Pathwalker - RP

[Ben]

Abell was familiar with the highground and had made camp there before.
It was tactically sound, but had an unsettling presence and was renowned for its history of bloodshed.

Abell Knew that at the camp she would have to attempt to explain her actions at the bugbear cave. She was certain that these people knew nil of the thirsts of the Demonic races. Or the Code of the Sect of rangers she had been adopted into.

She would try though.

After hours of riding atop her steed, Abell dismounted, and walked with the others in the swamp. She did not want to seem "holier than thou" with the pending discussion of humility

[Kinslayer]

Anyan catched up with the group. Walking slowly, he was still energetic, and could keep going. When he was a night, there had been a mission towards a swamp.

After walking a little bit, they reached the solid part Alziel was talking about. Although it was nothing nice, it was better than sleeping in the mud.

Anyan sat on the floor, and said: "It would not be smart to start a fire, right? We want no conflicts, and some unfriendly creatures might notice us..."

[Dragonium]

"I don't know", Alziel said thoughtfully. "We need the warmth. It's going to get very cold here tonight".

He looked around. Night had fallen completely now. It was dark, cold, and indeed a fog was beginning to roll in.

"I can't see any sign of life around here anyway. If there is anything, I expect a fire would frighten it off".

Anyan did not look convinced. Alziel frowned. "We're having a fire", he snapped, "And that's final".

[Moosetroop11]

OOC:

NOOOOOOOOOOO

I just lost such a huge post *criiies* it was a good one too. I spent ages on it.

I will try and recreate it:

BIC:

Liara frowned. "Any hunting creatures that live here will be used to killing in the dark right? So hiding in the shadows won't really help."

The sprite wandered over to a flatish rock and took off her ornate red boot. Like the rest of her clothes it was made for beauty rather than practicality, but still served remarkably well, the material reaching almost up to her knees and keeping out all water, mud and small rocks.

Well, almost all. She tipped the boot upside down to see a tiny pebble tumble out of it. It had been rubbing against her sensitive skin for hours and had left a painful red mark, but she had stubbornly waited until the party stopped before removing it. She was doing everything in her power to not be a nuisance to the rest of them.
Her efforts had paid off, though- At the beginning of the journey, Liara had seen doubt in people's eyes when they looked at her- doubt that she was ready for such a challenge. Now she was the only person unsure that she deserved her place in the competition.

The sprite gazed around at the party. These men... Were they still competitors? Many of them had personal reasons for wanting to visit the west, but in the end, if the ultimate prize really was offered, would they remain allies or go for the gold?

Liara was glad now more than ever that she had made that promise to Alziel back in the palace; that he could keep the prize, and that she would recieve nothing. In the end, that was the only thing ensuring their alliance, whilst the rest of the party remained sleeping, but potentially dangerous, rivals.

For a moment Liara thought that she felt a familiar presence in the swamp.

Monty?

No. Another competetor. But then it was gone, and her train of thought was disturbed by the piling of logs as Ragnar prepared for the fire.

[Dragonium]

OOC:

Damn, I hate it when that happens. =[

Oh, by the way, Happy 30th Page Everyone!

BIC:

Alziel sat down next to Liara and smiled. "Another night, eh?"

She smiled. "Yeah, sure is. Hopefully there won't be any trouble".

Alziel nodded, and took his bow off his shoulder to place it on the ground against his foot. Hopefully Liara would be right and there wouldn't be any trouble. As he did so, he noticed Liara reaching into her boot to take out another stone, and he leaned across to her, taking the boot from her as she did so.

"Look at this", he said to her, "If you take a lace" - he took a lace from one of his own boots which were already laced as much as was possible - "And thread it through the top of the boot" - he did so, weaving it around the top of Liara's finer footwear - "It stays tight and stones don't get in".

Liara smiled. "That's clever, where'd you learn that?"

"Leyland showed me back home. He taught me a lot".

"Yeah, you've mentioned Leyland. Who is he?"

Alziel sighed. "He's just a friend. The best friend I've ever had really. I don't make friends easily, but Leyland and I just met in the woods one day while I was out hunting for food and he was looking for a wealthy traveller to rob, and we got talking. He allowed me into the Wood Hawks. He gave me his hunting knife to keep me safe out here".

"That's a kind gesture", she said softly. Alziel sensed that she meant to say something more, but did not.

The fire crackled and a spark turned into a growing flicker of flame, and Ragnar stood up sharply and cheered. Liara laughed and broke into applause, and Alziel, laughing at Liara's amusement, did the same.

After a moment, he heard something crack, probably a stick, a long way out into the swamp to the north. His laughter died and he stared into the darkness to see what it was?

"What's the matter?", Liara asked. Alziel started, peered into the forest, and turned back to Liara.

"Nothing".

Liara smiled, caught hold of his hand, and the two of them sat quite comfortably on the log together, watching the fire.

