Story of the Staff, Continued...

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"Neither. No need to draw your weapons, I won't fight you. I have been sent by the Second Source himself to ensure that you won't muck up in your quest," Kenneth sneered and bent down to pick up her sword. She looked disgusted.

"I wouldn't had revealed myself unless necessary, but as the pointy-ear detected my presence in his mind, I had to. In my opinion, we shouldn't care about what happens, but our Source thinks differently and thus I have been sent. You will not reject my help."

 

"Wheres Callain?" asked Glamrod as he counted the group.

With the entry of the sentinel, Callain had continued. There had been too many interuptions already, and this time he wasn't going to wait for the others.

His pace quickened, turning into a jog, and then a run. He darted forwards, and not once did his pace lessen, he just went on. The others could carry onto the shrine if they wanted, but Callain's quest had changed.

He needed to rescue Kibrani as soon as possible, and in his own mind, the others were simply weighing him down. Alone he could infiltrate Drogul's palace with minimal difficulty and kill that bastard Ragnar. Callain wasn't stupid though, he knew where the orders to capture Kibrani had come from. He would also go for the head of the snake...

 

"That way.", Illith'Hen said, pointing East. "Callain is not particularly careful about others knowing his way."
"Good work Sentinel." Glamrod grunted, following Illith'Hen. She promtly disappered again. Second and Third exchanged glances. Another enemy here.

The party set off at a quick enough pace. Soon Illith'Hen had no more trouble following Callain's trail. The path kept straight as an arrow for about an hour. Then it was gone. Illith'Hen searched the perimeter after telling everyone to stand very still. He found some footsteps, but it was Beroth who pointed North and started off. Illith'Hen did not like taking that mans' orders but even the Staff was quiet.
As if it required him to do some task before showing him the way. He should really be looking for the next power of the staff. Illith'Hen carried on with these thoughts filling his mind.

 

Though she had disappeared from their sight, Kenneth was still following them. her job was to make sure that they wouldn't muck it up and she was always ready to interfere when needed.

 

I have no idea where this should go next, so I'm just going to stir things up.

There was mistrust in the party. Mistrust so thick it could imperil the quest.
Second and Third mistrusted everyone but themselves, seeming comrades but being really assassins. In turn, Beroth watched them, wary as any hunter. Iliith'Hen was beginning to despair, finding none to trust be himself and Glamrod, who had been with him at the start. Sadi stood at the edge of the group, rapidly losing trust in Second and Third, wanting to trust Iliith'Hen but not daring. Glamrod placed his trust solely on Iliith'Hen, and Myrara could only trust the force that kept her sane, for anything else was now trivial. If she lost control their problems would be great. And Kenneth...
She watched Second and Third with thinly-disguised disgust and hatred. The rest of them were little better! The pointy-ears... she looked at him from narrowed eyes. He was respectable, yes, but trustworthy? She didn't know, and wouldn't risk her life finding out.

 

Love what you're all doing with this! I had a creative urge and here is the result...


Snarskall padded along the corridors, each lit from an unseen source. As he stopped to consider which way they should go he caught sight of his ‘horde’, or rather what remained of them, and cursed. There were less than two dozen of them now, so many deaths, too many.

“Damn Drogul! Damn Ragnar! Damn them! Damn them all! We are goblins! We do not, Should not ‘ally’ ourselves with these weak humans! They stole our lands! They have cheated us and kept us down for a thousand years! But they shall do so no longer!” The cheer that came from the goblins following him, shocked Snarskall, he hadn’t realised he’d been bellowing out his thoughts at the top of his voice.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ragnar grinned. So the goblins were rebelling, this should be interesting. Ragnar was lounging in one of the better rooms of Drogul’s hidden fortress. Where it resided in the bounds of common geography was not important, what was important was that its very existence was that it was an insight into Drogul’s mind; and it reacted to him. When he was angry the atmosphere of the fortress reflected this, the normally wide grey corridors would darken to a deep red hue and everything would become just that little more deadly in appearance, tables and doors would grow fang like embellishments.

