Hunters of Terra Dolor (Role Playing Section)

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dahlepert & ZombieSplitter53
Grand Tour
Part One

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse
April 30th, 3349

Charter and Elma stand outside Mina personal quarters, Charter hoping that she can give Elma an audience with her boss. "Alright sister now you're going to me your boss, please be on your best behavior as well as a few other people I know."

"Don't worry about it, I can handle it just go ahead and knock."

Charter sighed and knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Mina called out. She was sitting at her desk, working on paperwork as usual and sipping on her afternoon coffee.

Charter entered the room with his sister and bowed his head. "Hey Lady Havenbrook, I would like to introduce our latest recruit. A sorcerer."

Elma looked at her brother confused. "I'm his sister, mam hi i'm Elma Van Dam and i'm ready to serve." Elma also bowed like her mother teached her.

Mina stood up and bowed her head back. "Another Van Dam, huh? And a skilled magic user to? That will compliment Charter's sword fighting well. What kind of magic do you use?"

"I'm a fire ice and light magic user, I'm also a healer and a enchanter. I'm also trying to learn other forms of magic, if I can of course. So as you can see for a human i'm a very flexible, however I never killed before."

"Never killed another human or Elf or the like... or never killed anything?" Mina asked as she walked around her desk.

"I never killed ever, I been training all my life going to a bunch of mage schools. Then a Collage, until I left."

Mina nodded. "It isn't easy, you know? Taking a life. Even the life of something threatening another. Do you think you can handle it?"

"It's going to be difficult, and even though I don't want to. I will do what I have to protect people."

"Good." The guildmaster turned to Charter. "And I trust you have confidence in her and her abilities, yes?"

"I trust her, she was a very good magic user when I last went home. I trust her she has a lot to learn as do some of our other guild members, I think she will fit right in."

"Good." Mina folded her arms. "I expect you to work as hard as your brother does, Ms. Van Dam. Exercise your magical skills. Don't be afraid to learn from the other witches and mages in the guild. And don't forget that there is more to winning a fight then fighting. Strategy and quick wit is important too."

Elma smiled and hugged Mina. "I plan to , I hope to learn much from this guild and be a even better sorcerer then I am now. I very much appreciate this opportunity."

Charter rubbed his forehead. "Um boss maybe now would be an excellent time, to introduce her to the other members if you want to come along I wouldn't mind."

Mina chuckled, patting Elma on the back. "Sure, I could use the walk." And the exercise. Baby is already starting to put some weight on me. "As soon as your sister is done showing her affection,"

Elma let go of Mina and smiled. "Right sorry so who should we visit first?"

"We should visit Elma second in command, i'm sure Eraqus is around somewhere."

Mina nodded, and motioned for the pair to follow her out. "I'm surprised you haven't met him yet. Most of our new hires go through me or him. He must have signed you just based on your recommendations. Guess your credentials are pretty good."

"That could be the case, anyway let's get moving." As the three went to visit Eraqus, Charter hung back with Mina. "Mina can i ask you something?"

She nodded. "Of course. Is it about your sister?"

"No, this is about me. See about what was it last month or so I was attacked by a Nightgaunt, right here in the manner. And i'm sorry I didn't come bring this with you sooner."

"A Nightgaunt?" Mina rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. "The... The dream creatures, loyal to Methos? How? Were you hurt?"

"Poisoned, but not before I put my dagger in its gut. But I went to Erin and she cured me, but it does seem weird. Has anyone else come to you with nightmares or seeing Nightgaunts?"

"Not specifically Nightgaunts, though..." She folded her arms. "I have heard a lot about nightmares lately. Many of them supposedly started off as normal or even pleasant dreams. Then things go bad. Like... 'bad as it could possibly be' bad. And come to think of it... I had a really nasty dream myself the other night, and near the end of it, I remember seeing this monster. Demonic. Black skin. No face, I remember that vividly. It was like it was feeding off my energy. I suddenly became very angry when I saw it and attacked it. I slashed it across the chest, and suddenly, I was awake."

"Sounds like what I went through, accept I fought the damned thing. Not sure what was different, however I don't know why were being pledged with nightmares. Or why the goddess of dreams has ageist,us but we will endure as we always have."

Mina patted the tall man on the shoulder. "Well said. I'll see what information I can dig up, and see who else has had these nightmares. In the meantime, try to keep this under wraps. We don't want to cause a panic across the Manor."

"Of course malady." The group finally reached Eraqus room. "Hello my Elven friend it's been to long since we last spoke."

Eraqus opened his door. It was obvious that it played to be the second in command of the guild and the only S-rank Hunter, as his room was nearly as large as Mina's. Of course, he needed the room for the two large dogs that lived in there with him. The room was awash with various scented candles, making the room smell like a forest. It was likely partly to remind him of home, and partly to keep his room from smelling like dogs.

Eraqus himself was shirtless, evidently having been doing sit-ups or pushups based on the way the sweat glistened off his perfectly fit chest. "Charter! Good to see you again." His eyes moved over to Mina. "Am I in trouble. Don't tell me Charter has done such a good job, he is already taking my job."

Next to him, Midna stuck her head out of the room. The husky loomed Elma up and down, sniffing the air in front of the stranger.

Elma kneels down to the dog, and started to pet him." Aw who's a good girl" Elma use her ice magic make a small part of the floor colder.

"No not today my friend, though looking around I now have reason to."

"Heh, someday maybe." Eraqus glanced down at the new arrival curiously.

"Eraqus, this is Elma Van Dam," Mina explained. "Her sister thought it would be nice to introduce her to the main staff."

"Oh... right, I remember passing her along to you as a Hunter." Eraqus laughed. "I saw her last name was Van Dam, and figured she'd do just as well as her brother!" That, and I could barely read her resume, he thought to himself. Damn fancy, educated script. Why can't people just print normally for those of us without fancy schooling?

Elma stood up but kept her head bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I look forward to working with you. And I hope I can live up to what my brother has made here."

Charter rubbed his sister head." You will do fine, I know you will."

"I agree." Eraqus looked down at his dog and smiled. "She likes you, so you must have some good points. Though she isn't always the best judge of character." Mind a let out a soft whine at that, and lightly licked Elma's palm.

Elma looked at the side her cheeks showing shades of red.

Charter rolled his eyes. "Eraqus would you put a shirt on, my sister is not used to seeing topless men."

"Oh! Sorry... ahem." He quickly ducked inside, and Mina couldn't help but chuckle. "An interesting first encounter, eh Elma?"

"Hum, it was interesting I... didn't hate it."

Eraqus quickly opened the door once more, now with a shirt on. He cleared his throat and said, "Anyway, um... I've worked with your brother quite a few times, and he is skilled and reliable. I am hoping, when the time comes that we are on a mission together, you'll prove to be the same"

"Yea, it's hard to live up to my brother's skill in battle. But i'm a very skilled sorcerer, and I think I can be very useful to everyone. There is one thing though, I... um I never killed anyone ever."

"I see." Eraqus leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. "Well... it won't be easy. But think of it this way. Lady Havenbrook doesn't take just any old mission. You won't ever be facing a team of orphans or priestesses. When you face a person, they'll likely be a bandit. A thieving, pillaging, murdering bandit. I don't want to take away from the impact of taking another's life, but take solace in knowing they are bad people who will be trying to kill you, and if they succeed, they'll go off to hurt more innocent people."

"That's what my brother says, it helps but I'm still uncomfortable with the thoughts."

"Character rubbed his sister's shoulder." You will be fine, I believe in you and you will do fine."

"In the meantime, have you met Erin?" Eraqus asked. "She's our resident top tier mage." He chuckled. "She was even a Hunter at one time. Maybe she can give you tips on what not to do as one.”

"Ou another mage, maybe I can assist her in someway. Oh lets go let's go let's go!" Elma said excitingly.

Character looked at Mina and motioned for Elma to go outside the room."Give us a second sis."

Mina nodded, and placed her hand on Elma's shoulder, leading her out. Once Mina and Character were alone, Character sighed." Alright before we visit Erin, I need to mention something. I know about Eliza."

"Eliza? Who..." Mina's eyes widened. "You mean the..."

"Who's Eliza?" Eraqus asked.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Grand Tour
Part Two

"A potential client!" Mina quickly said. "Hey, Eraqus, don't leave that girl out there by herself! Um... talk about your dog with her more!" She threw the door open and shoved both the Elf and the husky out before throwing it closed again.

"Right now that we're alone, before we go and see Erin. Do you want my sister to know about Eliza, I mean it could be beneficial for Erin to not constantly hide Eliza every time."
Mina scoffed. "It's bad enough that they named it, but did you know they're bringing it out of the labs sometimes. This little experiment is going to get someone killed." She shook her head. "I guess it is better if people start to slowly become aware of it. So... yeah, sure. If you think she can handle it."

"Well call this another experiment, then will see how she acts."

Mina nodded. "Alright. But don't tell anyone else, including Eraqus. Do you realize how much he would flip out if he knew there was a demon living here? A lot is the answer to that, and I'd have to hear it. Just because I'm his boss doesn't mean he won't lecture me..."

I understand." Both Eraqus and Mina came out the room. "Alright sis, we have a more fun part of the trip. Our mage, Erin."

"Ou finally I can't wait to meet her."

Mina stretched her arms. "I'm going to head down to the bar downstairs. If you're up for it, maybe we can share a drink when you're done with your tour."

"Sure thing boss, anyway come kiddo."

"It was nice meeting you mister Eraqus, I look forward to working with you!"

Eraqus smiled and waved as they walked off. Mina gave him a rough slap on the chest. "Don't get any ideas about your friend's sister. Besides, she's about fifty years younger than you."

The Elf man just rolled his eyes and stepped back into his room to continue his workout.

Down in the lab, Erin was sitting down, tapping her finger against her cheek in thought as she stared up. "Now... how do I get out of this mess?" she asked herself as she stared at the bottle on her desk.

"It would be nice to know what you're doing, that way we could help you." Charter said. Elma looked at rabbit Thrope and her lab and was awestruck.

"Wow, so many potions and enchantment bottles such glorious magic it's beautiful!"

Erin looked around the room. "Yeah? It is nice to find a person who appreciates my organizational skills and displays." She stood up from her spot on the ceiling, looking 'up' at Elma and smiling. "I am Erin. I would shake you hand, but I am stuck up here I am afraid."

"Hi, i'm Elma Van Dam. it's such a pleasure to meet you,"

Erin nodded. "Charter, be a dear and bring your tall self over here. An experiment of mine to eliminate a person's gravitational pull towards the earth instead reversed it in me. Good thing I wasn't doing this outdoors. I need that potion on the table, and Eliza is throwing a tiff, refusing to give it to me."

Charter did what he was told, and handed the bottle towards Erin. "Speaking of the little one, where is she?"

"She's in the back," Erin said. "Though considering the guest... sister? Do you think now is a good time to see her?" She took a swing of the potion, and started to slowly float down to the ground.

"I think now would be a perfect time actual" As Erin finally floated down Elma quickly came to her side.

"Hi! I'm Elma Van Dam, Charter sister I love your lab. There is so many potions book and enchantments, It reminds me of the college back home it's amazing!"

"You're from Mirandia, right?" Erin asked. "I've never been there, but I have heard their schools are some of the best in the world. Did you go to one of the better ones?”

"Yes Mogwiton, Academy Of Sorcery the best school for mages in the world. I learned a lot while I was there, but who is this Eliza person you two keep talking about?"

Just when Elma asked that Blisk came to Charter side and jumps on his leg. "Hay boy so if you're here then that means your buddy isn't far."

"Blisk!" Eliza ran out from the back ."Come back! I want more licks!" She skidded to a stop in front of Elma. Since Charter had last seen her, she had grown several inches, now nearly as tall as Erin. Her pointed ears were a bit longer, the base of her horns had moved to over her ears, and her skin tone was starting to look more human. The most obvious difference was the wings coming out of her back. "Oh... hi."

"Well you grown a lot, since I last saw you and the um. Wings, you have wings now when did that happen?"

Elma looked at Eliza, the demon being as tall as her. "Um hello there, you... you look like a, you're a demon a true demon?"

"Um... I think so. Erin and Amam say I am. And angry boss lady. And frightened spear lady. And demon elf man." Eliza looked over to Charter. "My wings? They happened... because they happened."

"They seemed to be part of her natural growth," Erin stated. "They started to grow in under her skin, and Betty and I held cut them out. Now, if you look at her back, it is like they have always been there."

"Well you look like you're coming into your own now, so is she a teenager now or still a kid? Also I see she's completely fluent."

Elam looked Eliza over, having never seen a demon before. she always thought that a demon would have red skin. "So what exactly are you?"

Eliza giggled. "I told you, silly lady. I'm a demon."

"But your not like any demon I read about, your more of a native of Tera then a demon. So that's pretty interesting, oh where are my manners, i'm Elma Van Dam."

"I'm Eliza." She took Elma's hand and moved it up and down in an awkward motion resembling a handshake."

"I believe she is around her early teens," Erin said to answer Charters question. "I am not sure if her accelerated growth is something special about her or if all demons grow to adulthood this fast. As for why she is so different from stories and accounts, I'm not sure. I wish I had a demon native to the demon realm to compare her too. If I had to guess, I would say it is nurture over nature. She has been growing up with non-mortals in our realm."

Eliza looked between Charter and Elma. "Why do you have his name?" she asked the young woman.

Charter smiled at the demon. "She didn't steal my name, she my sister my family."

"That's right." Elma hugged Charter. "He's my older brother, and I love him very much and will do anything for him and will try to keep him save if I can."

"And I will do the same for, by the way Eliza how was the candy I bought you some time ago?”

"It was very tasty. Oh!" She rushed to the back. A few moments later, she returned with the large candy box, which she opened to reveal a single piece of chocolate. "You want one? There is only one though... maybe you two can split it?"

"I appreciate it kid but it's yours, I bought it for you I don't want any but it looks like you manners got better as well." Charter rubbed Eliza head. "Your becoming a good kid."

Elma looked at the chocolate piece, and broke it in half. "I do appreciate the offer, but it would be wrong to take the whole thing even though you offered. Ou." Elma raised her left hand and a ice started to form around her in the form of an ice flower." There you go, it won't last long but it's something to give in returner."

"Oh, pretty. Thank you." Elma admired it while she chewed on her chocolate. "So what is a brother or a sister? Is that like Amam?"

"No we both came from the same mother and father, we share the same blood so were brother and sister."

Elma put the whole candy bar in her mouth, the moment she bit into it it tasted kinda funny. But Elma just took it as a weird aftertaste. "Yep we share the same parents, so we're brother and sister family."

"Oh..." Eliza scratched her chin. "Is it like... a friend? A friend with same Amam and Dmddo?" She looked up at Erin. "Can Amam give me a brother or sister."

"Um... aha..." Erin bit her lip. "M-maybe some day, but a child isn't something that just happens. Unless we happen another demon egg… which wouldn’t be altogether a bad thing..."

"It's a long process, but who knows what the world will have for you ou." Charter looked back at Elma. "We have one more person to visit, and you're gonna thank me for visiting him last."

"Aw can't I stay here, it reminds me so much of home. I can do so many things here."

"A magic user who shows me and my lab respect is always welcome here," Erin said encouragingly. "Come back any time. I'm sure Eliza would like to see you again." She laughed. "Especially since your meeting her went a lot more smoothly than it did with your brother."

"What did my brother do?"

"Let's not talk about it, anyway we're going to meet Ed you two take care of yourselves. And don't worry about my sister i'm sure she will be helping you out a lot, good buy you two." Charter quickly got Elma out the magical lab.

"Bye," Eliza said, waving.

"Good luck with the pervert," Erin shouted after them, hoping they could handle him.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Grand Tour
Part Three

"The pervert?"

"Ou don't worry about it, she's just teasing you. Come on we're heading to the forge." As Charter escorted Elma to the forge Elma got a chance to look around the manner, and see how big it was.

"This place is pretty cool, it's nothing compared to home but I could get used to living here."

"That's good to hear, come on we're almost to the forge."

Once inside, they walked up to the front counter. A young Thrope with large mouse ears sat behind it, looking over an inventory sheet when they walked up. "Mr. Van Dam, welcome back," he greeted them. "How has that new equipment worked out? The boss worked really hard on it, you know?"

"Ou they’re wonderful, been getting a lot of use out of them but that's not why i'm here I like for the old man to meet someone."

"Oh, sure." The Thrope looked at his sister and smiled. "Oh, good. Ed is in one of his... you know, moods. Seeing a pretty lady should make him chill out. I'll be right back." He made his way back to the armory.

Charter's eyes started to squint." Sis wait here I need to get something."

Elma looked at her brother confused. "Um OK i'll just sit on this bench right here." As Elma sat down Charter went to get whatever he was getting.

