Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[kase9187]

Aldaf noticed Zeke wake up. He stood up and put away his dagger, walking silently over to Zeke. He threw his arm around Zeke's shoulder.
"What about you, Sandman? What did you dream about last night?" He smiled warmly, but his eyes were filled with mischief.
"Did you dream about your skybeast… or something else?" He knew, from Zeke's outburst, that Aldaf was making progress getting to him.

SleepyCreamy

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

He fell asleep, miraculously, despite the commotion of the day, despite the fact that he’d awoken this morning to find he’d lost an entire year of his life, despite the fact that he was in a cave. His back pressed up against the cool rock, his arms folded gently across his chest, Matthias allowed himself to drift.

That night Matthias dreamed. It was a familiar dream. Familiar in the way that a dream became when it had been dreamt many, many, many times before. The dreams were always roughly the same. Some nights it was a nightmare. Other nights it was peaceful.

Tonight it was a bit of both.

Dream-Matthias stood in the center of a frozen Northarian lake. Snow fell and the northern winds howled. Everything, everywhere was white. He didn’t know how, but he knew - he felt - that somewhere out in this storm was someone dear to him. He could never be sure who. Sometimes he thought it was his father, or his youngest brother. Other times he thought it might be a dear friend, a lover, someone he has yet to meet.

”Hello!” He called, cupping his hands around his mouth, his words devoured by the snow, and the wind, and the yawning flat expanse of the lake.

Shapes moved behind the veil of snow. Fast, agile. Sometimes they hunted him. Sometimes they hunted the same thing he did. Sometimes, Matthias was them. Their howls joined that of the wind, together forming a haunting cacophony. It iced the blood in Matthias’ veins. Suddenly the words of the Proving Witness returned to him.

”Tell me your name!” He demanded. The shapes halted. Matthias thought they might be looking at him, appraising him. He held his breath. The shapes, apparently, found him wanting. No answer came. They disappeared behind the curtain of white. He shouted for them to return, to not leave him behind, but the wind snatched the words out of his throat and flung them into the air, lost. He woke up.


Matthias stood with the others. He said nothing. He looked at nothing. He reacted to the news of the rough day ahead of them with a furrowed brow and a tight set jaw. He was not a morning person.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
​

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

"Sudenta is generally hot year round, it doesn't really ever get to what we would consider cold. But then again, we live there so our idea of cold or hot is a bit different from the perspective of others. We're used to the heat and the rather impressive amount of rain. We're not exactly used to temperatures this low, no. I don't actually think I've personally experienced anything close to this cold before."

Caliban seemed all too happy to switch gears away from the original owner of his spear, regardless of how proud he was to own it himself. It was one of his favorite possessions and in regards to its make, usefulness and intricate patterns he could ramble on almost indefinitely if no one stopped him. But he wasn't ready to talk about 'him' just yet. He would barely ever talk to Lea about it. He gave Aldaf a subtle apologetic glance at the subject change. He wanted to talk to them, let them all get to know him better but he just wasn't ready to go in that particular direction. Not yet.

When Ferro returned and deemed it time for a rest, Caliban suddenly felt the exhaustion of the day hit him all at once. He realized he had been riding high on adrenaline and good cheer for long enough in one stretch that even the word 'sleep' acted like an off switch. His shoulder slumped slightly and he yawned for the first time that evening. He lay his pack on the ground and curled up as close to the fire as he could safely get, Mushu coming to rest at his side, the small beasts head resting under Caliban's chin.

"Good night, everyone. Tomorrow is the big day!"

With that, he quickly and quietly drifted off to sleep.

***************************
'No dreams for you this night, little wolf.'
Caliban floated on his back amidst an enteral sea of darkness. He felt nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing save for that disembodied voice.
"This is the fate that awaits you, little wolf. Eternal nothing. Cast into the void. Alone. None will save you."
He felt something then. A cold fear. No radiant joy or endless cheer to wash away the shadows this time. He was truly, utterly alone. Then there was another noise, like thunder. Steady, rhythmic. Not thunder. Wings.
"Begone wraith. Thy presence shall no longer be tolerated in this place."
This new voice was kind, but firm. Protective. It reminded him of his mothers voice. Suddenly, a bright flash erupted throughout the sea of black, washing away everything. An instant later, he found himself atop the crest of a mountain, blistering winds whipping at his jacket. A mighty gust pushed him back a step and forced his eyes closed. They opened again, and laying a few short feet from him was a single feather. Bluish-white in tint.
"Find me little wolf."
************************

Caliban bolted upright from his slumber, instantly awake. His heart pounded as though he had just finished running up the side of the mountain and back down. He tried to breath easy, saw a few of the others beginning to rise from their slumber. He closed his eyes again, doing his best to calm his furiously beating heart. As the others began to gather their things, he followed suit, strapping his pack into place and slinging his spear over his shoulder. Ferro was there, talking about stonewargs. He and Lea had hunted many beasts of varying degrees of danger, but the stories he'd heard about the things that dwell in the mountains...Well they were on a very different level.

