[IC] Darkblade: Legends [[OOC]]

[Rethel34]

Chapter II
To Enter Jinn


Warde stood from the side of the small lake, still rubbing his nose. He was grateful he had survived, and even more so that Sephy had healed him, but his nose had not regained its shape, and it was rather foreign to him. He began to make his way back to the fort, and Jake, one of the members of the recently met convoy which had agreed to help them out, did his part. A blanket of darkness fell on the area, blinding anyone Jake did not intend to be able to see so that Warde could return to the inside of the fort without any Geraden scouts finding the entrance to their fort.

He wove his way through the dimly lit corridors of the fort to the scent of food. That was what he needed right now to take his mind off of her. Warde sighed. He had failed, again, to express his...um...infatuation with Lillith, and had made a complete fool of himself. He had tormented himself on the inside for the past three days, and had hardly spoken to anyone since. When he reached the mess hall, he grabbed a platter of food, found a dark corner to sit in, and ate, uncaring for how sloppy he may have gotten. At least, that was until he would think someone was approaching, when he comedically would wipe his face to hide his lack of manners.



Lillith carried the three plates back toward the infirmary. Sephora was still there, and the girl they were taking care of--who was not easily interpreted as a girl--had been stirring slightly every now and then, and could awaken any time. The two had agreed that, after being unconscious for a number of days, this girl would likely be ravenous, regardless of her normal appetite.

Lillith, since Warde had decided to completely avoid her, had taken to watching over Sephy's patient and helping in what ways she could. She figured that a companion and an aide would be helpful, and though an unlikely team, Lillith thought that she and Sephora worked rather well together. She was certainly learning; that couldn't be doubted. Maybe she would take up learning staves at some point...

The room was still quiet when Lillith returned, and she noticed that the girl had not yet come to. Lillith merely set the first plate on the table next to the cot and handed the second to Sephora before finding one of the few chairs in the room and settling into it to eat. "Any signs to her waking up?" Lillith whispered to Sephora, trying not to startle the unconscious girl, in case she may have actually awoken and fallen back to sleep.



Evan had been pondering heavily on the group's next move. They couldn't simply stay put forever. They had to move. He had long had the thought that they should go to the Aurora Empire. There were problems, though. They could cross the border into Jinn, and travel all the way north by land, an alternate route being to pass through Exotria, and the last being to use sea travel. Whichever they chose, they would likely have to land in Jinn, where a civil war was raging.

With crossing the border into Jinn, they risked fighting an enormous amount of Geraden troops. Then going through Exotria could mean that they would be attacked by beasts. Then there was sea travel, where they'd have to first steal a ship, which would likely mean unnecessary blood being shed, and they risked being attacked by pirates. Then there were always the bloody Risen.

Evan had been pacing in front of the table in the meeting room, the movement not helping his mind decide. He eventually just sat down and decided he needed the input of another. He didn't want to disturb Rael, but it was the only way he would be able to finally make a decision. Rising to his feet again, Evan began making his way to the library.

[Maxim]

Dalton, for his part, was busy working away in the kitchen, trying to prepare a meal for the army, especially for all the new volunteers that had come in recently. Well, it wasn't exactly an army, but he didn't really know what else to call it. Fortunately, the villagers had thanked them with a plentiful amount of gifts, including some utensils, some other materials for cooking, and lots of excess food that they scrounged together. That day, Dalton had decided to try cooking some venison, as he had noticed most of the army clamoring for some good quality meat for the past few days. Oh, they hadn't said anything to him, but something about their demeanor gave him the suspicion, which was confirmed when he started handing out plates. He quickly cooked the venison until there was only a little bit of pink in the center and then prepared a vegetable "slaw" to go on top; he didn't really know whether that was the right way to cook venison, but he figured it was close enough to beef that most of the same principles applied.

