[IC] Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)

[Astarael42]

Noon in Loudwater was humid, ungodly so. The river ensured that reflecting the sun and evaporating the water into the air to half-suffocate everyone. The sun baking the streets and the buildings ensured that the air was heavy and hot. Despite the discomfort things progressed as usual, businesses, visitors, residents went about their lives in the usual manner. At least on the surface that is what it seemed. If one looked closely the eyes of the residents were haunted, suspicion tinged every comment, visitors while welcomed were still subtly uncomfortable. There were a few merchants in town, though not many as usual. The flow of merchants had thinned of late, and that made times even harder for the residents of Loudwater. They relied on trade goods to cover what they couldn't farm, fish, gather, and hunt. Additionally there had been strange news tidbits, rumors that Llorkh and Twiddledale, the last villages before entering the desert, had been destroyed. There was no consistancy to the rumors...one said they were raided by giants, another that disease had claimed them, still a third claimed that some great natural disaster had hit. For those living in Loudwater it didn't matter. They would never be able to leave to find out, and they had their own problems to handle. It was only the traveling merchants, and the youngest children who were interested in gossip.

So much had changed in the past month in this once comfortable place. The shrines to the dark god were all over, having popped up like mushrooms. The gods faithful sat by their shrines, looking innocuous and undisturbed, waiting for someone to come pay their respects. They were far from it though, keen eyes observed all the locals, seeking out anyone who might offer insolence. The enforcers wandered the city too, only the locals knew who they were, but they gave them a wide berth. A visitor might wonder why certain individuals were ignored, treated like pariahs, but when asked the locals would only shake their heads and scurry off like they were incredibly busy. Citizens who once enjoyed life now were concerned only with surviving, and for some they were even giving up on that. The city had grown to have an aura of hopelessness about it, no one cared and it was only the routine that really kept people going. Fishers still had to fish. Bakers to bake. Farmers to farm. At first people had tried to leave, but any hint of that option was squelched with the frequent public executions. Not only were the hangings very public, they had been mandatory, and the enforcers had made sure that everyone came. Now the pressure to attend a hanging is off, only those not working have to attend, but that does not make things any better. Only those with the most resiliant dreams, the strongest drive, still had some hope and yet even they, in the back of their hearts, knew that there was a good chance they would meet the hangman soon.

Brisa and Argurios arrived on the outskirts of the city just a hair past the midday. Tired and dusty, but actually looking much better than they had when they started their journey. Both had grown in strength over the time, Brisa in particular had come to be able to walk a whole day without exhaustion claiming her. Thanks to Argurios they always had food, thanks to Brisa they always had a warm fire at night, even in the rain. Over all they had achieved a comfortable rhythm, both with travel and with each other. The town was not a welcoming one, and for the two who had been traveling some time, who had encountered strange things they had not thought possible a few ten-day ago. They needed more supplies however, at least food, and stopping was a necessity.

For Kieny the day was perfectly ordinary, or at least compared to what she had come to expect. She was working, she was always working, but it would be time shortly for the midday meal. In her case it would be slim pickings, she had only a partial payment of her apprenticeship fees…and as it looked like her master wouldn’t be getting the rest any time soon he was trying to make up for the loss through labor and making sure she was fed and clothed as was required—but only with the most basic and cheapest of supplies. Her master was not unkind, simply frugal. At least the midday break was in fact a break.

Rogk had arrived in town earlier that same day. Loudwater was a necessary stop on the road, by virtue of it taking every available free space. There was either a farm or a house or a drying shed or a boat dock in almost every inch of space that wasn’t either river or dense forest. Even though the town was centralized, the outlying buildings and homesteads filled the area. When folk make their living off the land they must, by virtue of that very living, spread out so they have land to work. He was not welcomed in the town, but he was not unwelcomed either. Rather everyone gave off the attitude of simply being too busy to care. It was the shied the locals used, to keep them from answering questions from any prying visitors. Only the merchants were actually welcomed, for they needed the trade or the town would fail. Everyone else was ignored unless they were spending money somewhere. Rogk fell into the category of "everyone else" and thus no one cared what he did.

Jatan, living now in the slums of the town, was familiar with the routine of the lowlifes that lived there. Midday was a time of extreme laziness. There was nothing to do. From dusk till dawn was the thieves high time. Now the only ones who worked were the beggar kids and street rats, they would have been kicked out of their stations during peak hours. They were left to gather what they could during the heat of the day and the midday slump. The true thieves, whores, and their ilk took this time to rest from their labors. In his section of town, very little exerted itself during these most miserable hours of the day. It made the heavy humid air and the stench seem all the worse but it also made it seem almost peaceful. If peace could be had in such a shifty part of town filled with such shady characters.

Things were calm, if such could be said of the village, in the midday heat. They remained that way for nearly an hour after noon when suddenly the clanging of a gong could be heard from the village square. Everyone local knew what that meant. The enforcers had found someone to enforce. Once everyone in town was made to attend the hangings; there was always a sermon and some fanatical devotions and basically it took everyone all day. Now they had backed off the insistence. Only those with “free” time were made to go. But everyone knew what was happening and most went anyway...at least for a moment...to see who got caught.

Today's hanging must have been different for the bonging of the gong didn't abate, it simply carried on and on its hollow rippling sound filling the town. Enforcers walked the streets, and the locals realized there were new enforcers. Friends they had yesterday were enforcers today, no warning or suspicion. And unlike before there seemed to be no correlation between who was turned to an enforcer. It was as if the priests just drafted people against their will. It was clearly against their will too...their eyes were black, lifeless, and their voices nearly as hollow and dark as as their eyes.

They roamed the city even now, ferreting out everyone, stranger and local alike, and bringing them to the town square. This was a new day, and things in town were about to change again. The dark god was growing stronger in this world...and though his priests had no real power they sought to to use what they could to bring more to their god. There was no option to resist, and those who tried were “gently” redirected, through force if necessary. All must attend this great ceremony for there was not one hanging but seven to be had this day. Only the most worthless of the towns folk, the weaklings, injured, and the children could escape the eyes of the enforcers. They held no value to the dark god.

