little bandit fort. Upon hearing a the clattering noise of Niall’s spear falling to the floor he’d of course, turn to look at it. He’d blink in surprise, completely caught off guard by where this weapon had even come from -

“Guh!?”

Not a second later Niall pounced, grabbing the guard by his neck from behind and crushing his windpipe, slowly choking the guard until he was unconscious. Niall hefted him over his shoulder as he’d head down into the basement and prop the bandit up on the wall. It should be noted that knocking someone out was quite hard, especially doing it for long amounts of time.

He would not have long until the guard would likely rouse - but perhaps Niall’s attention may be drawn by what was down here. It seemed to be less of a basement, and more of a makeshift prison and storeroom. A single hallway led until the end of the room, flanked by rooms full of supplies. At the end though?

It was a…very oddly dressed Fomorian. They looked fairly human, for the most part, save for the completely black skin and black slcera. A fairly slight looking creature, by all accounts and dressed in a completely outlandish and unknown fashion. Something resembling a robe almost.

And a red-haired Tuatha male.

“Seems its my lucky day. You have no idea how hard it is to find good research tools. They all break so easily. I’m sure someone who’s been giving us as much trouble as you have, you’ll be able to endure a few…enhancements.”

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” The tuatha male snarled. “But if you think I’ll just let you do whatever it is you did to those guys with me, you’re gonna get your head beat in.” He had been completely tied up, wrists shackled to the wall, and his body tied to a wooden post with thick ropes while his legs had been restrained with metal chains.

“I’m absolutely quivering in my robe.” She’d dryly reply. “Bull-headed idiots like you are pathetic. You should be thanking me. I’ll be giving you power to do anything you want.” On a table near her were what seemed to be tools of some less than nice nature. Not torture implements but more…things of magical and perhaps, medical nature. “Now get comfortable. I have some...things to prepare.”

The woman would walk off into a side room, leaving the Tuatha male and Niall alone for now, but there was no telling how much time he had left before either the guard woke from his nap or she returned.

[VitaVitaAR]

Soon after she had begun reading, Fio swiftly became engrossed in the tome. The information it relayed was vaguely known to her. At least, she knew some of the lesser-known myths of the land and its peoples. But this one was new to her.

"So, the Wings of Dark refer to a dragon? Curious..."

To be honest, while the information was interesting it hardly deepened her understanding of the Fomorian's words. Rather, it gave her further questions. Of course, it was unlikely that the dragon referenced in the myth could possibly rise again. The Sword Witch was quite certain such feats of revival were impossible even for primordial dragons. But the monster's title, the 'Wings of Dark'...

Perhaps, rather then the dragon itself, its role in the myth was the important factor here? Rather then the dragon itself, someone or someones were using the title as a symbol of opposition? Of their role as an enemy of the Queen?

It was more likely then the alternative.

Shutting the book, the small girl rose to her feet.

If nothing else, this information was important to relay to the Queen. On top of that, she felt her own conclusions were of equal importance.

Fio paused for a moment as she turned to leave.

Had that strange maid seriously fallen asleep standing up?!

"..."

Perhaps some questions were best left unasked.

The Sword Witch departed from the library, in search of the Queen. The sooner she found her and relayed the information, the better.

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

[Cu Chulainn]

The Roundup

---

With the last of the Fomorians dead, or at least appearing to be so, Marduk swiped his staff to the side, letting some of the cursed blood fly off from it. He would then inspect each of the bodies, ensuring they were all dead. Those who seemed to be alive, whether it was due to slight body twitches or just Marduk thinking they were looking at him funny, would soon be rendered un-alive with a quick thwack of his staff.

Once he was doubly sure their foes were dead, Marduk would then begin to survey the area, securing it from any further attacks. He wasn't too keen on intereogating the kids on what happened. He had nothing to say to the children, except that the boy's form was absolute shit. He'll let the knights handle the babysitting. Instead, Marduk's interests were once again drawn to the unusally large claw marks on the walls.

