Fantasy Fading Flame (In Character)

[Kabboom]

"Yes. I knew him." Replied Salazar, with a sullen look about him. Seems like the subject hit something within him. "His daughter came down ill with an incurable Dark infection. There was no other way. I come here to strike him down, put him out of misery, but now is done." He ended.

The ruins seemed... tranquil now. As if the Dark had been dispelled. The adventurers are free to look around for loot now, should they wish to.

Jericho

"Alright then, don't just stand there, establish perimeter!" Jericho snapped the other guardsmen from their stupor with a hasty order. The men, who were still very shaken up by the jarring tone shift from 'we're going to die swinging let's kill the Darkmage' to 'all is good now', soon shook their heads and resumed duty. Jericho then took a good look around. Who are the new faces? Wait, aw hell no, more stragglers?

Lunala hopped off her horse and rushed towards the Inuin at once. At least the girl doesn't need orders, although she did gag a bit at the blood before beginning to heal him with magic. A sharp whistle cut through the air, coming from Maria. Jericho moved towards her position to inquire her on the situation and- oh come on, they have fire powers too? This trip has been a very enlightening one for him. For one, it was probably statistically impossible for a party with such a bleak destination like this one, to pick up nearly twice its original amount of travelers along the way. Why are these people even in the damn Darkwoods? It's not like it's prime real estate. Well, free real estate, sure, but no buzzard with a sane mind is gonna set up camp in the Forest of Horrors for a night or two.

No matter. They're here, and they'll do what they were sent here to do. For one, the newcomer identified herself as a Guardian. Mighty coincidental that she was here. Peeking over to Maria, Jericho simply interjected between the two ladies. "Maria, status report. What happened? And you, fiery miss, answer her. Why are you here?"

Midrick QizPizza Unwavering Knight SilverFlight Trappy Sybil Epiphany ShiyaRose -robert- Soviet Panda U UnbelievableCow Slop SCSaya06

 

[LoneSniper87]

Kaelynn

Kaelynn was about to respond when another fellow, a male, interjected. She turned her gaze to him. "I've been travelling. Wandering around, helping out would be Dark snacks and other people wherever I go. I figured with how... Unique i am i wouldn't he such a mystery to you folk? I mean, I've heard a few names go around of this... Lady in Flame, or, Embersworn, if I remember correctly..." She looks between the two of them. "I don't see the need for hostility. 'oh, the Incruscan girl that can turn on fire helped us, she's a threat.'" she then narrowed her eyes at Jericho. "What is your name?"

 

[SilverFlight]

After a short rest Bron heaved a laboured sigh and slowly got to his feet. He felt fresh blood trickle and begin to cool and dry on his burnt skin. Already however, his connection to the earth and his oni powers were beginning to heal his body. It would be a long recovery however.
Bron moved slowly about the perimeter, running a hand across the jagged top of a broken wall. There didn't seem to be much left of the place. How long had this darkmage been here?
"So what now? Contract's over. I'm still alive," He grinned, a slightly eerie gesture coming from the mouth of the bull-like creature. "That means you still have to pay me." Slowly he looked to the others, those more involved in the fight.
"Who else is also not dead?"
Kabboom @ Anyone else

 

[Unwavering Knight]

Pryonn

Having emerged from the Beast's shattered hulk covered in multitudes of viscera, the knight could only register Pat's finishing move with dispassion. A gory deed, the man's enjoyment for his work evident tenfold as he crushed the darkborne aberration's cranium with its own limb. This was a matter that differentiated the two. Pryonn could acknowledge an excitement when about to face darkborne foes, and he could definitely tell of the thrills he felt when pain hazed his mind and death felt close. Such were things he had been born for. But enjoyment in the mere act of killing? This he knew to revile.

The knight's musings were interrupted when he was wholly enveloped in the darkborne-light, forced to look upon the tragedy that had befallen the Beast and her sire. Unlike other would-be watchers, the knight beheld the spectacle and unfolding misery at first with simple curiosity. He understood little of the details of normal human lives, of children being raised by loving parents, even if he had certainly heard and read much of such. Thus, it was only natural that his puerile interest soon divided into conflicting emotions; sadness for the people's undeserved misery, pity for the girl's descent into monstrosity, the sire's madness. Yet, the knight also felt jealousey, shameful and begrudged as it was.

The workings of a family, of loving parents sacrificing everything to ensure their child's future. Such a thing was an utterly alien thing to behold for him, and it filled the knight with a deep loneliness, a reminder of something he never had. His birth had been an unforeseen happening, an unfortunate event, a mistake. For this mistake, he had been taught he needed to atone.

Spoiler: And atone he did.

The darklight weaved no panic upon the knight. Instead, it worked to fuel a bitter self-hatred mired in a deep feeling of impurity, underscored by hopeless loneliness.

His empty hand gave the slightest twitch, futilely gripping for the flail he had discarded earlier, desiring to let the instrument dance across his matter once again, to let purifying pain wash away the taint.

