Severein watched Suuri warily now. He knew well it wasn't a curse. Would she put the pieces together? He'd given too much already. His heart began to hammer. If she found out...
"Why does it matter if she knows...?" Severein wondered vaguely, "She might even be able to help me learn about the Void."
No. It wasn't his fear. It was the Void's fear. Why did the Void fear Suuri?
"Not a curse?" the elf repeated, "What else could it be?"
Suuri glanced up from the wound, "I don't know." The fairy looked worried.
"And why shouldn't she be?" Severein asked himself.
"What will you do if she finds out?"
"Ask her to help me, of course."
"Will she help?"
"Can she help?"
"Am I sure she won't run from me? I am linked to the Void. Linked to Death..."
"No, she can't find out. The fewer people know, the better the secret will be kept."
"Kill her. She will be your downfall."
Severein gasped. That last thought had not been his own. A tendril of thought from someplace else that had invaded his mind. Frantically, he reached toward that thought and followed it.
"Is something wrong? Are you in pain again?" Suuri asked, concern painted boldly on her face.
Severein followed the thought in his mind, knowing where it would, dreading, but refusing to believe it until he knew. It stopped at the blackness of the Void.
"No," Severein swallowed, "No, I'm fine."
"It's inside me!" He hesitated before he plunged into the Void.

Blackness. Eternal blackness. The elf drew a deep breath. The air was clean, at least.
"Nothing for it but to search," Severein muttered. He took a hesitant step into the blackness. There was nothing beneath him, but his boot landed on something solid. The elf took another step. Solid. Severein set out into the Void, intent on finding what had prodded his thoughts. Maybe he could destroy whatever it was...maybe he could make the Void dormant somehow by killing the living part of it.
"Kill the Void?" Severein asked out loud, "Kill Death? That's just a little redundant."
"But it is possible."
Severein whipped around, reaching for the sword that wasn't there. Only the ever-stretching blackness of the Void met his gaze. It took him a moment to realize it was silly for him to have turned around. He could see in every direction. He was nervous.
"Anything is possible using the power of the Void. The Void can destroy Death, but Death cannot destroy the Void." The voice continued.
"That doesn't make sense," Severein said, "The last time I was here, you said the Void was Death. If the Void can destroy Death, essentially itself, why can't Death destroy the Void?"
Laughter echoed throughout the emptiness. It made the elf shiver.
"You know so little. It comes."
"What comes?" Severein asked warily, once again wishing he had his sword with him, or any weapon at all.
"Ba'el."
Severein felt chills crawl down his spine. He didn't know who or what Ba'el was, but somehow the word alone was enough.
Another sound penetrated the Void. It came from only one direction. It was the sound of something sniffing the air.
A sense of foreboding overcame the elf. He shouldn't be there. He had to get away. He could see the creature now and he wished he couldn't.
The darkness of the Void seemed to part only to be swallowed again by a new darkness. A giant monster. A beast. Four massive legs that should have rumbled the ground made no noise as the monster prowled through the Void. Two massive horns adorned its head. The creature's eyes were a source of light in the Void. They were pure white. But they were empty. Its eyes were no different than the emptiness of the Void.
The monster sniffed the air again and faced Severein abruptly.
"You have been marked by the Void. It hunts you." The voice echoed.
The monster charged, still making no noise. It was too close to run now. The beast raised an arm and slashed. Severein tried to avoid it the best he could, but a single claw slashed across his abdomen. Severein yelled as he fell. He did not hit solid ground when he fell. It didn't stop the beast. It dove after him, somehow falling through what had been solid just a moment before. Severein grimaced. It was going to catch him. It was upon him.
The creature opened its jaw wide and..."

