Aston doesn't have a choice, and Aedan goes Big Game Hunting!
"So she lied? That doesn't surprise me. She doesn't seem like honest person." Dale replied. He sighed. They should have asked where to find the judge, but knowing her she'd either know nothing or lie to them. He paced around the street, trying to think of a solution. "Any ideas for how we're going to find this judge? This place is big, and I've no idea where to start." Dale felt vaguely unsatisfied with the length of this post, but later reflected that the reason was probably because there wasn't much to say. "Telepathy, Rainbow Fire, and God Slayer? God Slayer sounds powerful indeed..." Vance mused. However, he was right. That didn't help in the slightest. "No, I don't think any of that helps. Conrad?" He looked over at the other nobleman. It was a slim chance that he had anything useful. If that was the case then... They'd need another solution. He looked up. They could climb, but he shuddered at the thought. He was not built for climbing.
"Fine. Taking it works better for me anyway. We might be able to find the son of a ***** who killed mum." His mouth was a hard line as he spoke. There was a harsh frown on his face and he felt Black stirring with his anger. That was another issue with the twin faces of Vasher. They tended to get excited whenever the emotions that best fit them were triggered. Kalak's superhuman senses detected Jayce's not so secret admirer lurking in the chamber. He decided not to call out to her, knowing her temperament very well. She was Jayce's hunting hound. She was disturbing in many ways. She was ferocious, but loyal. Blindly loyal. That was the problem. Their Black Rose would impale herself upon those two swords if she was ordered. He didn't know how his Uncle could stand being around her with her intensity. Still, he was happy to work with her. It was probably a blessing that she was here, given what they were going to be dealing with. After all, Sky Tower was no joke. "Any other orders? Specific objectives?" As he spoke, he subtly nodded towards where Rose was standing in the room. Jayce likely had already noticed, but in case he was distracted he'd let him know. Of course. Aster. She had almost forgotten about him. Aster Surananayan. There were some who knew him as 'His Royal Pain in the Arse'. She was one of them. Pompous, arrogant and completely self-assured without any capacity for thought. He was the very personification of male confidence. And he had that annoying nickname. Nobody called her that, nobody except Jaden and he was family. He was special. He was their leader, the one who would see Aidan's dream through to the end. "I've warned you before Aster, you're not to call me that. Or would you prefer me to call you Ass? It would be a fitting name for you wouldn't it?" She replied icily. "And the fact that you have a sibling leaves me with a particular sense of dread, that there is another person as infuriating as you alive." She turned away from him and looked the the man who had addressed him as Captain. She nodded at him and looked back at the overconfident man. "But we agree on this - It'll be good to kill a few Hammers."
As he was walking up, a rather rude fellow spoke to him. The druid turned around to look at him quizzically, and saw the man was wearing a fine set of metal armour. He raised an eyebrow. It was very, very impressive. It would be hard to hurt a man wearing armour like that for certain! But, it did look rather heavy. he decidad that he did not want to wear that. It was far too heavy and cramped, and probably got quite hot. As for his question... "I am an explorer. There is no need to be so rude about it." He replied peacefully, trying to avoid starting a conflict with the heavily armoured man. Honestly, he thought that more people would be polite. Apparently not everyone was taught manners as a child like he was. Aedan sighed. The standards of his people couldn't be expected to apply to others. His acute hearing then detected the most annoying noise he had heard to date. Someone was dragging something heavy and metal across the stone road and it was very, very irritating. It was worse than the high pitched squeaking of certain rodents. He looked to see who was responsible, and saw a man who looked like he was in a bad mood dragging a hammer along. He decided not to open that satchel of worms and instead went to the manor, where he was (thankfully) politely welcomed. "Why thank you, Misters Bracklewood and Venger, Missus Bracklewood." Aedan bowed his head respectfully to each before entering the mansion. "Heh, you're right. I suppose I'd best get used to it. After all, I'm meant to be helping you lead this society." When he said that, he stood a little taller and straightened his outfit. He was actually quite proud that he had been asked to help lead this group. It was a brilliant opportunity. Sanderson had the financial capability to make the exploring that he was looking for possible and he got to play a major part in it. He couldn't help but feel at least some excitement. A young lady then stepped up, introducing herself as a servant of Sir Garson Winterburge. He recognised the name. A friend of his father's, they had visited each other's estates several times for dinner, but he could scarcely recall this girl. Then again, she was reportedly a servant, but she was a special one. Presumably. Sanderson leaned in an asked about Garson and Aston nodded. "Yes, Sir Winterburge is a friend of my father. It seems that he's showing some support for the Adventurer's Society. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been with the Winterburges? I've been to the estate several times, though I'm sorry to say I don't remember you."