Of course, if it was the wrong way, he'd know soon enough. He definitely hoped not though, since he had already made a rather big mess up just that week. His big plan during the bandit invasion was to cut a big hole in the back of the barn to scare the horses through. While he was right that if the horses had stampeded out the front entrance, everyone friend and foe would've been crushed, he neglected to notice the rather big doors on the back there. Worse, after the battle was over, the locals had said that a good number of the horses were actually the villagers' horses, which he just scared away into the surrounding countryside! Dalton still was a bit stung over that mishap, but thankfully the villagers were far more happy with the bandits gone than they were annoyed that the horses had been scared away. It probably helped that he spent that night and most of the next day finding all the horses and rounding them up.

He tried to push this stupid moment out of his head, but it kept nagging him. Had it been a worse miscalculation, he could've killed somebody. The villagers also could've used that as an excuse to not give the party what they needed. After some time of these and many other thoughts stewing in his head, he eventually said to himself "I suppose it's best to leave the strategizing to the strategists. Oh well, at least everything turned out okay." while preparing the last batch of venison. Well, nobody had gotten sick yet, so he presumed if he did make a mistake, it wouldn't be that bad. "Then again," he thought "they might just be so hungry that they don't mind. Regardless, I think I'll take a break in the crew quarters."

He cleaned up the mess he had made cooking the food, then headed down the hallways. After a few moments, he decided to just go exploring the fort, after all there wasn't much else to do at the moment...

0=I====>

Inside one of the many forts of Edea captured by Geraden, a certain army commander paced back and forth. He was a gruff man, big, mean, and very strong looking, he was clad in black armor with some purple lining and the insignia of Geraden. Eventually, he stopped pacing and said "What do you mean they haven't been found yet?" A rather timid looking soldier replied with a weak "W-w-well, we just haven't been able to find any trace of the prince or those seen escorting him." The commander reeled on the soldier and yelled, practically in his face "Then do your accursed jobs and find them already!"

A voice came down from a nearby hallway "My my, somebody certainly seems to be in a bad mood today." The commander perked up right away and, his voice still tinged with rage "I really don't need you to tell me how angry I can or can't be Venn." A lean man, dressed in long purple robes and having white hair and golden eyes, made himself shown in the entryway. The soldier jumped up in shock at the name, then turned around towards him "V-v-Venn? What are y-y-you doing here?" Venn's face lit up with a smile, the kind of smile that conjures images of a sadistic torturer about to cut his victim to ribbons. Then he said, matter of factly "Oh, I'm just passing through. Hehe, oh I do love giving our leaders a surprise visit, it's quite fun!"

"Oh shut up and tell me what you're after" the commander said with a grunt.

"Oh come on..." Venn said, dissatisfied "why are you people always so serious?" He gave that smile again and said "No matter, at least you're still alive eh? I was just checking up on how the prince hunting is going. Given your reaction I imagine you're having some kind of trouble?"

The commander then yelled again "OF COURSE I'M HAVING TROUBLE YOU..." he cut himself off before he insulted his superior "Yes...yes we are. Our spies in Aurora still haven't found those accursed men. If I don't capture those men soon---"

"Then you'll be an absolutely charming skel-lee-ton" Venn said, still smiling. "At any rate, why are you looking up there? They are still in Edea, otherwise you would've been posted up in Aurora!" The commander, barely containing his rage said "Why would they be down here? We have access to every fort they have, and our patrols are looking for them everywhere. If they were still here, we'd have the prince's head by now!"

Venn tilted his head slightly "Really? I think they would've made quite the ruckus if they had left the country! And besides that, we don't have every fort down here." He then reached into his shoulder pack and pulled out a roll containing a few old documents. He then flung the maps into the commander's face, which he quickly picked up and glanced at. The commander responded with "What is this?", which prompted Venn to answer "Oh just some old documents detailing a fortress they ended up abandoning. I don't know who would do such a silly thing, build a castle then just split when they're done. But then, who can know the mind of an Edean? I only have a hunch to go on, but I think our little band of misfits is hiding out there, it's certainly close enough to the palace. And with that, I have your orders, to march a force of...oh I think about a thousand should do it, to X marks the spot! I think they've probably become complacent and are still holed up there, but on the off chance they decide to flee, I can cut them off at the Jinn border, Commander Ralos can take command of all the ports and lock them down, and... heh well they'd be food for Exotria, but just in case I've deployed Commander Ulvan over that aways with a small force. That sounds good to you yes?"