A minute later, the armory's head Netzi made his way to the front. "Alright, somebody wanted to..." He paused at the sight of Elma and smiled. "Why, hello there. What is your name, my dear?"

Elma gave the Netzi a confused look." My name is Elma Van Dam, it's a pleasure to meet you mister?"

"Edminfar. But please... call me Ed." He laughed heartily. "In fact, a cutie like you can call me whatever she wants."

"Um I think I'll stick with Ed, so are you like the forge master?"

"That's me." Ed turned his nose up a bit. "Don't wanna brag too much, but I'm the best blacksmith you'll likely ever meet. This place would fall apart without me. And what about you, beauty?"

"I'm a sorceress, the latest magic user and i'm still learning though. I'm hoping to become an even more powerful mage, I read some books about summoning familiars I hope I can summon them one day. I'm not sure how but I can keep on trying."

"Oh, I'm sure you can. Any being in the cosmos would be a fool not to want to be your familiar!" Ed floated close, landing in front of her and trying not to make it too obvious he was checking her out. "Tell me, my dear... how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen years old, is there a reason why your asking?"

"Oh... I was just wondering if you would like to make a little Ol' Netzi the happiest man ever." He knelt down. "Elma... will you marry me?"

"Umm... I.. I don't." A throwing knife landed next to Ed foot. the moment Ed noticed it, a black dagger was next to his ear.

"I'm going to be nice about this since you made my weapons, but Ed quiet messing with my sister!" Behind Ed was a very angry Charter.

Ed's frowned. "Who said I was messing... your sister? Oh... oh, dear..."

Elma got up, and looked displeased with her brother, her blue eyes looked like ice. "Charter! I can handle this, i'm not a child anymore!" Elma looked at Ed and her demeanor changed back to her sweet old self.

"I'm sorry Mr Ed, but I must decline your offer. I'm just too young to be thinking about marriage, also I want to see more of the world and become a successful mage so I have to decline your offer." Elma said while bowing to Ed.

Charter rolled his eyes, and smiled at his sister he also put the dagger back in it's holster. "You relay are to kind for this world sister."

"Maybe. But that just makes her more appealing." Ed laughed heartily. "Why didn't you tell me you had a sister? If I had known, I would have been sure not to flirt with her... while you were in earshot."

"Right, this is my sister Elma Van Dam."

"And i't once again a pleasure to meet you, did you make my brothers armor and weapons?”

"I sure did!" Ed floated up to Charter, placing his hands on the man's shoulder. "You brother was in dire straights. Was armor was falling apart. Weapons, chipped and worn. Should have seen the sorry state of that branch and twine he called a bow. But then Ol' Ed came along and saved the day! Now, he's rocking top tier equipment. I even gave him a great discount. Didn't have to, but it was almost the holiday, and I couldn't let him go without."

"Hey my armor may have been worn but it wasn't that bad!"

"Charter that armor you had since you left home, who knows how many battles you fought in it. A random bandit could have killed you at any point. So it's a good thing you changed out of your armor."

"Your sister is right." Ed floated down to the ground, folding his arms. "You should appreciate the work I do more. People seem to forget that they can get as skilled as they want, but without the proper weapon to utilize that skill, it's pointless."

"Look the armor I had lasted for years, and I do appreciate you making my new set of armor. And yes I do appreciate it, but Ed. Flirt with my sister again and I will hurt you."

Ed saluted the man. "Of course. I'll be careful. And Elma, I hope to do lots of business with you. Just so you know, your first weapon upgrade here is half off with a special promotional coupon." He floated over to her and whispered, "The coupon is a friendly kiss for Ol' Edminfar."

Elma hugged the older man." I'm not conformable with a kiss but will a hug do?”

Ed sighed, but patted her on the back. "I suppose so. I'm a softy for the nice ones."

"And a soon to be dead man if you get to close."

"Charter, i'm fine." Elma let go of Ed and went back to her brother side. "Apologize."

Charter rolled his eye. "I'm sorry Ed, for my behaviour. I'm just protective of my sister and all."

Ed nodded. "We are all protective of those we love. Don't let him hold you back, Elma... but never forget that he loves you, and he only wants to keep you safe."

"I know he does, he hasn't seen me for years and i know part of him still sees that nine year old little girl. But i'm an adult now, it will take him sometime to get used to it is all."

Charter wrapped his arm around his sister. "Thanks sis, just give me time."

Ed floated up. "If you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of slackers that are probably lying about now that I'm not back there." He flew past the counter, calling back, "Don't be a stranger!"

Elma waved at Ed goodbye." Well there are some very interesting people here, I think i'm going to spend most of my time with Erin though I think I can learn a lot from her and Eliza."

"I bet you would, whelp since you met the more key people it probably won't be long til you get your first assignment. Try to stay out of trouble Ok and keep you eye on Ed."

"Yea yea, I understand, look don't worry brother I'll be fine Ok." Elma said while hugging Charter.

"Charter hugged his sister back. "I know, but just let me worry alright it's all I have to be a big brother."

"I know and I love you for it."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
Dream Weaver
Location: Dreamscape
Client: Methos, Goddess of Sleep & Dreams
Target: Methos, Goddess of Sleep & Dreams

Havenbrook Manor/Guildhouse
Main Laboratory
9:01 p.m.

Mags' group of trusted individuals gathered for the task Methos had given the sheep Thrope. She had asked for the assistance of Betty and Veeti, two trusted friends, and she had suggested going to Erin for her magical expertise. With Erin's help, they found two other Erin was fairly certain could be trusted. One was Eraqus, whose combat experience was important for the mission ahead, and Chivi, Veeti's fellow Netzi and one she was sure did not answer to the gods.

"We sure we not tell Lady Havenbrook?" Chivi asked. "She is trusting, yes?"

Eraqus shook his head. "It isn't just a matter of trusting the person. From what Magdalene has told us, any of the gods could be behind what is happening, and Lady Havenbrook has dealings with the gods. We don't know which gods are watching her, or which one are watching the gods watching her. I hate to say it, but she is just as dangerous to confide in as someone like Charter or Zulik with their devotion to the goddess of Justice."

"Mmhm." Magdalene nodded. "As much as I'd like to tell her, Eraqus makes a good point."

"So, you really saw Methos in the dream world?" Betty asked, Veeti not too far away.

Mags looked over to confirm. "That's right... I never thought I'd have the personal interest of the gods... I guess my sister was right, there really is something special about me..."

"Um. Maggaline." Betty's Netzi friend. "I glad you trust us to help. But, how me and Chivi supposed to fight there?"

"Oh, your constructs... Well uh... Ba- I mean, I was told you can use the cognition of your creations in that world and they'll work like the real thing." She explained. "Their power will be based on how detailed your image of them is in your head along with how powerful you think they are."

"But haven't finished mine." Veeti pointed out.

"Don't worry. All you need is to have a clear mental image of the final product... I think..."

"If anything, you and Chivi might be two of the most valuable in your group," Erin added, mixing some potions together in preparation. "Netzi have such incredible vivid, imaginative minds. They'll do you well in a world where one's physical strength while awake means very little."

"Thank you all for doing this. For helping me." The Sheep smiled softly.

Betty waved it off. "You're my close friend. I'm glad to help. I wouldn't let you try this alone. Besides, this is affecting the entire manor."

"You're so brave Betty." Mags replied with a hint of affection.

Erin handed Mags a potion and walked to hand one to each of the others. "Please, drink these. Besides being a sleeping potion, its magic with cause all of your mental wavelengths to be in sync. You'll share the same dream, saving time so you don't have to search for each other."

Eraqus downed his, cringing a bit at the bitter taste. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

Erin shook her head. "Don't be silly, dear. Someone has to stay behind to make sure you are all kept safe, and to pull you out should something go wrong. I will be watching you all closely with my own special drink; coffee."

Betty drank hers, feeling instantly sleepier, followed by Veeti drinking her appropriately sized one.

"Let's do this then... " Betty nodded confidently.

Mags took a breath and quickly chugged hers. "Okay... I guess I'll see you all on the other side..."

Everyone got comfortable as their eyes grew heavier and heavier. It was only a minute or so later that their eyes all closed. Shortly after, they found themselves in the Manor's bar, seated around table with cards in their hands and drinks by their sides.

Eraqus scratched his head as he looked over his hand. "This game is too complicated for me?"

Chivi rolled her eyes. "Not hard. You being dense! You just make pair, avoid joker. Joker 'old maid'." She floated over to Betty and took one of her cards, a two that she matched with one of hers and placed before her.

Betty looked over at Mags, who was still considering her hand, she seemed like she knew the game, unlike Betty.

"I've never played this game before... At least I have a good poker face." The Fly giggled lightly.

"Don't really understand poker much either," Eraqus muttered as he took a card from Mags and frowned at the mocking image of the Joker he had drawn.

"Ahem!" A small black rabbit sat in the middle of the table, tapping one of its feet impatiently and speaking with a familiar voice. "If you are all almost done with your game, you have important stuff to do."

"Of course!" Chivi placed her cards to the side and pulled out a fork and knife. "Rabbit stew! Why I not think of earlier?"

The rabbit narrowed its eyes. "You wouldn't dare." Chivi suddenly flew forward, chasing the rabbit around the table. "Eraqus! Stop this nonsense at once!"

"You're right. It is nonsense to have rabbit stew without a pot with the proper fixins'." He stood, pulling his sword out and running to the open field next to them. "To arms!" he shouted as he charge giant monster carrots and celery. As he cut them down, they instantly split into sliced pieces and flew into a nearby pot.

"Gods help me, if you stick me with that fork...!" The rabbit had to dodge to the side to avoid that happening. "Betty! Betty, my dear, you wouldn't eat your girlfriend, would you?"

Veeti smirked wickedly, looking at her sister in law. "So Betty? Would you?"

The fly blushed brightly, suddenly dressed in a provocative black and white maid outfit. "I uh... Uh-I... I mean... Uhm... M-maybe if she... Uh... Wanted me to... I... H-Hey, you shouldn't be so nosey little bunny. I'll tell Erin to put a put a blanket over your cage if you keep watching us like that..."

"I am Erin!" The rabbit leaped forward, landing in Mags' arms and looking up at her. "Mags, my dream focused friend, surely you will come to your senses so the others might. If anyone can figure things out, I am sure it is you."

However, when Magdalene put down her hand of cards, she revealed that she in fact had no face. Her wool turned an inky black as if covered in tar and two twisted horns grew from her head.

Ah... So my guests have arrived at last... The creature spoke into Erin's mind.

"Holy hell!" Erin jumped back and took a defensive stance, or at least as much of one as she could as a bunny. "Who're you? Where is Mags?"

The creature split the two cards in it's hand into five, laying them out onto the table. The cards had the portraits of the guests in their mind, Erin, Betty, Veeti, Chivi, and Eraqus were displayed in perfect detail. I am Baphomet, and you're Erin. Magdalene is here with us.

Erin heard something move behind her, the sheep-girl walking up from the back of the room where nobody had noticed her or the music she played. "It's okay Erin. He's a friend."

It's so easy to miss a farmgirl like her, isn't it? Or perhaps that is simply how she sees herself... Baphomet swiped his hand slowly, the pictures on the cards fading into white.

One by one, the others came to their senses, realizing that they were in a dream. Erin let out a sigh, and looked up at Bephomet. "I was told about you, and a deal you made with Zulik. I am glad that you are on our side, or at least appear to be."

Make no mistake. I am on Magdalene's side and that of my mistress once again. Our interests now align, so you have my power for the time. The Faceless Magdalene echoed through the room.

Betty looked down at herself, her maid outfit having a section of the front cut out to reveal partially reveal her chest. The Thrope, now realizing it was a dream covered herself quickly. "What! Why am I dressed like zhis!?"

The pretty fly. Searching for a family long gone. You wear that because you chose to, whether consciously or not. Perhaps it has something to do with the rabbit... The Nightgaunt chuckled.

"Creepy?" Veeti looked around. "You no seem like friend..."

And her devious Netzi counterpart... Dubious? He gazed over.

"At least you're not covered in vegetable pulp." Eraqus walked over and wiped some carrot 'guts' off his shoulder as he eyed the Nightgaunt. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm as uninterested about teaming up with you as you are of us. This is Magdalene's mission. As long as she says to trust you, I will. But I will cut down any of your kind that tried to hurt my allies, and that includes you if you suddenly decide escaping to the waking world sounds more appealing than cleaning this mess."

Even If I were to decide to simply... Leave you here and escape... Implying that I even could... It is pointless with my mistress. He went on.

"Right... anyway, we..." The Elf looked over to the others, his eyes resting on Betty for a moment before he quickly looked away. "Um... why don't you imagine you're wearing what you had on before. Your current clothes are a little... distracting."

Doing so, her clothes changed back in a instant, switching over to her everyday outfit as she lowered her arms slowly.

Erin nodded. "Remember that ability. It will come in handy as you journey through the dreamscape." The rabbit turned to Mags' guardian. "Now, my good... man? If you would, please make a way out of this shared dream into the the realm of dreams proper."

Very well... But stay together, you've done well with your potions, however, one can still lose their way in the dreamscape. The Nightgaunt continued, reaching out his hand and clawing through thin air. As he did, pulsing claw marks appeared, cracks stretching out from them until the the fabric of their dream broke away, revealing a swirling portal.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dream Weaver
Part Two

"Fascinating," Erin said softly. She cleared her throat and stated, "As saddened as I am to miss the chance to see another realm of existence first hand, this austral form is the best I can do with falling asleep myself. As such, once you leave, I won't be able to talk to you anymore. Please take comfort in knowing I will be watching over you, and I will attempt to wake you should you seem in danger. Mags, my dear, I believe it would be best for you to find the goddess of dreams once more, or at least her dream version. Hopefully, she will be able to direct you to her body."

The sheep nodded. "Mmhm..."

The portal began to spread outward, cracks in the dreams spreading out over the room. As it did, Betty took a close look at the rabbit. "Erin. Keep us safe out there. I feel good knowing you're out there... I love you."

Erin paused for a moment, but finally nodded, hopping close and bowing my head. "Fear not, my dear. My affection for you, as well, is boundless, and I will not let any harm befall you if there is anything I can do about it." She looked around and added, "Um... I'll take care of the rest you as well."

"How encouraging," Eraqus mumbled, even if he couldn't help a small smile at the show of affection. "Come on," he said, walking to the portal. "We have a goddess to rescue, and a dreamscape to set right."

After a few more moments, the dream completely shattered from the cracking, revealing the twisting mental void of the dreamworld. Mags stepped up, looking out over the side of the small piece of stone they were standing on, the last remnant of their shared dream. "H-Hello? Methos? Can you hear me?"

For a while, there was nothing. Just the emptiness of the realm around them. Finally, as though carried by the wind, the voice of the goddess said, "Is that You, child? You came back for me? I feared you had left me to my fate..."

Magdalene nodded. "It uh... Took me some time to find people I could trust, but we're here now. We're ready to help you."

"Alright. Please, child... close your eyes. Concentrate your thoughts. Think only of your desire to find me so I might find where you are."

Mags did as she asked, clearing everything but her desire to find Methos from her mind, concentrating as hard as she could to focus on the voice.

"Ah... I see you." The group could feel the goddess power as she zeroed in on their location. "Please, listen well. My energy grows weaker every day. I do not even have the strength to bring you to me again. Look to your right, Magdeline. Do you see the twin mountains In the far distance?"

Looking off into the void, the farm girl could indeed see two large mountains, floating in the distance.

"Those are the peaks of the ethereal plains. You must make your way to them and fly between them. This is very important. It might not seem different, but passing between them will give you access to parts of this realm you would otherwise pass right through without even realize it. From there, make your way over the plains before you and enter the Sleeping Forest. By this time, it's denizens, including the Nightgaunts, will grow wary of your presence, but you must press on. Am I clear so far."

"I... Yes..." The Sheep confirmed. "Just how big is this 'forest'?"

"Not large. In truth, one could traverse it in less them fifteen minutes. But it is an illusionary forest, one that will try and trick you. You must not let it. But as long as you focus on you task at hand, you will be okay. In the center of the forest is a small lake. You will only be able to see it, and the building in the middle, if you fly through the peaks. Take a boat to the building. Do not fall in the water. Once you reach the house, you will find me within."

"How wake you up exactly?" Veeti flew forward towards Magdalene. "We just make loud noise?"

"You will not be able to wake me up from this side," Methos answered. "There is a pendant around my neck. One of two, with the other existing on my physical body. You can use the pendant to escape the dream realm to the location of my body. Then it will be a simply manner of touching the two pendants together. That should, in theory, wake me up."

"Makes sense..." Betty spoke up.

"We won't let you down." Mags said with a determination uncharacteristic of her.

"Thank you all. I leave it in your hands."

Methos fell silent, and Eraqus looked towards the mountain. "How exactly are we supposed to walk between such tall mountains."