"Never actually seen one before, but I heard a traveler tell a story about them once before on one of our rare visits into Sudenta's capital city. What are they really like? I can't help but imagine something that would eat a bear, how close am I?"

Cal was back at his usual level of cheer, still smiling even in the face of possibly meeting something horrifyingly dangerous and life threatening. The excitement was clear for all to see, sparkling in his eyes like pinpricks of firelight.

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[kase9187]

Aldaf waved to Cal, wanting him to come over. He also did the same to Katja. He left Zeke for a bit, to properly get his bearings. He talked to both Cal and Katja, his voice a bit low.
"Look, both of you, I'm sorry for prying, and I apologize if I came off as invasive. I'd just like for our problems to get sorted out before they become problems, okay? We're a team. I'm not justifying that what I did was morally right, I just wanted you to know that we're a team." He sounded sincere about his apology, and he bowed his head.
Aldaf walked over to Zeke's bag, picked it up, and returned it to him. "You never answered my question, Gryphon-head." He spoke, the laughter back in his voice.

Naberius SleepyCreamy explosiveKitten

 

[explosiveKitten]

Katja was busy rolling up the bedroll she had used last night, preparing to stow it away where it had been before, when she looked up and found herself being gestured at by Aldaf. She narrowed her eyes at him and was about to ignore him, when she decided to be nice.

She got up and approached the young man, with a neutral expression on her face as she did. She was waiting for him to reach up and attempt to yank off her mask, but he didn’t. Instead he apologized for being nosy, which she appreciated.

“... Listen, it’s no problem. At all. No hard feelings.” She said, glancing off to the side, “I didn’t mean to make you think that we weren’t a team. I want everyone to get off this mountain all the same. The more we work together, the more likely that is. I’m just... private. I wear the mask for a reason.”

She looked out over the trees and sighed, “Maybe, gods willing, one day, you’ll find out.”

kase9187

 

[AncientBird]

Serik returned to the group after talking to Ferro. He seemed worried.

“I don’t like the sound of this...” He said. “Pack predators can be very dangerous and painful to deal with, without assistance from skybeasts. Last time I came face to face with a huge pack of wolf, they cornered me and my father at a big pine oak tree when we were out retrieving traps. We had weapons, but they would certainly overwhelm us if my father’s pegasus didn’t come to rescue. And if stonewargs are way worse, I am afraid we are in for a big trouble.” Said Serik as he looked nervously out of the cave.

“Have any of you ever dealt with pack predators before?” He asked the other participants.

Featuring: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy Elenion Aura Lioness075

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf shook his head. "Not directly. Usually, the real big packs stay on the ground. Too easy to get picked off by certain things and hunters when climbing. I have dealt with things worse than wolves, but probably nothing as bad as a Stonewarg. We'll need to work together if we don't want to get killed." He plainly said, not disguising or sugar-coating his words. They were blunt and to the point.

SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten AncientBird SleepyCreamy Elenion Aura Lioness075

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

"I don't particularly see what knowing or not knowing the history of my weapon would change, to be honest. Though it's not as if you said or did something offensive to me. Some things are just...better left unsaid."

Caliban twirled the spear in one hand with practiced ease, a confidence in the fluid movements that came with years of training with the same weapon. Even the lacquer showed signs of how often he had it in his hands, some spots rubbed smoother than others with use.

"At the end of the day, what matters is how prepared we are and how much we can rely on each other. I've spent nearly my entire life hunting and trapping both for food and for profit. This spear is more or less an extension of my own body by this point. And as far as trust goes, just the fact that you and the others are standing here means some measure of trust is warranted. You could have easily slunk off during the night on your own and left the rest of us but you didn't, no one did. That's worth something."

Once again, Caliban's good cheer and radiant smile was matched in brilliance only by the sun itself overhead, his smile warm as a summer day.