Spoiler: He remembered those words. Those pain-sweetened words.

"Were it but for the sympathy of one fellow living being, you might make peace with all." the Monster spoke for the first time in a decade, its voice carried by a thousand blood-spitting maws "Perhaps you'd have love in you the likes of which can scarcely be imagined, but now you can only have rage the likes of which can not be believed. I broke your mind for purpose, to crush your will for cause, that thus you can not satisfy the one and so you can only indulge the other. Rage, little parasite, accept my only mercy; your abhorrent life's end here and now." Its single eye cared not to even glance at him, transfixed entirely upon the Smith's corpse before its gaze.

It needed no eye to see. All it did was raise its flail, barely more than a ceremonial gesture.

Quietly, the knight sank to his knees, banner-spear clattering to the ground beside him as his hands and fingers twitched and jerked, a sudden outburst of need for purity leaving Pryonn nigh-senseless in his need to claw at his helmet or rake across his chestplate.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Buras looked up as he heard the voice of the little girl. What was she talking about? Yes, he was hurt, it should have been fairly obvious that he was, it wasn't exactly being hidden. And she wanted to know how to, and he might be misunderstanding this, get his skin? He decided to ignore the first question, and answer the second. "I was born with my skin, little one, just like you were born with yours."

It was around that time that Lunala reached him and begun her healing. He adjusted himself into a sitting position to be as comfortable as possible as his wounds were closed. "I am not dead yet." He shouted at the large thing that had asked. "The darkborne has been silenced, Jericho." He continued to shout, stating the obvious to his leader.

"Might as well see what hides here." A short moment of silence was broken by Buras' muttering. He felt strong enough to stand and move about, if slowly. "Come, little one. You can go where I cannot. And Healer, I need you yet."
Kabboom -robert- SilverFlight

 

[Kabboom]

Jericho

He recalled hearing her name, Kaelynn, some time ago. Before this mission, he'd read up on an Embersworn wandering about in the Darkwoods by coincidence. Guess that's called foreshadowing. "The name's Jericho. And no hostility intended. We've just had our fair share of stragglers showing up conveniently." Such a power could prove useful in the woods. Fire burns bright against Dark and animals alike, plus, if they find themselves ambushed by the normal denizens of the forest, fire can scare them away more effectively than bullets or steel. Plus, fire can spread in such a thick place, would work wonders against Darkspider hives, or at least be used to cordon off a zone against Darkborne. And if she is a threat, then she can be taken care of. As much fire as there is, a Magisteel Halberd will still cut through her like paper, unless she finds a Magisteel suit of armor out of nowhere. The pros outweigh the cons. Yes.

"If you want to join us, then you are welcome. Be forewarned: our travel will be perilous, and..." Audaton paused as he glanced back to his... posse, specifically the naive Lunala hastily following the gigantic Buras (at least, gigantic in comparison to the frail maiden), with Leafa in tow, asking childish questions like always. "...our party might not be the best travel-mates."

With that said and done, his job was done here. Maria can handle the rest. Her... slight prejudice against Kaelynn's kind might be a hindrance, but if needed, he'll talk to her in private later. What was left, was to wrap up. The party can afford maybe an hour of dicking around at this place, before they have to head back. They won't want to be caught in the forest after sundown. "We have one hour, fellas. Any loot you get, share with the group! Happy hunting!" He hollered out to everyone, as he went to dig. The Guardsmen followed too.

As he started mucking about in the rubble, he could overhear Salazar. "No, contract over when I say is over, and it is not over yet." He paused for a fair bit, mumbling to himself and staring at Jericho's party members. No doubt thinking. This many people, so deep in the Darkwoods, after a rumor had spread about an artifact deep in the Forest of Darkness. If he pitched in, no doubt he could barter for a hefty sum of reward payment for his contribution to the oh so glamorous war effort. And with his still full and mostly undamaged wagon of supplies and potions, he might assume he could make it. Foolish, but never turn away free help.

"We go with this party, I triple pay with every day. Deal?" Salazar continued. Well, that's kinda cocky.

And the dig continues. Quickly.

Midrick QizPizza Unwavering Knight SilverFlight Trappy Sybil Epiphany ShiyaRose -robert- Soviet Panda U UnbelievableCow Slop SCSaya06

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron had one last poke around the ruins. He did not find much, a small medallion with a flying crow emblazoned on the front. He slipped the trinket into a small pouch and went to rejoin his patron.

He raised a hand at Buras, who had answered him. "Well met then, now that we are no longer getting pummeled."

