[System]
BASIC
Goes By: Maleficent (alter-ego)
Age: 5,739
Gender: Female
Race: Half-Sindarin, Half-Silvan Elf

APPEARANCE

Portrayed By: Angelina Jolie with a slight Russian accent
Hair Color: Dark, Auburn-Brown
Eye Color: Luminous Yellow-Green
Skin Tone: Porcelain Pale
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 119 lbs
Body Build: Tall and Slender

Wing-Cloak

Natural Elven Attire (with and without wings)

Battle Outfit

PERSONALITY

Likes: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Happiness, Animals, Flying, Her Godsons
Dislikes: Chaos, Greed, Spiders, Darkness, Orcs, Sorrow
Strengths: Fighting, Beauty, Wisdom, Inspiration
Weaknesses: Mentions of Her Past, Loneliness, Anger
Fears: Losing Her Family, Her Past

Overall Personality:
Mysterious | Regal | Soft-Spoken | Larger Than Life | Elegant | Compassionate | Unpredictably Vicious

Everyone believed Saeril to be born a creature of chaos and pure evil, but they just do not know the true story. Rather than a woman who is evil, Saeril was instead a benevolent young woman of purity; she valued the peaceful nature on Middle-Earth, and she had a fierce passion of guarding various realms and its inhabitants. As a fierce protector, Saeril is a desired perfectionist, and a woman of her word; due to the despair and sorrow of even the most vulnerable of races, she focuses on finding the best intentions for them, even if it means to risk her life. As she suffers from a devastating past that involved the Deceiver's corruption upon her mind, Saeril is truly hurt and very lonely inside, interpreted by her amnesiac guilt for her crimes. Her ultimate goal was to redeem herself and dissipate her inner darkness.

However, she never anticipated this goal to be changed when she rekindled herself with her Dwarven godsons, Fili and Kili; she grew to care for them as a motherly figure, forming an adopted-parental bond with them. Despite herself being closest to the youngest, Kili, Saeril was devastated after witnessing Azog kill the eldest brother, causing her to scream in agony and grief. Determined to keep the youngest from falling into the same fate, she became strictly protective of Kili. As his blessed godparent, Saeril would do anything to keep him alive, and as a result, she went with him in many ventures, though she did not always agree with them. Regarding him, her bond with Kili was very strong, therefore her main goal was to keep him safe.

Saeril will not hesitate in giving others her blunt opinion, and she would often guide them when they are upset or need advice. Proud and proper she was, she will never bow to anyone she disagreed with. Evident by her relationship with Thorin Oakenshield, it's complicated when it comes to terms of trust; she betrayed him (as he claimed) by revealing the truth of the quest, and by "stealing" the starlight jewels from his treasure hoard for King Thranduil. Although she was claimed as not "trusting", Saeril openly showed that she cared a great deal for him, saving his life multiple times on different occasions.

BACKGROUND

Date of Birth: YT 1578
Place of Birth: Fangorn Forest, located north of Rohan
Social Ranking: Royalty (formerly)
Family:
- Kili Durin (Godson; alive) (Dwarf)
- Fili Durin (Godson; alive) (Dwarf)
- Dis Durin (Compadre; unknown) (Dwarf)
- Hermia (Mother; deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Lysander (Father; deceased) (Silvan Elf)
- Ulla (Aunt; deceased) (Sindarin Elf)
- Kinloch (Uncle; deceased) (Sindarin Elf)

Other Relations:
- Gandalf the Grey (Mentor; alive) (Maiar)
- Thorin II Oakenshield (Friend; alive) (Dwarf)
- Aragorn II Elessar (Friend; alive) (Man)
- Azog The Defiler (Enemy; alive) (Orc)
- Meliya Ardorion (Friend; alive) (Silvan Elf)

[User] "Now now Bilbo, no need to get so upset!" Gandalf protested with raised eyebrows. "They're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them. All will be explained shortly when the leader of the party arrives."

[Assistant] "I don't want to get used to them. Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod in the carpet, they…they've pillaged the pantry! I'm not even gonna tell you what they've done in the bathroom, they've all but destroyed the plumbing! I don't understand what they're doing in my house!", Bilbo was now rambling. This wasn't helping. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt. But what should do with my plate?", one of them asked the Hobbit. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me", the one named Fili from earlier responded. He threw it to his brother, who also throws it to another dwarf in the kitchen, they continued doing this with all the plates. "Excuse me! That's my mother's Westfarthing pottery, it's over a hundred years old!", Bilbo told them, almost going into a panic. The female heard music coming from the kitchen and she stayed in the shadows behind the kitchen door frame. "And…and, ca…can you not do that, you'll blunt them!" "Ooh, d'you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" "Blunt the knives, bend the forks" "Smash the bottles and burn the corks" "Chip the glasses and crack the plates. That's what Bilbo Baggins hates! Cut the cloth and tread on the fat. Leave the bones on the bedroom-mat, pour the milk on the pantry-floor, splash the wine on every door, dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, pound them up with a thumping pole. When you've finished, if any are whole, send them down the hall to roll!" Gandalf and the female were chuckling in amusement as they watch the dwarves clean up the dishes and cutlery as they sing. "That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!", the dwarves laughed as Bilbo walks into the kitchen to see all his plates and cutlery all cleaned and stacked.

[User]
Gandalf simply smiled cheerfully at Bilbo, thankful that the dwarves didn't do any of the awful things that they had said in the song, or else the hobbit would never agree to go. He counted the dwarves who were present and noticed that there was still one missing. Thorin had still not arrived.

No sooner had Gandalf thought this than there was a loud, thumping knock on the door that made all the other dwarves go silent.

[Assistant] As soon as the door was thumped against, and the room turned silent, all that was heard was the shuffling of the female, who has seemed to scatter and retreat into the shadows as if there was something to fear. Her outfit perfectly camouflaging in the darkness, except for her eyes. She wasn't to be feared by, not anymore, but this one dwarf wasn't one she was ready to come across.

[User]
"He is here." Gandalf murmured as he crossed the room, with Bilbo behind him and went to open the door. On the doorstep stood a dwarf with hair as black as the other dwarf who had come with his twin earlier, and silver-grey eyes that seemed to bore straight into your soul. He glowered up at the wizard as he stepped over the threshold.
"Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find; I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all if it hadn't been for that mark on the door."

"Mark on the d-?!" Bilbo gawked at the dwarf in shock, then protested indignantly. "There is no mark on that door, I assure you sir, it was painted just last week!"
"There is a mark, Bilbo. I put it there myself." the wizard confessed.

[Assistant] Unknown to them, the female felt invisible to the rest of the company, hopefully able to make herself known. She was stuck in the darkness, but she was close to Gandalf. Finally able to walk out, she thought that introductions would be made first. "I'm not liking this at all", she whispered to the wizard, clearly uncomfortable in this kind of situation. Having a old grudge see his vendetta wasn't one she wanted to cross paths with.

[User] "Just relax, Maleficent." Gandalf shook his head to the strange female. "You are not doing yourself any favors by being so afraid constantly. You will never break free from your past if you cannot let it go."

[Assistant] As much as Maleficent wanted to hide, she knew she couldn't hide forever, especially from the likes of Thorin Oakinsheild. She made herself known, but kept her wings closed tightly against her body. "So, this is the hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?", the new dwarf asked the Hobbit. "Pardon me?" "Axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?" "Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know. But I fail to see why that's relevant" "I thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar", this made the other dwarves laugh.

[User]
Bilbo seemed put off by the dwarf's scathing comment, and in truth it hurt his feelings somewhat though he knew he couldn't let it show, so he simply shuffled past them and made his way to his armchair.

"Now that everyone is here, come, let us discuss things." Gandalf directed the others left in the hallway towards the dining room where the other dwarves were still waiting.

[Assistant] "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" "Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms" "And what did the dwarves of the Iron Hill say? Is Dain with us?" "They will not come", visibly upset they all were, even Maleficent who sat beside Gandalf, but she kept a good distance from Thorin. She wasn't afraid of the dwarf, but she didn't want to cross him if they ever mentioned his father, whom she killed during her corruption. "They say this quest is ours, and ours alone" "You're doing a quest?", Bilbo piped in.

[User]
"Far to the east, over hills and ranges, sits a single solitary peak." Gandalf explained as Thorin unfurled the map on the table.
Bilbo peered over the dwarf's shoulder and read the label scrawled under the diagram of the single mountain peak. "The Lonely Mountain..."

[Assistant] "I figured", Maleficent thought aloud. "One of the last dwarven kingdoms of Middle Earth. Encased in a mountain, famed of its enormous treasure. Currently guarded by the great Smaug the Terrible", she said in grim when she looked over to the map. "Far into the Misty Moutains, it would be across Laketown, and from there, the dark woods of Mirkwood itself", she added when one of her finger cuffs trailed over the map in the directions she described. "If you're wondering, I've been there. I saw the dragon, I saw the treasure, I saw the darkness, and also, the sickness".

[User]
"Dragon?" Bilbo's face paled a little at the thought of such a gigantic beast. Turning to Gandalf accusingly, the hobbit jabbed a finger up at the wizard. "And you want to drag me into this?!"
"Now Bilbo, calm down..." Gandalf protested. "Just hear the plan out first."

[Assistant] "Yes, dear Bilbo", the winged fae answered him. "Airborne fire breather, a beast with razor sharp teeth and claws, with an extremely precious nature of anything metal" "Yes, I know what a dragon is", he stated back to her as if it was obvious. She didn't flinch, of course, since everyone knew what a dragon was. One dwarf named Ori, suddenly stands to his feet. "I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the dwarfish iron right up his jacksy!", the dwarves cheered him on. "Sit down!" "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest" "Hey! Who are you calling dim?" This caused everyone to talk at the same time. A huge thump silenced them as Maleficent's finger cuffs were slammed into the table, leaving trailing holes behind from the impact. Her anger was not to be underestimated, but she tries to control since she has been through something terrible. It was traumatizing, but who was there to blame? "One at a time", she told them before the cuff left the pigment of the wooden table. "We may be few in number. But we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!", Fili told them with determination. "And you forget we have a wizard in our company, Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time", his brother piped in. It amused the winged female to see these two together. For some reason, she felt close to them, spiritually. She did remember some parts of her past life, but she couldn't complete the puzzle by herself. She did remember their mother Dis back then, before she was corrupted. But the question remains, why did she feel so close?

