The Chosen [IC/PG-16]

[Hälō]

"Did I use too much?" Lindow panted as he was brought to his knees after releasing the overcharged Discharge. Supporting himself with the Bandit's cleaver, he watched for a moment as Reinaan and Gilly pressed the offensinve whilst the creature struggled against the stunning effects of his attack. 

 

Forcing himself to his feet, Lindow leaped backwards to put some distance between him and the serpent.

 

"Here's a present for you..." After returning his blade to it's scabbard, the man reached to his belt and grabbed the two remaining daggers. Seeing that the creature was having trouble moving her arms remove Gilly's spear, Lindow took a second to line up his shot before sending the two blades flying towards the monster's eyes. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Frozen as she was, trapped with a stalactite thrust through her tail, the Lamia wasn't able to do much about the Draken tearing into the scales and muscles on her tail. It thrashed about wildly almost with a mind of its own as it tried to struggle against the dismemberment the Draken was attempting.

 

She could, however, do something about this spear in her chest. Her arms struggled to move, inching closer. As the tips of her claws touched the ice she felt a much more intense pain.

 

And the world went dark. Two metal blades pierced into her eyes, blinding the woman, and sending a burning pain straight to her brain. With a shriek the monstrous woman began thrashing about. She tore the daggers out and threw them aside, blood pouring from her eye sockets as she then attempted to rip the obstruction covering the snake hair.

 

From them she knew that the monster that blinded her was right before her still. And, in an animalistic frenzy, she surged forward to take her revenge.

 

But he was too far away. She felt the stalactite tearing into her lower half as she tried to reach Lindow. She should have stopped there but the pain and rage was too much. So she continued forward.

 

Her tail ripped in half where Reinaan was clawing into it.

 

She was freed from the stalactite.

 

But most of her body was left behind.

 

The Lamia collapsed to the ground, shuddering, trying to claw her way forward.

 

Then she remembered her eggs. Her children. She had to reach them. The creature attempted to turn her body, dragging herself in the direction of her eggs, and Keres, shrieking in pain as she moved. Losing blood the closer she got.

 

Until, shuddering, she collapsed.

 

A silence rose in the cavern as the life slowly left the Lamia and she lay still, claws outstretched towards her nest.

 

And then a small orb, similar to the one that had come after beating the bandit's leader, emerged.

 

Keres stared at the sight before her. The monstrous female torn in two, holes where her eyes should be, and she did what many people would do in this situation.

 

She vomited.

[spoiler=OOC]And thus...the fight has ended. You may now obtain your rewards. Which includes a Small Boss Soul. Which yes Ryia will also benefit from.

Also, just to make things easier, if anyone tries to do anything with the eggs Keres will inform them that they have been dead for a long, long, time.

Also there's gonna be a post in the actual OOC thread in a bit.

 

---

"Hope and trust, is it? What will you do when that trust gets you in trouble? Say...trusting a stranger to mean you no harm." Damien took a quick couple steps towards Ryia. He drew his sword at the same time, the blade extending farther than what it looked like the scabbard could hold, and held it against Ryia's neck. "You let down your guard. Stayed on your own. All alone with someone you don't know. Is that trust? Or stupidity? Do you really think you can last like that?" He didn't push the blade farther nor did he remove it from the girl's neck. "You're supposedly meant to save the world but I could end you in just one moment. What do you have to say to that?"

[Andx]

Whether from his own attempts or from the creature's own exertion, the snake woman pulled free of the fallen rock, leaving the majority of tail behind her. With some other attacks from Gilly and Lindow she didn't seem to be long for the world. She had fallen and attempted to carry herself forward using her hands. But the effort lasted only so long as she ultimately stopped moving. Reinaan went and reclaimed his sword from the bit of tail it had been stuck in and found its sheath lying about. At least he still had that in the end. Of course the shining object left behind was of interest. It was similar to what the bandit boss had left for them. A brief stop to it gave the boy a similar sensation to the last. To think this creature had this kind of power to offer them. In her last moments she had been moving toward the eggs. This brought the Draken's attention to Keres, still in place where they'd seen her from the start. The eggs were about her and the boy wanted to be sure they wouldn't be causing any trouble. He released Ziiyol's power allowing the fire spirit to take form again. She seemed happy as she usually was after they fought together. Reinaan was indeed tired from using her power again but provided their trek back up wasn't as eventful as the way down he felt he'd be fine. The quiet in the cave had a peaceful, almost soothing effect as the boy calmly made his way to the Water Chosen. He kept his eyes trained on the monster's corpse until he'd gotten close.

"We should be rid of these quickly." he said with regards to the eggs. However Keres managed to inform Reinaan that the creatures had been dead for a long time. Upon further inspection it seemed to check out. The creature's actions seemed strange then. Doing so much for her already dead offspring. Perhaps grief was simply that strong. Or maybe she somehow thought killing them could bring them back. Either way what was more important was getting Keres out of here. The girl seemed to be in rough shape and she hadn't moved much since they'd arrived. "How are you holding up? Can you stand?" he asked the girl. It wouldn't surprise him if she couldn't but if she could move on her own it was probably best she did. Still, one way or another Reinaan was going to get her out. Keres affirmed that she was able to stand but it was immediately clear that walking was going to be a struggle for her. Looking at her she seemed ready to puke. Looking at the floor it seemed she already had once. To top it off was the usual tension she often had when they interacted.

