Visceral Teralidan's Story

I was startled at the smell of smoke. I threw up my hands, spilling paper,blueprints and ink everywhere over the mahogany table in front of me. I looked around quickly to make sure it wasn't one of my creations, rushing from room to room to be on the safe side, thankfully there was no fire in my home. I quickly rushed to the window of my bedroom to see a house smoking, as two other characters are leaving the scene, a man, brandishing a rather large sword, and a woman, wearing a cloak. I quickly glanced to the other window, seeing multiple guards rushing away from the burning home with torches.

I sighed, packing up almost all of my things I would need into my pack. I grabbed myself two maps, one map of Irha, and another of Halcya. I strapped on my boots, gloves, goggles, and headphones. I activated my pack, it instantly swelled to hold all of my things, and then closed iself.

"It seems the day for evacuation has come my friend.."

I look to my side, seeing a small mechanical snake swirling around my leg, my latest and greatest creation.

"Come..We are headed West.."

I quickly rushed out the door, my metal boots ker-clunking as I run.

Soon after, my entire house glows. Every creation in my house folds into the walls, floors, and ceilings. The foundation groans. The windows, shut themselves, and the doors close and lock themselves. Few villagers watching this stop and stare in awe. Thick metal plates slide up from the foundation and seal the entire house, the glowing stops soon after.

The house goes silent as it waits for my return.

I immediantly headed for the forests, trying to not suffer the same fate as the other villagers who couldn't make it in time. They are torched, beheaded and many other horrible things that I quickly brushed away from my thoughts. I stopped for a moment once I was at the edge of the forest, I see the girl and man, watching as there are multiple soldiers head towards them.

I listen in to hear them. "I guess this is one of the moments where fighting back is necessary if we can't get out of here in time."

I pity my cowardness for a moment as I fail to go to their aid, but looking at the spellbook and the man's rather large sword, I believe they can handle their own. At least long enough to make it to the forests. I shake my head and scale a tree, hiding in the branches overhead.

I was snoozing in a bush, trying to a get a few minutes rest before I continued on again, very tired from my long journey, and especially quick one too. I had munched on some bread just before I dozed off in the bushes, giving me some hiding place. Tat's when I heard the footsteps of the girl walking along the dirt path. I stirred a moment, snorting as I came too. I looked around and saw the girl, walking a few yards from my location. I quickly jumped out of the bush, sliding my pack on and walking towards her.

"Hey You! Girl!" I made my way closer, trying to seem friendly, but seeming a bit awkward.

"I wanna talk to you!"

I kept walking ignoring the fact that my shoes were tugging against me to walk in the other direction, away from the girl. After I kicked them into the ground, they stopped resisting and let me continue on towards the girl. I thought how I should start off the conversation, Hello? Who are you? What is your name? I continued on towards her, stopping at a safe distance in front of her.

"Uhmm....Hello there!"

I adjusted the straps on my pack as I waited for a response from the girl wearing the long Liberated Cloak, who I didn't seem to recognize. I assumed that she was the girl in Irha who shut herself inside her house, like me. I felt a slight moment of happiness as I walked over to her.

For hours, Krystal thought of what to do once she had reached the Elven Forest Borderlines. If all went well, then the Elves would see the predicament taking place and would welcome a fellow mage with open arms. But naturally, not all people were kind hearted, and it was foolish to expect the best to happen no matter what events were to take place. It would also be foolish to expect the worst, being that they would bombard her with arrows and nature spells the moment they saw the purple cloaked girl. Looking upon her surroundings, she saw only grass, hills, and maybe a tree here and there. She wasn't the kind of person who liked the countryside, especially walking through such a sea of green. It seemed endless and tired her greatly. With a sigh, she continued on her long walk far after the sun had risen from the horizon, and by noon the forest was a mere mile or so away. It wouldn't be long before she reached the forest, and as it seemed, long before everyone else as well. Her thoughts were both cut off and jinxed as someone yelled from behind her.

"Uhmm....Hello there!", someone had yelled to her. Turning her head to glance over, she saw a Human with brown hair and gold welding goggles who was covered in leaves. He was rather short with skin almost as pale as Krystal's, who raised an eyebrow upon seeing the Hybrid approaching. She knew him to be one of the other shut-in townsfolk who lived in Irha before the raid. If she remembered correctly, the man was named Visceral Jan Teralidan who was said to be raised by Dwarves despite his Niethen blood. She had only seen him a few times on coincidence that they were both outside at the same time, though it barely surprised Krystal that he had somehow caught up to her. With all the technology he could have created over the years, it was highly improbable that he didn't have something for moving faster. She also took notice to the fact that he was a year younger than her.

