Luminosity

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona's attention was drawn away from the map by the voice of Hanzo, who had appeared out in front of the inn, looking ready to depart. She nodded in response to his question. "Yeah, we found these at the camp. Sister Agnes let me know that the horses and the wagon are ours to use, to help speed things along." Her own horse stamped his foot lightly a few times beneath her, and Fiona reached down to pat the side of his neck. "Except Liam here, he's mine."

She looked back to the other horses, awaiting riders, if anyone wanted one. "They're good animals; not like they knew what they were being used for. As for the wagon, we can always use it to carry those that don't want to ride, as well as any excess supplies we gather, or other things we want to bring along with us."

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona greeted Sister Agnes with a smile as she reached the ground floor of the inn, and listened to what she had to say. "That should prove very useful, if the village has no need of the horses or the wagon." There were at least several in the party who had arrived on foot, and with the wagon even if they didn't know how to ride they could keep up with the rest of the group's increased pace. Fiona nodded agreeably. "Thank you, Sister. I'll see that they're cared for well."

She didn't know if it was appropriate or welcome, but Fiona ventured a gentle hug, briefly squeezing Agnes before releasing her again. "Thank you for all the help, you've been working tirelessly since we arrived. We'll be back with those ingredients as soon as we can." Exhaling, she nodded to herself, and gave Agnes one last pat on the shoulder. "Now, I should be going, make sure those horses are ready to leave."

Stepping out of the inn, she made her way to the stables, where the five horses they had recovered from the slavers awaited her. Most were in good condition, certainly better than the dogs they'd found. It made sense, considering that these mounts were their most reliable escape method. She checked over each one in turn, making sure they were properly fed and equipped to ride out. After that it was time to prepare the wagon, which first needed some cleaning.

While she was clearing it out, Fiona found a folded parchment under the main bench, which proved to be a map when she took a closer look. Taking a seat on the bench, Fiona studied it. It was quite detailed, trails marked out clearly, as well as certain locations the slavers avoided due to monster concentrations. One such marking was a cave northeast of their current location, apparently filled with eyewings. It was some ways past the next village they would pass through along the road. No doubt all this information would prove useful to them.

Folding the map back up and tucking it under her belt, Fiona finished clearing out the wagon and readying it for transport, hooking up two of the newly acquired horses to the front, and leading them out of the stables. When she had all the horses, including her own, out in front of the inn and ready to leave, Fiona switched back to her own horse, and spent some time studying the map more, while she waited for the others to finish readying up.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

"No, no," Fiona answered, blinking. "You didn't interrupt. Just making introductions is all." She was looking at Sana and Ariana instead, the girl hugging her new protector. Through the course of searching for the girl's family, or at least a name, Sana had stumbled across something quite remarkable. It would've been hard to believe if Fiona didn't already know Sana had found a family member among the enslaved, and heard of others being slaughtered.

"I don't suppose you had any brothers or sisters, Sana?" the question was asked gently, because Fiona knew well enough not to intrude too boldly on family matters of those she wasn't entirely familiar with yet. The resemblance was clear enough, now that Fiona was looking for it, which made it seem all too likely that Sana had stumbled across a niece in Ariana. Fiona couldn't imagine what the woman was going through, especially since they were going to be leaving the child behind.

Seeing that Vaeri and some of the others were geared up already, Fiona took it as her turn, and having finished her plate, stood from the bench. "I should be getting ready, I suppose. We'll be on the road soon."

After returning her plate, Fiona made her way upstairs and began preparing to leave. Over her tunic she laced up her jacket, having cleaned it of the hell hound's blood as best she could the night before. After that she buckled on her armor pieces, and secured her belt around her hips. Untying and shaking out her hair, she ran several fingers through it while making one last check of the room. It would be good to get on the road. They'd done a lot of good work yesterday, but there was much more to go before the job would be complete.

Satisfied, Fiona exited the room, locking the door behind her, and starting back down the stairs.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Everyone was getting up and moving around now, making the previously quiet inn a small hub of activity. Fiona started by trying one of the sweet rolls Vaeri offered. She couldn't quite manage any words in reply, but the mm while she nodded would have to serve as her thanks. She was pleased to hear Agnes's report on the people they'd rescued, and nodded when she excused herself to go see Wylsen.

Fiona waved a greeting to Hanzo, though he seemed to be keeping to himself, and she didn't want to bother him. Her attention was soon drawn by a child taking a seat in front of her, Sana following shortly afterwards. This was the cause of all the commotion the night before, and Fiona had to admit this was her first good look at the girl. She was an adorable thing, if a little skinny, undoubtedly from what she'd been through. They'd fix that up soon enough, Fiona didn't doubt.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ariana. That's a big breakfast you have. I don't know if I could eat that much." Her tone was light; Fiona was very used to dealing with children from her village, and she quite liked them. Judging by this one's demeanor, she was a spirited little girl. She had to be, to not be comatose after her ordeal. In fact, she looked cheery even.