"Oi, brats!" Marduk hollered, as tactful as always, "These marks on the walls... what sort of beast attacked this village? It still alive?"

Whatever their response is, Marduk began to examine the bodies of the Fomorians, seeing if there was anything... outstanding about them. Between those clawmarks and the cyclopse they had faced earlier, Marduk was more wary if any of these variants seemed to make their way to this village, as well.

[FrogRFlowR]

What Niall saw upon entering the building would put him in quite the dilemma, to say the least. It would be hard to make such a decision in face of any innocents in that predicament, but it was ever more difficult for Niall being faced with a captured Tuatha - the people that raised him and to who he felt he owed the most.

From his relatively still hidden spot, the knight got to thinking. He had no idea how long the strangely clothed Formorian would be gone and the prisoner was awfully well shackled. Even if Niall could possibly use all of his might and magics to break the chains, that would make noise and take time. Time he did not possess. The knocked out guard could wake up at any moment, without mentioning that just anyone could enter this building at any given time, too.

Faced with an impossible decision to make, Niall made an impossible choice. Silently, he dashed through the room close by the Tuatha to inspect his chains while signaling him to be quiet. Niall whispered to the captive; "Tell me all that you know." while visibly examining the chains and shackles to see if they could be easily removed. However, this was not his chose plan. Niall would scout for a spot to hide in the room, and attempt to ambush the Formorian as it came back, thinking she might have a key.

As he did all this, he would also spy on the contraptions on the table and objects around the room to see if he could find something that looked more important than the rest. His train of thoughts was that if things turned badly and he had to make a quick escape, maybe he could slow her work down by stealing something of value while also bringing it back to the Queen and the others, who might have an idea of what is happening here.

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

"Dammit!" Reinhardt hissed as the Fomorian hed harpooned launched itself toward him, the creature's sudden lunge catching the Knight by surprise! Without a moment's hesitation his fist cocked back; intending to meet the creature head-on!

Fortunately (or unfortunately) the Fomorian would never get the chance to be properly introduced to Reinhardt's fist-- as a staff would mercilessly strike the creature from the air! Releasing a small sigh, Reinhardt gave the Elven Warrior a small nod in thanks.

"Even outside the Laughing Wood-- it never ceases to amaze me how little regard for their own life Fomorians have... Especially ones as weak as these." the knight irritably grumbled as he dismounted his steed and wiped the blood from his harpoon with a rag before stowing the tool once more. Kneeling down, he'd briefly examine one of the slain Fomorian corpses; noting that none of their number seemed to be malnourished or hurting for food... Was there perhaps a den of these Fomorians nearby? Some sort of outpost for whoever was orchestrating these attacks?

The Knight's gaze turned toward the children as he rose to his feet once more.

Retrieving a waterskin from his horse's pack and removing his helm, Reinhardt approached the boy holding the sword; taking a swig himself to show that the contents were safe to drink, before offering the waterskin to the children. "I apologize for the rudeness of our Elven companion-- but yes, Sir Ethelred here and myself are indeed Knights; just not Knights of Harzel. I am Sir Reinhardt... Now-- as the Elf was asking, do you know anything about the creature that attacked this village? Further; why are the two of you out here alone?"

[Crimson Paladin]

The Fomorians were slain and the children were unharmed. After glancing around to ensure that there were no more enemies to be seen, and to ensure that the fallen Fomorians were well and truly dead, he dismounted from his horse and walked up behind Sir Reinhardt. With his unsettling appearance and inability to remove his helmet, he decided that he was better off letting his leader do the talking.

It was unsettling that there were still Fomorians lurking around here after the town was destroyed. Were they another one of the small bands the had run into several times already, come here to sift through the rubble and corpses? Were they part of the attack, having remained among the ruins and among their own dead, rotting kin? Given how depraved these beings were, Ethelred didn't consider that possibility out of the question.

