Fantasy Caravan - Kingdoms Of Thoris ~Chapter 1~

[Dreamtique]

As soon as Fall pulled away from his flute, he was able to hear a faint creak of the wooden floor before Bron's gigantic figure came into sight.
A little surprised, Fall hurriedly stood up while he dusted off.
It was the Lok'Sha that commented on his act back at the briefing, Fall had a very good impression on him, the gigantic but gentle Lok' Sha had taken a very special place in Fall's eye with his encouraging words still lingering in his memory. It meant a lot to him that someone would appreciate his actions and to see them as kind, it was what Fall had been wanting to see in himself, after all, to appreciate his own existence, to redefine it into what he would be proud of.

The beast man greeted him with a few questions, seemingly curious about his past. Fall tucked back his flute to the strap around his waist as he tried to think of an appropriate response to Bron.
"Yes, I am summoner too, that's one of my four summons, Vermilion bird, it's my great assistant as a doctor."
Fall looked to the fiery bird as he embraced his majesty, putting a hand on its flaming back as the bird curiously scanned the Lok'Sha up and down with its head bobbing up and down.

"I had a contract with the Four Symbols...during the most desperate time of my life......"
"In more that one way...they gave me the courage and hope to be a better doctor, to serve a greater purpose."
"I would never be anything...without them."

"Without them, I would never have the courage to pursue a better version of myself, I would have let my soul just...drift apart......"
"I was really thankful of that...and I hope they will eventually....learn to understand my appreciation for them too."
Fall eyes locked on the Vermilion bird, his vision trembled as a surge of emotions rushed through him as he picked up the reminiscence of that moment of glory, that moment when he met the Four Symbols.

"Ah, where was I again?" Absorbed in the sea of memories, he lost track of his train of thought before he glanced back to Bron with an awkward smile on his face.

"Hm... regardless...I guess that's enough rambling about my past......"

"Hey...perhaps...you could try to befriend the Vermilion bird. It's a friendly and curious guy, so you can get close to it without worrying...but...ironically that's not always the case for me......"

"Ah...don't need to be alarmed by the flame, sir."
"The flame on the Vermilion bird is quite a peculiar one."
"Since power possessed by summons do tends to break the conventional laws governing the overworld, they are all unique and beautiful in their own way."

"The flame on it isn't actual flame...they are actually more like a 'conceptual flame' which source of combustion is abstract and unique."
"So, that's why the flame on them even exhibits healing property, like a 'reversed burning', the fire wouldn't burn unless the Vermilion bird does want it to."
"That's one thing to check off the list of potential hazards on the Caravan, in case you are worrying that it would burn down the whole Caravan, Carpenter Bron."

"But well, it doesn't mean that it wouldn't happen, that is, if I want it to happen......."
Fall casually asserted a joke as he noticed that Bron looked a little worry about the flickering flame that licked the wooden structure of the Caravan from time to time.

SilverFlight


It didn't take long before the Caravan came to a halt, Fall decided to only pay his attention to the reaction of his fellow comrades for now before he went to get a rough picture of the secondary briefing for himself.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin listened to Caliban as he also introduced himself, spotting Bron out of the corner of his eye as he entered the caravan. As Cali began to speak about how 'magnificent' the trip would seem, Flin wanted to mock him for his positive and possibly naive thinking. But in truth, he somewhat felt the same way. Exploring new areas and meeting new people would be fascinating and fun for him, and perhaps he would learn things about his own kind, the Eldi, that even he himself wasn't aware of yet. A smirk appeared across Flin's face, at the moment when Nei admitted that she hadn't been there. Her tone didn't bother him too much. Ryker seemed more preoccupied with Nei's falcon rather than Flin's question about Kel. "Yeah, I'm sure it'll be amazing to see, heh...I'm looking forward to it too." He responded to Cali in a cheerful tone. He seemed to like the man's attitude.

As Nei gestured to Flin with her thumb and said that he was a bard, Flin glared at her and let out a deep sigh of annoyance, albeit in a calm and composed manner. Yet another person that assumed that he was a bard. It was a common thing that happened to him, and it was an understandable mistake. But it did not make it any less of an annoyance to deal with. "I'm not a bard, I can't sing for shit." Flin suddenly spat to Nei, in a blunt way.

As the caravan suddenly came to a halt, Flin ended up with his body leaned forwards by the sudden stop. His guitar fell off of his hips, and landed on the ground. Flin grit his teeth for a moment, and sighed. "Looks like our pilot is quite dimwitted." He mocked, not looking pleased at all as he gazed at the pilot further ahead near the entrance of the caravan. That's when he looked at his hips, realising his guitar had fallen off. He looked at his guitar on the ground and stared at it in horror. "N-No...!" He muttered in panic, quickly standing up. He kneeled down, gently grabbing his guitar as if it was a new born baby. In truth, his guitar looked like a piece of crap. It was the ugliest guitar that anyone would have ever seen, and it looked like it was made out of cheap wood. He sat back down on the bench and looked at Nei, Cali and Ryker with a calm and composed look on his face as if nothing had happened. "Anyways...I have this guitar because I wield sound magic, and I mainly use it for that purpose. It gives me greater control over my abilities." He admitted to Nei in a calm tone.