[orcpunx]

“This place is even bigger than the previous one. We better not separate. First we'll go get something to eat, then we’ll see how to proceed” Argurios said and turned towards Brisa. She simply nodded, and together they began looking for some nice place to eat. A sense of pride touched Argurios.
When they started from their home village Argurios couldn’t read maps, and was too weak to swing his axe and his aim with the bow was below average. Brisa could hardly walk for more than half a day, and carried almost nothing. At the start, making fire was hard and complicated. Food was scares and even the one they had, had been taken from the inn, or the village.
Now they were bought travel hardened. Argurios was above average with his bow skill. He even learned to make better and stronger bows than he could make before. He learned the basics of map-reading. His axe wasn’t so heavy to him anymore, though his figure was the same, he was stronger. The food was now mostly hunted, except for some small spices that were gathered. Brisa could now make fire even in rain. She could do more than just walk for a whole day. She could carry light load without a problem. Together, they had a little problem at first, about who would do what. Now they sometimes didn’t even speak, and still the camp would be set without mistakes or problems.
All this made Argurios proud, and also raised his self-esteem. In a short time, they bought grew from small, innocent and sensitive kids, into young adults. Knowing how to fend for themselves, taking responsibility, and could withstand hardship, without it taking its toll.
Just when the duo reached the inner part of the town the bell rang. For a reason unknown to them the bell didn’t stop ringing. Most of the townsfolk stopped doing what they were doing. All went to a same place, like being called for something, their faces showed fear and curiosity. “I don’t like this town. I have a bad feeling. I propose we just get what we need and hurry to the next town. People seem scare and unhappy.” Argurios whispered to Brisa. Though he was no magician, he knew something was wrong here. People are usually happy this time around and in towns like these he doubted they would be scared. Even if he would dismiss the weird act of the townsfolk, there was still something in the air that didn’t feel right.

[Shadowefil]

Jatan knelt on his sleeping bag, crossing his legs which were bent at the knees. His elbows rested on his knees, his hands stretched upward with an open palm. It was difficult to concentrate in his apartment. For one thing, there was a constant buzzing. The flies, mosquitos, and gnats, drawn irresistibly to the stickiness of the humid air, flitted through the small one-bedroom apartment, buzzing and biting as they went. There was also the heat. It was unbearable. Sweat dampened Jatan's robes, streaked down his arms and face, dribbled from his armpits, adding a rancid stench to the air. But worst of all were the memories of Edgar's hanging. Like a shadowy figure in a dark room, they lingered, ready to surge forward at any moment.

Breath in, breath out. Breath in, breath out. The stench and bustle of the city faded as Jatan meditated. He was left with the gentle swish of a breath in, breath out. Breath in, breath out.

BONG, BONG, BONG.

The harsh clanging of the gong roused Jatan. As a native of Loudwater, he had been hearing it for the past month. Like many of the other citizens, it roused in him an apprehensive curiosity. Who would pay the price today? More than anything, though, it reminded him of Edgar's limp body dangling from the rope. Shuddering, Jatan quickly bundled up his sleeping bag, stuffing it in the corner of the small apartment, and scurried outside. The punishment for failing to attend an execution was harsh, but it wasn't what compelled Jatan to go.

Since Edgar's death, Jatan had been vigilant in his attendance, even showing up early on occasion. His eyes wandered throughout the crowd, scanning for potential allies. Turns out he wasn't the only one disgusted by the worship of this mysterious "Shadow" God and the horrific violence incited by his followers. He had tested the waters with a few people that seemed resistant, given away by their comments or facial expressions. So far, he'd had no luck. Just a lot of, "Best of luck to you, really, but I can't put myself or my family at risk like that!" Patience was something he'd learned from Edgar, though. If he waited long enough, an opportunity would present itself, and that's when he'd pounce on it.

And so, a somber Jatan returned to the town square for another execution, picking his way through the crowded streets, weaving between clutters of halflings, a rather skittish looking human girl and half-orc boy who almost seemed lost, and dozens of others to take his spot in the crowd, peering around at the sea of faces that surrounded him. Perhaps today would be his lucky day.

[Jollan]

Aiden exhaled. It was the first time he had ever really had to kill somebody, and although he did it efficiently at the time, he was a bitten shaken by it after the fact. His plan had worked flawlessly. The bandit he sole the crossbow from called his bluff and charged at him with a dagger. A quick smacking sound and a hissing dart found itself buried in the man's neck. Though he was aiming for the heart, he was used to a bow, and was a little unsure about how the crossbow would shoot. As soon as he shot, the other two bandits charged at him, knowing he couldn't reload fast enough to hit them. So naturally, Aiden ran. But The bandits ran right into his trap. The second one was right behind him until suddenly he tripped on a rope strung between some trees. Aiden quickly turned around and smash the but of the crossbow to the bandit's head. The third bandit cam around the bend in time to see his comrade take the blow and stopped in his tracks. Now, the bandit has seen two of his comrades defeated by one kid, and he could see the boy was ready for him to make a move. Which in fact, he did. He decided to cut his losses and high tail it before he was next!

In Aiden;s heart, he felt a bit of pride, that he was able to kill a couple bandits and return the favor from seven years ago. He quickly started to make work of the bandits. He took their belts, a dagger, four more bolts, and a club. He tucked the dagger down his mid calf length boots, and stuck the club at his belt. To Aiden's dismay, this lot seemed to not fancy carrying a sword with them. He started to walk back to where he left Serra last. "Serra? Its all right now, you can come out."

... no reply.

"Serra?" He rounded the corner and saw she wasn't there. "SERRA!" He shouted frantically. He noticed some boot prints approach her hiding spot and some signs of struggle in the adjacent foliage. There was a place in the mud where it looked like someone could have fallen, with the large footprints leading up to it. And the only footprints walking away, were not that of Serra's. Meaning she had been taken. Aiden cursed bitterly, he was careless. He stood up from where he was inspecting the ground. And started to follow the trail.

---

Over time the trail became harder to follow and he lost track if it. It had been two days that he had been tracking the bandit, and it seems as if the bandit knew he may be followed and made every attempt to cover his tracks. while it wasn't enough to keep him from being tracked, it was enough to slow Aiden down to where he started to notice that the tracks were getting older, not newer, showing that he was falling behind. He stopped to think.

If a bandit were to kidnap a girl, it would probably be to sell her....hopefully. the only place to do so would be at a nearby town, and for this kind of shady business, it would have to be a large one. The closest large city he could think of is Loadwater, which was where they were headed in the first place. If Aiden was to catch up to Serra, skipping ahead and finding her at the point of sale would be his only chance. So he marched on toward his original goal.

Upon arriving at Loadwater he could get a strange vibe like he shouldn't be here. There were odd temples that looked fairly new, and plenty of gallows. All the people seemed quiet and uninterested to talk. He arranged one of the belts he got from the bandits into a makeshift sling so that he would have to carry it in hand. He sat down at a public bench and pulled out his journal that he kept for his sister. It already had so many outlandish stories in it, but holding it now just seemed to bring him pain. Something told him that his sister and father weren't dead, but at the same time, he didn't have an explanation for what happened either. He wanted to write, but he felt to bothered by all the recent events and put it back in his pouch.