"Are you sure you're alright, Severein?" Suuri asked.
Severein blinked. He was no longer in the Void. Or had he ever been there in the first place?
"It was a dream." Severein thought, relieved. But a terrifying dream.
He forced a smile, one he hoped was convincing, "Yes, Suuri, I'm sure." Severein frowned suddenly. He could feel something wet oozing down his stomach. Dread filled him as he looked down.
The wound had broken open. It was exactly where the beast had scratched him.
"Ah. Just a moment, I can fix this," Suuri said, then frowned, "The wound is...fluctuating...the blackness seems almost like it's trying to escape from your body. Here, let me see."
Alarmed, Severein stopped the fairy, "No. It may have broken open as a result of the Craft being used on it. If it really isn't a curse and something else...it may be reacting to your magic. Maybe any magic."
"But if I don't use the Craft, I cannot fix it or even find out what's wrong," Suuri protested.
Severein shook his head, "You have risked enough for now. No more, Suuri," he told her firmly, "Curse or no curse, whatever it is, it will not stay with me forever. As long as it doesn't kill me, I am content to wait it out."
"But we don't know if it will kill you or not!"
"You have already tried your healing once. It has stopped the curse or...whatever else it could be, from spreading. As long as it doesn't spread, I believe that I will be fine. After all, it isn't as though the cut has changed properties. It still has come from the cut of Aranel's sword."
"Then I will study Aranel's sword, then," Suuri said, "As soon as he gets back."
The elf nodded, "Alright. If he'll let you. Just be careful not to cut yourself on it. We don't need another wound like mine."
"I have to keep her and every other person away from the wound until I can learn whether or not the Void can reach the world through it," Severein thought grimly as Suuri nodded, "I will do that."
The fairy retreated back to her own bed and Severein lay back down on his own. He could feel her eyes on him. Her eyes and another pair of eyes. Empty, a great white void.
"It knows you now. It hunts you in the waking world."
"Ba'el."

Aranel shifted when he spotted two elves and a human in the streets. They were the first elves he'd seen all evening. The human glanced at the sky, "I'll need to head back soon or Severein may move for fear I've been captured," he muttered to himself as he approached the elves and human.
"Excuse me..." Aranel began smoothly, "I've heard that there is an elf in Kalan looking for adventurers. Might one of you be the one?"
One elf nodded, "I am."
"I would like to talk to you further at this place if I may," Aranel said, handing the elf a folded note. He walked away without a further word, leaving both elves and the human looking perplexed.
Aranel ran through the contents of the note one more time in his head, "Greetings. While I am not sure, I believe that you are a member for the Hadefs and this 'adventure' is a mission for them. If this is so, please come to the inn. Ask for Aranel. Knock three times at the door to my room, pause, and then knock twice more. I am traveling with an elf and a fairy and we are interested in news from the Hadefs and accompanying you on this adventure, whatever it is. Be careful. Pures know what my friends and I are and may be watching the inn. If you should doubt my word that I really am for the Hadefs, just think: If I were supporting the Pures, you would already be dead on the faintest suspicion of being a Hadef.
My friends and I leave at dawn tomorrow if you do not come."

That was convincing enough. If she was a Hadef. If not, then there was most likely a wide-eyed adventurer wondering whether or not to turn Aranel and others in. Not that it mattered if the Pures knew where he, Severein, and Suuri were.
"It is time I returned," Aranel thought, making his way into the night.

This message was edited by Ishilar04 on Feb 20 2008.

OOC: Hey. Sorry, guys. My life was a little overloaded.
IC:

Saliara took a look at the human nearby. She seemed a little..lost.

'Who isn't?' Saliara bitterly thought to herself. "Hey" she called to the female. "You-" She broke off in mid-sentence when she noticed someone nearing their..group. The human had been looking at Saliara, but her attention had shifted to approaching human.

He walked right up to the three of them and asked "Excuse me...I've heard that there is an elf in Kalan looking for adventurers. Might one of you be the one?" Saliara had always been told that news traveled fast in cities like Kalan, but she had never needed the information that was spread around. She never got the bonus of gossipy tales. Saliara figured that was safe even information to give out in this town, so she nodded and replied "I am."

The human's face remained the same showing that he was not fooling around with this. Something that Saliara liked. She wasn't in the mood to play mind games right now.

"I would like to talk to you further at this place if I may" the human told her as he handed her a folded piece of paper. Saliara raised her right eyebrow. A note was one of the last things on her mind right now, but in these times people just couldn't be trusted.