The commander just sighed and said, "Very well, I think we're going on a wild goose chase more than anything, but I don't have anything else to go on."

Venn gave a big grin and said "Wonderful! Just remember, the early skel-lee-ton skewers the peasant!" He then left, followed closely behind by the commander.

[singmesweetly]

Sephora was frustrated. It had been four days since they fought the bandits, four days since this girl had been put under her care. And what had she been able to do? Nothing. The girl slept and slept like she was out of a fairytale and had a spell cast over her. Sephora had checked repeatedly to see if anything was physically wrong with the girl, but there was nothing.

With her hands on the girl’s forehead, Sephora began channeling her energy through the girl, muttering a short incantation under her breath. The magic flowed easily through the girl’s body; nothing was wrong. Sephora sighed. There was no reason that Sephora could think of, and that her magic could detect, that this girl was unconscious. Sephora felt a twitch under her hand. Lifting her hand slowly off of the girl’s forehead, she noticed that the girl’s eyes were moving back and forth. Suddenly, the girl’s eyes fluttered open for a moment and Sephora was struck by their bright, green color, but they quickly shut.

At that moment, Lillith decided to walk in with food. Sephora smiled in thanks as Lillith handed her a plate of food. Her stomach rumbled lightly as she remembered that she had not eaten since yesterday morning.

“Any signs to her waking up?” Lillith whispered to Sephora. Sephora glanced at the girl’s face, but it was back to its normal, peaceful state.

“Her eyes fluttered o-open, um…, but nothing else,” Sephora whispered back, praying that the girl would soon sake, for her own sake.

0=|====>

Gregory had thought that joining a band of an estranged prince would have been more interesting, but here he was, day four and the most exciting thing that had happened was venison. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He sat near the waterfall by the entrance to the fort, not being a socializing type. Burping loudly, he set his plate down and headed towards the forest; he’d get that later, but for now he was looking for adventure, at least a bear to kill or something.

[Veridis Quo]

Rael and Ismayel had been in the library for about half an hour, now. There wasn't much else to say after they had exchanged names, although Ismayel had tried to start up a conversation or two, to no avail. It was an awkward silence for the Vaykan initiate, but he respected someone else's need for quiet, especially in a library.

The chair beneath him made a loud crack, and then snapped. In a moment's notice, Ismayel had fallen unto to his rear, with broken bits of wood around him. He looked like an enormous child that had just broken something.

He was confused at what had just happened, at first, but then he let loose a laughter that swept up the room.

The door slowly swung open in front of Evan to reveal to him one of their newer men sitting in a pile of splintered wood . . . and he was laughing as if the best joke in the world had been told. Evan simply cocked an eyebrow and smiled. How else could he respond to it? Then he remembered why he had come to the library in the first place: Rael. Sure enough, the young man was there, like usual.

"Um, Rael," Evan began. "I have come to the conclusion that we should probably head north now, but I am at a dilemma as far as how we should do it. I can think of three routes, but none will be easy, and if you are willing, I'd like to have your opinion on this. And, I guess that since you're here . . . um . . . forgive me, Ismayel, was it? If you want, you can off your opinions as well."

"Sure." Rael closed the book in front of him. Ismayel had just started picking up the pieces of his late chair, but he seemed all ears, as well.

"Alright, the first plan is that we head out to a port town and take a ship from here into Jinn. I don't want to be on the sea more than necessary, though, as I feel we are most vulnerable there. The second is going through Exotria to enter Jinn, where we will be less likely to encounter Geraden, but there are also the beast people to watch out for. Then the last one: charging straight over the border. That one may be crazy, but Geraden would think the same, right? Would they really expect us there?"

"Jinn, as a country," Rael began. "is important enough for Geraden to be watching it. Even if they don't expect us there, they probably have someone looking over who goes in and out. With a group this large, we won't be able to slip by unnoticed. Especially since some of us tend to stand out."

Ismayel laughed at that.