Berries Strago Halycon Fenris

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron listened to the doctor intently, looking surprised when he placed a hand to casually onto the flaming back of the vermilion bird.
He tilted his head quizzically when Fall spoke of how he would be nothing without the great beast spirits that helped him.
"I highly doubt the spirits would have come to your call, if they did not believe you worthy in and of yourself. Perhaps it is your courage that drew them to you more than your drawing it from their presence."
Bron looked slightly nervous when Fall invited him to touch the magnificent creature, though he listened intently as Fall explained the unique nature of the spirit's fire.
The Lok'sha gave a hearty chuckle. "I will tell the apprentices and the others not to look so nervous then."
Slowly Bron reached for the bird's head, not being able to stop himself from wincing as his hand brushed the flames. His eyes widened shortly after as he did not feel a burn, nor even heat. The flames licked his skin yet were completely cool.
"Extraordinary," he breathed, then considering how Fall spoke to the bird he said: "Erm, it is an honor to be in your presence my friend."
When Fall joked about creating real fires Bron gave him a sly sideways glance. "Still, remind me not to make you angry."

His attention went with Fall over to their companions. Bron caught his breath when the instrument of one of the late members hit the floor. He released it again when he saw the instrument was undamaged. Bron had a great appreciation for instrument making that stemmed from his trade in woodworking and the attempts at making them himself. It was hard, and required the greatest of attention.
The Lok'sha examined the instrument from a distance, but even from there he noted the slightly low quality. Still, the craftsmanship was not bad, despite the material and the wear.
"The maker of that guitar had a good eye at least." Bron rumbled thoughtfully, loud enough for Flin to hear. "If only they had better materials. Still, I would guess the sound from it can be enchanting if in the hands of a good musician."
It was an invitation to play, left open at least as long as it could before they might be silenced by those less appreciative.

Dreamtique Jensoman

 

[Tex.Y]

"That I shall," Philip confirmed. He looked away briefly and nodded to Strago. "Inspection's all done. You're ready to head out." With his final words, Philip allowed the Caravan to makes its way towards the main exit. As they left, though, Philip jogged back towards them to just barely catch Strago before the group made their leave. "Ah, if you happen to come across a particular Esp in your travels, one by the name of Marie, let her know that her people are always welcome here!" He tagged on, slowing to a crawl and waving the Venbu-Drawn complex goodbye. He dodged Winterblessed's horse narrowly as it trotted to follow, and shook his head. "I wonder," He whispered to himself, "If... Haha, no way..." With their final farewells and reviews out of the way, Caravan Centaurus was free to travel the lands of Thoris and make their way towards Kel at their own pace. This mission didn't have a return date, after all. Only an assumed dead stamp if they'd taken any longer than two weeks.

***
Twenty Minutes Earlier, At The Base Of Arcadia's Ivory Monolith***​

Yvette watched as Caravan Centaurus received their final briefings from Julius, anxiously. As the Major waved them off, he made his way back to her with a bit of a skip in his step. The woman waved off another one of her majors and stepped down from the spot she'd chosen to issue orders from, atop a large pile of hay bales. "Major," She greeted him, peering over at Strago's Venbu one last time, "What do you think?"

"I think you're losing it, Ma'am," Julius snapped, catching himself as Yvette glare fixated coldly on his disrespectful eyes. He straightened his back and cleared his throat. Julius and Yvette were close friends, often forcing the man to disregard her title and dispatch with formalities, something that she didn't very much appreciate. "With all due respect, Lieutenent Colonel, those soldiers show little sign of potential for individual capability outside of Miss Celica, let alone the capacity to work as a single unit." Yvette scoffed at his criticisms.

"There is a method to their grouping, Julius. Not only that, but I've dispatched for Sir Winterblessed to account for the missing soldiers, prior to your briefing." Julius rose an eyebrow.

"Dispatched for... Prior, what? I mean, pardon me, miss? Did you know there were going to be dropouts?" Julius questioned, his tone quickly falling to pieces. Yvette nodded. The Major didn't really know how to take it. Why would she group them, knowing there would be dropouts? Why would she even hire dropouts for a mission like this? Nothing she did made any sense! "Ma'am, regarding the dispel Myti-"

"Her disappearance was accounted for, as well. It's nothing to concern yourself with. Really, Julius."

"It's my job to concern myself with-"

"No," Yvette butt in, "It is your job to follow orders, and if you won't take my kind advice to keep separate from affairs you don't understand, I'll make it clear to you formally. Do not inquire further." Her voice grew deeper for a moment, and she made her point as sternly as possible. The woman Colonel wasn't known for her kindness, but she still insisted after that fact: "I am doing you a kindness, so please, listen." Julius' mouth hung open, partially in disbelief. She'd never really hid anything from him before, unless it had to do with important manner. The Major nodded and saluted Yvette, forcing a curt smile across his face. Surely, she had some reason to do what she'd been doing.

"Right, Ma'am. With that out of the way, I assume I'm free to forward Centaurus' status to the King, for you?"

"You are. Go on, Julius." Not a moment later, Julius was gone, darting towards the lower chambers of the Monolith, where the King was discussing more pressing matters with his generals. Yvette sighed, releasing the tension in her neck when he Major was gone. She rose a hand to press into the knots along her spine. "Damn it all," Yvette moaned, "This idiotic plea will only keep things running smoothly for so long, Mi'lord..."