For now, it would be best to question the children for anything they might know. Ethelred was uncertain if it was a good idea for Reinhardt to mention that they weren't from Harzel, because if word got out to the forces of Harzelslack that the knights of Sorcha were snooping around, it could spell trouble. On the other hand, these were mere children, clearly someplace where they shouldn't be. As long as they didn't want to get into massive amounts of trouble for sneaking into a destroyed town and getting nearly killed by Fomorians, they'd probably be willing to keep all of this a secret.

Ethelred said nothing, just glancing at the children and awaiting their response.

@Guy0fV4lor@Cu Chulainn@Rune_Alchemist

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Burned Village
Mid-Morning

---

The two kids responded with a frown to Marduk’s demeanor, the girl taking a few steps back while the boy repositioned his sword, clearly not thinking too much of his manner. Thankfully for Reinhardt though, smoothing things over was a simple matter. He gazed warily at the waterskin and hesitantly lowered his sword, accepting the drink with a serious expression.

“We…we don’t know much…” The girl responded, expression changing into one of worry.

“We live here.” The boy responded a bit firmly, voice faltering a bit as he’d continue. “W-well…lived…here…I guess.” He’d take a small sip of the waterskin before offering it to his sister. “...It happened so fast. We were so busy running and trying to avoid the Fomorians so we could find dad-”

“We don’t know much…There was so much fire, burning everything…the fomorians, buildings…everything was burning…But…I did get-”

“Thats enough sister.”

“B-but…didn’t he say…that knights name is Ethelred…? Wasn’t that one of the ones she-”

“Sister!”

“Brother!” The two had a momentary glaring match before the brother relented with a sigh. The girl would fidget briefly on the spot, trying to think of the best way to put into words what she had seen. “I did…get a good look at it! T-the fire breathing thing…It was really, really, big. Enough that it could block out the sun with its size. It had these really, really big claws on its feet and a head full of sharp teeth - and also a really weird orange crest on its chest that glowed…”

“If it hadn’t been for uhm, this knight lady…with this big red sword we’d…probably not have made it.” The brother continued with a frown. “She…drove it off and led us to a nearby village a few days from here…she told us that if someone by the name of Sorcha, Ethelred or Reinhardt came asking about the Fomorian we should help them…”

“...uhm…I still don’t think it was a fomorian…”

Well, there they had it. The kids at least provided something useful and even a lead on Elnith from the sounds of it.

There was nothing otherwise special about the gouges on the wall, save for perhaps how big they simply were. It seemed like most had come from a downward angle, as though whatever it was was either swinging these claws downwards, or were simply crushed in somethings impossibly strong grip. The fomorians too, seemed nothing special - though if this large fomorian was capable of using such fire, then were these the victim of friendly fire? Had they already expired by the time they were burned? Or perhaps, something else?

The two children seemed unsure of what the knights were going to do next, or if they were in trouble for being out here in the first place.

---

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99

Fio headed down from the library, Sucaria blissfully asleep or simply choosing not to bother Fio at the moment. Fio, would eventually find her way to where the queen was, and perhaps, she’d be a little dismayed by the scene. A number of soldiers had gathered around both her and the queen. A pile of empty mugs were sitting haphazardly on the table near them. Leo was standing nearby, a bemused expression being worn.

“What’s the matter, Luna?” Sorcha grinned with a boisterous laugh. The entire room reeked of alcohol by now, and the group was certainly enjoying themselves. “You said you weren’t a lightweight!” She’d slam the mug in her hand onto the ground, causing it to shatter upon impact. “Bring me another already! I’m parched, ahaha!”

Maybe, Fio would have thought to leave before she was seen -

“Ah? Fio!” Too late. The Queen got up from her seat and before Fio could run, she’d run over, grab the small girl and shoved her face right into her chest. “Come! Join us! Luna and I are having a friendly competition!” Fio, was then, dragged back to the seat and plopped down right next to the Queen. “Luna luna, I found a third player!”

Fio was still being firmly held against the queen’s bosom.

@FrogRFlowR

---

Upon seeing the armored man heading to his assumed rescue, the Tuatha’s eyes widened, a friendly grin spreading across his face.