"I'm gonna have to carry you." he stated plainly, aware the girl would likely take issue with the idea. But of the four Chosen here it was the only move that made sense. Reinaan was the strongest and would be the least impeded by the weight. Gilly and Anis would likely struggle too much. Lindow's mobility and fast reactions were too important to have him bogged down. Given the girl's feelings of Lindow that wasn't likely to happen regardless.

"Rather not." came the terse reply as she leaned away. The boy was afraid she'd fall over in the motion for a moment.

"Look, I don't want you falling and hurting yourself and the others can't do it. Well, Lindow probably could but..." he replied. If the girl really wanted to walk out he wouldn't try to fight her on it but he was going to be worried regardless. However uncomfortable he made her he'd have to stay close for his own peace of mind. He hoped a show of concern and practicality would make enough sense to her. She seemed deep in thought and notably averted her gaze from the boy's right hand which was still bloodied from his work severing the tail of the beast. The moment seemed to drag on into eternity but ultimately the Water Chosen agreed to let him carry her. Reinaan was relieved. In her condition the last thing she needed was physical exertion. The same could be said of him after the fights on the way down but he could power through it. It was a bit of an awkward dance getting the girl onto his bare back. Despite agreeing she couldn't change her discomfort with the whole situation very readily. Eventually the Draken got her into position piggyback style. It would keep his hands free and also let him support most of the girl's weight for her so it seemed optimal.

"You can kind of stand on the base of my tail if you'd rather I not support your legs." the boy said. He didn't want to needlessly trouble the girl if he could help it. She'd taken a lot of time to consider and finally accepted his proposal so it was only fair he did what he could to make her not regret her choice. "Hold on tight but be careful of my scales, they're not particularly smooth. Let me know if we need to stop and reposition. Just... anything you need let me know. I'm gonna get you out in one piece. You still gotta show me how you're gonna save everyone." he said with a playful tone at the end. Once Keres was as comfortable as one could be in the situation his focus turned back to the rest of the group. The way they came seemed unreliable for getting back out. Hopefully one of the others had found something helpful.

[Sethera]

"Woo!" Gilly cheered, seemingly unaffected by the grisly sight before her. "We did it! We won! Though of course we did," she grinned. "We have the awesomest person ever with us, me!" She looked down at the snake woman. "Hmm...I wonder what snake tastes like," she mused. "Or maybe she'd taste more like human? Or maybe her human half would taste human and her snake half would taste like snake. So if I just eat the snake part, then that wouldn't be so bad, right?" she started to mutter to herself after that, contemplating the moralities of eating creatures that looked like people. But really, she was just hungry, so anything looked like food to her at the moment.

 

Reiny boy started to carry Mute Girl, so at least that was taken care of. Gilly started to approach the eggs curiously. "Do you think we can eat these?" she asked the others. "I'm really, really hungry and we've been down here a long time, haven't we? I wonder if Hob's getting hungry up there, oh and Pinky too! And maybe Mr. Edgy McEdge..." the halfling took hold of one of the eggs and looked closely at it. "Huh, this looks...really old. Ugh, that means it's probably gone bad by now," she pouted. It was then she noticed the glowy orb thingy, but she decided that finding food was more important, so she started rummaging through the nest for anything yummy.

[Hälō]

Lindow let out I sigh of relief as the others went forth to collect Keres. His eyes lingered on the energy left behind the best for a moment, before he reached out and absorbed in the same manner he would a spirit.

 

"So it seems this little detour wasn't a complete wast of our effort..." The Thunder chosen flexed his palm before moving to collect the blades he had thrown throughout the battle. With a new energy now flowing through him, he quickly gathered his four knifes before joining the others near the nest.

 

"I suppose we should go about finding the exit now, ya?" He glanced around the room once more before allowing his shoulders to slouch. "Have fun with that guys. I think I'm going to take a moment to catch my breath..." Even with the new power he felt inside himself, the amount of energy the man had expelled during the last leg of the fight still seemed to have taken it's toll on his stamina levels.

[Alaina]

On reflex, Ryia attempted to move back as the blade was brought out and placed against Ryia's neck. As there was no actual room for Ryia to back towards, and there was no way she could move away from the blade, she merely looked at the weapon and gulped. As Damien kept the blade there, effectively telling the girl how misguided her ideas, it was certainly hard to argue given the current situation. She had trusted him, and she had let her guard down. "I- I know it can get me killed. It- it probably even is stupid." She gulped once more. "B-but, I can't save the world or- um, well, even one town on my own. Even if I- I could stand to be more cautious," the girl then muttered, "especially with strangers." She looked back to him saying, "I can't worry about my own team killing me when I have to focus on something far greater then me. N-nor do I want to." 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Keres didn't really want to be here. This room nor the back of the Draken. Every instinct she had told her not to let this happen. But he seemed so calm and friendly about it and she knew that there wasn't much other option. Gilly and Anis likely couldn't and Lindow....