***
Present Time, Within The Slums Of Arcadia***​

Far in the pits of the massive castle city, on the lowest layer of cobblestone, sunk the slums of Arcadia, weaving through the Nation like stone roots that held it up with a bundle of thievery and ill-mannered intents. The half-buried streets were not much to look at from a first glance, looking only slightly less well kept than the rest of the city that the sunlight was still able to touch. But behind certain doors, organisation that eluded even the eye of the Paladin order, as well as the knights of his highness, thrived ever so carefully, plotting their next move in a life of subtle debauchery and immoral schemes. One such Speakeasy sat between the Pillars of Ire, Two massive marble pillars that held up the market district's southern plaza, as well as marking the entrance to the southern slum-caves of Arcadia. Within, there were many races, mostly Myti who sought out shelter from the ever so pretty lives atop the white stones of Arcadia. Darkness suited some of them best, much like the darkness of their homeland, beneath thick jungle trees.

"I don't have time," One female Myti called out to a pair of cat-women with similar pelts, "She put me on that damn knife ear Caravan. It was a stroke of bad luck."

"Some luck. Is it really a coincidence?" One of the other Myti cut in, rather quickly.

"Presumptuous," The last, and largest of the trio snorted. The first woman nodded and continued.

"That woman doesn't know spit. There's no way she could. None of our sisters would spill a single lick of information."

"The mating could-"

"Shut up, Jiji. We've trained that instinctual reflex without flaw. I won't hear another word on these silly subjects. I think it's more important to keep our dealings secure, otherwise it won't be Arcadia the crumbles, it will be our sisterhood. M'lyn, please tell me we have people working to rectify our disagreement." The largest of the Myti trio shrugged.
an
"No idea. Knife ears are a difficult bunch, and our rogue hasn't made it back yet," M'lyn growled. The first Myti stood silent and shifted her eyes across the bar anxiously, turning away from her two partners. "We shouldn't show our faces around general dagger head until it's been cleared up. Makes it pretty hard to keep tabs on so many Caravan at once. That woman was thorough enough to put a damper on our mobility without even trying. What's the plan, for now?" She asked. The first Myti turned back slowly. "...Hello? Koko? Do you have, well, any ideas at all?" Koko nodded silently, with a begrudging frown.

"Jiji," Koko mumbled, "Let Opopo know she and her girls are... Urgh, getting a chance."


Chapter 2: The Road To Kel

***
Present Time, Caravan Centaurus***
​

The Gates of Arcadia were finally behind them. Without higher authority to guide the actions of Miss Rowe Celica, she was finally free to move in any fashion she saw fit, with Strago at the helm, keeping their Venbu on the right path.

The main path, to be precise. A highway made of cobblestone that trailed out into the wilds, and connected to an even longer route made of Dirt that connected many of the known kingdoms. Although Berganfont was not connected by any major road, Centaurus could easily find Kel by following the path north, and making a right at the second fork in the road. Looking back at their home, Arcadia sat completely out of place, half-embedded into the side of its holy mountain that the Paladins Claimed reign over since their birth as holy defenders. Beyond the large stone spike, not much could be seen, due to its sheer size and scale. But either end of its base was overgrown with forest, like most of Thoris. It appeared to crawl all the way around the open fields that surrounded Arcadia, until it met the edge of the very path they were tasked to follow.

 

[Blitzer]

Lieutenant Kaladin Winterblessed had been allowed to board the caravan. He saluted the Captain Rowe quickly then bowed to the other occupants of the caravan. "I am Sir Kaladin. I hope to have a successful campaign with you all."
As soon as he said that he unslung his stuff and searched quickly for a bunk which he found. Since all the ground bunks had been taken, he had to take an upper bunk. However, other than selecting his bunk, he began to put away his meagre possessions.

 

[Berries]

Raising her eyebrows as Flin spat at her about not being a bard, Nei raised her hands casually to prove herself a non-threat. "Not a bard," she repeated, "gotcha." She continued to watch him as he fell when the caravan stopped, slightly confused about his protection over his guitar. She didn't understand why he would value it so highly, but then she remembered that his magic was based off of music and she supposed without it he was defenseless. She, too, would probably freak out if her weapons broke. At that point a quick thought occurred to her and she looked sideways at Henry for a second. She would probably freak out of Henry got hurt too. Nei wasn't sure exactly at what point she had become friends with the falcon, but it had happened and now she didn't intend to lose him. Since their mission was mainly reconnaissance she hoped that they would be able to stay out of trouble but Julius' briefing had made it seem like that was a slim possibility.

Watching the new recruit get admitted aboard the caravan, she sized him up briefly. He seemed capable, and the fact he introduced himself with a title caught her eye. He appeared to be pretty young, so if he had already been promoted that was probably a good sign. Nei held her hand up in a small wave and gestured for him to come over to the small group she was standing by after he had finished selecting his bunk. A few feet away it seemed that Bron and the phoenix-man were speaking, though she had mostly tuned their conversation out. However, as she looked quickly at the two, it seemed that Bron had spoken to Flin briefly as well. Shrugging, Nei turned her attention back to Kaladin. She wasn't sure how to address him, as even with their captain they hadn't been exactly formal. Hesitating for a few seconds and wondering what to say, Nei decided to just ask what was on her mind. "Do you expect to be addressed as Sir, or may we call you Kaladin?" She asked.

Turning to look out the back as they left Arcadia behind, Nei's eyes narrowed. "Mission start." She said idly to herself, and Henry let out a small caw sound in acknowledgement.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin looked over at Bron as he commented on his guitar when the carvan continued to move. He seemed surprised. How could a simple-minded Lok'Sha have so much insight? He was aware that he was the carpenter of the crew, yet it still shocked him to learn that he would even bother to talk about the design of his guitar. He originally assumed that the Lok'sha was simply chosen as the carpenter for his immense strength, which would make heavy labour advance more smoothly. He seemed to enjoy the fact that Bron complimented the design of his guitar, despite the fact that he mentioned that better materials could have been used. Bron had a good point, it was made out of cheap wood after all. 'Pfft...I ain't gonna admit to him that he's right.' He thought proudly to himself, not replying right away. Bron had called him out in order to play a song, and he had no intention of backing down. That's when Nei seemed to admit that she was wrong for being a bard. He turned towards her, and smirked slightly. "Thanks." He muttered in a relieved tone. He sighed and readied his guitar, looking at Bron again.