It was at that moment that the gong sounded. Instinctively, he started to look for a place to hide, from all those years of practicing with the bell at his hometown, but this sounded different. He stood up and looked around to see people stop what they were doing and start to mass at the gallows. That strange feeling he had before about this city, seemed like it was about to be confirmed. Especially when he caught site of a person without any white in their eyes. That made him do a double take and a step back.

Without looking at where he was going, he seemed to have bumped into someone, and when he turned around to apologize, he was stunned at whom he had found.

"A-Agurios? Brisa? Is that you!?" He said, shocked to see anyone from the town again.

(Sorry for the book, guys, I wanted to make a nice little catch-up post to get up to speed)

[Astarael42]

Brisa stayed close to Argurios, she felt the oddity too. People just wern't behaving right. True Loudwater was much larger than Twiddledale but there still should have been similarities. Here it seemed people were...individuals. Not even bothering to acknowledge one another...not a community. It felt very off to her and as she walked she kept her precious shoulder bag close to her body, hanging onto it tightly. It contained her spellbook which was her most valuable possession, without it she could do little.

“Yeah lets get out of here” she said to Argurios in a soft voice. “I had thought someone here might be able to help us, but this is...wrong...somehow. Let's get some supplies and go.”

They had turned towards the row of shops and other business geared for travelers when the gong sounded. It was a strange noise, echoy and deep, and it went on. And on. And on. Brisa was not surprised that the gong signaled a change in activity, naturally it was a signal for something. But when she saw people shuffling in a half worried have curious state towards the center of town she was curious.

Even people her age were gathering, a elfish boy weaving through the crowd nearly split her and Argurious up. She worried about loosing her companion, now friend, in the flowing mass of people. She had no interest in seeing what was going on in the town center, but it was almost impossible to weave through the people, they seemed to be going against a tide of humanity.

A boy ran into them, smack into them, nearly knocking Brisa down. If she hadn't grabbed hold of Argurios really quickly she would have been.

"A-Agurios? Brisa? Is that you!?" He said, shocked to see anyone from the town again.

Brisa stared open mouthed at Aiden. Like he, she had never expected to see anyone from Twiddledale again. Not really. She had hoped. But as they had walked on and on and on this past week that hope had dwindled.

“Mystra's Mantle” she said in surprise and then did something very uncharacteristic for her. She gave him a one armed hug, just seeing another from Twiddledale lifted her spirits but she did wonder if he was even real. Maybe she had gone mad traveling. Maybe none of this was real.

Then she caught sight of a woman dressed in black and gray, weaving through the people. The woman had no trouble, people parted for her like she was a plague carrier. It wasn't actually the woman that had caught Brisa's eye though. It was the medallion she had around her neck. It bore the same symbol they had encountered before, the same symbol that was on the medallion that Argurios now carried—found in his father's belongings.

figure on holy symbol

She changed her mind quickly. She had planned to go the other way but now she needed to know what the woman was doing. She jerked her head slightly towards the woman, trying to draw Argurios' eye, and then spoke softly to the two boys.

“I'm going to go see what's going on, I think we need to know.”

She did not say anything further, hoping that at least one of them would come with her but not wanting to ask. She was smart enough to know it made sense to split up, she could watch while Argurios went to fetch supplies, and they could get out of this city with the overhanging oppressive feeling all the faster.

While Brisa, Aiden, and Argurios were talking towards the back of the crowd, in the shadow of a building, the town center was filling with people. There were only a few seats, but they were all empty. Folk preferred to stand, it suited their unease better. In many places hangings were a celebration, a criminal had been caught and punished. Here everyone knew, in their hearts at least, that those about to be killed had done nothing to warrant it. They were just like everyone else, only they had been unlucky enough to get caught letting their feelings towards this new god and his followers show.

On the stage in the center of town stood seven very dejected looking townsfolk. They had family, friends, lovers even out in the crowd but no one even acknowledged them for fear of being associated with whatever blasphemy they had been accused of. Those on the stage stood alone, and they would die alone.

Arrayed on the stage keeping the blasphemers from running were three enforcers, they too once had family, friends, and yes lovers amongst the townsfolk. They no longer cared. They were wholly devoted to their god, and followed only the orders of his priests now.

The woman Brisa had spied made her way onto the stage and cleared her throat expectantly. A hush fell over the crowd and Brisa wiggled her way between a couple of observers, crouching where she could see the stage but remain fairly unnoticed.

The first thing she noticed, and it riveted her attention, was the writing above the gallows. It was the writing...the same as she had been struggling to decipher since Twiddledale. No question now...she needed to know what was going on. She knew instinctively that the locals wouldn't talk, at least most of them. She needed to find someone who would tell her what was going on...and she was beginning to be afraid that it might have to be one of the priests. She saw several of them lurking about on the stage as the woman began to talk.

Her speech was rambling, mostly incoherent, and punctuated with loud words and shakes of her fist. It didn't make much sense to Brisa, more like she was just stringing words together. She caught the name of the god...Eshowdow...so that was something. It meant not one damn thing to Brisa but she filed it away. Maybe they could find someone somewhere who would know. There was also lots of ramblings about the “one god” and “rising from the shadows of the creator” and a bunch of other rhetoric. While she was ranting and rambling the seven victims were lined up like sheep for the slaughter....not a bad comparison as the enforcers lowered the nooses over each one's neck. Normally the stage only had one gallows arm, more had been hastily erected for this occasion. Those to be hung were standing almost shoulder to shoulder as they tried to fit them all on stage.

Unnoticed by the children, unnoticed by most of the townsfolk actually, another set of eyes watched the spectacle. The woman was tall, over six feet, and incredibly lean. Her brown hair was coarse and stiff, like the hairs on a brush. She was dressed in peasant garb but any good eye would notice she didn't carry herself like a peasant. She kept her eyes averted, a good thing since orange eyes were not the norm around these parts. She had come to watch, and learn. The threat of Eshowdow was great, he was growing in strength and she had to figure out how. More importantly she had to figure out how to stop him, for the sake of her own god.

[orcpunx]

Argurios had little problem moving through the crowd. Being half orc, he was bigger than most, and so people automatically moved from his path. The same thing couldn’t be said for his friend Brisa. And until she grabbed him to break a fall, he didn’t notice she had problems with people bumping into her.
Even though he had little problems while walking through crowds, Argurios hated it. At his farm there was rarely anyone ever this close to him, and even then it was his father. On the road they hardly ever found another person and even then, bought parties kept the distance from the other.
Suddenly Brisa grabbed Argurios hard and pulled his hand. As Argurios turned around to see what happened, he heard a familiar voice.