"Hullo, Visceral of Irha. I was unaware of your following of me," she said, her voice as if it were reading a boring declaration by the Kings, "it seems that you are heading to the Elven Forests for shelter as well?" she continued. Turning her head back forward, she saw the forest line coming up, towering trees, deep blue rivers and all; though something else had caught her eye. "...Oh my...", she simply muttered, before she seemingly hovered toward the forest at above a sprinting pace. At this speed, even a royal messenger couldn't outrun her. There, laying at the foot of a tree, was an Elf. Though Krystal was able to identify the Elf as something more. Using her affinity with the Ancient Language, she was able to see an aurora which identify the Elf as a High Elf, one of large magical potential. It didn't seem that there were any other Elves nearby, which made Krystal all the more concerned. It took her about twenty minutes to reach the girl, and in that time she hadn't seen any Elves hiding within the trees. However, the trees here were tall, and it was hard to tell if there were any around or if they were actually hiding, using the High Elf as bait for unwary travelers. Though as a mage, Krystal saw it best to aid the Elf rather than leaving her to die. If she were in injury, she would need cleric services, however she would also need to be sent back into the forests as to avoid the Fanatic army. Kneeling down by the High Elf, she quickly checked for signs of injury. "...She's only sleeping...", she said. With a sigh, Krystal stood, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. Hovering wasn't a difficult spell, but became tiring after prolonged usage, just as how running tired the body. With another look over the Elf, Krystal sat down.

Why was a High Elf at the forest edge, much less, sleeping? Probably to see if any survivors of the attack were coming, her mind retorted. But everyone else is at least a quarter day away? But you were the only one smart enough to move early, she countered her thoughts again. Mental conversations and hard logic governed her judgement and perception of various situations, whether for better or for worse. Looking down to the Elf again, Krystal could only shrug as she came to a decision. The Hybrid would be approaching soon, and just a couple of hours after that, a good third of the Irha people. It wouldn't bode well for the Elf if she slept through this, since there was no telling what would happen should the survivors stumble upon a defenseless Elf. With her mind made up, Krystal formed a dark purple light in her left hand and held it near the sleeping High Elf. The spell she was using was of Dark origin, but had grown popular among many illusionists as a dream-altering spell. By many Dark mages in Ancient times, it was used to attack people through their dreams and even emotionally scar them past sanity. However in these times when the Darkness was powerless, the spell was used to manipulate and see into others' dreams; in this case it was being used to wake the Elf up from her slumber. As she finished muttering the Ancient words to the spell, Krystal could only wait until the High Elf woke up to the warm yet chilling dark glow of Krystal's left hand.

"Hullo, Visceral of Irha. I was unaware of your following of me, it seems that you are heading to the Elven Forests for shelter as well?" Her voice strangely resembled that of a speech a king would make, as if she had already prepared for this. I quickly focused my power and glimpsed into her mind, not far enough to where she could feel my presence.

"Ah Yes..Krystal Opeya.." I smiled. "I do have something to move faster..But I prefer to travel on foot.." I grinned at my remark "..I am headed towards an Elven settlement..to seek refuge for a short time before heading back to the dwarves.."

I pull out a small metal circle, it shows a strap for me to put my forearm in, but the metal is unlike anything you would see in Irha, due to it's texture and color. I pull out a pair of tweasers and pull out a piece of metal, showing the intricate wiring system that is baffling to see. I attach to wires to another and I slid away the circle into my pack, which glowed with differant symbols and rune signs. I sighed, looking at the Elf and Krystal, wondering what she could be doing. My mind went into overdrive in thought, She is probably gazing into the Elf's mind to wake her. I shook my head, realizing that, based on the Ancient Language words she was speaking.

"You need to hide her....It takes to long to wake someone.." I suggested, not even thinking about the Elf. "I believe it will use some of your energy that you will need for traveling..Unless we are in the vicinity of an Elven Village perhapse?"

I looked at my watch, which was ticking away. I sighed and resisted the urdge to take off, without the girl. I sat down and waited for her to finish her spell, which seemed to be of Dark Origin. I took a piece of bread from my pack and munched on it, not having some food for a while.

Rin slowly opened her eyes to a warm feeling, she assumed it was the sun but was shocked as to find that it was a person. Next to her sat a human in a purple colored cloak, instantly Rin saw the dark glow and assumed that she was being attacked. She jumped up as fast as she could and took two steps back.

"Who are you, why are you here, leave this place don’t bring us into your war."

Rin had many more questions but she froze up when she realized that stranger had been using magic. Rin didn’t know much of the outside world so she never expected any other race to know magic. This put Rin on the defensive, judging people’s strength at first glance was not Rin's strong suit she had to be careful and observe. Rin whispered something in the Ancient language, as she finished a nearby small pool of water swirled through the air into Rin's right hand forming a bubble inclosing her hand. Rin glanced around looking to see if the stranger was alone, but didn’t notice anyone else out in the open but who knows how many others could’ve been hidden.

"I only have a few questions that you will answer. Who are you and what do you intend to do here." Rin said attempting to sound intimidating.

Rin had never been in a magic on magic battle before, she was scared more than anyone could imagine, and she surprised herself that she was able to even stabilize her spell. Rin was an expert at hiding how she really felt, thought the many years of practice, but even now she didn’t know if she could hide how nervous and frightened she was.