He began to play a soft, soothing melody, capable of calming everyone within the caravan. They would feel as if all their worries and concerns melted away, and would feel a certain sense of happyness. The song itself was capable to slowly make people drowsy, and eventually make them fall to sleep if they were exposed to it long enough, if Flin used it's full power. However, he refrained from doing so this time around. It seemed less than ideal to make the entire crew tired or put them to sleep after all, and he was aware that Lok'Sha were highly resistant to such psychic magic anyways. It was a simple low-level sound technique, a trick he often used to get out of trouble or to steal from people that he didn't like. He took note of Kaladin entering the caravan, only briefly staring at him and nodding at him in response before returning his focus to Bron. He kept playing his song, and began to speak softly. "I certainly hope you're enjoying the song, Lok'Sha." He muttered proudly to Bron, in a slightly condescending tone.

Berries Blitzer SilverFlight

 

[Tex.Y]

Rowe made her way to the front of the Caravan and positioning herself just behind Strago, looking over the roads carefully as the group made their way along the path to Kel. "Strago, be sure to notify everyone if you see anything suspicious. The last thing we need is an unexpected collision with a titan class monstrosity," She ordered briefly, walking back into the Caravan without another word.

"Hold that thought, Kaladin. Nei, if your bird is capable enough, have him overlook our surroundings as often as possible. Use your own abilities to observe from the roof, if your animal grows fatigued. I want 'round the clock surveillance. Kaladin, use your horse to survey from the ground whenever Nei's bird is grounded. Flin, you..." Rowe paused for a moment, glaring at the boy. "If you have any form of surveillance magic, use it. Otherwise, be on high alert. Everyone else, do the same. Remain active, and sleep in shifts. I will leave it to you to decide rest periods for the night."

 

[Fenris]

Sound magic, telepathy, summoning; his comrades for this trip surely possessed a variety of skills Caliban was unfamiliar but intrigued with. Magic of music and mind would be hard to spot in action...though perhaps he'd be able to coax forth the odd display; nodding to himself he rogue decided to come up with ways to go about doing just that later.

It seemed most of the others where also looking forward to exploring outside the boundaries of Arcadia, though Nei seemed to hit a nerve when she suggested the blond was a bard, drawing some measure of ire. A feeling that seemed to extend to the Caravan's driver as the unexpected stop managed to shake the cheap looking instrument from his grasp. Cali flinched figuring the guitar would come apart at their feet though was pleasantly surprised when it didn't and Flin returned to his seat as if nothing had occurred. “A good omen perhaps?” he muttered to himself before taking note of Winterblessed who was saluting their captain.

Since Nei was taking care of greeting the newest arrival it left Caliban to plenty of time to scrutinize the lieutenant. The white haired man seemed very driven, his mannerism direct and to the point as he announced his presence then moved to stash his belongings. “If this keeps going we'll have an army by the time we arrive in Kel. Not that I'm complainin, mind you!” The rogue commented in high spirits while settling back against the wall just in time for Rowe to come forward.

“Your wish is our command.” He gave the captain a mirthful smile and court bow, then headed for the back of the wagon. “Could use some fresh air anyhow.” Caliban noted as he deftly scrambled from view, swinging atop of the Caravan. Feet dangling from the wagons roof he drew a thin blade from one of the many sheaths and began idly cleaning his nails. Yet, someone should probably be watching as captain Rowe had said... Collecting his thoughts he focused on his summon, until he could hear the bell like laugh carry on the gentle breeze. “Glad you could join us...”

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron closed his eyes blissfully as the music poured from the competent hands of the bard and his instrument. He let the tune work on his mind, easing the tension that had built up before they left. Slowly Bron made his way to the bunk he had claimed and lay on it, hands behind his horned head, stretching lazily upon the straw mattress, one foot on the floor.
Bron caught the tone and gave Flin a sly smile. "So you are not a bard, but you certainly play like one," he rumbled. "'The Lok'sha' also has a name Songmaster, it is Bron."
Bron continued to listen in peace until he heard the sharp voice of their leader. Not feeling at all ready for another confrontation he sat up quickly, moving to a small box by the supplies and taking a copper-rimmed spyglass in hand.
"Aye captain," he replied seriously and left his bunk, and the enchanting tune with only a brief look of regret before he made his way onto the roof after Caliban.
The wind caught in his mane and he breathed in deep, surveying the vast landscape with a wistful expression.
"Catch." Bron said, tossing the spyglass to Caliban casually as he sat down beside him.
The Lok'sha began scanning the horizon carefully. "We are still fairly close to the city, I wonder if anything will risk coming this far in."
Bron did not put too much weight into the possibility, still, he had left his bunk with sword on belt. He gave the summoner a sideways glance as the spirit began to laugh as she was called. He hadn't expected another summoner.
"Is that really fair?" Bron asked with a playful lilt to his tone, "making your spirit do such a mundane task as playing lookout?"
Bron meant it in no way unkindly, he was merely curious as to the nature of the spirit.

