A5G

Into the Land of Twilight

Seems that despite the illusory nature of the battle, the participating fighters were still shackled by mortal limitations. Willpower could only get so far, the axeman visibly slowed before momentarily halting in place. One could see the laborious breath, the wince from the pain and distraught eyes looking at his falling comrades. But then steel return to his gaze as he took a step forward, weapon raised... only for another pair of arrows finding their way through his eyes.

The rotund soldier unceremoniously fell, no possibility of rising from that. For the most part Roxas went through the entire exchange unharmed, save from some throbbing toes from kicking a steel axehead.

On the other side, the two soldiers watched with despair as the orb of frost intensified. They raised their hands in a desperate bid to halt the incoming attack, the attempt completely ineffective as the temperature dropped into frigid hell. Frostbite rapidly ate into them, freezing flesh and veins alike, their range of motion dropping rapidly until only a pair of half-frozen corpses remained.

The swordsman at the center was stilling already, unnaturally quickly considering the wound. The first to succumb to arrow too were unmoving, and with the last combatant felled it was as if a pulse ran through the area. The view turned blurry, scene of slaughter distorted by black shadows, the ever-present distant whisper taking a cacophonous turn. Only the light ahead was unaffected, a lighthouse that seemed to intensify with every passing second.

Into the Land of Twilight

The first snap of a bowstring served as a signal, the flanking men charging at once. On Roxas' side, the lead swordsman staggered with an arrow piercing his chest. Another found its mark soon after, the projectile whizzing before punching through mail and shirt alike to find purchase in the flesh underneath. He faltered, falling to his knee with a wet gurgle, crimson spittle flowing out of his mouth.

As if uncaring of his fallen comrade, the axeman continued the charge and raised his poleaxe up high. A wide swing was incoming, partial blindness to be compensated by the sizeable arc. The third arrow found purchase in him, somewhere lower in the abdomen, yet whether drunk in adrenaline or the presence of a beer belly the man wasn't much hampered by the damage at the moment.

At the center, Tillius was up against a massively outclassed soldier that perhaps gained a moment of clarity of the fact mere moment before the shield impacted him like an unyielding rampart. Likely not expecting to be on the defensive, he only managed a token swing before his balance broke and he fell backward. A short stab gutted him through the belly before he's halfway down, the simple mail shirt not quite matching up to orcish strength. He impacted the ground, air driven out of his lungs for a moment before reality caught up, then a high-pitched squeal escaped his lips not akin to a pig in a slaughterhouse.

On the other side, a cone of frost buffeted the last pair of soldiers. Woefully unprepared for the sudden onset of winter, the two of them froze in their tracks - literally and figuratively - with ice rooting their boots and frostbite eating at any visible patch of skin. Both of them yelled in confusion, stumbling from their previous momentum before falling flat face-first thanks to their frozen footwear. The fall broke the rime holding them in place, yet even then they had trouble standing back up from the iced ground. Like fishes in a barrel, should anyone have the range or reach to get at them.

Into the Land of Twilight

Thankfully, healing magic seemed to work just fine in the illusion. The wound on Roxas' arm slowly knit back with a wet squelch, the pain receding accordingly. Still largely hidden behind Tillius' hulking figure, the act went largely unnoticed by the incoming assailants. However, the lightshow conjured by Fia was an entirely different matter.

"MAGE!"

The cruel rictus on the soldiers' visage twisted into a different, equally exaggerated wariness as they saw the conjured sphere of light, their charge slowing as they started to scatter away from ground zero in a concerningly disciplined maneuver. Five pair of bloodshot eyes followed the conjuration as it beamed forward, sinking into the ground before torrential blast of searing light erupted in its place.

The sudden brightness illuminated the soldiers, the dark-red splatter and ashen stain on their tabard, the beads of sweat running down their forehead, fresh rivulets of crimson dripping down between crooked teeth. The damage itself was minimum, the frontmost three suffering from some minor burn and laceration, but the magical opening was far from ineffective.