The man headed back in the direction he came from and disappeared into the fading crowd.

Curious, but wary, Saliara took a step back and carefully opened the creased note. She read through it and quickly refolded the paper before placing it back into her pocket.

"If you're interested in a little adventure..." Saliara began. "The two of us were going to buy some supplies and head off to meet some..friends."

quote Kyinnla

OOC: Hey. Sorry, guys. My life was a little overloaded.

Suuri's gaze remained locked on the elf on a bed across the room. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he was not telling her something, most likely something to do with the void, or he would never have questioned about it. The connection was there, if only the elf would share it with her. Actually, she should be happy it was an elf, as fairies and elves were the only two races that shared a close bond. Although elves seemed to befriend anyone, but humans and dwarves kept to themselves much more often, and fairies, well, fairies always preferred the company of trees over that of anyone else, even other fairies. Then again, because of the elves' respect for and interest in nature, the two races got along extremely well, bonding in a way no other combination of races possibly could. She would find out in due time, whether the elf liked it or not. If things evolved as they had in the last two days, there wouldn't be a choice, it would be her who looked after both the elf and the human, as they both had to deal with their own ‘diseases’.

Suddenly two knocks were heard on the door, followed by another single one. Aranel. Only the three of them knew the signal, and she was pretty sure Aranel was intelligent enough not to give it to any others, but instead make up a new, slightly different combination. Nevertheless, she had already formed a barrier of air, just inside the room, just to be certain. It proved to be unnecessary, as it was indeed Aranel that entered the room, even with the few candles dispersed throughout the chamber, he was clearly recognisable. The runes and markings reflecting light in an ominous way, really made the man frightening, especially after dark, but Suuri had gotten used to it by now. How strange that that was possible in a single day.

As Aranel sat down on his bed, steps could suddenly be heard in the hallway, seemingly coming toward their room. All three of them quickly jumped of their beds, Aranel and Severein readied their weapons by loosening them in their sheaths and unlocking whatever straps would hold them in place. Aranel gestured her to sit back down on her bed, while the two took up positions beside the door. Immediately after the footsteps stopped, a knocking sound emanated from their door. Suuri did her best not to sound too anxious, just a little surprised, but she had never had to pretend before, and thus she was not very good at it. “Who is there?”

“I'm here to bring a package for you, miss.” The reply was clearly not true, no-one would deliver a package this late, furthermore, anyone that could possibly know she was here, would have more ingenious and trustworthy ways to deliver something to her. She looked at Severein with a question in her eyes, the elf only nodded. Without any further warning, a gust of wind pulled the door open, and the man was dragged inside by the force, the two male warriors immediately stood over the man, as the door seemed to close on its own again. The man's face was nothing but fear, a fear for his life most likely, but there was no doubt the man was a Pure, as he carried their sign, in the form of a pendant.

“Wait. Don't kill him in here, it'll leave evidence. Throw him out the window.” Though neither of the two did indeed slit the man's throat, her suggestion was still met with a questioning stare from both of them. The man's eyes sparkled with hope, as he thought there was a chance he could survive this ordeal, but that was not Suuri's intention. As much as she hated to harm others, she had no choice now, and they had done far worse to her and her family for no good reason. “Just do it... you'll see.” Aranel looked at Severein, who in turn shrugged, and then replied. “She's part of the group now, so we have to trust her.” Aranel nodded.