“Ahaha, I almost expected Cecilia to come herself. Guess she's still busy with the giants to send a friend.” He’d respond quietly, but with a friendly tone. “Only that these guys and mine have been fighting a lot. Got careless and got nabbed on the way back from Airedale…but you probably know that. It'll be easier to fill ya in once I'm out.” He’d frown before shaking his head with a grin. Seems he had some assumptions about who Niall was, but ultimately that could work out in Niall's favor if he wanted to stick with it.

There was well, not many choices of hiding as armored as Niall was. The best chance were a number of boxes proved just high enough to hide behind and conveniently would seem to have enough room for someone to move behind silently if they were acrobatic or quiet enough…though it might otherwise be hard for him to get to the door she had left through.

The table nearby…a few cutting implements. Scalpels? Some thread, several jars of some sort of…grotesque body parts that seemed to come from various fomorians. The table itself didn’t seem to have anything too important except maybe telling of what she might be about to do here. She likely had anything important under lock and key until she was ready to use it.

“If you can’t get me outta here - that freaky fomorian ran off with my axe. Get it and I can get out myself.”

Said freaky Fomorian could be heard in the room she had entered, humming a little tune to herself as she went about whatever work she was doing. He still had time, it seemed.

[Crimson Paladin]

Ethelred listened to the children describe the beast. The news of Elnith's appearance, and her evident victory over the attacker, was good news. They still needed to find her, of course, but this was the best lead they had yet. Most curious, however, was that Elnith mentioned Sorcha, Ethelred, and Reinhardt by name. It sounded like those three were those whom she expected would be sent, but why? Clearly, whatever she fought, she felt those three would be most suitable for the mission.

A knight of ice, the empowered descendent of a dragonslayer, and the reincarnation of the ancient king, those were the ones she named. What sort of foe would these three be have been expected to go up against? Ethelred thought back at everything they said about the beast, everything Vyrell had mentioned about it, and what information he could glean from the evidence around them.

[color=6ecff6][i]...Black as night...breathes fire...mouth full of teeth...blocked out the sun...able to move up and down Albion with incredible speed...vicious claws that attacked from above...and indiscriminately killed both humans and Fomorians. It took him a moment to think, but when it clicked, a terrible possibility dawned upon the Frozen Knight. If Ethelred were not trapped in his armor, assuming he still appeared entirely human underneath it, the color would surely have drained from his face at the possibility of what it could be.

This doesn't sound like a Fomorian. This sounds like a dragon.

Ethelred know the tales of the King and his knights. This particular situation reminded him of the tales of dragons that the old heroes had faced. The most notable, and most alarming in this context, was the tale of how the King slew the terrible Dragon of Black. Could this beast be not a Fomorian, but a dragon? Could it have some connection, perhaps descended from the Dragon of Black? Or perhaps it could be a far more terrifying idea- if the king was reincarnated, who else from the ancient days could potentially return?

On the other hand, the children said that Elnith managed to drive it off, and razing a few minor villages was hardly an act worthy of the infamous Dragon of Black. Even so, Ethelred needed to either confirm or rule out the possibility that it was indeed a dragon.

"Children, there's some very important things we need to know." Ethelred addressed them, the worry in his voice apparent. "First, this lady knight that saved you...Elnith, she's called...what happened to her. Second, this beast that attacked...this fire-breathing, black beast of claws and teeth...did it have wings?"

@Rune_Alchemist@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor

[Pyromania99]

"Come now, your majesty. I'm still perfectly sober." Luna said, a small, perhaps slightly uncharacteristic bluff, as a small bit of red started to show across her face as she started to down another mug with one hand and the other motioning for someone to bring her another drink. The woman looked over as the Queen retrieved a nearby Fio and brought her to the table. "A third player?" Luna said, looking over at the small girl currently nestled in Queen Sorcha's chest. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I don't think Fio's body could handle that much alcohol. She'd probably get drunk off of half a mug and I don't think she has much blood in her that helps her tolerate it." Luna said, meaning well by the statement, though her slightly buzzed state didn't really allow her much mental processing on how Fio might react to such blatant statements.

