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The Sickened creature struck but a mist of what Willo used to be, for she had vanished and reappeared part of the way to the barrier, with Lazarus observing from the other side.
The creature turned towards her, the skin covering its lower face parting. Another screech resonated through the hallways, echoing all the way to the exterior of the castle.
A similar screech had been heard before yet the skin on the face of this one was intact moments ago before it let out its own one. It didn’t seem as if it was alone.
On the road towards Castle Bloodleaves the veteran hunter stopped just as buildings on the side of the road were dwindling and stared at the castle from which the monstrous sound came. At the same time Jonathan caught up to him extending his hand to him.
The veteran blinked in a moment of confusion after all that had happened, before nodding and taking his hand.
“Your help is appreciated.”
Two bodies were just being removed from the scene of the town center, when Alex and Imgor arrived at the location.
An eerie silence engulfed the area as the crowd stared in silence at the castle in the distance.
Alexander went to the nearest person he could see, looking for answers.
“I- I don’t know. Two men were . . . murdered in plain sight of the pub.” The man kept shifting his gaze to the castle. “An- And then there was this . . . terrifying scream that came from there.”
It seemed the question did not prove so pointless after all. The man looked at the two dumbfounded once the second one came. “The inn’s not far from here . . . b- but all things considered, I don’t recommend staying here.”
"I'm kind of tired from the journey so far, a good rest would certainly do good." Imgor yawns. "In fact, I wouldn't trust myself in battle right now."
Imgor's tone implied asking Alexander to discuss how to proceed.
The man simply pointed to the Inn at a point where the street intersected with another one.
Alexander nodded, they could both use a rest and he wasn't worried enough about the apparant murder to forgo a good nights sleep. Besides, if anything attacked them in the middle of the night, well morning really, Larion would doubtless alert them or take care of it alltogether. Thanking the man Alexander turned his horse towards the inn. Naturally he first tied his horse before going inside to arrange their lodgings, they could work on the rest of their task and perhaps find out some more about the murder in the morning.
The castle would probably be a good place to start given the nervous glances of the helpful villager. His thoughts were further supported by the tremendous echoing roar that came out of the castle mere moments later. Wasn't that castle Bloodleaves? Joshua had said something about it earlier he was pretty sure but he couldn't remember what. Whatever, clearly he wasn't functioning very well and if the town came under attack then surely the gaurd could deal with it or something.
Being tired, Imgor did the same, almost forgetting to tie his horse due to tiredness.
The entire process of paying for the room and then getting into bed went by like a blur, yet once in bed Alexander felt the restlessness that plagued his familiars mind.
Alexander sighed. The bed was soo very soft and comfortable. He really didn't want to bother with whatever was at the castle. He sat up and Larion nuzzeled him eagerly. "You're a real pain you know that buddy?" Alexander stared at the oversized lizard for a bit longer while considering what to do. "Ah well, I guess a little walk couldn't hurt now could it?" A rhetorical question of course but Larion responded to it eagerly all the same.
Just as the two left the Inn, Alexander could nearly feel the horrid surge of pain shoot through Larions body, the source of it being the wounds he sustained in the earlier scuffle. Usually the bond between the master and familiar involves their minds being permanently interlocked, and their minds alone. Yet some how Alex could feel a third presence creeping its way into theirs. And Larion was definitely worse off than he was at the time.
"Son of a-" Alexander cursed in surprise at the sudden burst of pain. He'd known Larion was still wounded and had fully intended to deal with it in the morning, well, later in the morning, but he hadn't known it was this bad. Whats more there was the oddest sensation of a third being shoving its way into link between them. Was this some side effect of the plauge? Larion hadn't shown any signs of being affected by it but that didn't mean he wasn't. Obviously the first thing he had to do was make it to some sort of doctor.
Before he was able to take any further action his body suddenly grew numb, and his vision faded to black. The last thing he felt was the impact of his body hitting the ground.