"Lea and I have hunted our fair share of dangerous beasts but this is a new one. I think it's fair to say that Aldaf has the right of it, we need to work as a unit to stand the best chance of survival. Even if we're not friends, at this point in time we're allies. Comrades. We have to give enough trust to be able to stand at each others side in combat or our chances drop significantly."

An odd contrast to the severity and potential danger of the situation they could find themselves in, Cal never stopped smiling even once.

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[kase9187]

Aldaf openly laughed. Hard. "Cal, I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but there's just... such a disconnect between your words and smile. You talk of standing together as one, but your face! It looks like you're about to play a joke on someone!" Tears formed in his eyes. He calmed down a bit, after laughing. "Sorry, but I had to say it at least once. Just in case." He smiled, matching Cal's.

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Cal met Aldaf's smile with one of his own, and didn't seem to take the laughing to heart in the slightest. He felt he wasn't so much being laughed at as the strange clash of the words and his own temperament was.

"I don't see it as weird at all, honestly. Think about it. Whether or not you smile doesn't change the context or the information you're giving. But, a smile can put a person at ease. When you smile even in the worst moments, even in the darkest hours, you're saying 'Don't be afraid, because I'm not.' People will always react better to a smile than a sullen expression. A smile given at the right time can change a life. And since you never know when the right moment is, smile always."

kase9187

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: At the Cave Opening III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Mentions Naberius Lioness075 III✦III
III✦III Interactions: SilverFlight --Ferro-- kase9187 AncientBird III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III​

Zeke has always been an observer in some parts of his life. It has its own advantage and disadvantages, and one of those advantages is that he could just watch others as he pleases, and he may find some vital information at his disposal. At the moment, as Zeke sat there, minding his own business, he couldn't help but recall the events that happened last night. Last night, it showed that the group isn't as perfect as Zeke thought it would be. It has a few developing cracks as he recalled a few moments of a slightly uncomfortable moment regarding Aldof's meddlesome personality. Even Zeke himself told the boy a few facts about himself and a few of his worries, after all, the boy had a point about bottling one's feelings. Even Zeke told the boy once to never keep an intense emotion all bottled up. Zeke would hate it if he were to just ignore his own advice.

However, a person who he recalled as Leandra did pique his interest. Her head-strong personality and her strong spirit to protect her precious brother did remind Zeke a bit of himself towards his own mother. He could get a bit sharp-tongued when so much as a mosquito decides to penetrate her skin. He is extremely protective of those who he loves and he respects Leandra for that. Who knew Zeke would actually grow his own positive opinions about these guys he once knew as strangers.

As he gave more thought about it, he's slowly starting to see the flaws each member had and then Kari's words echoed in his clear mind, "... I live by people getting a chance first," Zeke may have acted like a complete ass sometimes, but he does care what other people think, and their views that come along with it.

Alright, you finally win, Goggles. I'll give them a chance, but don't make me regret it. He thought to himself as he noticed other people getting up from their sweet slumber.

Zeke inspected his sickle with his eyes. When Zeke had a look at his bag, searching for his own hand-made journal, he noticed a hidden pocket on his bag. When Zeke opened the pocket with a swift flick of his wrist, he was met with the sight of his father's journal. He wore an extremely uncomfortable look as he hid the journal back to the hidden pocket. When he found what he was looking for, he brought it out with his rough hands and searched for the said creatures. And Zeke was right to assume that he hasn't recorded any creatures with the name of Stonewargs. The journal he currently carries is made by his own hands, during his time in exile. He recorded everything he found interesting in his book. And if you only flipped the first page, you would be greeted with a few of his realistic and decent-looking sketches of Stitt.

"Did you dream about your Skybeast… or something else?" He harshly shoved his book towards his bag, as a voice came up right in front of him.

"Uh---" Zeke looked at him with a funny look, however, before he could answer, Aldaf went over to his pile of things, before speaking over to Caliban and Katja. Zeke's observant personality came to play, as he watched the three interact with pure and utter awkwardness, it was almost unbearable for him to watch. However, he was saved by another voice.

Zeke manages to hear Serik asked, “Have any of you ever dealt with pack predators before?”

To which Zeke replied with, "Hmm, I've never encountered any Stonewargs before, so I'm not sure myself." But I really am looking forward to the challenge. "However, from my common knowledge about pack animals, they thrive on strategic teamwork and their swift execution to do so, to simply put it, they move in-sync." Zeke paused and looked for any distinctive features of the boy. At the moment, the boy was not wearing his signature dimples, but from the moment he saw them, he just has to call him exactly that. "In short, Dimples." He looked straight at Serik when he said that. "We're all dead if we let them work as a group. At least from what the scrolls said."