She wished Ryia was here.

 

It seemed that none of them were sure of how to get back up. From what it sounded like to Keres the way they came wasn't an option.

Anis seemed to be busy trying to gather up some arrows and Gilly was rummaging around in the nest.

 

The halfling would, unfortunately, not find any food as she searched. She would, however, find a golden ring with a red gem set into it. If one looked at the gem for several seconds it would seem as though something was moving back and forth in it. Swaying like a flickering flame.

 

Still they didn't have a way out. Though Keres did realize something that might help out. "The hole..." She said to Reinaan, directing him to the hole that the Lamia left. Going into it revealed a rather winding pathway through crumbling dirt and stone that seemed to go upwards.

---

Damien gave Ryia a look of befuddlement as he craned his neck to the side. Then he sighed and pulled the blade back, sheathing it with one smooth motion. "Next time it might not be someone as friendly as me." He placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward. "Guess I'll just have to keep an eye on you instead. Somebody's gotta keep their guard up. Like with that guy with the eyepatch. You can't tell me you don't notice something's off about that one."

 

 

[spoiler=OOC]Gilly found a thing! And yeah...the hole is the exit. Basically it'll be a bit tough getting through but you'll find yourselves behind some rocks that can be shifted and open up into one of the side walls of the place where Ryia and Damien are...chatting. They'd arrive shortly after the current exchange.

 

[Andx]

The group was understandably winded from the ordeal of getting down here and fighting off the snake creature. Well except for Gilly who seemed to be actively exploring the area looking for things. Reinaan was preparing to strain himself to process a way out but thankfully Keres spared him the effort and called attention to the hole in the wall their foe had left. He began slowly toward the opening and was surprised to find Keres easy to carry. She must have been lighter than he'd initially thought. Still he took care to walk in as smooth a motion as he could manage, not wanting to jolt the girl about. What he saw was a pathway that looked to be going up which was a step in the right direction. It seemed to spiral upwards but how far it went he couldn't tell. Still, it was the only lead they had at the moment.

"Hey guys! Over here!" he called to the others. Once they'd gathered he'd begin the climb with the Water Chosen still uncomfortably situated on his back. She didn't make any audible complaints but he could only imagine the internal discourse she was having with herself. That is if she thought a lot. Maybe she just didn't like words. That sounded crazy, she had to think to herself that's just what you do. The climb was long and tiring and even if Keres wasn't difficult to carry her weight made the constant ascent more demanding. Reinaan held to the rear of the group just from taking a slow pace for the girl's sake to begin with. This went on for some time until eventually, well out of breath, the group arrived at what looked like a dead end. At least initially. There seemed to be rocks in their way but none so particularly large. The Draken stepped forward and exerted himself to start moving them and sure enough they gave way.

As light poured in from the ever enlarging opening, Reinaan thought he could hear a familiar voice. To his surprise they'd emerged in the same little building they'd spent the night in. Then his eyes caught hold of the swordsman who'd joined them for the scoprion fight and Ryia. They must have been talking. The boy sighed in relief at the sight but he couldn't relax entirely just yet. Not until he'd set Keres down gently. Kloqah took note of her small lizard entering the room and stirred from her rest.

"We're back." he said weakly as the group spilled into the room. He moved to one of the walls that didn't have an opening into the lamia's lair before reaching back to lift Keres off and set her down to rest. While a bit clumsy he did manage to actually set her down so she could lean against the wall if desired. His work done, the boy turned his back to the same wall and plopped down beside her and for the first time that day simply relaxed. He was in some pain but at the least he could release the tension built up in his body. He began slowly rotating his neck and several pronounced cracks sounded as the joints popped. Then his tail brushed itself into the wall, very painfully reminding him the tip was broken. He winced a bit then went back to relaxing. A smile of all things adorned his face. No one died today. He was going to keep things that way.

"Not a half bad ride am I?" he attempted to joke with Keres. He needed a laugh after all that. She probably did too. Was she even capable of laughing? His brain was going to start spinning if he kept contemplating strange human behaviors.

[Sethera]

Rifling through the nest revealed nothing of note. Nothing that looked like food, anyway. Gilly did find a weird ring, but it wasn't edible. She licked it, but it just tasted like metal. Making a face, the halfling tossed it into the bag. "Here, you can have it Snowy," she said.

 

The sudden appearance of a ring, as well as his Chosen's voice, caused the white rabbit to wake up. "Hmm?" he inspected the ring. "Interesting...it looks as if there's fire within it."

 

Gilly wasn't listening, looking around the area for food. "Ugh, I can't believe there's nothing to eat here," she groaned, turning back to the snake woman with a speculative eye.

 

"Hey guys! Over here!"

 

"What is it?" the halfling asked as she walked over. "Did you find food?" But no, it looked like he found the way out. As long as she could eat. She followed the others with one last glance back at the snake lady, until they found themselves back where they had started.