They had entered the bridge and Jayce spoke. Whatever choice words the stout dwarf would undoubtedly have for him for the commentary would have to wait until after they were done. He was as usual, in his black coat with his hair hanging over his eyes in that slightly depressing way. Not that he was any different. His white hair hung over his eyes as well. In truth, there was one difference. Kalak had something to hide. Behind the white hair covering them, a pair of faintly glowing red eyes stared out at the world. It seemed that Theodosia was speaking as well, although she happened to be interrupted by Jayce as well. Perhaps it was another speech. She was fond of those. So eloquent. So irritating. He glanced at their leader. His uncle. "Pleasure to see you too kid." Kalak spoke, remarking on the strangely young appearance of the Demi God. Even though Kalak was younger, he had aged more than Jayce. Vasher probably hadn't helped with that. He attributed some of the ageing to the stress that the spirit was placing on his body. "Throda was struggling with a door. I've never seen anything quite like it. You'll want a clean up crew over there. It's a mess." He nodded at Theodosia. "Aide de camp." He said curtly, before glancing back at their leader. "So, we're raiding a Shards emplacement? It looks like quite the beast. What are the rules? Capture, or destroy?" The answer would very much affect the tactics he would be using. And whether he would let Black or White out to play, if either.
Aston Venger stood next to Sanderson, hands resting on the two swords at his hips. He had gotten up early to meet with them. The look on his face was one of joy and he could only smile at his friend's enthusiasm. Aston couldn't deny excitement either truth be told. He was looking forward to this. What he had said while they were talking about it made it sound fantastic and he couldn't wait to lead people out there. Of course, he wasn't the best explorer in the universe but that didn't matter in the slightest. What he had was attitude! And that was what he was hired for! However, he couldn't deny that it was a bit chilly out here and his clothes were not really built for warmth. He felt a chill. "Say, Sanderson? Do we have to stand outside. It's a little cold this morning." He said, half jokingly. Yes, it was cold, but he wasn't going to be pushy about it. Besides, if he tried to push the issue it felt like he would have rained on the man's parade and that would be just like kicking a puppy - Not nice. And so, Aston stood there, consigned to the fact that he was going to be waiting out here on this chilly morning waiting for people. He saw a couple of people approaching, a man and a woman behind him. And then, another man approaching. He looked like he had come straight out of some sort of bush, so he was probably here for them. This closest one was dressed it plate armour. He whistled. That was pricey. "Good morning friend! Welcome to the Adventurer's Society!" He said with an enthusiasm to try and match Sanderson's. "Greetings to you too m'lady!" Aedan had finally made it to Varewyn. After several days of trekking across roads and one day through the woods and across fields, because he had managed to lose sight of the road when he went into the forest to find some particularly tasty herbs for food the previous evening, he had arrived at the big city. And it was like nothing he had seen before. He had heard about cities, but had never felt like leaving his home in the woods. Now that he had, he was disappointed that he hadn't before. It was amazing! There were huge buildings, none like the wooden shacks at home! He was quite happy with living in a wooden shack of course, but the architecture (at least, that was the word that he was told about) was amazing here. The things that humanity did with its materials. He could understand why they were so fervent on destroying nature now. They could make wonderful things like this. These thoughts and more crossed his mind as the strange man ambled aimlessly towards the Bracklewood manor. There were two men and a woman standing at the front of the manor that he could see as he approached down the road. The man with two swords seemed to be greeting them. As he got closer, his staff clunking on the stones of the road, he raised his free hand in a gesture of greeting to the three. "Hail fellows!" Aedan called as he got closer.