They howled, disconcertingly uniform, momentarily overtaking the noise of distant screams and crackling pyre, shock intermixing with anger as the advance staggered into a halt. Weapons were brandished more to threaten than to gain any advantage, the men too busy trying to blink away the dark spot in the middle of their vision with limited success.

"Harridan! I'll tear out your eyes and feed it to your friends!" Yelled one of them, squinting as the squad continued to try surround the trio albeit much clumsier than before. One of the sword-wielder halted some distance away at the front, momentarily gobsmacked by the sheer size of the tower shield before him while the rest split into a pair of sword and poleaxe on each flank. They'll be in position soon, and likely wouldn't hesitate to begin the assault after.

Into the Land of Twilight

Engelbert couldn't fully shed his worry, but once again the Gray Flame's wisdom shone through not unlike the blazing lantern that illuminated the immediate surrounding. It didn't take long for the first party member to break free of the phantom's grasp, and more soon followed. One of them even bumped at him before exaggeratedly rolling back, fully alert and clearly high-strung from the experience. The knight waved, trying to diffuse the tension and maaaybe stop the foreigner from touching the others.

He wasn't sure why, but he trusted their guide.

"Welcome back. How are you feeling?" He greeted, gesturing noncommitally to the rest. "As you can see, not everyone's out of it yet. They should come back soon though."

If not, well, hopefully there's an alternative method to wake them up. Until then, all Engelbert can do is to be an anchor to ground them to reality and maybe keep the morale up. He's pretty good at that.

Into the Land of Twilight

The lantern intensified, a luminous radiance akin to a miniature star blazing in their midst. The darkness receded, though not entirely - pitch-black spectral remnants remained, undaunted by the light, forever doomed to repeat their last moments over and over again. Engelbert felt their influence trying to worm into his mind, only for it to find no purchase to latch to as it splashed powerlessly away.

A pair of pale-blue orbs lit within his helmet, the night taking a different tone as his perception expand. The miasma was... everywhere. It hung around them, dark mist that obscured and pressed down on the sphere of his sixth sense, rendering it considerably smaller than usual. The phantoms were the greatest concentration of all, their hazy shapes turning into disturbingly clear pitch-black creatures that, as if aware of his sudden perception, turned to stare back.

Engelbert cuts off the sixth sense then and there, the knight not curious enough to find out what will happen if he kept it up. At least they seemed to lose their interest once his senses receded back to mortal limit. An important thing that he noticed, however, was how black tendrils of miasma extended from the creatures and insidiously slithered into some of the party members.

"Hmm. Gentlemen? I'm afraid the warning was a bit too late." He said, voice lower than usual. Only the first real actions and they've met a significant hurdle already. Now this was a pickle... just because he's aware of what's going on didn't mean Engelbert was in any position to do something about it. "Some of us seems to have lost all senses. What do we do? Shake them awake? Carry them away?"

Into the Land of Twilight

Engelbert listened, looking down at the freshly carved flower secured with a knot to his left wrist. A pair of flaming blue glow lit within the visor slit, confirming that there's indeed some very faint trace of magic in the little flower. So it's not just some random gift.

Quaint.

"I see. That was very thoughtful of you, Lady Roxas. Thank you, and I apologize if my first impression came off as less than pleasant. Our party is certainly much better prepared than I'd expect." The glow faded, the knight returning his attention to the few that went to chekc the tree. And what did he knew, it talked! Should be unsurprising, if there's a sentient tree somewhere in the world it'll most likely be found in this forest. So, the other at the entrance was another ent? A scholar may be curious enough to figure out why they're identical, but for Engelbert it's sufficient that he could tell the difference. Just to avoid them, of course. He wasn't sure how big of a difference these ents were to the waldschrat native to the woodlands of his old home, but it likely was equally hard to put down and he'd rather not do that if given the choice.