"A-Agurios? Brisa? Is that you!?" A boy said with a happy and surprised voice.
Argurios looked at the boy. He knew the boy was from the village, but couldn remember what was his name. Aid… something. Even though Argurios couldn’t remember the name he was happy. It was someone he knew, someone that wasn’t foreign. But the joy was short lived. When Brisa hugged the boy, Argurios felt a little spark of jealousy in him. It wasn’t that he was in love. But they had travelled together for couple of days now and yet she never hugged him. What little physical contact they had, was because Argurios initiated it.

He noticed Brisa’s gesture, but as he looked into the crowd he didn’t see anything strange or anything that would catch his attention.
“I'm going to go see what's going on, I think we need to know.” Brisa said and began to move in the same direction as the crowed.
“What? Why? Brisa don’t go n your own like that.” Argurios called after her, but she was already on her marry way. “Damn what could we find here that would be of some importance to us?” Argurios cursed. ”You Aiden, go with her, and make sure you bought get back. We’ll regroup at the eastern church ok. I’m going to go ge the necessary supplies for the journey. “
Argurios was a little surprised that he suddenly remembered the boy’s name. But it didn’t matter. Neither did the future plans of the boy. Argurios disliked this town more and more with each passing moment. The idea of splitting up, and ferreting around seemed bad. All he wished for was to buy the supplies, and get out of this town as soon as possible. Now it seemed he will have to stay here longer.

After the old hags speech. The enforcers checked the noses one last time before, the coming of death. The old hag gave a slight nod, and numerous sounds, of the rope straightening and the nose tightening could be heard. Most died quickly having the knot break their necks. One person though, didn’t have the same luck. The knot was placed behind his head and so the neck didn’t break. People watched in silence, as the dead bodies hung in the air, and the horrible death of the unfortunate soul. Moments later even the unfortunate one was now dead still. The blood coming from his eyes was proof of that.

The old hag turned to the public. “May Eshowdow now claim their soul and punish the unbelievers.” With that the old hag stepped down from the gallows, and walked beneath the corpses. As she did, her shadow covered the shadows of the dead, but once she passed the bodies, there was no shadow of the dead. Now one of the enforcers stepped forward and caught making sure he had all the attention to begin his speech, and so the old hag could do her business.

[Jollan]

Aiden was against splitting up, he believed that they should stick together and then get supplies after everything calmed down. However, before he could tell Agurios this, he was already walking off. Aiden nodded and turned around walking back up to Brisa. He watched with disgust. He noticed it a bit after Brisa. The writing above the gallows. When he pieced it all together his face flushed with anger, his right arm tightening on his crossbow. But he knew he couldn't do anything to stop whatever maddness that was apparently running rampant in this town.

When it was all over, Aiden whispered to Brisa solemly, "C'mon, we had better go find Agurios."

[Astarael42]

A hush fell on the crowd as they watched the deaths. It could have been any one of them but while most folk felt sympathy, they didn't dare voice it or show it in their actions. Eyes were cold, expressions stony as they watched and as the priestess ranted on the stage they all nodded as was expected. After the spectacle was over they turned, and en masse shuffled on their way, morose and silent as before. They stood no chance, and most knew, in their heart of hearts, that one by one the whole village would be killed off in the name of this new god.

Brisa had watched it all, right up until the point when the people were hung. That, at that point she closed her eyes. She shuddered and tried not to even listen, but her reluctance went unnoticed by the priest. Children were worthless to her, and her god. They had no value, and they were no threat. It was by this virtue alone that they had survived as they did, and by this virtue that the enforcers paid them no mind.

Another set of eyes was not so indifferent though. She saw how the girl, showing obvious distress and disgust at the slaughter, was ignored. Ignored because she was nothing more than a child. It was something to ponder. As she faded back into town with the rest of the townsfolk she was already wondering how she could use this new knowledge.

When Aiden spoke up Brisa shook her head vehemently.

“I have to know more, I think there's something important in what is happening here” she said firmly, though she didn't whisper she did keep her voice down. Still anyone near her could have overheard her. She normally wouldn't have spoken up like this, but she felt very strongly. “We can meet at the other end of town, hide there and wait for me. I'm really sorry but I have questions that these people can answer. If I can get anyone to talk to me.”

She looked around without much hope. Everyone seemed so wrapped up in their own worlds, who would talk to a kid? What was happening here was too important to ignore. She couldn't stop it, but if she had some answers...maybe she could find someone else who could.

[Shadowefil]

"I have to know more, I think there's something important in what is happening here."

The words rang in the air. The short girl hadn't even spoken particularly loudly. But to Jatan, she may as well have been shouting at the top of her lungs. He had been watching her ever since he ducked by on his way to the hanging. This was his moment, and he intended to take it. He had to. For Edgar, for all the other victims. For Torm.

Weaving through the crowd with practiced ease, he slipped up behind the girl. It seemed she was dismissing her male companion. Make these words count, Jatan told himself as he waited to catch the girl alone. A lot depends on them.

A man dangled from the rope. Like a mouse held aloft by its tail as the grinning cat plays with its desperate victim, this man writhed helplessly in the air. Squirming. Gasping. Kicking. And then, nothing.

Make these words count.

A hand slips from his pocket.

Make these words count.

Fingers uncurl gently over the girl's shoulder to alert her to his presence.

Make these words count.

Leaning in. Closer. Closer.

Make these words count.

Barely more than a whisper.

MAKE THESE WORDS COUNT!

"If you want answers, follow me."

Cutting left, out of the crowd, he moved quickly, but not too quickly, towards the slum.

[Jollan]

"I didn't mean we should leave, I meant we need to meet back up with Agurious before deciding any-" Aiden cut himself off when he saw Jatan move behind Brisa and reach up to her. Aiden drew back a fist and was about to deck the guy when something he said stopped him.

"If you want answers, follow me."

Shocked, Aiden slowly lowered his fist as the boy scuttled away. He looked down at Brisa, "I'll follow you." he said, "but we must make haste."

[Astarael42]

Brisa was as startled as Aiden was. The elf boy had popped out of the crowd without her noticing, then again she hadn't been looking at the kids in the crowd. That was stupid of her. She wanted to smack herself but she didn't. That was the obvious solution, find a local kid and ask them what was going on. They would know, be less afraid to talk to her, and she would be less nervous about talking to them.

