[IC] Astrovia: An Anthro Fantasy World

[Shard]

"Cut his paws off." The large ursine stood with his arms crossed, a jagged and scarred face staring down at a quite defenseless feline. Surrounded by a pack of four goons, each more terrifying than the other, the cat's only weapon had been stripped from his frame and left him with little chance against the five large brutes circling him.

"H-hey...!" Squirming in the iron grip of an ursine bandit, it didn't take long for the cat to realize the futility of his efforts. He had truly gotten on the wrong side of unsavory ilk indeed. "Pain ain't a good color on me!"

"Should have thought of that before you stole from me, Ravio." With a voice dark and rumbling, the ursine's lips managed a string of words easily echoing throughout the forest. Though an unpleasant meeting, one could not cast shame on the quite beautiful background hosting this event. Six individuals, five of them ursine and one of them a small cat had found themselves atop the age old remains of a ruined temple, a place once buzzing with life, riches and relics.

"Didn't steal from ya'!" Kicking and squirming did nothing in Ravio's benefit and grabbing hold of his legs ended the little resistance he could manage. "W-wait...! C'mon, hold up Grond! This is so not nice!"

"Tell me what I want to know or you'll end up being a house cat until the end of your miserable days." Rolling his one good eye, the leader with the revealed name Grond rubbed his chin with a heavy sigh. It was quite apparent that the two of them had been through this dance many, many times before.

"Alright, alright!" With a blade uncomfortably close to his ankles, Ravio jerked back with a fearful gulp traveling down his throat. "Listen!" He began, earning Grond's attention as the leader motioned for his goons to halt.

"Yes?"

"I've a confession..." With a deep breath, the cat looked at the five faces before him, each one gruff and battle hardened. "You lot ain't the only ones chashin' me..."

With another heavy sigh, Grond rubbed his forehead with a set of thick, muscular fingers. "So you pissed someone else off? Yeah, you do that. Cut em' off."

"For fuck sake, Grond! Look behind ya'!" With rising desperation, the cat's voice followed suit, his fruitless efforts bearing no results. However, despite Grond's refusal to heed the cat's words, the grunt ready to slice Ravio's paws from place did indeed notice the incoming threat.

"Boss, the cat ain't shitting with us. Look..." Lowering her blade, the ursine thug pointed at the humongous creature crushing its way through the forest.

"What in the actual fuck...! What did you do, Ravio!?" Grond tried, but before anyone got a chance to react, the gigantic monstrous wurm rammed itself into the ruined temple and caused the stone to falter beneath its force. Stealing the split second granted by the beast, Ravio managed to slip out of the iron grip he had found himself in. The cat's new found luck, or perhaps the second of his nine lives shone brightly once the grunt who held his sword was shaken off of his feet, dropping Ravio's scimitar. Before the blade could reach the crumbling foundations below, Ravio dove after his blade and caught it midair moments before his paws took hold of a piece of falling rock and launched him to a more stable location. "Ravio!"

"I am so sorry, Grond! This totally wasn't my plan!" With a bright grin stretching across the cat's lips, he gracefully leaped down from the shattered temple as soon as opportunity gave way. Landing on the massive wurm, the cat's claws held him onto the monster's thick scales as well as they good though this beast was well aware of the feline. Continuing through the now leveled temple building, the wurm moved through the sea of trees, viciously shaking its head to force Ravio down. "This is so amaz-...!" However, no one said that luck tended to remain for very long. Indeed, the wurm's entrance had saved the feline's life but its intentions resided far from the fact. With one final attempt, the humongous wurm managed to shake the feline off and sent him flying into a tree. The impact did more than a little to damage his frame, but running on pure adrenaline would allow him a moment's strength.

Ravio fell down the trunk, hitting several branches before finally reaching the bottom. Coughing heavily from the unfortunate outcome, the cat tried to ascend to his paws though only managed to fall to his knees as a result. Yet again, luck would spit him in the face with a large hand grabbing hold of his throat, pressing the cat up against the tree. It was Grond, well and alive. Well, alive, at least. With blood leaking from several wounds tearing their way through his fur, the bear had indeed seen better days. The debris had managed to steal his breath and much of his health on his way to the grassy ground. "You fucking lunatic..."

"Shit...C'mon Grond, here...!? Really!?" Fnding himself in the grip of an ursine a second time, the cat tried to desperately point at the massive, hulking wurm which now turned its attention to the two remaining people. Opening its tremendous maw, the wurm's loud roar shook earth and trees alike, enough to catch Grond's attention.

"How the fuck did you piss that thing off!?"

"We just didn't get along, okay!?"

"What the hell, Ravio!?"

"Stop screaming!"

"You stop screaming!"

"Shut up and run!" Kicking the ursine square in the chest was enough to loosen the grip and allowed for the cat to escape, immediately launching him in the opposite direction.

"Come back you filth!" Heaving his heavy legs after the much more graceful cat, Grond managed to keep up quite well due to his massive strength, however the incoming wurm was no slow mover itself.

"Grond...!" Ravio shot back, heavy breathing leaving his lungs. "Ya' know I love ya', buddy! But I ain't gonna' end up as worm food for ya'!" Moving like a graceful wind past the endless sea of trees, Ravio could only run for so long until he reached a fissure in the ground. Indeed, this was the location called home by the very wurm chasing them. "Come the fuck on...!"

"Nowhere to run now, Ravio!" Stopping in front of the fissure alongside the cat, Grond spun around to see the wurm closing in on them.

"Yeah, 'cause that thing won't kill you or anythin'!" Reaching behind his shoulder, Ravio released his scimitar from place and clenched his teeth. There was no way in hell he could fight this thing alone and with Grond the chances accelerated all the way from impossible to improbable. Even so, Grond unclipped the large axe hanging from his belt and held onto the weapon with both hands.

"I swear to the fucking divines, Ravio. If we get out of this alive, I'll kill you!"

"One thin' a time, big boy!" Twirling the blade around his hand, the feline prepared for a fight that appeared absolutely futile. The best he could hope for was to let it get the big guy and use whatever opportunity he could get his hands on to run for it.

[Lugia]

Wait... who's stealing something from who? I asked myself from my perch, as I oversaw some sort of conversation between a group of thugs, and a thieving feline... or, allegedly thieving. I couldn't tell who was innocent, and who was guilty of anything, however, soon enough, I heard one of them speak, a bear among the thugs "Cut his paw off," well... that was a little harsh. Perhaps he stole something valuable? One of the cats, rather, the one that they wanted to cut, made a one-liner, and somehow struggled free of his captors... it was at this point when I almost considered just flying up to that roof, and throwing lightning everywhere just to scare everyone off and sort them out when I meet them individually... but, fate had other plans, as something else, a giant, scaly worm... or, more appropriately, a wurm, slammed its sizable body against the ruins, easily collapsing the building, given that it was already weakened by time, and the cat leaped onto the wurm and started clawing at the thing's scales... his hold didn't last, and he was flung into the tree just off to my left. The cat, now running on pure adrenaline tried to talk to a very battered, and beaten-up bear, trying to convince him to stand up. I guess that's my cue, huh? I know where I stand, now, at least. I thought as I flew from my perch, and tried to spot a weak spot, a place that wasn't covered in scales. It took a little bit, and the thing was thankfully distracted by the bear and cat, but I flew at the open spot, right at the back of thing's neck, at full speed, spear out. The thing didn't so much as hear me as I approached, and, I managed to shove my spear RIGHT in that weak point, flying off of the spear, and then zapping it with an electrical spell... once the spell's effects were over, I retrieved my spear, and took a spot in the air where the thing probably wouldn't get me.