As the group regathered after the small ent interlude, Tillius brought up another valid concern for the night march. More valid to some than others, but still a good concern. In response to that it turned out they're not to set out immediately, taking their time to depart around midnight instead. That should be enough rest for those who need it. Coupled to some more fun, totally-not-horrific facts about their destination, it certainly sounds more and more appealing to depart at night.

"All things considered, I have to agree that night march is likely our best options." He hedged, jolly but with a hint of finality in his tone. "We just have to step more carefully then! It would be embarrasing if we get more injuries from sprawling roots than the phantoms that populate the city ruin, yes?"

@Visyn @Conscripts @Mas Bagus

Into the Land of Twilight

The trip was unexpectedly smooth, the ancient road unusually dry when the ground around it had turned into muddy mush. Whether it was masterful engineering or subtle spellcraft, Engelbert had no idea but he appreciated it nonetheless. They made good time, passing by increasingly small village and hamlet until the only sign of civilization left was the unyielding road stretching from beneath their feet to the yawning chasm that was the primeval forest left largely untouched for longer than some kingdoms have existed.

Something in the road prevented nature from encroaching upon it, leaving a single path into the depth of the greenery like the waiting maw of some massive verdant beast. Despite the infamous reputation it was a forest like any other, rich scent of petrichor rising after the heavy rain with the ever-present sound of birds and other critters forming a chaotic symphony alongside the rustling of wind. With frequent beams of sunlight piercing through the canopies, it made for a picturesque scenery where it's almost too easy to forget the danger lurking in this place.

At least until Engelbert spotted yet another tree that was an almost exact copy of the previous, down to the grooves of the root and the arrangement of branches. Twisted magical insanity was rife in this place. Was it a downside or an upside, for having a flawless recollection?

As the sky darkens and the shadows painted the environ in a brand new sinister light, Gray led them to an open glade that was perfectly fit for a camp. It looked like a localized fire raged a few decades back, likely from lightning strike though Engelbert wouldn't discount the torch of a doomed treasure hunter to cause the incident. Nevertheless, it cleared a section of the forest before it peters out and the natural growth hadn't reclaimed the place yet. There's a few shrubberies here and there, but it's a relatively defensible spot once the carts were arranged to wall off the camp.

The knight spent the first few minutes helping to clear the place, heaving and uprooting the largest shrubs. His greaves sank an inch or two into the loamy, still slightly damp soil, but with his assistance what looked like a couple hours of work was finished within minutes. Insects, creepy crawlies, and on one occasion a family of rabbits scattered as he pulled the obstacles off, casually tossing it to the outer edge of the glade before rejoining on Vesemir's call.

"Tonight, Ser Vesemir?" Asked Engelbert with a slight tilt of the head, peering down on the map. It's... hmm, looked like it was actually close enough to feasibly reach, but a night march was an entirely different beast than daytime. "It would be quite dangerous, if only from the risk of someone tripping and breaking their ankle. May I know the reason why?"

As eccentric as their boss were, Vesemir was nothing if not logical. If he wanted a night visit, he should have a good reason why.

Into the Land of Twilight

And that's everyone introduced. Westernant, huh? A familiar place, yet so distant now. Yet despite of time and distance, it's hard to completely forget one's root. Even if the others were cut from a different cloth, at the end of the day it's all united under a single banner. As rife with infighting as it were.

The knight offered a nod to the easterner, another piece of puzzle that complement their toolbox. Though something told him that the man was thinking something rather rude at the moment... well, there's no way to tell beside an old man's intuition.

Momentarily lost in his musing, Engelbert was silent as his partner took over the conversation. It's not the best kind of explanation, but at least it's satisfactory enough that no one decided to pry further. And then there's the distraction that was Fia's bold statement. Whether it's an actual offer or a teasing, young Carnatia bite it hook line and sinker that it didn't quite matter.

And then there's the follow up from the sorceress.

"Oho, there'll be no boring day with you all around!" A hearty laugh echoed, rumbling from the recess of the armor. "It's good that you're getting along! Just dont bother the... 'house guardian', yes? While I've no idea if it even exists, better be safe than sorry."