In the castle, a wake of marks scarred the ground as the beast charged Willo again and again, Willo all the while deftly evaded its attacks with her Flitter. The final flitter was near, and with perfect timing, the creature went through what seemed like dark dust instead of striking Willo. Its claws however, dug deep into the ground, its momentum coming to a halt just before the barrier. Another howl as it turned to face Willo, completely ignoring the man in front of him. The howl, no doubt, was once again heard outside, attracting the attention of Imgor and Alexander.
As it prepared another charged an exicus rune appeared, seemingly in midair, glowing brightly behind it. An invisible force pulled it backwards and pinned it against the barrier, slowly incinerating its back. However it seemed it would not pass through all the way.
“Willo!” Lazarus spoke her name again as if always expecting her to know what she should be doing next. Regardless, the next step was but obvious.
Willo could feel it, the toll of Flitter's repeated use on her energy. Though the spell was meant to be cast rapidly, nothing was infinite, and coupled with the pained ache from the beast's earlier attack, she knew the barrier's "intervention" was a saving grace. Not that she'd admit it of course.
--"Got it!" she called back, almost before Lazarus had even finished, then picked up once again into a sprint towards the beast. She didn't expect to be able to do much, but light as she was, she still carried weight that could only assist the barrier's suctioning destruction of the monster. Once and for the final time, she was sure, she evaporated, then came again into being with her feet planted on the beast, planning to push it further into the barrier and herself back, out of harm's way.
The rune vanished with Lazarus side-stepping the incinerated pile of flesh just in time, the remains sliding out through the massive gates behind him.
All the while Willo hit the ground after the strike, not having the strength to lift one finger.
On the stairs leading to the said gates, two individulas hurried up towards the entrance to Castle Bloodleaves.
"Watch out!" The veteran hunter yelled as he dove to the side, grasping whatever he could to not slide down the steep hill..
Jonathan was suddenly faced with a flying hunk of burning meat hurtling towards him. Jonathan was not deterred by this though, his horse saw the hunk as well, and its training saw it already dodging to the side opposite the one the veteran dove towards.
The hunter made his way back to the main staircase and dusted himself off, groaning all the while.
"I am going to kill that fool." He muttered to himself before continuing the climb, completely ignoring Jonathans presence in the process.
Jonathan dismounted from his horse to follow the hunter. He patted her on her side before going. "Stay here girl, you know the drill on manouvering inside." He followed after, his hand resting on the handle of his saber.
It took a bit for Willo to finally regain some strength, just enough to probably get up to her feet. Lazarus' attention was more on the walls that held the barrier runes than anything else. Cracks permeated the areas in which they were carved.
"It seems the barrier was intended to deter anyone from entereing, but not to fully prevent them from doing so."
The creature didn't even have that much mass yet it was enough to make the barrier collapse.
Willo however, found energy just from being able to stand, though not to do much else. Her steps were shaky, in fact she was trembling like a leaf overall. It didn't deter the massive grin splitting her face.
"Did you see that." It wasn't even a question, and it would quickly become apparent Willo's aim wasn't conversation. "That was so fucking good, you were like--Laz, Laz you were like 'Use the barrier!' and that thing--what the shit happened to it?!" Slowly, she made her way over to her mentor and scooped up Cinderwill from the ground, rolling her neck and shoulders. A few minutes would be enough to get the spring back in her step, but she wouldn't be doing much Flitting for a good while. She considered nudging Lazarus with her shoulder, but quickly decided against it. No need to tempt fate so often. "So much for the beast of Castle Bloodleaves, ah?"
Lazarus barely managed to open his mouth, and for a second there it even seemed like he was going to praise Willo for her actions. But at that point she would never find out, as another hunter barged in through the gate behind him.
"You little- I leave you alone in this town for one minute, and this is what you do?!" The hunter raged.
"This is supposed to be an assignement by the council." Lazarus responded calmly.
