Fathomless Sunset - Letramenia

[DeletedUser28032]

"They are right, I care little for those residing in Cecia as they know no better, however if what you say of an invasion is right then they need to be stopped" rising from his chair Kaiden snatches up his bow and heads for the stairs pausing only speak with Gemina once more "I have killed warlords and pirate kings before without requiring any mystical training and this...Yeltzoa...will be no different, I wish you luck with your quest" and with that he left the tree and its inhabitants. No doubt some would join her but Kaiden had the more pressing matter of dealing with these invaders.
Upon stepping into the clearing he finds Jokir and Red speaking with one another; the assassin seemingly trying to recruit the strange swords woman to join him in his trip south "I normally work alone however it would appear that time is of the essence” he said from where he stood behind the assassin “…I am also intrigued to see if our friend here fights as well as she boasts” a smile appearing on the rangers face as he delivered the jibe to woman sat within the tree before once again returning to his usual self “come I know a quicker way through the trees…if you are coming that is?”

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Gemina wove a tale of how the traitor who had taken this kingdom had corrupted the people within his lands. Turned them against their very nature and was now using them for his own purposes. Purposes such as invading the forest, apparently…and these dark, corrupted beings were taking over everything in their path. Gemina then appealed directly to Iatairris, saying that her cave…her precious cave…would be a place for demons to rest and recuperate. That thought sent a roil of emotions through her, as she realized that this meant that her town would be in the crossfire…her parents…her neighbors…she couldn't take that image…and her cave too…the place she had grown up…her precious, sacred place…suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. As Kaiden walked out, Iatairris sprang up, moved a short distance from the table, and then vanished in a flurry of crystal. A moment later the gleam faded, and the dimming glow revealed that the young girl had encased herself in a translucent, blue crystal…one shaped like two pyramids that were connected at the base. She appeared to be resting…clearly this was a coping method she'd come up with since developing her powers. The crystal hovered just above the ground, rotating slowly as the girl did whatever she needed to do to get that image out of her head.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

As Kaiden joined them Jokir nodded, if he was at all surprised by the huntsman's stealthy appearance behind them then he did not show it. "I am of a similar mind to you, I normally would not join with others, however, it will be of use to us at the moment. If you are coming Red, then I suggest we leave at once." With that his shadow flipped up and solidified into a knife which landed firmly in his hand, he flipped it in his hand and looked up at the woman. "So then, are you with us?"

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Two others had left the tree as well, but instead of leaving, gathered around the bottom of the apple tree and began conversing with her. One tried to get her to join his self made mission by stating he wanted to see if Jemina’s claims were true before seeing if he would join her side. That didn’t get Akana to want to join him. Like she said earlier, good and bad were relative. She wouldn’t help based on that argument. Then bowman had to go and insult Akana’s fighting skills. She would prove him wrong. “My skills are as good as my boasts not. They are better.” Akana jumped from the tree and landed behind the two. “Lead the way.” Their trick had worked. Akana was on board with the scouting plan.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"Very well, lets get moving then" Kaiden stated as the groups membership solidified; his barb seemingly having hit its mark causing the previously reluctant and out spoken swords woman to join those of them already intent on travelling south.
Without pausing to see if they were indeed ready Kaiden begins swiftly moving across the clearing and goes around one hundred metres or so along the path that they had all taken to arrive here before seemingly disappearing into the trees. The animal track was narrow and overgrown rendering it useless for a large group of people however for the trio of agile immortals it was more than ideal. Pausing within its entrance only just long enough for the others to see where he had gone, the ranger leads them at a rapid pace through the trees, a pace made even swifter due to the surrounding plant life actively bending and twisting out of his way and only returning to their original positions once the last of the group had passed "If we can keep up this pace...and our friend is telling the truth, we should be roughly in the right area by nightfall" Kaiden called over his shoulder to where the others were hopefully keeping up. However with "The south-west" as his only form of directions it would be hard for him to predict when exactly they would find this invasion, all he could really hope for was to find something simply by heading in the general direction. Then again how hard could it be to find an invasion?