Ragnar saw this as a weakness, feelings and emotions were dangerous and, when others were present, should be hidden. Unless, of course, those present couldn’t see. Ragnar strode over to the table to continue his ‘work’, casting aside the eye he had been toying with.

 

Nice to have everyone back! Sorry to be so long-winded...


For all the deference he showed her, Kibrani could never forget that Drogul was more demon than human. The Ulder’Gein and the destruction of Tarsk were too fresh in her mind to allow her to relax under his hospitality.

There had to be something she was missing. As much as she wanted to believe that Drogul’s plan really would leave the world untouched and mankind in charge of his own destiny – and, most importantly, her baby in her arms – she just couldn’t trust him that completely. What he wanted from her was just too simple. How could such importance rest on the mere act of spilling a cup? She lost count of how many times she had paced around the courtyard that opened off of her rooms, trying to see the hole in the plan, but the flat, never-changing light made her head ache. If only she could talk it over with the others, especially Callain.

Kibrani sighed and stooped awkwardly, scooping up a handful of pebbles. Just because she couldn’t fight hand-to-hand any longer, she didn’t have to be helpless – not as long as there was something she could throw. Each little rock found its mark, and she was reaching for more when a dark speck breaking the unchanging span of the sky caught her attention. It resolved into a large eagle that glided down to the wall next to her bench, dropped something into her hand, and cocked its head at her with a sharp caw. Her heart leapt at the sight of her marriage-ribbon, and she knew that her husband was on his way to find her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Even as he ran Callain scanned the skies, searching for some sign that Rracaw had reached Kibrani. He wasn’t prepared when it came, an arrow of fire that shot into his mind and seared into his vision. His wrist felt naked without the marriage-ribbon, but it had done its job and now hung before him, a burning path that he could follow with his eyes closed. He did so, removing the outer distractions, allowing his feet to carry him to the inner world where his wife waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Illith’Hen knew what had happened, even before Beroth raised his hand to break off pursuit of Callain. The Staff leapt in his hand like a chained beast, reacting to the power that suddenly manifested all around him. He didn’t have to earn the power, he simply had to need it. The power of Air was all around him, soaking into his body with every breath, waiting to be called upon.

“Let him go,” he commanded quietly. “Let him find Kibrani. We’ll be ready to get them out when the time comes.”

He was sure that it would.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sky darkened and swirled with thick clouds as Kibrani watched Rracaw disappear. The air crackled as lightning struck the ground almost at her feet and suddenly Drogul was standing before her, the turbulent sky a pale reflection of the anger in his face. Kibrani tried to scramble out of his way but her retreat was blocked by a thornbush that hadn’t been there before.

“What’s happened here?” he demanded, looming over her. “What kind of witch are you, to work magic in my stronghold?”

“I’m no witch at all,” she replied hotly, “and there was no magic, only a message.” She held up the ribbon. Drogul took it gingerly, holding it with his long, yellow nails as though unwilling to let it touch his skin. As he flipped it back to her his anger dimmed.

“So your husband is coming to your rescue. Well, I won’t stand in his way, as long as he causes me no trouble.” He began to walk away but quickly turned back. “You’ll do what I expect of you, when the time comes?”

“Between you and Fate, my choice is clear.”

Drogul’s eyes narrowed at her words, dissatisfied with the answer. Shadows gathered around him as he stepped towards her again and grabbed her arms. “But you won’t give me your word?” he hissed.

“Within limits, yes I will,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. “But what’s the value of a promise kept if the circumstances have changed so much that a different result is more desirable? You’ve said yourself that there are other forces gathering about the Staff, and that you can’t see what part they’ll play.”

“And you’ll throw in with whoever lets you keep your child.” Drogul’s grip tightened but Kibrani didn’t wince.

“Just as you’ll throw in with whoever is willing to help you overthrow Fate,” she shot back. “If you want my cooperation, you’d better let me go.”