All the while Jonathan showed up from behind the raging hunter. Willo would no doubt note the flashy clothing. It seemed to be a nobleman. She could only wonder what someone like him could be doing here.
"And would you have preffered the creature to be let loose in the town?" Lazarus continued in the meantime. The other hunter merely grumbled in objection and took a few steps back after yelling at Lazarus, mere inches away from his face.
Jonathan suddenly remembered he had a certain letter on him, which in turn reminded him of why he was here, at Castle Bloodleaves.
"If I may interject" He said as he produced the letter from his pockets. "I was instructed to come here to meet my new mentor. Named Joshua... that wouldn't be any of you" His tone was meek and his posture was reticent. He wasn't going to be humbled by a hunter again today
"Who's tall dark and spit-shined?" Willo asked, leaning to Lazarus though it was spoken more to the air.
Lazarus in turn glanced at Willo and discounting her remark spoke to Jonathan.
"I am Drake Lazarus. Since it is only you who are here, I will assume you are not yet part of the group Joshua is currently training. He should however, arrive shortly." He explained.
Before Lazarus could discuss any other issues with him, he was nearly dragged outside by the other hunter present, somehow still maintaining a straight face all the way through the process. This left the two trainees to get acquainted with eachother, while also having to cope with the one-sided shouting coming from just beyond the gates of the caslte.
Jonathan remained silent for a moment before turning to the others in the room. "So... what was that flaming corpse flying out the front door about?"
Willo blinked at the argument going on not too far away. Twice today she'd been surprised by the way strangers treated Lazarus, and she half expected her mentor to lay the angry sod out flat. But no, civil as always. She turned to the noble boy, looked him up toe-to-head then back again, before beaming back.
"Like it? Big ol' beastie won't be bothering anyone anymore!" she chimed, dusting her hands off together. "So, you a newbie too?"
"Yeah, Don't really know what happened to my previous mentor, he just kind of disappeared one day. I used my family's contacts to get in touch with this Joshua character". He looked over his conversation partner. She seemed of a rather lithe build and a seemingly naive disposition. "So what's your story?"
"Me?" she swooped over to Jonathon and made a grand, sweeping wave at the horizon. "I'm a beast hunter, a hero! Or something. How about you, shiny? You look like the real...sporty sort."
"Why yes miss, It takes quite a trained frame to ram a lance all the way to the shaft into a slavering monstrosity, and just as much strength to pull it out afterwards."
As the conversation progressed, Jonathan would start hearing incomprehensible whispers, which at a glance seemed to surround him.
She looked at him blankly, head cocked. "Those are some expensive words for 'I kill shit', but hey, the more the merrier."
"What can I say, I was raised to be yet another fat nobleman sitting on his ass, guess the expensive language is something I've yet to unlearn." He checked around him to see whether anyone else was in the room." You hearing something too?" He said with a midly concerned voice.
She cocked a brow and glanced around with him. "...Nope can't say I am. Why? You hear something? Anything neat?"
"No, just... whispers spitting out nonsense in tongues. Coming from everywhere yet nowhere in particular.". He was growing increaasingly concerned now. "You think someone is playing magic tricks on me? I'm serious, it's just... there." The hand resting on his saber grew tighter.
"Uhm..." her smile turned nervous, and she put her hands up in a calming manner. "I'm sure you're fine, probably just a tick, maybe the wind, excuse me a moment."
She offered an overly-extravagant bow --wasn't that how the nobles did it?-- then scurried over to Lazarus and the other gentlemen, jutting a thumb back at Jonathon. "Laz, new guy's losing it."
The other hunter gave Lazarus one last sour look before leaving. Lazarus in turn, spun around to face her. "Yes. Of course. We are in close proximity of the creature." He responded, reminding Willo of the other creatures presence. He then pulled out a familiar piece of paper. The one that held the rune which was supposed to be cut into the skin to clear ones mind from its effects.
"Please show this to our new arrival. I have to take care of one more thing." Lazarus instructed Willo, while remaining outside.