[User]
At Kili's question, Gandalf fell awkwardly silent and simply smoked his pipe.
"Well? Give us a number!" one of the dwarves demanded, which sent the others into a frenzy again when they got no reply. This time it was Thorin who silenced the group by leaping to his feet and shouting out a command in Khazdul, thumping his fist sharply on the table.
When the noise died down, his gaze travelled to each of the dwarves before him as he spoke again. "I would take each and every one of you over an army from the Iron Hills...because when I called upon you, you answered. Loyalty, courage, and a willing heart. I can ask no more than that."

[Assistant] "The dragon Smaug has not been seen for the last sixty years. Eyes look East to the mountain. They assess, wonder, and weigh on that risk. The vast wealth of your people, now lies unprotected. We're not sitting back while others claim what is rightfully yours. Use this as a chance to take back Erebor. And claim its great treasure", Maleficent couldn't believe what she was saying. She was actually agreeing with their leader, surprisingly. She looked at the leader. "Use it, and find the Arkenstone", she added to him.


[System]
* Universe: Kino no Tabi/Kino's Journey
* Appearance: "Do you ever feel jealous of the birds?" While Kino is most certainly female, many people are liable to mistake her for a boy due to her slender build and manner of dress. She is also very short.
* Personality: Kino is a girl who exhibits a strong desire to travel. The driving force behind her actions is to visit new places, to see new things. To put it simply, Kino is a traveller, through and through. She also does well to not judge the customs and actions of others, remaining neutral towards them as best she can. However, in certain cases something will drive her to action. When she is capable of changing a situation and has become angry enough to do so, even her calm, collected appearance does not hide the fact that she has made the decision to do whatever she can. At most times, Kino is rather pleasant and friendly towards others, provided they do not attempt to hinder her in any way. Kino very quickly flips a switch from collected compliance to absolute lethality without the slightest hesitation. If something threatens her life, her reaction is very quick and without the slightest pause. Regardless of her personal feelings, Kino does not hesitate to kill in self-defense. At the same time, the needless destruction of life is something she refuses to engage in. She will only kill if necessary or if she has been sufficiently angered to believe it is the only way to change the situation. Kino is also quite the cheapskate. If she gets low prices or something for free she is quite visibly pleased by it.
* Powers/Skills: Kino is physically speaking an ordinary human. She is not particularly strong in comparison to her appearance, but rather she is heavily trained in various ways in which to kill an attacker. Kino can move very fast, avoiding gunshots and other attacks easily. She is trained in the use of a variety of combat knives, as well as in marksmanship. Kino can hit a a target from hundreds of feet away with a handgun. Due to extensive practice, she is also incredibly quick on the draw. Kino is also adept at surviving in the wilderness, knowing how to set up shelter and hunt for food if the need be.
* Brief Bio: Kino was raised in one country, but she left. She was found by someone who trained her, and she began her journey, to various countries with all kinds of different customs and beliefs.
* Equipment: Kino carries a variety of knives(including one that can fire bullets from around the blade) on her person at all times, as well as .44 single Action Revolver holstered on her hip(using liquid explosives in place of gunpowder), and a .22 automatic pistol holstered on her lower back. All of these weapons are usually hidden beneath her jacket. Kino has a variety of camping supplies and food stored in various containers strapped to her motorrad, Hermes. Though calling Hermes equipment is rather unfitting, as he is a sapient talking motorcycle.
* Others: N/A

[User]
Krieg - Mahora
@Trevor1001@Flamelord@Vitavitaar

Krieg started to laugh uncontrollably as the monster slammed onto the ground, a gigantic hole had been blasted into the side! The force that only a rocket launcher could do inside of someones hair! The screams of the monster was almost like music to his ears, although it just wasn't the same without several of the deserving screaming in pain at once while he runs around throwing dynamite at people. Savoring the screams, Krieg holstered his SMG before brandishing his most important melee weapon, a slight glint of insanity as his reflection gleamed against the soon to be dirty surface. Although, before he could reach to such a satisfying conclusion, someone else had ended the life of the beast in such a painless manner! Killing it almost instantly! What!? You don't do that to someone killing you! You play with their organic meaty bits until they die! Krieg fumed at the girl, his grip tightening on the axe before his voice interjected towards his unbridled rage against the lady with the sword. "Hey, how about we use that rage to find the heart of the monster? Maybe eat some of the dead meat? Not fight against that stranger who helped us?" The Voice casually said, trying to convince his partner for a less violent approach against a person that was still alive.

"I PUNCTURED YOOOOOU!" Krieg screamed out, his fingers pointing towards the carcass of the Tacodile, ready to carve out the organs of this rather strange monster.

"Glad we can compromise."

Krieg made his way over to the dead beast, ignoring mostly what everyone else was saying before he screamed wildly as he smashed into the shell with his buzz-axe. He laughed in a rather worrying manner towards all around him before reaching his hand into the beast, his entire arm soon being enveloped in the lukewarm innards of the food. "Ugh... This thing feels gross, but at least we haven't pulled any skeletons this time." The Voice grimaced at the memory, Krieg continued to search before with a large grunt pulled his entire arm from the hole that he had created, his arm covered his burning hot pepper juice. Though, what he pulled out was quite weird, it looked like a heart... Shaped like a habanero pepper.

"I EMBRACE THE FLAME." Krieg then smashed the entire pepper onto his face, the juices spraying everywhere around the group of people surrounding the Tacodile, but most of them making their way into the poorly constructed mask. The burning liquid running across his body, burning into his skin, though the most painful was that some of the pepper managed to get into his eye holes. However, he didn't react to it at all, merely just laughing it off as the voice wondered what was wrong with his mind... Was it him? Was he causing all of this? The Voice didn't know, but as Krieg continued to laugh, the Voice tried to talk to the people in a attempt to make contact.

"Sorry, sorry about him. Sorry."

[Assistant]
Sakura Kyouko

"Heh, of course it was incredible," Kyouko replied to the redheaded boy's comment. He might have been a loser, but at least he was aware enough to notice that. He wanted to know her name, too? Well, she was pretty stuck here... Just giving out her name to any random idiot wasn't something the redheaded magical girl usually did, know. She draped her spear over her shoulders, and her arms over her spear, as well. She had some shadow cubes with her still, to keep her soul gem pure, but she supposed sticking around in magical girl form for too long wasn't the best idea. Then again, she wasn't exactly planning on sticking around too long, now, was she?

As for the girl with the moving hair or whatever, Kyouko raised an eyebrow at her when she thanked her. "Yeah, whatever, I'm gonna see if this thing tastes like it looks n-"

She cut herself off and stared blankly at the weird masked man, who was presently tearing the taco creature apart and smashing the pepper into his face. She gritted her teeth.

"Wasting food like that... If he doesn't eat that, I'll kill him."

It was a rather frank response to the apologizing voice.

The only thing that stopped her was the fact that he might eat it. And... she didn't really want an entire hot pepper anyway, but still... Glaring at him, she approached the creature. It was a lot to eat, but there was no way she'd waste any of it if she could help it.

[User]
Chun-Li, Mahora

"Wow, there are a lot of people here," Chun-Li said and then glanced at Twilight. "And a talking motorcycle and a talking pony... Umm..."

Chun-Li glanced over at Jax when he rambled on about how he thought they were Ionians and about how the eyes of Ionians lacked 'black thing in the middle.' That was something she should check later. Ranma rambled on about his own plan, and about some wacky martial art that involved heavy eating. In any case, she didn't pay that much attention to the discussion.

"Jax, I think you are right about everyone being from different world, except that they aren't worlds you know," Chun-Li explained to Jax as she finished up her bento meal. "I'm from China, myself."

"I'm Chun-Li, Interpol Special Agent and the strongest woman in the world!" Chun-Li smirked with her typical boast, but then frowned remembering these people were from different worlds. "Or at least, the strongest woman in my world."

"I don't consider myself a grandmaster either, but I use my own self-made martial arts style after studying a variety of established martial arts," Chun-Li explained to both Jax and Ranma. "I've not even come up with a name for it since I'm not ready to settle down and pass on the new style just yet."

"But I can say with complete certainly that only a very few select people back home could beat me in a fight," Chun-Li nodded to the others, looking at Twilight. "Um, I don't usually eat bacon, but it's okay I guess."

"Do you want a cookie?" Chun-Li asked Twilight as well as the others she did not give a cookie to. "I have an entire bag of sweets... I like sweets."

If any accepted, Chun-Li would hand out various sweets to the others that had now crowded the tree.

@LuciansMentor @Raineh Daze @Grey Star @lmpkio @Shoryu

---

Juri, Roanapur

"So, you got a place to stay at?" Juri had asked DIO, making sure Clementine had left the area first. She really didn't want to see a child get harmed. She was already starting to feel more pain from the battle as she was starting to 'thaw out,' as it were. She'd rather rest for a while, especially since it felt like all she could do was walk at the moment.

"Oh, I don't think we've shared each other's names," Juri smirked seductively at DIO again. "That just won't do if we're going to be together."

"I'm Juri Han," She introduced herself to the vampire. Juri considered what DIO said about her having a Stand. He said it could not be seen except by people who also had a Stand. In addition, if DIO found his Stand to be useful, then it obviously would worth learning more about. "If learning about this Stand can make me more powerful, then I want you to teach me all about them."

Juri considered what DIO had done... He could have killed her right then and there but chose to spare her life. Beyond the injuries of the fight, she felt unharmed... In fact, she felt just slightly better than she did when she had fallen unconscious. What exactly did DIO want with her over anyone else? Was it just because she was an extremely strong fighter. In any case, that did not change the current reality of the situation... She was at DIO's complete mercy.