Once he finished saying that, he heard a thundering laugh coming from Aldaf, which caught Zeke's complete and utter attention. Zeke felt himself frown when he saw Caliban laughing with him. Zeke had this uncomfortable and twisted feeling in his stomach, but he soon clenched his jaw and went over to Ferro to directly ask him a few questions, with his journal in hand and with a make-shift pen with the other. Zeke cleared his head, along with his throat, which caught Ferro's attention. "May I ask what the Stonewargs look like? And can you provide some detailed facts about the said creatures?" Zeke asked the man in front of him, as he turned to a blank, clean page to start his sketch with. He waited for Ferro's response, but he still has that nagging feeling in his chest, both regarding his father's journal, and this unknown feeling when he sees a specific someone. He's bothered with all these emotions he was feeling and he doesn't know how to cope, so, he turned to the only thing that will keep his mind occupied for a while. He turned to knowledge, and the fact that he will learn something and focus solely on that, will make Zeke's mind focus solely on that, nothing else.

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf heard Zeke talking with Ferro and decided to mess with him a bit. He silently backed away from Cal, moving in Zeke's peripheral vision and in his blind spot. He held up his finger, a shushing gesture, to everyone who saw him. His footsteps were silent to everyone, including himself. He walked slowly and carefully, moving up behind Zeke. He stood there, this gigantic grin on his face. He made the same shushing gesture to Ferro, silently begging him to just go along with it and not reveal his presence. He held up his arms, ready to grab Zeke if he noticed Aldaf standing behind him. He'd make sure he would grab Zeke if he tried to bolt.

SleepyCreamy

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari

Ferro noted several of the youths asking about the monsters he spoke of.
"They're a special creature, found only on these mountains. They look like wolves, but much bigger, they have chests and arms like men, they can stand on their hind legs and they like to hurl rocks to crush their prey, The worst part about them is that they work together. If they're going to attack us, they'll do it from high ground, so keep an eye on the slopes above us. They'll try to break up the group, and then they'll come down and try to pick us off. They use their massive arms like clubs and trust me when I say you do not want to take a blow from them. You won't be getting up. You need to stay in pairs at least, no matter what. Their hide is fairly thick but their underbellies are soft, and exposed when they stand up. I'd say the principle disadvantage is that their eyesight is fairly bad, they rely on hearing and smell."
Ferro laughed when Serik spoke next and patted the boy's shoulder.
"This is called a proving lad, the general idea is that you prove something. But don't worry, Emerald and I will be looking out for you."
Ferro saw Aldaf's nefarious purpose...and did nothing.

Kari turned to Marylka and her expression fell as she registered the question.
"I...could have used it to help someone..." She began, the bitterness clear in her tone, and on her face. "But it only came after it was too late."
Then her expression hardened. "The gods can go stuff their magic. I don't want it."
She suddenly realized that Marylka might have asked because she thought differently about it.
"I don't hate people with magic though." Kari added after a pause. "You're a mage I'm guessing?"

Kari listened to the talk of skybeasts, she could see it in the eyes of those who'd dreamed of them. She didn't join in. Kari had seen nothing last night. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a fierce and proud alicorn, the beast she wanted, but there was nothing special about the conjuring. The image faded as soon as she let it. It was as if she was closed off from whatever this experience was supposed to be...she tried not to feel sick. What if she couldn't find her beast? If everything ran from her and she felt no special connection to anything? What would she do then?

These thoughts plagued her as they began to move. Anxiety began to crawl around inside her, fraying her nerves.

~*~*~

They broke through the scrubby trees and came to a wide break in the slope, a shallow grassy plain, hemmed by high stone cliffs. Kari watched little white goats bound up the sheer rock face with effortless ease. The snow became a light rain and for once the wind let up just a little, though now an icy fog was beginning to roll in, obscuring the cliffs, and on the other side, the shadowy trees below.
Suddenly, things became noticeably quiet...
Ferro stopped the group with a hand, with the other he pointed to the trees and his dragon slunk into them, vanishing in a swirl of mist.
Kari listened, but she couldn't hear a thing.
"Archers..." Ferro began, "I would strong your bows now..."