It was dark. As he stood upon the lonely hill in the centre of endless pitch black ground, he felt cold. That ground was solid, and yet it was as dark as the void. As he looked further into the distance, it spiralled upwards towards the sky which glowed with a bright silver, lit by a pure white moon. Just as the darkness rose up, the silver light spiralled down, meeting the tendrils of dark and entwining in captivating pillars that contrasted with themselves. When they met, sometimes they entwined perfectly, Sometimes they stopped where they met and others simply shattered into a fine mist where they once stood. He looked from side to side, turned around and it was the same view, all the way around that hill he stood upon, the same view stretched into the horizon. The land was flat, save for this hill. This hill was the highest thing around. As he stood upon the crest of the hill, he felt two presences behind him. Kalak sighed and turned to the pair, knowing that he would be met with the twin faces of Vasher. Black stood directly in front of him, his red eyes glowing balefully in the strange dark of the shadow world. He was hypnotized by the gaze and he heard a mechanical voice speaking to him. "This ends today. The Valiant will land a league or so away from Sky Tower. Our ground forces will laucnh an assault on the structure and engage the enemy troops. Meanwhile.." As the voice continued to speak, the ground lurched. The pillars shattered. The pitch black floor faded into a steel one and the white sky slowly turned into a ceiling and a light. The two figures disappeared into shadowy wisps and he was back. He became aware that he was knelt on the floor, resting on his knees. His eyes were open. He was in his room. "All specialist forces, meet me on the bridge." Kalak paused before moving, still awaking from the familiar dream. He got to one knee, then stood himself up as a strange smashing noise began. He looked to the upper body armour that lay on his bed. He had been meditating shirtless, he remembered. He took a look down. The red glow around his blood vessels and the blackening had not got better. He armoured himself and picked up Duskfall from its resting place. He strode out of his room to the bridge. As he walked, he encountered the familiar figure of Throda on his way as well. The Demi-God did not fail to notice the mess of the door. That would be the smashing. He smiled wryly. "Subtle as ever, Master Dwarf." Kalak remarked, walking alongside the shorter man. "I see your war on the engineering staff continues." [DOUBLEPOST=1451510051][/DOUBLEPOST] The Huntress of Sarn stood in the command centre at Sky Tower where the officers present were hard at work poring over consoles for equipment or reports from other fronts of the war. The battle was widespread, and each report of a victory brought a small smile to her lips. She was after all, Aidan's descendent, It was her job to be pleased when hearing reports of their victory. In any case, she couldn't add anything more. Jaden was the strategist and he would be issuing out more orders over time. For now, she just looked at the reports she received, bored, waiting for His prediction to come true. Jaden was amazing. He could predict the strategy of the Order of the Hammer and he believed that there was an attack in bound soon. They had been waiting here for a couple of days now, and still nothing. He had said that if nothing happened after a week, then it would be too long for The Valiant to remain out of combat and the battle lines would have shifted such that Sky Tower was not a priority target. She was inclined to agree. There were an assorted group of Shards present, all of them good soldiers from what she knew. Time would tell. There hadn't been anything to prove their worth to her personally yet. She could put her trust in her Cousin's choices of troops. That did nothing to assuage the boredom though. Carissa sat down at a chair in the room, waiting for something to happen. After a minute, It happened. The sensor alarms blared. Something was coming. She leaped out of her chair to her feet and rushed to the equipment monitoring station. "What is happening?" She demanded, pushing the officer at the station aside. He looked up, a sharp retort on his lips that was quelled at the realisation of to whom he was speaking. "A craft was detected around a league away. It's large. I think it's The Valiant." She grinned and walked away towards the intercom station. She was going to have fun with this. "Jaden was right, as always." Carissa muttered to herself. She approached the microphone and turned it on. "All Shards of Hope, prepare to engage! The Valiant has been detected a league East from here! The Order is on it's way. Get ready to spill some blood people!" With that, the Huntress left the command centre and headed to the barracks where she would invariably find some of the troops, as well as where she had left some things behind. She entered her room and opened her locker, retrieving her crossbow, her bolts and her twin knives. She strapped them all on and walked out. "Did you all hear the announcement? Jaden's predictions were spot on. We're to defend this tower at all costs. If we don't manage to hold Sky Tower, then they'll have free reign to intervene in this area." Carissa explained. "This, we cannot allow. If any of them get inside, then warn us. Reach a comm panel and make sure you inform us of what is happening. Without communication, we won't be able to defend the base effectively. Make your final preparations and get into a defensive position. We will hold against this scum!"