"Hey, catman! Ya think you can still fight? I'd kinda like some sort of help!" I shouted to the cat below, though, somehow, I almost doubted that he, or even the bear for that matter, could. If I could stay in the air, I might be able to keep pelting the thing with javelins... so long as it could die within twelve of them, as that's all I had at the moment. Of course, there's always my bow, and arrows if I ever run out of those. I'm sure I'll hit SOMETHING with that. The few that remained in the group seemed severely weakened, and obviously ready to arrest, assuming I don't get beaten up too badly in this fight, and assuming that they ARE thugs, and not just some random civilians... of course, if they were just civilians, they'd probably appreciate being back in some sort of city, or town and might appreciate not having to deal with monsters, anymore. Ah, the wilderness, where one man can't simply fly to an enchanted forest to have an adventure without running into some group of thugs, and a monster. I thought to myself as I awaited any sort of response... of course, I wasn't just hovering there, I also chucked a javelin at the thing, hoping to hit the weak spot, or some other weak spot I haven't found just yet, and, once the thing hit, whether it bounced off of its scales, or got stuck in the softer flesh underneath, I basically threw a lightning bolt, aiming right for where the javelin ended up hitting, all while making sure that I'm out of reach from the monstrosity.

[Evanist]

"Bandits after undead after... ugh... what next will we be encountering just to go and escort this dang caravan." One of the man's said. Erion was near the caravan at the moment, staying silent. True, there were a lot of things that had attempted to stop them from going and getting this caravan to the next town, which needed the supplies from it badly. To say the least, this was taking a lot of time. One of the mercenairies that were hired with Erion walked next to him.
"Eh... you don't really talk much I noticed. All this journey, and you stayed silent, even in fights." he then said. Erion just looked at him.
"I just don't have much to say." he said to the other guy, who was a Ursine. The ursine looked at him and sighed.
"A bit of conversation would have been good. Only thing I heard from you all journey was some mumbling to yourself." he says. Erion just looked at him and kept moving.
"If you knew why..." he says. The ursine looked down on him.
"I never seen someone had that kind of energy on his blade. I though at first it was some enchanting magic, but that isn't it... isn't it?" the ursine said. The caravan was moving more forwards, and both Erion and the ursine were getting left behind.
"It isen't your business." Erion said before moving forwards to get back to the caravan, as well as the Ursine.
"But it is considering we are working together right now. Seeing that energy... it makes me.... shivers a bit." he then says. Erion breath deeply as he look at the Ursine.
"You really want to know? You really want to know why my magic is so different? I will tell you. Necromancy. The soul aspect of it, not the 'rising the dead and making them to your bidding' aspect of it. That is why my magic is so different! That is why I don't like talking about, cause everyone shuns my kind of magic, when it is how you use it that is the most important, not the nature of it!" he then says to the ursine, who just stops talking after this as Erion moved forwards. The others of the caravan looked at him, having heard what he said.

"N...Necromancy..." The ursine said as he stood there for a bit. Erion looked back and sighed.
"Lets just get this caravan to those people that are in desperate need and finish this, then I will be going." he says. He then heard one of the spirits talking to him... One of the spirits that he tried to banish about 100 times before, but it always came back... Jim....
"Good job, now your gonna get beaten up like a pulp ya jerk." he heard Jim say.
"Shut up Jim...." he says annoyed as he moves forwards. The group, even though unsure of Erion, kept on moving. Soon, the caravan arrived at the other town... with Erion having once again banished Jim back to the spirit world for a 101 time. When will he come back, he didn't know, but god he wished he could just get rid of him. He had an idea how after the 10th time, but he never was able to get the material he needed for this. Trapping a soul into a glass orb, using multiple herbs and jewels to strength the bounding... One day maybe he could get rid of Jim and just leave him somewhere, but for now, he had to continue. The caravan leader was then giving out the reweard money to the mercenairies, thanking them for the help. When it came to Erion though, the leader looked at him with a skeptic look.

"Not sure if you should get that money, you probably rose the dead there to try to make it harder for us." he then says, with Erion looking at him.
"If that was the case, why did I take out most of my own 'minions' with my blade. Putting me in the same basket as other necromancers... not all of us that use that kind of magic are bad." he says to the leader, who was a Orius. The rhino looked at him and shake his head as he gave the money to Erion.
"Just get out of here." he said. Erion took the money and shook his head.
"I help people of this village, and this is how I get repaid." he said before leaving towards the forest. He kept walking, with some spirits moving near him.
"What a jerk! Treating you like that!" One of them said to Erion.
"Don't understand why you didn't just plunge your blade into his heart for treating you like this." another said.
"Don't listen to my friend, you did good." Another said. Erion just breath deeply.
"Sometimes I think I should have just kept with the kind of magic my family used... or at least try." he said as he moved forwards, before hearing something at a distance. Something.... big. He started to run towards where that sound was coming from, and saw the Wurm at a distance.
"What in the world is that..." he said as he heard some chatters between some spirits that were fallowing him. Well, it was their choice to fallow him. He didn't force them to fallow him, he just... let them if they wanted to. He never understood why some spirits didn't keep to the spirit world and stayed in the world of the living, probably for memories of their old selves...

Anyway, Erion just kept moving forwards, wondering what the heck that thing was even doing there. He then saw a ursine that seemed beaten up as well as a cat person who was getting ready to fight the thing. He then saw a bird person go and attack the wurm with a javelin and lightning bolt.
"You got to be kidding me..." he says as he looked at the thing. He took his blade out.
"Are you kidding me! Are you really gonna fight that thing!" one of the spirit says.
"Your funeral..." another added. Erion ran forwards before starting to shoot soul blasts towards the wurm thing, moving quickly. He was being careful in his movement, going as fast as he could. This could end up bad, but maybe he could weaken the thing enough to make it run away.... or make the others have an escape plan.
"What the heck is a thing like this doing here!" he then yells.

[Hans von Lek]

Meanwhile, occurring elsewhere to the above happenings (Although perhaps it really wasn't that far away after all)

---

To his irritation, Zack was started awake from his slumber by a sudden screaming. He jolted to his feet and glanced around. When he heard the shriek again, he was able to pinpoint the direction and distance it was coming from. He scrambled off to investigate, leaving behind his small campsite, which consisted of only a bedroll and fire.

As he brushed through the hedgerow, the source of the disturbance came into view. Upon the dirt path ahead a small neth female was surrounded by a five-strong group of bandits, who were shouting threats and slurs at her. A horse that presumably belonged to her lay on the roadside, blood seeping profusely from an arrow wound in its neck.