The first rock came hurtling out of the mist straight at their center.
"Move!" Ferro yelled, and grabbed the nearest youth to throw them out of the rock's path.
Kari hit the ground as well, and felt the earth shake as the rock connected with it. She scrambled to her feet, looking up wildly as more stones leapt from the fog.
"Mages!" Ferro bellowed. "We need that fog cleared! Watch your flanks, spread out but do NOT lose sight of each other!"

Kari had a bola out and was ready for the onslaught, through the mist she cold barely make out the shapes of the beasts, big as bears, their sloped heads bore incredible jaws and teeth she could see even from this distance. She saw the shapes of four, but there were likely more of them, still concealed. Some were beginning to descend the cliffs, picking up smaller rocks as they went and hurling them. She watched as they stopped and listened each time they were poised to throw, trying to pinpoint the group by sound.
Kari didn't see that there were more shapes rising from the mist behind them, coming in from the side...

((Stonewargs have been added to the bestiary, check the lore for more details. You may control these monsters, and fight them as you wish.))

Naberius Lioness075 explosiveKitten kase9187 Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf pulled an arrow out of his hidden quiver, notching it quickly onto his bow. He aimed the arrow, slowed his breathing. He heard the snow crunch from behind them. He turned, aimed quickly, and let loose an arrow behind him quickly, nailing one of the Stonewargs in the neck. "They're behind us too!" He shouted. He felt the wind hit the palms of his hands, and he held out his hand, confused. A gust of wind expelled from his palm, clearing a bit of the fog.
He questioned as to how he knew wind magic, but decided living was the more pressing concern. He notched a second arrow and shot a second Stonewarg, not in the neck but nailing it in the stomach. The beast howled as Aldaf pulled out his Westeros boomerang, chucking it and lodging it in its stomach as well. The beast went down, the snow crunching beneath it.

Naberius Lioness075 explosiveKitten SilverFlight Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

The night dwindled into peaceful silence. Fire crackled over the wood he and Kari gathered, bathing the camp in a gentle warmth. Discussions lulled around Gerel, fading, fading... He forced himself awake. So many things happened, so many revelations made in so short a time. And yet so many questions left to answer. Why were they here? How were they sent here? Why take away their memories of the past year? Who, or what, would do such a thing? Gentle winds blew into the cave, Ventra's whispers pulling Gerel further and further into comfortable nothingness. Words became the humming of wings as they guided him into the land of dreams. And soon enough, he was fast asleep, bundled in his furs.

-------------------------------------------

Gerel dreamed that he was back in Estendor. He stood upon the grassy plains, howls of wind sweeping over the verdant blades. The sky was blanketed in gray, with only a few rays of light piercing through to cast a pallor glow over the land. And there, flying steady in defiance of the furious gusts, was Talon. A spectator of his dream, Gerel watched himself raise his bow and ready an arrow. He wanted to scream, to shout, to stop himself from harming his closest friend. But the arrow flew, hitting the eagle straight in her chest. And the strangest thing happened... the feathers dispersed like petals, and from them came a glowing horn, and the sound of thunder.

-------------------------------------------

When he came to, everybody was already readying themselves for the trek ahead. Embarassed at waking up late, Gerel quickly put on his equipment and gathered his supplies. He heard the witness mention stonewargs, and while he wasn't familiar with them, he knew shooting things dead was an effective tactic. Gerel threw a piece of jerky in the air and with a click of the tongue, Talon was up, catching the jerky, and ascending to scout ahead. He remained silent while the travelled, preferring to keep his ears open. And then they were beset by a pack of Stonewargs. In the fog. Good odds.

With the fog, it was pointless to look, so he closed his eyes, listening for the direction the rocks were coming from. There. He stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a thrown rock, and loosed an arrow. The howl he heard was enough confirmation of the kill, but more than that...

'I have never been able to make that shot before. How...?'

Naberius Lioness075 explosiveKitten SilverFlight Elenion Aura kase9187 Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

As the band left the cave, Serik never felt any safer. He kept being alert at every sound around him.

The band passed under the cliff. Fog had blurred the atmosphere around them and made it harder for everyone. Serik was near Gerel. He watched his Estendorian friend sent off his eagle to scout.

But then, he smelled something, it was a strong, musky odor, ten time stronger than even fox’s musk. However, when he was about to ask everyone else if they had smelled the same thing as he did, Ferro told them to stop and ready their weapons. Serik pulled out his bow and arrows but jist before he could even draw it, a boulder came breaking through the fog and right at the band.

“Move!!!” Ferro yelled.

The group scattered by the rock as it hit the ground. More boulders were hurled through the fog at them. “I can’t see them!” Serik shouted as he hid behind the big rock with his bow ready.