Jensoman Fenris

 

[Berries]

Nodding to Flin as he thanked her for backing down so quickly on the bard subject, Nei made sure to register the fact that he didn't like to be called a bard. Of course, while it would be best to simply not aggravate him for now, his irritation may well come in handy for the future if she ever needed to get him fired up. Often times, the woman had found, getting people angry before fights positively reflected upon their combat skills. Raising her eyebrows as he complied with Bron's request for a song, Nei was about to walk away and observe the outside of the caravan before lingering to await Kaladin's response to her inquiries.

Pleasantly surprised with Flin's skill, Nei found herself relaxing against her will to the tune of the music. Fixing her eyes on the elf for a few seconds, her gaze turned abruptly to Henry as the bird ruffled his feathers aggressively. His eyes were blinking as if he was having difficulty staying awake. Nei wasn't surprised, Flin's music must have a much greater effect on the bird than the rest of them. Taking Henry down from her shoulders and holding him in her hands in case he ended up falling asleep, Nei let herself let the happiness of the song draw her attention. Content, Nei suddenly snapped to attention as Rowe made a reappearance into the caravan.

Nodding and tossing the captain a quick salute in order to avoid another lecture about etiquette like the one they had received from Julius, Nei listened to the rest of her orders before responding. "Henry will be able to conduct overhead surveillance for half an hour with ten minute intervals." She informed not only the captain but the entire group so that they could plan in accordance with Henry's abilities. Already, the Caliban man and scurried onto the rooftop but Nei released Henry nonetheless. A birdseye view would be many times more useful than any human eye from atop a moving caravan. Alert me for any unnatural movement. Nei commanded Henry, to which the bird seemed a bit confused.

Any unnatural movement? He inquired, obviously suggesting that Nei's search terms had been too broad.

Any at all, it seems we are in hostile territory. The woman reiterated, and Henry acknowledged the order. Even though Nei was capable of seeing out of the bird's eyes if she wished, she trusted him to spot anything that may be of interest. If he did end up seeing something she could always then look to double-check and make an accurate report to Rowe.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin stopped playing his song when Rowe adressed him, bowing slightly towards her. "I understand. I believe I can help out." He simply responded, standing up as he noticed that Nei and Bron seemed to have enjoyed his song. He stood proudly with a confident smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the attention. 'Of course they enjoy it...I am a great sound mage, after all.' He thought to himself, listening to Bron. He mentioned that he played like a bard and called him sound master, which he assumed had to be genuine compliments, while he introduced himself as well. He seemed somewhat surprised that a Lok'Sha had enjoyed his music. Was there more to their race than mindless violence to get what they wanted, after all? Regardless, he had to focus now. He took note of Kaladin's horse and Nei's falcon. This meant that they would be focusing on anything that they could see.

He walked over towards the front of the carvan near Strago, and closed his eyes. "I will be using my sound magic to enhance my hearing, allowing me to hear things far better than usual. While the falcon and Kaladin's horse will be maintaining a strong visual on the terrain, I will focus my magic by blocking out the noise that the caravan makes, and detect any violent, unusual or fast noises that might be headed our way. As such, please do not disturb me." He stated, and began to play a strange tune. The caravan and the bull-creatures that were pulling it forward seemed to vibrate slightly for a moment, and suddenly their footsteps and the wheels of the Caravan no longer made any noise, along with any heavy breathing the bull creatures might make. After this, Flin stopped his tune and closed his eyes. He began to focus greatly, solely on his hearing.

Berries SilverFlight Tex.Y Blitzer

 

[Blitzer]

Kaladin waved back at... Nei, "You may address me as Kaladin since I am not ranked on this assignment." And then he sighed when he received his order. He could very well do protection magic. He thought for a second and released some of his threads. He'd have to focus carefully. Oops he should have grabbed something before he did this. He quickly sat down on a bench and focused his magic release carefully threading his special threads out of the wagon leaving two on his body. He set the wires around the wagon carefully. He shook his head and opened his eyes and refocused. "Captain, I've set up an emergency barrier around our wagon. Anyone who runs into those wires will be cut and I will know them."

Kaladin quickly checked his magic reserves and found that the draw on it wasn't that much higher than usual. Yes, it wouldn't be too hard to mantain the barrier.

 

[Fenris]

The brunette couldn't quite hide his surprise when Bron's horned head poked out from the edge of the roof and ascended to stand nearby. He'd even thought to bring a spyglass which showed a degree of consideration far beyond the carefree rogue's. Caliban turned his attention from the floating fae to catch the spyglass and give an dramatic sigh in response, “I fear you've not made this any easier, master carpenter.”

The display proving to be mere theatrics as his amused tone never faded. “Calling it a mundane task isn't all that inspiring; you know? Though your concern is appreciated.” The summon regarded the uneven pair, then tilted her head in an quizzical manner seeming to consider the exchange. “Could you keep an eye out for anything interesting?” Nyxe began extending a petite arm only for Cali to flatly add, “aside from Bron.” which garnered him another of the fae's laughs as she turned and began fading from view, a minor illusion making it difficult to pick her out from the surroundings.

Rolling the spyglass around his palm he chuckled, “Apologies, she... we haven't come across too many of your kin. Not many Lok'sha in Marrenfell. Hear you don't make for good spell slingers... not to worry, ain't the only ones.” this time his sigh was heartfelt and followed by a helpless shrug. A few moments passed as Caliban scanned the horizon before handing back the optical instrument; having regained his lighthearted demeanor. “Sharp blade you carry master carpenter, who taught you to wield it? Perhaps you've been a soldier?”