"Guess that's me." He said, with a grin and a hand scratching the back of his head. "The only way I can move around with my gear is by wearing it, and seeing me alone in full armor would raise a few eyebrows."

"As for the port," Rael began again. " even if that isn't watched, they must have an eye over the waters surrounding this land. They just won a war here, so some of their navy should still be nearby."

"And it's not like we can just commandeer a ship large enough to carry us all. Not in this condition, that's for sure." Ismayel voiced his own opinion, particularly about the wounded among them.

"Which leaves us only with the path through Exotria." Rael said. Ismayel had just finished picking up all of the scraps of wood, and he set them aside in a neat pile by some corner. "I'm not familiar with what type of danger would lie there. After all, I've lived only a quiet farmhand's life, until now." Rael finished his thoughts. "What do you think, Evan?"

Evan raised his eyebrow for the briefest of moments when Rael mentioned that he had been a farmhand. The scarf said otherwise, even if it was his sister's. And this man was far too intelligent to have lived on a farm. But Evan would let him play at this game. Instead, he merely considered their odds at making it through Exotria. "A group of beasts is much more dangerous than the Geraden warriors, but the beasts aren't looking for us, so that may be to our advantage. Either way, we have to get moving. I guess it's our best bet. Ismayel, do you agree?"

"Sure. It sounds the most reasonable." Ismayel said, as he closed his own tome and heaved it off of the table. He tucked it under his arm and began making for the door. "I'll see you guys a good night, I have to attend to some prayers before it gets too late." And he left with a wave.

"When do you intend for us to move?" Rael asked Evan from his seat.

"As soon as possible. We can't waste any more time here. We've given Geraden a lot of time to figure out our location, and giving them even another second is dangerous. I'll go tell those that are in the mess hall to pack up after eating. Would you mind letting whoever's in the infirmary know of the plan?" Evan was anxious now; they had their plan. It wasn't failproof, but it was better than where he had been a few minutes ago.

"I'll let them know." Rael said.



On his way to the infirmary, Rael faced his own, personal doubts. He was fighting for the Edeans now, and he still didn't know why. He remembered signing up for the Edean military the day after his parents were killed on their travel here, but he couldn't remember why he hadn't just gone back to his homeland, Aurora. That would have been the smart thing to do. Even if it wouldn't bring his family back, Rael was still guaranteed some place in that society, perhaps at a desk job. But, instead, he had chosen this path.

Had it been anger, it was gone now. Any sense of confusion in his head seemed a bit clearer, save for that one question. He was even coming to terms with the fact that his family wasn't coming back... but he couldn't sit by when those who had killed them were still walking this earth.

That was it. As simple as it came, it all boiled down to vengeance. From the day Rael had taken up this old sword by his hip, he knew he could not return to his old ways. There was only one purpose in his life now: to set things right.

He had even interrogated a bandit on the battle of the nearby village. He had learned of the group who had attacked him. The Black Scorpions, they were called. His existence revolved around them, now. Helping the Edeans was the only way he had to get to them.

Although he wasn't proud of his reasons for helping the Edeans, this inwards reflection had left Rael feeling a bit better. He was aware of his own intentions, and that cleared up a lot for him.

Before he knew it, Rael was already at the infirmary's door. Two girls, Sephora and Lillth, were by a bed, tending to a sick patient. They seemed to be focused on their tasks, especially Sephora, who was chanting some sort of spell. So he watched.

After a while, Lillith was the first to notice him, since she was only attending to keeping the place tidy.

Lillith had barely finished her food after taking bites between helping Sephora when she realized Rael was standing in the doorway. Going over to him, she spoke quietly so she wouldn't bother the other two. "Hi, Rael. Anything you need? I mean, we've kind of got a lot to do, but I'm sure we can spare a few seconds. As long as you don't need that scarf washed again," she smiled.

"Wait, how do you know about tha- ...Never mind. " Rael whispered back. He'd rather not have the whole company know he was too spoiled to wash his own clothes, but that concern would have to wait. "I've come to let you know that we will be moving. How soon can you be ready to set out?"