[Assistant]
There seemed to be a number of newcomers appearing. Kino, for the moment, simply quietly observed them. Some armored person, talking about another country... a girl, the strange pastel creature from before... Insofar as she could tell, Hermes was simply watching newcomers arrive as well. The martial artist in red seemed to be coming up with some strange strategy involving feeding monsters parts of one another. Well, certainly, that was an odd way to plan things out. Still, perhaps it would be successful, if they were attacked. The animals in this world seemed to be made of food...

The girl was asking if the tree belonged to the boy in the tree. After listening to the black-haired teenager's explanation, Kino decided to make her own comment.

"I don't think anything in this forest belongs to anyone," she said, simply, "This isn't a place inhabited by people."

As far as she could tell, at least. Kino was rather quick to take cookies from the female martial artist, who introduced herself as Chun-li. Kino paused for a moment, and decided to introduce herself.

"My name is Kino," she said, simply, before placing a hand on Hermes's seat. "And this is Hermes."

"Hello!" added Hermes.


[System]
Age: 19
Appearance: Drake stands at 5'8", and is of a somewhat stocky build. His eyes are gray, and his short, thick locks are black in color with (permanent) red highlights. More often than not, he can be seen wearing black, and/or camouflage. He has two fashion statements: the first is a pair of black goggles with reflective gold lenses that he has strapped to his forehead. The second is a black balaclava with a fanged skull on the front in white paint.
Faction: The Forgotten
Personality: (Optional)
Notes: - Uses a military grade marksman rifle.
- Has a love of music, and keeps his iPod charged on a constant basis.
- Drake considers The Forgotten his family, and will go to any length to protect or avenge them.

[User] Shiba watched her as she went out to grab the cross then make a bad joke about it being a lower case t, honestly those jokes were just bad but Shiba couldn't blame her for trying to be upbeat. However once Shiba saw someone else come into view he took aim at them but saw that they came in peace to trade. The Mari made a signal saying to give her 3 minutes with the customer and he nodded. He went to his watch and started the timer, it was an old digital watch but it served its purpose and Shiba started the clock once they were both inside to start trading. Shiba then switched to his Remington shotgun ready to jump down and point the shotgun at their customer. Shiba will be damned if he lets anyone else get killed today so Shiba was ready to stick this right between the eyes and make the customers head explode.....if he didn't trade anyway....

[Assistant]
Charon raised an eyebrow as the girl before him mentioned free of impurities. It was a foil-covered plastic bag. There wasn't getting anything getting inside without tampering the with the bag, and he was sure those cookies were so chock-full of preservatives and grease, the only risk they offered was their taste going stale and bland. Well, maybe being paranoid was to be expected. He nevertheless parted with the bag easily.

"Here you go." He nonchalantly said as the Oracle's supposed guards swiped the bag from his hand in a rough fashion to present it before the girl.
Charon tucked his hands in his pockets, his head tilted somewhat. "Watched, right. Well It's okay. I might need the occassional person around to hold on the pesky books and bring the ladder, I guess." He scratched his head. The nonchalant attitude and casual dismissal of the kid made him wonder. Well, some of the rumours were true. But even so, beneath that oracular set up and intellectual approach, there's a 10 year old girl still. Charon smirked. Maybe he could attempt it.

"You seem to be bored out of your mind. As if you had expired your options long time ago. Well, I -am- always recruiting. How about you help me? You could pick a thing or two, you're smart. Very smart. Probably over 150 if we were to run an IQ test on you. And I so happen to be one of the last people who experienced the Old World education."

He smiled thinly. "I'll even let you piggy ride when you're tired."

[User]
"Any time." Abel replied, giving Drake half a smile. He stared at the ground, the dirt squished underneath his shoes, and ran a hand through his well-kempt, dark blond hair unsurely. "Well... yeah..."

Abel looked dismally at the dim, blue-gray sky, and his eyes begged it for answers as if it could tell him all he needed to know. "Everything went to hell, three years ago. Since then, nothin's ever been quite the same. Violence shouldn't be the answer, and yet here we all are. No government. No law. No enforcement. Just a bunch o' kids. If we had a government, we could order society. If we had a law, we could discourage crime. If we had enforcement, we could guarantee the other two," Abel rambled. Truth be told, without any central authority and only chaos between several struggling groups, things could only get worse. They needed something to bring unity and law to the land if they were ever to escape the cesspool.

"Those Scorps are dangerous. They were rich and powerful before everything went bad, but we're not big enough to take them alone yet." He shrugged and let out a deep sigh, and he looked around himself and spotted other members of the group, still hanging outside. "Let's go inside." Abel put an arm around his friend. "Is there anything I can do for you? To make you feel better or help you with any business?"

[Assistant]
Alice watched in horror, her cheeks growing hot, as that foolish, condescending man dared to patronize her in front of her entire court. Her eyes darted back and forth; everyone was now looking at her, their expressions ranging from excited expectation to fear. She was not know among her followers for her mercy; the last time someone had dared challenge her, she had made them the live subjects of a dissection. She hadn't watched personally, of course. She hated the sight of blood; it made her squeamish. But, this time, she had to make an exception. She couldn't afford to look weak in front of all these people. He had offered her a piggy back ride!

Two of her guards moved to block off the doors, assault weapons in hand, before Alice even spoke. Everyone knew what was coming - all that remained was the execution.

"KIll him!" said Alice, her voice coming out shrill. Immediately, all of the guards' weapons were trained on the doctor, and in a moment, they would fire. Alice bit her lip imperceptibly. She couldn't look away. This moron had earned his demise, and it was her duty to observe it.

[User]
Welp. I shouldn't have pushed my luck this far. Aw geeze. Charon displayed a disgusted, defeatist grimace for a second, before replacing it with a stern gaze. Before the Virus, a single gun would've him scared witless and visiblely intimidated, but now... not even the prospective of being torn to ribbons was able to make his heart skip a little. Sometime, somewhere along the way, his mind had cracked under the pressure, and he had subsequently lost a great deal of the emotion known as fear. He wasn't entirely sane.

But then again, someone sane would've given up on finding a cure long time ago. Someone sane would've sought to start over, instead of stubborningly clinging to an age that would never come back, and not making sworn enemies out of barely-living things like the Virus.

"Wait!" He said in a sharp inflection. "Before you do, though, I do have to warn you." Charon interjected his soon to be demise. "I am a medic. And I also happen to research the Virus in hopes for a cure." Of course, up to this point anyone could've said it, in a last ditch attempt to save its life. What set it apart was that Charon then added another sentence. "I so happen to keep samples in my backpack. So if a stray bullet did hit there... I can't guarantee the safety of this environment. Specially for people who haven't hit puberty yet. Like your leader. Me too but I don't really care about it, seeing as you're going to kill me regardless." Well, he wasn't sure if any of those samples were infectious, but he was telling part of the truth.

Without pause, he then added. "Then there's the fact that, well, you'll kill a much needed medic in this town... so next time flu, tetanus, pneumonia and all sorts of nasties come and knock your folks down... you might come to regret it. And that's it, i'm done."

Charon then spread his arms, a smile across his lips, the nasty glint of madness on his eyes. "SO HURRY UP! KILL ME! I DONT REALLY CARE! IN FACT, BEING OFFED BY CHILD WORSHIPPING CULTISTS IS SO FUNNY I CAN'T HELP BUT LAUGH!" Charon's eyes went wide as a muted chortle erupted into a spine-chilling laughter filled with madness.

[Assistant]
Erren stood off to the side of the funeral procession and watched from a short distance. He had connections to the people who were dead, of course, but he never really stayed with the Forgotten long enough to make any real bonds. The only two he actually had some kind of relationship with were Hans and Kim, but even then there wasn't much. He lifted his right hand and looked at the card he held; 17. Then his arm dropped to his side, and he stared into the distance and past the graves.
"Fear thee not, oh beautiful, for he is a dead man." he sung under his breath, flipping the card in between his fingers in a melodic fashion to the music. The only people there were Hans, Abe and him, which left an eerie quiet atmosphere over the graveyard only broken by the disjointed psalm or hymn or whatever the two were reciting. Erren then pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and slid the 17 back in, careful to aim for the exact spot it had left. Then he dropped it into his coat and pulled out a small revolver from his pocket, before spinning the barrel. He always kept one bullet in for times when he needed occupying.
"No bullet," he said quietly, spinning it again, "No bullet," and again, "No bullet," until, after 7 attempts, he said "Loaded," and emptied the barrel, the bullet sliding from the chamber where he predicted. Dropping that in his pocket, he turned and walked off with the revolver in hand, towards the Forgotten base.

[User]
Fox couldn't quite stop his small smile from turning into a grin, especially at the girls words, she was only a bit shorter than he was. Give it a few more years, she would probably be taller than him. Not that he really cared, height was never a serious problem for him anyway. Even if the whole 'not so good to eat once it has maggots' wasn't really a joke, he sure thought it was one. Even meat with maggots in it was salvageable. Strange people to let it something like that go to waste, he supposed.

"Yup, yup." He muttered, quickly closing the distance and following after the girl with dreads- choosing to ignore the fact she had raised three fingers into the air. Some kind of signal to someone he couldn't quite see. Not that he minded- he was here to do business, after all. Fox waited very patiently for her to spread the cloth out over the counter, humming very quietly to himself as he gently tapped his fingers against the straps of the various bags he carried.

The moment the cloth was down and she patted the counter, no time was wasted as he carefully slipped the first dufflebag strap from around his chest and onto the counter- quickly followed by two more. There was some clanking and clicking from all three of them and some blood splattered on the outside of the bags, but otherwise they seemed clean-ish. He left the bloodied bag that rested on his right hip alone, only sparsely touching it to move it out of the way while he picked up one bag and set it on the counter-cloth and unzipped it. Or well, tried to, it was stuck!

"Ran into some Scorps while traveling and figured I should deal with them while they were down." He mused quietly, his grin having vanished into a small smile. "Nasty bunch, they are. But they had some good stuff! Seems they had been killing all sorts of people, though. Tons of different shit they had on them, not raiding but... collecting, almost?" Fox made a slightly annoyed noise as the bag zipper refused to open, but after a few rough tugs it finally came free and he flipped the bag, spilling most of its contents onto the counter.