Willo took the paper and nodded. "Sure thing boss. Hey, thanks for the coaching and what not back there, we really handed it to'em," she said, again deciding against nudging him.
"Hey!" her attention returned to Jonathon, and she jogged back to him, the energy regained to do so. She shoved the runed sheet out at him. "Forgot to mention, beastie still around fucks with your mind, gotta mark this rune into your skin. And don't be a baby about it, pretty sure that's also part of the ritual."
Jonathan nodded his head and took a look at the rune. He pulls a small survival knife from his belt, rolls up hus sleeves, takes a deep breath, and makes the first cut." hrrmph... I hope you aren't pulling my leg on this, Id' rather not be cutting my flesh for shits and gigles here."
The cuts after the first one soon followed, and as soon as the pattern was complete, the whispers seemed to die down."aaah... that helped... well it still hurt, but it helped against the whispers..." He looked back to what he assumed would be his fellow trainee as he wiped the blood off of his arm and noted that she lacked any visible scarring that would likely remain after carving a rune into ones skin. "So, I'm noticing a distinct lack of scars. Is there some sort of second part involving healing runes you neglected to tell me about?"
"Probably," Willo said, but shrugged. "Laz has the weird, mystic bandage things, you'd have to ask'im. Oh, but don't call him Laz."
Lazarus finally came back inside. "As it would seem, it might still be a while until Joshua arrives. For now, you will be acting as a member of this team. Initially I was supposed to join this team on the first floor. If successful they would have been promoted to official hunters and would have proceeded to purging the second floor of the celler of plagued creatures as part of their first assignment. Since I have yet to gauge your skill in combat. . ." he glanced at Jonathan as he said that ". . . it seems that is no longer possible." He then paused in contemplation.
"We will instead secure a camp spot on the first floor and wait for the arrival of Joshua and his team."
"The cellar is of extensive size." He explained the need to establish camp site to Jonathan.
"Affirmative, I'll do my best to assist" He said. "I am not all that proficient at fighting in enclosed spaces though, just as a bit of tactical information."
The creature turned towards her, the skin covering its lower face parting. Another screech resonated through the hallways, echoing all the way to the exterior of the castle.
A similar screech had been heard before yet the skin on the face of this one was intact moments ago before it let out its own one. It didn’t seem as if it was alone.
On the road towards Castle Bloodleaves the veteran hunter stopped just as buildings on the side of the road were dwindling and stared at the castle from which the monstrous sound came. At the same time Jonathan caught up to him extending his hand to him.
The veteran blinked in a moment of confusion after all that had happened, before nodding and taking his hand.
“Your help is appreciated.”
Two bodies were just being removed from the scene of the town center, when Alex and Imgor arrived at the location.
An eerie silence engulfed the area as the crowd stared in silence at the castle in the distance.
Alexander went to the nearest person he could see, looking for answers.
“I- I don’t know. Two men were . . . murdered in plain sight of the pub.” The man kept shifting his gaze to the castle. “An- And then there was this . . . terrifying scream that came from there.”
It seemed the question did not prove so pointless after all. The man looked at the two dumbfounded once the second one came. “The inn’s not far from here . . . b- but all things considered, I don’t recommend staying here.”
"I'm kind of tired from the journey so far, a good rest would certainly do good." Imgor yawns. "In fact, I wouldn't trust myself in battle right now."
Imgor's tone implied asking Alexander to discuss how to proceed.
The man simply pointed to the Inn at a point where the street intersected with another one.
Alexander nodded, they could both use a rest and he wasn't worried enough about the apparant murder to forgo a good nights sleep. Besides, if anything attacked them in the middle of the night, well morning really, Larion would doubtless alert them or take care of it alltogether. Thanking the man Alexander turned his horse towards the inn. Naturally he first tied his horse before going inside to arrange their lodgings, they could work on the rest of their task and perhaps find out some more about the murder in the morning.