I looked upon the frightened Elf, stepping from out of the trees. I instantly became worried as soon as I saw her casting a spell. The water wrapped around her hand like a bubble. I realized this Elf new what she was doing. I quickly pulled out my metal sphere, slipping it onto my forearm. I grabbed the mechanical snake and it straightened out in my hand, it sharpened and folded itself quickly into a battle axe. The circle however, slid out into a magnificent shield with a giant V on the front of it. I posed in a battle stance at the Elf, not wishing to attack but fearing for Krystal's safety.

"We aren't here to harm you...Now please...Stop the Spell.." I said calmly hoping this would not frighten the poor Elf and cause her to attack.

"We were just trying to help you wake up.." I said quietly. "We do not want to bring in any war..We are just here for safety in a Elven Village..Is there by chance one near here?"

My eyes were totally cold and lifeless, like staring into a void, while my voice was very soothing and quiet. The gears from my boots whirred as I stood there in silence. My Battle Axe hissed and shook for a moment, pointing itself at you.

"Now will you just stop the spell? Please?" I looked at Krystal for a moment, then back to the Elf, waiting for a response from her as I hold my weapons in a strange defensive stance.

Krystal got up immediately as the High Elf scrambled herself to stand from the grass she had slept on, causing the spell to fizzle. "Who are you, why are you here, leave this place, don’t bring us into your war.", the High Elf quickly said before getting a good look at who Krystal really was. Krystal, taking a step back, tried to make a calming gesture as the Elf summoned an orb of water around her hand. "I only have a few questions that you will answer. Who are you and what do you intend to do here.", the High Elf continued with an intimidating tone. Krystal was about to think of a defensive spell to fortify the enchantments on her cloak, but stopped when she noticed the shape of the water orb. Of coarse the orb was round, all orbs were round, but something else bothered her. As an Illusionist, she was able to keep track on the flow of magic around her as well as where strong sources of magic were coming from. With her years of study inside what used to be her room, she knew how many spells worked from the inside out; what words summoned them, what part of the body to focus the magic in, how to "feel" the spell to control it easier, what may affect the spell's efficiency, and even a small bit on how to counter a spell. However, the ability to use the Cultheu's Eye spell to take full advantage of her knowledge had eluded her. It was still obvious to Krystal what was wrong with the spell the Elf was using. The art of physical manipulation is a difficult school of learning due to the many "styles" there are to each element of casting. The water around the High Elf's hand seemed to be condensing the water around it. The Elf was afraid, and wasn't paying attention to how strict of a control she was holding over the water.

"We aren't here to harm you, now please, stop the spell", Visceral said, once again sneaking up on Krystal. "We were just trying to help you wake up. We do not want to bring in any war, we are just here for safety in a Elven Village. Is there by chance one near here?", he continued. Krystal gave a sigh. If it had been anyone else, she would have socked him with an Illusion of Strength spell on the spot. Calm wasn't always the answer, in fact, calm is what gets some High Elves even more agitated. Krystal also doubted that the High Elf wanted him anywhere near the Elven Villages anyway. Krystal motioned to Visceral to lower his weapons from their defensive position.

"It is as he says. We're not here to harm you. My spell was only one to awaken you, that is all. Now if you will please cease your spell, unless you want your hand to be crushed." Krystal said. It wasn't often that extreme condensing of a spell would crush something on accident, but there were times where it has happened in the past. "My name is Firiyilo Opeya, or Shimmercrystal of Mirrors. If you hadn't already taken notice to the rising smoke in the distance, then you would know that the town of Irha was burning to the ground as we speak.", she said. It seemed strange that her full name was actually translated from the Elven language. "I believe I should tell you that a fanatic Human army is on it's way to the forest as well at a day's march away. If it may be possible, I wish to take shelter in your forests or maybe even assist in a defensive effort against the invaders.", she continued. Krystal could only pray that the High Elf would see how much danger the both of them, along with the entire forest, were in with the equivalent of half the Royal Guard on their way directly to where they stood.

It hadn't been long since An'xilii had left her campsite. She had covered the last embers of her flames with dirt and had moved her logs to give the appearance that no one had been there. Adjusting the bag that hung from her hips, the young woman was making the long walk through the forests to the Elven village that lay in the center of it.

'How many years has it been...?' She lamented lightly to herself, a pang of melancholy briefly hitting her before dissipating. Yes, it had been many many years ago indeed, when she had still been a child that she had been brought to see the other Elf clan. She had been too young to understand it, but the forest dwellers were different from her kin. They did not live in hot climates and did not seem to hear the voice of chaos, of darkness, within their minds. Yveruhn. She inwardly swore to herself in her native tongue. A tinge of annoyance, tart against her tongue, remembering faintly the air of purity and superiority this type of elf seemed to carry. Honestly, how anyone could get to be that full of themselves, she couldn't be very sure...

She paced herself so that the mechanical skeletons could still manage to keep up with her, their small bodies scattering about at her feet. She was not expecting a warm welcome; news of her apparent fall from grace was certain to have traveled to them. She tsk'd to herself as she lifted herself over a large, fallen branch, her skeletons choosing to burrow in the ground and clear the obstacle that way. She swung her hair over her shoulders, a frown now very apparent upon her lips.