 

"Baa," Hob, who had been about to headbutt Damien, stopped at seeing his rider.

 

"Heya Hob! Did you get anything good to eat?"

 

"Baa-aaa..." the sheep tilted his head to the side before picking up Keres's boot, waddling over to her side and dropping it next to her with a proud snort.

 

"Well, I can't eat that..." the halfling slumped to the ground with a sigh.

[Alaina]

The girl let out a huge sigh of relief as the blade was no longer pointed at her throat. While she wanted to believe that he was indeed not going to kill her, the threat of it was definitely stressful. Though Damien didn't seem entirely pleased with how she conducted herself, and she too believed that this was probably one of those weaknesses he was talking about to look out for, the girl was still thankful he would continue to both help out and not kill her. Though, as he mentioned Lindow the girl said, "oh, um, him. Yeah. He's a bit...different, yeah." She paused a bit, unsure how to really describe what she thought about the Thunder Chosen, as she wasn't quite sure herself. All the same, she said, "well, he's been only helpful so far but I admit yeah...there's something weird." 

 

Before the conversation could continue further, though, out from a hole emerged the rest of the Chosen. Her eyes lit up as she let out a massive of sigh of relief, both due to the safety of her companions and no longer needing to be in this room by herself. Standing up, the girl exclaimed, "you're back!" Walking over to check up on them, she asked, "are um, are you all alright?" She couldn't help but show her now present concern having been unable to help them at all during their rescue mission. Looking more to Keres, worry now clearly present on her face she said, "um, I apologize for, well...that you had to go through that, and I couldn't do anything about it..." 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Not a half bad ride am I?"

 

"Thank you." Keres responded, her voice low. She was glad to be off of the boy now. His scales felt strange under her hands. She glanced around as she stood up straight. The paralysis seemed to be fading away enough that she can at least stay up now.

 

The strange swordsman and Ryia were standing near each other. Had they been talking? Plotting? Romancing? She was curious, she couldn't deny, but she doubted she'd get anything out of either of them. She'd just have to watch their interactions from now on.

 

She glance over as Hob walked up to Gilly...with her boot. The girl glanced down and only just realized she was missing one. That explained why her foot hurt so much...Keres walked over to the two and bent down, picking up her boot. "Thank you Hob." She said and patted the sheep's head.

 

"um, I apologize for, well...that you had to go through that, and I couldn't do anything about it..."

 

"Wasn't needed." Keres said as the girl approached. She didn't want Ryia to feel guilty. It all turned out fine in the end. Though she couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment. That was wrong, she knew, these people barely knew her and that some of them came down to get her was big on its own. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what they thought of her, herself. She had to assume they came to get her because they were already down three and couldn't afford more. It was a lonely thought.

But Keres was used to lonely.

 

Damien, for his part, was much more animated. "Well look here, the damsel has been rescued, good job out there team." There was a sarcastic edge to his voice and it seemed that he was teasing them when he followed with, "Took the scenic route I see." He glanced at the newly made hole in the wall.

 

He stepped back towards the wall, eyes on the two silent members of the group. Anis and Lindow had arrived last. So even the trusting Ryia felt something off about that guy. What could this unnatural feeling be?

 

Just then Flux reappeared next to Keres. "Well that was uncomfortable!" It said. "Boy was that weird. That thing's venom made the connection between us all slimy feeling...Hey, how's everyone else doing? The snake didn't get to you too did it?" Flux darted around towards the other Chosen, speaking to the Spirits themselves to check up on them.

[spoiler=OOC]Free time now. No need to post in rounds for now. We can move on when people want it.

 

[Alaina]

Though Keres seemed to be fine, for the most part, and she seemingly tried to reassure Ryia that she didn't do anything wrong, she still couldn't but feel to the contrary. She had always felt it her duty, whether in a small adventuring party or with the Chosens, that she was supposed to help protect and keep all of them safe. Yet, while the group wasn't even in a fight, she had failed to protect someone who was in such close proximity to them and failed to do anything beyond that to help them. While Ryia couldn't help but feel guilty about it, she said, "um, if you say so. Then that's good." With a brief nod, she looked over as she noticed Damien seemed to be eyeing up two of the others.

 

The more she talked to him, the more of an enigma he seemed to her. While she didn't distrust him, she still couldn't figure out what to think of him, and to that affect how he would be with the rest of the group. All the same, her train of thought was broken as she heard the water spirit speak up, talking about a snake's venom. Before she could question it, the spirit of Earth appeared beside her, with its matter of fact tone stating, "no snake has gotten to me." 

 

The girl looked to the spirit, a clearly confused expression across it as she said, "wait, what- what snake?" She looked to the water spirit saying, "was there some kind of snake, uh, monster down there?" After she asked her question, a sudden realization had hit her. Looking back to the earth spirit, a tad amount of concern on her face, she thought to him, "wait, how long have you been listening?" 

 

"I never cease." 

 

"Oh....okay."

[Hälō]

"We figured we'd give you a head start, in case you fancied running off with the girl and our stuff..." Lindow popped out of the hole in the wall with a rather drained expression. Speaking with the same sarcastic edge, Lindow met the stranger's gaze as he slinked over towards the far wall. "We do love a good rescue." He flashed the man a smile that never met his eye.