He listened to the new orders, regarding Jericho's team with a curious smile playing across his broad muzzle. He chuckled. "You should see some us when we have to skip a meal."
The oni glanced around slyly. "Though, I will not name any names."
Salazar gently reminded Bron of the agreement and the oni raised his hands in polite surrender. "Yes, it is over when you say it is over, or if you are dead, or if I am dead. As none of those has happened then lead on." He gave a pleased chuff at the sound of triple pay.
"For that you can even get me to take the early morning watch without griping!" Bron hated the last watch of the night. He liked rising only when they were required to move.
Kabboom Soviet Panda

 

[Trappy]

Maria

The guardian stood and watched the exchange unfold between Kaelynn, the real shady self-claimed guardian and Incruscan who appeared naught but moments before the fight concluded and her commander, and as soon as the talking began to wrap up, Maria made her exit and slowly made her way across the site.
"Well . . . now that we've all made acquaintances, let's look into mopping up this place and head back to the outpost."

She strode past the newcomers, particularly keeping an eye on the one wagon which Salazar's party arrived on. Strangely, there was no horse or beast of burden, nor handles to pull, while the wheels seem to glitter with some sort of arcane influence. Maria assumed the enchantment was meant to replace horses or beasts to pull the vehicle.

Eventually, she made it to the ruins behind the Darkmage and the Beast, which passage was originally prevented by a screen of Dark energy, which seemed to have dissipated with the dark-touched's demise. Inspecting the grounds and walls for any manner of traps, the guardian slowly and carefully pushed further into the ruins and searched for any kind of loots.

Kabboom

 

[-robert-]

Leafa

Accompanied by "the man with pretty skin", Buras, and "magical lady", Lunala, Leafa set off to explore the ruins. Since the skirmish came to an end, Leafa allowed Pip and Tooth to roam around freely... well, not that Tooth would do much roaming around. "Pip, wait! Don't go too far, ok? Oh, and could you bring me something to eat? Thanks!" In response, Pip nodded, and went off. "Tooth you... hmm, you've been getting bigger lately, ooo, maybe if you keep getting bigger and bigger you'll become one of those huge mouth creatures and you'll be able to protect me! So get eating!" She laid Tooth on the ground near some small insects and plants, and, seemingly understanding of the elven child, it began feeding itself. "And as for you Ko-" As she came to realization that her butterfly friend was no longer with her, a frown spread across her face. "Ko... even if you were very silent... you never left my side... I'd give everything to go back home... with mommy and daddy, you three and Berry... ah, Berry, I miss her so much too..."

"Huh?"

A soft scratch to her boot made her lose her train of thought, it was Pip, who carried a piece of bread with him."Ugh... being sad is such a waste of time... heh, daddy used to tell me that a lot." Shifting her attention to Pip, she grabbed the bread he brought and ate half of it, saving the rest for later. "Thanks Pip! Come on, I'm tired of doing nothing, let's go get Tooth and help the man with the pretty skin!"

And so they did. After rejoining with Tooth, the elven child and her team of animals went up to Buras and Lunala. "Hi again! Do you need help with anything?"

Soviet Panda Kabboom

 

[Soviet Panda]

Buras searched the ruins high and low, squeezing through doorways and crouching in the small rooms they lead into. He was in one of these rooms when Leafa spoke up. He tried twisting his head over his shoulder, but instead bumped it on the ceiling. Growling his displeasure, he instead awkwardly looks under an arm. "You can go where I cannot, little one. That is why I have brought you along. This place was not built with my kind in mind. You, however, you will have no problem slipping into even the tightest of spaces."

He waddled deeper into the room, carelessly knocking over whatever ended up in his way and grumbling his displeasure every awkward step of the way. Soon he came to a partially buried hatch that he could only assume lead to some sort of basement. Clearing away some of the debris, he strains against the remaining rubble, and manages to lift the hatch. Propping it open with a shoulder, he sees that the stairs have not withstood the test of time and lie in a heap at the bottom.

"Come here, little one, and give me your hand. You will see what is down there. I will be right here, and if you don't want to be down there anymore, grab my arm again." He was going to carefully lower the small elf down into the basement, a place he suspected would be even smaller than the room he was in now. "Healer, can you give her a light so she does not stumble around in the dark?"
-robert- Kabboom

 

[Midrick]

Pat watched as the dark fluids filled the mini trenches of the cracked cobblestone before a blinding light surrounded him. After watching the history of the aberrants he had faced a feeling of horror came over his mind, but he was never one for helplessness, the vision caused his mind to frenzy, fueling his rage, his anger. But it wasn't aimed at anything in particular, like a rabid dog or raging bull, he wanted to watch the world erupt in fire around him. After the vision passed in his minds eye he saw something, it was brief. Like a flash of a sword blade when it reflected the sun, but he saw it, and the thing was terrible. It looked like a demon of some sorts, but exuded a power that could make a man run in terror at the mere thought. The raw fury could be felt with every moment spent in its presence... then it spoke.

He would never forget that voice. It was like a million shouts of anger compressed into a single moment. An inhuman, animalistic tone made the skin crawl and a underlying, almost inbred fear of the being. 'Burn.' it spoke, he wanted to cover his ears, gouge his eyes out, and tear at his face to escape this unknowable beast. The one second he saw felt like eons next to this insanity inducing creature. But the hysteria died down, replaced by an ember, that grew to an inferno. There was no fear when anger drove the mind, nothing but the need to rip and tear and destroy. It was simple, it was power.