The smell got stronger, indicating that they were marching closer and closer to them. Serik saw Gerel shot his arrow, following by a painful howl, he got one...

But Serik didn’t get to admire his friend’s ability for long as Aldaf shouted, telling the band of the stonewargs advancing from behind. Just as he looked forward to attack, rock that he was hiding behind exploded. Serike cowered to avoid getting the debris in his head.

A stonewarg dropped before him. The bizarre looking beast turned at Serik and was about to pounce at the young man. Serik shot his arrow, but out of panic it missed the weak point and hit the beast’s arm instead. The stonewarg made a loud howl in pain and charged. Serik rolled through its legs and dodged the monster in time, but doing so, he dropped large amounts of his arrow. He regained his balance and with one of a few remaining arrow, shot the beast in its neck, killing it.

Feauring: kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro

 

[explosiveKitten]

Honestly, she wasn’t surprised when the attack came. She just regretted that she couldn’t remember the past year of training she had done. Probably.

Katja was absolutely useless during this encounter- She was a healer, not a fighter! She figured that she would spend the entire fight cowering behind the rocks that these horrible creatures had started throwing, whimpering like a little baby- and to be honest, that’s what she did.

“Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygodsohmygodsohmygods, I’m dead, this is it, I’ll never see my dad again, the last thing I’ll ever see will be their teeth, holy GODS look at their TEETH.”

She was on the verge of tears, whimpering like a lost puppy. What a great Northarian warrior we have here.
She felt terrible because she wasn’t doing anything, but what the hell was she going to do? Give them an herbal remedy for their stomach ache? Ask them about their feelings?

Come on! Get up! DO something!
Like what?!
Fight with your allies! Defend yourself! Don’t be a coward!
I AM A COWARD!
You don’t have to be! Put on your big girl pants and let’s go!
“Big girl pants... yeah sure, easy for you to say, you’re in my head!” She said out loud, before swiftly realizing that had in fact said that out loud and looked insane. “... God’s, damn it, I’m talking to myself again!”

She pulled the blow gun off her back and started to load it with darts, unsure what exactly this would do, if it would even work on these creatures, would she survive to meet her skybeast, whatever it was.

She took a deep breath, to supply herself with air and to steady herself, before popping out from cover, and sending a dart into the nearest beast she could see. The dart bounced off its hide and skittered into the fog, never to be seen again.

“Damnit!” She cursed, dipping back behind the rock and reloading the blow gun before popping back out to take another shot. This one sank firmly into the creature’s flesh as it charged at Gerel, and slowly she watched it putter to a stop before it could reach him and fall over, too tired to continue.

“Ho! Hooohmygods it actually worked!”

Naberius Lioness075 SilverFlight Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird kase9187

 

[Saturn_moon]

"I'm a water mage." Marylka replied Kari with a small smile. "I don't know if it actually is a gift from the gods or if the gods even exist, but my magic is the only thing that I have ever been completely certain was mine." She reached out and took Kari's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry for what happened, but you said you believed your magic could have helped someone and I know it still can. You just need to learn how to control it." Marylka furrowed her brows and stuck out a finger. In the gruffest voice she could manage she said "It is in the light of failure that ordinary people become extraordinary." She grinned. "That's what my grandfather used to say."

They didn't say much more about the matter as they continued their hike up the side of the mountain. The fog was relentless making it impossible to see anything that was more than fifteen feet ahead of them. It wasn't until Ferro stopped their group that Marylka sensed something was wrong, the hairs on the back of her neck coming to a stand. The next thing she knew, Ferro had picked her up and thrown her to the side as a rock flew past the exact spot she had been standing just a moment ago.

"Mages!" Ferro bellowed. "We need that fog cleared!"

Scrambling to her knees, Marylka shut her eyes and focused her mind. She slowly extended her magic out, feeling as it wrapped around each water particle in the air. Once she'd reach her limit, Marylka waved her hands and lifted as much of the fog as she could, taking half her energy with it. She fell forward, breathless, only to find herself in the shadow of a stonewarg that had managed to sneak up behind her. It stood on its hind legs towering over her, looking as fearsome and ugly as Ferro had described. Without hesitation, Marylka grabbed the kindjal at her waist and thrust it upwards into the beast's stomach. It let out a pained howl before collasping next to her in a heap. With the adrenaline still rushing through her blood, she pulled the dagger out and stumbled to her feet.