“Come on Aiden” she whispered. “Lets go, better than trying to talk to the priestess,” which had been her plan if she couldn't get an adult to talk to them. She didn't wait, just tucked her shoulder bag closer to her, and tried to follow Jatan as best she could. The kid was fast, and he was able to weave through the people with an ease she envied. Of course he knew where he was going, she only knew she had to follow him.

She hooked a hand around Aiden's arm, fearing they would get seperated. She had already lost Argurios, well not lost him but they were separated and she didn't want to be alone. Not really. For all her attempted bravado she was afraid. This was much easier.

“Hey” she said softly when she finally caught up to the kid “my friend is...shopping...right now.” She hoped Argurios was being careful. With everyone in the town square it would be a good time to...acquire some things they might need. She didn't approve of stealing, but in some cases it was unavoidable and they really needed supplies to go onward. “I'm supposed to meet him and I don't want him to worry. Can we, I don't know, talk near the merchant row so we can watch for him? Is it safe?”

***

As the crowd thinned the priestess returned to her shrine and her assistants returned to theirs. For such a small town there were a dozen shrines to Eshowdow, and now, with this demonstration, they would take the time to convert and erect a few more. Too much unrest in the town, the god was not pleased.

The enforcers, supposedly bound to the priestess, walked the streets herding the locals back to their jobs and whatever they were doing before the gong sounded. Of course they had another use, a use known only to them and their god. Their presence kept the town in line, they enforce the order, and when the time came they would either convert, or “handle” anyone who needed it. For now though, they marched through the town keeping “order.” Looking for anyone who might be causing trouble or breaking the law. Hangings were always a good tool to help keep order, they loved an excuse to arrange one.

[orcpunx]

After the group split up, Argurios went towards, where he thought would be, a market place. After a few minutes Argurios managed to get through the crowd. Once out of the mass of people, he noticed that most shops and stalls have been closed. Even the one shop which seemed to be in a size of his farm had the sign “closed” on it. ‘What is going on here? All the shops are closed in the middle of a day. This is preposterous.’ Argurios whispered to himself. “Depends. If you’re a stranger to this town then your view is understandable. But if you would stay in this town, for… Let’s say two weeks. You would see thing differently.”
Argurios didn’t expect an answer to his question; neither did he notice anyone else around him. Startled he turned towards where the voice came. At first he saw nothing. Only a dark, damp street filled with trash and some used up material. Then he noticed a pile of trash that had a shape of a cone. On it laid an old leather hat. “Good eye, I must say” Said the trash and out of it came an old grey man. His size was far too big to fit into the small trash. Amazed Argurios looked at the man then at the trash, but the trash was gone. “It’s just a simple trick my boy. No need to fry your brains over it. Anyhow, my name is Willang and you are?” For a moment Argurios just stood there, blinking. He never saw someone do that before. And for his entire life, he believed that only a smaller item could be put inside a bigger one, and not the other way around. Grey man nudged Argurios, bringing him back to reality. “Oh right, um…. My name is Argurios. Pleased to meet you. “ Argurios finally managed to introduce himself. He shaked the man’s hand and bowed a little.
“If you know so much about this town, would you be kind enough to show me, just where I can buy supplies?” Though Argurios didn’t know the grey man, he sensed him to be a good natured man. He also hoped that, since he has no idea how thing go in this town, the old man would be willing to show him around. “Yes I will. But be prepared to run or fight. This town is not what it seems. Come, I can see you are a curios man. I will answer your question as we walk. And I would advise you to keep those beast stalkers senses at their peak.” The grey man said and began walking towards the only shop that would be open at the time. Argurios followed him and, as suggested, kept his senses on their peak. “Sir what did you mean by Beast stalker?” Asked Argurios. He never heard of such a phrase before neither did he know its meaning. “I’m amazed you don’t know about it, but I will explain that later. First I must tell you about this town. You see….” The grey man began explaining the history and the strange events taking place in the city. Argurios listened intensely at first, but after some time he listened partly. Most of his energy went to reading his surroundings.

As he walked among the crowd signalling them to go back to their everyday duties, he felt pride and power swell in him. Before everyone laugh at him now he was a man of statue. “Raglor, what are you doing, come back to the farm.” Dreknor turned and found an old man speaking to him. Though the man seemed familiar to him he couldn’t remember from where he would know him. Not knowing the man troubled him. And so Dreknor fast walked in the opposite direction of the speaking man. After turning behind a corner, he saw a group of children hurry away from the hangings. One seemed familiar, but the other two didn’t. “We must make sure that the outsiders do not interfere with our plans. And so try to prevent any kind of socializing between the outsiders and the towns’ folk.” These words hit Dreknor as he thought about it. For him this was clearly a violation to the rules. Draknor looked around to aks another enforcer for help, but he was alone. And so, alone he rushed after the kids. The joy of capturing the offenders, already blooming in his heart.

[Jollan]

Aiden held on tight, not wanting to lose Brisa in the crowd. But he couldn't help as if they were being watched. Not just by the simply townsfolk, but something that had a bit more... interest in where they may be heading. He quickly glanced back as he was running and saw some boy tailing them. After a little longer he checked again and he was still chasing them. "Either this kid has friends following us, or we got trouble following us. Both situations can't be good."

He was holding onto Brisa's hand with his left, and he kept his hand on the club at hid belt as he ran.

[Shadowefil]

"My friend is...shopping... right now. I'm supposed to meet him and I don't want him to worry. Can we, I don't know, talk near the merchant row so we can watch for him? Is it safe?"

It would be riskier to speak out in public. That much was certain. Still, Jatan knew that this may be his only chance to talk to the pair. He didn't want to scare off his only potential allies. "I think I know where your friend may be headed. Most of the shops are closed during the middle of the day, but there's one in particular that's still open." Gesturing forward with his hand, Jatan slowed his pace to walk beside them.

He took the moment to really study the two. An odd pair to say the least. The girl was short, and had a bit of a boyish appearance. She had to be pretty tough to be traveling on her own at her age. The boy towered above her, his eyes darting to and fro, and his hand gripping his club. His hand gripping his club? Calm down, calm down, he's probably just nervous.

Trying to ease the tension, Jatan flashed the pair an awkward smile. "You must not be from around here. I'm Jatan, by the way."

[Astarael42]

Hairlissa had watched the whole spectacle of the hanging, the preaching, all of it with an impassive face. She was a visitor to the town, but she did not intend to stay any longer, she had found what she had come to find out. Eshowdow had the town under his control, that was clear, and the weak creatures that inhabited the town were too spineless to withstand him. She actually felt a bit sorrier for towns like Twiddledale, towns that had stood up to him and been eliminated for it. At least they stood for something. Loudwater keeled over and died, or might as well have.