Unfortunate that Vesemir's interjection came next. Engelbert was silent throughout, even more statuesque than the Gray Flame. Well, as much as he'd prefer to raise an objection, it would be too suspicious to be that insistent. And at the end of the day, the archaeologist was the boss. Oh well, he'll just have to make sure that if anyone ended up taking something they're not ruining the object.

At least no one seemed very interested in the act.

"Worry not, Ser Vesemir, we'll keep you safe throughout." The detour wasn't that big of a deal. The other sites were related to the ancient capital, and they had more than sufficient supplies besides. Heck, Vesemir probably had planned to make the visit from the beginning. "Now, we do have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Let us take this opportunity to rest and prepare, yes? I'll get us dinner, if you allow me to peruse the supplies."

Stepping away from the main room, Engelbert took a moment to find and inspect the kitchen. It was... not in as good condition as the previous room. Perhaps it's the chimney, allowing moisture and humidity to seep in. Rotted wood, rusted utensils, and a concerning amount of mold on every surface. The knight took a moment to ponder how much work would be necessary to clean up, and quickly decided that beside judiciously torching every inch it would be much faster to just get it done elsewhere.

"Do not enter the kitchen. You will permanently damage your lungs." He announced gravely as he closed the door behind him, stepping toward the back where the entrance to the stable was barred.

Commandeering Stepen for assistance, soon enough the necessary utensils and ingredients were prepared. Engelbert couldn't help but whistle - Vesemir certainly spared no effort on the supplies, the eccentric yet well-funded archaeologist completely different from the misers that were the military quartermasters. There's a rather impressive collection of meat and spices, dehydrated vegetables, and even bottles of powdered stocks. Among other things.

In one of the more weather-isolated stalls Engelbert hummed a marching tune as he deftly peeled a pile of potatoes, a white and blue apron snugly wrapping his front. Stew would be the menu tonight, hearty and warm, with a side of hardtack to fill the belly. Flour and butter to make the roux base to thicken the broth. Salt-cured beef as a treat, pad it up with potatoes and beans. Little bit of salt since the beef already got enough, sprinkles of additional spices, a pinch of dried garlic, and a couple slice of dried tomatoes for a hint of acidity.

Yes, that sounds like a plan. Turns out regularly cooking (and other household chores) for someone supremely picky was a good life experience. Who would've expected?

Into the Land of Twilight

"that said, Engelbert idea has merit. We are gonna rely on each other for the foreseeable future, so knowing what we can do is the least we should do. Let me reintroduce myself, i am Forbann Spiser,and if my height didn't give me away, i am an Oni"

Deciding a demonstration would be best for the next part, he put an hand foward,and he Shaped his gauntlet, the metal rising in a stalk and petal blossoming in his best approximation of a rose,glittering in the flames and sometime lighting itself with the sickly glow of the curse residing within it.

"I am a ferromancer,able to shape metal however i see fit.Unlike most ferromancer, i specialized in Cursed metal, and before you worry, it's harmless to anyone i don't wish harm to as long as i'm touching it

Reshaping the metal rose back into the gauntlet, he continued

"Much like Engelbard,i would do best when in the thick of it, though i'm more specialized for attrition fights than fast ones. Furthermore, i know curses and how to deal with them, even if i must admit my methods are...brutish, to say the least.

@Deide

“I’ll say again, my name’s Fia. My specialty is sorcery. I am just in love with those who are born with the power to make the world however they want on a whim. So much so, I’ve made their power my own.” Fia chuckled, “I can do a little of everything, but my true specialty lies in the elements.” Fia let down the hand she was using to wave, so it lay horizontal with her palm up. From the center of her palm a pillar of fire erupted, almost touching the ceiling. It lasted only a moment before it was replaced with a ball of water, that froze. Finally the ball collapsed into itself forming a small black void, and then it disappeared all together.

“Though, if I need to, I am pretty good with a rapier.” Fia finished her introduction.