 

[Tex.Y]

It seemed that some semblance of order had overtaken Caravan Centaurus in a short period of time. Rowe nodded to herself contently as the group heeded her orders without so much as a contradictory peep. A few didn't seem all that compliant, but the captain took it that they would be the first to rest in the cycles. She retreated to the main living area and pulled one of the bunks from the wall. If things proceeded like this for the next week, everything would go along just fine.

***
Several kilometres to the north, further along Centaurus' path***
​

The wilds of Thoris retained a measure of danger, even to the most powerful entities in the land. Kel Cobra? Well, they ranked fairly low on the list of creatures that struck fear into the heart of adventurers. Small beasts, comparably, with a body that stretched longer than a Venbu's, but only enough girth to match the thickness of an adult Male's arm. The people of Kel often referred to them as danger noodles in jest, a funny little name that didn't travel much further than the small home-nation. Of course, they were rarely seen congregating more than 10 kilometres away from their burrows that dug into the edges of Kel's hill, hence their namesake, the Kel Cobra. Even this far out, nearly 160 kilometres from their habitat, these infamous Danger Noodles were not very dangerous. Not unless they numbered in the hundreds, anyways. Why was it, then, that such a large congregation of these highly venomous snakes found themselves sun bathing on northward path, less than 5 kilometres from Arcadia?

"Argh!" A scream of pain crashed through the brush, no more than 30 yards from the Kel Cobra bed, "Puh-Kuh..." It was the voice of a male human, sputtering in pain as he tried to maintain his sanity. Spit flew from his mouth with every excruciating huff. Fortunately for him, the venom of the of the Kel Cobra was not lethal in small doses. Unfortunately for his ally, a cloaked Myti healer who struggled to keep him still, the pain inspired fits of muscle spasms, and delirium. She didn't bother telling him to hold still. The poison wasn't going to give him a moment to coordinate his thoughts. Instead, she dug her right hand's claws into his shoulder, and used her other hand to treat the bite, which sat just below the man's armpit. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out at all.

"I told you to keep your distance," the Myti hissed, "I wouldn't have brought you along if I- Well, I suppose I did know, didn't I? Feh..." Her words didn't reach him. At this point, she'd only been talking to herself. "Stupid. Stupid! I'm so stupid!"

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron gave the summoner a satisfied smile. "Not that inspiring no, howabout 'spotting large beasts that might want to kill us?'.
Nyxe's direction to Bron when asked to do the job brought a chuckle from the Lok'sha and he winked cheekily.
"There are not many of us in general," Bron replied to Caliban's statements. "And no, we do not use magic in the same sense as you do. My people cherish physical strength above most other attributes, and our magic tends to reflect that. I have been raised in that manner, though in many ways I am...an exception among my people." Bron chose the word 'exception' carefully, though the way he'd used it sounded more like 'outcast'.
"Where are you from? These days humans are so numerous it is hard to tell where any of your home tribes are."
He caught the slight tinge of, was it regret? as Caliban mentioned spells.
"I take it your tribe puts a lot of weight on 'spell slinging'," he observed gently.
"Summoning is quite a difficult skill I find, for you not only have to learn how to call your spirit, but earn its trust and cooperation as well. The virtues one is proven to have in those tasks, well, I find them more valuable than magical talent any day. How did you find your spirit?"

Bron looked at the sword on his belt as Caliban mentioned it and he smiled proudly. Who had taught him how to use it?
He patted the blade with a smile, "my mother did."

As the time wore on the Lok'sha kept scanning the horizon, though it remained as flat and unassuming as it always had. He began to wonder how long the watch shifts were, and if there would be anyone to take their place when it was over. He suppressed a sigh of boredom, almost wishing something would happen.

Fenris

 

[Berries]

Henry had flown out of the caravan and was surveying the area from well above the treeline. Luckily he had already eaten earlier that day, or else he would've had to take a break for food pretty soon. His keen eyes focused on the trees for around a three mile radius around the caravan, and he was well used to the work for this had been his primary use the last time Nei had worked in one of these large wagons. Checking to make sure that her bird was in position, Nei refocused her attention afterwards. Nodding in acknowledgement to Kaladin, she didn't say anything more to him for it seemed like he had entered some kind of concentration. However, when he reopened his eyes and pronounced that he had surrounded the carriage in wires, Nei's eyes narrowed in alarm.

"I assume that these wires will permit friendly access?" She inquired quickly, thinking immediately of Henry and his position above the caravan. If he were to come down she did not want her feathered friend cut up into pieces, for she doubted his light body would be able to withstand whatever defense Kaladin had presented. Nei glanced back at the not-bard and discovered he also seemed to be concentrating. Their rowdy bunch had quieted down with surprising speed. Now it seemed they were all willing to work together in order to achieve their goal, which was good. Nei felt slightly more at ease knowing the fact. Cracking her neck to one side, she realized she no longer had anything to do.

She sat on her bunk for a few seconds before growing bored. She hadn't had to deal with this last time as she had been required to spend her entire time wrangling those brain-dead venbu, so she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do now. Apparently Bron and Caliban had taken the first shift, even though they appeared to have multiple layers of protection. Figuring that she would relieve them later, for now Nei awaited Kaladin's answer in reference to the wires though she also stared at the non-bard Flin as he sat in concentration.

 

[Strago]

Strago hearing the orders he just rolled his eyes, "Anything suspicious." he said softly to himself. Something did feel off about this mission however, missing crew before leaving the city, seeking possible thieves and cutthroats, not to mention that well timed extra advice about looking for titan level monsters? Nothing of this was unheard of but Strago could not shake the feeling something might be wrong.