"Well, what'll it be? Yer money or your life?!" Demanded the booming voice of an orius.
"I'm just as poor as you! Can't you leave me alone?!" The neth cried.

Zack drew in a sharp breath, exhaled, then stepped through the bushes onto the road. As a branch caught onto his ankle and he nearly stumbled over, this almost undid the dramatic entry he was hoping for. As the thugs turned to him, their attention drawn by the racket he had made through his tumbling, he managed to salvage his balance. To silence their snickering he bashed the rear of his staff against the ground, which ushered forth the crackling of unreality.

"Gentlemen," he said, then turned to the neth, "Madam."

As four of the bandits started backing off cautiously, the orius relented, then charged forward, with sword out before him, aiming for Zack's flank.

Zack shot him a sidelong glance, grinned toothily and outstretched his gloved hand towards his would-be assailant.

"Stamp a merry dance to a drum's dumb beat, you've now got slippery feet." said Zack in a sing-song voice.

The orius, with his eyes wide, found himself tumbling over. As he tried to pick himself back up, his feet would just as quickly slip out from under him again and again.

"W-what?!" cried the orius, "Don't just stand there! Help me, you jerks!!"

Zack disregarded him and stepped over to the rest of the bandits, who were still in the process of distancing themselves from the warlock.
Zack scrubbed his chin in thought, and then gesticulated to them one by one,

"Well how about that, you've got legs of a cat." The first bandit fell over, his legs transformed into the tiny legs of a housecat, quite ungainly in proportion to the rest of his body.

"Luck of the dog, you're trapped in a fog. " The second, a nin'tah highwayman, sure enough found himself shrouded in impenetrable, thick fog. He swept his arms to try and dissipate it, but it was futile.

"Awww, dang and shoot! You're now a newt!" The third desperately tried to scramble away, but it was too late. In a poof, he disappeared, his clothes and equipment falling into a pile on the ground. A moment later, a small newt emerged from this bundle, its head wiggling about with thorough confusion.

Zack paused on the fourth and final one, who was by now on his knees, his head low, his hands clasped together pleadingly. Zack wandered up to him, his grin broad. Zack gently gripped the lah'na's chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"Now, promise me you will leave this girl be, and I shall free your friends of all my curses." Zack said to him pleasantly.

The bandit tried to utter a response, but it came out as incomprehensible mewling. He instead opted to nod his head briskly. Zack spun away from him, and in a snap of his fingers, the hexes were undone. The bandits looked to each other, exchanged horrified and then relieved expressions, then bolted off. The one who had been a newt made his retreat holding his bundle of clothing in front of his now naked body.

Zack turned to the bandit he had negotiated with, who was still low to the ground.

"Go on, then. Run along. Your friends will be wondering where you've gone off to." Zack said.

Once Zack had shooed them all away, he approached the neth girl, who was curled up by her slain steed, weeping. Zack pouted for a moment, then knelt by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"They shan't be bothering you now." He said.

As she turned to him, he rummaged through a satchel and produced a small orb. He gave it a small playful toss into the air, caught it, then handed it to her.

"T-thank you, sir... but... w-what is this?" She questioned.

"In a single word? Expensive. You should be able to sell it for fair amount once you get back to the city. It is yours now." said Zack, with a smile and a nod.

The neth gently rolled the orb between her palms, her eyes enthralled by its dazzling, shimmering surface. As she went to give it a curious a rap with an outstretched finger, Zack hastily reached for her wrist and held it in place.

"I would not recommend hitting it," said Zack as he gently let go of her, "It is sensitive."

Zack rose to his feet and began to wander back in the direction he came from.

"But wait! I must know your name!" The neth girl called out after him.

With a rustle of leaves, Zack's head emerged from behind the hedgerow and gazed at her, "I am Zack. Cackling Zack." He grinned and gave a small wave. "Good day to you."

As Zack disappeared from sight, the neth girl slumped, suddenly shocked and winded. "-The- Cackling Zack?" she thought to herself. She had heard many tales of Zack. He was spoken of as a trickster, a menace, a loner, a wandering eccentric, but she had never heard of him in the light of being a hero. In fact, she had recalled that Cackling Zack was often incorporated into the cautionary tales, used to scare children, that were spread among the cluster of villages she lived in. And yet here she was, owing her life to him.

[Haru Nyan]

How long has it been? The lion thought to himself as he kept on walking. When one travels for so long, they tend to forget miniscule details, such as the flow of time itself. What seemed like years ago can almost feel like an eternity for one, and once there was a time when Ymahr truly cared about it, but nowadays, it would be easier to not pay attention to it. The feline stops on his tracks when he sees that he has made his way to a small village, he looked around and was amused to see that it was certainly peaceful enough, a little dull, but it was quiet enough to evoke a sense of easiness. Deciding that a rest right now would be as good as any, he entered a nearby inn to order a drink. While some ale or wine would certainly be nice, it wouldn't do him good to travel while intoxicated, so water should be able to quench his thirst right now. The canine behind the counter nodded and served it to him, bowing to the lion and saying that no payments were necessary. Ymahr thanked the young-man and took a sip from the cup, before asking the canid if there were any interesting activity nearby.

The dog began to mull over himself, before saying there was a nearby ruined temple up north, filled with various treasures and relics of the past. Ymahr's ears perked up, he certainly wouldn't mind taking a detour to visit the ruins. The canine however, warned him that the ruins were filled to the brim with various monsters and undead and asked the lion if he would like someone to accompany him, to which he simply nodded left and right.

"I work alone."

He said in a deep voice, the canine would voice his protest but decided against it. With his business done and a temple to explore, the leonine man thanked the canid for the information and the drink, he got up from his seat and exited out of the inn. His paws gripping his spear tightly, Ymahr began to head north, it wasn't the treasure he was after, it was the journey that mattered to him. The road was quiet but still serene, the big feline closed his eyes for a moment to feel the warmth of it all, it filled him with a sense of peace that gave him the energy to keep moving forward. After treading for what seemed like an hour, the lion could finally see the temple in the distance, but what was that other thing? Ymahr ran towards the temple in hopes of getting some kind of context, but what greeted him was an all-out battle between a Wurm, a Lah'na, a Rakonai, a Shael, and a Nin'tah. Just what in the heavens was going on here? Readying his spear and casting a barrier of light beforehand, the lion joined in the fray, if only to get some kind clue as to what was transpiring.

The thing was huge, and that was both good and bad. That only meant hitting it would be somewhat easy, but it also meant that it could probably kill everyone within range if they were unable to stop it or they got careless. The Wurm was covered in a thick carapace, so stabbing it might prove to be less than effective...Still, with his magic not exactly fit for offense, Ymahr had to rely on his spear to damage this monster. With no other choice, the feline quickly distanced himself from the beast, using quick stabs and thrusts to deal damage to it while also allowing him to move about and dodge should it happen to be aggressive.