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir broke into a run after the huntsman as they started to run, beating Red into the trees he was second in the line and followed Kaiden through the trees twisting his way through, glad that the man's ability was helping them out to travel at such speeds. Thankfully his stamina was good, but he wasn't too sure of Red's stamina, however, the girl could take care of herself, she wouldn't have survived this long otherwise. With those thoughts Jokir's feet pounded as they continued to run through the lush dense green forest before he had a thought and called out. "Do you have a plan once we do find said invasion if it really exists?"

 

[DeletedUser]

Whisper sat in disbelief as her new-found family refused to stand together. She was still feeling the grief that Kaiden had spoken of regarding the loss of his family. She had almost gotten up to lay a hand on his shoulder, but something had stopped her.
Then, Gemina and Mezonas disclosed frightening information. The forest itself was under attack! Gemina said “All the trees will be burnt to ashes, and we will be no more”. The trees have been here forever, why would anyone want them all burned down?
Gemina addressed Red, and implored her not to go. Red, refused to be convinced, and one by one they left, first Red, then Jokir, and even Kaiden. Kaiden…. Not you too! Iatairris started to go, but apparently was overcome with emotion and crystallized. Whisper wanted to go with the others, but she had lost the opportunity, they were gone. She didn’t like the idea of them splitting up, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She turned to Gemina and Mezonas and said “I don’t know what good I will be to you; I don’t even have a weapon. My wood staff only knows how to grow things. The forest is all I have ever known. My whole life, I have only ever observed other things taking action. I feel that it is time now, that I take action.” Whisper walked back over to the drawings on the wall, and for a moment, got drawn back into their scenes. She wondered if the forest was no more, if these would still exist, or shrivel up and die too. She glanced back to Gemina, and then turned to Mezonas and asked “So, which of you will you train me? Is there even time for that?”

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"Yes...we're going to kill them" Kaiden replied in a voice that suggested that the answer was obvious however sensing that his knew partners; a concept that was still somewhat unfamiliar to him after working alone for so long, would want something a little more precise decided to elaborate "We find out where they're camped and then we kill their leaders...the warlord preferably...then we watch as the army disintegrates" without a leader most of these hill tribes and bandit groups generally fell to pieces as they fractured into different factions and killed one another and this group would be no different regardless of what Gemina had said.
Coming upon a giant oak tree within their path Kaiden suddenly stops as the tree makes no signs of moving. Offering the tree a quick bow of his head Kaiden leads them around the ancient tree before continuing. Apparently not everything within the forest would bow to the ranger’s wishes.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Bounding along the treetops, Akana followed the other two as the bowman led the way through the forest, heading in a generally west direction. After a bit of this, the bowman stopped next to two trees and disappeared. The other followed. A path must lie there, hidden from the sky by the tops of the trees. Normally this wouldn’t bother Akana; she never tended to follow the established paths. But this time, she was with others, who didn’t regard the top of the forest as a path, and followed those rivulets of beaten earth, and sometimes stone. Dropping to the forest floor, Akana heard the men talk about how they would deal with the invaders. The bowman wanted to kill their leaders, planning to bring the army into disarray.

“I came not to kill,” Akana said, as they began the trek through the small path, her eyes occasionally darting to the tree tops, filled with longing and a desire to return back to that wide open space of infinite possibilities. “Also, this army comes from Cecia Town. You kill a leader, another leader will the position to take. It is hierarchy. I want us the army only to observe. I believe them not to be evil. I see a reason them not to kill.” Of course, Akana didn’t have to stay with the others if they decided that they would go in and start massacring an army just doing what they felt was right, but that insult to her fighting skills the bowman had said compelled Akana to stay and prove herself better than he thought her to be, but not at the expense of her morals.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Slowly, the crystal that Iatairris had entombed herself in faded away in a shimmering brilliance. As the girl opened her eyes, it was clear she was much calmer than she'd been before she'd encased herself. "I'm going to train with you Whisper," she said, her tone serious for the first time since she'd met the group. "I will NOT let any army endanger where I grew up…no way no how. Not going to happen." A moment's pause, then she grinned. "Besides, it'll be fun! I'm sure that you two," here she addressed Gemina and Mezonas, "know a lot more about my ability than I do…and it'd be fun to learn, right?" It wasn't obvious whether she was actually happy again or if she was using her naturally cheerful attitude to get her mind off of what had stressed her so badly. Either way, she wasn't telling. "So, when do we begin?"