His fists clenched, feeling an intense heat, the grey stone around his boots blackened and cracked. His face contorted into a silent snarl as heat distortion shimmered around his outline. Although the beast only flashed for a second it, its image was branded into his memory, along with the enlightenment that the thing brought with it. He wanted to do what it showed him, what it told him; He wanted to burn.

Spoiler: The beast

 

[Kabboom]

And so the excavation/scavenger hunt continued well into the hour that their commander had allotted. The guardsmen dicking about yielded minimal results, much to the disappointment of the men; the best they could find were broken chunks of rusted armor and weaponry, which bore remnants of elaborate and elegant markings on them. One could even spot the insignias and markings of ancient noble knight houses, if they cared enough. But the Guardsmen were up to something else, while all the prominent members of the expedition continued excavating: collecting rubble. The ruins, albeit being... well, ruins, were built quite sturdily, perhaps even surpassing the paltry Imperial standard for construction materials even now (or back then - the standard hasn't changed that much) and as such, would make for fine supplements to the outpost walls. After some creative application of tape-paste found within one of the men's pockets, the chunky blocks of wall were fastened onto the horses, to the delight of the Guardsmen and the annoyance of all the horses involved.

The others found odd objects around the place too, such as the fragmented spear tip found by Maria Theodosiel. Especially the unlikely trio of half-Giant, elfling and terrified lady: Buras found himself a badly-bruised but otherwise functional war axe. Oddly enough, when grabbed with one hand, it forms to the grip easily, with just enough space to maneuver comfortably with just the one arm. Grasp it with a second hand, however, then the thing maneuvers differently, conforming to a heavy-hitting two-handed axe's characteristics instead. Lunala found a cracked orb next to the axe, which, when shaken, produces a bright yellow light. And Leafa found a dirty book, with the title 'So You Found Yourself A Dog: Pet Ownership For The Uninitiated' scratched onto the hardback cover.

With everything accounted for, the party headed back, with the Giantess Aymeline awkwardly saying hello to everyone once they regrouped. Audun remained aloof, albeit a bit somber; after all, that's what happens when people lose wives.

A few hours later...

Night has come.

As the party returns to the place at sundown, the weary cheering of the garrison could be heard, heralding the return of... the majority of the expedition. Friends embraced each other with joy, along with some mild humor found in the anti-climactic way the battle ended for the Guardsmen reinforcements. In truth, they were just glad they didn't lose more of their brothers.

The trees had been stripped of their leaves by the Guardsmen, as per usual. They'd made a habit of it after their first time in this outpost, due to the... nature of the nights spent in this part of the Darkwoods. A contingent of faint blue Light sprites have been released into the vicinity to act as scout elements and illumination for when the enemy inevitably comes. A somber mood befalls the outpost at night, with a few campfires lit on all heights, along with their respective groups of hungry soldiers munching on their rations. Quartermaster Scully could be seen along with his rats in the armory, sharpening all kinds of tools with a grinder he pulled out of the storage room somewhere. The grinding noise was muffled somewhat by a harmonica's tunes, played by a more carefree soldier dangling his legs over the inner walls, his music enjoyed by his peers. Atop the highest floor, the viscount can be seen shivering from the cold as he and his subordinates scouted the flanks leading up to the outpost with binoculars, with Lieutenant Finn eyeing the wooden ballista that had been fashioned out of the felled trees this morning, courtesy of the Giant Gaheris.

The air of combat was here, everyone could sense that somewhat. But until then, life continues as normal.

Jericho

The hell's he gonna do with half a shield?

Sure, it looks nice, but it's broken. In half, nonetheless. And it wasn't even a big shield to begin with. He can faintly make out some inscriptions here and there, an oath of something (the something part was on the other half it seems), and the entire construct had a rusted yellow color, but other than that, it's useless. At least he found the handle - or rather, the first part of it - still attached. Not really ergonomic for the hands, considering it's been squashed down, but still attached.

Tharek can probably assist with that. A quick visit to the big loaf provided him with help - although Mortaghen is not happy with using his powers for a simple shield. Some manual un-squashing will do. For the meantime, he'll just... take a sit. Yeah, right on the wall. That's nice. It's chilly tonight. Thank the Light for his fur coat.

Midrick QizPizza Unwavering Knight SilverFlight Trappy Sybil Epiphany ShiyaRose -robert- Soviet Panda U UnbelievableCow Slop SCSaya06

 

[-robert-]

Leafa

Leafa couldn't help but to let out a giggle at the sight of Buras struggling to even move an inch in the confined space he found himself in, his relatively giant frame made it hard to move without going into some sort of object, this of course, was no problem for little Leafa, who traversed the room with ease. Lunala, the magical lady, also accompanied them, but Leafa didn't pay much attention to her, entertained with watching Buras stumble into everything that came along.