"I think it best if she just watch, if she even so desires to do so." Luna looked over at the small girl as a good number of drinks arrived to their table at the same time. "Let her join if she wants, but I'd say don't force her into this..." Luna said, looking between her Queen and Fio. Sliding two drinks over towards the both of them. If Fio wanted to join... Well, Luna wasn't going to turn her down. As far as the Knightess understood, Fio was an adult and could make her own choices, despite her delightfully adorable appearance. "And your Majesty... Can you please stop breaking the glasses. It's hard to get them out here. Think of the poor sods that have to replace them." Luna's lips seemed to loosen a small bit as she reached for another drink and started to drink again.

[VitaVitaAR]

Fio had finally located the Queen and Luna, only to be hit by the strong scent of alcohol. She most certainly wasn't fond of the odor, given her enmity towards alcohol in general. Her disappointment only increased when she came to understand just what was going on.

There was going to be no serious discussions happening now, and in all honesty the Sword Witch really would prefer not to be around her Highness when she was almost certainly drunk.

Unfortunately, even given the difference of sobriety between them, there was no denying that Fio was inferior in terms of physical capabilities.

No matter how she attempted to flee when she realized that the Queen had spotted her, her fate was a forgone conclusion.

The royal embrace was something that could be thought of fondly, as a show of affection towards the loyal, those who proved themselves as true comrades and knights of royalty.

In this moment, however, Fio could not have wished to be further from it.

The petite girl give a frantic yell of "Stooop!" before she was abruptly restrained, her face buried in the intoxicated Queen's chest.

No matter how she attempted to speak, she knew now there was no way anyone was going to hear anything but muffled cries for help. And perhaps mercy.

Both would be ideal.

No to mention how utterly embarrassing this position was to begin with. Why did Queen Sorcha have to do something like this? Flustered(and perhaps experiencing no small amount of jealousy), the petite witch squirmed frantically in a bid to try and escape.

Alas, there would be no escape.

Luna's words were hardly of any comfort. If anything, they managed to make the situation considerably worse.

@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

Reinhardt listened intently to the words of the two children; slowly nodding as he came to understand their situation.

From the sound of it-- Elnith had indeed been to this village previously, even managing to stave off the 'midnight-skinned Fomorian' during one of it's attacks. Further, if the little girl's description of the creature was to be believed...

This wasn't a Fomorian.

It was a dragon.

Or at least something similar to such a beast; the likes of which hadn't been seen since the King's old hunts of glory... Especially not the black-scaled kind.

Regardless of whether or not the creature in question was the genuine article-- there was something that needed confirmation. Kneeling down as Ethelred asked his questions first; Reinhardt carved something into the ground with the tip of his finger before looking back to the little girl.

"You mentioned a glowing orange crest on the creature's chest. Did it look like this?

[Rune_Alchemist]

Location:
Redwater Point
Mid-Morning

---

@Cu Chulainn@Guy0fV4lor@Crimson Paladin

---

“She left town right after helping us.” The brother said with a somewhat worried expression. “She said something about Harzel knights looking for her…” He shook his head. “I don’t know why, she was really nice! E-even…if she was kind of scary when she was fighting that thing…”

“U-uhm, now that you mention it…I think…it had wings? On its front legs…I think they sort of folded together when it was walking…?” The sister replied, watching as Reinhardt would draw a familiar looking marking into the ground, causing the girls brow to furrow in thought. “I…I think so? But…nnhn, only the very top of the crest I think? I didn’t…really get a good look at it.”

Well, that was odd, but it likely would confirm something for the party. This was no Fomorian at all based on the information provided.

“Uhm…we can lead you all to the village we live in now I guess…” The brother glanced to the ground. “W-we’ll be passing through the same forest Miss Elnith went through, I think! She might still be there…but we might also run into some Harzel knights…”

---

Location:
Southern Giants Rest
Early Night

---

@VitaVitaAR@Pyromania99

“Ahaha, sober my ass!” She’d laugh. “You look more drunk then Sig-Reinhardt did, ahaha…” She’d cough, chuckling in a mildly embarrassed manner before quickly downing another mug. “And please, I’ll buy you as many mugs as you want!” She’d toss the mug off to the side, causing it to clang off the wall behind as she’d motion for another.