A chill wind swirled as Drogul glared at Kibrani for a long minute before pushing her roughly to the ground. He sketched a mocking bow as he entered a portal that formed at the wave of his hand. “Very well, my lady. May our selfish interests continue to walk their parallel paths.”

 

The sentry at the Keep's threshold saw the figure striding toward him and drew a breath to challenge the stranger. It was his last breath as a crossbow bolt tore through his throat. The sentry died soundlessly as Callain turned his sight to another misty outline of a sentry.

Drogul was sitting with Kibrani when a guard knocked hastily on the door and threw it wide without waiting for an answer. Drogul rose, fury on his face as he turned to the distruption.

"My Lord," gasped the guard, he was flushed and obviously had been running, "My Lord, a human has breeched the gate. There is a company holding him back, but there might not be eno-"
"SILENCE!" Thundered Drogul, and he whirled to face Kibrani, whose heart had leapt in her chest. "Come with me!"

Callain was in a killing frenzy as he had never experienced outside of being vampyric. More than two score of Drogul's minions lay dead around him, and more were joining their comrades. But there were so many more, and so far to Kibrani...

A voice cut into the night and the fighting. A voice that drew his eye to a tall, imposing figure... and the shorter form of his wife. Unconsciously, Callain did what the voice commanded. He froze, as all the others did. Then all that could be heard was the breathing of the fighters and Kibrani's gasp of pain as she doubled over, clutching her belly.

 

It took a moment for Callain to reassert himself. He dove to the side, rolling neatly into a shadowed alley and sprinted. He’d made a mental note of the window from which the Lord Drogul had called, but he would have to reach there quickly, as guards seemed to rush from every crevice of the fortress city.

He feared for Kibrani, and that fear drove him to hatred, a more searing hatred for Drogul and his forces. Every soldier he met on his path he killed, his fury controlled and concealed within the darkness.

Within a short time stood before the closed gates of Drogul’s own keep. The band of guards who were hastily forming a defensive square had no time to finish it as a dark shadow leapt from the darkness, a short sword in each hand. His attack took them by surprise, even in their alert status, but they were battle-hardened soldiers, and they quickly regrouped. But then, Callain’s fury was unleashed in full.

Callain was one of the most deadly warriors in his usual state; his speed and hand-eye co-ordination made him so, combined with a killer rage, he was unstoppable. He tore into their ranks with the savagery of a dire wolf. His muscles grew, as did his canines. It was happening again. The last of the soldiers fled, and Callain let him go.

Callain dropped to his knees, and screamed his rage to the night’s sky. He was a demon in human form. He stared at the closed portcullis, and then lifted it, his immense strength breaking the magical barriers that held it in its place.

He passed into the courtyard, and heard the screech of goblins. Expecting an attack, Callain roared and charged, but the goblins were in fact cheering, screaming for the death of Drogul and Ragnar. Callain howled at them, and then left them, his inhuman speed carrying him through the dimly lit hallways of Drogul’s palace.

Terror was now widespread through out the city. Soldiers and peasant folk alike were crying for mercy from the demon that had entered the city.

Suddenly, standing before Callain was the giant form of Ragnar, an immense grin on his face. From behind him came a small band of goblins, led by a surprisingly intelligent looking goblin. Callain stopped and roared, but he could feel his energy draining, and his muscles were returning to their normal slightly. Perhaps the vampyrism was not so permanent this time. He was only drained slightly though, and he still howled with anger and rage as he stood in front of his opponent. “Snarskall.” The Demon descendant said “I will kill you in a moment. Right now, I have a previous engagement to attend to.” The walls, turned red as Ragnar flexed and let out a demonic cry. Edges became like fangs and the goblins leapt back as a blood red flame cut them off from Ragnar. Ragnar, screaming now with unholy words charged at Callain, and Callain, with an inhuman howl, met the charge head on…

 

Hi, i'm back. School isn't leaving much free time but it's the holidays now (a week anyway). Enjoy:

Ragnar and Callain clashed and howled like rabid animals. But away from this was another howling figure. Small, apparently harmless. However appearances can be deceptive.