 

"Though it seems you two were busy yourselves..." A quick study of the group that stayed behind and the sounds of the vultures outside were all he needed to know they had also been in some sort of tussle. 

 

Sliding down so that he was sitting against the wall, Lindow threw his head back and yawned before raising his right hand towards the Ice chosen. "Gilly, come here and let me have a look at you." As spoke, the Light Spirit's magic begun to shine in his palm. Though she was acting the normal, Lindow knew that the girl hadn't had the easiest time down on the ruin's depths...

 

"If anyone else needs this, then now is the time. I'd like to try and get nap in before we set out again."

[Andx]

It was encouraging to see Keres already back on her feet. Whatever the monster had done to her was subsiding quickly meaning she'd be able to carry on with them well enough. Granted, Reinaan was going to just make Kloqah carry the girl if she proved to take long to recover anyway. The thought turned his gaze to the lizard mount who looked away when his eyes landed on her. She was a weird one. The swordsman from the day prior welcomed the team back as the Water Chosen retrieved her boot and spoke with Ryia some. The boy still didn't trust him, and the almost mocking tone to it all only served to irritate him more. But his focus was shifted as the water spirit made its way to the others. Ziiyol appeared nearby and seemed tense as her fellow spirit approached. Water and fire really didn't seem to mix.

"I'm fine, thank you. Reiny and I are as connected as ever, perhaps even more." came the less excited than usual reply. At the least, she seemed to regain some of her bubbly nature when referring to her partner. This still left a confused Earth Chosen however which prompted Reinaan to stand up against all of his body's complaints.

"We fought something that looked like a human woman but was snake from the waist down. And snake hair and stuff. She's what took Keres." the Draken offered in explanation as he approached. He paused for a moment before continuing on his way to Kloqah's side to inspect his belongings. Everything was in order. He made a note to himself to not tackle places like that again with as little equipment as he did. Even if his spear or the other javelins had been with him they wouldn't have done much to the undead creatures who had so easily snapped in half the one he had brought. His other items probably wouldn't have been very helpful either. His jacket didn't offer much protection but at the least he should have gone in with the metal bracers for his hands and feet and his bag to hold a few of the things they'd found at the bandit camp. He removed the amulet from about his neck and placed it inside his bag before giving his nude form a look over. He had a thought, one that took him by surprise.

"If things are gonna be like this, maybe it's time to get some armor..." flashed across his mind. Had he really just thought that? Never in his life had he doubted his own scales. And the thought of wearing much armor at all just seemed unbearable unless it was absurdly cool looking. But more than that he'd be admitting he had been wrong and that many of his village and even that annoying Templar were right. Just thinking of the templar berating him was enough to take that off the table. He was proud of his body and the fire spirit had chosen him as he was so he was going to stick with what he knew. Though in his examination he did take note of the kink in the tip of his tail from the bone breaking, and the dried blood about his feet from when his claws had dug into the stone floor. Lindow's offer of the light spirit's healing magic was well timed and the boy made his way over to await his turn.

[Sethera]

Hob closed his eyes, baaing happily as he was petted by the girl with good boots. His stubby tail wagged a little bit as he leaned into her touch, even following her as she moved around.

 

"What--Hob, you traitor," Gilly moaned at seeing her sheep ignore her. "Ugh, so huuungry--huh?" she looked up at hearing Lindow talk about looking at her. "Don't wanna," she pouted, crossing her arms. "'m tough, don't need any help, hmph," she turned away stubbornly, despite the pain from various wounds. "I do need food though," she muttered.

 

Meanwhile, Snow had popped out of the bag upon hearing Flux's words. "I am fine as well. I was...out of it, for the most part, but my Chosen seemed to do just fine." He hesitated, before showing the ring to the other spirits. "She also found this in the lamia's nest."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Lamia." Keres said in response to Ryia's query. "Supposed to be extinct...Gods of ancient civilization." They were creatures seen mostly in history books. They ruled this area thousands of years ago. Some thought they were Demonic in nature and after seeing what one could do she could understand why.

 

"I do need food though,"

 

"I can...make some stew." Keres offered hesitantly. She saw what this girl did with food and she didn't want to be pounced on for offering. She herself didn't feel hungry after what she had recently seen but at least this would give her something to do.

 

Before she got started, however, Flux came to her. The other spirits didn't appear worse for wear after this encounter. But evidently Gilly had picked something up from the nest that Keres hadn't noticed. "Come here, sit." Keres said to Gilly, patting the spot beside her, before breaking out some equipment and ingredients to make food. "...Can we get a fire?" She asked Reinaan, not looking directly at the young Draken.

 

If Gilly decided to sit next to Keres the girl would ask to see the item that she picked up earlier.

--

Damien gave a grunt of confirmation as Lindow noted that they had been busy. "Just a few scorpions that tried to break through." He nodded over at Hob. "He was especially brave when fending them off." His gaze turned back to Lindow and he gave the man a smirk. "Handy power you got there. Didn't peg you for the type who'd be drawn to Light."

