Pathwalker - RP

[Kinslayer]

Anyan was about to answer to Liara, but he got interrupted by Ragnar. "There's something in the forest, we need to be careful..." he said.

Anyan opened his eyes wide. How could he have been so careless?

"Liara, I'm sorry... I was badly wounded on my head that day, and after that I had to recover and help hunting... it is my mistake, I'm not used to slip details such as this. That is why we must withdraw from this place quickly..." he said, with a worried thone in his almost whispering voice.

What Ragnar had said worried him... they had to be fast.

[Dragonium]

OOC: My apologies to everyone for the delay. I'm in the middle of my GCSE exams at the moment, which have been taking up all my time, and I've had to get a new computer since my old one basically exploded.

BIC:

"You're right", Alziel sighed at last. He had come to terms with the fact that the swamps were not a safe place, and he had had the impression that they were being watched since they arrived. He straightened up and looked at the sky. It would soon be dawn; he was tired, for the dull ache (Which had been lessening over time) in his side and right hand had kept him awake - but move they must.

"Alright everyone", Alziel said with a look of feigned authority. "We're moving. We will go northwest. When we reach the blank spot on the map, we will draw it up, and we will leave to wherever Abell recommends". He fell silent again.

"Well done", Liara said with a smile.

Alziel smiled back.

~~~~~

Somewhere northwest, deep into the swamp, something moved. Something large. It was not an Illythid, or one of the winged demon beasts.

But it was dangerous.

[Moosetroop11]

OOC: Stu, I completely forgot to post in your place XD Sorry. It's probably best that you did it anyway though.

There was a collective rise in spirits as Alziel took the weight of decision of the group's shoulders. Camp was packed up quickly- no-one wanted to stay in the swamp. The group congregated around the map, deciding exactly which direction to take- then Liara hovered in the sky, looking for a path, and then the party was finally off again.

Shell strode a little behind the others, thinking to himself.

[Kinslayer]

The group had started moving northwest, and the swamp would be left fater walking to where Alziel pointed them too.

The spirits were higher now: not only Alziel had recovered, but Shell had returned, when everybody thought he was dead.

On the front, Abell was searching for safe passages, with ragnar close to her, helping to seek for anything that could harm the group.

Saine stood behind them, very wary, looking to the sides often, but silent. Behind him, Liara and Alziel walked together, silently, but sometimes speaking in a low voice.

Anyan was behind them, holding his shield with his left hand, and walking slowly. Behind him, Shell was thoughtful to himself, and silent, with his staff in the right hand and the weird frog on the other one.

Often, some noises could be heard, then the group would stop to see if it was safe, but nothing serious happened. The trip was peaceful and nothing seemed to truly worry the party.

[Red XIII]

Suddenly, Ragnar heard something.

He watched in the direction of the noise, and saw something move inside a bush.

"Hey, Abell" Ragnar pointed towards the bush "What's that?"

[Dragonium]

OOC: Damn it. I refuse to let this RP die just because of the small matter of me forgetting to post.

BIC:

Alziel turned, as alert as he could be in the suffocating swamp darkness. Even though dawn would break in a matter of brief hours, it was still black as night. Alziel wondered for a moment whether he was losing his eyesight; after all, he never normally had trouble with the dark.

"What is it?", Ragnar hissed again, fingers curling around his crossbow for comfort.

Alziel shook his head and drew the hunting knife carefully. The fingers of his right hand were painfully stiff, and so gingerly he moved forwards toward the bush, creeping inch by inch until he was level with it.

He turned to the group for reassurance. All looked on intently - Ragnar had raised his crossbow and taken aim over Alziel's shoulder in case the offending party should jump out and attack; Liara had her hands together and her face set in an expression of worry; and Saine looked on in what appeared to be a mixture of interest and amusement.

Alziel raised the blade and pulled back one of the branches of the bush.

The black shape within screeched as its cover was broken. It was small, about the size of a cat, but it had wings, two feet with curved talons, a head with staring beady eyes and a cruel, curved beak that looked made to tear through carrion. It leapt into the air at Alziel's face, still screeching like a thing possessed. It scratched at his face for a moment, causing Alziel to stumble backwards, trip, and fall in the mud, and in a flurry of black feathers, the thing took off out of the swamp, still screeching madly.

Alziel lay there for a moment, feeling the warm trickle down his face. His luck had been terrible lately. Finally he sat up. "Crow", he said simply, "Not like any crow I've seen before, but definetely a crow".

He spat into the mud, cursed quietly, before standing up, and taking back his position, to walk by Liara's side.