Finally in agreement, the two warriors grabbed the intruder and threw him out the now open window, staring after the man, not noticing that Suuri had taken up position behind them. Before the man could even touch the ground outside, the earth around him rose up and crashed down on him from all possible sides, obliterating the man completely, leaving no evidence. After the ordeal, the ground seemed as if it had never stirred, as if nothing had happened. Suuri fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Suuri...what's wrong?" Aranel asked.
"I killed a man-killed him!-with the Craft. I..." Suuri shook her head, "The Craft has seldom been used to harm someone, if ever! And I just..." Suuri trembled.
"It's a part of war, Suuri," Aranel said, "Doing destructive things with abilities you thought would better the world."
Severein knelt beside the fairy, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Aranel is right, Suuri. Do you think Aranel ever expected to use his rune-crafting skills to kill? Aranel never thought to kill someone..." Aranel shot Severein a look, eyebrow raised. Severein glanced at him and shook his head. There was a reason the elf was excluding himself, "It is necessary," the elf spoke gently, "But it doesn't mean you have to come to like it."
"I know..." Suuri's tears were already beginning to dry, "But I just killed a man. I've always hated harming others and using the Craft to do it goes against everything I was taught, and here I am killing with it..." the fairy laughed to herself.
Aranel and Severein exchanged looks again.
"And you will kill again before this is over," Aranel said quietly. Silence followed.

Severein stood abruptly and broke the silence, "I will go and look around. We will most likely be surrounded and this inn burned when the Pures realize their man is not coming back. Besides, I cannot help thinking there is more to this. Sending only one man against the three of us..." the elf looked back at Suuri, "Will you be alright?"
Suuri stood and faced the elf, "Yes," she said. Her face was still pale, she was still shaken, but her face held confidence despite its pallor.
Severein smiled, "Good," he walked to his bed where a bundle lay at the foot. The elf unwrapped it and took out a cloak. As he threw it over his shoulders, he seemed to disappear and blend into his surroundings.
"What is that?" Suuri gasped.
"A Surtugei," Severein replied, grinning at the fairy's surprise, "A peace offering from the elves when my people's war with them ended. Each race gave the other their most prized weapon. My clan and the 'normal' elves exchanged gifts. To the elves, we gave Raesithor, a blade without equal. Able to cut anything. Its brother is the sword I carry, Archangel or Raenithor, which is unbreakable. To us, the elves gave their ten remaining Surtugei. According to the elves, the method for making Surtugei was lost long ago."
"You would think you'd have given them Raenithor, as an unbreakable sword seems more a symbol of peace than a sword that can cut anything," Suuri remarked.
"But at the same time, giving our old enemies our most dangerous weapon shows that we now trust them as comrades. For all the good it did us," Severein said bitterly, "We were destroyed not more than a year later by the Pures. Still recovering from old injuries from the elves..."
Aranel saw Severein's eyes turn red with anger and, odder, the black swirls in his eyes seemed to become stormy and actually rotate.
"They didn't even spare our women or children..." the swirls turned faster, "I'm the only one left. Purely by accident."
"Severein," Aranel spoke sharply, breaking the elf out of his reverie, "Enough with the history lesson. You should be going."
Severein blinked, then nodded, "You're right. I apologize for going on so." The swirls slowed until they were stationary again as the elf gave a brisk nod to Suuri and Aranel before he exited the room, cloak shifting to the colors of the walls and floor.