Of a sudden, the Dark Elf came to a halt, her ears picking up murmurs from somewhere within the forest. There wasn't supposed to be anyone here, not for a few miles... The voices weren't very loud, which gave her the impression whoever they belonged to were still some meters off. She was cautious now, choosing to quietly approach the direction the voices were coming from. She would not get answers simply by being idle, but it would not do for her to rush in there without thought. Tensing ever so slightly, she moved silently, akin to a shadow as she gradually drew closer to the voices and their owners.

She only caught the end of the dialogue, the voice seemingly male. "...is there any chance there's one near here? Village? She squinted and placed her hand against a tree trunk, daring to peek a bit closer to get a better look at what was going on. The first thing that caught her eye was the man whose voice she had heard. No, not man... The hand against the tree tightened into a fist. It was a hybrid, one of the most disgusting combinations even remotely possible. Resisting the urge to hurl on the spot, she instead turned her attentions to the other figure, a female with a long cloak talking to something in front of her. She couldn't be sure exactly what it was and stood on her tiptoes, thinking perhaps a slight elevation of height may help her to see whoever was there. And perhaps it would help her hear better too--the tones that she was picking up seemed to be rather terse and on-edge.

This proved to be a mistake, as her necro-companions had thought she was about to move forwards, rather than just upwards. One of her creatures bumped into her ankle, falling over and, in only this precise moment, did she hate her inventions. The small skeleton's gears fell from it's body, the noise it made when it's mechanics seemed to all spring apart quite loud in the quietness of the forest. Instantly, she groaned, fighting back the string of curses that burst to her lips and instead looking down to glare at her skeletons, their grins seemingly less content as she did so. An'xilii was not a very social woman and wanted to avoid all contact if she could with these rather filthy outsiders.

She spoke a few words heatedly under her breath, her small companions freezing on the spot and then burrowing into the ground, shoving the dirt back into place rather rapidly. She tied her scarf tighter around her neck and jumped, her hands grasping at the above branch of the tree. She pulled herself up, expertly she might add with a taste of pride, and released a sigh. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the smartest idea. Hiding up a tree wasn't exactly the sneakiest of getaways when she could've just backed away and went around them through the forest. Too late for those thoughts now. Oh well--at least from up here, she'd have a nice vantage point.

I looked at Krystal as she motioned me to put my weapons down. I grunted and slid my shield away, while my axe changed back into a mechanical snake. My ears twitched, I quickly looked around, hearing something feint in the distance. It sounded like springs jumping apart.

"Krystal. Hush." I motioned for her to be quiet as I looked around, and then touching my hand to the ground. A sudden pulse went through the ground, strong enough to be felt. I closed my eyes, then quickly opening them, realizing there is someone watching us.

"Dark Elf..Watching us...Female...She is getting to higher ground.." I turned over in her direction. "She has...Machines.." I grunted, my fists swelled up, multiple runes showing up on my hands. I focused on the area, not speaking.

"Ready yourself, I have no chance of being of guard..." I looked at Krystal and the Elf for a moment, sighing.

"Better yet..Get yourselves to a settelement..I'll handle this..Considering how they wouldn't like me there anyways.." I looked at Krystal, knowing this from reading her mind for a moment.

I readied myself with my battle Axe and shield, looking in the direction of the Dark Elf. Inside I hope she is friendly and I will not have to fight. I ready myself into a defensive stance.

"We aren't here to harm you...Now please...Stop the Spell."

Out of nowhere the man appered wearing all these different funny shaped parts, almost giving Rin a heart attack. She looked between them and almost lost control of her spell. There were two and one used magic which Rin had not yet fully mastered countering. She looked at both of them trying to judge her options but she knew the outcome would not be in her favor.

"We were just trying to help you wake up.." "We do not want to bring in any war. We are just here for safety in a Elven Village. Is there by chance one near here?"

His voice was soothing but his eyes still brought showed he was serious. Rin looked at the human in the cloak and felt as if it was the truth she had probably saved Rin by waking her up. But then she looked over at the man with the metal weapons and she couldn’t bring herself to trust them. But she couldn’t give up her fellow elves by just giving out there location to anyone that wanted to know. She had to be quick with her thoughts, hide her fear and somehow get out fo this on top. Rin thought the only way out of this was to be forceful so she instantly put on her fake high elf persona which she had come to easily master over the many years.

"Ha you think that I would give up my fellow elves, you are sadly mistaken. If you think you will be able to push me around you are a fool now I suggest you leave those oddly shaped weapons of you might scare any passing travelers and then I will have to get serious." Rin said with her fake high elf demeanor.

Rin took hand started to shake, she had never been good at long lasting control over the elements, and she was good at quick casting attacks and defenses but never constant hold. She felt her body slowly going numb here and there. But she had to keep telling herself that they are outsiders and all they want is her village. She repeated telling herself that in her head. Rin hadn’t felt threatened by the mage in the purple cloak, which surprised Rin, but as on queue with the mage asking her to cease her spell her hand went numb at her side and the water dropped to the ground. Right when Rin heard the name Firiyilo Opeya most of her worries subsided, it was an elven translation which means she most likely had no ill intentions towards the elven people. The mage said something about Irha and it had been odd to see so much smoke

"I believe I should tell you that a fanatic Human army is on it's way to the forest as well at a day's march away. If it may be possible, I wish to take shelter in your forests or maybe even assist in a defensive effort against the invaders."