This batch of stuff seemed mostly clean, a few drops of blood on the items. The first bag, it seemed, mostly consisted of canned food and small blankets. There was a good variety among the canned foods too, ranging anywhere from potatoes to what appeared to be some ravioli. Fox then moved to grab both of the other bags and place them onto the counter as well, unzipping them without any problem, though he did not flip them. Instead he merely pulled them as far open as he possibly could to show all of their contents. In both of the other bags there were countless oddities and the alike. Partially filled gun-clips, some clothing that was relatively free of blood, a pair of shoes, and so on and so forth. A bunch of stuff though that was all still in relatively good use and repair.

"Oh. Whoops, that wasn't supposed to be in there." Fox said with a small grin, quickly reaching a gloved hand out to yank a small sewing kit with a large crack in the case. He promptly shoved the small case into one of the small bags that were attached to his belt, not having to even tare his gaze away from the girl. He hadn't bothered with anything that had been too bloody, having to carry around a dufflebag of three different heads and various limbs and sections of flesh, he honestly didn't want to carry anything with more blood than necessary.

[Assistant]
"Well, I suppose bringing the internet back is impossible," said Drake. He chuckled. "So getting yuri doujins is probably out of the question." He started back towards the shop. "Life goes on, Abe. And as much as I miss the internet and Xbox Live, I'm glad in a way.

"Not that I approve of billions of people dying, but the government we had was screwed up. What was wrong was the people on the far right, and far left. Nobody got anything done. Just politicians with fat wallets and their thumbs up their asses, being elected by morons. Garbage in, garbage out."


[System]
Class: Discipline Priest

Age: 27

Sex: Female

Race: Human

Gear:
weapon:

History: Witty, brash and carrying a world-weary sophistication about her, Alina is something of an anomaly in the eyes of the followers of the light. However, she has slowly risen to become a renowned Priest in the eyes of Stormwind...

Her early adolescent days were spent living in alley ways, stealing what she needed to survive from day to day in Stormwind. It was this lifestyle that led her to crossing paths with a Priest, only due to how she attempted to pickpocket him. It did not take the Priest long to sense Alina's affinity for the light, and offered to take her to the Church of the Holy Light so that she could gain a better understanding with the powers that were dormant inside her. However, her studies did not only consist of light, nor darkness, but rather, a mix. Her instructor understood that light cast shadows, and that darkness is defined by light. True discipline came from one's ability to balance these forces. And with this balanced teaching, Alina was able to grasp that the light is something that can be used effectively if she is doing what she believes is right, and so she doesn't act graceful despite being a priest.

However, Alina has an undeniable appreciation of the Church of the Holy Light, and though she may often question the teachings of them, her optimism combined with never-ending desire to prevent mass destruction makes her a valuable ally.

Why are you joining up with the Wardens: She wants to take action in the fight against the legion, and this was the perfect excuse to do so. She wants to use the teachings that she has learned and applied on several occasions for a greater good. Whether that is by afflicting minds or healing wounds, she has a vast arsenal of spells that she isn't afraid to use.

[User]
Calmly, carefully, Solares removed her helmet and placed it upon the table in front of her. The Wardens delicate Elven features were now visible. The turquoise markings upon her face were complemented by the navy blue hair that she kept quite short so that it was non-intrusive. The Warden had remained emotionless the whole time Melody spoke and asked questions, she merely served herself Drogbar Style Salmon and commenced to slice the fish into bite size pieces which she would then eat.

It would have appeared that she was completely ignoring the monk but when the Forsaken had finished her wave of relentless questions and criticism, Solares responded in full. "I spoke to Khadgar recently and requested that he give me the name and location of a well skilled Monk that he knew of. There's no way in the name of Elune that it's you, or Khadgar has a dark sense of humor that I do not understand nor appreciate in the slightest. Luckily for all of us, you are not required to be here. If you would like to take your leave and return to your Dark Lady then you are free to do so, immediately."

Solares took another bite of salmon and once she had swallowed, she continued to speak. "If you decide to stay with us, you need to understand that this is not a game called let's see how much we can anger the Wardens inside of their Stronghold. If it was I would have informed you that first place was returning to your Dark Lady as a pile of ashes inside of a box. I am not here to answer your questions or respond to your criticism. You are not here to ask or say such things. The sooner you understand this, the better. So now you must make a choice, can you follow my orders and obey the rules without question or will you take your leave and return to your Warchief?"

All of this was said in a calm, monotone voice that came from Soalres's emotionless face.

Nesalla gripped onto the hilt of her blade tightly and Solares kept herself on high alert, even the other Wardens in the room seemed to tense and ready themselves for a fight if it came to that, which it hopefully wouldn't.

[Assistant]
Thalion Runescar

Thalion followed the warden to the dining hall but could find no opportunity to relax or so much as glance around. It seemed nearly every fiber of his being was concentrating on the fouled the of people's here. Whom had taken an unhealthy attraction to his presence.
His little sidestep had offended the monster and now it wanted a little petty payback.

Thalion took a seat near the back of the table furthest away from Melody. The food was exquisite but the rogue chose not to partake. Poison was a common way to kill someone at a feast like this.
With the legion on full assault it wasn't an impossibility.

It had only taken a few moments for melody to begin her tirade of questions and outright rude insinuations. The Warden leader here made it quite obvious that she would not tolerate it.

Thalion stood up suddenly and glanced at those surrounding him one by one, then raised the cup provided to him (but filled up from a hip flask)

"I, for one, do not trust any of you. Not for your race. Not for your reasons to be here. I do not trust you because I've never needed to trust anyone. I hope you all prove an exception to this, though, so for now," He shot a quick glance at melody before looking to the warden. "Let us all agree on one thing." Thalion brought his cup up high in toast. "Fuck the Banshee Queen."

With that he tipped the tankard over and gulped down its contents in a single swallow before slamming it onto the table.

"Now. Stop wasting time. Where are we going and when are we leaving."

This wasn't a pleasure vacation. It was work. The sooner they got started the better.

[User]
Alina Erebos

Alina decided that she would sit far from the annoyance that the undead were proving to be, ignoring the monk's actions and words and instead focusing on the platters of food that waited before her and pondering the previous event that led to her current position...

The first thing that she recalled was the blood elf hiding behind her when the monk arrived. She remembered learning of how the scourge plowed through their territory, destroying the Sunwell that Sin'Dorei depended on. It made sense to her that he would feel unease around the remnants of the scourge because of that, even if they were both from the Horde. Then again, if her history was right, the blood elves were hesitant to join the Horde in the first place. Regardless, she felt some sympathy for him, nodding at him after he whispered his reasoning, and yet chuckling under her breath at him.

She had to admit, it was pretty funny. The elf didn't dignify the forsaken enough to call her undead, simply referring as it as a thing. She preferred to call them abominations, and firmly believed they should return to the grave they were risen from.

Back to reality, the elf whom once seeked shelter to her now stating he didn't trust anyone here as Alina requested tea. She would have been insulted had it not been for the fact that she herself didn't trust anyone else as well, however their reasons were scarcely similar. While they both didn't trust anyone here, Alina solely trusted the wardens and the paladin, all due to prejudices and biases she had already established. She knew not all paladins were righteous, but she herself wasn't righteous despite being a Priest. Seeing that he was a Draenei, it comforted her as most Draenei were.

She was glad that her tea was just right to drink as Thalion did his toast, raising her own cup and taking a drink to it. He went on to demand why we were here, or rather, where we would be going.

"I, too, am intrigued about where our next destination is. With each passing moment, our enemies roam and plot as we do. I don't find it wise to waste your time on the puny thoughts of an undead individual."

[Assistant]
"Fuck the Banshee Queen."

The female Sin'Dorei Paladin that had purposely positioned herself as far away from the others in the corner of the room scoffed at this comment in amusement. It was obvious that she did not agree with the rogues statement and could have found it offensive, if she cared enough about their opinions. After regaining her composure, she returned to her meal and book without causing any further interruptions. Both Solares and Nesalla glanced at each other for a very short moment, then broke eye contact. "Agreed, let us begin, there is no time to waste." Solares pushed her wooden chair back from the table and stood, moving to the back of the room where a large, highly detailed map of the Broken Isles had been permanently placed many years ago.

"As you all know by now, the Legion has returned to Azeroth. They pour from the Tomb of Sargeras in an infinite wave that flows across all, leaving death and destruction in its wake. While the troops from both factions hold back the tide of demons, there are certain highly sensitive situations in this war that can not be handled or taken care of by these heroes of Azeroth alone. The Wardens have mostly worked alone in the past but due to these desperate times and due our numbers being so few, we have had to make some difficult and desperate decisions over the last two week. This is where all of you come in, the Wardens have chosen each of you for your deeds of the past. Your skills and areas of expertise are exactly what we need for a number of highly important but exceedingly dangerous assignments."

Extending her right index finger, Solares pointed at the map of Val'sharah and spoke. "Val'Sharah lies north-west of where we currently reside, our first assignment will bring us to the Temple of Elune to help eliminate the Legion forces from its ground. They are taking heavy casualties while the demons push forward into the temple, we cannot allow that. That may sound simple enough but among this is the nightmare corruption that is slowly overtaking the land. We will want to avoid that and allow the heros of Azeroth handle that situation." Moving her right hand, she dragged her index finger across the map until it came to rest upon Black Rook Hold. "Our final destination upon Val'Sharah will lead us to Black Rook Hold, the former castle of the Ravencrest family."

"From our reports, Warden Maiev Shadowsong was last seen here with her brother, Jarod Shadowsong. You may not know the name but she leads the Wardens currently, she helped defeat Illidan, and played a key role in the battle against the Burning Legion during the War of the Ancients. If we end up meeting her, know that she is a living legend and there is a very good chance that without her help, current or in the past, many of the things we tend to take for granted would not be here. Show her the respect that she deserves, she has done and given more than you will ever understand. Take heed to my warning though, if there is any action taken against her, either by voice or physical, there will be severe consequences."

