Wizards of Breol Forest [PG-13/Started/Accepting/IC]

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Mel waved his hand. "Alright. Come find me once you're up." Mel headed off then to find Alaster, who was in his cabin. "Alaster. Good to see you're still alive." Mel said, lightly punching Alasters shoulder, and then proceeded to wince. "Ow. Hard armor. Anyway, whats the status with the army, and are we getting any help from the Elves?" Alaster then filled Mel in.

 

"Crap. That...is not the best situation to be in. She is right though, I cant exactly fight yet. Doctor Syron doesnt even want me using magic or a weapon yet." Mel grimaced as his stomach pained him again. Then a thought occured to Mel. "Hey, where the hell is Toklo?"

 

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"We'll arrive at the Elf village in maybe two days sir." A rattling voice of an undead scout was speaking to a cloaked figure on a black horse. "The group of mages made it back unfortunatly, along with ten Shadow Walkers."

 

"Oh? Well then....I'll go fix that then." The figure on the horse flowed off, and dissapeared into the shadows.

 

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En was relaxing in his cabin, not exactly sleeping, but not really fully awake either. He then noticed his cabin get a little darker...and as he looked outside, the sun was high in the sky. What the hell... En thought. The hairs on the back of Ens' neck stood up, and he gripped the hilt of his sword. Something was not right here....he tried to leave, and felt a cold hand on his shoulder. En turned and saw not Rautar, but Jack. Jack placed a hand over Ens' mouth, and shut the door. "Boy. Tell me where the injured one lies, and I will let you go free. Dont tell me...and something unpleasant will happen."

 

Jack placed a very sinister-looking dagger over Ens' throat. The blade had a sheen to it like no other dagger En had ever seen. Subliminal whispering reached En, coming from the blade itself...

 

blood....rivers......slicing.....cutting.....feasting.....blood.......Blood.....BLOOD!

 

En paled. Jack laughed quietly in Ens' ear. "Tell me where the injured one is...and maybe you can become my personal slave." Jack lightly pressed the dagger against Ens' throat, drawing a thin line of blood...

[Astolfo]

En had been relaxing when a sudden shade of darkness briefly flitted by. He blinked to check, and he felt something very wrong and moved to leave when the door slammed shut and a cold, bony, hand grabbed his shoulder hard. He gulped and moved to turn around when another hand that felt the same grabbed his head and turned it around entirely, covering his mouth before he could think of calling for help…

At first, he sighed when he realized it wasn't Rautar, but stiffened again when he saw a skeleton that wasn't white, but rather darker than a new moon on midnight in a cave. A pitch-black blade slid out of somewhere on the empty skeleton somehow, but En couldn't really think as that particular razor sharp blade was on his throat. It had a mad, evil, cruel, bloodthirsty sheen to it, with an edge that seemed like it could cut through anything. As En processed the request and immediately thought of Mel, and decided not to tell, but gulped when the monster laughed softly, and said En could become his slave.

Not again…. At first a grampa, now some black skeleton with a knife? You've gotta be kidding me. En thought to himself. He began to gulp when a thin slit appeared on his throat, but then thought he probably shouln't. He didn't even notice the blade move in the slightest.

A quiet, hissing, desperate whisper echoed from somewhere, and he realized it was the blade. What on Breol is that knife? Really. Jeez. "And I suppose your name is Jack?" En quipped, but fell silent when he realized it actually was the skeleton's name. Talk about a coincidence.

"And like hell I'm going to tell some boner where my friend is, least of all one that is injured!" En yelled at Jack, which ended in a yell as the devastatingly fast and sharp blade impaled his shoulder with lightning fast reflexes. Holy sh*t. I'm f*cked. What on Breol is this creature?! "Come at me bro!" En yelled, instantly diving into one of his newest spells he gained from defeating Rautar with his friends: Transcendency.

A tranquil, serene, calm feeling settled in his mind, and he relaxed, not to get too over stressed out. I know I can't beat it, but I might be able to hold him off until my friends come or I can get out… En thought, mildly pessimistic. He felt the sensation of his body become stronger and faster, and he saw Jack slash at him with almost an invisible speed. This is his slowed down? Holy f*cking sh*t! How on Breol can a skeleton move so damn fast!?!? En thought worriedly, his calm fast fading, despite his tries to keep it up. He just ducked the blow to his neck, and slashed at En with his familiar sword that appeared in his hand. He had moved to slice off the skeleton's head, but the skeleton had vanished! En looked around frantically.

Jack's finger moved faster than lightning, tracing something in the air. Where his finger went, a thin, glowing, black-and-red line was left behind. When Jack was done, En saw a rune floating in the air. "What...what is that?" En muttered to himself. Jack laughed, and placed his hand in the centre of the rune. "This is the sixth Rune of Death. The Rune of the Penultimate Step!" As Jacks' hand reached the centre of the rune, a glowing red light enveloped En. En suddenly felt a woozy, gray, dullness in his mind. Everything's….. fuzzy…. what… happened?….. En could barely say another word before he slumped to the ground in a complete just almost death resulting coma…

[RogueZero]

Mark thanked Alaster for having helped him out of trouble. Then Mark went to rest in his cabin. When he passed En cabin. He heard something from inside the cabin. Mark then opened the door to look at the situation.