[Shard]

"Hehe, look Grond! Your squelin' attracted a buncha' folk!" With a graceful back flip, the cat managed to avoid the acidic splash spat from the wurm's wide maw. Truly, it was no mystery how this scene had attracted others, given its tremendously large amount of ruckus. Wurms weren't a common dish in cities due to their incredible power, people didn't want to risk their lives killing them, however their young was another matter. Just as mindlessly brutish as their elders, a wurm's young would start their devastating paths at birth. Ravio just happened to need some extra coin and wurm sold for quite a lot, had you managed to bring one down and dragged it to a city. As it was however, the Sword Dancer failed miserably and ended up with the mother of his prey now changing his tune quite drastically.

"Fuck off, Ravio!" Seeing how a larger Lah'nah had approached the battle, Grond didn't waste any time before joining him in the battle and swung his axe towards the wurm's thick scales with little effect. Meanwhile, the skies were being taken by a Shael possessing the power of lightning. Of course, yet another combatant joined the fray with the powers of Necromancy backing him up. This would be a perfect chance to flee, the perfect opportunity to slip away. Could he do it? Could Ravio leave this marvelous battle and simply slink away from danger like a coward? As much as Ravio valued his life, the sheer might of this battle dragged him in no matter the mental attempts to flee.

"Alright, think kitty cat..." Picking up his speed, Ravio thought it a good idea to leave the front to those with more bulk than him. Energy blasts from a Necromancer also helped in that regard. Though, striking this thing head on wasn't exactly a very effective strategy for him. "Hm, that birdie seems to have the right idea..." Sliding beneath the massive wurm's form as it furiously whipped its heavy body from side to side in an attempt to the get the pestering creatures to subside, the cat was quickly back on his paws. Jumping unto the trunk of a tree, Ravio sunk his blade into its wooden foundation and launched himself further up. Sliding the blade out, he grabbed hold of a branch and swung his body atop the tree's extensions before reaching the bright, green top. "Okay! Gotta' make birdie's attacks count! The other lot are all tirein' this lil' guy down so...that gives me a chance." Using the distractions everyone else provided, the cat managed to jump onto the thick, scaly snake and sunk his thin blade into its flesh between two impenetrable scales. From here, he had only to climb. Though, it was safe to assume its difficulty as the wurm was constantly moving about, spitting acidic saliva and crushing its frame against the woodland surrounding it. Nearly loosing his grip, Ravio managed to grab hold of another scale moments after he was shaken off. "Ain't gettin' rid of this mosquito that easily!" Sheathing his blade allowed for both hands to grip onto the scales and escalated the cat's probability of climbing this beast.

It was quite obvious how its massive shape towering above forest and trees started to give in beneath the relentless assault granted from every direction. Despite its desperate attempts to fight back, its enemies were small which was quite a disadvantage due to the fact that it was hard to hit them. Indeed, being hit by this thing meant the end. One strike and you were out, though everyone was doing incredibly well. With the wurm's movements slowing due to the assault, Ravio's ascension up its scaly form grew much easier until he finally reached its back. "Alright, weak spots, weak spots...where's a wea-..over there!" Seeing the wound caused by a spear enhanced with lightning, Ravio released his blade once more and allowed his powers of Enchantment work. A soft blue hue glimmered across the cat's blade as he sunk it into the wurm's flesh a second time, easily sliding his enhanced blade along the exposed skin and left a long slash across the beast's back. At this point everyone else had done enough damage to it to send the wurm into a slightly dazed state. The monster's attacks grew sluggish and its attempts grew nearly pathetic.

Continuing his climb, Ravio couldn't allow this chance to escape. He had to move towards the monster's cranium. Grabbing hold of one scale after the other, his perilous journey sent the curious cat further and further towards the enemy's weakest possible spot. Upon reaching the peak and feeling the winds of victory bushing through his fur, Ravio raised his blade with a wide grin and was just about to stab the tip through an exposed section between the scales but tumbled forward due to the wurm's head connecting with the ground. "Th-they killed it!? NO!? C'mon, that was my kil!" Trying to grab hold of a scale on his way to the ground, Ravio was incredibly unsuccessful in the feat and met the grassy ground with his back. Everyone's combined efforts had slain the beast and this thing would feed the neighboring villages, towns and large city for weeks to come.

"Ravio!" The familiar voice of an ursine filled the air and it was easy enough to guess who it was. Struggling back to his paws, the cat laid eyes on Grond as he walked around the fallen beast. "I made a promise, didn't I!?"

"Bud..." Ravio began, dusting himself off. "S'much as I'd love to fight ya'...I'm tired, cranky n' hungry, right? Also, you're surrounded by do-gooders. Ain't no chance in hell we can do battle with them around, yeah?"

Clenching his teeth at the realisation, Grond had to concede to the fact that Ravio was right. They were both half dead and surrounded by others who would undoubtedly interrupt their fight. To top it off, Grond was more wounded than he let on. They had managed to win one battle together but it was not a good idea to start another. "Be on your guard, cat. We're not done yet." Returning his axe to his belt, the ursine left the battlefield and disappeared into the forest. Ravio on the other hand was far too exhausted to move. Falling down to his behind, the feline leaned against the wurm's dead frame and breathed out, his bloodied blade lightly grasped by his fingers.

"Hehe, this fuckin' day's been nuts..." Closing his eyes for a brief moment he'd have wanted a warm bed, though with fatigue washing over his frame the attempt to move was impossible. He needed to rest where he was for a while.

[Hans von Lek]

After finally getting what he considered some well earned rest, Zack was on his way once more. As was his usual habit, he avoided traveling upon the road itself, instead wandering through the bushes parallel with them, using the hedgerow as concealment. Despite wandering this tract of wilderness many times before, it still awed him. But his thoughts kept returning to the girl. "I do wonder if she ever made it back to the city. Perhaps I should have gone with her." One thought ran. "Well, I can't go and make people reliant on me. At the end of the day they can only depend on their own power, like I do." Went another. "The weak crumble on the road of life, that's what our people have always said." He concluded, putting the thoughts to rest for now.

Soon an additional factor absorbed his focus. He heard and felt a great thud! of something collapsing in the distance. His attention piqued, he rushed over in its approximate direction, completely disregarding the twisting and snapping of twigs and branches under him, and the occasional stubbing of his boot tip into the occasional rock.

Having made his way up a sudden incline of terrain, he found himself in a small clearing in the woods. Ahead of him an ursine male, badly bloodied, was gingerly making his way away from Zack's destination, and seemingly nursing his wounds. Zack pondered for a moment, then wandered out from the concealment provided by the tree he was observing this bear man from behind.

"Hail to you, bear man. What is the substance of this great kerfuffle you've found yourself thoroughly fucked by?"

[Haru Nyan]

The battle raged on, their combined efforts managing to weaken the Wurm, something that made Ymahr relieved. The lion continued his assault on the beast, making sure to sidestep or stride out of harm's way from time-to-time to make sure he had a defensive advantage and be able to strike from a distance, though this proved to be easier said than done with the Wurm moving all about from the heavy fire it was suffering from. The avian's thunder magic did leave quite a mark on the monster, the vulpine and his Necromancy were no joke either but the lion wasn't so sure if their attacks were dealing as much damage. The beast's acidic bile made hard to move around, and the feline's barrier soon faded when it was hit with the substance, forcing him to use his dexterity to compensate his defense. He cursed under his breath, deciding for a moment if he should put up another one just for safety's sake, but it would take far too long and the Wurm had to be stopped soon. Lest it destroy more than just their bodies...