Solares moved back to the table but did not take a seat this time. She did however continue to speak, "I am unsure of what is happening inside of the Black Rook Hold. All we know is that the Ravencrest military has returned as risen, they are now attacking any and all that come near the hold. We will find out why they have returned and have found it necessary to attack all those that they use to help protect. You all have twenty minutes to explore the hold and pick one of the empty rooms as yours before we head out for the first assignment. We will be meeting at the north western side of the island where the docks are. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have until then, dismissed."

Nesalla had stood as well, motioning with her right hand at the group once Solares had finished speaking. "If any of you require assistance finding a room or your way around the Stronghold, please let me know and I or another Warden will be glad to help."

[User]
Rina Starbreeze remained to ask Solares about Maiev. Or namely remained next to the Warden, before she spoke up.

"You people do know, that arrogance is the first step into the grave?" she spoke, hood still up. "You say she was a legend and all that - yet have most of you forgotten why she was here?"

"Wasn't she the one to advocate isolation, racism and even treason against the leaders of the Kal'dorei itself?" asked Rina in a calm tone.

"What if Maiev is corrupted? Or twisted by the Legion? Weren't you Wardens once hunters of these Demon Hunters? In fact - didn't Maiev hunt the first Demon Hunter in existence, Illidan Stormrage?"

[Assistant]
Eantu sat down at the table in the dining hall as his mind raced through what the Wardens had said. The mission would begin in twenty minutes. The Draenei let a small smile form on his face as he grabbed a large glass filled with something that smelled good and downed it in one gulp. Black Rook Hold. The name made him slightly uneasy but this was his chance to fight the legion. His eyes returned to the Wardens as the subject of the Shadowsong siblings was brought up. He had heard of Warden Maiev Shadowsong, but the one known as Jarod, this was his first time hearing about him.

He pulled the sword off of his back and and he grabbed a cloth and began to absently wipe some previously unseen fel-blood off of it and he let out a sigh as he saw the sword had a small crack in it. Damn Fel-guards, their heads are so thick they do more damage with them then with their weapons. "I am curious, what happens if we don't find the Shadowsongs?" He asked carefully. He meant no disrespect to the Wardens but it was still a possibility.

[User]
"Pardon my bluntness, death knight... But I don't believe you are in a position to question allegiances due to your... background. Remember, your kind wasn't and really isn't that much welcomed anywhere, just like these Demon Hunters are. I believe you both bring about uneasiness to anyone you come across. However, you can slightly assume that, due to how the warden's operate, everyone here has, at the very least, a slight degree of intellect and combat prowess. And when you look at their leader in that light, I highly doubt they would succumb to the Legion."

After her rather short speech towards Rina, she placed the cup of empty tea on the table, getting up from her chair and pushing it back into place along the tableside. "If you excuse me." She told Solares, bowing slightly out of respect and signifying that she were leaving. Her reasons for doing so were to explore the place in peace, away from the stench of death and decay that was haunting the other room, spoiling her appetite in the process. And while she did make note of the other Blood Elf whom was in the room, at this point she didn't feel like introducing herself to anyone. In fact, she hadn't yet, and didn't see herself doing so anytime soon.

Instead, she saw herself looking for a suitable room that would meet her needs. Nothing to big nor too small, but a place where she could study various scriptures in solitude. Though, she doubted any if the group would be interested in such affairs, seeing as a majority of them were, in her eyes, not followers of the light or something similar. She herself, while following some of its teachings, was not a perfect holy priest. In fact, she studied the light, but followed her own path. The light could be seen as a tool, and so long as she believed that she was doing what was right, she had confidence that the light would not leave her like it had to some before. For to her, while the light wasn't perfect, she felt it was far more reliable than the alternative that she has had to use on rare occasions.


[System]
Species/Race: Human
Middle Name: Rael
Last Name: Azalaera
AKA: Rex
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 3671 BBY
Place of Birth: Aldera, Alderaan
Age: 28
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 208 lbs.
Home Planet: Alderaan
Current Residence: Defender-Class Light Corvette "Sentinel"
Hair Color/Style: Black Buzz-Cut
Facial Hair: None
Eye Color: Blue
Body Appearance: Jedi training has given him a trim, athletic physique, which is usually concealed by the loose-fitting Jedi Robes that he usually wears.

Vehicle/Starship: Defender-Class Light Corvette "Sentinel"
Armor: Black Jedi Robes
Primary Weapon(s): Purple Single-Bladed Lightsaber
Secondary Weapon(s): The Force
Allegiance: Jedi Order
Rank: Jedi Knight

Biography:

Thaerex Azalaera was born in Aldera, the capital city of the planet Alderaan, four years before the Sith Empire invaded. However, Thaerex was already long gone before the Sith arrived. Taken in at birth by the Jedi Order, Thaerex grew up on the planet Coruscant, in the halls of the Jedi Temple.

When he was ready, Thaerex was taken with the other younglings of his clan to Ilum to participate in the Gathering, the right of passage in which Jedi construct their lightsaber. In the Crystal Caves, he became lost. Wandering in the dark, Thaerex was made to face himself, his shortcomings, his doubts, personified in the form of a dark warrior who hunted and taunted him through the night. Finally, exhausted, after a sleepless night in the frozen caves, he resolved to face his foe in spite of his fear. And in that moment, a kyber crystal revealed itself to him, a violet light in the shadows.

Hastily knighted after the Sacking of Coruscant and one of the few Jedi to have survived the assault, Thaerex almost immediately found himself embroiled in the Galactic Cold War that followed the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant.

[User]
Theva leaned one hand impatiently on the war table between them, the other still resting on her lightsaber at her belt.
"So?" she prompted when the Hutt still hadn't spoken. "What's the situation?"
"Your Empire has been arranging alliances with the gangs on this planet." the Hutt declared, "I, Javvaxxa, am content to allow you to continue to do this, however there has been… Complications."
Oh, this just kept getting better and better. Fighting to keep her composure, Theva hissed through her teeth.
"What sort of complications?!"
"Your agents' meddling in the underworld has stirred up the anger of the Exchange. And this, the Hutt Cartel cannot allow."

The Chiss cocked her head to one side.
"Are you threatening me, Hutt? I hope you know, that is not wise."
You may be Force-resistant, but I can still kill you whenever I want.. The Hutt chuckled in amusement, waving his stubby arms back and forth.
"No no, if I were threatening you, Sith, you would know it. However, I AM offering you an ultimatum."
She raised one brow at him, and said nothing. "The agents of your Empire have disturbed the natural order of things on this moon, and now Ukabi and the Exchange, our sworn enemies, are running rampant." Javvaxxa's large eyes swivelled to the Chiss in front of him, doing his best to try and intimidate her. "This is all your fault. You and your Empire. Fix it, or you will make an enemy of the Hutts."

Theva snickered out loud, straightening her posture and raising her chin in defiance.
"I don't take orders from slugs." she sneered. "But, I will take a look at it. Not because you threatened me-" the Chiss' expression took on a ghastly grin, "-but because I might actually get to kill something, finally. Where can I find this 'Ukabi'?"
Javvaxxa laughed, loudly, loud enough for the Sith to let out an involuntary hiss of discomfort and abruptly shove away from the wartable.
"Do you think it is that simple? If it was, I would have done it already! The man cannot be killed!"
"He's clearly not met the business end of a Sith's lightsaber before." Theva drawled, already growing bored of this. "Just tell me where he is, and I'll go and kill him."
"The Corellian Sector, last we knew. See to it that you do, or the next time that I see you I will have your head, Sith." the Hutt rumbled, before slithering off to attend to some other nefarious businesses.

Theva, however, paused. With the room now empty apart from herself, she could be almost SURE that she sensed another presence of some sort. Someone who was watching her. Her teeth bared in a snarl, Theva cast around the room, looking for anywhere that may be a hiding spot. She checked the ground level first, behind the door, behind the stacks of crates, her eyes moving from one end of the room to the other. She passed over Rex's hiding spot twice, not quite catching his gaze, though she did squint as if unsure what she could see.
To the "empty room", she called out.
"I know you are there. How long have you been following me?" the Chiss waited for an answer. One minute, then two, three…
When nothing came, she shrugged in annoyance to herself, and started for the door again.

[Assistant]
Rex remained motionless as the Sith scanned the room. A couple of times he thought she might've seen him, but he counted on the fact that his black robes and the shadow thrown over his face by his hood obscured him well enough. While the dark colors may have been the cause of people frequently misidentifying him, they also served their purpose in times such as this, when a lighter color might have given away his position.

"I know you are there." the Sith called out. "How long have you been following me?" Rex studied the Sith for a moment. She didn't appear to be looking at his hiding spot, so he was confident she had not seen him. However, she may have sensed his presence through the Force. Even so, he continued to remain still and silent. A minute passed...then another...and another... Finally, the Sith shrugged and turned to leave. Rex waited until she had entered the hallway before sneaking back to the roof access hatch.

From his vantage point on the roof, it was fairly easy to pick her out of the crowd. Her unique armor marked her and made some people steer clear, making the crowd flow around her like a rock in a stream. She seemed to be making her way over to the air taxi station. He made his way over to the edge overlooking the alley and dropped down, using the Force to cushion his fall. He pressed his way through the crowd and managed to reach the air taxi station just in time to see the Sith climb into one of the yellow Czerka-airspeeders and zoom off. Waiting a moment in case the Sith looked back to see if she was being followed, he stepped forward.

The droid attendant greeted him, "Welcome, please indicate an available travel route."

"I need a cab to the Corellian Sector."

* * * *

A few mind-tricked hustlers later, Thaerex found himself sitting against a durasteel wall opposite the entrance to the Chemical Refinement District. The Corellian Sector was known primarily for its casinos and trendy cafés. But, according to his sources, the Exchange ran a large spice refinement operation out of this district on the sector's lower levels. From his position he could monitor the entrance and wait for the Sith to arrive, given that there were still guards on duty, he assumed she hadn't already. What few people passed by likely assumed he was a vagrant or homeless and so he was able to maintain a low profile while he waited.