Rin knew there were many fanatics out there but to fully burn down a village it would not seem unreasonable that they would head straight for the elves next. She also noticed that Krystal didn’t even bring up the village she only requested shelter in the forest or a little help. This caught Rin off guard instantly she wanted to help Krystal but there was also the other person the man with the metal weapons. Without Rin's knowledge she let go of her high elf persona.

"I can’t get you to a whole town or settlement because there guarded by there is a small village nearby that welcomes outsiders, and since there is only a few of you, it might be ok." Rin said hesitantly.

Rin knew the village had been abandoned so it was safe to take them there but she had told them other towns and settlements where nearby and guarded. She had lowered her guard because of the kindness Krystal showed. She reassured herself that she would not let herself be used but for now she had to play along.

"I can’t get you to a whole town or settlement because they're guarded, but there is a small village nearby that welcomes outsiders, and since there is only a few of you, it might be okay.", the High Elf said with some hesitation. Krystal looked down into the new puddle of water that had formed after the Elf had dropped her manipulation spell. The hold must have been powerful, as Krystal could sense a slight bit of magic still radiating from the puddle. Well, she thought to herself, at least I didn't end up on the wrong side of that spell. Krystal looked back up to the High Elf.

She wore a darker shade of purple than Krystal did, with a golden crest holding the cape attached at her neck together, and her hair was a strange shade of blue that tricked Krystal's eyes for purple if she didn't focus hard enough. Her cape radiated with enchantments to catch the swipe of blades and arrowfire, which contrasted from the many magic enhancing and absorbing enchantments which Krystal's clothing had concealed within various layers of fabric. Krystal's cape even had enchantments on the outside of her cloak, where the Elf's attire did not. The cape itself was jet black with gold highlights consistent to that of the rest of the High Elf's clothing, and seemed to hold a sense of being larger than it seemed to look. Krystal's cape went down to her ankles and was purple on the outside and a dark purple on the inside. It had a massive yet dangerous enchantment on the inside which absorbs dark energy which is stored in the cape. This keeps Krystal's spells "cleaner", but this dark energy must be filtered out every so often. It was the best kept of the Opeya family secrets: A passed down affinity to Dark magic, which causes Krystal and other family members to produce Dark energy over time. Never once has Krystal actually used a Dark spell to attack someone, yet she has in her past taken an interest in how to cast it just in case anything happened.

"The choice is yours", she said with her still flat tone, even if she was trying not to be forceful on the decision. It was known that people who often practiced magic would deteriorate a part of their minds which gave tone to speech due to how much of the mind was needed to control a spell. "I have no knowledge of the forest, though, and it would be hard for me to continue should I go on my-" Krystal was cut off after a distant noise was heard crashing through the peaceful silence of the forest. She wondered what it could have been, since she couldn't make out just where it came from. Was it a sword dropping, or just an animal trap going off? Either way, she knew that the three of them weren't alone. Krystal quickly thought of the situation as she watched the trees above for anything. The fanatics had no possible way to get here in less than a day due to their heavy armor and large numbers, there may have been some Elves lurking in the trees (in which case it would be near impossible to see them); though with the distant fire, the Elves would be fortifying their village defenses instead of watching a High Elf sleep. Unless they were perverted or something.

Looking down from the trees, Krystal spoke to the High Elf once more. "At this point, I doubt you have any personal guards hidden in the trees. I do not mean to rush, but if you intend on taking us to safety, then you must hurry." Logically, it wouldn't be surprising that a squad or two of Fanatics had already reached the forest and were performing recon of the surrounding area. Though this was a possibility, Krystal couldn't appear hostile toward the High Elf, even if it meant keeping her defensive spells lowered. She had no idea what the High Elf was thinking, whether she trusted Krystal or not, or even if she planned on killing her where she stood. At this point, Krystal realized something. "By the way... What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

An'xilii held her breath when the cloaked girl had turned, those blank eyes searching the trees as if aware something was out of place. Biting her lip, she very carefully edged a bit closer to the tree trunk to better be obscured by the leaves. For once, her scarf was not helping her to stand out and blended rather nicely into the color scheme, a fact she hoped was helping her. Apparently it did, for it wasn't long after that the cloaked girl turned her attentions back to whatever she was talking to. 'Or whoever.' An'xilii added the thought quickly; she didn't think someone could be that involved talking to themselves. Unless it was the disgusting hybrid heathen. Yep, definitely not below something like that.

She raised her spidery fingers to her mouth to cover an amused grin, now was definitely not the time for snide, internal comments. She had to focus on whatever they were discussing, perhaps she'd be able to pick up information pertaining to the Elven village. As slowly as she could with rustling any of the branches of their leaves, An'xilii stepped on each branch lightly. Each step brought her just a bit closer to the group without arousing suspicion to her location (or so she thought). After taking her first several steps, the conversation began to grow clearer, her ears picking up the words more easily.