Deciding against it, the feline opted to use his agility to dodge incoming attacks rather than risk the casting time of setting up a new shield. It wasn't before long when the monster's movements began to slow down, the combination of their attacks were doing great, and as he looked up at the head of the Wurm, it would seem that the Lah'na from before has been doing work of his own, using an enchanted blade to damage the monster. Not to be left out, the lion swung his polearm twice at the slithering beast, drawing blood from the Wurm using the forked sides of his spear before lunging upward to viciously stab the monster. The lion grinned as the beast tumbled and eventually fell, he wiped the sweat from his brow and heaved lightly, it took a considerable amount of effort from all groups involved to fell the monster and there certainly was a feeling of accomplishment defeating it.

However, it would seem that the conflict was not yet over. The Rakonai angrily confronted the feline sprawled on the grass, but the cat had simply stated the obvious. Were he to attack now, he would be outnumbered, and promptly, the ursine stormed off, his shadow fading amongst the trees of the forest. With a sigh, the lion glanced a look at everyone, getting a good look at his allies before approaching the tuckered-out cat. He crouched down to level with him and asked,

"You hurt?"

Ymahr didn't even wait for an answer before placing one of his hands in front of the feline. Gold strings of light appeared from his hands, surrounding the young man in a warm aura of rejuvenation and tending to his wounds-what little they may have been. It certainly wasn't much but something small can make a difference. He stood up and glared at the cat again,

"Don't get me wrong, I could've left you for you dead, but I think you might have your uses."

[Shard]

"For fuck sake..." Ground sighed, wiping his mouth from the blood which had left it. "I've had a really bad day, alright? Want to know why? Walk in that direction." Without uttering any following words, the incredibly tired and fed up ursine continued on his path away from the circus he had been brought into. None of this was on the man's schedule but he should perhaps be used to it by this point. Messing with Ravio usually tended to get people into a lot more trouble than they bargained for and none of it came from the feline himself. One could perhaps say that misfortune followed him and didn't choose its targets very decisively.

Speaking of which, with things having calmed down a bit, Ravio was accompanied by another Lah'nah, a lion. Large, muscular, bulky and with a darker than light attitude, he fit the large feline bill quite perfectly. "Heh, not to burst your bubble but, I ain't exactly dyin'." With a soft grin crossing the cat's lips, he wasn't about to toss aside the help he was granted, though the lion's choice of words revealed a less than pleasant attitude. "Thanks for the help n' all, though." Ravio continued, swiping the air with his sword to get the blood off before he returned it to his scabbard. Despite the lion's help, the cat still felt a lingering pain echoing through his bones. "Didn't mean to drag ya' in, really." Ravio finished, a row of sharp teeth easily visible through his grin. It wasn't much to show off considering a lion was standing in front of him but Ravio was never someone who tried looking intimidating. "Heh, so yeah. Wouldn't mind runnin' into ya' again n' all but I think I'm gonna' head off t-..." Taking a single step sent the feline crashing down to the grass. Despite the healer's help, Ravio had been thrown into a tree, been damaged by several branches and fallen off a behemoth. Adrenaline was the only reason he had managed to stay on his paws during the fight after the first impact he suffered.

"Okay..." Ravio spoke, his heart beating like a jackhammer against his ribs. "I'll just sit here n' relax for a moment. Heh, paws ain't workin' all that well right now!" Raising himself up again, Ravio leaned against the wurm yet again and breathed out, crossing his arms as his eyes lingered upon the lion. "See uhm...this shit doesn't happen with me that often n' all..." The cat tried but could only manage to laugh and shook his head. "If only...nah, this crap follows me around like my tail! Heh, it's fun most of the time but when ya' almost lose your paws..." The feline would wiggle his toes slightly. "Ya' need to relax, take a hot bath n' grab somethin' to eat." Lightly tapping the scaled beast behind him, Ravio managed another soft chuckle, his eyes on the lion. Suddenly it felt like everyone he ran into was huge. "I don't usually give a crap 'bout coin, but a cat's gotta' eat, right? Anyways, if ya' tell the city over yonder about this, I'm sure the ones in charge will pay ya' for the food."

Now that the beast had fallen, the group would probably scatter but Ravio wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. He could sit where he was for a while and as it looked, that was exactly what he was going to do.

[Evanist]

Erion had at least time to strike at the wurm enough with his soul energy before it fall down onto the ground, killed by one of the group, although he was unsure if it was him or if it was one of those other guys. Well, no use to actually ask. He moved to the wurm and looked at the scales. He breath deeply as he looks at the group. He guessed a lot of people heard the wurm from a distance, which would explain why they suddenly all arrived here. He then got hit blade out and started to work on dislodging scales from the thing, skinning it.

"Now gonna let these fall into waste. Someone might be able to make some armor out of this." he says in a calm tone. He continued to work, before one spirit spoke to him.
"I... can't believe it... it's... really dead? Like that? Th.... That thing... that thing killed me before.... I... can't believe it." the spirit said. Erion just continued his work.
"Won't be killing more innocents..." he then says as he skin the thing. He finish getting a couple of scales as he put them in his bag. He looked at the smaller Lah'na, and smile softly at what he said.
"With how things been going lately, I understand what you mean." he says as he then went and sat down on a rock... and heard multiple spirits talking to him, a good amount of them victims of the wurm itself. He just stood there, concentrating, not wanting to hear them right now. Always was like that when a monster like that would die.

"I don't know how many innocent that thing killed before, but at least it's rampage is over." he says. IF some of them were experienced, they probably would know that he was a necromancer... and if that was the case, then he hoped none of them would hate him for this, cause it is always a pain to have others judge him cause of his magic choice. He also noticed the lion heal the other person. A miracle user... It made him remember his past a bit more. A past that he would wish to have forgotten a long time ago.

[Hans von Lek]

Zack traversed his head to follow the path of the ursine as he walked right by, similarly opting to say little. In fact, he said nothing at all, simply giving him a nod. He idly taps his fingers against the head of his staff as he rests against it and ponders. A bit more of a wicked grin than his placid norm flashed for a moment as he mulled over several possibilities in his head. Could he curse him to only move backwards? Turn him into a goat? Or a pebble? Make him dance unceasingly? Make him try to gobble himself? Ultimately, he successfully suppressed his cruel impulses and let the poor rakonai go on his way without any further incident, just as Zack headed away on his. "At least the trail of blood he left is handy-dandy." Zack thought to himself, his eyes tracing along that expansive thread of crimson. He took a few preliminary steps along this path the helpful bear had left him, then scratched his cheek.

"Oh, right," Zack said to himself, "I was supposed to be headed to Avist."

He shook his head and laughed to no one in particular. No one in particular returned mirthful snicker at the forgetful coyote's mistake. Zack produced from his bag a small compass and glanced down at its dial.