[User]
The taxi ride to the Corellian Sector was relatively short, thank the Force. By the time she touched down on the transport landing pad, Theva was just itching to kill something. She would rather still be on Alderaan than here, at the rate things had been going. Thankfully, this sector was crawling with Exchange thugs, so she was likely to get her wish. As happened in most places that she travelled to, many of the civilians took one look at her attire, her stance, and the lightsaber on her hip, and abruptly scattered in the opposite direction. If she'd had the time, she might have chased some of them down just for the hell of it, but right now she had to focus on getting this stupid Hutt what he wanted.

It wasn't difficult to find the spice processing plant, either. She had only to watch some of the thugs on the upper levels coming and going for a short while, to deduce that there was something of value on the more concealed lower level. When the next set came up, Theva leapt out at them and quickly dispatched them with the Force, commandeering the elevator platform as it dropped back down once more. As soon as she arrived in the lower level, she could smell the spice, anyone with a half-decent nose could have, and Theva liked to think hers was better than 'half-decent'. It wasn't too difficult to follow the smell, the Chiss was easily able to take cover behind one of the tall support pillars that stretched up to the walkways of the Sector above them, for the time being taking no notice of the Jedi shadowing her, as she was preoccupied with peering around at the guards outside of the spice plant.

Theva's lightsaber activated with a snap-hiss, and she cleared the distance from the pillar to the doorway in a single leap, her weapon slicing the first guard clean through the middle and her free hand lashing out to grab the second by the skull with the Force, crushing it before he could even scream for help. Those who were inside the plant, however, had a bit more warning, between the sounds of the body (parts) hitting the floor, and the stench of burning flesh that clearly wafted through the doorway. As she entered the refinery, the Chiss flung her lightsaber across the room at a group of gunners, using the moment that her hand was free in order to press a button on her other gauntlet that would activate her personal shield, before she caught the hilt as it returned to her.

The next few salvos bounced right off the energy-deflecting shield that appeared as a shimmering purple forcefield around the Chiss Sith, while her lightsaber took care of the rest of the assailants, all bar one unlucky fellow, who found himself being grabbed by the throat and slammed into the nearest wall. She wasn't done with this one yet, not by a long shot.

"Noooooww, let's you and I have a little chat, shall we?" Theva purred, kicking his blaster across the room until it thunked heavily against the opposite wall, well out of his reach. She kept her lightsaber in a loose guarded stance, just in case someone else came rushing in because of all the noise she had been causing. "Where is your boss, this Ukabi character?"
"I-I don't know, I sw-swear!" the guard insisted, scrabbling frantically at his own neck in a futile attempt to escape the invisible chokehold. She gave an over-exaggerated sigh, drawing her arm back enough to pull him away from the wall again, only to slam him straight back into it with enough power to knock the wind out of him this time.

"Let me make this very clear, I'm going to ask the questions, and every time I don't like your answer, I'm going to cut something off." the Chiss tilted her head to one side, in the same cold, predatory way that a Nexu would size up its prey before ending its moments in this life, and gave him a sickly sweet smile. "And you are not going to like where I will start, my friend."

The guard let out an amusingly effeminate scream, his terrified gaze sweeping to her lightsaber as he did the best to cross his legs.
"Alright, alright!!! He-He's around here, miss, he j-just said not to t-tell anyone! I c-could, I could call him r-right now!"
This time, she dropped him, only to allow him to dial on his communicator, and foolishly assuming that watching all of his associates die by her hand would mean he wouldn't think to feed her a bold-faced lie.

Moments after he fired off the message, Theva realised her mistake as many, many more footsteps - far too many for her to fight alone, and already half-drained from fighting previously - sounded the arrival of a large squad of reinforcements.
"K'et bah ch'a searoten'i! (Son of a bitch!)" she snarled angrily in Cheunh, sharply twisting her wrist until the offending man's neck cracked, before she hefted her lightsaber and braced herself for a really difficult fight out of here.

[Assistant]
Thaerex heard the sickening CRACK from inside the room and felt the disturbance in the Force that told him the Sith had killed again. He could hear the angry humming of her crimson saber. Behind him he could hear the sounds of approaching footsteps, too many for the Sith to take on alone, and he needed her alive. As he stepped over yet another corpse sporting scorched saber wounds, he ignited his violet blade and stepped over the threshold.

There, standing amidst the carnage, was the Sith. She stood with her lightsaber ready, though he very much doubted that she'd expected him to be the first one through the door.

"Hello there." Rex extended a greeting, careful to watch for any sudden movements on the Sith's part.

[User]
The Chiss raised her head as she heard the unmistakable sound of another lightsaber activating, her eyes locking onto Thaerex, though she didn't attack immediately. Instead, the Sith looked him over carefully, before her gaze travelled slowly back to his face.
"Hello to you, too." she answered eventually, her saber dropping from attack stance, back to guarded as she tilted her head to one side. The way he was dressed, the colour of his saber...it was a reasonable conclusion to assume, as the inhabitants of the planet had done, that he was a fellow Sith. "Did they send you here to help?" Theva gestured around her at the carnage of the room. "If so, you're a little late."

An amused grin painted her features next, followed up with a chuckle. "Or are you the cleanup crew?" She peered over his shoulder warily, the footsteps were getting quicker, and louder.
"Either way, I think we should run, yes?"
She hated running from a fight, but even Theva wasn't stupid enough to trap herself in a battle she knew they wouldn't be able to win.

[Assistant]
Thaerex raised a quizzical eyebrow. Her reaction was entirely not what he had expected. However as she continued, he realized quickly what had likely happened, and suppressed the scowl that usually followed someone mistaking him for a Sith. In this case, her mistaking his identity would probably work in his favor, which meant, for the time being, he had a role to play.

"Ladies first?" he asked, lowering his saber and stepping aside. "Though it does seem you've had plenty of 'fun' already."


[System]
Age: 18
Height: 5' 9''

Bio/History/Personality:From the moment he was born on the second of October in 1996, Aaron Deerling's parents had his life practically mapped out for him. They knew what school they were going to send him to, what kind of clothes he would wear, which instrument he was going to master and which teacher was going to help him master it. What they didn't count on was their son growing up with a serious lack of ambition. Aaron had no interest in succeeding professionally, though he does have a healthy interest in life. He would much rather sit in a camping chair, stare at the sky and listen to life than do anything academically satisfying. He is a sensual man that way, he enjoys touching things, looking at beautiful paintings, and listening to music. (that part his parents did succeed in hammering into his brain; love of the universal language, especially classical music and even Broadway musicals.)

It was his good fortune that his family decided to settle down in a small town. Aaron hates crowds and busy cities with a passion. Honking horns, people shouting, impatience, sometimes he just can't deal with it. Drama in general is a no-fly zone with Aaron. Before he turned eighteen, he was a nervous wreck. Every new day held something difficult to deal with, speaking in class, making excuses to teachers, even going into the store to buy something. It felt like everyone was watching him make an ass of himself. Thankfully, once he started working part time as a cashier at a convenience store close to home, most of these fears either dissipated or became bearable. He's on a new mission now; to relax.

However, when Aaron was growing up, there seemed to be something gnawing at him. It's difficult to describe a lack of something, but it's easy to feel it. Aaron felt it, and he heard things. Puberty came and went, and soon his started to hear his friends and peers talking about dating. Girls, checking out chicks, going to the movies, making out. It felt...foreign. Aaron understood what they were talking about, movies and television had taught him enough, and he had definitely gotten 'the talk' from his folks. But with him, it just didn't seem to click. There was no urge to do what they were doing. Dating and even kissing had no appeal to him, and not because he was busy doing other things. He had no fantasies about men, either. It wasn't about wanting something else, it was about not wanting anything at all.

For a long time, Aaron ignored it. He assumed that he just hadn't found someone he liked enough, or maybe he was just slower than everyone else, or probably everyone else was just obsessed with sex and he was the only normal one. In any case, one day he did a little research online and found a word: asexual. It was an eye opening evening, to find out in one fell swoop that he wasn't broken, that he wasn't wrong, and that he wasn't alone. It was so exciting to him that he felt like shouting it from the rooftops, or at least to his friends and parents. That's when the troubles started. And the questions, the disbelief, the doubt and the ostracizing. Half the school seemed to think he had been abused, or that he had been castrated. His parents prayed for him nightly. Aaron knew that it wasn't as anywhere near as bad as some people had it, but on certain days it definitely stung. Now he just tries to keep his head down and his mouth shut.

His father, Joel Deerling, has retired from his short but successful career as a professional public speaker. He now serves the community instead of working, helping out with the church, starting groups and helping out in general. His wife and Aaron's mother, Lisa, works full time as a saleswoman at a local car dealership. Aaron is currently seeing a therapist at his parents' request by the name of Dr. Charles Saunders.

Hobbies: Music, relaxing, bird watching.

Sexual Preference: Asexual and Aromantic. In laymans terms: Nothin' and nobody.

[User]
Waiting patiently for things to move along, Alver had little choice but to slightly pay attention to those around him to prevent boredom and irritation. Although most of it was just listening to the idiotic religious assholes gossiping and murmuring about others behind their backs. One of them being the pale colored man. The younger ones who still believed in silly rumors such as how he was some ghost, demon, vampire, some fallen angel shunned by God... Some thinking he had killed his own father. Some thinking he was some sort of deviant ready to cause some sort of trouble. Like kidnap their children and corrupt them in order to send them to hell. Some just making fun of his lack of color and freakishly tall slender stature.

Rotten Bastards.

It wasn't long until a young blonde girl came in with a little boy and a dog, walking to the supervisor and stating she was attending Youth Night before walking away. Alver noticed some additional whispers and the looks people gave around her. Since he wasn't quite involved with this town and religion in general, he wasn't quite sure what their problem was at first. After all, he was used to the obvious reason they had with just his born appearance. As the girl treated the boy in the motherly manner, he could slightly understand. The girl seemed a bit young to have a child, at least, according the people of SaintKrest. Something about not having sex before marriage, and at the proper age of eighteen when kids are considered adults. This girl didn't seem older then eighteen, nor did he see any father figure. The man could be at home, but the distasteful looks and whispers didn't seem to offer such a idea. The little boy also seemed to be at least around two years.