She spun on her heel and left town, heading back towards the sea. She had seen all she needed to here, now she needed to keep on the trail of Eshowdow's real priests. The woman, the one who had overseen the hanging, was a devout servant. Hairlissa had seen the divine aura around the woman. The rest of the priests were nothing...fanatics with no real power or threat. The enforcers were slaves, their shadows bound to Eshowdow's will, and they too had no real power though they were stronger, faster, and far more powerful than they were when they were free. Two of them had tried to stop her as she left town. Hairlissa smirked at the memory as she strode confidently down the road. The two who had tried to stop her were dead, their bodies snapped in half like a twig, and stuffed in an alley.

Free of the town the woman stopped and shed her clothes, clothes she had stolen from the town. With an effort of will she shifted to her preferred “human” form...a tall woman of over six feet, muscled and toned, naked and hairless. Her amber eyes shifted to a mad orange color and she grinned mercilessly. With a nary a backward glance she took to the road, running with grace and ease of a predator on a cross country hunt.

She had learned much, about where the shadow god had been, and what he was doing, but not a way to stop him. Except...except for children. He seemed to ignore children. There must be some way she could use that. She would meditate as she ran, commune with her own god to share what she had learned. And she would hunt...she still had three priests to run down.

****

Kief disembarked the ship at Baulder's Gate, his eyes studying this port town with intense interest. This was his first trip to this land, despite that Fort Belurian and Baulder's Gate were sister cities and trading partners. He had never left his own land, now an exile he had no real place to go. So he would try and prove that he was right, that his theory was right. It was hard to be a priest of Ubtao, he had never mastered it. Not truly. Maybe that was why he could see the shadow gods plan and the others could not. Or maybe it was his own nature. Whatever it was it was frustrating, none believed him. After all how often do you notice what your own shadow is doing.

He had tracked Eshowdow's priests to this land, followed in their footsteps. Now he just had to find them. He stood alone in the swirl of activity among Baulder's Gate's docks. People stared at him, dark skinned and dark haired, he looked like a wild man. But they only stared a second or two, then went about their business. Oddities were common enough, as long as he kept away from them they would avoid the stranger on principle.

Shouldering his satchel he strode off into the...well the locals called it a city. Kief thought it looked like nothing so much as an unsophisticated backwater burg. This was where the three priests had been dropped off, the ship captain had told him that, and so here was where his hunt would begin.

****

The strange man finished his speech, seeing that Argurios was no longer focused he shrugged. He had done what he could. But he sensed that the young orc-blood and his mageling companion were drawing too much attention to themselves. Yes they had found allies, but also enemies. And it was the enemies that concerned him now. .

“Go” he said abruptly to Argurios. “You have to get out of town. Wait till everyone is distracted then head to the river. It will take you where you need to be.” With that the man turned on his heel and vanished between two buildings. Literally vanished. He had some skill with enchantments and illusions, and while he couldn't match the shadow priest, he could at least provide some distraction. In the children he had seen what the priestess and her cohorts hadn't and he was willing to take the gamble.

****

Dreknor had been content to follow the three children. He didn't consider them dangerous per se, but it was good to keep the locals separated from the visitors. The town needed visitors and outside money to survive, that didn't mean they had to socialize with them. He had been about to step up and direct the strangers to leave the local elf boy alone, when he caught sight of two of his comrades sleeping in an alley.

Not sleeping. He forgot, the chosen warriors didn't need sleep. So what were they doing. He slipped into the alley and suddenly felt confused. The two men there were wearing broken bodies, snapped in half, but they were alive of course. They couldn't die. Not now. But they didn't seem to be able to speak or move either. Their eyes, solid black orbs like his own, stared at him with a void expression and Dreknor didn't know what to do.

So he did the first thing he could think of, he went to find the priestess.

***

Brisa glanced over her shoulder, trying to figure out what Aiden was looking at. There was nothing there. No one following them, no one watching them. She frowned and ran anyway though to her mind running would draw more notice than walking. And she was right. No fewer than three enforcers saw her run by, but they paid the children no mind. Children were unimportant after all. Their black eyes watched them but didn't linger, focusing instead on the adult townsfolk traveling back to their jobs.

When they slowed as Jatan led them towards the merchant section Brisa breathed a little easier.

“Brisa” she said by way of introduction. She didn't want to introduce herself, but it would have been rude not to. Politeness won out.

“Look” she said finally when they halted in the merchant row “What is...”

She stopped talking abruptly, very nearly swallowing her tongue, as one of the lesser priest she had seen from earlier, and one of the townsfolk with the black eyes, rounded a corner.

Behind them she spotted Argurios exiting one of the shops, their eyes met for a fraction of a second before Brisa looked down. Shuffling her feet she turned trying to look as innocuous as possible. It might have worked except for bad luck and bad timing.

A soundless roar filled the air. While it made no noise it thundered in the skulls and bones of all in town, filling the all the people with a nameless dread. Brisa felt in in her mind, a fear clawing at her thoughts, and she shivered as he legs locked in terror. The fear washed over the children in a wave, the spell working to root itself in their minds.

The priest and the enforcer felt it too, but it affected them differently. It filled them with a righteous indignation, adrenaline, and a will to serve their god. Their eyes, human and no-longer-human, fell on Argurios.

“Halt Orc” the priest spat out, disgust plain in his words when he said “orc.” That Argurios was not fully orcish made no difference. He was a stranger, he was different, and that made him a target. They rushed at the boy, eager to capture him for their god. All across the city of Loudwater the same thing was happening to others, to newcomers and outcasts alike. Enforcers and lesser priests, filled with zeal, eager to please, attacked.