The goblins around Snarskall backed away. They’d all seen rage in their kin before, but it had always been a passing rage. After the first blood was spilled on the battlefield and all that filled their minds was the word: Kill. It passed though, after the blood had dried, or they had died.

Snarskall’s teeth were gnashing and his fists clenching and unclenching. He wasn’t foaming at the mouth, he was bleeding. His own teeth were cutting deep into his lips as his rage deepened, hardened, and ultimately darkened.

The fiery division was all that separated Snarskall from the demon, and from his former captive. It was their fault that his horde had been near obliterated. They had betrayed him! They had planned this together, just a clever plan, but he knew he was smarter. Stronger. The word flowed through his very veins: Kill. He stepped into the fire.

The fire parted and then snapped back. Fiery hands forced him down to the ground, where the ground should have been. There was no ground just fire. Snarskall opened his mouth to scream. The fire screamed back. He tried to force his mouth shut but the fire was already inside, burning down into his heart, into a soul he’d never believed in.

Pain. There should have been much more pain than this. The fire intensified it’s assault upon his body. So it can read my thoughts, Snarskall thought. The fire was still wrapped around him, trying to devour him in one fiery gulp. He concentrated. The fire continued to burn. He concentrated again. The fire continued to burn. He concentrated, reaching deep inside himself for the burning pain that was seeking to extinguish his existence. He extinguished it. Snarskall stepped out of the fire, unharmed.

Ragnar and Callain were locked together, each looking for an opening to strike. As Snarskall appeared in Ragnar’s vision he smirked, so the goblin still wants a fight? Though this man’s mind did seem to be protected by some ungodly force, this worthless goblin had no such protection, though Ragnar. He lashed out with his mind, and screamed. It felt as if someone had lit a fire inside his mind. Callain saw the opening and struck.

The demonic descendant thudded against the near wall. He looked up with fear in his eyes as man and goblin strode forward. He had never known fear before, he’d heard it said that demons never did. Until they died.

 

“I told you I wanted no trouble,” Drogul spat at Kibrani. “There’s a price to be paid for what your husband has done.”

“It’s not… his fault,” she replied haltingly, between shallow breaths. “He thought I was… in danger. After Ragnar…” Her thought was unfinished as she doubled over again. Sweat glistened on her forehead when she straightened. “How could he know… that all you wanted… was to talk… to me?”

“That matters not. No one can be permitted to access my stronghold and slay my minions without paying the price.” Drogul raised his hand over Kibrani and slowly began to clench his fist.

“You’d throw away this chance?” she screamed, her features twisted with agony.

Drogul’s fingers continued to close. “There will be another.”

“Are you so sure? Fate won’t let you… near the next Heir… if anything happens… to this one.”

“There are other ways to achieve my goal. You happened to be… convenient.”

“Please stop,” she begged, as another band of pain tightened around her. Tears mingled with the sweat that ran down her face. “I’ll do it… whatever you want, I’ll do it… just stop hurting my baby!”

Drogul didn’t lower his hand but his fingers opened slightly. “I have your word?”

“Yes,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

“And you understand what will happen if you break this promise?” Kibrani glared at him before responding. At her curt nod, Drogul let the spell drop and she fell to her knees in relief. Her glare continued as he helped her rise.

“I just pray I haven’t damned the world to the hell you’re already in,” she said.

“Mankind is quite adept at making its own hell, milady,” Drogul chuckled. “It needs no help from the likes of you and I.” He closed her hand over his arm as he steered her into a portal that brought them onto the battlefield with thundering crack and a shower of sparks. Kibrani screamed when she saw Ragnar slumped agaisnt the wall, and Callain advancing upon him.

"CALLAIN!"