"Not walk. Fly!" Chivi floated in front of him. "Is dream. You can Do! Just use imagination. Think of self... light as feather. Imagine floating like leaf in wind. That how Netzi do it in waking world, anyway. Mags already do it once I imagine."

"Yeah..." Mags replied, turning around. "Although, she brought me to her before..."

"Well... I'll never know if I don't try." Erasmus closed his eyes. He imagined what Chivi had suggested, and quickly found himself thinking of dreams he used to have about flying. Of falling to the ground and missing. When he opened his eyes again, he was floating as freely as the Netzi pair. "Whoa..." Eraqus gave Betty a giddy smile, one she had never seen on the usually serious man. "Give it a try! If I can do It, I'm sure you can."

Betty considered the creature in which she had her affinity with. As she did her feet slowly picked up off the ground. "Ah! I did it!"

Mags giggled, taking a deep breath and jumping, finding that she simply floated without going up nor down.

"Alright! Let's go! To the...!" Eraqus started to point his sword forward. A few moments later, it doubled in size without gaining any weight. He grinned and continued, "To the mountains!" He floated out of the shattered dream bubbled, and Chivi rolled her eyes as she followed. "Men and size of swords," she muttered.

Veeti laughed, floating up off the path with Betty. Betty meanwhile suddenly sprouted a pair of small, transparent fly wings from her back as she thought about flying, allowing her to maneuver a bit better. "Zhis is incredible!"

Mags smiled as she watched her. "I'm glad you're getting the hang of it."

“Enjoy yourself if you can, but remember that you're not invulnerable here," Erin warned Mags. "Just like you can do so much with your imagination, so much of the unexpected can happen here. Stay vigalent." As she faded away, returning to her body, the rabbit looked at Mags demonic companion and said, "Keep them safe, and I'll be ever more eager to help Zulik keep his promise to you."

The faceless Magdalene nodded, morphing into his 'normal' form, the black, faceless demon sheep with curling horns. I will protect them to the best of my ability. You needn't worry little rabbit.

Erin nodded before vanishing, leaving the pair to float off with the others.

The group made their way towards the mountains, the seemingly infinite realm swirling around them. To some, it was frightening. To others, nothing short of wondrous. Eraqus himself leaned towards the former, watching as a pair of gigantic eyes, floated past them, staring at the Elf with an unblinking gaze. Goosebumps ran up and down his body. "Can you imagine... if we weren't given directions? Or got trapped here somehow? We would be searching forever..."

Quite literally. As your astral body does not age. Baphomet added.

Mags floated up beside him, "Don't worry. We just have to stay together... And even if we get separated... We should be able to find our way to the others by focusing on them in our minds."

"You seem to know lots about dreams." Chivi floated over. "You spend time here, Sheep lady? Or you just smart about dreamy dreams?"

"Not from experience... This is only my second time here..." Mags admitted. "Honestly... That's just a guess... But if you can fly by thinking then... You should be able to just... Think where you want to go..."

"Just guess, huh? Reassuring." Veeti added from behind them.

"I've done some reading on dreams and all of this, ever since I discovered my magic. Though they were mostly fables and songs, It's always mystified me..." The Sheep-girl answered. "Still... I could never have known it would be like this... That I would be here.... That I would meet Methos... It's all so much..."

"I zhink I get it, at least a little." Betty buzzed by with her wings. "Meeting gods is... Somezhing..."

"Well, most of them anyway," Eraqus said with a laugh, enjoying the feeling of flying despite a bit of apeirophobia.

After what could have been minutes or hours, the group came to the peaks of the ethereal plains. Along the mountain, dozens of nightgaunts looked as though they were resting. They turned their heads towards the intruders of their realm, as though watching to see what they might do. The group turned their gazes to Mags, following her lead.

Mags watched as everyone turned to her, causing her to sweat anxiously and freeze. However, Baphomet floated forward, acting as if he was leading them forward.

Dreamers. Give Mistress. Try wake.

The other Nightgaunts turned to him. The group realized how much they relied on facial expressions for clues about thoughts and feelings when facing creatures with no face.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dream Weaver
Part Three

Outsiders. Danger to Mistress, said one.

Must use... must escape, continued a second.

Mistress vulnerable. Must protect, added a third.

Take to Mistress. Give power. Mistress wake. Baphomet spoke in their simple way, crawling slowly closer to them.

The Nightgaunts seemed to consider his claims for a few minutes. Finally, they crawled back, still watching but not quite as ready to pounce forward.

Go forward, but be wary. Baphomet spoke in the minds of the others.

The group slowly floated between the peaks, all while nightgaunts watched them. Eraqus held the hilt of his sword tightly and whispered, "Good thing he's here. This might end up being easier than we thought."

Veeti elbowed him discreetly. "Don't give away..."

Eraqus nodded, trying to resist the urge to keep his sword raised. The group carefully made their way the massive mountain peaks. As they did, they could feel energy flowing into them, and something about the dreamscape became more vivid. Far below them, on its own floating piece of land, a forest came into view, a gentle mist or fog coming off the top of it.

"That must be it," Eraqus said softly. He glanced over to Bephomet. "Have you ever been there?"

Long ago... When my Mistress first sent me away. It feels like it has been aeons since I've crossed it. The Nightgaunt answered.

Mags looked at the others. "Remember what Methos said, this place will try to trick you... You must remember that we are here to free Methos and save Havenbrook..."

My my. You truly are a quick study, my little Magdalene... It's as if you're already used to this world... The Nightgaunt replied with a hint of affection.

Veeti shivered slightly as she listened. "Creepy... Very Creepy..."

"Is like flirting by demon," Chivi agreed. She opened her mouth to say more when she caught movement out of the corner of her eyes. New Nightgaunts were approaching, and the were moving in fast. A few moved to the resting ones on the mountains, and they too soon got up to fly towards the group.

Betty looked back, then alerted the group. "Everyone, be ready! I zhink they are onto us!”

As the group turned, several of the creatures swooped in, claws extended. Chivi concentrated, and her thoughts manifested into her construct, though instead of being made of metal, it was a large, sleek bird with bright yellow and blue wings. Facing the Nightgaunts, it flapped its powerful wings towards them, sending out a blast of wind that made them tumble back.

"This might be an awkward question, but how do you kill your own kind, Bephomet?" Eraqus asked.

The same way you kill in your world! Strike them enough and they will stop moving! Be wary however, the Dreamscape is where they are strongest! The Divergent readied his claws, growing in size easily two times.


Their enemies quickly recovered and separated, some being knocked back but more getting through. One lunged at Eraqus, claws extended. He slashed at It, only for it to turn to smoke and move around him. It quickly reformed, and he barely had enough time to block. He swiped his sword again, cutting into its side, but a follow up slash failed as it smoked away and another replaced it, clawing for Eraqus' back.

Before it could hit, Chivi's construct slammed into It, sending it flying. "Fight not like awake!" she yelled. "Fight like dream! Imagine! Can do more than cut cut cut!" She held her hands forward, and blades of wind shot out and scattered more of the Nightgaunts.

Veeti quickly pictured her construct in her mind as vividly as she could, down to the most minute detail. It was easier for her thanks to the nights she sat awake, thinking out the design long in advance.

As a Nightgaunt lunged at her, it was caught off guard by a large lizard jumping over her head. It was around four and a half feet tall, but as long as a an entire human from head to tail, almost seven feet. It had red, scaly skin, which electricity could be seen pumping and surging under as well as a few feathers along the back of it's head, neck, and spine, purplish blue in color. The tail matched the skin, except for lines running vertically around it, separating it into segments, the tip of which held a sharp, spear-like point. On it's forelimbs and back legs, three inch long, pulsing blue talons arced with power as it moved to a stop before the Netzi. Finally, it's mouth was filled with a row of razor sharp, white teeth which shone as it snarled, it's orange reptilian eye slits narrowing at the creature before it.

Veeti smiled wickedly as she saw her creation come to life before her eyes.

"Sic girl! Sic!" She yelled gleefully, pointing at the Nightgaunt. The lizard quickly responded, charging forward at lightning speed, opening its maw wide.

"Oh, I like, I like!" Chivi shouted as she zoomed by on her own construct, plowing into one foe after another. "Veeti imagination might be too much for old man Ed's skill!"

Eraqus grunted as he dodged another blow. Seeing how well the imagination of the others was doing them, he was able to will rolling flames on his sword. He cut at a Nightgaunts, cutting skin and igniting the smoke they turned into. "Now that's more like it!" He swiped again, and looked to see how Mags and Betty were doing.

Betty dodged to side of a Nightgaunt's lunge using her wings. The Fly-Thrope smashed one if the demon-like creatures away with her gauntlet. As the insect-girl pulled out her gun to follow up, she was reminded of her first mission. Betty imagined that her gun was loaded with fire crystals, and as she aimed and pulled the trigger, a wave of flaming death exploded from her weapon towards two the creatures in front of her.

They flew back and tumbled out of the 'sky', falling and falling until they were out of sight. "Not bad," Charter said, pulling out his crossbow. It took on a demonic shape and fired a massive bolt of pure flame, passing through one Nightgaunt but hitting one behind it. Still, more came, a group in the distance getting closer. "This is no good! We can't keep this up forever! Mags, Bephomet! Clear a path to the forest! Better to be among the trees then here, out in the open where we can be seen from all sides!"

The Sheep nodded. "R-Right."

Baphomet and his partner turned around to find three Nightgaunts blocking their way. The Divergent Nightgaunt crept forward, suddenly he shot his claws out, the appendages stretching like taffy, allowing him to swipe at two of them at once.

Meanwhile, Mags was left with the other. The Sheep girl gripped her weapon, before realizing she had something better. The farmgirl pulled out her harp and strummed a song which she softly sung the words to.

"O-Oh oh... O-oh-ah ooh... There once was a prince, who was feared far a wide... A black knight so fearsome there was death in his eyes..." As she sung, the form of a man clad in all black armor appeared before her wielding a massive hammer, far too large to be realistic, yet he carried it with ease as he rushed the beast. The Image of the prince slammed his weapon into the ground, creating a shockwave of power that barreled towards her faceless enemy.

As it, and any other Nightgaunts in the way, went flying every which way, Eraqus looked at Mags with surprise. "That is quite the move," he said, impressed. He waved for everyone to follow, and they used the opportunity to fly down to the forest. Running into the trees, they ran and ran until they looked back and were sure they had lost their foes.

Eraqus leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. "Never thought... a dream version of me... could be so tired. Ironic..."

Chivi pet the feathers of her imaginary flying stead. "I guess we think we be tired, mind makes it real." She rubbed her neck and added, "Better not let minds think head is cut off."

Mags didn't seem as tired as the others, but still waited for them. "M-Maybe we should catch our breath?”

Eraqus nodded. "Agreed. Who knows what this forest has in store for us. We need to be prepared, so... take five."

The group took a seat, and took the time to take in their surroundings. It was a thick forest, and yet, because it was illusionary, there was still plenty of light to see. A thick mist rolled along the ground. The trees were mostly green, but every now and then there were trees of red and purple and incomprehensible colors.

Eraqus took in a deep breath, and pondered what it was he was actually breathing. Was any of this actually real?Was the dreamscape a tangible place, or was all this a product of his imagination? As his thought swam, he heard his name being called. "What?" he asked Chivi.

She was looking away, and glanced over. "Hmm? I not calling you."

The Elf blinked in confusion, and looked over to Betty. "Did you need something?"

"Eraqus?" The fly-girl asked concernedly. "Perhaps we should simply keep moving... The quicker we are out of zhis forest, ze better..."

Veeti could've swore she felt something brush past her fur at that instant, but when she turned around, nothing was there. "Y-yeah... Don't want stay in creepy wood longer than need to..."

The others agreed, and quickly made their way deeper into the forest. The thickening fog made it hard, and the trees themselves made impassable paths at times, requiring them to go around.

Eraqus.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dream Weaver
Part Four

The Elf turned to the side. There was a figure in the distance. Compelled by curiosity, or perhaps something more, he made his way towards it. "K... Kara?" he asked when he reached it. Fifty years had passed, and yet he was sure it was her. She hadn't changed a bit. "Kara, what... what are you doing here?"

"The Nightgaunts, they pulled me from my dream," she explained, slowly approaching him. "Please... I'm so scared. Please, help me get back to my dream so I can escape this cursed place!"

Suddenly, a long black hand blocked the path in front of him. It was Baphomet, stopping him from going any further towards her. I wouldn't do that if I were you...

"Why?" Eraqus gave him a look somewhere between curiosity and anger. "She needs our help! We can't just leave her here!"

"Please, Eraqus." Kara pointed at Bephomet. "That! It was one of those things!"

She's not real you fool... She is a creation of the forest, if you follow her, you could find yourself searching forever, never waking in your world again. The Nightgaunt pushed the Elf back. Focus on why you are here...

Eraqus blinked a few times. "Right... right. S... sorry." He gave the illusion a sad look, and slowly turned his back to it, ignoring its cries for help as returned to the others. "Sorry about that, guys. Let's... move on."

As they moved, Betty spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Standing there in tattered rags were images of her parents, described as if they had stepped right out of Ed's stories and her earliest memories. The Fly's tear ducts began to well up as she looked at them, Veeti quickly noticed her sister, floating over and pulling on her arm. "Need go. Fake. Must go. Mission."

However as soon as she finished saying that, another, smaller figure appeared from the darkness, the floating figure of a older looking female Netzi. Veeti narrowed her eyes, but instead of being sad at this figure from the past she instead became angry. "Errgghh! Stupid forest! Had enough! Betty, need go!"

"R-Right..." The Fly-Girl shook her head, pressing forward. "Veeti... Who was that..."

But she was only returned with a sad silence.

"This place suck," Chivi muttered, placing a hand over the side of her face to avoid looking at a young, laughing Netzi boy trying to lead her away.

"Wait!" called a voice behind them. When they turned around, they saw Erin, or at least the rabbit form of Erin from earlier, hoping towards them. "Wait I say! Damn, you guys move fast. What's a little bunny to do?"

Betty took a step forward, speaking in a shaky voice, showing that she was beginning to lose her composure. "E-Erin... No. Zhat's not Erin... Zhat's not... Stop it!"

"But it is me, Betty." Erin hopped closer to her. "I came to warn you, and there isn't much time. This was all a trap! Methos used you. Used Mags’ trust to lure you here. With all your sleeping bodies together, and your austral forms moving outside of a dream, your bodies became perfect portals! The Nightgaunts are in the Manor now, destroying the place, while you are lost in the forest. I came to save you, though. To get you out so we can take back our home."

"R-Really...?" Betty hesitated before Mags grabbed her hand.

"Yeah, you're totally Erin. Because you got past all the Nightgaunts behind us and knew to go between the mountain without anyone telling you." Magdalene said, "Come on Betty. We just have to keep moving..."

As they turned, the rabbit was standing in their path now. "Will you really continue on?" she asked, her little eyes welling up with tears. "More and more attack by the second. We can't last much longer. Betty... you told me you loved me. Will you really leave me to die like this?"

The Fly Thrope covered her large eyes, her goggles having inexplicably disappeared, revealing her true eyes to the entire group. Tears streamed down her face, "I-I do love you... B-But I... I wouldn't... No... Not real, not real..."

As Mags watched this she turned to look at the Rabbit. "Stop lying to her! You're not real and you will go away!"

"You!" The rabbit slowly grew in size, its voice deepening as its skin and fur ripped. "You think you know what you're doing, but you're wrong! Do they know how in the dark you are? How much you are going on blind faith?! You fear you will lead them all astray, and that is exactly what you're doing!" Its ears shrunk and its mouth elongated to that of a rat, and where its furry tail once was was a long rat's tail. It grew bigger and bigger into a hideous monstrosity. "You will get them all killed!"

"Enough!" Magdalene yelled, her voice cracking slightly due to the unusual volume. "You will leave! Us! Alone! Leave us alone!"

The Sheep-Thrope gripped her battlefork in both hands, running towards the creature with it and attempting to impale it through the stomach. The creature roared to try and intimidate her, but Magdalene did not stop her determine charge. The moment her weapon touched it, there was a flash of light. When it cleared, the monster before her was gone, and there was a treeless trail on ahead. Down it, in the distance, she could see some light near the ground, like light reflecting off the surface of water. Magdalene huffed with exhaustion, blinking a few times to make sure she was seeing correctly.

Meanwhile, Betty wiped her eyes clear, smiling softly at the small sheep. "Mags... Zhat was amazing..."

The Farmgirl laughed with relief. "It- It was? It was! Wow..."

Eraqus laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "It was. Not bad for a farmgirl." He nudged his head forward. "What do you think? Another trap, or is the forest done screwing with us?"

Eraqus laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "It was. Not bad for a farmgirl." He nudged his head forward. "What do you think? Another trap, or is the forest done screwing with us?"