@Randomness

Nanashi went back from the party with a different appearance. He is wearing an elegant black kimono perfectly match with his handsome facial feature along and a pony tail hairstyle. The bathroom is ready for other to use and he did clean it after his turn.

"The house guardian wouldn't mind to use the house as long we maintain clean this shelter. It a bit angry to the elven woman for prying their stuff without it's permission. I too have guilt for going through the window but the spirit and I had already settle.

Anyway. Who's turn for the bath? I prepared a hot water for the bath tub and will boil some water again for the other's turn."

@Remuri v2

With her part of the introduction done, Eve huffed as she went over to the trinkets that Roxas brought down. Hmm... Methodically, she performed a scrying spell on each of the items. I see... Nodding to herself, she made quick mental notes of her findings before turning toward the group. She'd wait until whoever was currently on the spotlight to finish their introduction before speaking, "Everyone, please excuse my impudence, but may I take a moment of your time?" She paused to let her words sink in before continuing, "I've gathered what I could from these items, let me relay them to you."

First, Evelyn picked up the elven blade, "This sword is part of a twin pair alongside that one above the fireplace. It's enchanted with runes to reinforce its durability, explaining its pristine state even after decades of abandonment. The traces of dried blood revealed that the wielder was an elven man who was three decades old by the time the blood was spilled." She finished as she put the sword down.

Second, she procured the gold brooch with an emerald gem slotted in it, "This is an Arcane Focus, a trinket capable of improving various aspects of spellcasting. This one in particular is attuned to healing spells, enabling the caster to consume around half of the usual mana required for a specific spell. A great boon for any healers out there for certain." She set the brooch back down before moving to the next item.

Third, she held up the crystal-infused lamp, "This, for a lack of better words, is simply a lamp, although powered by mana instead of heat. When infused with mana..." Evelyn did exactly that to demonstrate, conducting a minor flow of mana from the environment into the lamp, causing it to illuminate, "It'll shine, providing illumination. A simple yet useful item for countless situations." The redhead shrugged lightly as she deactivated the lamp before returning it on the table.

Finally, she gestured lightly to the rest of the items; the dagger, quiver, hairpin, and pendant, "The rest are mundane objects, nothing outwardly notable about them, aside from any sentimental values, that is." And thus concluded her reports.

@Izurich

After Evelyn scryed the items, she scooped them back up. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, jaw clenching and unclenching. Loud enough for everyone to hear, before she disappeared; "Roxas. Healer." She then moved upstairs to put everything back. Damin might have been right, why did she bring herself on this expedition. Once upstairs, she put the chest items back, the flier on the desk and put the pendant, draft and picture back in the bedroom. She didn't come back downstairs.

@Visyn

A lively lot, this little group. There's so many directions one's attention could be pulled to, if Engelbert wasn't used to splitting focus he'd probably be overwhelmed. On one side the tall ironclad showed a magnificent show of fine control, something he'd imagine would be a great boon for runic enchantment. A more competitive part of Engelbert wondered how'd he fare against the taller warrior, quickly coming to the conclusion that the matchup would be unfavorable without taking extreme measures. But there's no need for that, yes?

Following after Forbann was the latest addition, a full-time sorceress with pretty decent power output backed by formidable flexibility. Well above the average mage, this one will fill the hole in their formation pretty nicely. Priority protection, then. Right after Gray and Vesemir. But there's no need to specifically mention that, part of him felt like this Fia Blackfire - Engelbert internally chuckled at the name - would be rather insufferable if he did.

Right around then the foreigner came back out, clad in a set of exotic robe with steam still rising from his flushed skin. His pronounciation was awkward at times, but the fact that he speak the language at all was admirable. And... apparently the plumbing and bath was still operational? And in good shape, even. Engelbert himself wasn't interested much, but he could see a few faces perking up from the idea of a hot bath.

"With you by my side, Ser Forbann, we could take on an entire army! Pleased to work with you." He offered an appreciative nod, moving on to the next soon after. "And Lady Fia, why, you reminds me of an old friend. We'll be relying on you on all matter arcane, I was slightly worried for our lack of proper arcanist in our rank. This is shaping into an exciting adventure!"