Lillith thought for a moment. "I think both Sephora and I would prefer it if this girl--yes, she's a girl--was conscious when we leave. Of course, I'm just helping around here. I don't understand all of the ins and outs of healing. You'd have to ask her. I wouldn't expect her to agree through."

Sephora finished her incantation and looked up at the pair discussing things by the door. She was frustrated that the girl had not woken up yet, blaming herself, and she partly wanted to just leave the girl at the fort and continue onwards. Missing her father was beginnning to cause her physical pain, but she knew that her father would be disappointed in her giving up. She sighed and joined Rael and Lillith at the door.

"We need to move out, when is that possible for you?" Rael asked as Sephora approached.

"U-um... the girl needs to wake up f-first." Sephora glanced back at her patient. "It would be, uh, d-dangerous to move her."

From what Rael had understood, the girl had been in a coma for a week. It complicated things.

"Is there any way we can transport her?" Rael asked. But even he thought that was a bad idea. The road to Exotria sounded dangerous enough as is.

Sephora thought for a moment, not seeing a solution as she was not an expert in travelling. "I-if something were able to s-stop her from bouncing..."

Rael thought for a moment, and Lillith was silent. If he recalled correctly, Dalton's horse had a wheelbarrow attachment. Maybe it was large enough to carry the patient. If it wasn't, it could always be built upon.

"I'll try to think of something." Rael finally said. "Regardless, you two should pack up what you have and be ready to move by tomorrow."

Sephora nodded at Rael and returned to her vigil at the girl's bedside.

[Maxim]

Dalton walked down the halls of the fort, his boots making a lot of noise as they hit the cobblestone floors. He stopped for a bit when he saw Warde sitting down in a rather dark corner of the fort. He had noticed that Warde was looking quite down recently about something, though he hadn't pried about the cause. He then realized that he had not talked to Warde hardly at all during his time at the fort. Intending to cheer him up, Dalton approached Warde, smirking a bit when the latter tried to wipe the grease off of his face. "Well well, what are you doing sulking in a dark corner? It's a beautiful day after all!" he said.

Warde looked up at Dalton, giving a bit of a shrug as the knight began speaking to him. "Eh, just masticating, Dalton. That, and pondering the temperament of the feminine gender."

Dalton looked at him weird and said "Masti...what? Ah whatever, I see what you mean." He barely managed to contain a chuckle; Warde, trying to date? As long as he had known Warde he always saw Warde being the typical lone wolf, angsty, solitary, and a little mean. Still, he knew better than to openly scoff somebody who had clearly been dumped. Wishing to turn the conversation into a slightly more mundane and peaceful one, he asked "So uh...how is the old man doing?"

"I forgot I was in the presence of people with . . . lesser intelligence," Warde replied. "Let's see. . . . I'm eating, and I'm wondering why women have to be so complicated." Warde was a little edgy, but he realized a little too late that he had been rude. "Sorry. Didn't mean to act like that. And I certainly hope you wouldn't be calling me an 'old man,' friend." Warde, for the first time since he had been turned down, actually allowed a hint of a smile to play at the corners of his mouth.

Yup, now Warde was acting just as he usually did, though it did seem that he had matured enough to know when he was being rude. "No, no," Dalton remarked, "I meant that old wizard guy that you were an apprentice to, grey hair, big pointy hat...you know." Of course, he hardly remembered what the old man looked like, he hadn't met him much except when the young Dalton made an egregious error.

Warde felt the same sting in his heart that he had felt when he returned home to find all he had once known destroyed. "Dalton . . . uh . . . how do I put this without portraying vulgarity? . . . My mentor was . . . he's deceased, to the best of my knowledge." That faint hint of a smile was gone from Warde now, his deep frown returning.

"...Dead?" Dalton said, absolutely stunned. He stood there for a minute, then solemnly sat down on the floor next to Warde. A short phrase "Accursed sub-humans" briefly escaped his lips. In a quick attempt to remedy his blunder, he stammered "Oh...I-I'm sorry I-I-I shouldn't have brought it up" He sat silent for a few minutes, trying to handle the shock. He then said "Uh...by the way...what the heck does vulgarity mean?" in an attempt to lighten the mood, but it came out kind of weak. Deep down though, he started blaming the Exotrians for their loss against Geraden. If they hadn't gone to war with Edea, he reasoned, their forces wouldn't have been split up, and they would've driven back Geraden. In truth, he was lying to himself, but at this point he didn't particularly care. One thing he knew, or thought he knew, for certain was that the sub-humans would most definitely pay.