Eventually, the three of them came across a half buried hatch that seemed to intrigue Buras, she watched with curious eyes as the man revealed a hatch that lead to some sort of hidden room. "Huh? You want me to go down there? Ok, I'm not afraid!"

The room, only visible due to the light spell cast by Lunala, had clearly not been visited in a long time; mountains of dust and cobwebs, cockroaches and ants on every corner and the unbearable moldy odor made this obvious. Leafa, not seconds in, felt a stinging sensation on her skin, and began coughing constantly. "I hate this! Giant man, get me out of here! PIP, where are you?! Come back now, I am not spending one more minute here!" And on cue, Pip returned to her side.

"Ok, we're ready! So, Pip, what did you find? Ooo, what's that?" Intrigued by the miniscule object Pip carried in his paws, Leafa crouched and gently took it away from him. "Uh... what is it-woah!" Out of a sudden, the tiny object transformed into a weapon, an axe! Surprisingly, as she held the axe in her hands, it felt... right. She had no difficulties wielding the weapon, the size was just perfect for her, she actually felt like the axe was made with her in mind! "This is so cool! I have to show them!"

"Giant man! Magical lady! Check out what I found! Well, what Pip found! At first it was like, super small, but once I touched it, it changed size! And it feels like it was just made for me and- actually, here giant man, just take it!"

Soviet Panda Kabboom

 

[Epiphany]

Aymeline

The Giant made the trip back to the outpost offering to haul anything substantial looted from the ruins. For once, she was grateful for the slower stride of the smaller people. She'd taken some savage hits in that fight, wounds that still ached even now. Already, the Light returned to her, waves of vitality replenishing what she'd expended in that colossal fight, but healing injuries was beyond her. Time would do that. Assuming they had the time.

Upon returning to the outpost proper with the rest of the ruin expedition, Aymeline left anything she'd hauled at the stairwell leading up into the outpost itself. For a Giant, actually entering the way everyone else did was impractical. So she went with her usual entrance. Aymeline stretched both arms up, hopped up and caught the edge of the battlements overlooking the outpost. Her gleaming chainmail shimmered in the torchlight as she pulled herself up. The Giant gave a friendly wave to several of the guard on duty before dropping down to the courtyard, making an audible thud likely to turn the heads of anyone who wasn't used to it.

Her red eyes gleamed like rubies in the cooking fires of the outpost as she took in the situation. Receiving her share of "Hey Big Ay!" from various soldiers she'd come to know, Aymeline returned waves with a cheerful wave of her own and friendly greetings. Exhausted, hurting, and knowing that there was more work ahead tonight, the Giant stepped across the courtyard and unslung her pack, dropping it heavily against a section of outpost wall that was suspiciously clear of supplies or people. Without question, her usual sleeping spot.

Then she made a point of dropping by supply and setting down a curious set of three swords bound together, two forward and one pointing back. To the Quartermaster Scully, she said with a grin, "Wouldn't you know; not as useful as one might have hoped. If you come up with any other ideas, I'll...give them a try."

Spoiler: Three Swords?!?!

With the flash of a smile, Aymeline made for her resting spot and sank down to lie against the wall. The enemy would come soon. But there were guards on point, sentries who would alert her. For now, she would doze and get what rest she could.

 

[Trappy]

Maria
There wasn't much she managed to find from peaking around the other sections of the ruins, aside from a spear tip, which was not even a whole spear tip - it looked like it was violently snapped in half at some point by something . . . or someone. An amazing demonstration of strength, certainly, though half-a-spear-tip hardly had any use for Maria. Soon enough, whatever loots found from the site were gathered and the company began to pack up their things and head back to the outpost. Thankfully, the journey back was uneventful, and the extra cart generously loaned by the mage Salazar allowed the exhausted and wounded a somewhat more restful trip. Lunala, the little girl, rushed about and helped the wounded as much as she could. The kid got into hell without fully-knowing what she was walking into, yet she was still doing her best, how could they - guardians of the Light - afford to do any less?

The night was calm, and rest came to most members of the expedition soon enough, some sooner than others, as casualties were suffered, though it certainly did not come to Maria with the adrenaline still lingering. First: dinner, she looked for something to fill her stomach, and proceeded to the mess hall. The ale was briny, though functional, and hot, actual food is always good, her flask was filled with mulled wine. Left to her own devices and no willing company in sight, Maria took out the bracelet she found earlier, and inspected it more thoroughly, as she intended to. Besides the mysterious glyphs carved into its exterior that she could not make any sense of, the ruby did seem unnatural, upon a second look. There were some faint activity, barely visible under the lantern light. A little sprite of energy, sparking against the 'shell' of its ruby container. She would have someone to take a look at it, but that's something can be done later.
Then, with her hunger sated, and some hesitation, she went to see the Quartermaster again to retrieve her equipments, with chuckles coming her way as the Guardian made it to the office, to which she tried to show no mind. The equipments were seemingly cleaned, polished and kept in pristine conditions. The Quartermaster apparently had too much free time on his hands, and so tended to Maria's equipments to pass the time. Strange choice for a recreational activity, though she was not complaining. The Guardian was thankful.