"... do not mean to rush, but if you intend on taking us to safety, then you must hurry." The girl's tone was as flat as her expression, one to which An'xilii instinctively yawned. Being one for getting bored easy, such lax vocal qualities did ill for her interest. She immediately turned her head to the side, eyes staring off into space. It was then that she spotted it, or more specifically them. They weren't overly far off, but not obtrusively close to the spot where the strangers were conversing. However, she could just barely make out two of the Forest Dwellers, both looking to be something resembling a patrol. That's when it hit her. The cloaked girl must be talking to an Elf! It was the only logical solution.

Turning back to the conversation, now a bit on edge due to this new realization, she just about caught the last bit of it. "What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?" She strained her ears to hear the next response, leaning forwards and keeping herself balanced and supported by leaning against the large trunk of the tree. Too bad she wasn't paying closer attention to what she was standing on, or else she would've noticed that the branch was already starting to snap and wasn't going to be able to hold her weight much longer.

"The choice is yours"

Rin knew she had to keep an eye on Krystal and maybe she could pick up a few things from a fellow mage. She looked over at Visceral stull not sure of what to make of him but better to take them to an abandoned village then have them roam into a unguarded area. She looked back over at the smoke as it slowly started to die down, if what the two said was true Rin knew she would need to gather more aid for the elven people if war was to break out they would not be ready.

"I have no knowledge of the forest, though, and it would be hard for me to continue should I go on my-"

Krystal looked around suddenly; Rin had though she had heard something but in this part of the forest animals were all over so little sounds like branches and leaves never stood out. Krystal looked as if she was assessing the situation which worried Rin. She got the feeling that this was not the time to be standing around and that they should be getting a move on.

"At this point, I doubt you have any personal guards hidden in the trees. I do not mean to rush, but if you intend on taking us to safety, then you must hurry."

Guards, hidden, even with Rin's social status it would be usual for a many guards to be following her but because she left the household so long ago by now no more guards had tagged along. She quickly scanned the area but with the trees being so tall and the grass in this area dense it would be almost impossible to spot anyone if they had any hiding skill what so ever. Rin took a deep breath to re-gain her composer and to put back on her fake persona.

"Fine I guess it would be a smart idea to move, but don’t think I am doing this because there are two of you, I can handle myself. But we better get moving these...fanatics may be dangerous but these forests hold other dangers as well."

Rin picked up her staff and bag which had been lying on the ground. She stretched her fingers as Rin slowly was getting feeling back. Right as she was getting ready to go she heard something she had not heard in a long time. The girl had asked for her name, due to her family’s popularity and riches most knew of her and family, that or she had never over the years stayed in one place long enough for someone to care about what her name might be. At first she felt as if a false name might be safer because they could attempt to use her as ransom, but Rin felt as if they were not those kind of people, she still had her worries about the big guy but overall, this may be the outside aid the elves need if they are to overcome what lies ahead she told herself.

"Um...my name is...Rin, well we better get a move on before it gets dark or we could get into some nasty trouble."

Rin started to walk at looked over her shoulder to make sure they were following her and not attempting to do anything underhanded. Her eyes were drawn to the man with the lifeless eyes, his voice had been soft but his eyes seemed as if they held a mystery just waiting to be unlocked. As she was walking she keep looking around still thinking about Krystal's comment on if there were any guards nearby. While walking Rin whirled around to face the man with the pale complexion still having a few questions about him.

"It would be only polite for someone of my class as to ask your name." She said sticking to her fake demeanor.

"Um... My name is... Rin. Well, we better get a move on before it gets dark or we could get into some nasty trouble.", she had said before picking up her things and heading out.

Krystal nodded, and looking around the trees once more, set off to follow Rin. Over the coarse of the journey, it became apparent to Krystal that Rin still didn't trust Visceral due to the many sideways glances she always threw at the mechanic to make sure he wasn't doing anything suspicious. To be honest, Krystal had to admit that she didn't trust Visceral either. There were only a couple of times when she had seen him, after all, and Gods only knew what he built for a living within that transforming house of his. Solidifying her face a bit more, Krystal looked off into the wilderness at her right in thought. She wondered if Arko made it out of the town alive after he had challenged the Fanatic commander, and whether she would ever see him again. She thought about the things she should have taken with her that she had forgotten back at her house, which was by now most likely burnt to ashes. She wondered about where the townspeople who escaped to the north and south were now, and if they had found shelter or not. She had to fight back tears when she thought about her mother, who never returned home the night of the raid. This led to thoughts of her lost father, then to a long trance in which she pondered what her father thought about the events taking place now. Krystal didn't notice when Rin had asked for Visceral's name.