Warde took a deep breath before speaking again. "They are the most cursed fauna to roam the forests, Dalton. Sub-human doesn't even begin to describe how low they are. Not only was my instructor lost by the work of their savagery, but also the entire village. But don't fret, I was certain that those monstrosities recieved their rightful judgment. One of my master's old Fire tomes ensured that." Warde had to laugh about how often he found himself simplifying his words. "Vulgarity," he explained, "is simply the noun form of the word 'vulgar'. I meant that I did not desire to say anything that would be grotes--I mean . . . disgusting or rude." To Warde, sometimes it felt as much of a challenge for him to simplify his statements as it was for others to understand them.

Warde decided he had had enough of these depressing topics. "My existence seems nothing but sorrow for the time, Dalton. Surely you have something joyful you can relay to me? A new recipe that you have concocted, perhaps? Or maybe you've discovered a secret chamber within the depths of this fort? Certainly there must be something joyful within you that can lighten this mood."

"...Yeah, you are right, let's not get all depressed now!" Dalton said. He made a forced chuckle, here he was trying to cheer Warde up and yet here they were getting all depressed. "Oh I've concocted a lot of new recipies! I actually served as a cook at the fort in Opalan, next to the Exotrian border, and they all loved my food. The only trouble was I tried using Fire Magic to cook food, and well, you know how I am with magic!" Dalton said, letting himself laugh a bit. He was rather notorious in the village as being a danger to himself and others with magic. Once he had even "borrowed" a tome of fire magic from Warde to try and prove that he could be just as awesome at magic as Warde. Unfortunately he made a slight tactical blunder, practicing fire magic in a wooden warehouse next to Warde's master's house. He was successful at casting the magic...and burning down most of the warehouse as well. Suffice to say, it was one of those times he knew just how hard Warde got it from his master. "Yeah, that didn't end so well, but I will learn eventually I assure you! They even kicked me down to grunt status for that one!"

"As for secret chambers, well I found two. First there was a really small compartment I found in the war room...but for some reason it was empty. The second hidden door was this trap door I found right in front of the throne seat, I found that one just a few seconds after the first one in fact." Dalton laughed. In truth, he had opened the hidden compartment, only for that to trigger a trap designed to make sure nobody stole the contents of the first compartment. It sent him on a one way trip to the fort dungeon, though thankfully none of the dungeon doors were locked. Then he said, "Well, what about you, you find anything interesting?"

Warde decided he would just let Dalton speak his mind for a while. He had forgotten how talkative Dalton could get, especially when the conversation was about his own life. He was about to reply when the sound of nearing footsteps made him stop, and he saw Evan come into view.

"The reason," Evan said, a smile on his face, "that nothing was in that compartment, was because I got to it the first night we were here. I've got its contents stored away elsewhere. So, do the two of you think you'd be ready to move out soon? I've told everyone except those in the infirmary, but I sent Rael up there. We just need to pack and leave before Geraden finds us."

"Yes sir!" he said, saluting the prince. "I'll go and round up everyone who hasn't and tell them to meet in the war room...unless you had another place in mind?"

"Not necessary. Unless you would like to make sure that anyone who may be outside has heard word of it. We're heading through Exotria as soon as--"

"Absolutely not!" Warde fired off at the thought of passing through beast-country.

"I don't see another choice, Warde," Evan explained. "We'd die if we took any other route. I know a number of people in our group dislike the beasts, but we must grin and bear it for the imte it will take to pass through there. I can assure you that we'll move as fast as possible. And Dalton, you don't have to salute me. I'm hardly a prince anymore. At least for the moment."