[orcpunx]

Argurios went into the shop, to which the grey man pointed him towards. The shop was not so big, but it was open, and to Argurios that was all that mattered.
“Hello. How may i help you” Said a voice, from a room, behind the counter. Argurios wanted to answer, but quickly changed his mind about it. He decided to trust no one in this town. Andi f he is going to buy from some merchant, and then at least he wants to see the man. After a couple of moments the shopkeeper came. “So what do y-. Oh my apologies i didn’t know you were a foreigner. I might not have everything you need, but i most certainly have the basics. Would you also like to sell something?” The shopkeeper eyed Argurios from top to bottom. Everything about the young orc screamed he was not from this town, and that he spent last days in the wild. Though there was little traveller visits lately. The shop keeper liked them. They brought him pelts of rare animals and herbs that were not wide spread.
Argurios did the same. For a moment he didn’t answer, he just stood there looking at the shopkeeper and the shop itself. After a few moments he was pleased and felt he could partly trust this man. “I have a small list of the items I need.” Argurios said with a low calm voice. He passed the list to the shopkeeper, who took it and gave it a quick look. “Hm… I have most of these. But all of this will cost quite allot. Around twenty silver pieces.” The shopkeeper said and glanced at the younger orc. Knowing the price was too high; he was hoping to swindle the youth. “I’m not dumb. Ill gives you 12 silver pieces and not a copper piece more. Even that is more than enough for what I ask. “Argurios said through his teeth. He could hardly control his temper. Its understandable that a merchant sets a higher price, which is then negotiated, but never twice as high as the appropriate price. Argurios had a strong urge to just leave the shop. But then again he would need to find another and that ill-suited him. His right hand slowly began to move to his side. Where he had a small money pouch, but in front of it was his father’s hunting knife. The shopkeeper noticed the movement, only to him it seemed that the orc was reaching for his knife and not the money pouch. “Ha no need, let’s say ahm… um….. The original price was a joke. 9 silver pieces should be more than enough. Let me just quickly gather the items.” The shopkeeper scurried back into the back room.
Argurios was surprised but the shopkeepers’ reaction, but it didn’t bother him. Now he had to pay even less than before. Dipping his hand into the pouch he felt for the nine silver pieces, and then he sat down and waited for the merchant to come with his order.
After a while the merchant came back, with a big leather sack on his back. Dropping it on the counter, he began to name things from the list while pulling it from the sack and then putting them back inside. After he was done he looked at Argurios with fearful eyes, hoping the orc would pay his part. Argurios was pleased with his order and handed the nine silver pieces to the shopkeeper. Though there was one thing he didn’t understand. In the bag there was everything that was on the list. But little before, the merchant said he didn’t have some of the items. “Is something wrong? Would you like anything else?” The shopkeeper asked. Hoping that the orc would leave as soon as possible. “No nothing more. This is enough. Thank you. May the sun shine upon you.” Argurios said as he turned around to leave the shop. He was still mad at the man, but his father always said that curtesy was important when trading. Just before he stepped through the door the shopkeeper called. “There are certain items in there that you requested, but are banned from our town and shops. So I would be grateful if you would not tell of it to anyone.” Argurios smiled. “Don’t worry the secret is safe with me.” With that said he walked out of the shop.

As he stepped out on the street Argurios noticed Brisa on the other side in an alley, with her were two boys. One he knew the other he did not. For a moment Brisa looked at him then turned away. Argurios found it odd, but soon after he noticed the two priests walking towards him. In that moment he realised what was going on. Just as he was about to dash forward into a sprint fear touched him. He stopped in his movement. For a moment he couldnt move, and Argurios did not understand why. Then he heard one of the priests yell at him. “Halt Orc” The priest rushed at him. The yell freed Argurios from the spell. He looked around, and noticed Brisa and Aiden were still, and full of fear. “Damn” He cursed under his breath. Argurios had a need to run to his companions, but in between them, the two priests stood. Not knowing what to do next adrenalin rushed him, and his orc blood rushed through his body. Grabbing the war axe, he ran forward. Swinging at the first priest he missed. The pries set leaped backwards with surprising speed and agility. Using the force from the swing Argurios rammed into the second priest. They bought fell, but Argurios side rolled and got to his feet. Now bought priests were out of his way. Argurios sprinted forward towards his companions. “RUN!” he shouted at the top of his voice. AS he came closer he grabbed Brisa and put her on his shoulder. Then he grabbed Aiden by his arm and ran into the alley, pulling Aiden behind him.

---

Dreknor was on his way towards the church, knowing there would be others. As he was running a silent thought came to his mind, a message of some sort. “Stop youth. Running through town. Half orc. Important artefact. Bring it. Kill everyone.” Though Dreknor didn’t exactly know from where did this thought come from, neither did he understand the strong felling to follow it. But after a few moments this was the only thought he had. He had forgotten about his companions, being broken in an alley. He stopped in his tracks, and for a moment stood completely still. Then ran through the streets towards the small group of children, it seemed like he knew exactly where they were although he didn’t see them. Something in his head was telling him where they are and how to get there.

---

The Grey man was moving along the streets. He had already built three fire piles. All inside old deserted house. Now he was rushing to the last one. Setting them all on fire will distract the townsfolk and enforcers will be forced to help. With this he would help the children escape the town and hopefully the priestess would not notice, that the youth has some artefacts of the evil god. On his way through the streets, he noticed that there were lots of fights around town. For some reason the enforcers attacked the foreigners. In most cases the enforcers had little problem. But here and there, there were cases when enforcers were getting pummelled. But to grey man this also meant he was running out of time. No doubt the enforcers had already attacked the young orc as well. Though grey man was sure he would not be easy to capture, he was still a young unexperienced man. Though enforcers had little experience as well, they were grown men who were enchanted. Grey man cursed and used an old spell that would enhance his speed and agility, but he was not sure how long would it last neither the cost he will pay. When young he used such skills and spells with ease, but now when he is old and frail, these skills and spells are harder and more costly to use each time.

[Jollan]

Aiden was just about to shoot one of the enforcers when Agurious grabbed his arm. On second thought, it probably would have been a waste of a bolt anyway. He decided to follow along just behind Agurious so he could cover them from the rear... as much as he could anyway. He had released the tension on the crossbow while running put the bolt away and let the crossbow rest on its sling. the only thing he could immediately use to fend something off was his club, he didn't want to take the time to bend down for his dagger secured away in his boot.

[Astarael42]

Brisa was shaken, literally, from her fear induced trance when Argurios grabbed her. She recognized the spell effect...though it was not one she was familiar with she knew the feel of magic now that she was free of it. That it hit them without any visible source worried her. She prayed to Mystra that the caster was merely hiding because the range of the spell directly correlated to the strength of the caster. The farther away they were the stronger they were, and Brisa worried that they were far stronger than even Autry had been. She didn't realize the difference between divine and arcane magicks; she had not reached that point in her studies; and thus didn't realize some of the things she thought she knew about magic did not hold true for priests. She often had little focus for non-magical things...but magic...she could focus on magic. So her thoughts whirled about trying to place what had happened to them, and what it meant, among other things. She was concentrating on the “magic of the thing” despite the fact that she was being manhandled as if she weight little more than a doll.