"Is everything okay?" Mark asked as he peered into the cabin. "What in the Breol!? En!" Mark shouted as he ran towards the direction of En who is lying on the floor. "Hey, En! Answer me!" said Mark.

Suddenly the cabin door is closed, and the atmosphere became dark. Mark felt a tremendous aura of darkness. Suddenly there was a sound that resonates in the cabin "Well, well, looks like there's a little wizard came to play.". "Who are you?? Show yourself!" Mark shouted. The voice came again "Well, well, this one is brave ...". Suddenly a hand strangling Mark from behind. "Gah!" Mark tried to wriggle.

"But you have to learn to not fight someone more powerful than you!" The hand throws Mark into the cabin wall.

"Gah!" Mark shouted as he hit the wall. When Mark tried to get up, he saw a black skeleton walking toward him. "Damn it!" Mark shouted, pointing his wand at the black skeleton. Mark begin his magical chant "Dormient in misericors glacies! Frigid Coffin!" Suddenly a lot of ice cubes that float around the black skeleton. "Now!" quickly the ice blocks surround the skeleton and form an ice coffin confining the black skeleton. "Hah!, I thought you can satisfy me, but I was wrong, you're so weak! said the black skeleton. Mark knew that the ice coffin can not confine the skeleton long enough, so when the skeleton is still locked in the coffin and busy insulting Mark, Mark brings the unconscious En and bolted out of the cabin window, and ran to seek help.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Jack huffed, and walked out of the shadows. The skeleton in the ice faded away. "That....was annoying. I even had to use that stupid optical illusion Rautar taught me." Jack shook his head as En was carried off. "Too bad he couldnt stay. But I guess I'll have to leave now." Jack faded back into the shadows, and dissapeared. He hunted around the camp for a while, and found the perfect subject. A young Elf child, around fifty years of age.

 

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Mel and Alaster arrived at Ens' cabin, Mark having found them first, with an unconcious En on his shoulder. Mel searched the cabin, but found nothing. "Mark, there isnt anything here. I think you and En both had too much to drink." Mel layed En down on the bed, and told Mark to go back to his cabin. He then looked at Alaster. "Can you melt this ice or something? I would but...." Mel made a gesture towards his stomach. I better check on En in the morning though. Make sure he's alright.

Mel headed back to his cabin, as it was well into the evening by now. Aerul gave him a checkup, told him he was fine and improving, and Mel settled down for a rest.

 

...

 

Mel woke up at the crack of dawn with a nasty feeling in his gut. No one else was awake, and Mel assumed it was around five in the morning. He slowly pulled himself out of bed, and went outside. He gritted his teeth from the cold, and he wandered around the village. He knew something was wrong. Just not what. After maybe half an hour of searching, he smelled something...off. A metallic smell. After a few seconds, Mel realized what it was, and the amount needed for him to smell it. He gagged, then followed the smell. He found a tree on the outskirts of the village, and pinned to it with a large pointy wooden stick was a young Elf girl. The stick had gone straight through her heart, but that obviously wasnt what killed her.

 

Her entire front had been torn open as if by some wild animal, and blood was everywhere. Her arms and legs were also torn open. Mel covered his mouth and inspected the wounds a little more closely. Teeth marks...and human ones too.

 

Mel then realized something that he should have seen at the start. He slowly moved his eyes up until he was staring into where the girls eyes should have been. Her skull had been bashed open, and the brain had been obviously....eaten. Partially. Mel backed up about a yard, turned around, and threw up. The smell was now overpowering, and he sat down. He gathered what strength he had after waking up, and dealing with the smell, and mentally yelled out: Everyone. Get your asses over here. Now.

 

Mels' voice thundered in everyones head, waking them up. His tone implied no jokes, no banter, all deadly serious. He then gave them a general idea of where to head, but didnt describe what was to be found there....

[Love of Ghibli]

Silvest dismissed Beatrice's animal bodyguards soon after the nuisance left the room. It was a rather peaceful night, no noise, no fuss, Silvest did hear some commotion in the distance but he decided that the boys should be able to handle themselves. So he went on to sleep as well. Both Silvest and Beatrice were shaken when Mel's voice rang in their heads. Beatrice shocked as she did not have time to do anything like fix herself and look somewhat decent. She did however notice she fell asleep with her clothes on which normally would be problematic, but this seemed to be important. Beatrice scrambled trying to find shoes only to discover that Silvest was holding them in his paws by the door. She immediately bolted towards the door. While trying to perform the magical act of putting on shoes and running at the same time she pointed at towards the forest hopefully in the direction where Mel was, seeing as he didn't really say where he was he just demanded that everyone comes to him. Silvest already new her intention so he opened his mouth wide and both of there eyes glowed for a second and he launched a white sphere that morphed into a sort of Glider Wolf . With her shoes finally on she managed to mount the beast with Silvest and they took of flying in the direction of where they assumed Mel was.