[Ben]

"This place good for camp" Abell addressed interrupting a long silence on her own behalf.
"Fire is safe here. We see anything coming for miles. High top of hill here"

Abell removed a satchel and some binded posts from one of her saddlebags and proceeded to set up tent.

"In your land...In the east land, with the cowardly king...is there demon races? Do you know any of them? Tell me of your land."
The group looked around sheepishly as if to try and figure where to start
" Why are you all here? You are... Car...carto- cartographers? Map making? Where are you all going to?"

[Kinslayer]

"Well... I only want money, that's for sure..." said Anyan. He didn't trust too much Abell right now. She had known about his position as a Resurrector, because she happened to stay with the group as he confessed that, but he would not speak of his revenge with her...

"I've been off by myself for more than... two years now, and my pocket is empty. I don't want to live in only one place..." he said as he layed on the floor.

[Emerates]

Saine rolled a small log from its resting place by the fire and sat down, bringing his sheath up so the hilt rested on his shoulder.  He only half-listened as the others told Abell of their intentions in the west.  Something kept distracting him throughout their trek in the swamp lands.

He stared off beyond the circle of light cast by the fire, trying to find the source.  Occasionally, he had heard very distant thoughts elsewhere in the marsh, too vague to make sense of, but disconcerting nonetheless.  Saine tried to focus his mental energies and hone his telepathy in on the unknown source....

"What about you?"  Saine's eyes snapped open suddenly, his concentration broken.  Someone had asked him a question.  "Hm?" was all he could think to say.

"What you are doing in the West?" Abell's strangely accented voice asked again.  Saine looked across the fire at her.

"Well...  it's a complicated story.  Several reasons, I suppose.  To satisfy my curiosity, find the origins of this-" Saine motioned to the claws protruding from his bag- "and, mainly, to track down my biological father."  Abell looked at him intently, though a bit confused.

"You are from the Eastlands, though," she said.

"When we first met, I called myself a 'son of the West'.  I was born north of Inas, but was concieved here."  Saine paused, considering his next choice of words.  He sighed resignedly, and continued.  "My father was an Incubus."  Saine saw something glint in Abell's eyes, but it disappeared too quickly for analysis.  He tried to read her thoughts, but her mind remained silent.  I need to practice those skills more, he thought quietly to himself.  "If I win the money, that's an added bonus, though I don't much need wealth.  And if my maps of this land become widely used, I suppose the fame will satisfy my ego to some degree."  Ragnar smirked at the wry humor.

Saine nodded, then looked down, signaling the end of his speach.  He then tried again to locate the shadow they seemed to have.  "I'll take watch tonight," he said suddenly.

The others looked at him, puzzling over the offer.  Saine offered his explanations.  "Abell went hunting, which will take its toll, Ragnar's old, no offense, Alziel needs to stay sharp for tomorrow, and I don't trust this place.  I feel the need to offer something to the group."

Alziel nodded.  "Alright," was all he said.

[Kinslayer]

The stars kept shining bright in the sky. The group had began to talk about the task and their final goals, and Saine had made a revelation...

"Son of an Incubus..." he had said. Anyan, of course, had always been thaught the way to fight demons and creatures of the dark, such as Incubus, at the Order of Inas.

He had swore his life to fight darkness and it's minions. But he was a companion of arms of Saine... at least that's how Anyan thought of him.

"It doesn't matter, I am a Knight of my own Order now since I left Inas... and Saine hasn't shown me anything to not trust him. If he ever makes a false move, of course I'll engage him... but then again I don't think that's possible" he thought, as he kept laying on the floor, staring into the stars.

The last time he had seen such a clear and beautiful night sky, it had been many days ago, at the Inas Castle. That night he had met Klediah back. And he smiled at that memory.

Then, Anyan got up and said: "I'll have my watch as well, Saine could use some help".

Anyan walked towards Saine, and said nothing. He sat on a big stone, staring towards nowhere, and thought about people.

Delliah, Klediah, Klerr, the master Broadsword, the King, Monty, Shell...

Shell?

"Saine..." said Anyan. "Do yuo know what happened to Shell? I didn't see him since the first attack..."

[Dragonium]

OOC: Long post.

BIC:

"Shell was taken", Alziel said suddenly. Everyone seemed to be somewhat surprised, and Alziel realised after a moment how loudly he had spoken.

There was an awkward pause. Saine raised an eyebrow, and Abell looked on Alziel with great interest.

"Those creatures took him when the camp was attacked. We'll keep looking for him along the way... but I think it is clear to everyone that we will almost certainly not find him alive". He sighed. Shell had been a good, kind man, and the truth hurt.

More awkward silence. Everyone seemed to be caught in a moment of mourning. Even Ragnar stopped cheerily tending to the fire and stared into the sky. Alziel frowned.

There were two sharp cracks a long way into the swamp, closer than the last time but still a long way off; at least Alziel thought he had heard them, but there was no change in any of the people's faces or positions, and it was obvious that nobody else had heard the sound. He stood up sharply and stretched.