Magdalene took a moment to breathe. "Y-yeah... I think we're okay... That should be the lake up ahead..."

Baphomet crawled out of the treeline, having made sure that the group stayed together and covering them from any Nightgaunts wandering their way. Having witnessed the actions of his partner, the servant of Methos' true desires laughed lowly. Good, little one... There is strength in you, it merely needs to be awakened by adversity...

Ahead, like my mistress said, we must cross the lake... But be wary, you Cannot, fall in... Baphomet reiterated ominously, pointing towards a boat resting on the shore.

The carefully climbed in, and Eraqus grabbed a paddle, slowly moving them along towards the house in the center. Chivi peaked over the side of the boat, and stared into the water. Naturally, it was pristine and clear. The land mass the forest was on wasn't too thick, and yet the depth seemed to go on and on, as deep as an ocean. Or perhaps deeper. It was that thought that made her wary about flying over it. "W-what happens if we do the splashy splash?" she asked nervously.

Truthfully? I am unaware. More than likely because no one who has done so has returned to tell about it. Baphomet replied, trying to hammer the point home.

The Netzi woman groaned, slowly pulling away from the edge. "Probably just one more place to get lost in the dreamscape," Eraqus said. "This place is beautiful, but it sure is dangerous." The boat suddenly came to a stop about fifteen feet away from the house's small dock. "Damn it. What are we, stuck on something."

"You who would intrude in the sleeping forest. State your business here!"

Mags looked between her friends, "My name is Magdalene... Uh, noble gatekeeper. I am here with the... Nightgaunt Baphomet... to wake Lady Methos from her slumber.

From out of the trees next to the house came an incredibly rare sight, both in reality and in a dream. At first, it looked like a female centaur with golden white fur. She wore a metal piece of armor around her waist and a helmet of bone on her head. It took a moment to realize her lower half and the horns on her head where that of a deer, and they were looking at a Golden Hind, a race of beings that had supposedly been extinct for thousands of years. "If have been approached before with claims of good will towards the Goddess of Dreams. Do you know what they did?"

Mags shrunk a little at the question. "U-uh... Nothing good... I take it..."

"Oh, Chivi knows! Put Goddess to sleep!" Chivi frowned and sunk down herself. "Oh... um, but we really here to help."

"I bet." The Golden Hind held up a spear and pointed it towards them. "The goddess is defenseless because I was not as vigilant as I should have been. I failed her once. Tell me why I should risk failing her again and not simply sink your boat and you along..." Her eyes rested on Bephomet. "Explain yourself, divergent one. Why do you travel with these mortals?"

The little one speaks the truth, gatekeeper... We were tasked by mistress herself to free her from her sleep... The Nightgaunt explained emotionlessly. She asked us to use the amulet around her neck to travel to her and wake her. An amulet I'm sure is not common knowledge, let alone knowledge of what it does...

"This is true..." The Hind lowered her weapon a bit. "I had suspected it could be used in such a way, but I am unable to leave the dream realm. I have no material body to return to." She thought for a moment, and looked at Mags. "If you speak the truth, then you would not mind risking something. Something you might lose if you turn out to be lying, correct?"

Mags hesitated for a moment. "Something like... What?"

"Something... like your comrades." She pointed her spear at the boat. "Here is my proposal. You go to the goddess, and leave your friends here. If you save the goddess, then they will remain safe. If you try and harm the goddess... they sink. You have nothing to lose, and nothing to fear, if you can be trusted. Seems fair, no?"

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Dream Weaver
Part Five

Mags looked back at her friends, giving them a concerned gaze.

Betty smiled, "Don't worry. She seems like a woman of her word. We trust you."

Veeti looked over at her sister, then nodded. "We come this far. I can wait on boat, beside, could use relax..."

Chivi nodded in agreement. Eraqus smiled at the Sheep Thrope. "Go on. This is your mission, and we're your backup. Go finish this so we can all go back to getting a restful sleep."

Mags nodded, looking back up at the guardian. "Yes... I'll take your deal..."

The deer woman nodded, and Mags could feel a force lifting her into the air. She gently floated over to the small island, and was gently placed in front of the small house. "For what it is worth," the guardian said softly, "I truly hope you can help. Now go."

"I... I hope I can too." Mags took a breath, placing her hand again the door and pushing it open.

The inside was incredibly modest, simply a square room with wooden floors and scrolls of simple Stormrend-style portraits lining the walls. There were a few intense candles burning off the the side, likely changed regularly by the guardian. On the other hand, this was in the dreamscape, and they might never actually burn out.

Opposite the door, against the wall, was a small elevated space that housed the sheep girl's target. Methos, or at least her austral form, sat upon a small pillow. Her eyes were closed, her chest barely moving. At first sight, she looked more dead than asleep. A light aura exuded from her, giving her a gentle glow.

The sheep approached her slowly, marveling at the glorious visage, her regal robes, her silken white hair. After a moment, her eyes focused on the object of her search, the crystal necklace she had been sent to find. Reaching her hand out slowly, the Thrope gently cradled the amulet in her palm.

It let out a faint red glow as she held it, as if it were reacting to her touch. The glow grew in intensity, and suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and a force that knocked Mags back. She seemed to black out for a moment, and when she opened her eyes, nothing seemed different at first. The room looked the same. Methos still sat on her pillow, slumbering.

When Mags stood up, however, something was off. The air seemed really thin, and it made it hard to breath. She felt so heavy, as though she had doubled in weight. Something was different, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it at first.

Mags looked around the room slowly, breathing heavily due to the thin air. "Wha- Where... Where... Am I? Am I..." It took her a moment, the lightheaded effect of the lack of oxygen slowing her down, but she realized the room actually was different. There was a musty smell to it, and the incense looked like it had burn out a while ago. There was also a layer of dust covering everything, as though nothing had been cleaned for months. Finally, the door she could have swore she had left open was now closed.

"Am I... This is... Athereum..." Mags huffed, looking back up at Methos. The crystal around her neck glistened slightly. The Sheep girl mustered her strength, picking herself up off the ground and slowly moving towards the goddess, hand outstretched.

Both amulets glowed in harmony, growing brighter as they got closer to one another. As Magdalene touched them together, the one she held became too hot to touch. She released it and stepped away, just in time to avoid a sudden surge of electricity. It poured out of the twin amulets and through the goddess. She opened her eyes and screamed out in pain for a few seconds. The amulets shattered, and Methos slumped to the side, steam rising off of her. Mags' eyes widened and, despite being weakened, got closer to make sure she was okay, because Magdalene knew if she wasn't…

After several excruciatingly long seconds of silence, Methos started to stir. She slowly sat up, and looked down at her hands. "I'm alive... and..." She pinched her own cheek and let out an excited laugh. "I'm awake!" She looked down at the Sheep Thrope. "I'm awake! You did it, child!"

Mags gave her a content smile before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell backwards, passing out from lack of air.

"Oh, dear..." Methos floated over to her, gently picking her savior up and holding her gently.

Mags woke up awhile later, slowly opening her eyes to look up at the ceiling of the main lab. As she looked around, she found the others were there, giving her a concerned look.

"Magdalene!" Erin ran over and cupped her hand. "A-are you okay? I was watching all of you when your body... simply vanished! Are you hurt?"

Suddenly, the sheep's eyes shot open. "Methos!? I... Did I do it... I think I did..."

"Well, the look of elation from that Golden Hind seemed to imply that," Eraqus said. "She went into the house after there was this big flash of light, and when she came out, she was all smiles. A few seconds later, we woke up, but you were gone. You suddenly appeared her a few minutes later, and you have been out for about twenty minutes. Do you know where you disappeared to?"

"I... I think I was in... The city of the gods..." The Farmgirl replied, rubbing her head.

"Zhat makes sense, at least based on what Methos told us..." Betty said. "Regardless, I'm glad you're okay..."

"You did so well." Erin smiled down at her. "Please, close your eyes and try and get some sleep. Some actual sleep. You've earned it."

"I couldn't have done anything without... All of you..." Mags turned her head to face them.

Veeti chuckled. "Heh... Don't mention." The others waited for Mags to drift off, then Eraqus picked her up to carry her to her room.

Within Mags dreamscape, she found herself in her farmhouse, fully aware that she was in a dream. Her family ate their meal together, as though making up for the missed meal in her previous dream. Behind the sheep girl, Methos said, "What a wonderfully quaint home. There is nothing like this back home. I would like to visit here from time to time... if you would allow it."

Mags leaned her head back, her hair hanging down. "You can visit whenever you want... We always treat guests like family..."

"Well, the same goes for you and the realm of dreams." Methos walked over to her seat and knelt next to her. "It is not everyday a mortal earns a debt from a goddess. But you have done me a great service. You believed in me when others would have thought I was tricking them. You were trustworthy when my own fellow gods weren't. You risked yourself for my sake, and I will never forget that, my dear."

"I'm not much, I'm just a farmgirl from Serasam..." Magdalene sighed, "You don't owe me anything..."

"Hush now. If you do someone a service, it is only right that they return your kindness. I am sure there will come a day when I can repay you." Methos stood up and looked around. "The same goes to you, Bephomet. You have far exceeded the service of any Nightgaunt, and I thank you for that."

A shadow in the corner of the room shifted suddenly, then after a few moments, the divergent Nightgaunt stepped out, none of Mags' family paying him any mind. It was my pleasure Mistress... Although, consider this a repayment for creating me, and of course, allowing my union with Magdalene here...

"Of course, though that doesn't mean I won't try and think a proper way to treat my most faithful and dependable Nightgaunt." A portal formed behind Methos. As she stepped back, she said, "Please enjoy your dreams, Magdalene. My gift to you and your friends is the most pleasant of dreams for the entire Havenbrook Manor for the next week. And know that I will be watching over you, dear one."

"Oh! So uh... I wanted to ask... What are you going to do now that you're free again?" The Sheep asked, standing up from her chair. "Are you going to try and find out who did this to you?"

"Naturally." Methos squeezed her fists shut. "I was trapped in my own dream for months. The dreamscape has fallen into a poor state that will take me time to repair. My Nightgaunts were left to run wild. I will find out which of the gods did this to me and make them pay."

"I have to agree... Whoever did this hurt a lot of people by taking away your control over your Nightgaunts..." Mags agreed, giving her an assuring look. "If you ever need our help again... You know where to find me."

"Thanks you, dear." Methos stepped into the portal, adding, "I might need to hold you up to that some day," before the portal closed, leaving Mags alone to enjoy her time with the memories of her family.

Mags sat at the table, smiling softly as her family ate in front of her. Her smile faded and the Sheep stopped for a moment, noticing a person still missing from the table, she looked up the stairs expectantly, but saw no one coming down.

 

[ExoGrim]

Dirty Desert Dealings (ExoGrim and ZombieSplitter53)
Location: The Duchy of Kemar, Just north of the Kemaran/Serasam Border
Client: Local Kemar Royal Guards
Target: Ophidian Bandits

Info:

Far on the southern end of the the desert duchy, a royal caravan was ransacked and rob, the Ophidian raiders making off with a number of parcels and important effects belonging to the Royal House of Virando, the Duchy’s sovereign nation. The local nobles will be in quite a bit of hot water if those items are not returned promptly, and so they have offered a rather generous reward for raiding the raiders.

The mission here is simple; make your way into the bandit camp, infiltrating by any means needed, and find the stolen goods. The ultimate fate of the bandits and their camp is unimportant as long as the plundered items are retrieved (in one piece, naturally). For this mission, we will be sending a couple of our lower ranking Hunters to team up with a local Hunter’s Guild that is low on manpower. Naturally, this is a cooperative effort, so there is no risk from the opposing guild members, though caution is always encouraged when dealing with our competitors.

*****

With the Havenbrook Manor as far north in Sarasam as it was, it did not take long for the small travelling coach to cross the border, where grass soon gave way to sand. The representatives were one of the guild’s newest recruits, along with a member that had yet to prove himself the most reliable of Hunters. Lady Havenbrook hoped that travelling, even a short distance, would help the former with her search for answers, while the later, young Ferron Evenook, was mostly there as a learning experience. He nervously peeked out of the carriage and asked, “So, uh… you ever been to the Duchy?”

Melinda seemed fascinated by the new surroundings, almost oblivious to the archer’s question. She turned to face him. “No, I have not been to this place before… why do you ask?”

“Oh, um… Just curious, I guess. I had… never been out of Serasam before joining the guild, but now this is the second time in, like… a month or two.” Ferron spoke rapidly and in stumbling sentences, as though talking distracted him from his nervousness. “But I‘m well read. Like, um… d-do you know about the history of this land?”

“I’ve heard stories of what happened here…” Melinda replied. “But nothing was concrete or proven to be true.”

“Yes, well… there is always a lack of truth to any historical documentation,” Ferron admitted. “But many believe the same thing. Deven Por supposedly took up all of this land and parts of the surrounding countries. Then BAM! Purundy launches some… some unknown WMD and wipes the whole place out 1200 years ago. Supposedly, it was one of the most lush and beautiful places in the world, and it was reduced to a desert in a matter of minutes. Such a waste, huh?”

Melinda didn’t seem to hear much of what he said, having been fixated on one piece of the statement. “Deven Por… why does that seem familiar to me?”

“Hmm?” Ferron scratch his head. “I don’t know. Maybe you read it in a book somewhere?”

“I’ve never read a book in my life.” Melinda admitted. “But… it seems like I’ve heard of it before… like I knew it once.”

Ferron chuckled. “Maybe you’re remembering some past life experience and you lived there.” He frowned. “Which would be bad because it means you died a gruesome death. N… n-never mind…”

“No need to worry…” Melinda reassured Ferron. “I would’ve remembered dying… I must’ve mixed it up with something else similar.”

Ferron nodded. “No problem. Why, just the other day, I-” The carriage hit a small rise in the sand, causing it to bump up. Melinda was fine but Ferron fell over. “Ow… I bit my tongue…”

The carriage slowed to a stop a few moments later, and the driver climbed from his seat and opened the door. “We’re here. Out in the middle of nowhere, but the middle of nowhere I am supposed to take you.”

“Thank you.” Melinda told the driver as she exited the carriage. “Do you know where we are to go from here?”

The man pointed towards the east. “Just half a mile in that direction. You’ll find the others there.”

“H-half a mile? In this heat?” Ferron stumbled out behind Melinda. “Can’t we get a bit closer?”

“No,” the driver said bluntly, climbing back into his seat.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” The shadowmancer said reassuringly. “If I can make it to Serasam from Bevland, I think you can handle a half a mile in the heat.”

“Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to say.” Ferron sighed as he pulled their supplies from the carriage. “Some of us can’t use our own shadow as shade.” He put his bow over his shoulder as he held Melinda’s weapons out to her.

Melinda took the weapons, sheathing them appropriately. After a few seconds of consideration, her shadow extended out, hovering over Ferrom in order to shade him from the sun. “That better?”

Ferron looked up and smiled. “Yeah, thanks. But that won’t drain you of energy, will it?”

“Not really…” Melinda stated. “Most of my shadow work is subconscious anyway, so I’ve learn to use it with little to no energy.”

“Oh… cool.” Ferron lifted his bag of supplies as well as Melinda’s. “Then you provide to protection from Rameuc, and I’ll carry your stuff for you.” He started ahead, a bit more enthusiasm in his step then before.

Melinda followed the archer in the direction that the driver gave them. She seemed to be looking at the flat sandlands the whole time, a similar look of awe on her face as when she wandered the Manor. Through all of this, the shadow still managed to keep above Ferron’s head, guarding him from the elements. It was almost like Melinda wasn’t controlling it anymore, as she seemed to pay no attention to its movements at all.

Ferron either didn’t notice or didn’t realize it was out of the norm. It wasn’t long until they found what they were looking for. There was a small, sand colored tarp over a table up ahead, so close to the color of the surroundings the pair didn’t notice it at first, though Melinda was off in her own world anyway. There were a pair of Hunters that tensed up when they saw the pair approaching, but relaxed a little when they saw a lack of scales. “You names and purpose here?” one of them demanded when they were within earshot.

“My name is Melinda Silendis, and this is Ferron.” Melinda answered, having heard them speak. “We are here on the behalf of Lady Havenbrook to help deal with a band of raiders that stole something from the nobles of this land.”

“Showed up just in time,” the second man said, a tan-skinned human. “The targets are just to the north, past that sand dune. Was afraid you wouldn’t show up. I know how soft Serasam Hunters tend to be.”

“Shut it.” The first man, another human with a lighter complexion, brown hair, and the build of a professional bodybuilder shook his head. “Ignore him. He’s an instigator. He’s Figaro. I’m Winton. We have a third spying on the bandit camp. How much experience do you have fighting Ophidians?”

“Unfortunately, I have none.” The pale woman replied. “I have little experience in the field of hunting, as this is my first time.”