Silvest rather annoyed with the boy for disturbing his sleep had his head immediately knocked back by a distinct odor. What was worse is that they weren't even a full minute away from their departure point. We're going the wrong way he said with sudden disdain. Beatrice looked weird because she couldn't smell anything yet but she knew that animals had heightened senses. She trusted his judgement and they adjusted their course. As they go closer their transportation was showing obvious signs of pain as it couldn't handle the smell of the ravaged corpse that was ahead of them. Beatrice felt sorry for the beast especially because she was starting to smell this distinct odor as well. She noted that Silvest seemed to be able to keep a straight face. That was mainly due to Silvest age and experience he was able to stomach a lot more than some kids. 

 

They arrived quickly on the scene clearly the first there other than Mel Silvest had quickly dispatched their mode of transportation as it could definitely not handle the smell. . Both of their faces instantly looked stunned as they could understand Mel's tone. Beatrice just looked in horror as she then looked at Silvest. "I don't get it, how could you NOT have heard this happening?" That's what I'd like to know. If this happened while everyone else was asleep then I should have been able to hear some faint screams. Unless there was some way to even keep the victim quiet. "This happened so close to us too maybe something is headed towards the camp." Or has already been at the camp. Silvest added with his head slumped down in shame. I thought I heard a disturbance last night but I let it pass. Though this is just foreboding.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

In the aftermath of having filled Mel in about the events surrounding the Queen's refusal to grant them forces, choosing for now not to bring up the part about her suspecting the loyalty of the party members to their mutual friend, Mark came barging in lugging an unconscious En with him and saying something about a black skeleton.  Of course Mel and Alaster went to the cabin to go check it out, but the only thing that they found was what looked to be an icy coffin.  The battlemage, unfamiliar with Mark, assumed he had just had a little bit too much to drink and did the same for En as well.  With little difficulty, he pushed the block of ice out of the cabin and knocked it over onto the ground where it broke into several pieces.  A quick cantrip later and there were several tongues of fire throughout the shards of ice akin to the flames upon burning candles setting about melting them.

 

"You probably just had a mug of the wrong mead,"  he stated, turning his attention towards Mark as the ice began to melt nicely.  "Some of what the elves drink can have...mind-altering effects upon oneself.  Just watch what keg you fill your flagon from next time."  He stayed only enough longer to ensure the ice had melted before making his way back to the cabin he had been gifted for the evening.

 

The next morning, he was roused in a way which was by no means polite by Mel.  "I swear on Breol, Mel, if this turns out to be nothing..." he broadcast to the group, pulling himself out of bed.  The long underwear he'd been given by Rautar certainly was comfortable, and it didn't seem as restrictive as he'd expected it to be so he kept it on and pulled his armor over it.  He did plan to wash it, and probably buy a few more pairs, once they got back to a city.  Of course as he was mulling this over, he stopped and was suddenly shocked.  Mel had just sworn, and he'd yet to hear the boy do that yet.  In fifteen seconds flat he was in his armor and bolting out the door in full combat readiness towards where he reckoned Mel was.

 

He arrived only shortly after Beatrice and Silvest, his sword out and ready to rend through whatever happened to threaten them.  Then he saw the corpse, and immediately felt his gut twist into knots as he saw what it was.  Smell and sight aside, he couldn't help but think that these wounds were similar to some he had seen before.  He approached the impaled, ravaged corpse and began examining the damage to see if he could possibly recognize what might have done it.

 

"Well, whatever did this we need to warn the Queen about its presence.  Speaking of her, despite her refusal to assist us in reaching and defending the nearest city I think we ought to stay here and help the elves mount a defense.  We don't use the same style of fighting as them, but they are going to need all the help they can get to hold off this army."

[Aix]

Jak had politely accepted the tea, his master back in Weiaf had been quite fond of tea and Jak developed a taste for it as well. As Reaal was brewing, Jak was happy to find Mel pop in to check on them. Rather thoughtful of him, I suppose, he thought. While it did seem rather worrisome that Mel's sense of humor had deteriorated to such a pathetic degree, Jak was glad that Mel was up and running again. He smiled as Mel left, rather excitedly, to go seek Beatrice out. After a rather tranquil tea session with Reaal, as neither seemed to have much to say and both seemed to just want to have a peaceful afternoon, Jak decided to retire back to Selena's cottage, where he found Selena already there and, most surprisingly, cooking!

 

"'You can cook?!' he says," said the hat. Selena turned and smiled at Jak's expression which approached that of utter awe.

 

"Well, of course, I can," said Selena indignantly. "How else do you think I get by these days? I can't always rely on other's hospitality!" She tossed her ladle up where it did three full rotations before Selena caught it again, perfectly.

 

Jak raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged. He sniffed the air. "'Smells nice,' he says" said the hat as Jak sat down at the dining table, seeming to appreciate the occasion. "'I suppose it'd be nice for a change for someone else to cook,' he says."

 

"Hmph," said Selena. A minute later, the food was ready and Selena set a dish in front of him and Jak dug in.

 

He was duly disappointed. "'Not bad...' he says," spoke the hat after a few seconds. The dish was no where as delicious as it looked or smelled, but it was still a passable fare, Jak supposed. He decided not to dwell on this and marvel more on the fact that Selena could cook in the first place.