The castle would probably be a good place to start given the nervous glances of the helpful villager. His thoughts were further supported by the tremendous echoing roar that came out of the castle mere moments later. Wasn't that castle Bloodleaves? Joshua had said something about it earlier he was pretty sure but he couldn't remember what. Whatever, clearly he wasn't functioning very well and if the town came under attack then surely the gaurd could deal with it or something.
Being tired, Imgor did the same, almost forgetting to tie his horse due to tiredness.
The entire process of paying for the room and then getting into bed went by like a blur, yet once in bed Alexander felt the restlessness that plagued his familiars mind.
Alexander sighed. The bed was soo very soft and comfortable. He really didn't want to bother with whatever was at the castle. He sat up and Larion nuzzeled him eagerly. "You're a real pain you know that buddy?" Alexander stared at the oversized lizard for a bit longer while considering what to do. "Ah well, I guess a little walk couldn't hurt now could it?" A rhetorical question of course but Larion responded to it eagerly all the same.
Just as the two left the Inn, Alexander could nearly feel the horrid surge of pain shoot through Larions body, the source of it being the wounds he sustained in the earlier scuffle. Usually the bond between the master and familiar involves their minds being permanently interlocked, and their minds alone. Yet some how Alex could feel a third presence creeping its way into theirs. And Larion was definitely worse off than he was at the time.
"Son of a-" Alexander cursed in surprise at the sudden burst of pain. He'd known Larion was still wounded and had fully intended to deal with it in the morning, well, later in the morning, but he hadn't known it was this bad. Whats more there was the oddest sensation of a third being shoving its way into link between them. Was this some side effect of the plauge? Larion hadn't shown any signs of being affected by it but that didn't mean he wasn't. Obviously the first thing he had to do was make it to some sort of doctor.
Before he was able to take any further action his body suddenly grew numb, and his vision faded to black. The last thing he felt was the impact of his body hitting the ground.
In the castle, a wake of marks scarred the ground as the beast charged Willo again and again, Willo all the while deftly evaded its attacks with her Flitter. The final flitter was near, and with perfect timing, the creature went through what seemed like dark dust instead of striking Willo. Its claws however, dug deep into the ground, its momentum coming to a halt just before the barrier. Another howl as it turned to face Willo, completely ignoring the man in front of him. The howl, no doubt, was once again heard outside, attracting the attention of Imgor and Alexander.
As it prepared another charged an exicus rune appeared, seemingly in midair, glowing brightly behind it. An invisible force pulled it backwards and pinned it against the barrier, slowly incinerating its back. However it seemed it would not pass through all the way.
“Willo!” Lazarus spoke her name again as if always expecting her to know what she should be doing next. Regardless, the next step was but obvious.
Willo could feel it, the toll of Flitter's repeated use on her energy. Though the spell was meant to be cast rapidly, nothing was infinite, and coupled with the pained ache from the beast's earlier attack, she knew the barrier's "intervention" was a saving grace. Not that she'd admit it of course.
--"Got it!" she called back, almost before Lazarus had even finished, then picked up once again into a sprint towards the beast. She didn't expect to be able to do much, but light as she was, she still carried weight that could only assist the barrier's suctioning destruction of the monster. Once and for the final time, she was sure, she evaporated, then came again into being with her feet planted on the beast, planning to push it further into the barrier and herself back, out of harm's way.
The rune vanished with Lazarus side-stepping the incinerated pile of flesh just in time, the remains sliding out through the massive gates behind him.
All the while Willo hit the ground after the strike, not having the strength to lift one finger.
On the stairs leading to the said gates, two individulas hurried up towards the entrance to Castle Bloodleaves.
"Watch out!" The veteran hunter yelled as he dove to the side, grasping whatever he could to not slide down the steep hill..
Jonathan was suddenly faced with a flying hunk of burning meat hurtling towards him. Jonathan was not deterred by this though, his horse saw the hunk as well, and its training saw it already dodging to the side opposite the one the veteran dove towards.