“Great,” Figaro muttered, placing his hands behind his head. “Newbies. What about you, Elf guy?”

“I’ve… had a few missions.” Ferron’s head sunk a bit. “No Ophidians though.”

“That’s fine, as long as you can fight.” Winton cleared his throat. “Try and fight from a distance. Ophidians are fierce, strong, and faster than they look, and no offense, but you two don’t look like you can take one in a fist fight. They usually don’t know magic, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that. And whatever you do, don’t go crazy with your attacks. We need to get the stuff out of there in tact.” He looked towards the north. “Silendis, was it? I need you to go check on our third. Here.” He grabbed and tossed her a brown cloak. “Don’t want you to get spotted.”

Melinda put on the cloak. “I’ll see if I can find him without getting spotted myself.”

While the other three walked back to talk over the small map on the table, Melinda moved north, staying low as she reached the top of the dune. She looked left and she looked right, but no one and nothing was in sight. She was about to head back to ask if they were pulling her leg when she stepped to the side and heard a light ‘oof’. Looking down, she saw something she hadn’t noticed before, a large fox tail sticking out of the sand.

Melinda quickly realized what she had stepped on, quickly moving her foot and seeing if the person in question was alright. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Ugh… pale lady weighs up up.” The sand shifted, and a fox Thrope sat up. Based on their size, they were either unusually young for a Hunter or unusually small for an adult. They looked so young it was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl, though the small pink ribbon at the end of their tail and a high pitch voice were indicators. “You the Serasam Hunt to fight Lizards, get shiny back?”

“Ummm… yes.” Melinda replied, not sure how to respond to the broken Doloran that the child was speaking. “You’re comrades want me to check on you and help you get back safely.”

“Yes yes. Gratefulness. But lookin’.” The Thrope waved for Melinda to lay next to her. “Fenix findin’ secrets.”

 

[ExoGrim]

Dirty Desert Dealings: Part 2

“Ummm… what kind of secrets?” Melinda asked as she laid down next to the Thrope child.

“Come. Come wid the hush hush.” The pair crawled forward until the camp was in view. It was fairly large, though considering the Ophidians were larger than your average human, it might have been a normal sized camp for them. Most of the tents were made of materials and items that could be quickly put up and taken down for a nomadic lifestyle. The fox girl pointed to one near the back. “Hissy opens, and I see. I see. Sun hits inside, bright light. Reflect. Shiny is there. We go there, we get da goods. You know?”

“Yes, I know…” Melinda stated, trying to see if she could see what the fox girl was talking about. “We should get the others and tell them what you’ve found.”

“Yes. Idea is good. Come, come. Low. Snaky eye bad, but not too bad.” The pair slowly made their way down the slope until they could stand up again, which was soon for the short girl. When they returned to the others, the Thrope floated up to the table with a gentle gust of wind, examining the map and pointing to a square on it. “There! Flap goes up, sunshine go BLINK! I see the shine. I see shiny. There shiny.”

Ferron scratched his head. “I… what?”

“She said she saw light reflecting off something in the tent,” Figaro translated. “She’s pretty sure that is where we’ll find our stolen goods.” He looked up at Melinda. “You saw which tent she was referring to?”

“Yes, I did.” Melinda answered. “It’s one of the ones closer to the far edge of the encampment. Getting there without a fight is going to be impossible… so the question is whether the five of us have what it takes to stop an entire tribe of Ophidians.”

“We can take them. Don’t you worry about that. I’ve got these.” Winton reached under the table and lifted a crate onto the table. In it were several tan pouches, tied off with a wick sticking in them. “These will help.”

Ferron picked one up, feeling its weight and texture. “Gunpowder.” He lightly sniffed one, and quickly put it down. “A-and nitroglycerin. You guys aren’t messing around.”

“Nope.” Fenix lifted one of the bombs, swirling it around her head with wind magic in a manner that made even her colleagues nervous. “We gonna do the boom boom! She lifted a finger, a tiny flame sprouting from it. “In camp, placey place. Din the spark. Din the poppin’ fire! All the hissies runnin’! ‘Ah, da fire! Ah, da boom boom! Scared! So scared!’ And we takin’ out stragies, takin’ shinies. Good plan, yes?”

“Gimme that!” Figaro snatched the bomb from her and put it with the others. “In laymen’s terms, we place the bombs, we blow up the bombs, and while most of the raiders scatter, we pick off any that stick around and get the goods.”

“Is not what Fenix says?” The fox girl scratched her cheek.

“How do we intend to get those explosive in the camp without them noticing?” Melinda inquired.

Winton folded his arms. “Well, word is one of you two has some interesting shadow powers.”

It took a moment for Ferron to notice Winton was looking at him. “M-me? No, no, I… I just shoot the pointy end of my arrows into people. Melinda is the shadowmancer.”

“That is correct.” Melinda confirmed, her shadow shifting slightly out of place in order back up the statement. “But, I’ve never used my powers to hide someone before…”

“We just need you to place the bombs. Someone else will be sneaking you in.” Winton nudged his head to the crate. “How many of those can you safely carry with your powers?”

Melinda looked at the crate, examining its weight and the content inside. “I might be able to get about a third of it without wasting any mana… but there’s no guarantee.”

“Hmm… a third of them should get enough coverage for the first wave. The rest for a bombardment.” Winton nodded. “Good. Fenix will get you into the camp.”

“Me and pale lady gonna be all sneaky sneak,” Melinda heard Fenix say next to her, but when she looked to the side, she saw nothing.

Melinda tilted her head in confusion. “Where did she go?”

“Still here, still here.” There was a ripple where the voice was, like a disturbance on the surface of water, a Fenix appeared. “Light magics! Lady with shadows hiding in dark. Fenix… hides in light.”

“Fair enough.” Melinda looked back at the duo. “Do we have anyway to contact you if things don’t go as planned… or are we on are own at that point?”

“On your own.” Figaro grinned at her. “Scared? Too much for you? Maybe we should come up with a plan that keeps you safer.”

Melinda glared at the man and, without her approval, a shadowy tendril sprang forward. It stopped threateningly near Figaro’s throat. Melinda seemed just as surprised at the action as everyone else… but the man heard a voice in his head say. Don’t you underestimate her…

Figaro laughed nervously, slowly lifting his hands. “Okay… okay. You can call off the attack shadow now.”

“Oh, now da Fig man all spooky scare,” Fenix muttered with a giggle.

Melinda managed to get the shadow to retract after some struggle. “I… I didn’t mean for that to happen. My emotions must’ve gotten the better of me… My apologies.”

Figaro narrowed his eyes and started to say something when Winton gave him a hearty slap on the back. “Don’t worry about it, Melinda. That was a good display of your power, right Figaro?”

“Yeah, yeah…” The younger man let out a huff. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Fenix language now spoke!” The fox girl took Melinda’s hand. “Ready?”

“As ready as one can be.” Melinda replied, following the fox child back to the camp.

As the pair walked over the dune, several of the bombs held tight within Melinda’s shadows, she looked down to see her hands were see through, barely a blur in motion and nearly invisible when still. Fenix urged her to stay close to keep the magic up, or at least she believed that is what the girl said. Entering the camp, it was an odd thing to walk among people and be treated while you weren’t there, though one didn’t always have to be invisible to experience that.

One of the Ophidians stopped a few feet from there, raising his head a bit and sniffing the air, Fenix grabbed Melinda’s hand and pulled her behind a tent. “Gotta stay the far way from hissy,” she whispered. “Nose knows, and snakey nose good nose.”

“Right…” Melinda whispered back, keeping her hand on her dagger in case they were spotted. “Let’s get those bombs set up before they realize we’re here.”

“Yes, yes. Pale lady no movin’. Stay, stay.” Fenix flew up into the air, Melinda finding herself visible for a few moments once the girl was a few feet away. Fenix returned quickly and peaked around the corner, pointing to two tents. “Can shade strethin’?”

“It might be able to…” Melinda replied, taking a guess at what Fenix was asking. “I’d have to get close enough to try first.”

Fenix took her hand again and watched the Ophidians walk by. When two refused to move on, she floated up a small rock, and shot it at the side of one of their heads. He immediately cried out in pain and anger and socked the other in the face. The pair squared off, and Fenix quickly pulled Melinda along while they were distracted by their fighting. Between the two tents, she said, “Inside for the boom boom. Your shade gonna stretchy, bomb goes in da back, yes?”

Melinda focused on her shadow, using the shadows from the tents as a bit of a guide into each one. After a few moments, they retracted, a set of bombs missing from the lot. “There, the bombs are set.”

“Shade lady gottin’ talent.” Fenix grabbed her hand again. “Come, come.”

Outside the camp, the other three hid on the top of the dune, watching the camp. “They’re really going at it,” Figaro said, watching the two Ophidians fight. “Here comes the knives.”

“Ophidians are very proud,” Winton told them. “Don’t disrespect one, and don’t ever get into a bar fight. They’ll make you sorry you did.” He squinted. “Just wish I could see the girls.”

“They just put another pair of bombs in a third and fourth tent,” Ferron said, watching the camp closely. Noticing the questioning look of the others, he shrugged. “What? I’m an archer, and they aren’t completely invisible. I’m not good for much, but at least I can say I have keen eyesight…”

The pair of ladies quickly dodged forward to avoid the now unconscious Ophidian who technically started the fight as he slammed to the ground. “So violent.” Fenix shook her head and guided Melinda close to the tent where the goods were believed to be. She scanned for a good spot to place the final bomb. “Hmm… last one for… where…?”

“Wherever we’re going to put it, it needs to be fast.” Melinda stated, nervously eyeing the Ophidians. “One of them could be here any minute.”

“Worry, worry. Da stress make skin wrinkly wrinkle.” Fenix scratched her chin, and smiled. “Gimme, gimme. Takin’ bad prize. Seein’ snaky over there?” She pointed to a heavily armored one in the center of the camp. “You given him gift, yes?”

 

[ExoGrim]

Dirty Desert Dealings: Part 3

“I’m not sure what you mean, Fenix.” Melinda remarked.

Fenix snarled a bit, obviously not liking to be misunderstood, even if it was no fault of Melinda’s. She took the bomb. “You hidin’, okay? Fenix go to give do boom. No gettin’ caught or snaky gonna stab.”

“Alright… just be careful.” Melinda hid behind the tent that the goods were hidden in, waiting for the fox girl to come back.

Peeking out, she watched as well as she could as the light shimmer that was Fenix floated over to the Ophidian. The tall snake man lightly sniffed the air as Fenix carefully tucked the bomb in one of his side pouches, making sure the wick was sticking out. Suddenly, the man reached to the side, grabbing the girl by her tail and lifting her up. Startled, Fenix lost her invisibility as she was held upside down. “Um… hi?” she laughed nervously, but the unamused Ophidian simply reached for his knife.

Melinda cursed under her breath as she pulled out her dagger. After hastily aiming the pistol attachment, the pale woman pulled the trigger. She may have given up her position, but she had to save Fenix somehow.

Before the Ophidian could remove Fenix’s head, the shot hit him in the arm, and he let go of her. Fenix flew back and shouted, “Suck da boom, scaly!” She fired a flame and hit the wick. She had a few seconds to fly away, and the snake man had a few seconds to realize what was about to happen, before the explosion rang out across the camp. Fenix held out her hands, and a half dozen more fireballs shot out, ones she skillfully shot into the tents to hit the other bombs. Explosions were accompanied by a cacophony of screams and cries as everything shook and everyone went nuts. Fenix used this moment to fly back to Melinda and wrapped her arms around her leg. “You savin’ the Fenix! New best friend!”

Melinda didn’t seemed to notice the small fox child grip onto her leg, as she pulled out her sword and reloaded her dagger. She quickly scanned the area to see who stayed behind. Three Ophidians in particular caught her eyes. While most of the bandits made a run for it, not wanting to be caught in any more explosions, these ones at least recognized this as a diversion and made their way towards the tent with their loot, which was right next to where Melinda was hiding.

Melinda jumped out of her hiding, slashing at one of the survivors while her shadow attacked the other two. The first cried out, falling back as she cut into his armor. The other two struggled against the shadows, one of them pulling out a pistol and firing it at Melinda. Fenix snapped her fingers and produced a bright flash of light that through off his aim, the quickly sent forth a gust of wind to grab one of them while the other grabbed his sword, determined to fight through the shadows grasping him and cut down Melinda.

Melinda turned the one with the gun, seeing him as more of a possible threat. She dashed over, stabbing her dagger into his chin before firing the pistol into his throat. She whirled around to the other Ophidian, seeing if he had what it took to escape the shadows binding him. For the moment, it looked like he might do just that, able to get free by pure force. He cracked his neck as he glared at Melinda, holding his large scimitar at her. “You won’t get out of here alive, little human. You know this, right?”

“You shouldn’t underestimate your opponent so easily, little Ophidian.” Melinda taunted, pressing the button on her sword to place it in its whip state.

He laughed. “You think your toys can beat me? Pathetic.” He charged forward with surprising speed given his size, and swung his sword horizontally, trying to end it quick by slicing open the woman’s belly.

Melinda was caught off guard by the snake man’s reflexes. Her shadow, unfortunately, couldn’t take the full force of the attack, Melinda barely managing to make sure she didn’t die. Having stepped forward slightly, the blade got stuck in her side, rather than going through her entire stomach. But the pain, something she had never felt before, was unbearable. She was quickly dazed by the blood loss and stunned by the agony that enveloped her.

“Done already?” The Ophidian raider laughed as he lifted his sword to finish her off. “Like I said. Pathetic.”

There was a sudden burst of dark energy, blinding the raider briefly. When his vision returned, Melinda was no longer in front of him, but he could sense a dark presence behind him. This aura seeked vengeance, something that was obvious by the tint of the presence in one’s mind.

He shook a little, having never felt fear like this before. Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself, he held his weapon tight and quickly slashed back as he spun around.

His arm was stopped mid swing by two tendril stabbing into it. Now in front of him, Melinda stood, but she was different. Her eyes and hair had turned a pure black and her hands seemed to fade in and out of visibility. “You will know my wrath!” She said with powerful menace. “I will tear all of your kind apart!”

The man grit his teeth as he dropped his sword and grabbed his arm, trying to pull it free. “W-what are you?!”

“I am the Daughter of Purina Silendis… one of the great Shadow Witches.” Melinda shouted. “Soon, I will follow in my mother’s path and your kind will learn to fear me.”

He dropped to his knees. “L-let me go… please!” he begged as he lowered his free arm, reaching for a knife hidden in his boot.

A third tendril stabbed into the shoulder of his free arm. “But what would that do?” Melinda asked with a devious grin. “There’s no point in keeping you alive now.”

“No… please… spare me,” he muttered weakly, the pain getting to him.

Melinda thought for a moment. “I’ll let you live… but not without taking something from you first.” Without hesitation, the tendrils ripped off the Ophidian’s arms.

He screamed in torment as he fell back, blood oozing out of him. “Shade lady!” Fenix ran over, a pair of Ophidians dropping to the ground behind her. Explosions rang out as the others reached the camp, using the remaining bombs, but the Fox girl was focused on Melinda. “Sh-shade… l-lady?”

Melinda turned to Fenix, then turned back to the tent. Even in this state, she knew that the mission had to be done. “This is what you wanted right, mother?” She muttered.

Yes, soon, you will be stronger than I ever could. Purina responded, pride in her disembodied voice.

Several more Ophidians started running over, but an explosion set them flying. Behind them, Ferron quickly approached. He lit the wick of a bomb tied to his arrow and fired it at another snake bandit that was running over. “What’s going on? Are you two okay? We ran into some resistance…” He looked between the bleeding out man on the ground, the frightened look Fenix’s face, and the sinister looked shadowmancer. “What… what happened?”

“Shade lady is shade monster,” Fenix muttered, backing up slowly. “Does the rip rip on da arms… and findin’ it fun. Speakin’ to dark voicins.”

Melinda entered the tent, looking for the items that she was told to find. She used her shadows to pick up and move around objects to make the task easier.

When she stepped out, Winton and Figaro had arrived. The latter skillfully danced around an Ophidian’s attacks before a swift flick of the wrist stabbed a knife into his throat, while the former simply swung a ridiculously large sword, breaking his opponent's sword and embedding the sword half way into the Ophidian’s side. Now on even numbers and facing Hunters that were obviously much stronger than them, the remaining snakemen fled, leaving the group to take away the royal items in piece.

 

[ExoGrim]

Dirty Desert Dealings: Part 4

“Good job, everyone. I’ll signal that the mission was a success.” Winton smiled at Melinda. “Unless you want to carry everything through the desert,” he joked, not noticing anything off about her at first.

Melinda’s eyes returned to their normal state, though her hair remained the pure black that it was. “I’d prefer to have some help getting everything back to it’s home.”

Figaro cracked his knuckles as he walked over. “Gotta admit, newbie, you did a good job.” He looked her up and down. “Wasn’t… wasn’t your hair white? Or have I taken in more sun then I realized?”