 

[hr]

 

The party gathered at the scene, Jak was earlier to arrive, Selena had to dress first while Jak simply threw on his coat and dashed out the door, detecting the urgency in Mel's mental voice. "'That is... disturbing,' he says," said the hat. Jak felt a little sick looking at the gruesome spectacle before them. "'Who would be so... deranged to do this?' he says."

 

"Disturbing is an understatement!" cried Selena, she ran up to the desecrated corpse but was torn between repulsion and attachment. Before her was a horror, the product of a vile abomination, she knew she would not hesitate at all if she knew who had done this to a poor, innocent little girl. She knew this girl, not well, but she had passed her by a few times in town and the girl was a polite, darling little thing who would greet Selena with as much enthusiasm as the girl seemed to be able to muster. "Gwen... I will go inform the girl's parents... they ought to know..."

 

"Well, whatever did this we need to warn the Queen about its presence.  Speaking of her, despite her refusal to assist us in reaching and defending the nearest city I think we ought to stay here and help the elves mount a defense.  We don't use the same style of fighting as them, but they are going to need all the help they can get to hold off this army."

 

Jak glanced at Selena. "No matter, I am staying," said the elf. "I will not blame you guys, and neither will the Queen, if you decide to go. You have no obligation to us."

 

Jak was split, which would he choose, his loyalty to Selena or to the group, his new friends, comrades. I have, a duty, to the group, to the mission. A duty to Breol as a whole, he thought and then he spoke, well, the hat spoke for him. "'I will stay with the group, but I think... it would be good to help the elves,' he says."

[Cray-Crow]

The pot was close to steaming now. Mel, to Reaal's slight disdain, had showed up. "You're up, surprisingly, but it's a good thing," Reaal said to Mel without turning around. He grimaced when Mel made a joke of taking that fatal hit. "You should worry about yourself, right now."

 

The pot steaming now, Reaal removed it from the stove top. Mel had stated he was to leave to speak with Beatrice. "Alright, Mel. Take care of yourself."

 

Jak did take up Reaal's offer for tea so Reaal poured for two. It was good, the flavors layering on top of each other, rather than mixing. The evening slid by, with Jak and Reaal not saying much of anything, but Reaal enjoyed it.

 

-

 

Mel's yelling woke Reaal up. He was surprised Mel wasn't standing right next to his ear. His tone was dead, serious however, so Reaal dismissed his annoyance and dressed himself in haste. He reached the location Mel described to see most of the group already there. The spectacle was.. grisly, but even the harshest example of the word couldn't define what the group was looking at here. Reaal put his wrist to his nostrils, lest the stench of dead blood and entrails give him nausea. Alaster insisted to notify the Elf Queen of the situation. Something with the most seething and corrupt sense of the macabre was around the elves encampment. It was a wise suggestion. Despite Selena's comment, Jak concurred with Alaster's motion.

 

Personally, since the Elf Queen had evidently declined to assist in defending the nearest city from Nekrom's undead army, Reaal didn't feel any passion or need to stay, but he wasn't the only voice for the group.

 

"If we're helping the elves," Reaal put his arm down, "then we're helping the elves."

 

"In any case, what's saving a forest when we shan't save its denizens?"

[Astolfo]

The group was relaxed after finding Mark with En, the latter being unconscious. They dismissed it as just due to the Elven wine, not realizing what had truly happened. Alaster was suddenly called upon by Mel by thoughtspeak though, and they had all stumbled upon a hideously mutilated corpse that was half-eaten. Recoiling, they all talked with each other what could've happened. As they were discussing the issue, a horrifying howl was heard. A couple of minutes after, a figure was moving, and their sharp eyes caught it. On the forest edge of their side, a ragged being that they barely recognized as human was dragging itself to them. Concerned, they all rushed over to the prone figure. The clothes were as much holes as cloth, and there was blood everywhere, but strangely, no wounds. They figured it must've been that the man escaped barely, with friends or such nearby killed by some creature. Probably the same monster they saw before. They all paid attention when the man tried to speak.

"Urg….wen….de-" The man sputtered out a few words before collapsing. Frantic, the group searched for a pulse, and relaxed somewhat when they found one, but they were still worried about the now unconscious figure.

Going back to the inn, they started caring for the man, who appeared around 40 years old. When the man finally woke up, recovering from his injuries, his eyes were a stunning split. A red left eye and a black right. Carefully sitting up, he acknowledged the people who were caring for him with a nod. "My name is Wen. Thank you for caring for me." The man said simply. By now, Aerul and the Syron who had cared for Mel rushed into the room. Instantly, a frown came over their face, but they became sort of puzzled moments later. "Something's not right about this man….." They thoughtspoke to the others of the group, minus the unconscious En. "We're not sure though… Just hints of 'feral'-ness and something lupine-like here and there…"