He was only peripherally aware of her, and continued to move towards his fallen foe, ready for the death-blow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sine they made camp Illith'Hen had been sitting quietly, the Staff laying across his lap. Suddenly he rose in a single fuid motion. "It's time," he said quietly, wind beginning to swirl about his feet. "Who's with me?"

[ October 29, 2003, 21:31: Message edited by: Rallymama ]

 

Ragnar was dead, but Callain continued to hack and slash at the body with his blade until all that was left was a bloody mess. There were tears in his eyes as he finally stepped back from what was left of the corpse. His muscles had shrunk to their normal size now, as had his canines and the red eyes had returned to their normal blue colour. He turned to the goblins. They seemed appalled at the site of the man, drenched in the Demon’s life-blood. All but one; this one had a huge and happy smile on his face as he spat at Ragnar’s decapitated corpse.

Callain was weak. In truth he could barely walk, but still he raised a hand to the small green-skin. “Your name?” he asked, feigning strength, his hand still upheld.

The goblin stared at the hand, and then took it “Snarskall,” he said, still smiling.

“Callain.” The assassin replied, though, he did not return the smile.

 

After death the soul starts to fade from the world. Normally it continues to sink until it’s way is clear: heaven, hell, absolute nothingness, reincarnation, and the many other afterlives that the mind creates for it’s, often unacknowledged, soul.

However a soul can be saved, although the choice is rarely that of the soul. Often sorcery, witchcraft, voodoo or some other magic is involved, as it was when Melfdale’s soul was snatched back from the brink of it’s afterlife by Drogul. It took great effort on Drogul’s part to perform the ritual and the soul of Melfdale was changed, driven completely insane, by the process. When thrust inside the Ulder’Gein’s body this only served to intensify the elf’s madness.

Ragnar’s soul was sinking. The fear was still there, but it had been joined by confusion. He was, for the first time in his life, separated from his mind, his strongest weapon destroyed by a goblin. Oh the irony for a genius to be destroyed by a pair of half-wits, he thought. Even though he seemed to have lost all his demonic abilities of mind control and telepathy Ragnar knew he was still a demon at heart; and it was twisted, dark, and above all evil heart even for a demon. For a demon’s soul there was only one place to go. Hell.

No one was going to perform a ritual or cast a spell to save his soul, that was for sure. Friends were a commodity, to be used and then slaughtered, an aid, a weakness. None of the Gods liked demons; the Gods were more powerful but demons could walk the world at will, and Ragnar had destroyed more than a few temples and churches in his time. Religion certainly wasn’t going to save him.

There was another way though. Being able to foresee one’s impending death was another of his powers that were now lost to him. Damn the goblins. Ragnar had known what he had to do to give himself another chance, even for his dark heart and soul it had disgusted him. He hadn’t even been sure it would work.

Opening another living body, or shell, allowed a sinking soul a way back into the world, back into another shell, it was another chance for the damned. The opening part was the easy part, it was the keeping the shell alive that had posed the problems, many of Ragnar’s tests hadn’t even survived the opening. He could only hope that one had survived; maybe he’d be lucky, maybe it would be the Ulder’Gein, if so then the world would feel his vengeance soon enough.

Searching for the open shell was like looking for a needle in a haystack, in the dark, without any hands. Time didn’t seem to be passing yet Ragnar knew that he was still sinking from the world, down into the deeper darkness. Eventually after an indeterminable amount of time he found what he was searching for.

Ragnar sat up. He opened his eyes. His goblin eyes

“Oh the irony” he said.

 

The goblin hordes surrounding Callain and Snarskall parted as Kibrani ran forward. She ignored them as she took her husband’s hands, heedless of the demon-blood, and stared into his face. A spark of recognition slowly rose from the depths of the spent battle-rage, and he embraced her to cover his fatigue, his mouth against hers, taking strength from her in a way that no vampire could ever know.

A whirlwind touched down in their midst; as the dust subsided, Glamrod rushed torwards the nearest group of goblins with axe in hand. Illith’Hen stood there, the Staff raised over his head, flames flickering along its length.

