Fantasy Arva: Tides of Darkness [IC] [Closed]

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I'm not sure what this is."

"Me neither. Perhaps it's a farmer or something." Sharad whispers back. He looks over back at the forest line as an idea forms in his head. "I have a plan. Give me a boost so I can climb that tree over there." he says, pointing towards one of the taller trees nearby. "From up top there I might just see who's in the grass."

 

[joshuadim]

Zakala took a quick look at the tree Sharad mentioned and gave a nod before the two made it over it's base. Helping lift Sharad was not an easy task, considering how large the man was, but eventually with enough dedication Sharad was able to get a grip on some of the nooks and crannies extending upwards and slowly make his way up. As he made his way up a decent amount to overlook the clearing, Sharad would see from a decent top-down angle of the grasses and saw what appeared to be a child, although it something was strange about it.

From Sharad's distance, he wasn't able to completely discern all its details but did manage to pick up a few facts. Apart from its lack of what one might consider 'proper' clothing apart from a waistcloth and a rag encircling its neck, the child also had a pale gray skin to it. It seemed as though it was collecting something in a weaved basket nearby. Perhaps it was looking for food?

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Sharad runs his hands over his face just to make sure he's seeing things right. 'Disgusting beasts, hostile soldiers, crystals that drain the land itself... and a child is out here all alone!?' he muses to himself. Sliding down the tree, he creeps back towards Zakala, unsure of what to do next.

"It's a child. I didn't see anything else. Should we talk to them?"

 

[joshuadim]

"A child?" Zakala asked quietly, looking to the grasses before looking back to Sharad. "Are you sure that's what you saw?" she then asked.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"Very. Small, wearing poor clothes, and had a basket it was collecting things in. Although, its skin is grey... Possibly soot and mud or something."

 

[Dmaster]

Da'Vost contented himself to studying whatever esoteric runes and arcane writings were in his tome as usual, partly in study but also to think on everything they saw. While he could cast a spell to better lead the company to the Spire, the Aervis was currently lacking in the material components. As Sharad and Eidunn began to bicker, the Fateseeker looked up from his book and gave an exasperated sigh. It is far from optimal to seek or cause divisions in the group during times of crisis, and he was disappointed that certain attitudes may exacerbate the process. Even still, he kept his beak shut despite all of this, not seeking to add more fuel to the fire in his attempts to break up any verbal hostilities.

As Lanya confided her fear to him, Da'Vost looked to his side and extended an inviting arm around her, allowing the utterlin to hug into him if she desired. "It is okay to be afraid, little one." the Aervis said, looking down to her. "We are currently lost in a place we know so very little about, and dangerous foes both natural and unnatural seek to end us." he said with slight worry in his tone, yet he shook his head in a quivering fidget before continuing.

"But we shall persist and overcome these hardships. You are too bright and kindhearted to expire here, and I will do everything I can to protect you." he said with a nod. "You are free to cry, for this day has been long and the hardships plentiful, yet I promise you they shall get better. We will work together to make sure it does."

 

[joshuadim]

Zakala was quiet for a moment, trying to discern this information as she looked towards the tall grasses before nodding. "Alright... let's see if they want to talk." she muttered as the two walked back towards the tall grasses. She then cleared her throat to speak: "Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked aloud, which caused the grass rustling to still as quickly as when Zakala spoke her first word. The two were quiet for a moment as nothing transpired before hearing the grass rustle again, as whoever it was was getting closer. A few steps later, a face peered out belonging to the child that Sharad saw earlier and it was clearly visible that this wasn't human.

Grey and wrinkled skin accompanied by gold-orange eyes indicated this to be the case as it looked to both Sharad and Zakala for a moment before giggling. "Oh! Strangers! I didn't know I wasn't alone!" it spoke in a voice similar to that of a child's before walking out of the grasses with its basket of berries and roots in tow. Zakala quickly lowered her bow and sighed, "It's a woodling." she stated as she looked to Sharad. "Practically harmless."

"Oi! I'll have you know I know how to throw a rock!" the woodling replied in jest before shrugging, "Who are you lot?" it then asked with curiosity. "I'm Joony."

---

Lanya looked to Da'Vost before looking towards the ground and started to sob quietly to herself, a few tears dropping down onto her face and into the dirt before she wiped them off and looked about quietly towards the rest of the group at the camp area.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"It's a woodling." she stated as she looked to Sharad. "Practically harmless."

"Uh huh..." he responds, making a hand disappear beneath his carpets and wrapping it onto the grip of a blade just in case.

"I'm Joony."

Sharad bows slightly towards the child. "Sharad Sardar, of House Sardar of Manwon... I'm a noble, basically." Silently, he hopes Joony wouldn't recognize the name of his house. It's very unlikely at least.

 

[Adobe]

Eidunn let the calming sensation wash over her for a brief second, before quickly pulling her arm away from Eirana, backing away from the elf. You let her touch you, keep your guard up. She turned back to Hughin, letting out a long drawn out sigh. "Sorry, I'm just a little... well, I'm not quite sure," She said, fiddling with the hem of her cloak once again. She felt light on her feet, the pounding in the back of her head vanishing. Whatever Eirana did, it relived the pain, but the inescapable feeling of dread still lingered. "Thanks, I guess..." she muttered towards the elf, a slight tinge of frustration in her voice.