The man became slightly guarded, but the group dismissed it as probably from the creature that pursued the man might've scared him at the hint of it again. The two Syrons kept a close watch for a couple minutes though before leaving. Relaxing, the group found Wen a bed, and they all stayed close together, worried the creature might come back. However, Beatrice and Alaster were extremely suspicious of the man who somehow had no wounds, yet torn clothes and blood everywhere appearing, and voted on locking the man in a cell of sorts. They weren't completely sure, but in case, so they decided not to have a complete dungeon-like cell, but still a strong room reinforced by magic. Silvest was sniffing and detected multiple people's blood on the man, yet the man seemed to have an almost beast-like aspect in some cases with partly slit-eyes, mildly sharp nails and teeth, and an inhuman-like tough-skin coating on the man with thick bristles of hair in the back of the man's head reaching almost to the bottom of his back. Bea, Mel, I'm going to lop this guy's head off if he so much as growls. Got it? Alaster thoughtspoke to the others. Well, you're going to have move faster than me or Silvest. We're just as wary as you, if not more. I don't get how Mel and the others trust him so much. Don't you think it's suspicious that guy pops out of nowhere in a strange condition of no wounds, but blood? If he was traveling in groups, I think he would've mentioned it, and if the apparent creature that killed possible others was that strong/fast, how did he escape? He doesn't seem like a magician or a tough warrior. Something is definitely fishy.... Beatrice thoughtspoke to Alaster. Right after, they explained to Wen and apologized, but locked him in an empty room reinforced by strong magic. Alaster and Beatrice carefully watched and listened for possible hints Wen was not who he seemed. Wen seemed to be just sleeping though, from what they could see through the door they made clear with magic. They decided whether or not they should keep a magical monitor, but the two assumed this should be enough for now. Mel and the others had well, arguably argued with being suspicious of the man without any good reason to their thoughts. But they wearily accepted it, knowing Alaster and Beatrice's watching could be a lifesaver in any case. Besides, Wen didn't seem too uncomfortable there...

----

The one with the ssssssword and the one with the ffffamiliar is sssssussspicious of me..... Pity.... Makes my job a bit tougher, eh? Need to feed ssssssooon.... Thosssse two will watch me, along with the Sssssyronsssss..... Hmmm..... An obviously inhuman and not sleeping creature was thinking. Coincidentially, it was 'Wen'.....

[RogueZero]

Mark was very surprised to find that there's no one inside En's cabin. Mel said that Mark and En are drinking too much elven wine. But in reality, Mark does not drink elven wine at all. Then Mel tells Mark to rest. Mark then returned to his cabin.

At dawn, Mark suddenly got a message from Mel. He rushed to where Mel was, only to find a dead elven girl. When all the wizards gathered at that place, minus En, they discussed about what creatures that attack the elven girl.

As they were talking, they heard a terrible howl. Not long after an elderly man with a bloodstained and holey shirt, came to the wizards. Not long after that he collapsed. Mark felt something was odd with that man's aura, it feels like a monster aura, but Mark didn't tell this to anyone else. The wizards immediately took him to the inn.

Mark did not follow the others to bring the man to the inn, instead, Mark immediately went to the cabin En, to ensure that yesterday incident does not happen again.

After arriving at the En's cabin, Mark found that En was still asleep. Worried about En condition, Mark decided to keep an eye on En. Mark sat on a chair and began to think. "Why the black skeleton attack En? Come to think of it I'm much weaker than En, but why the skeleton was not after me, but instead En." Mark thought to himself.

[Love of Ghibli]

And for some odd reason they were now in the company of some old man who wreaked of blood as they just passed a fresh carcass. It must have been some eerie outside force in the universe that must have temporarily taken control of them and robbed them of there sense of reason. This was easily the most flawed the decision they have made sense the groups inception. Silvest couldn't determine what had happened. This what must be black-out are. Nevertheless the least he could do was make up for this instance by standing over and guarding this new stranger who was for even more nebulous reasons locked out of sight. Still Silvest and Beatrice Glued themselves to the door listening for any movement. It was at times like these this she wished she was able of projectile magics that way she could just shoot this man and be done with this whole situation. On the plus side this turn of events should have given someone enough time to relay this information back to the queen.

[Cray-Crow]

Reaal walked back to his small cabin, alone presumably. He wasn't sure how their current predicament was going to play out. A stranger was being held captive, under good reason, Reaal thought. He'd shown up unprecedented bathed in blood. The fact that none of it seemed his, due to his lack of wounds, made the stranger more eerie. The man wasn't killed straight away by Alaster and Beatrice, which would have been expected of them. The other members dissuaded them, stating they would keep the strange man under locked bars and watchful eyes.

 

"I don't know whether to make this my problem."

 

"Hm. How suspicious are you of this Wen?"

 

"Enough, I'd say. There was something off-putting surrounding him."

 

"Yes. I felt it, too. Something beastly."

 

Entering his cabin, he locked the steel bolts to his wooden door and slouched himself in that comfortable chair again, javelin at his side. In any case, if something does happen, I'm sure someone will give a howl.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

The same mysterious force which had Beatrice going along with the plan had done the same to Alaster, and the only thing he'd managed to do while under its control was to manage to persuade the group into locking him in a heavily reinforced room.  Now that his mind was his own again, Alaster was quite angry at whatever had done this.  This anger expressed itself not just in his newly agitated mannerisms, but also in literal sparks flying off of his fingertips and leaving small scorch marks on the floors and walls of the inn.  Hell it would probably have scorched his armor too, but after being scorched by Mel's fire and Reaal's acid in their fight with the trolls there wasn't a way it could get any blacker.

