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Vanish Into Light

Soldering iron... mad skillz! Hope you got that tablet issue worked out :)

I actually wanted to go farther with this post, to them breaking camp, but I figured that would be controlling the scene too much, haha. Shadowdale... just damn... Well, at least they don't have to worry about any Zhents following them for a while, lol

Vanish Into Light

She actually said yes. Jeron's savior, the woman who looked ready to skewer him with her sword, had actually agreed to his bargain. For a fleeting moment, Jeron's eyes actually widened with astonishment, his lips parting with disbelief. Never had any such interaction with anyone ever gone so smoothly; he had fully expected her to say no. Of course, the situation couldn't have been more ideal; it was essentially accept his offer or die trying to leave this place alone. He'd worry about how guilty he should or should not feel about trapping her in such a situation later.

Jeron had expected to bear part of the man's weight, but the woman surprised him when she shifted the man's weight more squarely on her back and moved with surprising swiftness out the door. So she was stronger than she looked. No doubt she had the capability to kill him if she wanted to. He'd think about that later as well.

For now, he followed her into chaos, the likes of which he had never seen. Ice drummed against Jeron's head, hammered against his back and arms, a persistent, stinging pain. The dark line of the forest's edge almost seemed to beckon him; all he had to do was muster enough strength to sprint but for a moment. However, he had promised that he would help this woman, so he remained at her side. At best she could only manage a jog; she bore too much weight on her back to move any faster. A quick glance around verified that no Zhentarim, or anyone else for that matter, was following them; this ice storm was proving an effective distraction. If not for the danger of the ice, they very well could stroll into the woods without incident.

As the chill nipped at Jeron's cheeks, he could feel heat radiating against his back. Red-hot light descended, illuminating the town. Jeron glanced behind him to see a massive swirl of fire engulf every building and tree behind them, all consumed to ashes in its wake. He could hear the screams of the townsfolk, could see figures shifting erratically through the flames. He looked away, facing forward, as an image of his human mother flashed across his mind. He had found their little hut burned to its frame, and his mother, who had been caught in the blaze... He had mourned her death, sobbed for her, even though his last memory of her alive was when she looked away, silent, while the village guards had taken him...

Jeron gritted his teeth, allowing the fear to block out the memories and block out the pain. The vortex of fire swelled towards them; he could feel the heat against his back intensify. They were moving too slow.

The woman stumbled. Without thinking, Jeron grabbed one of the man's arms, slinging it around his shoulders as he shifted some of his weight on him. With this man's weight evenly distributed between Jeron and his savior, they moved much faster, almost in sync, fear and desperation driving them forward. Jeron could see flames curl around them, could feel the heat lick at his heels...

They broke through the treeline of the forest, the air cooling around them at once, the intense light dimming to a mild summer evening glow. The forest seemed immune to the fire, not a single leaf singed. A quick glance behind and beside Jeron verified that the man and woman accompanying him were not on fire, though the man's clothes were a little singed. If the hailstorm hadn't soaked them, their outcome may have been different.

Jeron did not stop. "We keep moving," he gasped, completely out of breath, every muscle on fire from the effort to keep in motion. His back throbbed like a hundred scraping daggers from the way his pack and the man's weight chaffed against his wounds. His legs felt like jelly but weighed as though they were lead, and his side still throbbed. His savior was also wounded, and Jeron was not sure if the man they carried would survive the night. Still, he pressed on, locking his eyes at the shadowed forest ahead. "We stay off the paths," he insisted, "we move until nightfall. We need to get as far away from this place as we can." The further away from the anguished wails of Shadowdale they could go, the better.

A Journey for Peace

Sounds good; thanks for the update!

Vanish Into Light

Haha, you're hilarious! One benefit for leaving such words in: you can tell whether or not someone's actually reading your work, mwahaha.

Geology, that's really cool! I plan to be an editor in some way,shape, or form until I someday maybe-hopefully-we'll-see publish something as a legit writer. Right now I'm an editor's assistant for a small semiconductor business consulting firm (note: I knew absolutely nothing about semiconductors when I started the job, yikes), which is basically someone that does all the boring, tedious work for the editor. I'm not complaining -- the editor's job is veeeeery tough and there's no way I can do it at this point in time. Our editor definitely knows her stuff, which makes me feel dumb on a daily basis, lol. There's a lot to learn; hopefully it gets better. No one has fired me yet, so I must be doing something right! Woot!

Vanish Into Light

Your pacing is fine, especially regarding how busy we both are. I'm just happy we're posting :D

By the way, I am greatly enjoying the RP so far! Love your writing, and Chamera and Pan are interesting together.