 

[Breadman]

Waylond was preparing to fill the canteens he was carrying with him when Arnas made his observation. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight still lingering or maybe the last two encounters had an effect. The knight looked to Arnas and then gave Drokos a nervous glance before shifting his eyes back to the man.

"Nice how?"

 

[joshuadim]

Arnas looked to Waylond before shrugging: "Like... you know how you feel after a good night's rest? Like that." Arnas tried to explain before slowly letting his hand touch the water again. After a few moments the feeling traveled up his arm and all the way up to his shoulder, and whatever bruises or aches he had felt from the long travels and recent fighting seemed to disappear. "I think the waters got magic in them. My arm feels great!" Arnas then said with a grin, marveling at his rejuvenated arm as he pulled it out of the water.

---

As Eidunn seemed to calm down, Hughin gave a nod and a smile to her: "Alright then. Get yourself some rest then." he said before moving to collect nearby firestarter materials such as twigs, leaves, and whatever else was available. As he did so, he looked towards Aureal and motioned to him: "Find some small rocks if you can. We'll need it for the base of the fire."

---

"I'm Zakala." the demoness spoke after Sharad, introducing herself to the woodling who was listening very intently. Joony looked to Zakala and Sharad for a moment before nodding: "Zakala and Sharad. Nice to meet you!" he then spoke, before looking at them curiously again. "You're not from around here are you?" he then asked.

Zakala shook her head and smiled: "No, we were shipwrecked some time ago on these shores and we're trying to find a way to get home. Do you happen to know anything about a spire? Perhaps populated by large bird folk?"

Joony rubbed his chin for a moment, pondering the details before shaking his head. "No... sorry. I don't ever leave the woods. Me mum tells me not to go outside, it's dangerous."

 

[CaptainFizzgig]

Looking up at the demon, Eidunn sighed, hugging her legs to her chest. "I'm not built for this." She said, staring at Invira. She pondered for a second. She didn't know as much about the demon as she would have liked. Narrowing her eyes, a question hovered on the edge of her lips. "What do you think about it, magic?" She asked, her words slow and deliberate. "It seems our lives are constantly at risk from this 'thing' we can't see or control."

Invira tilted her head like an animal trying to get a sense of what it was hearing. The bickering between her two companions made her proverbial hackles raise, but she kept to herself. The elf, bless her and her magic that still felt like the warmth of the sun on a cool day, "Magic just is. There are those that wield it and they're better than the rest of us. It feels or tastes or smells kinda funny, but it's a part of the world. And our lives are constantly at risk from everything. Anything and everything could kill us. It's about finding ways around or through those things and becoming better than what we were before." She gestured to the trees around them.

"We can do this."

She tilted her head again. "Is there anything I can do to actually help you though?"

 

[Breadman]

"Could it be that our fortune made a turn?" Waylond asked curiously as he took a step closer to the water. Kneeling down he submerged his own hand beneath the water. The feeling was indeed calming and refreshing. "This might be a healing spring." He continued after pulling his hand out and observing it. The cut from the creatures had faded away and no longer remind him of their presence. "I've only heard of places like this, but never imagined that it could exist."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"No... sorry. I don't ever leave the woods. Me mum tells me not to go outside, it's dangerous."

"Oh, she's quite right..." Sharad responds, pulling out his talwar still stained with beast blood. He sheaths it back in quickly after showing it off though so as not to scare Jooly. "There are monsters about that're ready to gobble you up!"

 

[joshuadim]

"Oh! The green bloods! I've seen them around, scary ones the lot of them." Joony then piped up when he saw the blood on Sharad's sword. "But the monkeys usually take care of those that enter the woods so I'm not too worried about them."

Zakala cocked an eyebrow at the mention of 'monkeys', looking to Sharad for a moment before looking back to the woodling: "I'm sorry... monkeys?" she asked with curiosity as well as confusion.

"Yeah! The monkeys! There's a great city of them here, ruled by the Monkey King!"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Yeah! The monkeys! There's a great city of them here, ruled by the Monkey King!"

"Monkey King..." mutters Sharad aloud to himself. "Zakala" he says, getting close to her and whispering, "... I think we've beached on Liudong." There's a dash of worry in his voice. He clears his throat and turns back to the boy. "Ah, tell us more of this... 'Monkey King'. He might be able to help us find a way home."

 

[Infab]

As Arnas and Waylond spoke of the properties of water, Drokos had set her gear down nearby. And before they knew it, she had practically stripped naked and waded off into the river next to one of the larger rocks before slipping under the waters. She emerged a few moments later, the various cuts, bruises, other injuries she had suffered were healing. "Rather cool in here." she stated, glancing back to the pair at the river's edge. She slipped under again, attempting to rid her form of the nasty green blood that had stained her skin.