A strange feeling had come over him. He had become strangely tired and weak, and yet he knew that he was perfectly alright. He told himself inside his head that he was fine that it was just the effect of the long walk and the smoke from the fire - but there was a peculiar feeling that he could not shake off.

More sound, this time a faint rustling for a few seconds. Nobody else heard it. He peered into the darkness but saw nothing, and after a moment put his hands over his face and tried to shake the feeling again.

"Are you alright?", Liara asked him, staring into his face.

Alziel stood up and stretched again. "I'm going for a walk. I need some time to think, and I ought to see if there is a clean path for tomorrow". Everyone within earshot looked at him worriedly. He picked up his bow and put it over his shoulder, swung his bag onto his other shoulder, and made to leave the camp.

"I'll be back within the hour. I won't go far, and I'll see the fire to find my way back. Keep it burning, Ragnar".

Ragnar nodded but said nothing.

As Alziel made to leave again, Saine, Abell, Liara and Anyan all stood up and were about to offer to accompany him, but he raised a hand and silenced them.

"I'm going alone", he said simply.

Liara suddenly looked very worried. Saine shook his head, and muttered "Alziel...". Alziel bit his lip to avoid admonishing the pair of them for caring. Finally he set off without a word and left the camp into the darkness.

"What do we do? Do we follow him?", Liara asked quietly. Abell began to quietly speak about the dangers in the swamp at night. Anyan looked on silently. Ragnar carried on tending to the fire.

Saine shook his head. "It's his decision. He says he'll be back within the hour, so he will. We should all stay here and let him do what he needs".

Outside the camp, Alziel continued walking. The mud did not bother him, nor did the encroaching darkness or the shallow cuts he recieved to his arms and face from the sharp twigs that jutted into his path.

Inside his mind, he hoped to the Gods that the others would obey his wishes and not follow him.

[Moosetroop11]

The figure expelled shallow breaths, nearly invisible wrapped in his cloak of darkness. The low branches of the tree above him scratched his face a little, but he ignored them, as he did the wound on his forehead where he had tripped and hit against a mud embedded rock hours before. Now he swayed gently to and fro, listening intently. There were people he knew here, but they were no allies. They had betrayed him and they would serve as his prey.

One of them had left the group. His skill at walking silently served no use in this shadow house of breking twigs and rustling trees. The dark figure moved from his hiding place.

[Ben]

Abell had felt unsettled.

Alziel left the group, confident of his skills and absorbed in thought. This she would not have questioned, if he was native to these lands, but abell feared that what was the hoot of an owl in his ears could very well be the alerting whisper of a creature that would see him as prey.

Something of Ill fortune was in the air, and she was unsure of wether or not her paranoia wass founded or not. She did not want to doubt Alziels abilities, but she did not want to betray her own instinct.

Abell looked at liara. Abell since meeting the sprite had begun to doubt her survival chances less, and after seeing her magic at work and realizing the true alignment of her skills.

"Sprite..." Abell quietly barked  "The Man, Alziel....I fear there is Danger for him...
I dont want to follow. To a warrior it is insult after requesting solace..."
Abell paused
"How high can you fly with those wings?"

[Moosetroop11]

Liara nodded and smiled. I feel something odd too. The trees are pretty thin... I should be able to find him. I really hope you're wrong about this though...

The sprite fluttered upwards into the bitter air. The moon was almost full but partially obscured behind the grey black cloud so commonplace in the western skies. Below her she saw the clearing, skillfully spotted by Alziel, and then a carpet of dying flora, choking in mud that was at places knee deep or worse. The swamp was larger than she had suspected- the day's hike that had gone on for what seemed like forever had only brought them through the outskirts. Ahead, trees were thicker, darker, and closer together.

She carefully scanned the immediate area below her for movement.

[Ben]

Abell watched as the moonlight caught the sprites wings from so high up in the air.

Everything about this sprite was beginning to intrigue abell. She had never before seen a sprite not of the Dark. Not in the west. Not even heard of their existance.

Abell tried to choke back her wonder to watch for signs from the sprite.

[Kinslayer]

"There's something wrong..." said Anyan to himself. Liara had left to seek for Alziel, and Abell was watching her fly.

"That idiot! He'll only get himself into trouble!" he thought, looking calm.

Ragnar was letting the fire burn, and Saine was just standing there, watching towards were Alziel had gone to.

Anyan had an odd feeling...

The same feeling he ahd when they were sorrounded...

Anyan took his shield and drew the Viper, as he said: "I have a strange feeling, I better be prepared..."

Ragnar gave him a funny look. "You're rushing too much, brat..." he said, laughing a bit. But still, Ragnar was holding his sword in his belt...

Anyan stood still, sword and shield in hand...

"There can be no peaceful night in this bloody lands..." he thought.