 

[DeletedUser]

Arkadi sat and listened to Gemina and Mezonas as they bleated about how the 'imposter' ruling Cecia town (somebody called Yeltzoa) was evil, and had tricked the townsfolk... some trees were going to be cut down and if Yeltzoa was not stopped then the world would fall into darkness... etc etc. He barely bothered listening to most of it.
Instantly the speech provoked reaction. Red correctly pointed out how good and evil were relative, and as such the crusade would still be Gemina's and Mezonas' personal feud, before storming out. Jokir said that he would give them the benefit of the doubt, even though he didn't believe them, and went after Red. Kaiden quickly aligned himself to the cause and walked off on his own. Iatairris froze for a while, before agreeing to sign up to the oh so holy crusade, as did Whisper.
Arkadi meanwhile, just sat and watched. Eventually his turn came, and he spoke.
"You have no idea how many times I've sat and listened to idiots proclaim that they are the rightful rulers of wherever, and some terrible evil usurper has taken their rightful throne and I must do good by killing them..." He laughed, a bitter, dry, hoarse laugh. "I never understand how you people can be so blind to how stupid you look. Red is right, you have no right more than this man Yeltzoa does, none of it matters. You will not convince me to fight your war for free." He said with emphasis. "But you did mention rewards, so name your price."

 

[Apelatia]

Eldaríl Hall

Once three of those that had previously been in the room had left to follow their own destined paths in the southwest of the vast forest, Gemina let out a frustrated half-scream. It was plainly obvious that things hadn't gone as she had expected... Still in her foul mood, she stormed off into the right alcove, which led down a corridor. Grinning cheekily, Mezonas addressed those still gathered in turn. "Whisper, your training will commence as soon as we set out to our first destination. It won't be easy, but I am sure that you will pass with flying colours. It is undecided whether Gemina or I will train you directly, or whether we will use other methods to improve your capabilities, as it is they that will be the most important on this...quest... Whatever happens. You are in safe hands..." Mezonas' voice continued to lilt musically from his mouth, as he spoke briefly to Iatairris, "Your methods of dealing with frustration are most interesting young one... Remember, that while calming yourself is ideal, the crystal will draw on a small trickle of your boundless supplies of energy. We will begin at dawn tomorrow." Laughing, Mezonas pushed himself up from the table, and paced around, before speaking in a more serious tone to Arkadi. "It would do well for you not to insult those whom you are going to work alongside. This quest is built on the morals of unity, friendship and lastly, courage... We can provide rewards at the end of this quest. I cannot specify what right now, but there is much that I can provide you with once we retake Cecia Town. What do you say my friend? Mercenaries isn't a title I would like us to carry, but friends would fit the bill better in my opinion..." Mezonas paced up to the stairs that led up to the left of the building. "Anyway, enough dithering...the day draws to a close, and tomorrow we will set out on our first quest. Arkadi, you can provide me with your answer in the morning. Jax, we can talk then too. All of you will find spare rooms up these stairs." He motioned with his right hand up the staircase, then began to walk towards the large double doors before pausing, and turning around again. "Thank you all for coming. This day is a momentous one for me, and for the rest of you who are here. Should you need something to eat, all the fruit on that table is yours... We haven't any meat right now." With his speech concluded, Mezonas opened one of the double doors, then closed it behind him, leaving the travelers to their own devices for the evening...


