Lunari smiled, nodding at the plan,<strong>"Heading south to the port might take us away from a fight with the demon.  But hopefully with my father's notes and spells, you will find a weapon we can use against him.  I'll gather the horses and break camp.  Mara, why don't you backscout our trail towards the road, just to be safe while Nirael prepares his spells for the day?"</strong><br/><br/>Mara nodded, then hesitated, biting her lip.  Lunari caught the act however and said,<strong>"Mara, please, if you have something to say, say it.  We won't build trust if you keep things that you wish to say from us."</strong><br/><br/>Mara let out a sigh and then shifted uncomfortably,<strong>"I don't know if it's even worth mentioning... it might be foolish..."</strong>She took a deep breath,<strong>"I'm from the kingdom to the east originally, where the druids known as the gatekeepers hold a much stronger sway over our wilds then they do in these lands."</strong><br/><br/>Nirael's knowledge of religion was fairly good but he couldn't recall much about a sect called the gatekeepers other than they were druids and rangers who guarded the wild secret places that were known to be sacred to the fey.  There was rumor that they were the self appointed guardians of the gates to the fey world, though that could have been just myth.  But Mara continued,<strong>"Growing up we always heard how the gatekeepers could cross the forests in less than a day, instead of several or even weeks.  More so, they were rumored to hate demons as unnatural spawn from the dark abyss.  Now I only mention this because the town I was living in last, before being hired on... well... there was a gatekeeper that lived outside of town.  The children called her the wood witch, and I think I can find her.  Though there's no guarantee she would help us even if I could.  Or what sort of price we'd have to pay.  Though I doubt it would be gold... the rumors about her went from children's bedtime tales all the way to the darkest you could imagine."</strong><br/><br/>Lunari seemed to think about it,<strong>"Well, we'd have to head back to the main road anyways, so lets be about our tasks.  We can decide once Nirael is refreshed."</strong>Mara got up to leave, gathering her bow and arrows and setting off in her shredded armor, leaving Lunari and Nirael alone.  Looking at him with her silver eyes, she smiled and said,<strong> "I suppose you'd better prepare your spells then?"</strong>