 

"We should have just killed him when we found him."  Alaster said aloud, given he had posted himself as a guard for the cell with Beatrice.  In fact he had it in his mind to just kick the door down and execute the stupid thing then and there.  "He's obviously a werebeast, even if any of the killings aren't his fault he needs to be put down like the rabid dog he is."  Rather than act on his anger at that moment, as he knew it got him into trouble when he did so, he decided he'd experiment with something and removed the bag of holding from his belt.  He reached in to grab for the hilt of Lifedrinker, he was curious about the blade after all, but couldn't find the weapon within.  He dug around, searching for it with his hand for a few more seconds before he tired of being unable to find it and pulled the opening wide open before sticking his face in the opening to see what was to be seen.  "Where is that contemptible thing?"

[Alice Moonflowyr]

A long, mournful howling tore through the night, sending chills up the spines of those that heard it. Even those with a heart of stone were shaken by the howl. It was joined by two other howls, and after about five minutes, it died down. Three elves stood guard in watch posts, set up high in the trees. The first one, a tall female, said; "I've never heard that sound before. What the hell was that?"

 

The second elf was male, and he replied uneasily: "I dunno. Werebeast?"

 

The third elf was also female. She was shorter than her two comrades, and clutched a bow tightly in her hands: "Couldn't be. There arent any Werebeasts in this area, Oakleaf has seen to that."

 

"Then what is it...." The first elf pondered.

 

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That howling. Looks like my bait was taken. Jack snickered from his hiding spot. He was high up in a tree on the edge of the elf village, peering in with intrest. From the howls, I'd say theres at least three more of my little creatures out there. I bet they're expecting....werebeasts. Wen was covered in blood, and the usual sign is werebeast. Jack laughed outright here. Idiots! They didnt even tell Julia! And combining that with the fact they know nothing about this general area...looks like they're going to prepare for the wrong enemy.

 

Rautar had stated multiple times that he considers Jacks creatures and Werebeasts one and the same, but Jack had patiently explained the difference each time. "A were is a human with an affliction that turns it into a wolf, tiger, or even a bear, when the moon is full. My creatures are not only not human, they change whenever they feel like it."

 

Jack barked with laughter one more time, and faded off into the darkness. About an hour later, he was with the army again. They were only about a day away from the village. "How you travel so damned fast, I'll never know." One of the monks stated. The monks in Nekroms army wore black robes, and carried a black staff with a red orb at the top. They were completely human, although malevolent and twisted humans. Jack had about five travelling with him.

 

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The moon set, and the sun rose. Mel pulled himself out of bed, groaning. His stomach felt a lot better, but his head was still reeling with what happened last night. The poor elf girl, that weird guy. Alaster had wanted to kill him without any arguement, but Mel had thought otherwise. No one deserves a death without trial. Besides, I highly doubt the Elves'd let Werebeasts run amok in this forest.

 

Mel pulled himself out of bed, grabbed his wand, and pointed it and the potted plant in the corner. It smoked, then burst into flame. Mel smiled. He stomped the fire out, then proceeded to head outside. Lovely day. I wonder where Syron Doc is anyway?

 

Aerul appeared from behind one of the cabins. "Speak of the devil." Mel muttered, looking around for a place to hide. He saw a group of Elves walking by, and darted into their midst. He crouched in between two of the Elf girls, and nodding at Aerul, he whispered: "Hide me."

 

The girls giggled and hid Mel from Aeruls' sight. Eventually, the threesome broke away from the general group of Elves and walked off. After they were out of sight and earshot of Aerul, Mel stood up. "Thanks. I feel perfectly fine, and Syron Doc over there will just get in the way. What are you two's names again?" The two girls gave their names. The first one was Mialee, the second Adrie. "Cool. I'll see you two around I guess. I gotta go find my friends. Tell them I'm feeling a sight better."

 

"Wait, stay!" Mialee protested. She was about a head shorter than Mel, with long blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. She was wearing the leather armor of an Elven Ranger, complete with gloves and a bow on her back.

 

"Yes. We...noticed you had a bow when you first came back. We were wondering if you could have a shooting contest with us." Adrie was almost the opposite of Mialee, with short brown hair, and green eyes. She was a bit taller than Mialee though, and wore the same garbs.

 

Mel rubbed the back of his head. He wasnt sure what to make of this situation. They were nice enough, but they were Elves. The two girls pleaded a bit longer, and Mel gave in. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll go lose to you two. I'm no match for an Elven Ranger." Mel wondered how old these two girls were. They looked...maybe seventeen human years, but for all he knew that equalled a hundred in Elf terms.

 

He put on a smile, and followed Mialee and Adrie to a shooting range, where there were already about five other elves. He looked around for a bow. "I need a bow." he muttered. Toklo. Do you know where my bow is? Mel had no idea where Toklo was, so he tried speaking to him. Uh, yeah. Hold on I'll get it for you.

 

Where the hell have you been anyway?

 

Exploring.

 

Mel left it at that. About five minutes later, Toklo arrived with Mels' bow, and the shooting contest began.