They continued their meal until Sister Agnes returned, the stranger from the night before in tow. He was introduced as Derrix Herchiv, and Fiona took note of the name when he stated his intentions to come along with them. When Agnes departed with Sana to speak privately, Fiona caught Ariana's eye again and pointed down teasingly with her fork at the girl's plate.

"Getting full yet? That was a lot to take on." Next to her, Derrix looked to be gazing over the others at the table quietly, and so Fiona put down her utensils and extended a hand out to him to shake.

"Derrix, was it? I'm Fiona, traveling with the party as well. It's nice to meet you. You were most helpful yesterday." After that, Tobias arrived, having successfully escaped and rejoined her. She grinned, glancing at him and bumping him slightly with an elbow in greeting.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona slept comfortably and undisturbed through the night, even the noises of the others who had turned in later than she failing to wake her. Her fatigue had swiftly caught up with her after her fight with the hell hound, and soreness became quickly apparent when she woke in the morning, her muscles somewhat stiff with an ache. It wasn't too bad, though, and she took it as a sign that she was getting stronger.

Having taken the time to thoroughly wash before sleeping the night before, Fiona merely splashed her face with some water to shake off what vestiges of sleep she could, pushing her disorganized mass of red hair off to one side to get it out of the way. She could tell by the general lack of noise below her that she was one of the earlier risers, and figured there would be some time before they set out for the day, to make sure everyone was well-fed and prepared. Leaving her armor and weapons in the room, she slid into some comfortable leggings and laced up a light tunic, rolling the sleeves to her elbows. She pondered a moment going barefoot, but in the end threw on some socks and quickly laced up her boots, heading out the door and down the stairs.

Fiona noted that breakfast had already been prepared for them, and soon noticed with some surprise that Tobias was already down. She'd half expected him to hibernate until she had to drag him out, after his ordeal yesterday. The... skeletal guy, Mortosh she thought she'd heard, had chosen to sit across from him. Fiona considered for a moment trying to rescue him, but figured he could handle himself. Instead she collected a breakfast for herself, eggs and some fruit, and took a seat across from Sister Agnes, who had also arrived before her.

"Good morning, Sister," she greeted, taking a moment to tie her hair back loosely and keep it away from her food. "I hope you at least got some sleep last night?" There had been a lot of work to do, preparing things for the group, which Fiona regretted she didn't have the skill to assist with. "How are the others? The ones we brought back from the camp. Everyone pulling through?"

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

A short and somewhat surprised "oh" escaped Fiona when Tobias hugged her. Her hands had been on the hilt of her sword in front of her, so she couldn't even really return the gesture. She didn't have the time anyway, as he broke the contact almost as soon as it began. It left her a bit confused, though she began to understand well enough when Tobias struggled to return to his usual demeanor.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "and you're fine, too. We made it. What we went through today will make tomorrow better. For these people, certainly." She also wondered if Tobias hadn't learned something about himself today. That he was capable of things like this, perhaps. He was a lot stronger than he thought. Fiona couldn't be the only one who thought that.

"How about we get some rest instead, hmm?" She put a hand on his shoulder and gently guided him towards the inn. "We'll need the sleep. Got a long day ahead of us, I'm sure." Releasing him once they were just about inside the inn again, Fiona bid Tobias a good night, and began making her way towards the room she'd purchased for herself for the night. She was already unbuckling the straps holding her armor to her on the way up the stairs. Sleep was going to come easily tonight, that was for sure. Fiona was exhausted.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

When Fiona had first looked out on the hell hound and its rider, she had expected the fight to leave them battered and bloody, wounded and exhausted. But as she pulled her blade free from the beast, which had been felled by her strike, she found herself entirely uninjured, even her fatigue not weighing so heavily on her anymore, due to Sana's song. It was a remarkable end to a remarkable day, and Fiona was glad to be a part of it. They now had the first of the ingredients they needed, and the village would hopefully be safe for the time being.

Everyone seemed to be alright, even Sana, who had taken such a powerful blow to start the fight. The anti-paladin had been beaten, and the hit landed by the warrior atop the white horse had not gone unnoticed by Fiona. Though she remembered seeing him after returning to the village, this was the first time he'd really caught her attention. It was an impressive entrance, to say the least.

Wiping off her blade on a small cloth at her belt, Fiona sheathed it, and allowed Vaeri and then Lob to begin their work on the beast she'd slain. They were far more adept at that sort of thing than she was. Instead she made her way over to the body of the antipaladin, to where his sword had fallen. It was a long, heavy blade, and would probably require both hands for Fiona to use it effectively... but it looked much better than what she had. Her current blade was light and swift, but not effective enough at heavy strikes. This one looked like it could cleave through armor if she put enough weight behind it. She picked it up, held it in both her hands. Perhaps it was a wicked weapon, but only because it had been used by a wicked thing. It had a sort of dark beauty to it, she noted, with the gleaming black blade and elegant handle and crossguard. She would put it to better use.