The good mood continued a bit further, the youngest of the party confidently explaining about the discovered trinkets. She could even tell who that blood belonged to! Admittedly, some of the trinkets would actually be useful but knowing who the items belonged to... let's just say Engelbert was glad that it's being returned to where it belong despite the awkward silence left in the wake of Roxas' departure. The grumpy elf wouldn't break or throw it away out of spite, would she?

"Ahem. I suppose that could've went better. Thank you for the examination, Lady Evelyn. That was most enlightening." Engelbert broke the silence, glancing around to find another distraction. He didn't have to look far, settling on the foreigner who seemed content watching everything unfold. "Right, my good man, I dont believe I have caught your name? Do introduce yourself, we dont bite." Another glance spotted a whole bunch of drenched hair and shirt and everything. Engelbert himself had largely dried, the enchantment of the armor repelled unwanted dirt and moisture in equal measure. "Ah, you prepared the bath did you not? I believe some of us could make use of it. Thank you."

His gaze settled on, out of all people, Fia. Between the covered carriage and reaching shelter early enough, the initial group wasn't drenched nearly as bad as the sorceress who looked like she had waded through the river to get here. Must've gotten soggy all the way to the core, the poor lass. Magic or not, you could still get sick all the same.

Into the Land of Twilight

Her hands paused in looking over the pictures. She raised her head slightly, her eyes moving to Engel and giving him the glare of his life. How dare he. "Excuse me?" She looked up further, slamming the pictures down on the table. "We walk into this house, with blood on the floor and the weapon and you expect me to not look into a possible death; despite the couple being gone for 30 years." She blew out harsh air, jaw clenching lightly. "And then you have the audacity to accuse me of wanting to steal from said probably dead couple."

Was everyone trying to piss her off today? First the.. weird stalker creepy guy and now the large armored tank of a man. She clicked her tongue angrily, standing straight. She crossed her arms, glaring at Engelbert again. "You've known me for a possible 5 hours and the first thing you ask me is if I'm going to steal.. I don't think in all my time as an adventurer the first thing someone accused me of, was stealing." She shook her head, closing her eyes as she was trying to calm down. Gods, this trip was going to be a nightmare if she was going to get angry at everyone.. At least Tillius seemed nice..

@Visyn

Fierce one, wasn't she? Engelbert raised his hands halfway up, palm forward in a placating gesture. The righteous fury was frankly adorable, and one that he very much approved of. The lines between adventurers and opportunistic brigands were unfortunately thin these days.

"I apologize, I meant no offense." Said the knight, jolly as always. "It is an issue that I see arising way too often-" He paused as the latest addition to the party quipped, tone dropping into a monotonous flat.

Introductions were cut short as an elven woman descended the stairs with an arm full of trinkets. Fia stood up and wandered near the table the elf placed them, curious to what was found. “Ooh. Are we looting the place already? Don’t mind if I do.” said Fia as she gazed over the various items. Mainly keepsakes by the look of it, they were in very good condition for how long the house had been abandoned.

Engelbert spoke up about the items, and Fia couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, how noble of you, lovely. Looking out for the sweet and vulnerable. Very admirable.” Fia said sweetly. She looked over to the elf who had brought down the items, then back up at the heavily armored knight, "though I don't think that was the correct thing to say."

@Randomness

"-as you can see." He finished with an exasperated sigh, stealing a glance to the expedition leader. If anyone can wrangle her, it'd be Vesemir. Though it seemed like the older elf was busy being miserably wet, no assistance coming from that end anytime soon.

Shaking his head and pushing the thought to the corner of his mind, Engelbert finally took a closer look at the collection of trinkets. Looked expensive, but that's about it. And then he looked at the photograph, and went perfectly still for five seconds.

Then he straightened, scooted over to the Gray Flame, and pulled the masked elf to the back corridor where a series of pointed whispers were muffled by the backdrop of heavy rain.