All this she thought through while Argurios bodily lifted her. She managed to squeak out “come on” to the others, in a rather startled voice, before she was hoisted into the air and plunked on Argurios' shoulder. She was surprised when she realized Argurios was carrying her on his shoulder. She was also thankful, last time he had grabbed her and ran she had lost him. It was luck, Mystra's guidance, or something like that helped her find him again. It would be foolish to rely on such a positive fate again.

Brisa hung on tightly as they ran, fearing to get tumbled, separated, and alone. They were in far greater danger now than they were earlier with the midnight bandit attack. This attack had magic behind it. Brisa was terrified but didn't want to let it show. Instead she hung on tight to her friend with one hand, and her precious satchel with her other. She was no great runner, but they had found themselves needing to run on more than one occasion. She would just have to learn to keep up with Argurios, he couldn't be expected to carry her all the time and she was terrified of loosing him.

\She saw Aiden running beside them, but she couldn't see if Jatan was on the far side., behind, or what. She hoped he was...she still had things to ask him and now there was no way she could ask anyone else. On the other hand if they ran they were leaving town, and not looking back. This was Jatan's home, he may have chosen to hide and wait out the trouble rather than throw his lot in with three strangers.

Suddenly the air was filled with very loud, very solid sounding “thump” noises; four in quick succession. As Brisa looked around for the source she saw black clouds of smoke billowing into the sky. Thick and greasy looking they came from four different corners of the town. Whatever had caused it it was a blessing for the harried children. This would give them a few precious moments to escape, moments when everyone would be distracted by the fires...or whatever they were.

The Gray Man's chances of getting away from the trouble he had caused were not good. He had known that going in. But the chances of the children getting away had just increased ten fold and he was one of the few people in this world who realized the importance of the small travelers. There was not much hope to be had as the evil god spread his shadow over this corner of Faerun but what there was was largerly resting of the shoulders of the children. Hope was a thing worth sacrificing one's self for.

The fires served their purpose, townsfolk and enforcers alike raced to the four points. Fires in a town where the buildings were so close together were a serious threat. A fire could wipe out half the town before it got under control. The town practiced bucket brigades and fire drills just to help combat this and arson was punished on the same level as murder. The town burning down was good for no one, including the dark god. The enforcers and the priests would help protect it...they needed it as much as the non-affected townsfolk. Fortunately the river ran through town and water was plentiful.

[Shadowefil]

Fear snaked through Jatan's body suddenly. His limbs stiffened, locking against his will. His heart throbbed. It was a struggle even to breathe. Only pitiful rasps wheezed desperately from his lips. Something had slithered inside him, constricting his mind, poisoning his thoughts.

Fear was no obstacle for a monk. Unfortunately, it would be a stretch to call Jatan a monk. He was only a kid, after all. Still, he knew enough to sense divine magics at play. Someone was forcibly tampering with his mind.

"Torm looks after us, Jatan," Edgar had explained when Jatan had first walked into the monastery. "He is a protector of the weak. Those of us who worship him are united by our belief in justice. We defend those who cannot defend themselves. And not too long from now, that responsibility will fall to you." Jatan craned his head, meeting Edgar's twinkling eyes. Those words felt so true. Hearing Edgar speak, it touched something within him. Deeply. Powerfully. Somewhere in his soul he knew he was meant to defend the powerless.

But right now, Jatan was the one who was powerless. Torm, I need you, he thought.

Whether by some act of divine intervention, Jatan's sheer willpower, or some other force, no one knew for sure. But at that moment, his fingers crinkled. His limbs awoke. He heaved as air burst once more though his lungs. And just as he was finally collecting himself…

BAM! A half orc came charging past, scooping up the tiny, shocked, and probably terrified Brisa onto his back and barreling down the street like a human (or perhaps half-orc would be more appropriate) battering ram. Scrambling to catch up, Jatan bolted down the street after him. He wasn't as fast as the half orc, but he did know the area. Only it seemed like they weren't just running to escape the situation…

They were running to escape the town…

Of course. The half-orc had assaulted a priest. There was no other option, really.

Which left Jatan with a choice. Follow the three children out of town and escape the hell that Loudwater had become, or stay and try to right the injustice that was being done. How can I leave this place? he thought to himself, People here need me. If I just leave, no one will be looking out for them. Every lost life...it will be on my conscience the rest of my life...And Edgar. His death will go unavenged. How could I possibly let that happen after all he has done for me?

Edgar's wisdom again rang in his head, "Bravery and stupidity are very different things Jatan."

It was important advice. Edgar had been warning him of something, warning him to not bite off more than he could handle. No, he had to leave. To stay would be stupidity. He was one boy. There was nothing he could do. He would either perish at the hands of the priests or rot away in the slums if he stayed. Sooner or later, he'd have to go. To learn. To grow. To find help. So that, one day, his chance to return and enact justice would present itself.

Perhaps it was a sign from Torm. The chance to leave was, after all, right in front of him. A couple feet in front of him, to be precise, and gaining fast. "Guys, wait for me!" he cried out, propelling his legs to churn faster still.

As he ran, he couldn't help but think he was running from the only place he had ever called home. Who knew when he'd return? If he'd ever return? A single tear slipped from his eye, streaking silently down his cheek and onto the pavement below, but he did not stop running.

[orcpunx]

Argurios kept on running. He heard the towns boy yell after him, but he didn’t stop. He slowed down by a bit, but he had to keep running. Soon he would lose his strength and would need to put brisa down. No, no stopping, as long as he can run he will. Argurios could feel, the weight of the cargo and the weight from Brisa, how its taking its toll on him. His strength was seeping faster than ever. But then again it wasn't that far to the river either. Setting his mind to the task, Argurios decided he will either fall of exhaustion or make it to the damn river.

The scent of smoke and burning wood filled the streets. Argurios found it odd at first, but realised it was most likely a distraction that grey man made. This time they will all make it to the river. Leaving no one behind. Argurios believed that without seconds thought, he had to. The idea of leaving someone behind was not an option.

---

Above the small group of children a black, big, crow flew, like stalking a soon to be dead pray, waiting to relish on its dead corps.
Dreknor was sprinting through the town. As he ran he could see different scenes of people fighting and running. But he didn’t stop to help. Even as the fires broke out and everyone rushed to help and stop it, Dreknor kept running towards his goal. The black crow in the skies kept telling him where the children are, and so he knew where he has to go. Reaching the river before the children he looked into the sky and could see the black bird coming towards him. Moments from now he will kill for the god, for the first time. The idea of his deed made him feel proud and useful. And the magic in him made him powerful, and more obsessed with the evil god than ever before.