Coming to stand back in front of Tobias, she noted her appearance, specifically that of her clothes. "Ugh... I need to clean up." A fair amount of the dark blood had splashed from the hell hound when she'd killed it, spotting her clothes, gear, and skin where it showed. She sighed, setting the point of her new sword into the ground and looking back up at Tobias.

"Just thought I'd let you know that it was really brave, what you did. You didn't have to stand up to that thing." A small smile came to her lips. "If you're not careful, you'll start doing heroic things on a regular basis. Couldn't have that, now could we?"

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona's sword came away from the hell hound spattered with a very dark liquid, the relatively poor nighttime lighting inefficient to show any color. Far all she knew, this creature bled entirely black blood. That she made it bleed at all was encouraging; the others who had arrived to fight were preoccupied with the anti-paladin, leaving it up to her and Tobias to deal with the mount.

As the beast turned to stare and growl at her, Fiona paused, widening her stance slightly, preparing to dodge away when it attacked, but Tobias was driven to strike first, trying to flank it while its attention was elsewhere. It proved both quick and aware of its surroundings by getting away from him, and Fiona's eyes widened when it nearly landed a slash on his prone form in return.

Keeping her sword in both hands, she flipped it over backwards and rushed forward towards the hound's side. "Get away from him!" she shouted, just before she raised her arms and drove her sword down, trying to pierce through the hound above the right shoulder, hoping to strike something vital if she could connect.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona wasn't naturally paranoid, but tonight she had deemed it best to keep what armor she had on, at least until Sana returned safely. It had been an incredibly eventful day, and a dangerous one too, and Fiona was trying to stay prepared for any more slavers, if some still lived that hadn't been dealt with yet. Staying awake as long as her body would allow, she preoccupied herself mostly by making light conversation with other party members and villagers who stayed at the inn.

As it turned out, she was right to be ready for another fight, but wrong to be expecting more slavers. Sana's scream drew her attention outside, where she laid eyes on the dark creature riding something straight out of hell. Fiona's initial confusion and alarm settled on a few questions, like why this thing would be drawn here, and why it was after the child Sana had. Did she find that child at the slaver camp? Had they missed her? Was this thing involved in the sickness affecting the others?

It seemed too great a terror to be coincidence, but for now, Fiona's goal had to be dealing with that terror. They could find out where it came from afterwards. Quickly Fiona consumed the Bull's Strength potion she had acquired earlier, having removed it from her saddlebags upon leaving Liam in the stables. Drawing her sword, she stepped outside shortly after Tobias, noting the severely injured state of Sana, and Vaeri's arrival from above as well. "I've got your back," she said to Tobias, hoping to be of some reassurance. That he was out here at all astounded her a little. "We can do this."

With that, the combat began, and Fiona waited for a moment to strike. She chose to move forward when the beast had its back turned. She moved to strike at its back left leg, targeting the weakest-looking point and making a two handed slash of her blade, hoping her enhanced strength could severely damage it and cripple its movement.

Cinder Sickness - A DnD style classic RP

Fiona felt a weight lift off her when the village came in sight again, before nightfall as she'd hoped. Her eyes had been starting to droop at the head of the wagon, her weariness catching up with her a little, but the sight of the village was enough to reinvigorate her some. Food, drink, and a bed for the night were on the way. A few of them came out to greet the approaching group, no doubt surprised to see so many where so few had left. Fiona made it her priority to help the weakest of the rescued down from the wagon with Vaeri.

Of course, her attention was soon taken when Hugh and Hanzo approach, and the former of the two quickly became frantic upon not seeing Sana with the group. Finishing the task of helping an elderly woman down from the wagon, Fiona walked quickly over to Hugh, trying to get in front of him and get his attention. It wasn't an easy task, considering how large he was, and how he wasn't looking for a woman with fiery red hair.

"Hey. Hey!" she shouted back, grabbing hold of his arms and doing her best to keep him still, difficult as it as. "Hugh, right? Look at me. Sana's fine." She waited until she had eye contact, and then tried to nod encouragingly. "She's completely fine, she just needed to stay behind a while for a personal matter. She'll be here soon." She hoped that would be enough to keep him together. Releasing him, she took a step back. "I don't think it's my place to explain. I'll let her tell you when she gets back." There was a chance Sana would want to keep whatever happened there to herself, Fiona supposed, even though she seemed very close with Hugh. Regardless, it was not Fiona's decision to make.

Seeing Sister Agnes nearby, Fiona went to approach her next. "We're all fine," she assured the woman. "No injuries that Vaeri and some potions couldn't clear up." Looking around now, though, Fiona frowned. The signs of further battle were obvious enough, and the place still reeked of fire and death, recent enough that no clean up efforts could wash it away just yet.

"Did more attack while we were away?" she asked, worried. She hadn't expected retaliation so soon, or at least thought they would've run into more attackers on the way if they'd come. If they attacked while half the group had been gone... it was fortunate the village still stood, with only the wounded and weary to defend it. "I wish we could have been here, too."

Obviously what they'd done in the forest was necessary, both to end the slaver trouble and free these people, but Fiona would've been crushed if the people had been killed behind her while she ran off to take the fight to the enemy.