As she wandered upon the wall, the Guardian ran into her commander, who was resting for the night, though apparently not snoozing away just yet. Perhaps he could take a look and have a clue on the bracelet on her wrist?
Or perhaps not, he surely wouldn't be interested.

"Chilly night, Audaton. Mulled wine?" Maria offered the flask as she approached and settled down beside him. "How are you doing?"

Kabboom

 

[SilverFlight]

It was with great pain that Bron took back his human form. Much of the time the others spent rooting through the rubble for treasures he spent stemming the blood from his wounds and wrapping burned flesh.
He didn't complain as they made their slow way back to the camp and he was grateful that the soldiers didn't give him so much as a second glance as he stepped into the confines of the palisade.

The earth was better here. He could already feel its power seeping into him, easing the pain and healing. He would be much better by morning.
It didn't take him long to sit down with some of the other men. Bron had a few good stories to tell, and once ale was offered his spirits were very much lifted. Soon he was laughing a joking with the loudest of them, his burns suddenly dulled by good humour and alcohol.

"...and then, stark naked, his pride dangling there for all to see, he goes to his post, runs up the flag and turns to salute to the entire camp!"
He finished his latest story to an uproar of uncontrollable laughter. Bron grinned and lifted his cup and the others did the same. The subtle air of tension wasn't lost on him. Bron may be new to the camp, but he could sense the men were expecting a battle, and soon.
The resounding crash of Aymeline hitting the courtyard floor did draw Bron's gaze. He watched her for a moment, saw the strange weapon.
"You got a fork?" He asked by way of greeting. Then his smile broadened on his human face. "Come! Drink! The fire's warm and the ale's not half bad." He grew only slightly more serious. "Some of those wounds don't look great. I will tend them for you, if you'll tolerate it from...someone like me."

Kabboom Epiphany

 

[LoneSniper87]

Kaelynn's trip back with the others was quiet to say the least. She stuck to the middle of the pack, her weapon sheathed across her back. Nobody asked her questions, and she didn't bother to ask any back. It would have been no good, especially if they started asking the wrong questions. They got into the camp with no fuss, although she did get a few odd stares from the guards. Glancing down, she saw the red dragon's head of her amulet peeking out, so she quickly tucked it back under her shirt, hoping nobody noticed the action. Satisfied nobody would bother her, she did the most logical next course of action, stake out a spot to sleep. She wandered and wandered, looking for something that fit her tastes, until eventually she came upon the top of one of the battlements. It was quiet, secluded, and perfect for her. She tossed her stuff down and got down on her knees, mumbling a prayer to her goddess, careful of anyone who may stumble across her.

 

[Epiphany]

Aymeline

Despite the late hour, Aymeline can hear the uproarious laughter and loud jokes traded across the fire. When returning the three bladed sword, she heard Bron's remark on it and smirked in his direction, sharing the amusement at the ridiculous weapon. But as she pulled away from supply to find her place to rest, the Giant paused at the vocal invitation to join. Being what she was, she didn't receive a lot of such offers. This outpost had grown as used to her as any place, with the men smiling at the sight of her, but that was due to her great warhammer and the scores of monsters she'd slain. Being asked to join a fire for merriment was pretty new in her life experience.

Her answer was to step closer to the fire. The men seeing her approach yielded some room to admit her, for she couldn't just squeeze in to existing spot. Aymeline dropped to one knee before sitting carefully, at which point she offered a smile of gratitude to Bron. "I'm fine," she said, waving off a man who dubiously offered her a mug of ale. Nevermind the tankard was a teacup for her, it would take a prodigious amount of their reserves for her to share their inebriation. Ale was in short enough supply here, no need to strain their hospitality.

Bron's initial observation on her wounds was met with a shrug. Then the Giant lifted an incredulous eyebrow at his offer to treat them. Not the first time she'd had that offer but hardly a common experience. Aymeline's wine-colored eyes gleam in the firelight as she slowly nods before looking somewhat puzzled. "Those Darkborne were as fierce as any I've ever faced. We were lucky to walk away from that at all, much less with such wounds as we received." She gave his own burns a measured look before fixing Bron with a steady smile.

"And there's nothing to tolerate, my friend. You fought bravely and well. What you are, what you can become, means less than what you do. Even if I were judgemental, I'm hardly in a position to judge being what I am."

After all, Giants were not well thought of in the Empire.