"Yes sir!" Dalton said, saluting for a moment before remembering what Evan just said and putting his hand down. "Ahem, anyways, I don't have much to pack myself, All I have are my weapons, my wheelbarrow full of food, and my horse." he said. He thought about travelling through Exotria, he agreed wholeheartedly with Warde that it was a stupid idea to travel through there, but his prince had ordered it, and he knew that barging straight through to Jinn would be an exercise in frustration, if not death. Thus, he kept his mouth shut on the matter. He then said "If there's nothing else, I'll head off to finish my packing." saluting again before jerking his hand back down.

Evan smiled and shook his head, then shot a glance at Warde when the latter muttered a curse and something about "sub-humans". "Well," Evan said, "meet us outside when the moon peaks. That's when I'm hoping to leave."

[Rethel34]

The torches had all been extinguished, and the food pantries emptied. The group slowly pulled out. The Convoy had been filled with many of its members and left Jake the alchemist to walk. Not that he appeared to care, climbing over everything like a monkey. Evan felt the same pain he had once felt while leaving the capital. Now he was leaving everything he had once known and moving on to foreign places.

Sounds behind the group worried Evan. "I know that there are reasons to move slowly, like the well-being of that girl we found, but if we don't pick up the pace, it sounds like we're going to have company." Evan beckoned the group onward and began sprinting as the rest of the group followed suit. Through breaks in the canopy, he could see dragons from Geraden flying through the skies. Not that they would be of any help; the canopy was far too thick for them to recognize anything beneath.

When he was certain they had gotten far enough away, he let the group slow in its pace. "I think we're safe," he said, but he had spoken too soon. Short, impish creatures holding small, run-down weapons broke out of the trees and began to run toward the group. Goblins. They weren't particularly lethal to a group this size, but they were still a threat. Then something else came out of the thicket: a man. No, not a man: a Laguz. He looked similar to a wolf, but his tail was far too bushy, and his ears more mangled.

"There they are, children. They have plenty of gold for you," the Laguz hissed as his body sprouted fur, his snout lengthened, and two bulges began growing on either side of his head. When the transformation was complete, a three-headed canine beast stood before them.

That alone was intimidating (not the Goblins, but the thing leading them), but fate wasn't done with them yet: Evan turned as if to make an escape, but tracing their trail was a small Geraden scouting unit. Then, as if fate wanted to be sure they had died, three feline beast-tribe Laguz joined on their other side. Tigers. Excellent. They were done for. He heard his companions readying their weapons, and drew his slim sword as he gulped past a lump in his throat. They were going to have to be lucky to survive. Thank Aurora they t least had the convoy with them.

[Veridis Quo]

One of the goblins jumped into the air with its axe raised above his head.

A steel hammer met it mid-air, and the sheer momentum of it slammed the creature back down to the ground. Dust, dirt, and a short spray of blood came up from the mess of it.

"D-D-Did you see that?!" One of the goblins nearby said to its comrade. The second one began running towards the human.

"Darn human! I'll gut you and skin you and -" Its cursing was interrupted by a horizontal swing from the same hammer, this one disorganizing the creature's jaw. It sent it into a roll along the ground, but did not kill it.

Ismayel's arm went along with the swing. Although he was strong, the hammer was so massive that he could not stop it once it was in motion. The second goblin lay still for a moment, it's jaw dislocated. But it soon realized the situation it was in, and got up and ran away. Ismayel was too encumbered in his armor to chase him.

"Arrows! Fire arrows at it! Hurry, hurry!" The squealing voice of a goblin came from his left, somewhere from within the darkness of the trees. Ismayel raised his left arm, and the near-human-sized shield along with it. He waited behind its cover, as he had trained before. He waited for the sounds.

"Fire!" The goblin shrieked.

And the sounds came. Little pangs and pings against the metal of his shield. Crude iron arrowheads were hitting the tempered steel, one after the other. He braced himself behind the bulwark, and waited now, for the sounds to go away.

As soon as they did, he lowered the shield and took a peek with one eye. He could not see where the fire was coming from, and he only knew their general location.

"Again! Again! Kill the human!" The squaling voice came with excitement. This time it let out a crude laughter.