No worries about the half-formed ideas thing. I do that a lot; gives us a chance to iron out together material that works for the RP :)

Yay for surviving midterms. It's only half over, hehe... and that's a cool coincidence with your costume! :D I dressed up as... me for Halloween, lol. I love the holiday, I just lack the motivation to dress up. Yes, I'm lame. Go me :p

Good luck on getting the job!! I love your confidence :) Me, I'd be like, "Eh, I don't know, waaaah!" and then be pleasantly "surprised" when I get the job or still disappointed when I don't. I do things very confidently, but I don't think confidently. It's weird. What are you studying/what is your major? (Apologies if you've stated this before... my mind is kinda hectic right now as I prepare for a stressful weekend of working an extra day at work, possibly buying a new car because my current one broke down, and somehow spitting out a 9-page analytical paper in between all the crazy... gah!) I used to be an English major, but I learned that my work schedule would never allow me to take the creative writing classes I so desperately crave, so I decided that if I wasn't going to do that, I might as well do something practical. Now I'm technical communications. Far less interesting, but I gotta pay the bills somehow, and a nifty degree under my belt would help immensely.

Vanish Into Light

Jeron had already taken a step to leave by the time his savior responded. Frankly, he didn't care how she responded. All that was on his mind was getting out of here before this abominable hail storm ceased and the Zhentarim returned. He was not an elf with manners or tact; he hadn't the chance to learn about social etiquette, further hampered by the fact that he had grown up learning how to avoid people instead of interacting with them. True, he had interacted and befriended Maura when they were children, but that was years ago. In a sense, his friendship with her had preserved his humanity and had given him enough confidence to speak when spoken to, to offer his opinion, and to know when his opinion wasn't valued... like now.

He whirled around to face the pair again, not caring if his sudden movement was probably a bad idea against a woman with a sword who firmly looked upon him as though he was a monster. "I don't owe you anything!" he spat back. "You chose to help me without prompt! I did not beg, plead, or do anything to signal that you should help me, not even as you cut away my bonds, but regardless, you..."

Jeron trailed off. Why did she help him anyway? From the way she kept her sword between them and from the tension in her expression, she was terrified of him.

Another agonized scream followed a shuddering crash as more ice plummeted into the jailhouse. Upon speculation, all of this was linked to his savior freeing him. Her actions didn't make the least bit of sense. Why go through all the trouble to help him? There had to be some ulterior motive to this. Perhaps someone was paying bounty hunters a hefty reward to bring back the heads of Drow. They would lead him into the woods, away from the Zhentarim, and claim their kill as their own. This was undoubtedly a trap. Anyone with sense would simply turn and go.

Jeron lingered, however, due to another reason...

Magic had always fascinated him. Though being nomadic was an act of survival, seeking magic gave his travels a purpose. He learned a little about magic from Maura, and her death branded in him the desire to learn more. He needed power to avenge her death, craved it to finally be in control of his life, to no longer live in fear....

The problem was that his visage prevented him from finding a suitable instructor. Anyone with any magical know-how would likely fling a fireball in his face before pausing to hear his plea to learn. Stealing books was dangerous. All that he knew came from observing practitioners at a distance, which didn't yield many results. He had traveled here in hopes that he could glean something from watching the renowned Elminster, and had been immensely disappointed to find no trace of him and his home in ruins.

As terrifying as this current hailstorm was, it was undeniably powerful. This woman or the man she was trying to save could teach him this power. Though the conversation was tense and not at all pleasant, it was still a conversation, which was more than he had gotten from anyone without violent, physical lash-back in several years. What if these people weren't bounty hunters? What if, for whatever unfathomable reason, this woman decided to help him because she somehow knew he was not a danger to anyone? Not yet, at least.... This was the closest chance he'd have of obtaining a mentor that he would ever get. Despite the risks, he had to see this through, had to hope that he could at least walk away from the Dalelands with some progress in his studies. Without hope, there was no reason to live with so much cruelty in this world.

"Fine, I will help both of you escape," he remarked curtly, "if you will teach me what you know about your power. I am in need of instruction about the Weave and you could help me with this. If you decline, you will never see me again. Considering the situation, it would be unwise to refuse."

A Journey for Peace

Oh yikes...

And wow, you posted from your phone! That must have taken a while!

A Journey for Peace

Well, I'm glad you're having fun with it :D

A Journey for Peace

No filter as in you don't need to hold back with her?

A Journey for Peace

The room was such so that every clank of a fork against a plate, every word spoken, ever soft footstep was amplified a little. This, combined with the quiet of having only two other people at the table, meant that the king and queen most certainly heard Kiara's comment.

Both paused mid-bite of their food, staring at her in stunned shock.

Alexis was the first to recover. "I hope you don't mean that," she said, at once flustered. "I hope you are not serious about burning any part of this house, especially with anyone trapped nearby." She turned to her husband. "Do you think she's serious?"

King Hugo pinned Kiara with such a penetrating stare that he needed no words to express what he would do to her if she truly did try to harm Lamont. "Of course she isn't serious," he remarked to his wife, though he never pulled his gaze from Kiara, "are you, princess Kiara? Because if you are, the repercussions of your actions would ripple throughout both countries for centuries to come." He took a sip from his goblet. "I'm sure Kiara and Lamont are merely quarreling. What has my son done this time -- or more accurately hasn't done -- to displease you, princess? It is time Lamont learn of his responsibilities not only as future king but as a husband."