A silence fell over the horse-drawn carriage as Magnus disappeared into the woods, as both his parents nervously watched the treeline. Sigurd, a few times at least, asserted his intention to go in after him, but repeated reminders from Hildegard about an old injury and his age kept him seated. The two both looked extremely relieved when the trio emerged from the woods, if concerned about the man that their son was holding. They suspected an explanation would be coming from the others. Not newcomers, really, but new faces to them.<br/><br/>As Magnus walked to the caravan, he answered Atisha's inquiry. "I'm fine, but he might need some help." A shrug of his shoulder emphasized the unconscious man he was carrying, and given that Bellant was quite a bit stronger than Agro was, he brought him to the carriage being drawn by the drake and dumped him into it, lowering his hammer once his arms were freed up. "I tried to help the other two a bit, but they'll need some more attention, I think." While his light miracles acted as a nice pick-me-up, they merely sealed wounds and gave a boost of vitality, and weren't the highest quality first aid. Minor as they were, they'd at least brought the pair back out of the woods safely, so he was glad for that much.<br/><br/>Returning to Agro's carriage, Magnus slipped his hammer into its sling on the side of the wagon. With it safely stowed away, he pulled himself into the carriage's driver seat once again, looking past his shoulder at the three in tow. "Sorry about the delay," He said in a meek, apologetic tone.<br/><br/>Sigurd, much more relieved now that his son was no longer in potential danger, decided to give a little joke to lighten the mood. "Ah, don't worry about it. We were just havin' a nice talk with Avis here. Real nice girl. You could learn a thing or two from her."<br/><br/>"And just what is<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>supposed to mean?" Magnus asked in response. An amused smile was starting to form on his lips, and his father's answer made it grow even more.<br/><br/>"Be more charitable, boy. No more swindlin' people out of their hard-earned money." It was obviously just teasing, and Magnus' response was to turn to Avis, still smiling far too brightly.<br/><br/>"I can't believe this," He replied with a joking tone of false exasperation. "This is the thanks I get for working in a blazing forge for days on end. For Alesia's sake. Nobody appreciates me around here." He turned forward again, picking up the reins to get the carriage moving once everybody was ready to head off. When they were, the carriages would start down the road, continuing the journey.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Tarkus merely nodded at Vasma's disinterest in using Brom to get around. He couldn't say he blamed her. The excitable beast, while very large, still acted like a kitten. He couldn't imagine rolling about would end well if anyone was atop him. There was much more to say regarding the trees, however. "Yes," Tarkus answered simply. "The trees there dwarf the largest in these hills. Have you heard of whitestone oak? Taller than a tower, and stronger than iron." While he didn't go overboard with it, his left hand swayed to and fro as he spoke, emphasizing his words and occasionally outlining vague shapes.<br/><br/>His little rant lasted for the rest of the trip. He informed Vasma of quite a few types of flora from his home. Ebony willow, weeping pine, and some utterly unpronounceable variants that didn't quite have an equivalent word in the Teryn language. He seemed quite versed in the woods and their various uses, and at a few points, the knife on his belt was drawn to mimic the motions of carving. Apparently endless, the tirade continued until he took note of the town they had been headed to appearing over the horizon, at which point he sheathed his blade and changed the subject.<br/><br/>"We are here," He informed his companion. "I hope we can find something. This path has been dry." The long road from southern Ardon to where they were now offered little in the way of clues. If something, anything could be found in the village they approached, it would be progress, no matter how minor.