[Hälō]

Lindow quickly rolled his eyes at Gilly's pouting before shifting his gaze back over to meet the stranger's. "It's the eyepatch isn't it?" He spoke in a joking tone. It was subtle, but Lindow could sense that he was being analyzed by for some reason. "Hate to break to you, but if you're looking to have your wounds tended to by a beautiful maiden, you've stumbled into the wrong group." Studying the other man for a moment under his seemingly friendly smirk, Lindow couldn't help but feel like he was looking right into a similar mask. 

 

Turning his attention back to Gilly, Lindow suddenly hopped to his feet. His eye narrowed slightly as his shoulder wrung out in pain from the blow he had suffered in the battle with the corpses, but he managed to keep the reaction to a minimum. Perhaps next time he would heal his own wounds first...

 

"You heard little Keres, even the greatest heroes would need to have their wounds tended to after vanquishing such a mighty opponent!" Lindow chirped bombastically whilst quickly closing in on Gilly like a predator. "There's no shame in using the resources we have at our disposal~" Using her free hand to try and pin the halfling down by the top of her head, Lindow washed the Light Spirits magic over the places that he had seen her get struck.

 

"Besides, you'll be even more of a nuisance if you're already injured during our next encounter..."

 

Once Gilly seemed to be healed to an acceptable degree, Lindow exhaled deeply before turning to Reinaan and motioning the boy over. "You weren't too bad with your blade down there. I think I owe you some of this after our little dance with undeath..."

[Andx]

There was something odd about the sight of Lindow tracking down Gilly to heal her injuries. It was like a parent looking after a child, an image that seemed to clash with the general air the Thunder Chosen carried about him. Regardless it brought a small smile to Reinaan's face. Once the healing was done he called the Draken over who responded quickly and presented his tail and feet. What the boy hadn't counted on was the compliment paid to him about his use of the sword. It felt good coming from Lindow who cared a great deal about his swordmanship. He'd had to largely improvise his primary weapon being broken so quickly into things. To Reinaan it felt like he'd mostly just sort of swung it about without much aim or focus but if he was being praised maybe he was on to something. The man also mentioned the encounter with the wrapped creatures which was enough to send a shiver down the boy's spine.

"I'm just glad you were there with me." he began as the light magic visibly set his broken tail back into place. It was almost grotesque yet it also sort of captivated Reinaan. "I was gonna panic, but having you there calmed me down. It was almost like being on a hunt with some of my brothers back home." he finished, clearly happy while thinking about his normal way of life. Multiple battles alongside the man were forging a unique bond and he wasn't shy about admitting it. With his feet and tail patched up the boy felt a lot better already. And so when the request from Keres came for fire, he was ready to help. "If we ever get a chance, we should practice some of that sword stuff. I'm kind of interested now after using one a bit." he said to Lindow as a final thought before moving over to where Keres was preparing to cook. The girl hadn't looked at him when she asked for fire. He still wanted to know what she was so tense around him for. The Draken had been nervous about meeting humans but that had quickly subsided. Maybe humans were just more anxious creatures in general. Regardless, now probably wasn't the time to do any pressing into her mental and emotional state. For that matter he wondered if the girl wouldn't rather be resting.

"Hey uh, Keres, do you want some help with that? You've gotta be tired, don't you want to rest?" the boy asked. Truth be told, he had no idea how to go about making stew despite having seen the Water Chosen do it on a handful of times. Cooking in general wasn't a strong suit. Carnivores that he and his people were, the most they ever did was roast meat from their kills. Even then Reinaan was known to enjoy raw meat just as well. But that didn't matter much to him over ensuring the girl's well being. He'd gladly embarrass himself and even touch gross vegetables. It'd be something to brag about when he got home. Ziiyol hovered near Kloqah, the two looking on at their small lizard friend with opposite reactions. The one eager to see him talk with the others and maybe cook, the other a bit annoyed at the proceedings.

[Sethera]

"I can...make some stew." Mute Girl offered, causing Gilly to perk up.

 

Before she could start suggesting what kinds of stew she preferred, Mr. Lindow spoke. "You heard little Keres, even the greatest heroes would need to have their wounds tended to after vanquishing such a mighty opponent!" The man looked kinda scary for a second as he moved closer, with the sneaky walk of one of the wild beasts of the mountains.

 

"W-wait! No, I can uhh, heal myself. See? All better now," the halfling hopped up and flexed her arms, wincing as the action caused one of her injuries to open more.

 

Mr. Lindow didn't look like he believed her. "There's no shame in using the resources we have at our disposal~" Using a free hand to try and pin the halfling down by the top of her head, he started to heal her. It felt weird, and tingly, but also nice. The man muttered something under his breath, but Gilly was too busy watching one of her wounds close to listen.

 

"Thanks..." she muttered, before adding with a pout. "But I'm sure I coulda healed up just fine by myself."

 

 Not long after, Mute Girl patted the spot beside her, before breaking out some equipment and ingredients to make food. "Come here, sit." She then turned slightly toward Reiny boy. "...Can we get a fire?"