 

///////////\\\\\\\\\\\

 

Wen began thrashing about, seemingly having a seizure. He gripped his head with his hands, and muttered: "No, no no no no nonononono." over and over. He threw a glare at Beatrice and Alaster. "They're coming for you. They're coming for you. They're gonna eat you. Ha. Ha haaa." After saying that, Wens' eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

[Love of Ghibli]

Beatrice was just shaking her head as Alaster was talking because it seems that he acknowledged the mysterious darkness that warped their judgement. Luckily it seems as if Mel may have gone back to warn the people about this threat...or maybe not. Logic didn't appear to be on the forefront of everyone's mind. This was interesting though to see everyone's different reactions to this turn of events. Silvest could do the only thing that was acceptable and that was facepaw. Luckily the team had a break in the case, when the ravenous man started to loose his senses and threaten the two people (and a cat) that advocated for his death. Clearly this was more than enough justification to kill the man on site if he could even be considered a man.

Immediately this Wen fellow would find himself getting drenched in alcohol if he wasn't unconscious. Next Silvest came with a lit match and logically set the beast on fire. If he was truly dead then that was just a safety precaution if he wasn't then hopefully that would work. "I'll warn the others you stay and kill that thing if it moves. The LEAST we could do at this time is make up for our earlier mistakes." Beatrice and Silvest ran around mentally blasting everyone of the situation at hand. EVERYONE BATTLE STATIONS!!

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Alaster could not have been bothered, for the moment, to notice Wen thrashing about or the process of his preparations to be burned alive.  He was much too engrossed in what he had found within the bag into which he was looking.  He had been attempting to find a single sword, but instead he found three.  One of the trio immediately caught his eye, and while he was looking in his right hand slipped into the bag itself to grip the weapon's hilt.  He found it warm to the touch, even through the plates of his armor.  "What on Breol?"

 

As startling as his own weapon was, this blade seemed even more so.  He set the bag of holding upon the ground to draw it out to get a look at it in a better light, or rather to ensure that his eyes were not being cheated by some trick within the bag of holding itself.  The weapon he withdrew was a bastard sword, though not one like any that had been seen before.  It was every bit as massive as his own, though perhaps the hilt was a bit shorter than that of his own.  The pommel of this weapon was a large, swirling cone which seemed as if the maker had formed the shape of a whirlwind from glass.  That's right, in the place of metal the whole thing seemed to have been forged of glass though that was hardly the surprising bit.  To the eyes of anyone familiar with the elemental magics, the whole length of the blade could be perceived to contain a violent, chaotic mix of wind and fire not unlike the spell which Alaster had summoned preceding his first encounter with Rautar.  The blade itself almost seemed to be serrated, the way that the "glass" of it was formed into overlapping deltas with their points on either edge separated just slightly from one another.  If this weapon weren't as fragile as its appearance suggested, it could certainly be a dangerous tool in battle.  Rather than the simple cross guard which marked the upper end of the hilt on his own weapon, this mysterious blade's guard was formed into the appearance of two serpentine dragons curling their heads in towards the blade, with mouths open and streams of the mysterious glass-like substance from which it was formed reaching out to join the blade proper.  He could feel the blade trembling slightly in his hands, as though it were a warrior anxious to join the fight and only just held back.

 

EVERYONE BATTLE STATIONS!  It seemed that the blade would not have to wait much longer to begin the fight, though Alaster remembered that to properly use it as an implement he would need time to attune it as such.  Otherwise he would be wielding it without a second thought, but for now he returned it to the bag of holding which was then returned to be held tightly at his belt.  The battlemage was soon wielding his own finely wrought weapon, of which he was quite fond, and turned about to face the burning Wen with his weapon ready.  If he wasn't dead yet, he was going to be very very soon.

[Cray-Crow]

With his suspicions about the strange man raised with Beatrice's alarm, Reaal made haste towards the imprisonment facilities, making sure to grab his javelin and Evesillith somewhere on his person. Why would she call for battle readiness? Did the man escape and do Breol knows what?

 

Having reached the building, Reaal slowly made his way to the prison chambers, rounding corners and ensuring silent footing. He didn't what to expect. Flames could be heard now. Reaal was close to the source of the cackling and sparking, and having a look from the corridor, he saw the man was still in his enclosure, set aflame and unmoving. He was wailing and writhing whilst Alaster rummaged through the bag of holding that had been found in the black tower days ago. He seemed too fixated on what its contents to pay any mind to the prisoner. Beatrice and Silvest appeared calm. What's going on?

 

"Seems he has been dealt with," Evesilith noted, eying the fact that the man was, presumably, dead and still in his cell.

 

"So, what was the issue?" Reaal asked openly.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

Wen began convulsing on the floor as the flames licked at his body. Reeal, Beatrice, and Alaster stepped back a step as Wen began writhing withing the blaze, although not with pain. As Reeal made eye contact with Wen, he saw not pain but a sort of hunger, a bloodlust. Then he began...changing. His torso and arms enlarged, becoming more muscular, and his skin began taking on a shade of gray. His legs also became more muscular, and his feet morphed into two-toed, clawed, furry...things. His ears became long and tapered, and his hair grew at an alarming rate, turning snow white and looking sort of like a mane. His face also underwent a huge change, his eyes turning to a shade of brown, erasing the whites. His nose became flat against his head, and his teeth grew sharper, and more jutting. He also grew two tusks on the sides of his mouth. His body had grown incredibly muscular, and he had at least doubled, maybe tripled in size. His fingers had grown more claw like, and his hair had grown to what looked like a lions mane. Wen had become a true beast.