“Enough!” Drogul shouted, freezing everyone. He pointed a long, crooked finger at Glamrod and suddenly his empty armor and axe fell to the ground. “A lieutenant for a lieutenant. There shall be no more death here… today. Guardian, take them home.”

The air began to swirl again as Kibrani and Callain reached Illith’Hen. Drogul stared hard at Kibrani. “Remember your promise, my lady.” She met his gaze, then had to turn away and bury her face against Callain’s chest as dust and debris rose in the air. The demon turned to Illith’Hen. “Guardian, help her keep her word to me - make sure that the Heir is present at the appointed place and time. It is your duty.” If he said more, it was lost in the vortex that carried them back to the camp.

Illith’Hen turned on her angrily as soon as their feet touched the ground. “What promise did you make, Kibrani?” he spat. “What happened up there to cost me the life of my best friend?” Between whirlwind-dizziness, the way the others crowded around with shock at Illith’Hen’s words, and the renewed sense of danger that pounded in her head, she couldn’t answer before Sadi jumped in.

“You made a promise to Drogul? What – you get to keep the baby in exchange for handing over the world?”

Kibrani’s confusion turned to anger. “And why shouldn’t I make a deal with him, Sadi?” she spat. “It’s not as though you’ve come up with any ways to help me, so if it doesn’t cost Drogul anything to give me what I want…”

“I don’t care what price Drogul pays!” Sadi exploded. “I won’t stand by and watch him destroy everything, just on your selfish whim!”

Kibrani’s eyes narrowed. “Do you really think me such a fool? What would be the point of keeping my child, if there weren’t going to be a world worth living in? Drogul…”

“Save it. I don’t care to hear about your new ally’s plans. I just hope you’re prepared to take responsibility for your choice.” He stalked away before he could see the tears well in her eyes.

“Live with another person growing inside of you, then talk to me about responsibility,” she whispered.

Illith’Hen suddenly realized that, aside from noncommittal responses to questions about her physical well-being and the general knowledge that she wanted to keep the baby, Kibrani never spoke about being pregnant. What was an adventure to him was something far more personal to her, and he had no idea what was going through her mind.

“What’s the arrangement, Kibrani?” he asked gently. “What are you going to do for Drogul in exchange for your child?”

She looked up at him, wiping her eyes with a sniff. “I’m going to help him destroy Fate forever.”

[ October 31, 2003, 15:57: Message edited by: Rallymama ]

 

[ooc: let me get this straight, uve just killed off glamrod in 5 words almost??? =/, this wont be a big part from me, just a sorta grieving perisod for the party]

"Yout going to WHAT!!" shouted Sadi in disbelife "how can u destroy fate??"

"look, can we leave this argunment for another night, because if u havt noticed glamrod has been taken from us" sniffled Illith'hen "he was my only real friend in this world and a major part of out group, so please stop the arguing and let me greave in piece"

 

Beroth stared in horrified fascination as Glamrod's armor clattered to the ground. There was no sign of the dwarf, remains or otherwise. Beroth's gorge rose, and behind him he heard a flutter of cloth and movement. He tore his eyes from the armor and turned to see Myrara a little ways off, kneeling on the ground, retching. He closed his eyes, and faced back to the group. Sadi and Illith'Hen were arguing with Kibrani.

Myrara shook, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her bodice. Her mind was blank, or maybe her thoughts swirled so fast she couldn't divine any individual idea... Myrara huddle close to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees, and rocked. She could hear the others talking behind her... She heard Kibrani say Drogul's plan, as if from a long tunnel.... And all Hell broke loose inside her. The Other Presence in her mind roared up in fury to take over her senses and body...

 

"And so it begins," Second remarked to Third. "The witch is already planning for her child's rise to power."

"But where comes its power, if not from Fate? If Fate is no more, how can the Wielder rule?"

"The Wielder's power comes from Fate's destruction, of course. I will send word of this to our Master while you notify the others to stay alert. They are likely to be moving soon."