Where was her father, anyway? The last she had heard, Krystal's father had been in combat relief after a minor battle with a Dwarven rebellion on the far eastern side of Halcya. After that, Krystal was told that he just seemed to disappear without a trace. He was probably the military's most powerful combat mage, who was said to incorporate a "special touch" to his spells that accounted for his domain over what seemed to be whatever spell he practiced. Krystal knew that it was only Dark magic at work, however, since he had passed down his skill of the impure arts to her. With a sigh, Krystal brushed her hand under the cape of her cloak and felt the burning frostbite of her enchantment at work. Her father had enchanted each and every one of her cloaks and cloths himself, and had placed the same Dark Absorption enchantment on each. Without it, Krystal probably wouldn't be where she was now.

Krystal moved her hand to the neck of her cloak where a silver needle was kept safely tucked away within a secret fold in the fabric. The needle was about as thin as a paper clip and five inches long, and glowed blue with enchantments covering the entire needle when she grasped it. It was very sharp, crafted for quickly piercing the skin very delicately before causing pain. This needle fueled her Ars-Magia spell, which she had spent well near an entire month practicing to a point where she could just barely use it. Testing the tip of the needle for sharpness, she then slid the needle back away after seeing that it was still in mint condition. Looking back up, she saw the leaves rustle with the wind and birds flying around and through the thick green forest, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Still, however, Krystal kept an eye out for the rest of the journey.

I looked into the Elves eyes, then grazing into her mind everso carefully. I found some additional information from her memories, but she did not know that I had done this, or so I think.

"Ah yes...Rin Veling..." I continued to walk, considering on saying nothing more, all the noise I make is the sound of my pack rustling and the Whirring of my metal boots.

I glanced over at Krystal, watching her for a moment as I considered I left my blueprints for a new creation. I kicked the dirt trying to remember exactly what they looked like. It was a Niethe Enchanter, a versitile weapon that was made to enchant the nearest weapons around them, it was a very sturdy machine, standing at about 5 feet tall, but it lacked in defence, unlike my other creations. The other creations I have made seemed to have a mind of their own to others, considering the heavy enchantments I have placed upon them, the only problem with enchant SO much, is that it takes up too much energy to create the runes. I kick myself for not grabbing those blueprints. But I am thankful that I got out in time, and lucky that my house went into lockdown, waiting for my return. I sighed as I looked at Rin Veling, her cloak moving in the wind. I checked behind me to make sure we were not being followed by anyone, or anything else. I decide on this time to focus on reassembling my Ga'tora, a Niethen defender. I wind the dial on the little machine and set it on the ground. The machine springs to life and zips around me on one wheel. I smile and then frown again as it falls apart. I grumble and pick this peices up, assembling them in a speed that is looked at as a blur to everyone else. I glanced up at Rin and Krystal and continued the journey, listening to them speak.

An'xilii was teetering on the edge of the tree limb, violet eyes narrowed in an attempt to see the Elf girl, who had strode in front of the others as if leading them somewhere. The girls' voice just burst with an air of superiority and a sense of arrogance An'xilii had come to learn could learn to none other than a High Elf. "Um... my name is... Rin, well we better get a move on before it gets dark or we could run into some nasty trouble." Her ear drums literally cringed from having to listen to the snooty airs that this girl put on. The name did sound a little familiar though... Oh well, she'd never really been that good with names, not for as boring as she found most people.

The three figures began walking in the direction the Elf girl had gestured to--well, clearly, if she knew her way around the forest, she'd know where the village was. An'xilii would just have to swallow her disgust for the insect attractant and just focus on the two women; at least until she followed them far enough where she could make her way to the village on her own. She went to lower herself from the tree but as soon as she shifted her weight, the branch snapped and the young woman released something akin to a strangled gasp of surprise. Privately, she was glad no one was there to see such a falter in such a manner.

In retrospect, that tree climbing really did turn out to be a horrid idea. She was now clinging on to a branch and trying to regain her balance whilst hovering a nice distance from the ground. Her noises did not go unnoticed and she groaned inwardly as she heard a few shouts, more than likely from the patrol she had heard earlier. She was caught between a rock and a hard spot. Avoiding the patrol would be one thing, but she didn't know her way through the forest. If she waited too long, she'd lose sight of the High Elf and with that, all bearing on how to get to the village. And blindly running around would not be a safe bet at this point.

Sighing deeply, she tilted her head backwards so that she could see the ground and gave a low whistle. The rocks beneath her began to shift a bit as her little creations poked their heads out from the ground, to passerby, seemingly just skulls sitting there in the dirt. She pointed somewhat clumsily (given her disposition) at the direction the patrol would be wandering from and spoke a few syllables in her native tongue. The smiles of her pets were all that greeted her before they climbed out of their spots in the ground and went bounding off towards the patrol. Better to take care of part of the problem before it came back to bite her in the bum.

Fidgeting, it took her a few tries, the bark making it a bit rough to turn on. After a few more failed attempts, she finally was able to hoist herself topside and stood up on the limb, immediately walking back towards the trunk. She was quick to work her way down, not wishing to have a repeat of the unfortunate episode she just had to go through. As her feet touched the ground, she heard a far off sort of yell and a wide grin spread across her features. Well, at least that takes care of that~ Now, to find those three before they got too far ahead. She didn't hesitate as she made her way in the direction she'd seen the others leave in; her inventions could catch up to her later, they knew her scent. She departed in lighter spirits, today was starting to shape up to be a rather nice day on the whole.