 

"Okey-dokey!" Gilly plopped herself on the ground next to Mute Girl. Hob was already there, the traitor. Tilting her head up to look at Reiny boy, she grinned. "Fire, fire, fire! Time for food! What're you hungry for, Reiny boy?" she asked.

 

It was then that Mute Girl asked to see the item from earlier. "Oh yeah, speaking of fire!" Gilly snapped her fingers. "I found this weird ring thing with fire. I gave it to Snowy to play with. Hey Snowy, you have it?"

 

The ice spirit hopped over, procuring the item in question. "Yes, yes," he said. "You are going to show the mage of the group? You are wiser than I had originally assumed."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" the halfling stuck out her tongue as she took the ring. "Here ya go. It looks like there's a fire inside the gem thingy. You can have it if you want. Or Mr. Fire boy here. It's not cute, or food, so I don't need it."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"Hate to break to you, but if you're looking to have your wounds tended to by a beautiful maiden, you've stumbled into the wrong group."

 

"No worries." Damien said, making sure his voice was loud enough for the others, one in particular, to hear. "I only need one beautiful maiden."

 

"Hey uh, Keres, do you want some help with that? You've gotta be tired, don't you want to rest?"

 

Keres nodded, paused, then shook her head. "Just need the fire. No need to rest. I am going to cook." She needed to do it. She had to earn her keep and she certainly hadn't done that down in the tomb. "Got enough rest."

 

The young woman's mouth twitched slightly as Gilly sat herself down with such an enthusiasm. Her usually expressionless face cracked for a moment. It was as if her face was trying to remember how to smile.

 

She tilted her head towards the halfling as the girl held out a strange ring to her. Keres examined it, staring at the dancing flames, until a light of recognition came to her eyes for a moment.

She passed a hand over it, mouthing something silently, as her hand glowed dimly. "Heat resistance." She said simply. "Fire protection."

 

She looked at Gilly. "Are you sure...you don't want it?" She asked. Her voice was slightly different from the monotone. It seemed she was trying to express something close to concern. Though it sounded more uncertain.

[spoiler=OOC]Keres will be cooking and will be finished with it before my next post. If any characters have a request include that in the post.

Also figure out who will hold onto the ring.

...Oh yeah and reminding people to speak up if you don't want to continue the interaction stuffs anymore, whenever you're through.

 

[Sethera]

Mute Girl was busy talking to Reiny boy. Her mouth twitched slightly when Gilly sat down. Was that supposed to be a smile or something? She really needed to get smiling lessons if that were the case. Maybe have Reiny boy teach her? Or Mr. Lindow? Because nobody else around here really smiled. Buncha stick-in-the-muds.

 

Mute Girl stared at the ring for a long while, long enough for Gilly to get bored and want to eat something, before she spoke. "Heat resistance." She said simply. "Fire protection." She looked at the girl. "Are you sure...you don't want it?" She asked. Her voice sounded...a little different. Less like she was a statue or something.

 

"Of course!" the halfling nodded. "I'm the Great Gilly. I don't need no weird rings to protect me. I'm strong enough to take whatever comes my way, right Mr. Lindow?" she gave him a thumbs up. "Now, someone like Mr. Lindow, or Pinky, or even Stick-in-the-Mud, they might need it more." She grinned, proud of her awesome self for being so awesome. I sounded so cool there, she thought. So generous. But that's also part of being a hero.

 

In the background, Snow was rolling his eyes so hard he was afraid they were going to fall out. "Please," he muttered.

 

Hob baa'ed, whether in agreement or disagreement, it was hard to tell. Or he could've just been hungry.

[Andx]

The Ice Chosen acted like they hadn't just been in a life threatening situation and continued her usual bouncing from one topic to the next. Reinaan didn't even have the time to remind the girl in response to her question that all he ate was meat as it was. Meanwhile Keres asserted she was fine and had enough rest; a statement the Draken severely doubted but at the same time he wasn't going to push her on it. In more relaxed circumstances he might just ask her to teach him to cook as an alternative approach. Regardless he moved to do his appointed task of providing fire. His chest tensed a bit as he prepared his breath. The day's exertion and in particular the quick continued usage of the breath was putting some strain on the muscles. But Lindow's magic and a good night's rest would likely take care of it. The boy unleashed a small stream of fire to ignite the wood as the others discussed the ring Gilly had found. Something about fire resistance which seemed unnecessary for the Fire Draken who'd been born by a lava chute and withstood the desert heat better than most of the others present. With his task complete he stepped back to get out of the Water Chosen's way.

Reinaan's attention shifted to Anis who had remained rather quiet since the defeat of the snake woman. She'd cooperated with him to bring the stones from the ceiling down rather readily. And yet he still wasn't sure if approaching or talking to her would be a wise idea. On the whole he felt now wasn't the time to press much into matters like that with anyone. When the group wasn't tired or injured or in danger seemed like the time for those sorts of things. So instead he sat down nearby the small cluster around the Water Chosen. Without much to think of or say, the boy's mind wandered to home as it often did. But instead of missing it he recalled some of the ancient draken language the elders and adults of the village had taught him through his youth. With the claw of his left index finger he began tracing lines out in the sand on the floor of the room, sloppily composing the shapes as he remembered them. They only barely looked like more than simple squiggles as he attempted to recreated the symbols for Draken and Fire and the volcano they called their home.