Grabbing tighter the leather straps to flint and steel Strago pressed onward down the road no longer looking back only forward "Tis a good day ta have a cup oh wak up juice handy ehh ladies?" wishing he had bought some whisky in town he made a mental note to look for it in the next village they stopped in.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin's hand twitched in shock for a brief moment as Kaladin spread out his wire technique, and relaxed afterwards after he'd explained what he'd done. He seemed slightly annoyed, which was easy to spot due to him frowning. He opened his eyes and looked at Kaladin. "I'll assume those quick, brief swoosh noises came from your wires, then. Next time, please tell me that before you use it. I've gotten used to all the noises that our crew makes, now." He stated in an annoyed tone, looking at Nei who seemed to be staring at him. He didn't exactly know much about her, but it was clear that she cared a lot about her bird, much like how he cared about his guitar.

He didn't exactly dislike her, as she did respect his wish to refrain from calling him a bard. Regardless of his personal feelings, the bird was an important asset to the crew as it provided a good visual on their surroundings. As such, he wanted to make sure it was safe. "...I could create an opening for your falcon to reach the caravan by damaging the wires, if ya want. But if Kaladin here can find a way to allow the bird access through his wires, it won't be nessecary." He stated, offering Nei his help. Kaladin's wires could probably be remade, after all, but Nei's bird couldn't. With that, he closed his eyes again, focusing deeply again. He didn't exactly want the caravan to be hit by surprise, even for the brief moment that he'd been talking.

 

[Tex.Y]

***
Approximately 3-2 kilometres to the north, and closing fast, further along Centaurus' path***​

Kel Cobra had veered off of the path for one reason or another. Although still congregating in a massive huge pile, blocking the road, at least seven had veered south, heading towards Centaurus, with several more moving north, back towards their home. They were far enough from the dens of Kel that their sense of direction had faded. A few more wandered off into the western and eastern forest patches, putting several on a crash course for the injured man, and the Myti at his side. Two resounding hisses gave them away. The woman that tended their victim spun around and stood. She was unimposing, maybe 3 and a half feet tall, and draped in very dark green clothes that hugged her fur closely. The coloration of her pelt let her blend into the dark green underbrush easily, tortoiseshell brown with various green patterns along her exposed neck and legs. As the two Cobras slithered closer, she gave them a commanding stare, stopping both in their tracks. Suddenly her stance was upset, and she lurched forwards. "Ssshhh..Ss...Sahh! St-t-t-top thhhh..." The man at her feet stammered. He'd clutched her right leg tightly and pulled her back towards him. Without the Myti tending his bite, the poison was allowed to wreak total havoc on his senses. But, as she turned back to scold, and swat at the man, the two Cobras slithered forwards quickly and lashed at her forward-set leg.

***
Caravan Centaurus, several minutes later***
​

The Caravan came to an abrupt stop, crashing into the backsides of its Venbu, and shaking the entire construct violently. An absurd noise came from the two fluffy creatures as they were pushed forwards, trying their best not to proceed further down the road. Their panic was, of course, started by the creatures there were approaching from down the road. Snakes, with very long, crimson bodies. A faint green glimmer sparkled along the sides of their flattened heads as they extended outwards to reveal unfamiliar patterns in the creature's scales. They didn't stop moving forwards, but a few of them had expanded their neck in this manner, with their heads raised a few feet of the ground. They had to be 90 feet long, and approached the Caravan with a great deal of caution. The first to get within range of the wire-frame barrier felt a sting as a small portion of its defining neck was sliced off. It made it through the net with its thin body, regardless, and prompted the rest of its kind to retract their patterns, and slither carefully through the netting. It really was true, after all. The creatures of Thoris had an unrelenting desire to attack those who had colonised their wilds.

 

[Jensoman]

Flin Meeru

Flin's eyes flashed open abruptly as the hissing noises overwhelmed him and his entire body shook violently as the Caravan came to a halt. He quickly stood up. "There are snakes of some kind approaching our Caravan! Most likely Kel Cobra's, get ready!" Flin shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone from the main crew could hear Flin's voice clearly, including those on the outside of the caravan, yet the snakes outside couldn't. It was another one of Flin's spells, similar to telepathy, despite the fact that he still needed to move his mouth to speak the actual words. There was no actual sound coming from his mouth, though. With that, Flin headed over towards the entrance of the caravan. He did so with caution, aware that the snakes were close by. He readied his guitar and took aim at the snakes that were slithering through the wires.

With one quick swipe of his guitar, Flin launched a powerful soundwave at the snakes. It was aimed to smash into them and to send them flying into Kaladin's wires, with a great deal of force behind it. After doing so, he quickly jumped further back into the caravan to avoid any of the snakes from lunging at him. 'These creatures ain't stupid...if they were simply mindless beasts, the wires would have surely killed them by now..' He thought. Fortunately, it seemed like Kaladin's wires bought them some time. But for how long?

 

[Berries]

Nei had nodded along with the not-bard's words to Kaladin, seeing that she herself was in a bad spot after he hadn't announced the wires before putting them up. She smiled slightly at Flin's offer to make a opening for Henry and nodded a few times more. "That would be nice, he can stay up for awhile longer but if Kaladin is unable to retract the wires I will have to ask you to do so." She responded easily, backing off when the not-bard seemed to go back into meditation. Sitting down on the bunk she had claimed, Nei decided to take a nap. Since her shift was likely to be at night, it would be well worth getting some rest now. However, it was only a few minutes later that her sleep was half-broken. Kel Cobra. Henry was saying, but Nei was too groggy to register it until a few minutes later when the caravan stopped with a jolt that sent her flying forwards in her bed.