As they settled, Alver's lavender eyes slightly glanced toward the little boy as he felt eyes on him once again. The little green eyes were wide were curiosity, but it was filled with innocence instead of menace and judgement. He could barely make out the conversation over the several other hushed conversation, but he understood the boy was curious over the tall pale man. If the child wasn't basically a toddler, Alver probably would of been irritated like he mildly was with those middle schoolers, but this was just a child, almost a baby really. They were naturally curious about everything, and he felt more tolerant over it. Considering he did accept that he looked very different from the people the child was used to seeing with those information seeking eyes.

Not too long, a blonde boy entered, settling himself in a corner and away from the center of the group. Alver probably would do the same, but it really didn't matter. His tall stature made him tower just about everyone here and his pale looks made him stick out even further like a sore thumb. Might as well be a beacon to a lighthouse in pitch black darkness.

It was then the pastor of this up and tidy church decided to call the place to attention, in which Alver minorly grunted and glanced toward the man as he prattled on. Listing off the age groups and new faces, looking to Alver as he went. In which the tall pale man rolled his lavender eyes, turning a brief red color as the light hit them oddly. Almost giving a soft innocent hum, considering his age was actually nineteen. Though he doubted any of these people knew such a thing.

As the pastors daughter moved to hand him his share of tickets, the pale man gingerly glanced down at her and took them.

Another youth joined the group, wearing quite the baggy hoodie, and was quite tiny compared to him. This one seemed a bit annoyed with being here, not that Alver could blame them. To be honest, Alver had trouble distinguishing this individual as a boy or girl. Deciding he didn't care, he brushed it aside.

It was then the groups were ushered outside, onto their group designated buses. Alver grumbled uncomfortably. The carnival wasn't too far off, but a quick bus ride made things easier for the little ones. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it. It wasn't like he rode vehicles that much, if at all. He walked everywhere. Riding around in some metal trap was noisy, and almost claustrophobic. Plus he was going to be trapped in it with a bunch of people he didn't know, most probably assholes. Despite this, he slowly got on, his long legs quickly carrying him to the back of the vehicle before sitting down on the right side by the window. Not wanting to be further uncomfortable with strangers at his back, he might as well sit where he could face everyone and keep a eye on them.

Now, unlike most, due to his freakishly tall stature, most bullies didn't bother him since he towered over them and the rumors usually scared them off. However, there was always a few brave assholes who loved picking fights. So he rather be face to face whenever that happened.

After everyone was on board, the buses started to move and head into it's designated target. The carnival. The pale tall man tensing as it moved, a frown crossing his smooth elegant face.

[Assistant]
As the pastor prattled on, explaining about the groups. She didn't particularly care, and she lifted Jackson back onto her right hip, brushing his hair back from his face, his eyes. She made a note, as she did every few days to get his hair cut. And would eventually do so. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she smiled happily.

She had seen one of the other teenagers watching her, however briefly, and seemed to take interest in Galahad. It didn't bother her, as it seemed innocent enough. She paid more attention to what the pastor was saying them anyone else, and when he said that they could get their tickets, she stepped forward, shrugging the bag of things onto her shoulder more, in an easy smooth gesture that didn't disturb Jackson, making sure she had a good grip Galahad's leash.

She smiled at the young girl, who she recognised from the times she had been in the church, at sermons and other things, but didn't know her name. She gave a smile. Recently in an attempt to be friendly as well as to try and put the towns people at ease with her, she had started being polite. It sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. She took her ticket, and then made way to the buses, grabbing a seat, she had Galahad lie at her feet, and kept Jackson in her lap. It seemed better then having him sit beside her, where he could easily break away, and cause trouble.

Jackson looked about, craning his neck around, and then settling into her. He seemed content now, as if satisfied with what he had seen. She chuckled lightly, and hugged him close. Galahad watched everything with his bi-coloured eyes, and Amy knew that they would be safe with him. She started to tell Jackson about the carnival as the bus started to move, clearly getting him excited and revved for the night. She wanted him to have fun, and to have the time of his life.

She smoothed his hair, but that was a losing battle. Still, she thought she wouldn't be a mother of she didn't try. She kissed the top of his head, and smiled as e shifted to wrap his arms around her.

[User]
Aaron studied Pastor Carlson as he made announcements to the group, noticing for the first time that the man almost flawlessly reflected the building they were all standing in. Superior, harsh, and beloved by the community. Well, most of them anyway. When he was done, Aaron pried himself away from his safe little corner and approached the pastor's daughter, who was handing out some of the tickets for the carnival.

Aaron had seen her at pretty much all of the youth nights he attended, but he couldn't remember ever actually speaking to her. All that he remembered was that her name was Reyna. As he waited for his turn, he saw that she seemed to look a little depressed. It wasn't apparent at first, because she was smiling. Aaron had been working in retail for some time now though, so he knew a fake smile when he saw one.

Aaron's mind raced as he approached her while he played with the zipper on his hoodie and tried to think of something he could say to her to cheer her up. He had drawn up a blank, however, and simply took his tickets, offering her a genuinely warm smile as he said "Danke." and went on his way.

Soon, everyone appeared to be ready to head to the carnival, so they all clamored onto the bus and took their seats, Aaron being the only one willing to sit in his favorite seat: the front.

He plopped himself and his backpack down heavily on the seat and put his knees up against the barrier in front of him, curling up in a half-fetal position. A sea of voices began to trickle into the compressed air on the bus as everyone filed in. As they passed him, Aaron made note of the people who had caught his eye earlier, as well as someone with blue hair hidden by a hoodie who he hadn't seen earlier.

Within a few short minutes, everyone was on board and the bus rumbled to life and began to move. As they began their journey, Aaron fell into a sort of self hypnosis as he watched the horizon pass by the window. Buildings soon gave way to trees, the sight of which brought a small but bright smile to his face.

He was pulled out of his trance when someone from the seat behind him poked him in the shoulder. Aaron turned around, seeing an acquaintance he used to know from when he was in track. He didn't know him long enough to know his name, since he had to quit not long after the other guy joined. However, judging by the look on his face and the mischievous smile his friend was trying to hide, Aaron knew this conversation probably wasn't going to be about track.

"What?" Aaron asked, his voice low from apprehension.

"So, are you scared of girls or something? Or are you just a fa-"

"Neither." Aaron interrupted him harshly, not wanting to let this jackass finish saying the dreaded 'f-word'. "And it's none of your business anyway."

"That's just sad, man. I'll bet you never even kissed a girl." The teen grinned toothily while his friend snickered like an idiot.

Aaron turned away from them, returning his gaze to the window again. He clenched his hands together, trying to hide the fact that they were trembling with slowly boiling but contained anger. Luckily, the two had gotten distracted by something else as he took a deep breath and pushed the conversation away from his thoughts. It was pointless to dwell on other people's ignorance.

Aaron was pulled out of his little world when he felt the bus stop underneath him. Looking up, he was treated to a view of the carnival through the window. The group supervisor was talking to all of them, but none of it breached Aaron's reverie.

A village of games, rides, and concession stands sat under the sky, the ferris wheel looming over all of it. People weaved though the stands and rides, usually followed by their kids or their friends. Bright happy flags danced lazily in the breeze as Aaron heard the faint sound of music playing throughout the fairgrounds. The dirt ground underneath everything was spotted with the occasional litter and hay, no doubt dragged from some of the more farm themed areas of the festival.

Aaron was taking in the view when he finally noticed that people had started to leave the bus, so he climbed out with them and breathed freely in the open air once he was off the bus. The smell of kettle corn and fried dough filled his nostrils, washing away all thoughts of the morons from earlier. He didn't know where to start, but Aaron was going to make damn sure that it was going to be a good day from here on out.


[System]
Age: Mid-Thirties
Gender: Male

Bio: The ruler of the northernmost territory of the Realm, simply dubbed the Northlands, Leofric inherited the throne a decade ago. Nicknamed the "Warrior King" by some, Leofric can be found at the forefront of even the most trivial of conflicts. He is well known to have a profound dislike for sorcery, and has so far never been known to make any exceptions in regards to occult forces he perceives as a threat.

Title: King

[User]
Chapter 34: His people

Leofric woke up to an unfamiliar herbalistic incense. The first thing he saw was a charred wooden ceiling that seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. He tried to move but had little success, his body felt stiff and unresponsive. A cold breeze swept over his face and Leofric glanced to the side with a mildly blurry vision, his eyes still adjusting. He was inside a burnt-out cottage. Half the building had collapsed and the interior was devastated except for the hearth, which was burning strong. The next thing that struck Leofric's mind was that he was in a bed. A thick fur blanket covered him from feet to chin to shield him from the cold winds breaching into the destroyed house. He frowned in some confusion. Where was he exactly? He tried to move again, this time with some success. He groaned in effort and pulled aside the blanket a bit when a voice nearby piped up.

 "You should not move yet."

Leofric stopped and turned his head to look towards the direction of the voice. Near the hearth sat a woman on her knees, occupied with picking up and clearing away some of her personal belongings from the blackened floor. She was dressed in simple garments and had fiery red hair. She glanced up at Leofric and he quickly knew who she were - the woman from the woods. Reluctantly Leofric eased down a little and halted his attempt to rise up.

 "You've been out for almost a day. Had to be while I was tending to your injuries." she continued.

Leofric looked down at himself and realised that he felt nothing. No pain. He remembered getting shot.

 "You will feel stiff for a while but it's nothing to be concerned about. It's just a side effect from the salve I used to mend your wounds. By now I reckon it will dissipate within a couple of hours, and you'll feel right as rain again after that."