Aranel watched, or rather listened, to Severein go before he shut the door again.
"His eyes...that was not normal. I wonder if Suuri noticed? It didn't look like she did. I wonder if Severein has learned anything about that wound....what is happening to you, my friend?" the human thought to himself as he settled onto his bed.
Suuri was watching him, frowning slightly.
Aranel met her gaze and smiled, "You have a question, yes? It's plain on your face."
Rather than looking surprised, Suuri only nodded, "I have known you two for only a day, but...Severein is acting strange now compared to when we first met. But I cannot be sure. Is something wrong, you think?"
"Do I tell her...? You ARE acting strange, Severein, but you apparently haven't told her anything. It isn't my place, but..."
"He is different," Aranel agreed, "Ever since he woke up from when he collapsed earlier. He had a nightmare, he said. Maybe that is it." More likely only a part of it." the human admitted to himself. He still wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell Suuri if Severein hadn't told her.
"A nightmare?" Suuri repeated, "did he tell what of?"
Aranel shook his head, "No, but it must have been a terrible dream. He thrashed about and writhed all over. He fell on the floor before he woke up. I'm surprised you didn't wake up. The curse from the wound had already receded back to the cut at that time, so I don't think that had anything to do with it."
"The curse had already faded?" Suuri asked sharply.
Aranel raised an eyebrow, "It shouldn't have?"
"My healing should have only stopped it from spreading further. The mixture I gave you is what should have healed it, but it didn't even do that completely."
Aranel frowned as he made his decision, "Suuri, have you noticed his eyes?"
The fairy shook her head.
"When Severein woke up, his pupils were a swirling black rather than a solid black circle. They have never been like that. Just now when he spoke of his past, those swirls began to turn"
"The Void..." Suuri murmured, "That is probably it."
"Pardon?" Aranel asked.
"He asked me about the Void, an old branch of arcane magic. 'The Power of Death' it is called. I've only had suspicions, and while what you've said doesn't make it certain, it is very close."
"If it is true, is it dangerous?" Aranel asked.
"Too little is known about it," Suuri said, shaking her head, "But I would be wary of anything related to death."
Aranel nodded as though he'd expected no less, "Could you help him?"
"I might be able to..." Suuri rubbed her temples, frowning, "The Void is a branch of magic, so harnessing it probably isn't too different from what I do to use the Craft, but...on the other hand, there has not been a person able to harness the Void in a century and even before its use became extinct, information on it was already dwindling to a trickle. If the power of the Void has not vanished nor the ability to use it, why have others not been able to use it? There must be something different..." Suuri sighed.
"Then we cannot help him," Aranel said simply, "It was not my place to tell what I have told. Until Severein speaks of it or appears to be in mortal danger, we will let it lie and watch him closely."
"Are you sure?" Suuri asked, "There's no guarantee he isn't in danger still."
"If Severein has not told you, and has not told me, then I expect he wishes to keep it secret for now. I intend to respect those wishes."
Suuri muttered something about 'men' and 'fools,' but gave her agreement not to let Severein know that they knew.
"Now then..." Aranel layed back on his bed, "I found an elf that is most likely the one we are looking for and told her to come to this place. She will probably be here soon. We'll wait for her or news from Severein. Whichever comes first. If Severein brings bad news, we'll have no choice but to move from here without the Hadefs' information."
Suuri groaned. Waiting again.

Severein slipped into the dark, empty streets of Kalan, Surtugei clinging to his body and wrapping it in night. The night sky was clear and stars winked at the elf from above. He clutched Malden and Morden as he weaved his way between houses to get behind the inn. Archangel lay back at the inn beside his bow; the cloak would not effectively cover both him and the sword. So far, the streets were empty.
"Did they really only send one after us...?" Severein thought. The thought was quickly pushed out of his head, however, when at last his eyes spotted a lone man waiting under the sloping roof of a tavern.
Severein crept silently until he was behind the man; now clearly a human, and whispered, "Waiting for someone?"
The human whirled around, knife flashing in the darkness, but Severein cut him off and knocked the blade away and smashing his elbow into the Pure's abdomen. The man doubled over, winded, unable to scream.
Severein loomed over him, "Where are the others?"
The human paled but tried to lie anyway, "I don't know what you're talking about. I am but a simple commoner!"
Severein saw indistinct blurs creeping out of the shadows behind him and across the street. He shifted his focus to them long enough to see steel being bared in the darkness
"A trap. Of course. They sent in one man, knowing we would kill him and then search for others. They left this one in the open, making him obvious while the others waited to trap who ever came out. I should have seen it sooner," Severein thought grimly.
"How many more are there?" Severein asked simply, pretending not to see the oncoming ambush; there were ten. He would play this out. Let them think he didn't know. Five would have been enough to take himself, Aranel, and Suuri into custody or kill them if necessary if they could be taken by surprise, but the elf supposed that after sending five after himself and Aranel at the farmhouse, the Pures had lost confidence.
The man he'd caught blubbered on about not knowing what Severein was talking about. Severein watched two of the ten knock an arrow to short bows. Almost time.
The archers drew back...
Severein grabbed the human suddenly and whirled him to face the Pures as the archers let their arrows fly. The human gave a short scream as the arrows embedded themselves in his heart. Severein fled into the night. If he was to survive this, he would have to hide and attack.
"Wish I'd brought Aerinor with me," the elf thought bitterly as he disappeared behind a corner, pursued by the Pures.
"The archers first," the elf thought to himself as he knelt to the ground and pulled the cloak over his head, hiding him completely. At close range, the archers would be nearly useless, but in his hit-and-run tactics, Severein would be more likely to be shot in the back as he ran than to be stabbed or sliced by a sword or axe. The Pures came into view, knotted in a tight circle. Severein spotted one of the archers clearly and let Malden fly. The dagger flew true and the archer crumpled. The remaining Pures tensed, staring wildly in all directions, but were silent.
Severein eyed the second archer and raised Morden. As he threw, the wound on his stomach gave a painful throb. Severein grimaced as the dagger missed the archer's chest and smashed into his arm instead. The archer gave a scream as his legs gave way. Weaponless, Severein waited as two of the Pures separated from the pack and made their way toward his hiding place. They still couldn't see him, but they knew where the dagger had come from this time. The elf shook his head; there was nothing for it. He would probably die there. He darted from his hiding place toward the two Pures, throwing his cloak back to reveal his body. The Pures were stunned momentarily, long enough for Severein to crouch and smash his boot into one of the Pure's knee. The Pure, an elf, crumpled in a heap as Severein collected the sword the Pure dropped, spinning to meet the counter-stroke he knew was coming from the second Pure.
The remaining six Pures started toward him as Severein blocked a thrust from his elven opponent, but then the six stopped suddenly as one of them fell. The elf spared a glance for them and saw three newcomers enter the fray. Two elves and a human. One elf wielded a scimitar while the other a strange blade Severein had only seen drawings of. A katana, he'd heard it was called. Lastly, the human wrenched up a spear from the fallen Pure and hefted it easily in her hands.