~~~~~

The thing heard the screeching too. Off northwest, it turned as the hollow sound drifted like mist over the swamp. It listened to the cry, felt the vibrations, and focused itself.

Where the birds went, they were silent. And when the birds were not silent, prey was near.

It swayed for a moment, a giant hulking sillhouette against the moon. The light glittered off its oily scales, curled around the points of fangs which held a venom unimaginable to most.

It had been four weeks since its last meal. Then, it had taken one of the demon beasts, snatched it from the sky and gorged itself until it was satisfied. Before that it had ventured out into the outer swamp, and laid in wait for an Illythid to come near. It had slain that too, for not even those great beasts could endure the fatal venom; the Mindflayers' psionics brought no harm to the beast, for it was a wise old thing, and it had come to learn to control its own mind.

It was hungry now, and it flicked its reptilian tongue about, tasting the air. The prey was coming from the southeast, and soon it would arrive. It hissed softly to itself, and slipped in among the trees to lie in wait.

This prey would not escape. It would be a most satisfying meal.

[Kinslayer]

OOC: so THAT was happening XD well, let's move on, c'mon people!

BIC:

"Even crows are strange..." said Anyan to himself.

The walk was long... Abell kept showing the group passages away from rocks and the group followed, trusting her.

There was something in the air that was changing... Anyan felt it within him. Something wasn't allright.

Things were peaceful... too peaceful. Anyan remembered the hooded men, and how he had missed days before making the group move from the camp.

Anyan was worried about that detail... Shouldn't the enemy be following them from close? Hadn't they lost too much time healing Alziel?

Or was there something else..? Something perhaps bigger?

That question kept coming back and forth over Anyan's head, and he was getting worried about this.

[Moosetroop11]

The group made good progress through the swamp; the mud was becoming less thick and the trees healthier. As they walked they began to realise that the swamp was being left behind and a forest lay around them; easier to tread than the soggy grave they had come from but far more vast, with trees stretching on either side of the group as far as the eyes could see. The ground was finally beginning to rise too; small hills and bumps turned the foliage below Liara as she flew into a rippling carpet of greens.

It was also a veil, though, for the sprite couldn't see a single creature or potential danger through the mass of leaves; and on land the party was stifled under a permanent shadow.

Shell had been talking to Abell and discovering her part in the journey. Now he was trying to make use of her knowledge.

"You've never been into these parts before? I... think I travelled through them whilst affected. I don't remember much. Do any creatures enter your lands from the direction of the forest?"

Liara knew that Abell had little no information on the blank spot, but she hoped the guide would lend him her ears anyway: Shell couldn't stop wondering about what he'd seen when he'd been away. He remembered emotions but the facts were hazy, like a word on the tip of your tongue, and it frustrated him hugely. He was hoping that something might jog his memory.

One thing that made up for Shell's emotional strife was his prowess as a hunter which had returned fully; he supplied much of the party's food using a quick eye and some skill at deciding which meats and plants were good to eat.

Liara wandered over to Anyan.
"Hey" she smiled. "What's bothering you?"

[Dragonium]

OOC: Agreed with Kinslayer. Come on people, let's get this thing going again. Needs more jiggawatts.

It's actually been down to me having GCSE exams for the past weeks, so being unable to sit down and think properly. But they're done now, so let's get going.

BIC:

Alziel frowned and blinked. He had a slight headache, and it would be most welcome when they could get out of the forest and get to a nearby town, where he could rest. His experience days earlier when something had sapped his consciousness and drawn him into the swamp, and the recovery period thereafter, had drained him, physically and mentally.

He could see that something was bothering Anyan, and Alziel had the same feeling. Since leaving camp, their journey had been far too uneventful. It was abnormally quiet and still among the trees. Alziel sighed and focused his vision on the moon up ahead.

At that moment, as Alziel gazed into the pale orb, something, a long way off, moved in front of it.

He stopped for a moment in surprise, and watched for where the moon had previously been. The thing between them was a long way away, which meant that it had to be large. It hung there for a moment, and although Alziel could not see it, he felt it.