The hunter made his way back to the main staircase and dusted himself off, groaning all the while.
"I am going to kill that fool." He muttered to himself before continuing the climb, completely ignoring Jonathans presence in the process.
Jonathan dismounted from his horse to follow the hunter. He patted her on her side before going. "Stay here girl, you know the drill on manouvering inside." He followed after, his hand resting on the handle of his saber.
It took a bit for Willo to finally regain some strength, just enough to probably get up to her feet. Lazarus' attention was more on the walls that held the barrier runes than anything else. Cracks permeated the areas in which they were carved.
"It seems the barrier was intended to deter anyone from entereing, but not to fully prevent them from doing so."
The creature didn't even have that much mass yet it was enough to make the barrier collapse.
Willo however, found energy just from being able to stand, though not to do much else. Her steps were shaky, in fact she was trembling like a leaf overall. It didn't deter the massive grin splitting her face.
"Did you see that." It wasn't even a question, and it would quickly become apparent Willo's aim wasn't conversation. "That was so fucking good, you were like--Laz, Laz you were like 'Use the barrier!' and that thing--what the shit happened to it?!" Slowly, she made her way over to her mentor and scooped up Cinderwill from the ground, rolling her neck and shoulders. A few minutes would be enough to get the spring back in her step, but she wouldn't be doing much Flitting for a good while. She considered nudging Lazarus with her shoulder, but quickly decided against it. No need to tempt fate so often. "So much for the beast of Castle Bloodleaves, ah?"
Lazarus barely managed to open his mouth, and for a second there it even seemed like he was going to praise Willo for her actions. But at that point she would never find out, as another hunter barged in through the gate behind him.
"You little- I leave you alone in this town for one minute, and this is what you do?!" The hunter raged.
"This is supposed to be an assignement by the council." Lazarus responded calmly.
All the while Jonathan showed up from behind the raging hunter. Willo would no doubt note the flashy clothing. It seemed to be a nobleman. She could only wonder what someone like him could be doing here.
"And would you have preffered the creature to be let loose in the town?" Lazarus continued in the meantime. The other hunter merely grumbled in objection and took a few steps back after yelling at Lazarus, mere inches away from his face.
Jonathan suddenly remembered he had a certain letter on him, which in turn reminded him of why he was here, at Castle Bloodleaves.
"If I may interject" He said as he produced the letter from his pockets. "I was instructed to come here to meet my new mentor. Named Joshua... that wouldn't be any of you" His tone was meek and his posture was reticent. He wasn't going to be humbled by a hunter again today
"Who's tall dark and spit-shined?" Willo asked, leaning to Lazarus though it was spoken more to the air.
Lazarus in turn glanced at Willo and discounting her remark spoke to Jonathan.
"I am Drake Lazarus. Since it is only you who are here, I will assume you are not yet part of the group Joshua is currently training. He should however, arrive shortly." He explained.
Before Lazarus could discuss any other issues with him, he was nearly dragged outside by the other hunter present, somehow still maintaining a straight face all the way through the process. This left the two trainees to get acquainted with eachother, while also having to cope with the one-sided shouting coming from just beyond the gates of the caslte.
Jonathan remained silent for a moment before turning to the others in the room. "So... what was that flaming corpse flying out the front door about?"
Willo blinked at the argument going on not too far away. Twice today she'd been surprised by the way strangers treated Lazarus, and she half expected her mentor to lay the angry sod out flat. But no, civil as always. She turned to the noble boy, looked him up toe-to-head then back again, before beaming back.
"Like it? Big ol' beastie won't be bothering anyone anymore!" she chimed, dusting her hands off together. "So, you a newbie too?"
"Yeah, Don't really know what happened to my previous mentor, he just kind of disappeared one day. I used my family's contacts to get in touch with this Joshua character". He looked over his conversation partner. She seemed of a rather lithe build and a seemingly naive disposition. "So what's your story?"