"The Hadef unless I miss my guess," Severein thought with a grin. Perhaps he wouldn't die tonight after all. He returned his attention to the single elf he faced. It had been a while since he'd fought without the aid of Aranel's runes and the elf was a good swordsman. Then again, Severein had fought many elves during the war. He parried a short swipe and found his own strike blocked. His opponent swept Severein's legs out from under him and brought his sword downward. Severein rolled to avoid it and slashed at the elf's hamstring. The warrior leaped away as Severein stood.
Just as Severein was beginning to think that the match would outlast his endurance, his opponent brought his sword across in a wide arc. It was all the opening the Raen'dorei needed. He ducked under the wide swing and brought his own sword upward, slashing across the elf's torso.
The three newcomers were finished with their opponents as well.

Severein drew a deep breath, "Many thanks to you," he said, exhaling.
"We saw them attack you," one of the elves said, wiping her scimitar on a Pure's cloak.
"I see," Severein said, moving to gather Malden and Morden. He stopped as he found Morden lying on the ground. The archer stood behind the elf with the scimitar, knife raised. Tendrils of blackness shot out of the ground suddenly. One tendril snaked into the archer's mouth, preventing him from making any sound while the others snaked around the man's body and dragged him into the ground, into the Void.
Severein gave a start as he realized what he'd done.
"How!?" He paled. He could not remember how he'd done it and was only now aware that he HAD done it.
The two elves and the human appeared not to have noticed.
"Are you alright?" the human asked, frowning.
"Yes," Severein replied, "Might I ask your names?"
"I just tapped the powers of the Void!"
The elf with the scimitar introduced herself as Saliara and the other elf as Ree. The human named herself Samantha.
"Severein Auronis," the elf replied with a nod, "Now that I think about it, a rumor has been whispered of an elf looking for companions for some adventure. Might one of you be the one?"
The elf called Saliara nodded, "That would be me. Judging by the situation here, would I be wrong to say that you know a human who calls himself Aranel?"
Severein grinned, "I do. So he found you, it seems."
"Suuri might know something, but..."
"We were on our way to the inn when we saw you," Samantha remarked.
"Ah. Well then, let us go. We can discuss the details of the adventure there," Severein smiled at the three as he sheathed Malden and Morden and led them back to the inn.
"What should I do...?"