"Now that can't be right." Zack mumbled, then gave it a few taps with his thumb, then a brisk shake. Once the needle had settled in its proper place, he twirled left and right on the spot testingly, his eyes still focused on the compass. Fully satisfied that it was in working order, he paused. He recollected his steps and rough location, then took a sharp turn to the left and began walking off with his staff rested against his shoulder.

[Haru Nyan]

Despite his less-than welcome reception from the other cat, the lion remained in his position to observe the smaller feline. Looking at the young man filled him with a certain feeling of nostalgia, which he brushed off as ridiculous...How could looking at someone evoke such memories? Ymahr brushed it off, a stern expression adorning his face and his paws crossed. Just when he thinks they would part ways and never cross roads again, the cat took a single step that just sent him back to the grassy ground all over again, to which the lion only sighed at. Being young and free always did have its own set of advantages and disadvantages, one being the irresistible need for adventure and the danger that comes along with it.

He looked down at the fallen feline, his eyes trailing towards his direction until he leans upon the felled beast once again. The cat speaks as if the thing has happened to him more than once and the lion could only fathom what kind of life he's lived to get where he is now, it certainly must be filled with adventure, yet filled to the brim with danger and recklessness. Youths always were known for irrationality, but their resolve and curiosity is what makes them interesting.

"You're a carefree spirit, aren't you?"

Ymahr says as he sits down in front of the other feline, his eyes glaring directly at his. "You laugh and smile now, but sooner or later, smiles will eventually fade." It always amazed and confused the lion when it came to the concept of optimism and pessimism. Clinging to false hope even when there is none will eventually break a person, clinging to despair even when hope is not lost will eventually break a person. One can only hide so much from others and the world and he has to wonder if the smaller feline in front of him was similar, does he simply laugh many of his dangers and perils? When the cat made a remark about gold, the lion simply scoffed, saying that he can keep the gold, for he has no interest in it. All this talk and they don't even know each other's names, and that's not even counting the vulpine near them, he gestured for the fox to sit nearby them and promptly, he introduced himself.

"I do believe I have not introduced myself properly. Ymahr Shir." He nodded and glanced back at the two.
"You two certainly seem capable enough, if I may, would any of you be willing to...travel together?" The lion says, pausing quite a bit on that last sentence. While pairing up with others certainly wasn't his penchant, it would be safer just in case another creature on the same caliber of that Wurm would show up, he may even learn a thing or two from one of them. Still, he was uneasy at the concept and a part of him was starting to decide against it.

[Treshan]

Kern also was there, sort of. He was in druidic dream, something like normal sleep, but in the course of it, the mind can move around the world in the process when the body sleeps. Thanks to the Druidic dream  he knows what's going on in the world. He saw everything from the initial arguments until the end of the fight. In the middle of the fight there have been some disruption, he have to focus to recover the eyes of the mind. Then he saw one of the Erion spirits. He was Terrified, for a long time he did not see any necromancer and especially one reigning over spirits. It's one of the souls that are causing disruption.

He woke up in his woods, the situation he saw forced him into reflection, for a long time he didn't seen that talented young men. Especially that young necromancer.

He started to pack, "it's time go get out of shadow" , after checking the map drawn by himself a couple of years ago, had hoped that map is still current, he decided to walk to Avist. He took up his staff and wore the bag on the shoulder.

He had to go away for a while and had to turn around to remind himself when he first found this place and decided to stay here. It was 20 years ago, he was still quite young ursine fascinated by nature, he was there because of her friend - Allet. She was, however, murdered by a gang of thugs a few weeks later. Precisely for this reason, Kern decided to get away from the society and be a lone resident of the forest

"Bye Home"

[Lugia]

Several javelins, spear jabs, and even more lightning and the thing was down. The others obviously contributed quite a bit, however, it seems like the quick cat wanted the last attack on the thing, with it just falling over as soon as he positioned himself to exploit the wound I had created moments ago. "Ah, that's alright, kitty, maybe you'll get the next one!" I said to him as he complained about not getting the kill. The bear seemed to walk away, obviously in a horrible mood after all of this, however, the rest of the group just decided to use the wurm as a bench. I decided to do pretty much the same as I overheard the cat and the lion talk about feeding a whole village with this thing. "With this thing? Heh, we could feed AND armor up an entire village," I pointed out as I tried to remove one of the thing's many heavy, tough scales. The lion said something about smiles eventually fading, and while I was going to say something, he sucker punched me with his name and wanting to travel together. "Name's Thorvald, and yeah I'd like to travel together, it's been a while since I've adventured with a miracle worker, and they're always helpful," I then turned my head towards the fox, and tried to remember where I've seen magic like his... that weird, bright magic that doesn't really trace itself to any particular element... I know it's not miracles, their spells are almost always defensive in nature, and I know he didn't use illusions, as the beast responded to his magic blasts with pain. By process of elimination, the fox was either an enchanter, like the cat, or he was a... necromancer...

Funniest thing, I've worked with necros before, on several occasions, even. Most of them are 'dark and brooding', or 'cool loners who don't want help, but still desperately need it', though, I almost never trust them fully just because of this one time when a couple of them kept offering me the exact same soup even after I told them that I didn't need food, that I brought plenty of my own. I switched my bowl with one of them, and he died from poisoning. While I don't trust them with food... I still don't see why everyone thinks they're ALL evil like that, that they ALL want to build an undead army, 'cause... there's more of them than you'd think, a lot of them try to hide as fake illusionists, or warriors, either focusing on the visual aspect of their soul powers... or just focusing on using some kind of weapon or another well. Because I knew what people generally thought of necromancers, I decided to stay quiet about him, and instead, I asked the cat "So, what was that whole ordeal with the bear group back there, huh? I was going to swoop down and scare everyone away with lightning, but I never really figured out who did what," I then chuckled, slightly, adding "Yeah, guess my eyes were always better than my ears, huh?" Of course, I'd have to take what he said as 'his' side of the story... he'd probably make himself out as some hero, or someone who did no wrong, but that group was talking about him stealing something. A cat thief... heh... guess he'd be a literal cat burglar, wouldn't he?

[Termott]

The forested area in which they traveled was peacefully quiet, aside from the rhythmic clomping that came from the Tothum's slow steady gait. Atlas was about ready to drop, but she kept pushing forward. Who knew what was hiding behind the next tree. She wasn't exactly worried for herself, the bovine was more than capable to handle the most intimidating foe. It was the little Neth she was more worried about. Knowing well that her companion was also tired, Atlas allowed Rykiar to ride along on her shoulders, also hoping his increased height would allow him to find any sign of civilization. Long story short, they were lost, tired and hungry.
"Surely we would have made it by now," wearily complained Atlas, referring to the next town over from the one they stayed at more than a week ago. The innkeeper had stated it was just a "hop, skip and jump" away, her words not theirs. She may have just been exaggerating just a bit, her rooms being a bit less than "five stars" as she had also mentioned.

Shady innkeepers aside, the pair were getting desperate, having run out of food days before as they didn't bother buying supplies while they were at the previous town. It also didn't help they didn't have a cent to their names. Atlas had hoped there'd be at least one opportunity to make some cash on the way. Maybe pull some weeds from someone's yard, or even stop some robber. Hell, Atlas would even slay a monster, and that was saying something for the lazy cow.