Naberius Lioness075 SilverFlight Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten SleepyCreamy AncientBird kase9187

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (9/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Leandra stood up with her gear on and her lemur perched on her shoulder once more. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled, watching her breath float out ahead of her. Following the group, she absentmindedly began scratching at her left hand and wondered yet again what had happened to her in the lost year. Ever since she woke up, she had kept the leather glove on her left hand, afraid of what she would see when she finally reveals it.

At the break into open plains, Leandra unslung her bow and notched an arrow. Ferro's warning had her on edge and she instinctively whistled at the lemur, unsure of why she did it, but then pleased when he instinctively took flew away and took cover in some nearby brush. Looking around, Leandra tilted her head to try and better hear their approaching enemies. The first rock was thrown and Leandra skirted to the side before taking aim up above. She saw the four moving figures along the ridgeline and pulled her bow taut before loosing an arrow. With a faint twang and whistling noise, her arrow arched up and then went down, striking one of the stonewargs in the side. Its howl echoed out and Leandra quickly notched another arrow just as the flanking unit closed in.

Chaos ensued around Leandra as the wargs charged individuals and tried to single out weak opponents. She cursed as she had to toss aside her bow and unsheathe her daggers. She could tell immediately that her left hand's grip was weaker than usual, but she had no time to fully assess that. She heard something rapidly approaching her and whipped around in time to see the warg's face just before it headbutted her in the chest. The air escaped her lungs and a soft crack sounded, as she gasped and was flung back a meter before crashing hard onto her back. She slid a little further before she began struggling to regain her breath. The warg continued rushing at her, its ragged breath echoing in Leandra's ears. Screaming, Leandra put her right hand up just as the warg descended upon her. Her dagger was shoved into the warg's maw, as it was frozen in place inches from her face, its eyes glazing over. Shakily, Leandra shoved it to the side and it slumped over, its legs splaying on top of her.
SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 Saturn_moon Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[Naberius]

Caliban Lupei

Caliban dropped his pack to the ground, spear in hand and readied for what was to come. Everything happened quickly, he himself remaining as calm as possible and eyeing their opponents carefully as he surveyed the field of battle. A number of the beasts had already been taken care of, and the fog was being dispersed. There would be time to admire how awesome that was later, right now he had to act. He stepped an incoming charge, grabbing a small brown jar from inside his coat pocket in the process. When the beast came around for a second lunge, he dodged towards it and to the left, using his right hand to smash the jar against the things face. The result was almost instant, it's movements became sluggish and it slowed down. It wasn't a high enough dose to paralyze something of this size but it was certainly making it harder for it to move quickly. The third time it came for him, it was much slower. Once more he stepped to the side, but this time he brought the sharp spike at the end of his spear down into the things neck, hitting an artery. That was enough to make an end of it and he turned away, looking for his next target. When he did so, he saw the masked girl duck behind a rock. He wasn't sure if his interference was necessary or if she had a plan all along, but that didn't matter.

A few strides had him standing next to the boulder in a defensive position.

"You alright back there? We're a team, so I've got your back. That's how this works, right?"

Despite the danger and possibility of loss of life, Caliban still smiled just as brightly as before, looking back over his shoulder at Katja, keeping the battlefield in his peripheral vision.

SilverFlight Lioness075 kase9187 Saturn_moon Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Serik noticed the fog being lifted. He saw Marylka, who with her hands had banished the fog away from the area. "Alas..." Serik exclaimed. He never knew Marylka could do that before, not that she had ever told him. Earlier he saw her talking to Kari about magic, but he was paying attention for the sight of the stonewargs that he didn't catch what they were talking about in detail. Marylka downed a stonewarg with her dagger, but another one landed right behind her.

"Marylka watch out!" Serik cried. However, in the same time he didn't notice another stonewarg pouncing at him. The beast's body crashed against the young man and dragged him with it for at least 5 metres, his bow and arrows all scattered...

"That's it... I'm dead." Serik thought. "No man can survive such impact... I'm finished" Serik kept thinking. "How foolish I was to let my guard down... Now I will never see my family again... Now I will never have the chance to tell her-"

But Serik didn't die... In fact he wasn't get pounce on at all... The stonewarg pounced on something that Serik thought he saw as himself but wasn't... It was like, he was split in two right before the impact... And one of him got out of the way? His arrows and bow were still with him and the ones that supposed to be all over the ground had vanished. The stonewarg was standing alone, confused as it tried to look for the target it pounced at. Serik didn't wait around for it to attack again and shot it in the neck, killing it.