[Alaina]

Ryia only seemed to be more confused and worried at the mention of a half-snake person with snakes for hair. This was only made worse by Keres identifying it as both a Lamia and a god. The girl wasn't quite sure how to process the whole thing, and merely stood by herself wondering what she had actually missed. As everyone began to go and begin their resting, Ryia merely sat back against the wall and let out a sigh. It was a bit of an odd feeling, knowing that she hadn't done anything to help her team out against such a dangerous foe, and yet them not needing her down there to do so. She wasn't quite sure if she should've felt assured, inadequate, or some kind of combination of the two. While she was trying to figure this out, she couldn't help but bury herself further in her own arms as Damien made his little comment. 

 

Eventually, after Keres had managed to identify the ring as a ring of fire protection, the choice came down to who would be the one to wear it. After a brief discussion, the group eventually figured that Ryia would be the best one to wear the ring. While she felt a bit awkward accepting it, both because she figured other people could use it more and because she didn't actually do anything to get it, she didn't make too much of a fuss of it and accepted it. Slipping the ring on, the girl examined it briefly before merely taking her position back against the wall. 

 

Ryia didn't say or do much more for the rest of the night, merely joining everyone for dinner and checking to see if they were alright. After that, once everyone was ready to go to sleep, the young girl elected to stay up for an hour or so more then everyone else, just to make sure everything was fine before finally going to sleep herself. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Keres gave a brief nod to Gilly. "Very well." She said quietly, before going back to the food. She was still concerned and would continue to glance over at the Halfling but it seemed that the girl was certain she would be alright. When Keres eventually handed Ryia the ring she mumbled a "You probably can wear your armor when traveling easier." as she continued to work on the stew.

 

When it finally came time to eat the food was likely less than some would like. Especially as Keres knew they'd have to make sure the limited supplies they had kept them through an unknown number of days in the desert. "I'm used to cooking for one." Keres muttered as a halfhearted explanation.

 

She wasn't looking forward to traveling again.

 

As his Chosen got to work Flux floated on over to the Draken. Seemingly intruiged by the drawings. "Ooooh what's this? What's this then? Art? Message? Ritualistic rituals?"

---

The next day, or rather the closest equivalent to next day they could figure, the group packed up their things and, Keres once more on the mule, headed out of their shelter.

 

Damien hesitated before leaving. "I've used this place for a while now. It's almost like my home. Heh, what a stupid thing to get attached to."

 

They continued on in the direction the elder indicated. And the more they traveled the more Keres wondered if seeking out a group of those sharks was the smart thing. After a couple days she decided to pose a question to the group. "What...do we do when we find them?"

[spoiler=OOC]This is basically a transition between the part before and the next part. My next post, unless people indicate otherwise, will lead us to finding the sharks. Anything you have to say or do before that do it now. Remember it will be two days of travel, which had an occasional attack, though nothing as serious as previous ones, and having to find whatever shelter from the sun they could, until Keres's question. Also note that everyone will be somewhat suffering from traveling in the heat and sun for so long. Ryia less so.

 

[Sethera]

Mute Girl gave a brief nod to Gilly. "Very well." She said quietly, before going back to the food. She still glanced at Gilly every so often, but the halfling didn't notice, distracted with the thought of food. However, when it finally came time to eat, there was...not as much as she was hoping for. Pouting, the halfling grumbled as she picked up her spoon, eyes glancing at the bowls everybody else had. If she ate her share and the others' shares, well, she'd still be hungry. Sighing, she began to dig in.

 

"I'm used to cooking for one." Mute Girl muttered.

 

"It's good," Gilly said after swallowing the first mouthful. "But next time, we need more food! A girl's gotta eat, after all."

 

--

 

The next day, or rather the closest equivalent to next day they could figure, the group packed up their things and, Mute Girl once more on the mule, headed out of their shelter.

 

Mr. McGrumpypants hesitated before leaving. "I've used this place for a while now. It's almost like my home. Heh, what a stupid thing to get attached to."

 

"That's not stupid," Gilly said. "What is stupid is being a grumpypants, though." She stared at him suspiciously, as if he were about to jump up and start berating people right then and there. She did eventually let up as time passed and he didn't do anything bad like shout at people.

 

After two days, the halfling was a wreck. "Ugh..." she groaned, her head drooping from her position atop Hob, who wasn't doing much better. "This sucks," she complained. "Why did we have to visit a desert at all? Why not a nice, cold place instead? At least you can put more clothes on. You can't start taking clothes off. Well, you can," she said, looking at Reiny boy. "But then people usually start screaming if you're not a dragon. Why can't I be a dragon?" she whined.

 

"What...do we do when we find them?" Mute Girl asked.

 

"Huh? Find who?" Gilly asked, confused.