Vance looked up at the bridge above them, considering how to get up. There wasn't anything that he could see that would help, at least immediately. None of his magic would be useful either. He set himself about a more thorough examination of the bridge. Perhaps there was a ruined staircase that he could restore using Arc of Time. It was quite high up, so it would make sense if on either end of the bridge there was a staircase to climb up. Equally, there might well not be. After all, they might not have wanted unwanted persons to get up on to the bridge, as it would give them access to whatever the bridge connected. He looked around anyway. He didn't have any other options. "I don't know your magic, so does anyone have anything that might help? Damian?" He chanced that since Damian hadn't contributed much so far, he might be able to help here. Perhaps even Conrad could help. This was an inconvenience to be sure. He hoped that they thought of putting in some stairs. Dale listened to what the woman said. This really was a cutthroat place. He wasn't overly fond of it in the slightest, especially this Mrs Lovette. Luckily, Trevor managed to bail them out with the best suggestion he'd heard all day. But, he supposed, he had to ask one last question. "Where can we find this Beadle?" Dale asked. He didn't sound overly polite when he asked, but then again this Lovette was hardly the nicest person so she could hardly blame him for being snappy with her. He'd never met anyone he considered so repulsive in his life. Somewhere like this could never create the Johanna he knew, only broken people with scars for an inheritance.
Edric stood there and listened patiently while the people who were, apparently sex demons, talked. And it seemed that these Incubi were being hunted down by humans who were, quite naturally, trying to get rid of them. He sighed. Demons were not a part of the natural world order when it came to issues with humanity. He had heard enough from Dale about what had happened with Deliora to judge that much. These were not the same, but still- They didn't belong here. However, they seemed relatively harmless. As in, they didn't appear to be seeking trouble or seeking to consume people, but instead to shirk the responsibility of one man that he didn't want. It was natural, he supposed. It wouldn't do any harm to help them. Admittedly, it felt a little painful to be doing this without an official contract, but sometimes you had to do things gratis and not be so stingy with wanting a reward. He wasn't that interested in getting involved here truthfully. Unfortunately, it looked like he'd have to. After all, Caliborn wasn't around right now and someone needed to keep an eye on the new guys and make sure that they didn't get hurt. And well, it wasn't like he had anything particularly useful to do with himself anyway. "Whatever yer doin', Ee'll stick aroond with ya. Someone has ta keep an eye on ya. Yer getting there, but ye en't proper Wizards yet." Edric spoke. He offered nothing else other than that. He didn't want to influence their decision. They seemed to be sorting themselves out so, he would allow them to do just that. After all, they'd never grow properly if they were babysitted by S-Classes all the time. He folded his arms and waited, keeping his eyes on the five demons in front of him. Vance watched curiously as the bushes did not regenerate their bark to be brown again and grow inside as happened with the tree before. Instead, the bush shrunk into a younger plant then finally lay resting on the ground as a seed with a shoot. He raised an eyebrow. "It seems that whatever happened here has some kind of lasting effect. The bush seems to have grown with this unnatural orange bark." He observed. "And Thea, I would tend to agree with what you say. It is remarkably perceptive, well done." It seemed to him that she would need some encouragement now. She looked rather down after she had used her Terrain Magic and put herself, and him in danger. In any case, it seemed that they weren't going to get anything else from here and so proceeded to the grey structure in the pass between the mountains. You know, the red bit in the middle. Anyways, we got 4/5 for that bit.
This woman, he thought, was questionably sane. In fact, by the sounds of it, the entire town was afflicted with some sort of insanity. Making domestic cats into pies, being young enough to run after them and catch them... There was all of this unpleasant talk, and he was more certain than before now that he had made a mistake in coming here. The story this woman told was a disturbing one. One with severe and horrific implications for the Johanna that she was talking about. He shuddered as he thought of what the poor girl must have suffered all that time ago at the hands of the strange judge that she had fallen into the hands of. Her implications were clear. The worst part of it all was, this pie seller told it without a hint of sympathy or sorrow or even disgust. Just in a singsong voice, as if it were a story, or something day to day that didn't matter. For the sake of politeness, he refrained from telling her that she was completely, and in every way utterly, mad. He couldn't wait to leave. "Wonderful." Dale said dryly, disapproval written all over his face. "So what you are saying is... We should perhaps consider finding this Turpin if we want more information?" He was lost in her ramble of nonsense, and that was the only impression that he got out of her. He half hoped so. If it turned out to be the wrong Johanna, it didn't matter. He sounded like a scumbag, so he'd take pleasure in kicking down his door and having a good chat with the man.