 

[joshuadim]

Zakala shook her head in response to Sharad. "If we were on Ergos, that would imply we somehow went across an entire continent and two seas. I don't think that possible." she whispered back before turning her attention back to Joony. "Yes, do you know where this city is perhaps?" she asked with a friendly tone. Joony would take a moment to think before shrugging: "I don't know either, sorry miss. My mum also tells me to not get near the monkeys, or I'll be roasted on a spit!" he stated, moving his hands in an exaggerated manner as if to indicate such an event happening.

"...right." Zakala replied with a chuckle, "I'm just think that's your mother is being protective of you." Zakala then took a look around and sighed, "Have you seen any critters nearby? Like... squirrels or rabbits? We're looking for something to eat." To this, Joony gave a resounding headshake that indicated that there wasn't anything really nearby.

"No, sorry again miss." Joony spoke giving a frown before lifting his basket towards the two of them. "But you can have my basket if you'd like!"

---

Arnas was about to say something to Waylond before noticing Drokos entering the river nude and dipping herself fully into the waters. "Whoa." was all he managed to get out before averting his eyes away from Drokos as she re-emerged.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"But you can have my basket if you'd like!"

Sharad exchanges glances between the basket and Zakala with a look of surprise on his face. Pretty naive of this child to offer his next meal up to a pair of strangers he knows nothing about. Slowly, he takes the basket from Jooly's hands and starts rummaging through it to see what he's collected. Hopefully something more than just bugs and mushrooms.

"Well, Zakala? What do you think?" he says as he holds the basket over to her so she can take a look too.

 

[joshuadim]

Looking into the basket, both Sharad and Zakala would see that it contained a variety of berries, fruits, and roots in them that didn't resemble all to well of what was found on either Argos or Ergos to their knowledge. "I dunno... don't you need to eat too?" Zakala asked Joony with concern, which prompted a giggle from the woodling. "Oh no miss, I don't need to eat. I'm just collecting things for my mum. She always likes to add new things to her garden."

Zakala took a look at the basket against before nodding: "Well, this is very generous of you Joony. Thank you." she said with a smile as she took the basket with one hand. Joony then looked around and nodded: "I gotta get back now. Hope ya find your way home!" he then said before walking off into the tall grasses once more, disappearing from sight. As Zakala and Sharad waved the woodling goodbye, Zakala looked to her companion and motioned her head back towards the way they came: "We should probably head back now then." she said, motioning Sharad to follow.

 

[Breadman]

Waylond raised an eyebrow as Drokos stripped naked. A brief glance to Arnas showed that the man was looking away, causing the knight to slightly chuckle before looking into the pool.

"Lucky that I managed to escape with a few cuts." Waylond scooped some of the water with his palms and splashed his face. The cool waters felt good as the blood was beginning to fall off. He stood up and started to take off his gear "She has the right idea you know." He told Arnas "Unless you plan to use the sight and smell off all that gore as an intimidation tactic " Pretty soon the only thing left on his top side was just the medallion "I suggest you also take a dip."

 

[joshuadim]

Arnas took a quick look at himself and grimaced at the sight of coagulated and dried off green blood on him and nodded. "Yes I do plan on washing myself... eventually." he said, "It's just... I'm pretty sure it isn't proper while a woman is bathing herself." Arnas almost sounded embarrassed when he spoke as he continued to avert his eyes away from the general direction of where Drokos was.

 

[Infab]

As Drokos reemerged from the waters, brushing her long red hair back and continuing to wash, she glanced over to where the other two were on the banks of the river. "I care not if you bathe while I am, but if need be, I shall move around to the other side of the boulder." she said aloud. She did so, moving around the boulder so that only her head was visible to the pair.

 

[Breadman]

"Arnas" Waylond said as he took off a boot "Relax." He turned to where Drokos was or where he would think she would emerge from under the water. Once she popped out he asked "My lady..." Drokos already answered his question, so he turned back to Arnas "See, she doesn't mind. Even is trying to accommodate if there's still discomfort."

 

[Auda]

After some time, Aureal's labored breathing finally stopped and his body had mostly recovered from the chase. Standing up, he gave his legs a quick stretch before looking at his surroundings and noticed that his companions already left to do their given tasks, with only a handful of the party remained. The atmosphere in the camp was tense, to say the least. He looked back at the quick back and forth between Eidunn and Sharad. The Elf understood Eidunn's point and he sympathized with her sentiments. But what Sharad said was true, albeit a little harsh. Good thing Hughin broke off their little fight before it further escalated. He was about to go over and offer some kind of help to Eidunn but it looked like both Invira and Eirana are taking care of it. With not much to do, Aureal decided to explore the vicinity and Hughin's request came at the right time.

"Find some small rocks if you can. We'll need it for the base of the fire."

"Sure. How hard can it be to look for some rocks? There's bound to be hundreds of it littered around the forest floor, and little nature walk will help ease my nerves quite a bit." Aureal replied. "Though, If I don't return after some time my little trinket over there is worth quite a fortune." He jokingly said before giving Hughin a mock salute and heading off to go rock hunting.