Second stopped Third as he turned to depart. "We must be ready to strike. We cannot allow that child to be born."

 

A voice came from the shadows "I can't allow you to abort my child." Second and Third span as Callain departed from the darkness.

There was a time when Callain would have just killed the two Daemon Hunters, but instead he gave them a choice, "You can leave now, and never darken my sight again, or, you can try and defeat me..." he said, stepping back into the shadows "And die."

 

As the party continued along the road, the second and the third noticably staying near the back, kenneth, while scouting out ahead, noticed a strange elf standing in the middle of road looking down at some deer tracks.
She silently crept back to the group and approached Kibrani

"Watch out, theres an elven hunter up ahead" whispered Kenneth
"he wont mean us any harm, we shall proceed and see whats hes wanting"

The hunters elven eyes spotted the party coming and quickly slipped into the shadows in the side of the road.

"planning on ambushing us are you??" whispered Callin while holding a sword at the elf's throat
"No actualy, and if you dont mind releasing me i will continue hunting down the deer im tracking, before your party rudley interupted me and scared away the deer" replyed the elf sourly

"What do you have there Callin" shouted Illith'Hen
"i have hear the rogue who Kenneth spotted while scouting" replyed Callin
"and what would that rogues name be" questioned Illith'Hen
"I am Cadaran, the Outcast, the Wanderer, i am outcast from elven society as my elven blood is mixed with that of a human, im a hybrid, some call me mutant, others call me far worse things that i dare not mention here" replyed Cadaran with all the dignity he could muster

"Well then good day Cadaran the outcast, and well met, oh and callin you can take your sword of his throat now" said Illith’Hen cheerily

"so what brings your party of mis-matches to this area? you dont exactly look local" questioned Cadaran
"ah now that would be telling, just accept that were doing something important but to quench your thirst for the reasons of us being here then settle it at were from Berwin and on a quest that will lead us around most of this land, but what are you doing here is another question, you dont look like the locals either" replyed Illith’Hen

"I am a nomad, i dont look local anywhere, but my main reason for being here is im searching for my half brother, i heard he had travlled this way a few months ago, im trying to follow his path to Berwin where im told he has been living, you wouldnt happen to know him would you? seeing as you are from that area" quized Cadaran

Kibrani, Callin and Illith’Hen took a quick nervous glance at each other

"And what would your brothers name be exactly?" asked Illith’Hen nervously

"Ah his name was Melfdale, he was an elven ranger"

[EDIT:] maily grammatical errors and such, aded one or two little bits i felt i missed out

[ November 11, 2003, 23:58: Message edited by: Dalveen ]

 

With that statement, Callain leapt foward and threatened Cadaran once more with his blade.

"And if you are a dark minion like your brother you'll follow him to the Hells." Callain growled.

Cadaran eyed Callain warily, standing very still against the swordpoint at his throat. "My brother is not a minion of the dark. And what do you mean by 'follow him to the Hells'?"

"Your brother is dead," Kibrani said, stepping out from behind the others. "He was killed once when he betrayed us, and he died a second time when Drogul captured his spirit inside the body of a demon which we again slew."

"No." Cadaran spat. "My brother could not have been the one you speak of. He was- is- pledged to the Lady of the Wood. And She is not dark."

"Mayhap your brother changed. We only know what we saw." Illith'Hen said.

"i hate to interrupt, but it is past nightfall. Even though you fellows may not be tired, I am. And besides, Drogul won't let us wander any further." Kibrani reminded them. She sat slowly on the ground, motioning to Callain. He sat next to her, and handed her his cloak. "Anything you have to say can wait."

"But-" said Sadi. Kibrani silenced him with a look.

"she is right," evryone turned to look at Myrara, who had spoken for the first time in a while. "Kibrani is right. We should stop and rest here."

The company slowly spread out, setting up a camp. Sadi started a small fire for warmth and everyone bedded down near it. In the dark, Myrara's eyes glimmered a reddish hue. The other presence still held her.