Leofric looked back to the woman and then around the cottage again. The hearth seemed to be only part of the cottage that had been spared. He noticed a handful of wooden figures standing ontop of the hearth. The figures were carved and shaped into different animals with a beautiful craftsmanship behind it. He saw a stag, a bear, and a fox. He continued to look around. Next to the bed stood his sword against the wall, sheathed in its scabbard. Whoever the woman was, she had not been a thief. He looked back to her and nodded slightly in a show of gratitude.

 "Thank you..."
 "There is nothing to thank me for. I am simply doing what is right, King Leofric."

Leofric frowned and glanced to her questioningly. "You know who I am?"

 "Yes. I know who you are, your grace."
 "How?"

She smiled thinly and rose up to her feet and approached the bed. She looked down at him with a general peaceful auro about her.

 "I know much because I see much, and I see much because I am a druidess." she stated bluntly. Leofric was briefly caught off guard by her patency. He had heard of druids but never met any before. It was said that druids possessed abilities beyond that of the common man or woman. He frowned, suddenly realising that he might be in grave danger. He was in no shape to fight with his body still affected by the woman's salves. Leofric was renowned for his views on magic and those who wielded it, and here stood someone at his side, professing that she was one of those people. There was nothing stopping this woman from cutting his throat in an act of vengeance. Yet she did not, and she had saved his life...

 "I know your ways, sire. I know of the resent you hold against sorcery and witchcraft, and I know the reason why. I can't say that I agree with it, but nor can I blame you for it. I may have acted in the same way perhaps. I assume you are asking yourself why I have helped you even after knowing who you are. For reasons other than those I explained to you, I want to show you that we are not all evil. We are just people, and like any people we too have both good and wicked amongst us. We are your people as much as anyone else in the Northlands."

She smiled and clasped her hands together infront of her. Leofric lingered his eyes upon her. He frowned still, but not in contempt, but in thought. He couldn't think of a reason why she would lie, and she appeared certain in her conviction. Being in her presence did not sit well with him, yet she appeared to hold no ill will against him. She had saved his life and openly admitted to being affiliated to a group of magical properties. It bothered him, but not in the ways he had anticipated. With a ever so slight nod to the druidess Leofric lowered himself back into the bed and elected to stare up into the ceiling again. Whatever he thought or felt about the present, he could do little against it while he remained bedridden. He closed his eyes, his thoughts circling around inside his head.

While he listened to the druidess return to cleaning up inside her cottage, he started to wonder if he had been wrong.

[Assistant]
Miriam
Chapter 32: Deliverance

The foundations of the terrace had given way, Miriam's grip on sanity, logical thought or general laws of physics had become nothing more than a memory gnawing annoyingly at the back of her mind. The young woman, garbed in her Midway clothing and surrounded by a white aura, carrying the gilded cage with a ruffled owl inside scrambled quickly. She cowered inside the entrance to one of the askew buildings and was about to turn to observe the duel outside when a sudden explosion flared outside in the streets. Dust, ash and the remaining bits of flesh from the creatures of the Maw was flung up and out, hitting the uneven walls of the houses on either side of the demonic ashen street. Miriam pushed the door open with her shoulder and stumbled inside speedily. Outside the street flared up with another bright light and loud cacophony of violent magics. Miriam quickly went inside the house, which was similarly askew and decrepit as the rest she'd been in so far. She sat the owl in its cage upon the ruined table and headed quickly for the window, opening its shutters with first a failed shove, and then a forceful kick. She cowered her head behind its edge and peeked out.

She saw Walter first, the elderly man was dressed in his long brown coat, his feet skidding backward and his wrists moving in that spellcasting kind of way. Suddenly he flicked his right hand forward, causing a tremendous shock wave to materialize from his movement. It sent its pressure through the air, causing Miriam to fumble back. She was quick to her seat again and looked outside. She spotted Walter's combatant, the Dark cloaked, slithering creature with its black scythe and gleaming malice. The creature was easily thrice Walter's height when stretching its serpent's body but Miriam noticed that it was reeling, its black cloak that shrouded its human half had been damaged, torn and its fury was more prevalent than its dread now. It exchanged some movement and spread its invisible authority at and around the wizard it fought and even though Miriam could not see the details of their battle, its aftermath was evident. Wherever their power met, sometimes halfway, sometimes closer to either fighter, holes appeared. Black, lacking gaps in the very seams of this world's reality. Their darkness so complete and so pure that Miriam saw them shine like mirrors. She realized, even though she did not understand, that if any of these attacks exchanged between monster and man hit, it would mean certain death. Flames shot out, suddenly a firestorm surrounded the malevolent snake and Miriam snapped her eyes to Walter, whom with his hands raised to the sky and his arms spread controlled the vortex of fire. Miriam saw in it her past, and also a possible future. Walter shouted, while still containing his flaming vortex, its fires licking and scorching the already wasted buildings of the street.
 "Miriam! Get the bird! Speak these words! The grizzled man strained, the slithering creature throwing out its body in a show of strength, its scythe sweeping aside the flames as if they were a sheet of cloth. Walter managed to parry the following swing of the scythe, the very air around him becoming physical while still without form. A barrier of unsightly power. Walter continued to bellow.
 "Edra gi'es Moran!" Speak those words Miriam, and get the bird to the Queen of Valentus, none other! Do you hear me?!"
Miriam poked her head out of the window to shout back.
 "What?! What about you?!"
 "I'll meet you there!" Walter shouted back, not sparing her the look. "Edra gi'es Moran, Miriam! Go!"
She hadn't any option. Miriam turned away from the tug of power between wizard and monster and ran back toward the center of her house. When she reached the table where she'd put the fowl the wall suddenly gave way, following a distinct cutting sound. The wall exploded in dust and mortar, the scythe of the Black Snake having cut through it like paper. Miriam grabbed the cage with the owl, held it closely, shut her eyes and screamed the words. "Edra gess Moran!" Everything went dark.

[User]
Chapter 35: The reward

A breeze, strong and fiere, repeatedly batted Leofric in the face as he stood upon the high cliff overlooking the great expanse of water reaching out as far as the eye could see. He did not remember how he got here, but he knew that this is where he needed to be. He was clad in his steel and chainmail armour and his head was protected by a steel helm too, its visor shaped and decorated like the great maw of a roaring lion. Around the helmet was a gilded crown, also for ornamental purposes to display his authority and status, but it wasn't an actual real crown. In his right hand he held his bastard sword, its hardened steel forever blessed with the gold and white radiance calmly swirling around it like a mist. Leofric exhaled a cold breath through the visor and swept his narrowed gaze across the horizon. All along it lay dark clouds, threatening and infinite. A storm was coming. Was he ready for it? Behind him he heard light footsteps approach and a soothing aura fell over him. He turned his head slightly to the right to acknowledge the new arrival. She stood next to him; garbed in a delicate white robe with intricate patterns across its fabric. Her hair was both fair and long, and seemed to almost radiate with the same light as his sword. Her feet was bare but despite the crude walk to the cliffs remained immaculate, like she never truly physically touched the ground. She looked at him and smiled with her hands softly clasped before her. The same soothing feeling washed over Leofric again. He turned back his eyes to the looming dark on the horizon. She followed his gaze.

 "Are you ready?" her soft voice asked.
 "I don't know."
 "You have to be. If you fall then they are all lost."

Leofric turned his head slightly towards her again but didn't look at her. He nodded, nothing else needed to be said. She smiled at him and unraveled her clasped hands to lay a palm on his armoured shoulder, then she turned and left. Leofric was left alone on the crags again, left alone to watch the dark horizon inch itself ever closer to him.

He opened his eyes and abruptly sat up. The scent of herbs and wood filled his nostrils and he wrinkled his nose briefly in a mixture of wonder and distaste. Leofric raised a hand and ran it through his hair and exhaled a deep breath. The dream was still very present in his mind. Though was it truly a dream? A vision? He did not know, but he did not dismiss the possibility. Regardless he couldn't do anything about it right now and instead spared a glance around the hut. He was alone, at least inside. The hearth was burning and the place had been tidied. Someone was still here. She was still here. Leofric frowned slightly as he remembered the druidess, then swept aside the blanket to get out of bed. He noticed that he was practically entirely undressed and bit down on his tongue. But at least his injures weren't hurting anymore. He could barely see them, in fact. Whatever ointment the druidess has applied, it had worked wonders. He rose up to his feet and got dressed in his padded leathers and black cloak. Finally he fastened the swordbelt around his waist and made for the door. He spared the hearth a glance as he passed it, his eyes falling upon the wooden figures of various animals. He couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, it was truly impressive. He stepped through the door and exited the hut. The sky was grey and dull; rain was likely and he could already hear thunder in the far distance. Movement caught his attention and he followed it. At a nearby tree stood his black destrier, which too seemed completely recovered from the scrap with the brigands. Leofric twitched a smile and walked over to it, embracing it around the neck and stroking its mane.

 "She is beautiful. Does she have a name?" a voice asked. Leforic turned around and saw the druidess stand a short distance away, watching him. He narrowed his eyes slightly and delayed in answer. "Storm."
 "A good name." the druidess replied.
Leofric nodded slowly and stepped away from his horse to face the woman of the woods. "And do you?"
 "Call me Dolores."
 "I owe you my gratitude and my life, Dolores. It's not often someone gets to save the life of a king, and as such I feel obliged to reward you. Name your prize."
Dolores smiled, almost shyly. She was quiet for a couple of moments and then looked at him a bit warily. She knew his view on magic and so her wish gingerly parted her lips. "Can I travel with you, sire?"
Leofric paused. He looked at her in silence for a long moment, surprised if anything. Why someone like she wanted to travel with someone like him was a mystery. He bit his tongue in mild frustration. To reject her would be wrong. He had asked her prize and she had said it: it wasn't entirely unreasonable, and, he admitted to himself, she was evidently a very skilled healer. So he nodded to her and belatedly replied.
 "Very well. You saved my life, allowing you to accompany me is the least I can do."
Dolores brightened up with a wide smile and before Leofric had said another word the red-headed druidess had ran off and disappeared behind her partially ruined hut somewhere. She re-appeared a short while after, sitting atop a saddled and spirited mule. She trotted up to him and smiled again. "So!" she began. "Where to?"