Before too long, it was her limit, the Tothlum haltingnly to immediately slump over on the ground. Rykiar of course had a bit of a tumble, brushing himself off in minor annoyance. As calm as he usually is, the Neth was also at his wit's end with the whole starving situation. He sat beside Atlas who continued being strewn out on the unexpectedly comfortable forest floor. They sat quietly, both trying to figure a game plan and how to not die an early age.

"Guess we'll have to live on dirt," the Tothum mumbled through her own mouthful from when she fell over. Sitting up, she shook her head, spitting out her bland meal of soil. She huffed, looking around the empty forest for a solution, although if the answer she wanted was [i]tree[/], it seemed they were doomed.

Above the sounds of their stomachs eating themselves, there was a sudden sign of commotion. Ears perking to try to deceiver whatever was going on, Atlas guessed it was some sort f battle, or some wild party. It seemed like there were several people, and from her experience that usually meant trouble. Looking over at Rykiar, he obviously heard it as well. Hopping to his feet and staring almost longingly toward the disturbance. Atlas took this as a sign that her relaxing time was over and it was time to go. Without warning, she gently picked up her friend and placed him on her shoulders once more and uncertainly continued on.

It was most certainly the sounds of battle that echoed as they approached quietly, well at least the tail end of it. There was no way she'd have the energy to fight at the moment, the same going for the mouse. As much as they should really avoid any sort of conflict, they were still drawn to the others, out of curiosity if anything. But as the saying goes, curiosity did kill the Lah'na, right?

They hid from a good distance that allowed them to watch and listen, but still not attract attention. In the center of a clearing was a various group of people, a Shael, two Lah'na, as well as a Vulpine. As normal as it is to see others, Atlas more so focused on the giant ass wurm lying dead. "Did they kill that?" Atlas whispered in shock. She wondered if they should even cross paths with this group if they act like kill such a monster was nothing, at least from what she assumed from where they watched.

Looking down, at her friend, he was gazing at the fallen creature, and Atlas could almost hear the gears turning in his head. For a brief second, the Tothum wondered what he could possibly want to do with the monster, but her eyes widened as she figured it out. They suddenly shared the same idea, keeping their eyes on the prize: the wurm. Atlas wouldn't call herself a criminal mastermind, or even a thief, but it may as well be their only means of survival for the pair, so they had nothing much to lose. Well aside from their lives of course.

Even on his good day, Rykiar wouldn't be much help moving the wurm. The cow knew she'd be doing the literal heavy lifting, that wasn't much of an issue. Her main concern, however, was the group they'd have to take the monster from. Atlas was sure they intended to make a decent coin on that thing from the way they began to skin it. But their strategy would most likely work. I mean who would expect someone to steal a monster? Atlas thought, uncharacteristically giddy with excitement and probably on the delusional side in her exhausted state.

This was it, they were ready. Climbing on her back once more, Rykiar gave a nod toward Atlas. She then used her transformation magic, growing into what she calls her Beast form. As the title suggests, her body was now double her already large size, matched with deadly horns, hooves becoming sharp talons, and a pair of large wings to help with get away. Her transformation was quick and successful, but was limited.

Rykiar clung on tight, all the while he concentrated. With his Illusion abilities, he created a distraction, the newly formed creature appearing out of nowhere on the farther side of the clearing, letting out a terrible roar loud enough for Atlas to crash through the trees. Moving fast before they both pass out from the overuse of their abilities, the extra-large Tothum, ripped off a good sized chunk of the dead creature, careful of its sharp hide, and picked it up with a bit of difficulty.

With a meaty beat of her large wings, they were off in the skies, the illusion monster dissolved. Wurm being dragged along precariously, they looked for the nearest town to cash in their prize.

[Evanist]

Erion stayed quiet as he heard the lion say his name, as well as ask if they wanted to travel together. He though about it a bit. Maybe that could help, but he was worried about what they would think of him. Well, it didn't seem like they were attacking him at least. So there was that. He breath deeply.
"Could be good for a while." he then says. Although some spirits were yelling at him.
"Don't do it, they will kill you!" One said. A paranoid one we could say.
"People never trust a necromancer, why would they even trust you." Another added. He grumbles some words under his breath.

"Shut up." he said to the spirits... before Jim arrived once again.
"Hey guys look! It's mister smarty smart pants thinking he can just banish me away and..." he managed to say before Erion looked towards him, annoyed. He looks at the group.
"Excuse me, I got some little... well... business to do." he says as he then walks away in the forest... only to have a creature suddenly roar. He took his blade out.

"I don't have time for this c..." he manage to say before Jim spoke again.
"Hey, it's a cute little monster! Go pet it Erion! It probably safe! Or it will r..." Jim only manage to say before Erion trapped him in a soul orb and then concentrated, and banished him once again to the spirit world. He then turned to see part the Wurm being flown in the sky by some creatures. He stares at it and then towards the illusion creature... that was gone. He just looks at the other creatures.
"Seriously..." he said before moving forwards and then looking up at the other creature.
"With that big of a piece I hope you will bring it to a village!" he yells.

"Well, that is something you don't see everyday." One of the spirits interjected. He breath deeply. He realy was wondering why he was attacting all those spirits all the time. Well, he guessed him being a necromancer and them wanting a way to link to this world and possibly see new things could be something... He wasen't the type of person to enslave others. He prefered letting them do what they wanted.... well... almost what they wanted. Jim was an exception here. 102 times.... 102 times hes been banished. Or was it 103... God he was starting to lose count now. 2 times in the same day.... he was really getting annoying.

[soul448]

As they were flying, Rykiar scouted about for any form of civilization where they could rest and sell their chunk of dead wurm. He saw something that was possibly a town a few miles to the south so he directed his bovine companion in that direction. It wasn't long before they had to land and walk, due to the great amount of energy it took to fly. They kept walking towards the town, still being about 2 miles out. Neither of them said a word on the way, they were too tired to talk. Eventually they came upon the town and looked for a butcher. They were directed to one by a stranger, and walked into the store. "Good evening sir." Rykiar said to the butcher as they came in. He chose to leave price bartering up to Atlas, as she knew how to deal with it better. After they had haggled back and forth for 10 minutes, they agreed upon a price and the mouse and cow were out looking for a place to sleep. "How much did we get?" Rykiar asked. Atlas responded, "Not near enough. We really only have enough to resupply on food." "I've got an idea." And with that they walked into a tavern. "My good sir, we are in need of a room for the night, and a warm meal." Rykiar spoke to the innkeeper. As he discussed prices, he was aslo using up just about the last of his energy to envision a small note forming in his hand. This was a bit of tricky magic as he couldn't make anything tangible. So he had to focus and think about exactly where he wanted the piece of paper to be so it appeared to be in his hand and stay there as he moved it to show the innkeeper. "I believe this will cover the cost." And he showed the note which spoke of how they were on a quest for a king and were to be granted every accommodation. Having seen an actual note of this kind before when he lived in Neth, he knew how it should look to be convincing. The innkeeper was a very slow reader and was taking his time. Rykiar was starting to sweat now because of the effort being sapped out of him. It was taking everything in him not to pass out then and there. Finally, just as his spell was about to give out, the innkeeper grunted in agreement and handed Rykiar a key without another word. Rykiar lowered his hand and dropped the spell before going back to Atlas. "Let's go upstairs before I pass out. Some food should be up shortly."