“What say you, Fio? Come on, come on, it’ll be fine! You got a late start so you’ll totally win!” The Queen was definitely more than a little drunk it seemed, though she wasn’t slowing down with the alcohol a bit. The queens grip on Fio would finally relax just enough for her to not be smothered in her chest, though, but she would unfortunately find herself then being leaned on by the queen as she’d toss an arm around her shoulder in a jovial manner, wrapping around her waist where her hand would instead, end up grabbing Fio’s chest.

“...your queen is about as difficult to handle as you were, sister.” Leo would chuckle off to the side, though he’d quickly look away from Luna’s gaze immediately after saying it.

[FrogRFlowR]

Niall had no idea who this Tuatha was nor this Cecilia for that mattered, but he did not let it deter him from her goal. There seemed like very little choices were realistically opened to Niall. He could not cut him loose from those chains, and nothing useful was around the room neither. With the information the captive gave him, Niall made his way to the door leading into the room the Formorian entered and peeked in.

If he was lucky, the Axe might be somewhere he could be able to pick it up and somehow, with it, allow the Tuatha to free himself if he was to be believed. If the Axe was indeed left laying on a table or against a wall, Niall would attempt to stealthily grab it and bring it back to the prisoner. If otherwise it was on this female formorian, well... he would need to possibly knock her out, too, if such a thing was feasible. If she proved too much of a threat, Niall was still confidant enough in his own abilities and magic to be able to get away safely. He just...could not abandon the Tuatha to it's fate. His oath to the Queen made it so, if not other choices were left, he would abandon the captive to save his life so he could uphold said oath - but not before every options were depleted.

With his options in mind, Niall peeked in the room, ready to act.

[Guy0fV4lor]

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

The knight rubbed his chin in contemplation for a quiet moment before rising to his feet; dusting his hands as he'd deliberately scuff away what he'd etched in the dirt with his heel.

"Based on what you've described--" Reinhardt began, sighing quietly as he began his assessment. "I'm confident what you saw was a type of Dragon... A Wyvern, specifically. Which is; fortunately, the 'weakest' of their kin."

Motioning for the children to follow him, Elias would move toward his horse; continuing his assertions as he'd adjust the saddle for a shorter rider, "That said, Wyverns only tend to show up in the vicinity of a much stronger dragon... Which means that even if its a similar case to the Cyclops we fought back in Redwater Point, its unlikely to be alone."

"The two of you can ride on my horse while we take you two back to the village you're staying in. If we find Elnith on the way there that'll be all the better. Should we run into any Harzel knights, they have little business trying to stop us now that we know the culprit behind these attacks is a dragon. Which begs the question..."

Reinhardt's gaze swiveled to their Elven tag along, "It may not be a Fomorian like we'd originally thought, but would you still be willing to lend your aid to this hunt Sir Elf?"

[Pyromania99]

Luna gave a dirty look at Leo at a certain comment he may have made at her expense. The woman sighed before looking at her Queen and the small woman that she was trying to get to join the game. "You say I'm drunk, but you're looking pretty smashed yourself, Your Majesty." Luna snickered. Much like Queen Sorcha, Luna wasn't taking it easy with the Alcohol either. "I think you're looking a little worse off than I am." The Knightess proudly said, chugging some more.

Luna for her part, seemed rather fine except for the quick reddening of her face. "Now, are you going to keep groping poor Miss Fio there or are you going to drink?" Luna smirked again, teasing both Fio and the Queen for the woman's poor hand placement. "Not that it matters much to me I suppose, since I'm not the one Fio is going to get mad at for it." Luna was definitely drunk. Her typical careful word choosing was seemingly gone. Hell, Leo probably knew what would happen if she got too much more drunk. It wouldn't affect many of anyone in the room except the women.