"Who said it was just one spell? It could well be several spells cast across this area." Vance pointed out. "If we follow Conrad's battle theory, it actually makes a certain degree of sense." He was tempted to use Arc of Time, however the results of doing so would be much the same as doing it to the trees. There didn't seem to be much point. What was strange was that the leaves themselves were unharmed however the bark was. It seemed that there was an inconsistency in the strength, or in the effects. Something was inconsistent at the very least, that much was certain. "Does it seem strange to anyone that the leaves are unharmed yet the bark is? One would assume it would be the other way around. Whatever spell they used, it was perhaps a weaker version I would say." Vance theorised. For the sake of doing so, he cast Arc of Time on one of the bushes. He didn't expect there to be a difference really, but he had no other ideas for what to get out of this place. Unless someone else had another theory, he would have to leave it there.
It seemed that his hunch was in fact, correct. Arc of Time had revealed something very interesting. These trees it seemed, were not entirely ordinary. He folded his arms and considered it. "I agree with Thea. I don't see any way this could have happened without magic. Certainly not by natural causes. Even if this were some natural disaster, I believe it would have merely damaged the tree rather than change the structure of it entirely, as we have seen here." Vance stated. It seemed to him that there was no further business here, so it was probably time to move on. He had noticed something near the ship out of his peripheral vision, but had not the time to investigate it because Thea ran on ahead. Now would be an opportune time to investigate it he felt, considering that they needed to go around the rocky formation nearby regardless. Going to the yellow circle near the ship.
Name: Aedan Maedoc Gender: Male Age: 19 Class: Druid Weapon(s): A long carved oak staff. Armour: Robes Magic/incantations: Earth Magic, Light - Holy Crafting: Medicine, Alchemy Specialism: Mana Appearance: This Personality: Aedan is relatively mature and attempts to remain calm in all situations, though his curiosity may overpower his normal good sense. He does not like violence and seeks to avoid it when possible. He cares about nature and the environment because he grew up in such close proximity to it. He is slow to anger and when angered, prefers to express it in words rather than in violent action. In certain circumstances, he will resort to violence but will avoid killing where possible. This is often in cases where the opposing side has committed an obvious wrong. Origination: Woodholme Backstory: Aedan grew up in a community of druidic people, dedicated to Earth Magic and becoming one with nature in their forest home. While by no means ignorant of the modern world of Tyrrus, they preferred to stick to the traditional ways where possible. Aedan did not pay too much attention to the particulars of the Religious aspect, though he did hold the Mother in a high regard as all his people did, because he was dedicated to a more practical approach. He focused on learning how nature could provide for humans and how to use nature to aid mankind's struggle for survival. He learned some applications for medicine, and some applications for alchemy. When he got older, Aedan found that he was curious about the outside world and so set out to explore it with the blessing of his people. They believed that someone should explore the beauty of the Mother's world, so they allowed Aedan to explore.
Vance felt a small surge of happiness, or possibly amusement when Shani pitched her voice to a noble tone. Perhaps it was both. She was so unlike his kind that it was amusing, yet it felt like she was trying to bridge a gap by doing so. There was a certain happiness in that he felt. It seemed that her previously bitter attitude had at least started to wear off. He was glad. Having the tension for a long period of time would have been sad. Thea however, was less pleasant. It seemed that she didn't have any real understanding, and she couldn't really control it truly. He knew that before, but he hadn't realised that it was this bad. She wasn't even trying to activate her magic this time. Though something did spring to mind. She was playing? What had she been playing? He wasn't paying attention to her at the time so he didn't notice, but perhaps there was something to it. Many of her magical outbursts were accidental. "Very well. Try your best. I don't know how to do this exactly, but try to find your magic inside yourself and focus on it. That way, you can't lose control of it." The nobleman knew that it wasn't terribly helpful advice, however he had nothing else to offer as advice as to how she might be able to change the present situation. She really did need a tutor. That much was obvious. He noticed that Conrad started to move out, and seeing no reason not to go as a team, Vance took Thea by the hand and led her after him. When they arrived, the trees were strange indeed. Bright orange bark? That's far from usual. He wasn't sure of what to make of it. Could it be a magical influence? Yes, it could, however he wasn't positive. He approached one of the trees and placed a hand on it. He called to his magic. His mind was assailed by the infinity of time as he used his magic on the tree. "I'm going to see whether they have always been this way, or if something changed to cause this unusual colour or growth." Vance stated. "Do the finer points of curses or poisons really matter guys? Come on, focus." She said, trying to rerail the investigation that Ander had managed to temporarily derail. As far as she was concerned, the only thing to do now was to look for some tracks. She had no idea what other information could be found out about the weird monster vine trampoline that could hold a lot of weight. She looked around the sides of the trampoline, trying to spot a path that whatever was here last might have taken.