OOC: Anything wrong with this post, just let me know and it shall be fixed. ^^

It was eerily silent as the four headed towards the inn. The three women were following the single male, since he probably knew the quickest way back. Speed was crucial. They needed..no had to get back before the Pures found their fallen comrades and started to hunt down the murders. Well..wasn't that a lovely way to start out?

Saliara thoughts flickered from one subject to another, but all could be traced back to the journey. Would this elf, Severein, and his friend, Aranel, even join in? If not, it would just be the three of them. They couldn't afford to take on more allies along the way. The possibility that they could be trusted was much, much lower than gathering people now before the adventure began.

But it wasn't just gathering people. Could she really even lead a group? Saliara hadn't always helped out her teammates. Her childhood didn't give her a very trusting view of people. Besides, the times didn't exactly help that either.

The group arrived at the inn and headed upstairs. Severein stopped apparently at their room and knocked exactly as the note had said to.

Unfamiliar with her surroundings, Saliara made sure to keep her hands near her scimitar as was her habit.

The door opened and Severein stepped inside the room. Saliara followed, then Ree and finally Samantha.

She quickly examined their outlook of the room. Her gaze fell down two individuals. One was Aranel and the other she hadn't seen before. The third member was a fairy with flowing white hair and sharp green eyes.

Saliara heard the door close faintly behind her and everyone looked at each other.

"So...Since you've all, already hear that I'm looking for..trustworthy companions, I'm just going to cut straight to the chase since the Pures will be certainly starting to track a few murders down. I am embarking on a journey that could change the way things are run in Mostaki. I'm not saying we're going to charge up to the Counsel and demand that things need to change. No. We all know how stupid and foolish that would be.

"It wouldn't be just a couple of weeks. It'll take some time to complete, but if the three..four of you, are willing to join, it might help or even fix the situation here" Saliara said. She had turned to Samantha, since she didn't exactly know what was going on either.

OOC: Once again, my life has been taken over, but I'm getting it back under control, so I'll be on more.

'Fix the situation, hmm?'
Samantha twisted a lock of nightblack hair around her finger.
It slithered off, just as steep as before.
She smiled, sincerely this time. It was a far more comforting and warm smile than her usual one.
'That sounds alright. And you seem to have all, or at least most of your marbles, and a trustworthy face.'
She seemed to ponder for a while.
'I'm a reasonable spellcaster, I can't do the whole lightshow a fairy can, but I can create fire and draw water from my surroundings, and manipulate both, in the elemental area.
I can't do much with rocks though.
I can't fly or anything like that either.
My healing skills are weak, about enough to sooth pain and not much more.
My speciality is illusion. I know I'm good at that. I can disguise anyone as anything, and I can make someone think they did or saw something, even if they, in fact, did not.
Can you use me? I'll be a useful tool if you are sincere about changing this land for the better.
This chaos doesn't suit my agenda. And unlike you, I can't wait a century or so.'

Suuri giggled inwardly at the human female's explanation of what she could do with the craft, it was quite limited, as usual. Humans thought they had a good knowledge of magic very quickly, although she had to admit that was expectable with their short lifespans; a fairy's knowledge of magic obviously went far far beyond that of any human, but she would never brag about it. You couldn't exactly blame someone for not living long enough, and on top of that, she herself didn't have a perfect grasp of the Craft either. But all that wouldn't stop her from finding a human's thought of a ‘reasonable spellcaster’ amusing.

“I'm sure we won't have much more time here. So I'll just introduce the three of us. I am Suuri, this elf here is Severein and the human is Aranel. Although I think you already knew their names.” The elf called Saliara nodded in return and in turn introduced her partymembers, the human woman was called Samantha and the blind female elf Ree. “Alright, now that we're acquainted, let's get out of here before more company shows up.” Aranel and Severein gave a short nod, the other three voiced their agreement. Saliara already turned to face the door, but before she could take a step, Suuri said, “we're going out the window, Saliara.” The female elf raised an eyebrow in turn, but she didn't object. Severein was the first to climb out, but before the tall elf could jump to the ground, the ground from the yard rose up in a single smooth motion.