Melinda looked at her own hair, just noticing the change in it’s color. “I wonder when that happened.” She muttered. “Looks nice actually.”

“Yeah, it does. Makes you look a lot less… you know, like you’re sick and about to keel over.” Figaro glanced over to his fox Thrope associate, who was using her fire magic to cauterize the wounds of Melinda’s victim. “Ouch… what happened to him?” He looked back to Melinda. “You do that?”

Melinda turned to the Ophidian that she had tortured. “I think I might have… my memory is a little blurry at the moment.”

“Blurry?” The lanky Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Does that always happen when you fight? Like some kinda… battle high that…” He looked at the blood on her side. “Are you okay? It looks like you were hit.”

Melinda looked down at the wound. “I think that’s what caused it. He managed to slash pretty deep… and I wasn’t adept to the pain that it caused.”

Figaro knelt by her side and examined the wound. “Weird… doesn’t look to be bleeding anymore.” He stood up and shrugged. “Whatever. I guess what matters is you’re fine.” He grinned. “Hey, you know… we could use someone with your talents in our guild. What say we negotiate your contract with your guildmaster to get you in? Your partner there is kinda a dork, but we can probably take him too if you want.”

“Sorry, but I’ll have to pass.” Melinda told him. “I already have good terms with Lady Havenbrook, I wouldn’t want to ruin that.”

“Damn… I guess that’s fair.” Figaro sighed, placing his hands behind his head and walking back to Winton, calling back, “but if you change your mind, call us up.”

Ferron slowly approached her from behind. “M-Melinda? Are you… okay?”

She turned to face him and tilted her head. “Yeah, I’m fine… why do you ask?”

“When I got here, your eyes were all black. And Fenix said you were talking to some dark… voices?” Ferron scratched his head. “I think. Maybe I just misunderstood her.” He briefly looked over to the fox girl, who was giving Melinda a wary look.

“Hmmm, odd.” Melinda took a moment to try and recall what she had done after the battle with the Ophidians. “I don’t remember talking to any dark voices… but I do remember talking to someone. Everything’s still fuzzy.”

“That’s… odd. I don’t know. Maybe you were talking to the snake guy.” Ferron sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Well, Winton said the carriage is on its way to pick us up where it dropped us off, so we should head back. You need to say your farewells to any of them?”

“I think all the farewells have already been said.” Melinda stated, noticing Fenix’s look. “We should get going anyway… this heat is starting to get to me.”

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Megacity of Ethereum
May 6th, 3349
12:57 p.m.

Tecunte's wrath shook her realm like it was being hit with the most violent of earthquakes. All Seclevar could do is watch and wait, knowing that if he got in the way, she might turn on him too.

"How could this happen!?" The goddess fired a sphere of dark magic, obliterating a chair. "Of all the places I should have been free of their meddling, the dreamscape was supposed to be on the top of the list! Now, everything is screwed up! Methos is awake, and she'll be trying to figure out who enchanted her!"

Seclevar took a deep breath and dared to speak up. "Speaking of that... how exactly did you learn where she was in the realm of dreams?"

"I told her." Behind the God of Mischief walked a tall, extremely attractive blond woman, with metal armor that barely covered her curvaceous body and having a look of total confidence in her eyes. "Methos and I had dealings in the past. I learned many of her weaknesses then."

Seclevar was taken aback by the new arrival. "What... What is she doing here?" He glared at his mother. "You included Grimora, Goddess of scanks and bitches, in all this?!"

"Down, boy," Grimora responded without looking at him. "Or I'll take away your chew toys. I'm here to see my sister after her screw up. And to check out the redecorating. Gotta say, the 'everything broken' look is quite bold."

"You." Tecunte pointed an accusing finger. "You didn't tell me she could call on mortals to get her out."

"Well, I didn't tell you anything but what you asked." The Goddess of Darkness placed her hands on her hips. "That wasn't the plan. The plan was for me to get you in, and you take care of the rest. Remember?"

"Will you get out of here?" Seclevar jumped down from his high perch and waved his hand towards the exit. "She's pissed off enough without you adding to it. Go back to Hell to have fun with your dead boyfriends."

Grimora laughed. "First of all, anyone I have 'fun' with is very much alive, especially certain parts of them. Don't get all snippy with me just because you can't get laid without pulling pranks on some girl until she is beat into submission."

"Fuck you!" the Thrope God snapped.

Ignoring him, Grimora continued, "Second, I have a personal stake in all this. It isn't my fault Tecunte decided to keep you in the dark about me."

Seclevar shot an irritated look at his mother. "Because she knew I'd object. How do you profit from her ploy to spread chaos anyway."

Grimora shook her head. "So simple minded, blind to the big picture. I thrive on darkness, my dear nephew. But with Mendakin out there and the insistence of the balance, there is only so much literal darkness I can get." She placed her hand over her heart. "But the darkness in the hearts of man works too. It is why I oversee the proceedings in Hell. Your mother's chaos is going to mean death. A lot of death. Tens of thousands of men and women, entering my domain and powering me up until I completely leave Mendakin in my wake, and there will be nothing he can do about it."

"I know that your more tits and ass then brains and basic intelligence," Seclavar responded. "But even you should realize that all this death means more good souls for Mendakin."

His aunt let out a hearty laugh. "Don't be a fool! Have you not been down there among the mortals lately? Avarice. Gluttony. Lust. Jealousy. Rage. Hatred! Violence! Treachery! Cold blooded, heartless, gleeful murder!" She giggled lightly, flicking her hair back. "Trust me. I'll get far more souls then Mendakin could ever dream of getting."

"If I'm ever able to get things moving." Tecunte sat in the one chair she hadn't destroyed, having calmed down while listening to the other two bicker, and now looking more depressed then angry. "Maybe... maybe I just need to be more bold with my tactics. All this hiding in the shadows, not getting to take credit for my actions... it gets a goddess down, you know?"

"What you need to do is get rid of your main source of trouble." Grimora knelt down next to Tecunte. "Who messed up your plans?"

Her sister scoffed. "Some... little Sheep Thrope and her Nightgaunt pet. I... I could get rid of her pretty easily..."

Grimora shook her head. "Focus now. We're looking at the bigger picture. This Thrope is a Hunter for the Havenbrook Organization, right? And what is the linchpin the binds the entire guild together?"

Seclevar rolled his eyes. "If you're proposing she kills Mina Havenbrook, you're out of your mind. Several of the gods are connected to her in some way, including Jerin'dek himself. To kill Mina directly is to openly hold up a sign that says, 'Notice me and all the crap I'm pulling'. Besides, killing one woman wouldn't neccasarily be the down fall of the guild. Seriously, this the person you go to for advice?"

"Quiet, child, before I wack you on the nose with a rolled up paper." Grimora placed a hand under Tecunte's chin and moved her head so they were looking eye to eye. "Why not get rid of Mina some way besides killing her? Some way that couldn't be traced back to you."

Tecunte nodded. "I'm listening. What would I have to do?"

With a mischievous look in her eyes, Grimora said, "Oh, not much. You just need to be willing to manipulate the fourth dimension a little."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Seclevar gave his aunt a shocked look. "You can not be serious. Mom, whatever she has planned, do NOT listen to her! She is more out of her mind then you!"

"Quiet, boy!" Tecunte snapped. "When you start coming up with ideas, then you can criticize others and their ideas." Seclevar scoffed and opened a portal. "Where are you going?"

"Away from here. Away from this." The mischief god gave them a look of disbelief. "I don't want to hear what she has planned. This will backfire. And when it does, we'll all be in for it. But at least I'll be able to say I wasn't a part of this lunacy." He quickly walked through the portal, leaving the women alone.

"Such a big baby. Has no guts." Grimora stood up and pulled Tecunte to her feet. "Come on." She opened a portal of her own. "I need to show you that Reaper I've been trying to get for you and your vampire pet. Then we'll visit a certain vengeful soul that is just dying to help you with your plans."

Tecunte finally smiled, the wicked smile of a wicked woman, and the two walked into the portal, descending into the deepest levels of Hell.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

Frostlich1228 & Black0ut : "Stray"



Titania hid in her special, concealed spot in the grove, which gave her a fair view of the grove, all the while she read a book on the geography of Stormrend. She wore her typical non-combat clothing: A red shirt, with black pants, the only exception to that being the leg braces Edminfar had built for her being around her legs as well.

Suddenly, a small deer ran by, stopping under the tree and looking up at her. The animal had dark, almost sunken eyes, the eyes themselves were bloodshot, probably indicating a lack of sleep, it's legs shook, as if it had been running for miles. Suddenly the animal collapsed, laying on it's side and breathing heavily.

Titania paused looking down at the animal, battling her wolf so she wouldn't eat the deer. With a sigh, she approached the deer and began petting it, trying to calm it down so she could see if there was any other damage.

The deer barely moved as she touched it, it was clear this animal was very sick. Looking closer, Titania notices it had a few gashes across it's back, almost like it had been whipped by something.

Titania quickly rushed back to the manor, her speed being more of a blur than her invisible speed, nearly knocking down the manor's door as she sped towards the Healer's room, snatching some gauze, bandages, before running back out the heavily damaged door. Once she had arrived back at the deer, she began tending to it, but never taking her attention off of her surroundings.

Sylvie, in the garden, caught out Titania running back towards the woods in her peripheral vision. The Huntress had followed the wolf-Thrope to find out what was happening. Stopping at the edge of the clearing as soon as she saw the sick deer.

"Titania?" The Huntress spoke, looking at the motionless deer. "What's wrong with her?"

Titania paused and lifted her head in Sylvie's direction, her eyes feral, but still retaining an intelligent gleam to them. "Prey ran into here, exhausted. Wounds from something else. Another predator. Whip, maybe." The Wolf Thrope replied, tending to the deer with renewed vigor.

Sylvie carefully approached, not only to avoid scaring the deer, but also as to not trigger a defensive instinct in Titania. The Huntress kneeled next to the deer, looking it over. "She seems sick... These don't look like they were caused by any kind of predator I know of..."

Stepping back a moment, Sylvie spotted something unusual, something which caught her eye. "Look closely at the deer's back... What I thought was blood at first is actually reddish fur..."

The huntress moved back in and started healing the deer. "This deer isn't from around here at all."

"No. Exhaustion proves that. But prey was attacked. Predator may be close by. May be watching." Titania whispered, pretending to still bandage the wounds, taking her gloves off to reveal her sharp claws.

The Huntress shook her head. "No, I mean she isn't from Serasam... It's a Neren'tevan deer, the reddish fur down the back prove it... I don't understand what she's doing so far from home..."

"Predator." Titania replied, part of the feral look in her eyes fading.

The nearby bushes rustled slightly, something was watching them. More than likely their mystery predator. Titania began to partially transform, causing her claws and teeth to grow sharper, before charging with reckless abandon at the bushes. As Titania approached it, the rustling began to move away from her, fast.

Titania started to blur, before disappearing, moving faster to catch up with the mysterious entity. The rustling passed behind a large tree, what quickly followed was a flash of green light and pulsing energy. As Titania circled around it, she merely saw a circle of bare dirt and wisps of green light still floating in the air. Titania slowed, a slight grimace due to to overworking herself appearing, before picking up some rocks and twigs, before continuing her chase, lobbing her new ammunition at the entity. "Stop!"

Unfortunately the entity she was chasing seemed like it had completely vanished. There was no more rustling she could follow, not even a track, it was long gone. Titania, upon realizing that she could follow no closer, tried to stop, but only succeeded in tripping over a tree root, and banging her head on a rock. The sudden blow knocked the Wolf Thrope out, as well as cut her head open, the blood oozing from the wound.

After a few minutes of waiting, Sylvie propped the deer against a tree, then went off to look for her lover's friend. The Huntress naturally followed Titania tracks, footprints, broken branches: obvious disturbances in the landscape of the forest. Eventually the green-haired woman cane across Titania, laying on the ground, her hair stained with blood.

Her eyes widened as she rushed to the Thrope's side, pulling life from the nearby grass to heal her wound the best she could, hoping that no damage had been done to the brain.

The Wolf Thrope didn't respond or move for a moment, her unconscious, and battered state working against her. After a moment or two, she came to; groaning, and weakly opening her eyes to the world around her. Her vision blurred and refused to focus on the being above her. Titania tried to urge her body to quickly strike at the enemy, but instead found her arm raising up slowly, unable to strike the person above her.

"Hey hey... Calm down... Its just me. It's Sylvie." She replied, gently grabbing her arm.

Titania struggled weakly to break her arm away, but soon grew tired. "Moved... faster." She murmured, her thoughts calming from Sylvie's voice, but still jumbled and confused.

"Wh-what happend? Did that predator do this?" The Human woman asked, continuing to heal her head wound.

"No... just moved faster..." Titania replied, as she raised her other arm up slowly.

"Faster than you? Did you see what it was?" Sylvie asked, her head wound almost completely healed now.

"Green... but not fully there. Like a ghost..." Titania murmured before closing her eyes and dropping her free arm to the side, her other arm going limp in Sylvie's grasp.

Sylvie picked the woman up carefully, putting an arm under her back and legs. The Huntress made her way back to the manor quickly to seek proper help for the Thrope after the incident, unsure if what the wolf saw was real or merely a result of the head trauma. Passing the clearing where the deer had collapsed, Sylvie noticed it was no longer breathing, and that any life in the creature had been extinguished. She shook her head sadly as she continued back to the estate, careful not to go too fast yet still get there in time. Titania's hand moved slowly latching onto Sylvie's with a not too gentle grip, her claws almost piercing the skin.

A jolt of pain shot through the forest girl, causing her to stop for a moment and look down at Titania.

"D-don't... take care of me. If that.. t-thing was faster than me, it's a threat... to the guild. we'll need to take care of it." Titania replied, releasing Sylvie's arm as she attempted to get out of the woman's hands.

"It's already gone. We'll find out what it was after we get you to the healer." The Huntress replied, continuing to walk.

Titania continued to weakly struggle against Sylvie, until she repeated her earlier grab. "No. I'm not important. Go find the fast, green thing!" She growled, baring her fangs at the woman who held her.

"Whatever it was, it could be miles away by now..." She replied steadily, keeping her cool. "And you need healing as soon as possible."

"Then I'll stumble into the manor and you look for it!" Titania growled once more, tilting her head to threaten Sylvie's arm with a bite.

"Will you stop being so stubborn!" Sylvie exclaimed, finally losing her patience. "Even if I drop you right now to go look for it, I'd still never be fast enough to catch up. If I snuck up on it, it could just run away like it did with you."

"That's a lot of 'if's for a village champion, one who is favored by her town's Goddess. You could track it, sneak up to it, at least learn what it is." Titania argued, her fangs retracting back into teeth.

"I may be Ahusirra's chosen, but I am not perfect, her powers only help me so much. Making a mistake will still get me killed like anyone else." Sylvie countered, "We'll let Ms. Havenbrook know, that's all we can do right now."

"...Fine. But you're buying me a drink tonight." The Wolf Thrope bargained, releasing her grasp on Sylvie.

 

[Frostlich1228 (Alt)]

"Stray" Part - 2



Sylvie rolled her eyes as the manor came into view, quickly moving up to the back door, she pulled the door open with the hand that was under Titania's legs.

They continued in silence, Titania's battered look shocked several of the Hunters and Staff. "I have a question... and it ain't too nice. What is it about Jay that you like, and don't say it's because he's a good man." Titania pressed, turning her head to stare up at Sylvie

Sylvie looked down at Titania, raising an eyebrow. "He's kind, smart, brave, selfless... Reasonably attractive... Why do you ask?"

"My best friend starts dating a girl and is totally infatuated with her, when I don't know her that well? It doesn't take a genius to realize that I'm still... okay, look. He's been through a lot. Half of his past he hasn't told me. He has night terrors, and cries whenever I ask him certain things." Titania started, staring directly into Sylvie's eyes. "And before we arrived here, he outright hated Humans and Elves. And now, he's dating one, and I want to make sure that if I'm entrusting his wellbeing to someone, they won't hurt him. I'm basically the only thing he has to family, so... what are you planning to do with him?"

"Planning to do?" The Huntress gave her a strange look. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"What are your goals for dating him? Marriage, sex, children eventually, what?" Titania pressed.

"My goals... I would like sex... And children, personally. That's all when he feels comfortable of course. I've agreed to try and be less forward with him." Sylvie explained, nearing the healer's area. "As for marriage... My people don't have a equivalent... So, I suppose that will be up to him..."

Titania studied Sylvie's face for a moment before sighing. "Alright, you've passed my first test, but I got some more tests for later. On a different note, about sex, just ask him instead of trying to flirt him into doing it, cause that doesn't work at all on him. As for marriage... well, he's been saving his money, so he might be getting you something, maybe some jewellery, but I don't actually know. He's been pretty tight-lipped since losing his staff."