[Hans von Lek]

Not exactly burning with curiosity to find out how it was the bear man became the wounded wreck he was, Zack continued to his actual destination, the city of Avisthelm. After a few more hours travel, it finally came into view. The sprawling, massive city was always an awing, humbling site for Zack. After all, he had grown up among squat adobe structures strewn across the Nin'thassias share of the central desert. There was really no comparing the two.

Once within the city walls, it did not take Zack long to find his destination. Before him sat a small cottage. The outside bore some signs of neglect and disrepair, but not too much more than the other houses on the street. The curtains were drawn shut in every window. He wandered up to the door and rapped against it in an exact tune, the sequence agreed upon by him and the occupants long ago. A grin spread as he swung the door open and stepped inside.

Inside were three coyote youths sat in a circle on the floor. They were seemingly in the middle of a game, wherein they each took turns twirling a small spinning top. To each of their sides were piles of books. Zack grinned to them, and they lifted their heads to return smiles to him. They sprang up and rushed over to him, all three latching onto him. He wrapped his own arms around them to complete the group hug.

"Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Balaam, how you've grown! You're gonna be even taller than I am some day!" Zack chirped.

"Taller than you? I hope not! I see the way you have to duck your head to even come in here, Zack!" sneered Balaam.

Zack burst into laughter and ruffled his mop of hair. All four of them wandered over to the center of the room together. As Zack sat down, he pinched the stem of the spinning top and gave it a twirl.

"Now, I hope you boys haven't been playing games all of the time. You've been studying as well, yes?" Zack interrogated with a warm smile.
The three boys looked to each other, then grinned to him sheepishly.

"Well, we play the games sometimes!" said Isaiah.

"... A lot of the time." added Ezekiel.

"Though to be fair," interjected Balaam, "We mostly do it as part of the trick you taught us. Y'know, if we think the guards are coming, shift the books aside and play the game, so we don't get caught."

Zack turned his gaze to each as they spoke, his grin growing wider and wider.

"Well, I know I push you real hard, but what's life without a bit of fun every now and then anyhow?" Zack snickered, then peered at the top, which had by now settled on its side. "More importantly, how'd I do?" He rubbed his hands eagerly.

"Well, uh. You got a bad side. You lost." Balaam explained, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Gotta hand over your stuff, bucko!" Isaiah snickered, doing a worse job than Balaam at containing his amusement.

Zack laughed and shook his head. He swung his staff over and unbound the bindle. He sat the bag before the three boys and unfurled it, letting its contents fall out. Numerous gaudy, intricate trinkets spilled forth. Ezekiel, Balaam and Isaiah immediately started examining each item.

"Tried to bring you back more stuff to play with this time. When learning magic, it's best to see how the professionals do it. So, by all means, poke and prod and break these magic devices to see how they work. They only cost me many week's lunches, after all." Zack said as he fell onto his back, his arms wrapped behind his head, an ankle rested over the other.

"So you're telling us it's okay to take breaks from study to have fun, and now you're giving us more homework?" said Isaiah teasingly.

"Study -is- fun, isn't it? Besides, it's the only way any of you are ever gonna be as powerful as big bro - me." said Zack idly, finishing with a yawn.

At this, all three pounced upon him, lightly bashing him with their balled hands. Zack squirmed and giggled under their combined assault. When he grew tired of this, Zack launched his counter attack, and soon had Balaam and Isaiah under either arm. Ezekiel had bolted off. Zack burst into laughter.

"Hey, put up a good fight this time," said Zack, admiringly, "And why is it important to put up a good fight, little ones?"

"Life punishes weakness." Isaiah and Balaam recited in near unison. Ezekiel's voice joined them from the other room.

Zack released the two from their headlock and nodded, a pleased grin on his face.

"We're the last of the Itzhaks. There will come the day where I'm not going to be around to be strong for you all anymore. It's why you each gotta become powerful like me and keep what's left of our tribe alive."

"You keep talking about keeping the tribe alive, but why haven't you met any nice nin'tah girlies yet, big bro?" jeered Balaam.

Zack gave a stunned look, then some aghast laughter. This only increased the amusement of Balaam, and soon his brothers were snickering also. Zack suddenly grinned broadly, then leaned over, gripped the hem of Balaam's wool cap, and tugged it down over his face. Zack folded his arms as he watched Balaam stumble around, amused. Isaiah and Ezekiel now laughed at Balaam as he stumbled over.

"You're lucky I promised the city watch I won't use my powers here, young man. I mean, it's the only reason they let me visit you lot in the first place." said Zack.

"You're -still- seen as a threat?" Ezekiel said as his interest was caught by yet another one of the baubles Zack had brought him, consisting of a small orrery-esque structure, kept in eternal motion by its enchantments.

"Ayup. Haven't done -anything- to the locals in, hell, years by now. But they don't want me making a mess of things" explained Zack as he slumped onto a rickety rocking chair in the corner, then let out a yawn. "They've been nicer to me this visit, though. They've told me I've got a week to stay with you guys."

[Haru Nyan]

A small grin rose form the lion's lips as the Shael agreed to his offer, having company was nice to have, and much better when it was just one or two. The avian did show an impressive feat of magic from the fight with the Wurm earlier, his aim was...less than stellar to say the least but his skills with lightning magic were definitely not to be underestimated, definitely a welcome addition. The vulpine was rather good as well, certainly not the best the lion has seen but there certainly was skill to back him up and certainly looked like he could handle himself well, still he looked...hesitant, a little distant. The lion could understand however, as the sudden flow of events could certainly shake one individual, what more if it involved a Wurm that could've easily decimated everything in its path? The fox eventually excused himself from the group, and the lion decided if he should follow. He glanced back at the ave and nodded at him, telling him that they should find shelter soon and a look for a nearby city. Ymahr looked back at the ruined temple and sighed, all that effort was certainly in vain. He wouldn't have mind exploring the place.

Suddenly, a loud roar came from the forest where the fox went to. He sat up from his position and prepare his spear, motioning for the ave to follow. He grunted, not even a moment of respite and here they were fighting another monster in this forest, the lion saw it and was about to lunge, only for thing to fade into thin air, eliciting a confused response from the feline. His ears perked up as he heard the a mighty wingbeat, he looked up only to see two unfamiliar silhouette's flying off in the distance carrying the Wurm they had just slain. With a groan. the lion let down his spear, as he glanced at his two compatriots. There certainly was no use chasing the hoodlums as they were already far off in the horizon, they may have better uses for the beast anyway, whether it was for better or worse, the lion could only hope that it was the former.

"It certainly won't do us any good standing here, let's get moving."

Without another word, the lion began to walk forward, in hopes that civilization would be nearby. Idly, he wonders how far his two newfound allied will take him.