"Me?" she swooped over to Jonathon and made a grand, sweeping wave at the horizon. "I'm a beast hunter, a hero! Or something. How about you, shiny? You look like the real...sporty sort."
"Why yes miss, It takes quite a trained frame to ram a lance all the way to the shaft into a slavering monstrosity, and just as much strength to pull it out afterwards."
As the conversation progressed, Jonathan would start hearing incomprehensible whispers, which at a glance seemed to surround him.
She looked at him blankly, head cocked. "Those are some expensive words for 'I kill shit', but hey, the more the merrier."
"What can I say, I was raised to be yet another fat nobleman sitting on his ass, guess the expensive language is something I've yet to unlearn." He checked around him to see whether anyone else was in the room." You hearing something too?" He said with a midly concerned voice.
She cocked a brow and glanced around with him. "...Nope can't say I am. Why? You hear something? Anything neat?"
"No, just... whispers spitting out nonsense in tongues. Coming from everywhere yet nowhere in particular.". He was growing increaasingly concerned now. "You think someone is playing magic tricks on me? I'm serious, it's just... there." The hand resting on his saber grew tighter.
"Uhm..." her smile turned nervous, and she put her hands up in a calming manner. "I'm sure you're fine, probably just a tick, maybe the wind, excuse me a moment."
She offered an overly-extravagant bow --wasn't that how the nobles did it?-- then scurried over to Lazarus and the other gentlemen, jutting a thumb back at Jonathon. "Laz, new guy's losing it."
The other hunter gave Lazarus one last sour look before leaving. Lazarus in turn, spun around to face her. "Yes. Of course. We are in close proximity of the creature." He responded, reminding Willo of the other creatures presence. He then pulled out a familiar piece of paper. The one that held the rune which was supposed to be cut into the skin to clear ones mind from its effects.
"Please show this to our new arrival. I have to take care of one more thing." Lazarus instructed Willo, while remaining outside.
Willo took the paper and nodded. "Sure thing boss. Hey, thanks for the coaching and what not back there, we really handed it to'em," she said, again deciding against nudging him.
"Hey!" her attention returned to Jonathon, and she jogged back to him, the energy regained to do so. She shoved the runed sheet out at him. "Forgot to mention, beastie still around fucks with your mind, gotta mark this rune into your skin. And don't be a baby about it, pretty sure that's also part of the ritual."
Jonathan nodded his head and took a look at the rune. He pulls a small survival knife from his belt, rolls up hus sleeves, takes a deep breath, and makes the first cut." hrrmph... I hope you aren't pulling my leg on this, Id' rather not be cutting my flesh for shits and gigles here."
The cuts after the first one soon followed, and as soon as the pattern was complete, the whispers seemed to die down."aaah... that helped... well it still hurt, but it helped against the whispers..." He looked back to what he assumed would be his fellow trainee as he wiped the blood off of his arm and noted that she lacked any visible scarring that would likely remain after carving a rune into ones skin. "So, I'm noticing a distinct lack of scars. Is there some sort of second part involving healing runes you neglected to tell me about?"
"Probably," Willo said, but shrugged. "Laz has the weird, mystic bandage things, you'd have to ask'im. Oh, but don't call him Laz."
Lazarus finally came back inside. "As it would seem, it might still be a while until Joshua arrives. For now, you will be acting as a member of this team. Initially I was supposed to join this team on the first floor. If successful they would have been promoted to official hunters and would have proceeded to purging the second floor of the celler of plagued creatures as part of their first assignment. Since I have yet to gauge your skill in combat. . ." he glanced at Jonathan as he said that ". . . it seems that is no longer possible." He then paused in contemplation.
"We will instead secure a camp spot on the first floor and wait for the arrival of Joshua and his team."
"The cellar is of extensive size." He explained the need to establish camp site to Jonathan.
"Affirmative, I'll do my best to assist" He said. "I am not all that proficient at fighting in enclosed spaces though, just as a bit of tactical information."