"Jewelry? I don't need jewelry... Why does he need to give me jewelry for marriage?" Sylvie asked, confused. She had seen it in her village's storybooks, but had never figured out why it was done.

"Well... I suppose it would be to signify that you are his, and that man that tries to woo you, will be promptly dealt with, and vise versa. I've never been given any kind of jewelry to speak of, so I don't know." Titania tried to explain, gently poking Sylvie's nearly punctured arm.

"Yes... Out here you don't like being with more than one person at a time." Sylvie nodded, wincing a little as she poked the arm she had clawed. "My father told me that it was very important I choose someone I care deeply about, and I have chosen Jay. I haven't met any one else quite like him before."

"Hard as steel, but once you get to know him, softer than snow. He's a pretty interesting dude for sure." Titania affirmed.

They reached the outside of the healers area, Sylvie stopping. "Do you think you can make it in yourself? I doubt you'd want them to see me carry you in."

"My reputation is already shot by you bringing me in, so it doesn't matter." Titania replied, reaching up to grasp the knot on her forehead.

Nodding, she brought the Wolf into the healer's area of the manor, laying her gently on the nearest bed. One of the healers quickly noticed thrm, a blonde human woman with a sterile white outfit on. "Oh! What happened to her?"

"She... Tripped while we were training, hit her head on a rock." The Huntress explained carefully.

The healer nodded, kneeling down and hovering her hands over the Thrope's head. A faint, pale light emerged, this dissipated. "She doesn't seem to have any skull damage and it looks like the gash has mostly been healed already. I take it you did this?"

The Huntress nodded as the healer's hands glowed once more, this time brighter as the wound in her scalp wove itself back together.

"We'll keep her here over night I think, but first I'll make sure there isn't a concussion" The light mage replied, stepping out for just a moment.

"I think I'll leave here at midnight so I can sleep in my bed... these beds are pretty uncomfortable to me, so... just don't tell the mages." Titania blurted out, offering a simple smile.

"Fine... But you have to get better for that drink." Sylvie held a finger up.

"Alright... I'll see you around Sylvie... hopefully not in here again." Titania replied, her eyes closing as she passed out.

As Sylvie left the medical area, a thought couldn't help but pop into her head. That deer came all the way from Neren'Teva, fleeing from something... It looked like it had run for miles and miles and it looked as through it had been attacked... Then there was that light Titania mentioned... Some kind of green energy? Earth magic perhaps?

The Green-haired maiden could feel it in her gut, almost like an instinct telling her there was something happening in her home, and that that deer was a message from her goddess that something was very, very wrong...

 

[MarineAvenger]

Boy Versus Beast Part One (MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter)

“Are you sure you want to come with,” Esmeralda said softly as she readied her horse. “I mean… you’re the head of the guild, and you have responsibilities.”

“Which include Drayce,” Mina countered. “I will do what needs to be done to get him back, even if that means doing it myself.”

Es let out a long sigh and looked over to Mina. “Listen… if this is about what I said, I… I-I’m sorry. I was upset. There was nothing…”

“You were right, Esmeralda.” The guildmaster turned to the librarian. “I can hide behind excuses about laws and rules and such, but when it comes down to it, Drayce is my friend and my responsibility, and I should have stopped them and accepted whatever happened ever. I get expect him, you, or anyone else to forgive me. All I can do is try to make things right.”

“I am more concerned about the librarian.” Davon stated as he approached, his red coat slightly undone in the slightly high temperature outside. “Is it wise to bring her along too?” the assassin asked the guild master.

“She insists and…” Mina chuckled. “She can be very persuasive… and pester you until you give in.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Es insisted, turning up her nose a bit. “I’m not the best in hand to hand, but my magic is fairly strong. Besides, I have friendship and love backed by determination to keep me safe.”

“Friendship and love does little to stop a sword in the gut, doesn’t it?” Davon teased the elf with a grin, walking over to the group of horses, “We have quite the ride. It’s a long trip to Virando.”

“Right.” Mina looked back to make sure the others were ready before climbing on to her horse. “Then we better head out now. I want to use as much sunlight as possible.”

With a nod, Davon climbed his horse and looked forward, riding behind Mina as she led the team into the forest.

***

It was the middle of the day in Red Orchard and the exhibit was in full swing. People were swarmed inside the canopy of the massive tent seeing the wide variety of docile animals and monsters. In the back, Drayce sat with his head down, the inside of his cage currently on fire from the two mages standing on either side of his cage to show the fact he was indeed fireproof. To him, it appeared like nothing was happening.

“Why doesn’t it hurt him?” one of the patrons asked, standing on her toes to try and see over some of the taller people.

“Because he’s part dragon, dummy,” another answered. “Fire doesn’t really work on them.”

“Are you sure,” said a third. “It could be a trick. I mean, we can barely see him with those flames. I want a closer look.” This one pushed through the crowd, a tall, skinny young woman with long, blue hair. “Hey! Um… dragon boy! Can you come closer so we can see you better?”

Drayce briefly glanced up and glared with his subdued orange eyes at the young woman, promptly letting his head fall and not moving from the spot he was sulking in.

“Oh… he seems so sad.” The first woman, a bit shorter, quite a bit bustier without being too showing, with long green hair, moved next to her. “What is the point of the show if the one we’re watching doesn’t enjoy themselves.”

The final of the three moved next to her, tall with a curvy body and a large bust, fiery red hair, and a serious look in her eyes. “Look around. None of these people care about the mood of the dragon boy. They’re just here for a show.”

“Wait… is he an actual animal?” the blue haired woman asked. “I mean… he looks like a Thrope to me. Is he a slave? Because even a slave shouldn’t be treated like an animal. Dragon boy! Are you an animal, or a Thrope?”

Once again, he offered up no answer, though this time, he did shuffle backwards further into the cage with an annoyed twitch of one of his wings.

“I think he’s a Thrope,” she concluded.

“Then I officially don’t like this show,” the green haired one declared. “One star out of ten. If he’s an actual dragon Thrope, the only way he should be displayed is in a comfortable environment with lots of food.”

“Oh! And lots of girls to keep him company,” green-hair added. With a giggle, she said, “especially after the show.”

Red-hair rolled her eyes, and stepped a bit closer to the cage, closer than anyone else dared. “Dragons are strong. Very strong. I wonder how strong a Dragon Thrope would be.” She looked him up and down, as if sizing him up. “You think you could take me, dragon boy?”

There was a growl from within the cage, a deep and primal one. The fire inside the cage stopped and the two mages stepped forward. “Ma’am, we suggest you don’t step too close. This one is dangerous.”

She scoffed. “As if. Look at him. Ragged. Barely fed. And with that stupid power-draining collar around his neck. Why not let him roam free? Let him be himself? Let him be someone worthy of challenging a goddess?”

The one to the right of the cage chuckled, “This isn’t just some happy go lucky kid. This here is a murderer. The cause of the Chartain Tragedy. Don’tcha know that? He’s lucky to have a head at all. Even if he is one of a kind.”

“Really?” Green hair walked over. “He killed all those people by himself? But… he seems so subdued.”

Red folded her arms. “Because they’re keeping him that way.” She grinned. “I wonder what he would do to them if he was free.”

The two guards/performers looked warily at one another for a moment, “If you would please move along ma’am, there are others waiting for a chance to see.”

She glared at them for a moment, and started to take a step forward, when Blue stepped over, wrapping an arm around her’s and pulling her along. “Come along, Nid. You promised you wouldn’t make a scene.”

Red looked back at them as they walked away. “I don’t like being ordered around by mortals. And I don’t like passing up an opportunity for a good challenge.” She looked back at Drayce, and smiled. “Maybe we should come back here a little later.”

When she looked back, she met the eyes of the Thrope staring back at her with a searing hate that for a mortal would have been enough for them to start running before he looked down and did not look again.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Boy Versus Beast Part Two

Later that evening, the crowds had started to lessen as they prepared to close for the night. Drayce’s display closed earlier than the others, what with how much work it was to have them flames constantly going not making it worth it when there were less customers. The lights by his cage were dim, his handlers not caring if he sat in darkness for hours on end before sleep would finally take him. Despite his poor state, his senses were still keen, keen enough to notice movements in the shadows near him.

“I… will not… eat anything… you throw…” Drayce said in a weak tone, letting out a bitter laugh, “It is... not like… you can force the… food down my throat.” he said to the darkness.

“Well, they couldn’t,” a familiar voice said. “But I could if I really wanted. Especially with how weak you are now.” The red-haired woman, the one who had been referred to as Nid, stepped out of the shadows. “So you can talk, huh?”

“I’ve always been able to.” the Thrope answered back with a defensive expression, “Why are you back?”

“Because I want a challenge,” she answered. “Life can get boring, and I’m a lot older then I look. So people tend to find things that they enjoy and seek them out. Some collect treasure. Some seek fame. I seek the next good fight, and I think that’s you.”

“Perhaps I do not wish to fight you. I am especially weak right now too.” the Thrope pointed out angrily, “I will wait until I starve to death. A win in the end for me.”

“Pft… yeah, like I would allow that.” Nid jumped up, unlatching his cage and stepping inside. “Besides, would you rather die than leave this place?”

Drayce narrowed his eyes, lifting his head, “At what price?”

“Price? I already named my price.” She knelt down in front of him. “I want you to leave this place. Eat your fill. Rest. Get as strong and healthy as can be. However long that might take. I can wait. And in exchange, when you’re all better, we fight. Sound like a good deal?”

There was several seconds of silence before the Thrope nodded and stood. “Deal. Release me.”

“Awesome.” Nid reached out and grabbed his collar, breaking it off with her bare hands, its magic effects on Drayce quickly fading. “Now… don’t disappoint me.”

The young dragon touched his neck where the skin was marked from constantly wearing the collar except where his neck was covered in their black and orange scales. Stepping out of the cage, the first thing he did was extend out his arms and wings, stretching them as far as they would go, his muscles finally feeling sweet relief. Despite the color having drained from his skin, it returned to his eyes. The embers were now smoldering flames in of themselves. Taking a deep breath, he let out a breath of fire above him, tearing through the roof of the canopy and into the twilight covered sky.

It was only a few seconds before the guards noticed. One of them rushed into tent to see how he got out of his binds, but only found an empty cage and the broken collar. “Someone tell the boss,” another shouted. “We need to get him back! Fire at him! He’s strong enough to take a few shots!”

The guard didn’t say much more as razor sharp claws slashed across his neck, opening up the man’s flesh and causing blood to spray out to the side and pool below him. “Get everyone out of here!” another yelled, and a few guards ran off to help with evacuation. The rest took aim at Drayce, firing bows, crossbows, and rifles at him. Some wanted to take him in like they were ordered to do. Others didn’t care if they killed him so long as he didn’t kill them first.

Everything seemed to bounce off his body, more and more scales appearing around his body for protection. His wings extended, he flew forwards with a vicious yell, slicing through the guards like their protections were made out of nothing. By now most of the roof of the canopy was on fire, the animals and monsters going crazy inside their cages from all the chaos going on.

“Get the animals out! Forget about him!”

“We need to catch him! Boss’ll go nuts if we let him go!”

“He’s going to kill us all! Run!”

The guards quickly devolved into panic. They weren’t trained soldiers, and none had expected Drayce to ever get free. Chaos ensued as some of them rushed Drayce, trying to go for the kill with swords and low level magic, while others simply up and fled.

More and more Drayce’s features began to change as his irritation and anger had reached a boiling point. He had freedom now, and he would show these humans he was not an animal to be caged. He was an animal who could kill. A massive wall of flames flew out from his mouth, the searing death not at all instant for all the people who were foolish enough to run at him head on. Now down on all four, his entire body was covered in jet black scales, his whole body beginning to morph with his transformation. Drayce rose his head and let out a roar, the bellows of the nightmarish creature reverberating off the countryside for miles in all directions. Flapping his wings, the beast took to the sky. He would destroy everything here first. Next, he would take revenge on all those who gawked at him from Red Orchard, the townspeople able to see the smoke from where they sat not half a mile away.

An Hour Later

As night settled across Red Orchard, many questioned what they should do after frightened citizens returned, claiming one of the creatures had broken loose. They were sure the guards could handle, unaware that they grand show lay in blood soaked ruins by this time. They mayor ordered the city guard to be prepared for anything, and all civilians were ordered to stay indoors while the guards filled the streets.

“What do you think it was?”

“Probably something small. They’re just making a big deal out of nothing.”

“I don’t know. They had some nasty things on display.”

“I knew it was a bad idea to let them come here! What kind of lack security do they have?”

“Calm yourself. You assume whatever it is would simply flee as quickly as it could anyway.”

Suddenly, there was a very ominous roar in the sky above the town. With night having fallen by now, the guards could see nothing moving. Still, a hush had settled over the large farming town, everyone holding their breath to see what would happen. Then it happened.

The roar was right above them as some creature flew overhead, flames spewing from it that set the tile rooftops ablaze. There were cries and screams from the town as a creature larger than a horse landed on top of a home. More flames came from the black creature’s mouth that filled the streets. Anyone who had been standing there would have been burned beyond recognition. A ball of swirling black magic even darker than its scales swirled above it’s jaw, the attack flying forwards towards one of the large buildings, completely blowing it apart in a violent explosion of power.

The creature took to the night sky again, launching attack after attack from the sky, occasionally swooping down to take someone into his claws and rip them apart. People ran in all directions, trying to escape the monster killing indiscriminately. Some fell to the ground, praying to whatever gods would listen at all. Mothers held children close, husbands their wives, and some pushing people they did not know to the ground hoping they would be a good enough distraction so they could get away. It was hell.

As chaos rained down from above, the torment combined with the pleas and prayers of the people finally got through to someone. A torrent of water erupted from the town’s wells and fountains. It showered the city, the various flames being put out before they could consume everything. The water flowed in front of the town’s bane, quickly forming into the shape of a man. It flowed away, leaving behind the God of the Sea. He held his hand up to the raging dragon and shouted, “That is enough!”

The dragon stopped his flight, flying where he was with a growl, letting out a roar at the man in response, shooting out a ball of fire his way.

Uladan held out his trident. An orb of water shot out, intercepting the fire in a explosion of steam. He suddenly flew through it, and sent Drayce flying towards the edge of town with a mighty punch.

The dragon rolled across the ground after sending stone flying into the air, leaving behind a crater and rut in the ground following the path of his landing. The beast stood, shaking its head with a furious bestial look. Raising his head, he formed three chaos orbs infused with fire, shooting them forwards in a spiraling motion. One hit the ground, sending out black flames into the street where he landed, another slamming into a building causing half of it to explode in an instant, the third flying towards the sea god.

Uladan turned his head, looking back at the building behind him. With an annoyed grunt, he stood his ground, crossing his arms and taking the full blast. God or not, a full frontal blast of chaos magic was painful, and when it was through, his came off his skin, his arms shaking in pain. “S-stop this, Drayce! No more death! I can not allow it!” He jumped, easily clearing the distance to land in front of Drayce. He swung his trident, but his motion was slow. He couldn’t help but hesitate against his adopted grandson.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Boy Versus Beast Part Three

That hesitation allowed the dragon to swipe away the trident, the beast jumped forwards to try and tackle the god. This may have been his grandson in name, but at the moment he was just another monster without a shred of humanity. Uladan rolled with the beast, and held him tight. “Please, Drayce, this isn’t you! You are not a beast! You are a noble dragon! You… your mother! What would she think if she saw you like this?”

That caused a little bit of hesitation, but not for long. One of his massive claws sunk into the god’s side, slowly trying to force the talons into his insides though Uladan’s strength was hard to fight against. Uladan grit his teeth, and released Drayce, rolling away. He held out his hands, and the water in the air around the dragon quickly started to cool.

The dragon narrowed his reptilian like eyes, more fire forming in his mouth mixed with chaos magic. Instead of releasing it right away, the ball condensed more and more until it was the size of a small ball, and instead of flames, a beam shot forwards of black energy, the heat emanating off of it causing distortions in the air around it. The beam struck Uladan, sending him flying forward and tumbling to the ground.

It took him a moment to slowly climb back to his feet. This was no good. He could not beat Drayce like this, but neither could he compel himself to harm Drayce anymore then he had. It wasn’t fair to him. The sea god needed a different approach. “Please, Drayce… please.” He held his hands out. “These people… they see you as nothing more than a monster. And you are proving them right. But I know you. I… I remember the handsome young boy, running through the fields and trying to fly like the other dragons, even though he hadn’t grown wings yet. I remember your cute laugh. I remember how much you enjoy chasing mice. You are not some wild beast. You are my family.”

The attacks did cease, the dragon staying on guard as he stepped closer and closer towards the god.