 

Reeal instantly felt ancient knowledge of the Seekers, the masters of the wild and keepers of every creature on Breol, flowing into his mind. He knew the name of this creature. And he knew what it was about to do. "Cover your ears, both of you!" Reeal yelled to Alaster and Beatrice, covering his own.

 

Wen let out a bloodcurdling howl, bringing anyone who heard it to their knees in fear.

 

Reeal knew this creature. The ancient Seekers were supposed to have obliterated these creatures long ago. But Reeal knew this creature by its looks, and by its howl.

 

"The howl of the Wendigo....." Reeal whispered under his breath.

[Love of Ghibli]

With their hands on their ears Silvest and Amber blocked the howl of the Wendigo. It was a massive beast, but at least their suspicions were correct. Well they were correct when they first spotted the thing but still that was besides the point. They figured since wolves didn't travel alone this wolf like creature probably signaled for reinforcements. Time for trap laying. Alaster was there and he had some blade of derpness so no doubt the Wendigo that was in their immediate area could be taken care of. She then made her way outside and though it didn't look like anything was coming she had to make sure that they would be prepared. 

"Okay Silv. Time to spam!" Silvest laughed as he opened wide and started shooting out balls of white light. The animals that emerged from these weren't combat beast but more on the lines of cute furry woodland creatures...with purpose. First there were large moles and the proceeded to dig hole around the perimeter of the base camp. Then there were the Hammsukes. Hamsters of various sizes that carried pencils almost the same size of their bodies. They scurried around finding large leaves to place over the massive holes that moles dug. It was quite an efficient operation that she had going. In almost no time at all she had managed to get a hole in every major direction the enemy could over take them. 

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Alaster didn't need to be told twice to cover his ears once Reaal shouted that information out to him.  Of course this had him dropping his sword in the process, not that picking it back up would be much of a problem.  Even with his hands firmly pressed against his ears to keep much of the sound out, he STILL felt the effects of the howl upon his mind.  Granted it was to a lesser extent, but this thing inspired a very deep, very primal fear in him.  It was almost like these creatures, whatever the hell they were, had found some way to activate the natural flight response deep within anyone who heard their cry.  Alaster gritted his teeth, and waited impatiently for the howl to pass.

 

When the howl finally did subside, assuming the wendigo didn't use this howl of its to keep them more or less in one place while it moved up on them, Alaster grabbed at his familiar black sword.  The +5 sword of derp was certainly a good one, but he needed a properly attuned magical implement and so his standard black weapon would be doing fine for him.  The runes upon its blade glowed pale white, and soon the Battlemage was sent rocketing forward by the wind with the weapon outstretched.  His intention of course being to skewer the wendigo hopefully not just through the chest but, if it happened to be making a rush forward to attack what it would likely see as helpless prey, through its face as well.  Whichever the outcome, if Alaster was able to bury his blade into the creature's flesh then not a moment later the weapon would be coursing with the unadulterated energy of fire.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

The Wendigo snarled as Alaster flew forward riding the wind, and darted out of the way with inhuman speed, and smashed its huge fists against the side of the wall, its impact causing almost the entire cell to collapse, and letting the Wendigo out into the village. It then leapt about ten feet in the air away from the group, and faced them, snarling. It eyed them all with contempt, as if saying; "These puny creatures are going to fight me?" It then snarled again and dashed off into the forest. Or, it would have. Three arrows shot out from the trees around the area, trailing ropes. They struck the Wendigo in its leg and arms, and after they struck, they turned into large weighted nets that kept the Wendigo down, although that was more of the fact that the ropes seemed to be made of a kind of metal, and the weights looked quite heavy. Mel, complete with his Seeker bow and Elven Ranger armor, jumped out of the nearest tree and ran over to the Wendigo, bow at the ready. Mialee and Adrie dropped out of their respective trees and ran over as well, bows ready. "What the hell is this thing?" Mel muttered. He stopped once he was about five feet away from the Wendigo, with the two Elven Rangers at his side.

 

"I'm not sure. But it's definatly malovolent." Mialee said. "I can sort of sense it."

 

Mel nodded once. Then the same flow of knowledge that Reeal had experienced happened to Mel, and he staggered back a few steps, with Mialee steadying him with a hand on his arm. "Ugh. I hate it when that happens. Well, I know what this thing is now. A Wendigo." Mel motioned the rest of the group to approach. "They're human spirits that turned malevloent, and they survive off of human flesh. They're twice as fast, strong, agile, and resilient as humans. A full grown one could fling even Alaster in full armor maybe ten, fifteen feet away." Reeal confirmed this with a nod. "And while I'd love to let Alaster have a crack at stabbing this stupid thing to death, Wendigos always live in groups."

 

Toklo chose this moment to trot out of the forest with a squirrel in his mouth. He saw the Elves looking at him, mouths in an "O" shape, dropped the squirrel, and promptly sat on it. What did I miss?