Tretana Village

Having covered a decent distance in the day, the three travelers finally emerge onto a small precipice, with a relatively small drop down to the side of a hill, covered in heather and bracken. At the bottom of the hill lies a small village, with small, wooden huts lined down either side of a small track. The trees beyond the village appear to be denser and hard to traverse through than what they had previously been travelling through. Sidetracking the village would be no hard task, but would that be wise?

 

[DeletedUser]

Whisper was a little afraid of Arkadi. She didn’t like to admit it, but there it was. He didn’t seem to think to well of anyone. But he was still young yet, and maybe that would change. Mezonas didn’t talk about training for him, so he must be quite skilled already. Iatairris on the other hand, she liked a lot. Who could not help but like her. This trip is changing her. Already she grows more serious. Hopefully, it will not damage her positive attitude. “Iatairris, I am glad you decided to stay. I look forward to your company, and getting to know you better. “



“It has been a very long day, and I grow tired.” Whisper said to Iatairris, and to those remaining in the room, as she brushed a lose strand of hair from her face. She rose, and headed for the door that led to the twisty stairs, and outside. She did not find it unusual that she would be sleeping in the boughs of the giant oak tree that she had occupied when she first arrived. She didn’t even know what a spare room was. While she walked she thought about what Mezonas said. "Whisper, your training will commence as soon as we set out to our first destination. It won't be easy, but I am sure that you will pass with flying colours. It is undecided whether Gemina or I will train you directly, or whether we will use other methods to improve your capabilities, as it is they that will be the most important on this...quest... Whatever happens, you are in safe hands..." Mezonas had said. Whisper pondered for a moment what that could mean. Well…she would just have to wait and find out. She grinned as an image of some new fruit or vegetable came to mind…or, perhaps to be able to grow things without having the seeds. Grow them bigger and faster? By now, she had reached the safety of the big oak tree, and she scampered up the trunk, and nestled herself in its warm branches. She didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow, but tonight… all was well. And with that thought, the sway of the branch from the gently wind, lulled her to sleep.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"They may not be evil but if they are indeed trying to invade then they are in the wrong and I will do what is required to drive them out...once they are over the border I will leave them be" Kaiden replied to Red; she was right they weren't evil, mislead perhaps but not evil and all that talk of demons back within the tree was simply ludicrous. No, they were ordinary people who happened to be within his territory and the sooner they left the safer they would all be.
Continuing along the track they eventually come to a small cliff overlooking a village within a small clearing, they could go around it but why? it was their lands and they meant no harm, besides which it would be interesting to see what the locals had to say about all this talk of an invasion "Come, lets us see anyone has seen an army around here" Kaiden said with just a touch of humor as he carefully picked his way down towards the road "oh and best keep our weapons out of sight we wouldn't want to spook them"

 

[DeletedUser]

Wallace watched three of their number leave, he did not begrudge them for their choice, there would be innocent blood shed in this quest, but Geminai's talk of demons at the beck and call of this Yeltzoa greatly interested Wallace. Arin under his sway or actual demonic beings, a true true test of his might. A glorious fight against equals or stronger. The thought excited him indeed. Wallace stood as the 'old' man finished talking too the young girls and the mercenary. The first two wanted training, which Wallace thought they all would need to fight other Arin, and the mercenary seemed willing to come as long as he got compensation. Wallace berely listened to the 'old' man as he tried to imagine what a war between Arin would look like, it sounded glorious.

Whisper left to go sleep in the trees as expected but since he didn't feel any need to go to sleep just yet. Reaching into his bag Wallace pulls out several die and a cup. "Anyone up for a game of dice?"

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Iatairris nodded as Mezonas explained that the crystal she'd encased herself in would draw off her energy, offering a simple "yep!" to show that she understood. Whisper told her that she was glad that they would be working together. "Should be fun, right?" she grinned at the apparently (she still thought they were trying to prank her) much older woman. Shortly thereafter, Mezonas departed, saying they were done for the evening. Whisper bade her and the others who had stayed good night before making her exit as well. Wallace asked if she and Arkadi wanted to play some dice. She liked Wallace, and Arkadi seemed nice enough once you got past his rough exterior, but she knew she'd regret it if she stayed up. "No thanks Wallace…it's been a long day, tomorrow's likely to be another, and we need our rest! Good night!" With that, she moved up the staircase Mezonas had mentioned when he'd been talking about where they would stay.