Name: Aston Venger Gender: Male Age: 24 Class: Blademaster Weapon(s): Arming Sword, Shortsword Armour: Reinforced leather Magic/incantations: Crafting: None Specialism: AP Appearance: Here Personality: He's confident and a bit of a flirt. He respects people who fight well and fight fairly. Equally, he is narcisstic at times and prone to getting frustrated when there is little progress made in anything. This is why he loses at fights often, because he loses his cool and with it, his technique. Origination: Whytehold Backstory: Aston is the son of a wealthy merchant who owns some of the mines that produce the raw materials used in the creation of Whytehold steel. Because his father is so closely related to the business of arms because he provides the materials for them, Aston grew up with a healthy interest in the noble art of combat. He often read stories about great warriors and one of them depicted a warrior famous for his dual wielding technique. Aston asked his father if, on his twelfth birthday, he could begin to learn how to fight. His father accepted and paid the best tutor he could find to teach his son. It took a lot of effort to make him into a decent fighter, but with effort he became better. At sixteen, he was allowed to attend a school of swordsmanship run by one of the finest tutors in Tyrrus where he began to excel, such that he was able to enter an advanced class of fighters which allowed for finer technique and experimentation for specific fighting styles for unconventional/uncommon weapons. Aston joined this class for dual wielding and began to practice the art. Eventually, he left to take his talents out to the wider world. He entered low to medium competitions, not being high enough status to fight with the much better trained and even wealthier great knights. However, he managed to earn a reasonable reputation in those lower levels of competition, beating some of the young knights that fell below their more skilled kin and some notable squires. Despite this, he found that the competitions became boring because to him, they were all the same thing over and over again and there were only so many fangirls that one could put up with. Aston decided that he had no interest in his father's mines and would leave that to his younger sister Sara and go out into the wider world. Thusly, he joined the Adventurer's Society. As he had a reasonable amount of experience, he was able to take a leading role in the Society.
He saw and heard Thea panicking, but he could do nothing wrong where he was standing. He saw Shani running towards him, aiming to help. He smiled at her, and something in him felt deeply relieved. It seemed that their friendship was not entirely lost. She still cared enough to come for him. He took a couple of deep breaths and prepared to jump with everything that he could muster so that she could reach and save him. However, the magic began to flicker. The heat slowly faded and reduced. Patches vanished into nothingness and as Thea collapsed on to the floor, seized by her fear, the magic died away. Vance exhaled a breath that he hadn't realised he was holding and tentatively stepped off his rock. Luckily, there was nothing there other than the normal earth. He began to walk over to Thea to try and reassure her, but first he stopped next to Shani. He looked her in the eyes with a light smile. Not just a thankful expression, but a genuine one. "Thank you, Shani. For coming." He said as truly as he possibly could. He knew that it wasn't necessary, but he knew that he had to thank her. Because that was right. Because she would have saved him if Thea hadn't collapsed. Nobody else would have helped. Certainly not that fool Zephyros. In fact, he had seen him stop Shani earlier just so he could show himself off. How irritating. There was more that he had to say to Shani, but this wasn't the time/ Perhaps on the way back from their adventure he would talk to her about the immediate issues which plagued his mind, but until then he would wait. Unless of course, the opportunity arose. "Now, I should attend to my daughter. Thank you for looking after her as well. I've seen that you have. It's appreciated. As I'm sure you're aware, she can be a handful sometimes. though she is sweet for the most part." He nodded at her, then drew his arms around the distressed Thea on the floor and lifted her to her feet. "Come on now Thea, come up, you'll ruin your dress like that." Vance stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. He knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders. "Thea, look at me. Now, I want you to promise that you won't do that again. I want you to always focus on what you're doing. Don't let yourself lose control like that again. Next time, someone might get hurt, okay? You must not let your magic go out of control. Please, just focus on your magic and when you're using it. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, as Conrad noted you have done a fantastic job of leaving me behind." Vance remarked dryly. He looked around him and cursed Thea under his breath. She needed to learn to get control, because this was just ridiculous. He had to think of a way out of this particular predicament. It was warming up and becoming quite uncomfortable, despite the mild heat-******ant properties of the Phoenix Coat. He looked down as the pools bubbled and felt himself shake. He looked away and crouched down, trying to restore a sense of balance and ease. He had to think of a way out of this. He considered trying his Arc of Time, but he wasn't sure if that would work on magical anomalies like this one. Dark Écriture? Unless he formed a contract with Thea that prevented him from being harmed by her magic, it would be useless. So, he stood upon his rock with a displeased expression on his face. He looked over at Thea. "Please, Thea, stop this. This isn't a game. I am stuck in the middle of this lava area after your 'angel' swooped over on his big feathery wings. Stop your flow of magic. Do something! I'm not sure I'll get back safely!" His eyes flashed to Zephyros. "Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to just stand there or help? I daresay you're enjoying this little predicament I've got myself in! It's all fun and games, because Vance doesn't matter!" Vance spat. "Even I wouldn't leave you helpless!" He stood up to his full height. He looked over to the nearest spot. He knew that he needed to jump, to move, but he couldn't find it in him. He remembered the heat, the knowledge that he would burn painfully, that on this last jump, he had nearly fallen in. He gritted his teeth. There had to be some kind of way out of here. Maybe he'd just have to try his magic, regardless of the consequences if none of the useless people around would help. He risked a look at Shani, who he was certain he heard say that she would help. He had no words, but he looked at her almost pleadingly. For once, he was worried. He had no idea whether his magic would work against Thea's and he had got himself stranded in a sea of lava his own daughter had created. Vance's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists hard. I'm a nobleman. I'm not built for this. It's a miracle I made it this far!
Derrick gave her a cheeky wink with a grin to match. "You'll kill me, eh? You're welcome to try." But we both know you're not going to do that Olivia. He was slightly amused by the fact that she was at a loss for words. Honestly, it seemed like there was something that she had wanted to say but couldn't find it in herself to say. He was perhaps, morbidly curious as to what that was exactly. "I'll drop by soon. Wait for me, but don't make yourself hard to find." She walked out to the stables, and that was that. It seemed that nobody was going to be staying in the Kaer. He was going to be leaving, even The Crow had left now. He just had to deal with the people that were still here. It was good timing for Olivia, because the strange mage Kreuz had called. Derrick walked briskly over to the bent over, crying Tatiana and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tatiana, hush. It's fine. There's nothing here to hurt you, you're recovering from your wounds. There's nothing there." He stroked the back of her head, trying to reassure her whilst he thought of something he could do. The best that he could think of was a painkiller. It would either remove the pain, or act as a decent enough placebo. Both were fine by him. "Thanks m'lady." Corwyn said with a slight bow. Delaine sighed and rolled her eyes. He never changed. He did like to show off. "By all means, if you'll follow me miss Ellyn then I'll happily lead you to your room." The tavern keeper led her armoured client through a door on the other side of the room. It led into a large, dimly lit rectangular room, with ten simple beds spaced evenly apart across the length of the room. At the other end, there was a door leading to a room. Delaine brought Ellyn to it, then unlocked the door and allowed her in. Inside, the room was reasonably sized with a cupboard, a chest of drawers, an actual chest and a few shelves. There were some flowers on a bedside table and the door came with a lock on the inside. It was well lit by a simple lantern that hung from the ceiling on a new metal chain. "If there's anything that I can get for you, let me know. Feel free to store anything and everything that you need in here."