"What did just happen to me?" He asked himself, confused.

Featuring: Saturn_moon

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf felt the chaos around him as he saw a Stonewarg charge him. He grinned, a devilish grin. Not like Cal's of infinite optimism, but one of satisfied cruelty. He sidestepped the lumbering beast easily, dodging it's arms. "Come on, Warg boy! Give me a challenge!" He grabbed the beast's fur and maneuvered himself quickly, stabbing the creature three times in the neck. The beast went down as Aldaf jumped off.
He moved quickly, retrieving arrows and his boomerang from the dead bodies, almost immediately shooting them at new targets. Only a couple of them fell, but the others were getting hit. Their howls of pain let Aldaf know that, despite everyone's position, they were winning. "We're doing it! Keep pushing forward!" He called.

SilverFlight Lioness075 Naberius Saturn_moon Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

Blood trickled down over Matthias’ cheek, a crimson rivulet originating at a gash on his temple. A rock from out of the fog had struck him. A small one, luckily. He felt dizzy, but the sensation quickly abated, as his body reorganized its priority of needs. Surviving this encounter topped the list. A little blood was the least of his worries. He’d bled before. He’d fought monsters before. He just wished he could see what he was fighting. As if answering his request, the fog rolled out, revealing the battlefield before him.

Matthias, stone-faced and grim, faced down a charging Stonewarg. It was one of the flanking beasts, which had come up from behind. The Stonewarg leapt at him, massive clawed arms outstretched. Matthias drew his sword brought it careening down, slashing the beast open from shoulder to hip. He finished it off where it landed, its body a ruin, strewn across the mountain path from whence it had come. Matthias whirled, sword in hand, hair slick with blood and viscera, ensuring that another beast was not close behind, preparing to strike at his back. His eyes were wide and wild. His teeth were bared in a silent snarl.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
​

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

In the middle of the chaos, Gerel opened his eyes and saw the beast he shot dead on the ground, an arrow protruding from the stonewarg's underbelly. He had his eyes closed the entire time, not just when he loosed the arrow, but when he sidestepped to dodge the rock coming at his face. 'How did I do that?' he wondered. 'I've always tried to do that shot back home but I never really got it. Maybe... was it the whispers? I think I heard whispers.' In the initial clash, he heard something above the noise of battle. The wind. It was whispering to him. And somehow, he perfectly understood what it was saying. 'Perhaps it is the Goddess Ventra granting me her guidance,' Gerel pondered. 'When did she grant me the blessing to commune with her directly?'

In his moment of confusion, he failed to notice the Stonewarg coming at him from the side. He turned too late, readying an arrow in vain when the beast simply dropped to the ground, its body slowly growing still. A strange object was poking out of its gray back-- a dart. He looked around to see who shot the beast, but found only a large boulder and the others fighting their own battles. He made a mental note to thank whoever it was later and jumped back into the fray.

With the fog gone thanks to Marylka's amazing magic, Gerel used his skills to their fullest. On a hunch, he closed his eyes again and concentrated, seeking the whispers once again. They came to him in a rush, guiding him to a Stonewarg about to pounce on a person. Without hesitation he loosed two arrows in quick succession, one hitting the beast's neck, the other the back of its head. The beast fell to the ground before Gerel could open his eyes. He saw that the Stonewarg had been heading for Kari. Gerel readied another arrow, but noticed that one more Stonewarg was heading for Matthias' side. With a sharp whistle, he called Talon to dive for the beast and claw at its eyes, long enough for the Northarian to deal the killing blow.

Right in that moment he felt the world spin around him, until he hit the ground hard. Pain exploded across his chest, where five sharp claws made their mark. Vision cloudy, Gerel tried in vain to draw his bolo to fight back the Stonewarg looming over him, spit dripping from its monstrous jaws, claws raised to bring down death.

SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon Elenion Aura explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf noticed Gerel go down. His vision tainted red. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" He moved with such speed the snow around his path was propelled away, ramming the Stonewarg's head with his shoulder. The beast was dazed at the sheer force that smashed his skull, trying to regain it's composure when Aldav hooked his legs around it's neck and swung around, stabbing it seven times in the neck. He scream-grunted every strike, forcing the creature down away from Gerel. He stood, the neck of the beast a bloody mess.
"Get on up. We were winning!" Aldaf spoke, extending his hand to Gerel, a goofy smirk on his face.

YumenoTsukishiro