Snapping awake, Nei looked around. The not-bard was yelling, and she processed his words quickly. She had only encountered a Kel Cobra once before, but that had been more than enough times to convince her they were not beings to mess with. Why didn't you warn me? Nei scolded Henry, but blinked at the annoyed aura coming from the bird.

I did. You were sleeping. He said in irritation, and Nei sheepishly apologized before grabbing her bow and moving to the front of the caravan. She was just in time to witness the not-bard blast a few of them with a soundwave before darting back, and Nei herself stayed behind one of the caravan's walls until she was prepared to fire. She had two arrows loaded on her bow and quickly turned to face the snakes, firing both arrows simultaneously before spinning back into shelter. Loading two more she again turned out, shot, then moved back inside - noting that one of her two previous arrows had hit. She had been aiming for the heads, and a miss would be hitting anything but that target. From above, Henry was surveying the scene. You hit one, he informed her of her second volley. Her accuracy was quite low at the moment, but that was probably due to the fact she had just been asleep.

Kneeling down to load more arrows onto her bow, Nei looked over at the not-bard. "How many do you think there are?" She called over to him, wondering where the rest of their crew were. This would be a good a time as ever to assess their fighting abilities.

 

[Strago]

Jarring forward and seeing the straining venbu trying to stop from proceeding Strago quickly found out why. " There there me pretties ye jus wai ere, I'll take care of them beasties before they get ye." With one pull Strago stood up and jumped from the side of the caravan and pulled the giant ax from his back. " That's it ye slitherin devil's come meet sweet betty ye will jus love er wicked sharp kiss." Strago watched the oncoming creatures and stood between them and the Venbu just waiting for one to come within striking distance.

Hearing A shout from within about incoming monsters Strago just huffed to himself for a second a sudden burst of sound and seeing two arrows fly by Strago shouted "Whatch where yer aimin lads if yer hurt either flint o steel ye'll get ta know me fist on ah first name basis. With that Strago eyed the nearest snake and took charge and aiming at the neck began swinging sweet betty

 

[Fenris]

“Much better.” Caliban agreed with a nod, truly hoping that there would be no large monsters to spot just yet. Listening to Bron made him realize the fellow had his own burdens to bear; at least the Lok'sha sported a broad set of shoulders t do so. “Ah and a good thing we humans so numerous! It would make it rather difficult to disappear if there weren't enough of us or we where distinct as your own kin.” The rogue noted with a smirk seeming to pause and consider his next words, “Though, Marrenfell has always held a special place in my heart and my tribe believes all the best spell slingers live there.” He felt comfortable revealing this much to Bron as the craftsman seemed to share the fate of having left his home country involuntarily.

“My talents usually aren't the type to inspire trust and cooperation but every now and then they come in handy and allow for some interesting acquisitions. It's how I met Nyxe and she took a shine to me; though I know no mystic arts or arcane chants.” He shrugged and nodded once more toward the blade Bron had patted, “So a family tradition, ey? Perhaps there's a trick or two you wouldn't mind sharing? Swordsmanship's always seemed like a skill worth honing...” further words where cut off as something red darted toward the caravan, scaring their Venbu into a sudden stop that had Caliban scramble to stay atop his perch.

“What the!?” in the few heartbeats it took the rogue to regain his footing arrows and magic were already thundering into the large snakes and their driver had leaped from his seat brandishing an axe that looked better suited to felling tree's than these skinny beasts. A practiced motion made it seem as if Cali pulled a knife from thin air while taking a moment to pick his target, a red snake with prominent markings along its head. “Nyxe!” he called before sending the blade spinning toward the beast, but the call remained unanswered. The fae having dutifully gone off in search for anything 'interesting' was poking her head out of a bag filled with small mechanical parts that smelled of the large furry man on the roof. Only reluctantly relinquishing all but the shiniest of her new treasure she departed toward the commotion and her summoners call. ~Humans can be so needy!~ Nyxe mused as she passed the pair near the front; both of them plucking strings to very different effect. The elegant flow of motions almost had her pause to observe, but only almost.

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron smiled down at Caliban as he asked that Bron teach him.
"It would be an honour to pass on my family's cherished technique. As soon as we have a spare moment." Something then caught the Lok'Sha's careful eye. He watched the snakes approach with a tense wariness. "But it looks like that moment will not be now..."
They were beginning to slip through a barrier and the other members of the band were already on the offensive.
"If they get to the venbu we'll be stranded!" Bron called out to them. The task then became simple: take the foes out before they had a chance to strike the harnessed animals with their venom.

Bron rose and, summoning his power too him he crouched and leapt forward straight off the top of the caravan. The magic-infused spring carried him 20 feet, just behind the first volley of magical attacks. As he landed in the path before the wagon he made a slight depression in the earth.
Bron took up a position beside Strago, unsheathing his sword and brandishing it at the serpents.
"How now friend Beastmaster, I do think these foul creatures would be much better as belts!"
Bron stared the serpents down, giving a low snort in challenge. He took up a position that would not block his allies' fire, but would allow him to intercept the snakes if they chose to advance closer to the venbu. He watched Strago attack, keeping an eye on the other beasts to make sure the driver was not about to be flanked.

Fenris Strago