The energetic girl climbed to the top of the staircase, entering the last room that was clearly for guests. It was simply laid out, just the accommodations a traveller would need, but Iatairris thought it looked great…she'd been sleeping outdoors throughout her long journey to this place, and it was about time she got to rest in an actual bed! Before she closed the door, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a small crystal. It wasn't much to look at, just a clear, circular lump, but with a moment's focus, she turned it red. She'd gotten in the habit of using this crystal that she'd taken from her cave to signal how things were within her room. Red was Do Not Disturb, Green was "Act as though the door's open" and Blue was "Knock first". She doubted that these people would know the signals as her parents did, but it was a comfort thing, and she placed it on the door, a hidden adhesive binding it to the wood. That done, she closed the opening and quickly jumped (literally) into bed. She removed her shoes, but left the rest of her clothes on, and then burrowed under the covers. She thought that she'd have a terrible time falling asleep…after all, how many new things had she seen and experienced today! How exciting! However, the extra softness coming from the first bed she'd been in in a while overwhelmed her thoughts, and she was soon asleep.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Jokir looked at the village as they came to a halt and promptly came to the same thoughts as Kaiden. "I'll stick in the shadows and see if I can find anything that they won't tell us." With that, Jokir didn't wait for Red to speak but instead grabbed the ledge and swung down, dropping the short distance to the ground with ease. "Come on." He called up to the others, "You don't want to be late for the party."

 

[DeletedUser]

Arkadi snorted with derision as Mezonas gave his reply, bleating that the quest should be built upon 'morals of unity, friendship, and courage'. All laughable words for him, he'd seen men bludgeon their best friends to death for a few coppers, 'unified' armies break apart at the flick of a wrist, and courage? Well, that was just a synonym for death wish.
Mezonas didn't specify what rewards there would be, but merely hinted at great riches and such. That made Arkadi grind his teeth together, the mere scent of riches was often false, and led all who smelt it to their graves.
However... in order respond to the summons, he had rebuked a contract with the Shadowborn Fleet, and they wouldn't be happy about that. Best to stay out of their way for a while, and this oh so holy crusade looked like an opportunity to do just that.
He was about to reply when Mezonas said that he could give his answer on the following morn, and that they should all sleep.
G, Mezonas, Whisper and Iatairris all disappeared into the depths of the hall toward the bedchambers that had been indicated, leaving just Wallace and Arkadi.
The Grey Knight pulled out a few dice and a cup. "Anyone up for a game of dice?"
"Fine." Arkadi turned to face the stone man. "You first." He gestured, he could use a few bouts of dice. "So where do you come from?" He asked.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Akana saw the village rise into view over the precipice, a trick of perception. It was an easy walk to this small hamlet; a small hop down this protocliff and a stroll through some weeds. The bowman, who earlier had stated he would eliminate any invaders, regardless of moral orientation, headed toward the village to see if they had seen an army. Shadows wanted to stay in the shadows and observe the village. Not a bad plan. As he jumped down, Shadows called out to Akana; he didn’t want her to miss the party. As far as she knew, the village didn’t know they were coming, and didn’t prepare a celebration. Maybe one of them had a birthday today. Akana honestly couldn’t remember what day she was born, but generally used a village celebration of a holiday called Kronia as her birthday. Shrugging at Shadows, Akana floated down the protocliff, and followed the other two into the hamlet.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

With the others following him down the gentle slope; Jokir promptly disappearing into the shadows to remain undetected for the time being, a move that Kaiden considered to be prudent considering what they searching for. Kaiden enters the small hamlet and heads towards the first person he sees and calls "Greetings friend" with a friendly smile upon his face "...my friend and I are travelling on south and wondered if you had any news on the roads and more importantly what was on them?" he asked hoping that the villager in question would catch his drift.