Uladan made no moves to stop him, but instead knelt down, putting himself in a more compromising position. “I should have been here sooner. I should have been able to hear your prayers without a need for this violence. If you are so rage filled, take your anger out on me. But these mortals, foolish and ignorant as they are, need not suffer anymore. Do not let them turn you into the monster they expect you to be.”

The sea god and the dragon came face to face for several moments, orange eyes meeting his sea blue. An arrow bounced off Drayce’s head and he roared again, turning and slapping the god away with his powerful tail, the dragon looking at the roof where the archer had shot him. His mouth opened and another beam fired out, leaving the spot where the man had been nothing but a hole in the building.

Uladan rushed in front of Drayce, holding out his arms. “If you value your lives, you will stop antagonizing him!” he shouted back. “Show them, Drayce. Show them that you are better then them and cease your attack.”

Letting out a roar, the beastly dragon seemed almost a bit conflicted, digging his claws into the ground like he wanted to pounce.

“You're better then this,” Uladan said softly. “You know what a southlander would do? Keep raging. Keep killing. But you are a dragon, noble and strong. Like your mother. Your mother is so proud of you. Show me why her pride is just.”

Smoke rolled from his mouth, the dragon looking all around him. Taking a step back, the dragon took to the sky, turning and flying away. “Fire!” Someone yelled from in the town, arrows loosing from several bows that would not hurt the dragon at all. However, a spear of lightning flew into the sky from one of the mages in town that flew and impaled the black beast, a pained roar coming after as Drayce began tumbling a couple of miles away into the depths of the apple orchard. “We got him! Assemble the rest of the living guards! We will end this once and for all!” the captain yelled, many cheering in agreement.

When he turned to head out, he found Uladan’s trident pointing directly at his face. “You will not harm him any more,” he practically growled. “You mortals deserve punishment for the crimes you have committed. Perhaps I shall give it to you myself.”

“Out of the way you crazy old man! That beast has killed too many today to forgive! His skull will adorn the mayor’s manor and be a reminder! We will never forgive this!” he yelled in anger.

Uladan’s eyes filled with rage. The moisture in the air pooled around the man, and he suddenly found himself in a large bubble from the neck down. The water felt unusually tight considering it was just large enough to cover his body. Then it get tighter. And tighter. And tighter, until he felt like his eyes might pop out of his head. “Who here is second in command?” the god asked.

No one came forward, everyone looking like they might attack Uladan next out of sheer malice and fear.

He glared back at them. “Very well. You mortals aren’t really the loyal type I see.” He stepped back and held up his hand. The water surrounding the captain released him and flowed over Uladan, forming into hundreds of icy spears. “I will make this simple. I have come to save you from the ‘beast’s’ wrath. And I will remove him from your town. But he is under my protection. If any of you harm him, or even attempt to harm him, anymore then he has already been harmed, I will strike you down myself! If you fear the destructive power of a dragon, see how you stand against the anger of a god!”

This seemed to cause more people to hesitate, the guard captain’s face contorted in fury. “Tch. You bastard. Some god you are.” Turning, he looked to his men. “Go throughout the town. We have people to help.”

Uladan watched them as they walked back. So long had he petitioned his fellow gods to be more concerned with the prosperity of mortals. Times like these made him wonder if he should bother himself. “Ungrateful sods,” he muttered, turning away and riding a wave into the orchard. There was at least one mortal he was very concerned about right now.

It took quite a while to actually reach the sight where Uladan believed Drayce had crash, though the destruction of trees and his own natural sense led him to a grove that was completely knocked over from the landing of the large animal. In the bottom of a crater, the small form of the malnourished Thrope was curled up in a pool of blood.

“Damn!” He quickly crawled down to the boy, looking him over in anxious worry. “Speak to me, son. Please… stay with me.”

The wound was on his left side, too close to the heart for comfort. A half an inch off and he would have been dead before he hit the ground. The Thrope’s eyes opened slowly, looking up slowly, “...gramps…?” the young dragon asked, his eyes tearing up.

“I’m here, my boy.” Uladan held one hand over the wound, using his magic to try and heal it before the injury killed him. “You’ll be okay, you hear? Just hold on.”

“...I… did it… again…” More tears formed in his eyes, the young boy holding onto Uladan’s shirt and letting out the most distraught and painful cry he had ever heard, shoving his head into his grandfather’s chest.

Uladan slowly rubbed his back, the strong, long-lived deity tempted to break down into tears himself. “Hush now. You only acted out the label they gave you. But it is over now. I will take you away from here. Take you somewhere you can be safe.”

“...why?” Drayce asked, his voice a little bit higher now, “Why did you save me when I was a baby? Why didn’t you let me drown? I am nothing but a monster!” he cried out in anguish, continuing his sobbing into the older god. “I killed them all. I destroyed an entire town once, and I almost did it again! I’m too dangerous!” the dragon yelled at the top of his lungs, “I can’t control myself. It could happen a third time…”

Uladan remained silent for a while, not knowing what to say to calm Drayce, and quiet his anguish. He took a long breath and softly said, “You have a great amount of power within you… but such great rage. Rage that… is not entirely your fault. It comes from the anguish of losing your home. The fear and loneliness from being expected to walk in a strange land by yourself. And the suffering people inflict on you for being different when they should cherish you. That you feel such guilt proves you are not a monster. If I did not believe that, I would have tried to strike you down, not stop your rampage.”

Drayce cowered into Uladan, crying harder and harder in the night, doing so until his lungs gave out, and the boy was asleep in the god’s arms.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Two Hours Later

Late that night, quite some distance from the Havenbrook manor, the group rested at an inn. Mina herself couldn’t sleep, and instead sat in the inn’s small bar, sipping on a small coffee as she looked over a map. “Alright… we’ll catch the first train tomorrow morning. Should only be a day or two until we find them. Just hope they’re turning a profit and stick around. Don’t want to get there just to find they moved on…” She let out a long yawn. Just because she couldn’t sleep didn’t mean she wasn’t tired.

A serving woman in her later years with gray hair melding with her blonde came over and sat down another coffee to her companion, Davon nodding in appreciation, “In all honesty it is a flip of a coin. Getting their location was hard enough. I just hope he isn’t being mistreated too badly.”

“Unfortunately, the ‘too badly’ part is needed. I doubt very much that they’re treating him with any respect.” She scoffed. “You should have seen the men that took him. How they handled him. How they talked about him like… like an animal.”

“Well I highly doubt if he was a sheep or something this would have ever happened. Is it really true he is the only Dragon Thrope to ever exist?” the noble assassin questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Can’t say ‘ever’ for sure, but I asked Esmeralda to look through every relevant history text we had that she… you know, hadn’t already memorized with that weird brain of hers, and she didn’t even find a rumor of it happening before. Drayce is… a real treasure. And now, because of me… he’s a sideshow.”

“Stop blaming yourself. You are already doing enough to make up for letting him go in the first place.” Bringing his mug to his mouth, he took a small sip of the hot beverage. The door suddenly flew open. The early spring rain from outside was almost deafening as a figure stood in the dark doorway. Lightning struck, briefly revealing him as a large, middle aged man with a powerful physique, something large hidden under a cloak in one arm, a large Trident in his other.

“Could be trouble,” Mina whispered to Davon. “What do you think?”

“Not our problem until it directly involves us,” he replied with a dismissive shrug.

As if to challenge him, the man slowly walked towards them. Despite coming in from a storm, he looked completely dry. Stopping before them, he said. “Wilhelmina Havenbrook.”

Mina’s eyes shifted back and forth. “Um… yes?”

He looked at her hunter assassin, looking him over for a moment. “And you are… Davon?”

“Who wants to know?” Mina’s companion asked suspiciously.

“I think the better question is how you know our names,” Mina stated.

Ignoring the question, the man said, “I have something you have been looking for. Someone.” He slowly pulled the cloak back, revealing the sleeping dragon Thrope in his arm.

“Drayce!” Mina shot up, shooting up and moving to look him over.

“Where… how did you get him?” Davon asked in surprise to the middle aged man.

“Outside the shattered remains of the of those that would enslave him,” was his answer. “I doubt any of them survived to come looking for him again. Still, he needs a safe place to stay. If he decides he wants to go with you when he wakes up, then you may take him back.”

Mina examined him carefully. His body was relatively clean thanks to who he had traveled with, but his hair looked like it had received a proper wash the entire time he was gone. The wound on his side was healing, but still visible. He was still pale, and clearly malnourished. “What did they do to him…?” she asked rhetorically, not really wanting to know the answer. She stepped back and said, “I-I brought some clothes that are his size just in case we needed them. W-wait here, Davon. I’ll be right back.”

With a nod, Davon looked over the young man in the elder’s grasp, letting out a sigh of relief, “Well, all that hard work for nothing I suppose.” he chuckled.

“I suppose that might disappoint you a bit, but better to get him back without a fight, right?” Uladan looked down at Drayce. “So much destruction has already been wrought. It would do his mind on conscious little good to add the endangerment of those that care about him to that.”

Davon looked over the man as if to ask what exactly went on but decided against it. He was just glad the task he had done a lot of preparing for was finally over, “Thank you for getting him.”

“Of course. I… only wish I had done it soo-”

“Drayce!” Esmeralda rushed down the stairs, Mina following behind.

Mina sighed. “When she saw me grabbing the clothes, put two and two together.”

“Drayce!” Es ran over to Uladan and put her hands against the Dragon boy’s arm. “Drayce! Why isn’t he opening his eyes?! Is he okay?! Please tell me he’s okay!”

Uladan seem a bit taken aback by how frantic she was. “He… he is o-”

“Then why won’t he wake up!?!” she demanded.

“Esmeralda, he is probably just extremely tired. It wouldn’t be good if you stirred him with a massive headache and anxiety attack because you were freaking out like an injured harpy.” Davon told the elf calmly, crossing his arms.

“Oh… o-oh… right, um…” She looked him up and down, and suddenly looked away, blushing. “He… why is he…?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Davon, can you help me put these clothes on him?”

“Maybe we should do it in the privacy of the bedroom rather than out here in the dining area?” the Stormrendian noble suggested, whispering in Mina’s ear.

“True. Um… may I?” Mina held her arms to the man.

Uladan hesitated for a moment, but finally handed Drayce over. “Treat him well. Otherwise, I’ll be back for him.” Without waiting for them to respond, he turned and walked away, exiting the inn and disappearing into the night.

“Come on.” Mina headed for the stairs. “He deserves a nice rest in a real bed, I’m sure the first one in a long while.”

 

[Dahlexpert]

The fallowing is a colabe between Dhalexper& Frostlich1228
Havebrook Manner
April 15 3349
1:17 PM
Bar
Before Boy Versus Beast

Elma sat in that bar reading a book, using her light magic to make a small light so she could read. However this being Elma first time in a bar she didn't like the atmosphere, she looked around to see gambling, people breaking in the middle of the day and getting drunk. It was a sight she was not used to.

The only one she could see at the bar who seemed to stand out, was a dark-skinned woman sitting a few seats away and drinking what appeared to be a glass of milk. The average sized woman seemed to be tinkering with something in front of her, but whether or not she was taking it apart, or putting it back together was unclear.

Elma looked closely at the woman, but she seemed different. Elma got closer to the woman and pulled out a chair. “Hi, you look kinda out of place here.”

The dark-skinned woman perked up, then looked around. “Oh. I guess I do. But you seem like you do as well.”

“Heh I guess I do, i’m not used to this see I guess.” Elma extended her hand.” Hi i’m Elma who are you?”

“I’m Betty. Are you a new hunter here?” The Tinkerer asked, taking a sip of her milk.

“Yep, I arrived a few I would say I’ve been here a week now. This place is certainly interesting, nothing like home but familiar in it’s own way.”

“Where are you from, if I might ask?” Betty questioned curiously.

“I’m from Mirandia, i’m a long way from home. But I wanted to see the world, or better yet I was given the choice to anyway.”

“A hunter’s guild is an odd way to see ze world.” Betty pointed out, “Any other reason you came here? Did you want to help people?”

Elma raised her eyebrow to the ‘ze’, instead of her saying the but didn't pay it no mind. “I don’t know, saying yes is the right answer but I want to see the world and see what kind of person I can become. I never traveled outside my home country so I want to see how I handle things.”

“So… It’s like an experiment?” The Thrope confirmed.

“Kinda, my brother went through the same thing, but he became a very honorable knight. Were as for me. I’ve been studying and practicing for most of my life, I don’t know what or better yet who I am that’s why i’m here.”

“Your Brother went through the same thing? Do you mean joining a guild?” The Engineer asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Yep, he’s actually here. His Name is Charter made a pretty good name for himself, he’s the one with the giant white dire wolf.” Elma asked for a drink of water. And the bartender gave her a small glass of it .

“I’ve met Charter actually! Maybe not on uh… good terms at first… But he seems like an honorable man.” Betty scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Ou you met him, he is a honorable person. He always was, but he left home to see what kind of man he could be well what he said was. He wanted to help people outside Miridia, me. I don’t know what to do, help people sure but I don’t know i’m still trying to figure that out.”

“Zhere’s nothing wrong with trying to find out who you are.” The Thrope stated, nodding slightly. “I hope you’ll see zhat helping people and trying to change things is a worzhy goal.”

“So I’ve been told, so what’s with you. You keep saying Zthat or Zhis, what’s with that?”

Betty’s eyes widened slightly. “My accent? I picked it up from my mother before she… Disappeared… I guess in a way it’s one of the few zhings I have to remember her by…”

“Alright but what about the goggles? I mean you're not reading anything so why do you wear them?”

The Thrope looked around, considering whether or not she should reveal her eyes to Elma. After a moment, she made her decision. “I wear zhem because… Do you have an aversion to insects by any chance? Do bugs make you squeamish?”

“No not really, why do you ask?”

Betty responded by quickly lifted up one of her goggles, revealing her one of her multilensed fly-eyes.

Elma eyes widened, to the woman. “Your a Thope? Huh I never would have thought, so why the goggles?” I mean aren’t people used to you?”

“Most people have never seen a Thrope with my affinity before, and since there are quite a few people out zhere who find insects to be… gross.. I hide my eyes.” She answered. “Alzhough, everyone I’ve shown here have been very accepting of it so far.”

“So then why the goggles, I mean if everyone has been accepting of you, why do you still wear them? Is it because of habit?”

“Well, no… I don’t have eyelids, so uh… Zhey help keep dust out of my eyes.” The Engineer pointed to her face. “Perhaps I could make a pair with bigger lenses zhough…”

“Hum that could work, say do you like to read books?”

“I like books! Alzhough I always get distracted when trying to find a particular one… Then before I know it I’ve read through three books except the one I was looking for…” Betty smirked slightly.

“That’s a good sign, I read mostly for studying but to also learn new spells. Learning new forms of magic is always exciting, though very tiring. Trying to cast new forms of magic can be annoying as well as developing the ones that I know.”

“I mostly read engineering books, not only for interest but also to help me improve.” Betty stated. “But recently I’ve been reading books on monsters, zhings to help me fight zhem.”

“Hum hay do you think you can lend me some of those, I need to learn as much as I can about monsters. If i’m going to be here for a long amount of time, I need to learn as much as I can about monsters until my first assessment.”

“Well, I rented zhem from ze library. I don’t own very many books myself.” The Thrope girl stated.

“That’s ok, that just means I can hang out with my future sister in law. Well she will be some day I just have to wait.”

“Zhat’s right… Your brother and Es.” Betty smiled brightly. “I do wish zhem well, Es is very sweet.”

“That she is, she’s a very nice person. She’s caring loveable and is excellent mother material. I can’t wait for her to come to Mirandia, I think her reading skills will make her a major player back home. She may not be a warrior. But she does have her uses.”

“Uses?” Betty raised an eyebrow at her strange choice of words.

Elma rolled her eyes. “What I mean is that, my brother will eventually rule our army. Es can handle documents political documents, the point is she can be a powerful political figure.”

“Does she even… Want to be a political figure?” The Dark-skinned Thrope questioned.

“Probably not but she could be, or she can just be a mother or whatever she wants to be. Regardless, I feel like she will have an important role in something just don’t know yet.”

“Maybe you’re right... All kinds of fantastical zhings have been happening to me ever since I arrived here…” The Tinkerer replied, taking another sip of her milk and crossing her left leg over her right.

Elma took a drink of her water, and looked around. “Hum do you think I will be like them, with the drinking and all?”

“What do you mean?” Betty asked simply.

“With the drinking and the gambling, and the fighting. How do people become like that?”

“You know… I don’t really know…” Betty took a moment to think. “But I just think zhat maybe zhey are just enjoying themselves.”

“Hum, betty if you excuse me but I think i’m going to enjoy myself along with everyone else. For experimental reasons.” Elma ordered a ale and went to the others hunters, trying to socialise.

As the Fly-Girl watched her go, she muttered to herself. “Maybe I should go join zhem… No, not yet at least.”