SilverFlight

 

[Slop]

Ezra, the Mad Scholar
​

As the light gains purchase, spirits are lifted and purpose is made clear; though the effulgence of a gibbous moon only fattens the thirst for extravagance. The storm has passed, and dusk has settled - there were little activities within the vicinity which Ezra would have taken pleasure in partaking. Moreover, vistas of the imminent restless hours before him had already revealed themselves to the mad scholar. He knew of the frivolous fruits standing idly about would have bore, and could almost feel physically his calling and responsibility as the scholar consume and devour him insidiously; like a deathly case of pins and needles.

I best depart for my observatory whilst the lot is distracted.

Greater Teleportation

I t was time for Thomas Ezra leave. He had seen everything.

 

[-robert-]

Leafa

The sun had disappeared and the moon could be seen in the sky, the darkness made it impossible to continue exploring the ruins even aided by a light spell, at least for the elven child. Leafa had to admit, she felt exhausted, an unusual feeling for the ball of excitement in question. Her forehead was excruciatingly hot, but she felt freezing cold. Wrapped in a blanket she received from a soldier, she laid in a rather secluded patch of grass and admired the tiny shiny dots who colored the night sky. A yawn escaped her mouth and her eyelids got heavier, inside her head, almost by default, a simple and familiar melody played on repeat. But mixed in with the melody, she began to hear a hushed voice in her head, near inaudible even.

"Take him... too?" "Wait... what..." "Trust... him?" "This... voice... thought... it's not... mine..." "Pointed ears... hair is yellow... trust him?"

Pieces in her mind began to connect, only one person she had met fit that brief description. She quickly began to recall his facial features, his flowy blond hair...

"Yes... that is him..." "Ah, Yellow-Hair... you can trust him of course... wait who are-"

Loud voices came not from afar, some "tall people" shared laughs and drinks around a fire. Their intense voices caused the little elf to snap back to reality. Attempting to rest in such environment was impossible, and seeing as her headache had oddly faded away, Leafa got up and decided to join the group of giants. Up close, they seemed even more tall and imposing, muscular builds, deep voices, everything about them was intimidating... but certainly not to Leafa. Showing no signs of fear, the young elf made her way across the group of giants, but stopped at the sight of a female giant, well, at the sight of her hips.

"Woah... how does it feel like being so tall? Do the clouds tickle you?"

Epiphany

 

[SilverFlight]

Bron looked pleased when the giantess came over, and the other soldiers had no issue making a place for her by the fire. At her mention of luck he grunted with a smile.
"Luck had nothing to do with that battle. It was skill and fearlessness that saw us all through. You have some good fighters on your side."
He leaned behind the bench to a worn cloth bag and pulled out the small pack of supplies he had used to care for his own injuries.
The poultice he produced from a small clay pot had a sweet, peppery scent that was not altogether unpleasant. It warmed on the skin as he wrapped the worst of Aymeline's cuts, burns and bruises with a gentle hand.
As he worked he seemed to take her words to heart. It was evident by his uneasy smile that he wasn't used to praise.
"That's true enough. I can't imagine it's easy for you either. Still though, when you can swing a hammer as well as you do, in the middle of a war that tends to warm folks up to you right quick." He glanced up to meet her eyes. He was surprised to realize that he meant it.
"But you're braver than I am to be sure." Bron had thought about walking into camp in his true form, but in the end, he decided it was best to continue hiding. It was...easier.
"So, how does a giant get mixed up with all this?" He gestured vaguely around them to indicate the Darkborne that were likely lurking in the woods outside the outpost.
Epiphany

A small voice made him turn and he cast his gaze about with a puzzled frown before finally looking down. The young girl that had asked the question looked barely old enough to hold a weapon. Her face was young but her air and stance spoke of a confidence born of having to do things by herself. Still, even in the oni clan she'd still be under some sort of protective watch. He felt a hint of worry for her.
"Is this post so desperate for fighters that it's recruiting babies? Here, youngling, where's your mam?"
-robert-

 

[Epiphany]

Aymeline

SilverFlight
Resting in front of the fire, surrounded by a dozen warriors of the outpost, the Giant considered the newly met Guardian. At least that's what she assumed he was. Still, she smiled in answer to his, the expression possibly a little odd to the average person unused to seeing a face twice the size of their own. "We had skill, certainly. And determination, if not fearlessness. But then, so did they. Thankfully, our fighters proved better than theirs. I for one am glad we made it out with so few casualties."

When the big man moved to treat her wounds, Aymeline stretched before shrugging out of her long-sleeved vest, exposing a length of gleaming chainmail covering her form. The Giant then peeled off the famous Giant-wrought mail, the Brilliant Jade Panoply. She dropped it to the ground, the rings making a loud clamor as a hundred pounds of metal clattered next to one knee. Unarmored, Aymeline wore only a light, bloodied tunic. It did little to conceal a figure that might be quite eye-catching, if not for her being so much larger than nearly anyone she met.