Vance caught his breath and continued to examine the gate. However, it seemed that in that short time, Thea's attention span had run out and suddenly, there was a problem. The nobleman saw that the area around his daughter had turned into deadly pits of lava. Of course this is what Thea's magic is. Of course! "Thea!" Vance exclaimed, rushing to his daughter. He ran around the pits of lava in a convoluted course, leaping to patches of ruined stone when necessary. He wasn't terribly agile and he soon began to struggle when he was presented with a series of difficult jumps. The last one had almost caused him to fall in, but he threw himself forwards on to the floor before he could be burned. Luckily his coat repelled a little of the heat. He couldn't keep this up though. He could feel sweat dripping down his forehead and there was a little distance left. "Thea, calm down! You have to stop this at once! I don't think that I can get to you safely!" After seeing Aias' reaction to the pie, Dale smiled and decided that he wasn't all that hungry despite the long journey. Looking at this place, he didn't think that she could have come from here. This was a mistake. Johanna had been sent incredibly nice gifts, but there was nothing at all that suggested that anything of that quality could have come from this place. It was terrible. Honestly, for the lack of a better word, it was a slum. "We're here looking for the relatives of someone close to me. She's wanted to find them and well, we think that they might be around here." Dale answered, hoping that she wouldn't notice that nobody else actually wanted one of her pies. When the five strangers burst in and kissed Calxiyn, obviously unwanted, he put his drink down and strode across the room. His face was serious and he cracked his knuckles, sizing each of them up. It looked like he could take all five of the wee ****ers, not to mention the fact that apparently everyone else thought that this was incredibly weird. "So, what en tha actual **** brings you pretty boys here? Wha', did someone call in Wrong Direction or whate'er the name es?" Edric demanded. He glanced over at Thomas. "Say, d'ya wanna have a goo an' rough 'em up? After all, yer meant ta be the pretty one around here, not this lot." Boreal's face was an expression of confusion when he saw the five burst in just as he got downstairs. It seemed that everyone else was equally shocked at this turn of events. Well, he'd have to apologise to Cal for forcing that mask on her later. For now, it seemed that there were some issues with five very strange people. However, looking at them, something seemed off. He could sense something... Some sort of power. The five pretty boys standing in the Guild Hall suddenly didn't seem as funny or random. The ice wizard watched carefully. He sensed that something... Interesting was going to happen. Cal had threatened to get Evanora. He wondered if he should do so himself.
So, their big discovery following the trail was a vine trampoline. Apparently this place was getting stranger all the time. If the tracks led here, then clearly there had to be some importance to it. But... Why would animal tracks lead to a trampoline? It made no sense. But wait... "So... Someone said the island was cursed right? Johanna, you said you've turned into an elephant before..." Alessia began. "Do you think this trampoline could hold an elephant's weight?" She immediately blushed, knowing how stupid that question sounded, but what else was she meant to conclude? She looked at everyone else, feeling very self conscious that she had said something very stupid and was going to look like an idiot. "Look, the animal tracks go here and there were people on the beach before right? Maybe while they were on the beach, they transformed or something. This place is cursed right?" She hoped that people didn't laugh. She felt really, really stupid. Alessia looked down at the ground. "Someone go find tracks or something. Maybe they went away from here too." She had to add something sensible after that. Vance was panting, now out of breath as they arrived at the strange gate in the mountains. Zephyros actually contributed with useful observations, noting that there really should have been people around if the gate was as intact as it was. One would assume that such a gate would indeed be guarded, and that someone would have heralded them as soon as they were seen. They were hardly hiding their presence. Least of all, the energetic Thea whose boundless energy was driving the air from his lungs at an alarming rate. Then, Shani decided to make the helpful suggestion of blowing the gate up, and she gave him that familiar seductive look. He felt a small shudder go through him. This woman and her wiles! I'm getting mixed signals! He made an obviously confused expression and looked away. That should let her know what he was thinking. Also, she was probably aware of it anyway without his obvious tell. She seemed like the kind of woman that could read his mind. Possibly the only woman that could read his mind. I'll never understand them. He distracted herself from Shani's confusing and seemingly contradictory behaviour by ruminating upon the gate. "While I would not recommend blowing the gate up, we do need to bypass it somehow. I recommend that we try a close examination. Given that this looks relatively intact, my Arc of TIme is not likely to be of any help here." Vance suggested, his voice a natural tone of authority. He began to inspect the area around the gate to see if he could find anything, or spot a gatehouse. After all, every gate needed a gatehouse to be opened from.