As they walked, and walked slowly the sun lowered itself across the sky. The dark night drifted upon them as they made their way to the small village. Rin didn’t hear any wolves out tonight which was weird because they always were out near the edge of the forest. She thought to herself maybe the increase in people scared them away. They kept walking through the fast approaching night as the sun set they were almost at their destination. Rin looked behind her at the two.

"What is your plan for after we arrive at the village?"

Rin still had many questions for them but as the sun slowly went down Rin got worried they wouldn’t have enough time to get to the abandoned village. She thought to herself it’s not safe to travel through the forest at night. But the only closer village is near the edge of the forest and by now who knows what group of people could be there. She looked back at the other, and they looked like they could handle themselves. In the end it didn’t matter to her but she didn’t want too just surprise them with a change in course.

"It's getting late and we don't have time to make it to where I thought so its your choice if you want to go through the dangerous forest at night, or head towards a village that is closer to the edge of the forest which could be risky, either way I am fine with both."

It was getting late and Rin was tired which meant it was harder and harder to keep her persona up. She took a deep breath of the woodland air to wake up a little. She looked at the two waiting to see what kind of solution they would come up with. In Rin's mind the better the problem solver the better the person, even though it didn’t always work that way.

The sun began to set over the horizon, but the trees above and around the group had already obscured most of the remaining sunlight. Krystal was already nearing a full days worth of uptime, and quickly began to feel tired. She tightened her belts a bit as a painful reminder to not fall asleep while walking. Her book also jabbed into her side a bit, causing her to solidify her flat expression even more in a hidden sign of pain. "It's getting late, and we don't have time to make it to where I thought. It's your choice if you want to go through the dangerous forest at night, or head towards a village that is closer to the edge of the forest, which could be risky. Either way, I am fine with both.", Rin said as she turned to look at them. She along with her surroundings were becoming harder and harder to see due to how dark the forest was getting, and it was very quickly getting darker. Despite this, heading to a village closer seemed just as treacherous. What if the Fanatics had already invaded, or what if they invade overnight? Krystal thought about both options before speaking.

"I think it would be safer to continue on our original destination. We all need sleep, and a lively village is much more likely to attract the attention of Fanatics on night raids.", Krystal said after coming to a conclusion. As she said this, she held her gloved hand in front of her and began tracing a rune burnt into the fabric with her other hand. As she finished tracing, a dark purple light glowed from the rune and quickly brightened into a light to help guide their way. As the rune was activated, she felt a slight gnawing at her insides, but ignored the feeling of the Darkness reaching for her. With all of her Dark spells came such an uncomfortable feeling. The change in lighting may have caused strain on the others' eyes, however Krystal was able to see through it perfectly since it was a Dark spell. In fact, the spell wasn't meant to be used at this brightness at all, since it only requires a nearly unseeable shine to see the entirety of her surroundings. The spell was only as bright as it is so the others could see where they were going. "I can keep this light on as long as we need... Let's just get to the village." she said, cupping her hands so the light only was only facing in front of them, the leaves a bright blue and the tree bark a sickly dark pale around them in the night.

The darkness fell upon them quickly. Soon there was almost no light, they had chosen to push onwards, Krystal used some kind of spell to create a light source just bright enough to travel but not as bright as to get spotted by and eye's looking for trouble. As they approached the village the moon was up and the wolves where howling. On the final stretch to the village Rin could have swore she heard something nearby, from how close it sounded and the sound of the twigs breaking it was no animal. Where they were there was a small ledge that went about fifteen feet down and nearby there was a small river that went from the heart of the forest to the edge. Rin thought to herself that what if the fanatics following the river, but it was not common knowledge that this river lead to the heart of the forest. The village was nearby along the side of the river, it could be dangerous because of fanatics but by now elven guards had to have been posted nearby. Rin glanced at the two behind, Rin was in such deep thought that she slipped and took a dive down the ledge.

Rin was in a half dazed state, her eyes were blurry from the fall. She blinked once and looked up the river bank a little; from where she was she had a clear view up the river and could see the village. Rin blinked a few time as she looked back down the river where she could see a trade post that was a good bit away from the edge of the forest now. She thought she saw something for a second so she blinked a few times to clear up her vision then she froze up when she had a clear view of it. Standing to left of the trade post was two scout looking guys holding torches. These men were armed which gave Rin the impression they were not friendly. Rin thought to herself as she laid there on the ground if there scouts are this far there forces must have already breached the start of the forest tree line. She tried to get up but noticed her ankle was twisted in an abnormal looking way, she looked back at the scouts as they slowly started heading up the river, right towards their direction. Rin could fix her ankle with a few water spells but her mind was still shaking and her vision dazed she knew she couldn’t use magic in this state. She looked back up the sloop she had slipped down in an attempt to warn Krystal and Visceral but all she saw was a blur. To dazed to even speak Rin focused on two blur’s which she assumed was Krystal and Visceral, all she could hope for was that one of the two if they came down to help her would see the scouts before they saw them.