"What's the matter", Liara whispered in his ear, distracting him from his stare. He thought hurriedly for an excuse, before shaking his head, smiling at Liara and continuing to walk by her side.

~~~~~

The thing dropped back from its full height and hissed softly to itself. In that moment when it had risen and stared into the darkness, it had felt a connection; there were a few of them coming, and one of them had seen the thing rise - and in that moment, although there was a long stretch of darkness between them, their eyes had met.

It hissed again. It had been foolish to come this far out of the swamp - for as soon as the prey had left the swamp, the thing had no advantage. It could not dart about in between these trees; it could not slow its prey down in the mud before striking. They were not completely out of the swamp yet, and even if they did not get lost or take a wrong turn, it would be time to attack before then.

It flicked out its reptile tongue another time, tasting the air for any differences. The prey was closer, not close enough for them to spot the thing in the dark, but close enough that they would be here soon.

It stood up again on its hindquarters, and the moonlight briefly illuminated the curve of its talons, the glitter of its eyes, the muscles of its hind feet.

With a final quiet hiss, it began to move in.

[Kinslayer]

"What's bothering you?"

Such a sweet voice had stopped Anyan's sinking into his own thougts. He had learned to trust his partners in the group, and he knew he could talk.

"Isn't it... too peaceful?" he said.

Liara looked at his with her eyes wide open. "What do you mean?"

"Well... we lost time, and we should be followed by the enemy. You all know why... Perhaps there is something else, something that keeps them from following us..."

Anyan's voice tone went dark. He was doubtful about the group's safety, and he had his right hand ready, holding the Viper, while the blade rested in it's sheath.

[Moosetroop11]

The sprite glanced from right to left. Anyan's mood had affected her own- he was right. The atmosphere was tainted with foreboding.

Everyone in the group was still far too used to working on their own, Liara realised. Anyan and Alziel both looked uneasy, but neither of them had decided to communicate their worries to the others. She decided to make the first step.

"Guys, do you think we're being followed?"

Shell sniffed the air and allowed himself a grim smile. "More like hunted."

[Dragonium]

Alziel nodded grimly to Shell. He had been thinking too... This space which they had entered would roughly fit the shape of the blank space on the map. "You know", he mumbled to Shell, though his realisation stuck in his throat, "Maybe there's a reason nobody has had time to draw this place on a map".

The group had come to a complete halt now, and the assembled members now stood in a circle, glancing warily about with their weapons drawn.

"Maybe...", Liara began. She was cut off by a sound that sent shivers down the spine of every person there.

It was a faint whisper, a hiss, that drifted in on the wind from seemingly a long distance away. There were no words, but it swirled upon the wind and sounded almost as though it was spoken in some ancient language. Then the imaginary words faded into deadly silence.

"Do you ever think", Alziel muttered to Shell, a grim smile coming to his lips, "Has there ever been an occasion when you have a feeling the weapons you trust your life in will be useless against the enemy you're about to fight?".

Shell nodded, glancing about warily. "Completely".

"This is one of those times, isn't it?", Alziel replied. It was a grim realisation, but one shared by everyone present.

Alziel sighed. This was not going to be a happy scenario.

~~~~~

The thing had moved in. On all fours it could move almost silently, despite its size. It could smell prey, and it followed its senses...

It could see from a distance a congregation of people stood in a clearing, though their vision was not as sharp and they could not see it. It hissed softly to itself, and thought. They had weapons, though they would be useless against its scales, but all the same their swords and arrows would be a hassle.

It waited, still as a stone, hissing softly, for the prey's guard to lower, and the perfect moment to arise.

[Kinslayer]

What Alziel said made Anyan feel uneasy...

The weapones... useless? Perhaps he was relying on the Viper too much. The group's mood had changed. Anyan saw his map, with that blank spot there... Alziel was right.

"Perhaps no one drew it..." said Anyan with a dark tone in his voice: "... because no one lived to ddraw it..."

He had a horrible feeling... but he would be ready to face the enemy.

[Moosetroop11]

Liara placed her hands together and then pulled them apart, creating a string of fire between them. She had showed time and time again that her usage of magic was limited, but she was always getting better and her healing spells on Alziel hadn't exhausted her completely. Maybe magic would be more effective against the beast, whatever it was?

OOC: Where is everyone? Seriously, if RedXIII returns we might be able to continue but It'd be far better if we had some help from Emerates and Gemini as well >.>

[Kinslayer]

OOC: Red XII will return, I'll tell him that this is on again XD it's my fault from forgetting :p

BIC:

Liara placed the fire beteen the party to talk. Ragnar sat near a tree, staring silently to the sides. The old man surely knew how to keep an eye...

Anyan kept feeling uneasy.

"So... which way are we taking? This place... I'm not used to feel this way, but there is something wrong here..."

For the first time, Anyan's voice trembled. He had always kept his same thone, even when facing Broadsword... but this time it was different.