She winced slightly as the poultice began to do its work on her cuts and bruises. Then the Giant chuckled, a sound both higher in pitch yet far more resonant than a woman's chest normally made. "Yes, war is the great equalizer. All blood looks the same in the dark. And I expect more blood to be shed before the sun rises on us tomorrow morning. Still, it takes more than courage to fight beside people who don't trust you. I became a Guardian to help the Empire but I never expected welcome or acceptance. So, whenever I receive it, it's..." she paused thoughtfully before smiling a little and saying, "It's a nice surprise."

"Oh, how did I come to be here? I was assigned. Well, I requested to be assigned. I think I could have retired after the Meriward Campaign but what would I do?" Aymeline's great shoulders shrugged, her broad hands spreading wide to reveal a warrior's calluses. "Pump the bellows of a forge? Carry cargo? No, the Light gave me power. It's poor gratitude to show the Light if I keep that power to myself instead of spending it to help others. Besides, do you have any idea how boring carrying cargo all day is?" She grins, her easy humor lightening what would have otherwise been heavy words indeed.

-robert-
Bending her head down towards the unexpected voice, Aymeline peers through the firelight at the small elf beside her. Then she snickers. "The clouds don't tickle me, no, but you'd be surprised at how many doors I've hit with my head. What does it feel like, being so short? Do you ever have to get out of the way of horses that don't see you?"

 

[Midrick]

Pat walked back to the camp with the convoy, he hadn't remembered finding anything while he was in the ruins. But a large hilt along with the base of the blade. The craftsmanship was vaguely familiar and reminded him of the technique he used to create his axe. His first stop was to the half giant, Tharek Morthagen. Although the man protested he eventually did help Pat make a large sword. The end result from their work was a large blade, the sword was big to say the least.

Spoiler: Zweihander

(Size comparison)

Despite the large size of the sword he found it was surprisingly light. Possibly due to his strength and familiarity with heavy weapons, or due to superior metalwork. He thanked the half breed before assuming the carrying position for such blades. He mounted the ricasso on his shoulder and walked back into the populated parts of the camp. The remnants of his axe was used in the creation of the blade.

He found a horse blanket and wrapped it along the blade as a makeshift scabbard to protect it. He then walked the ramparts unconsciously singing an old song he learned from his time as a mercenary. He passed a few guards on the battlements some made comments about the sword. He passed a pair that looked like they were the conscripted type. "Overcompensating for something." he asked in a mock tone of seriousness as Pat passed. "Ask your wife, she'll tell you." he said and both guardsman laughed at the exchange of insults. Being a mercenary in the empire wasn't a luxurious job, you were there to play the part of a hired hand, you were expendable and no really gave a shit if you made it or not. It was all about the money. But he did have his fair share of drunken proclamations of camaraderie after a battle, and that still counted for something. He stopped in a battlement along the wall and saw discarded strap. It still looked like it was in good condition and it would serve its purpose. He took the loops and slid it over the horse blanket 'scabbard' and hilt, before tightening the loops to make a back strapped scabbard. Was it practical, no, but it was better than having a constantly aching shoulder, he needed some damn way to carry it, and bare blades probably wasn't socially acceptable for the more upstanding parts of the empire.

He continued singing as he finished his ad hoc carrying device when he heard someone mumbling up on top of the battlement. He slung the sword over one shoulder, and found that it touched the ground. Well, that's a problem. he thought as he decided to go back to a shoulder carry. He proceeded up the stairs and emerged from a door way when he saw an incruscan woman kneeling and mumbling. "What's up mumbles." he said as he took a seat on one of the grooved cuts in the stone. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were practicing for something else." he said chuckling to himself, waiting for a reaction.

LoneSniper87

 

[Octo Girl]

Terra was purring in her sleep as the moon shone over her eyes, slowly waking her up. "Ugh..." She groaned as she slowly sat up on the cot she was previously sleeping on. Her hair was messy from the sleep, but she did not seem to care at the current moment. As Terra stood up and stretched, she let out a purr as she threw her arms out to the sides. "Man... that was such a good rest... How long was I out for though..." She asked herself as she started to put her hair down. "Dang it... I need to do something about this hair sometime..." She said as she finally managed to keep her hair down. She then got dressed in her regular outfit and went out of her quarters she was using.

 

[-robert-]

Leafa

Admittedly, Leafa wanted to experience what being so tall felt like, being able to touch the clouds, being able to greet the birds that flew by, being able to collect apples from trees without any help, and being able to look down and not up to talk to someone. But returning to the real world, she, ironically, looked up, put on a big smile and talked to the equally as big woman. "Hehe... a lot! But I could never get mad at them, horses are so cute! Also, I want to ask you something, can you ask a cloud to give you a little bit of her and then give it to me? They look so fluffy, I've always wanted to touch one!"

Epiphany

Near, a deep voice made her shift her attention to a large muscular man, bare chest despite the cold. In his face she could spot surprise and his voice had a joking tone mixed with a slight hint of concern. Even if he was just concerned for her, she was still taken back by the question, taking a second to recompose herself and put up a brave front before responding. "I... I don't know where she is... but I'm going to find her, don't worry! And daddy too!"

SilverFlight