The others quickly followed Severein and Aranel out the window, suspiciously testing the solid rock beneath their feet, to see if it was actually sturdy enough to stand on. Even Samantha, who knew at least something about the craft, wasn't entirely at ease on the makeshift elevator. Suuri, however, remained in the room, since that would make it easier for her to gently set the others down on the actual ground of the yard, and since she could easily fly down herself. But before she could even lower the other, boots echoed through the hallway beyond the door. Unfriendly and numerous boots. Without a moment's hesitation she lowered the rocky elevation back into the ground, setting her five companions down on the ground.

Just as the sound of boots stopped right in front of the door, she jumped out the window, letting herself fall to the ground, breaking her fall by manipulating the ground where she landed, as opposed to flapping her wings. As soon as she touched the ground, she gestured the others to hide, and she did the same. Luckily the yard was filled with enough random objects to hide in or behind, though it was the barn and the nighttime darkness that hid the most of them from sight. Only a second or two later a figure appeared within the window, gazing outside.

“I don't see anything out here, sir. They probably left through the window though, since it is open.” It was the man in the window who had spoken.
A reply echoed from within the room itself. “Thank you, captain obvious. But that doesn't help us, now does it? They could be anywhere by now.”
“I don't know. The fight wasn't long enough ago for them to have gotten far, and from what we've gathered from witnesses and what we know, there must have been at least one left in this room. I would expect they would come back for their friend.” It was again the man standing in the window. Judging by his reasoning, the man was quite clever. But still, there were too many unknowns for the Pures to actually find them, not to mention that those that did find them would die very quickly. Suuri shivered at the thought of more killing, but she knew she would do it. For the things that had been done, for justice, and for survival.
“Then they can indeed not be far. Quickly, post guards around the town. Create a perimeter, arrest anyone who is even remotely suspicious.”

Saliara's mind was racing. This Pure force would be larger than she ever had to deal with before.

'Luna' came the sudden thought. 'We'll have to head in that direction.' Saliara turned to her companions and whispered "We need to travel southwest of here." They nodded and began to creep out from underneath the window.

The group walked at a quick speed, but not so quickly that they would be noticed as in a rush. Would it even matter though? The Pures would stop and examine everyone on the streets anyway. This pace was only going to lose them time then. "We might as well run."

"Over here" came a growl from behind them. Saliara wasn't sure if she should turn around or not, so she took a quick glance. It was an elderly human. "I can help you." Saliara slowed and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" she asked emotionlessly. "I have a few things against them. Now quick get inside." The old man pointed to his worn down shop. "There's an escape tunnel in the kitchen. Just climb down into the celler and sneak past the potatoes and there the tunnel is." Saliara stopped. The Pures would catch up to them, but they would be able to fight those ones off. They would have to die since they would have since their faces. "Hurry" the old man said urgently. "I have nothing to gain. My only child was murdered simply because his ball rolled in front of a Pure soldier and he went to fetch it. Now come. I have nothing to gain expect the satisfaction of making things harder for the Pures."

Saliara turned to her companions to see their reactions. They had already lost quite a bit of time by standing here listening to him and besides she had heard of tunnels that the man described. "Tak-anra-Faust-vai" he whispered under his breath. Saliara's eyes widened a little. She had only heard that saying used to swear alliance against the Pures. "Alright" Saliara said with a nod.

Everyone quickly filed into the building and blindly looked around for the kitchen. Suuri created a faint light and noticed the wooden kitchen door first. She led the way with the rest following.

Saliara looked down the broken window at the old man. He seemed ready to get his revenge on the Pures. 'Soon there will be no more Pures' she thought and hurried after the group into the kitchen.

Edit: Typo

This message was edited by Kyinnla on Mar 21 2008.

OOC:

quote Aulis Vaara

But all that wouldn't stop her from finding a human's thought of a ‘reasonable spellcaster’ amusing.

OOC: Well..I was waiting for Ishilar's post at first, but then..I just didn't step in.
IC:

"Hopefully in the direction we want to go" Saliara said with a shrug of her shoulders. The tunnel seemed to be going straight from here, but that didn't mean it would stay that way.

The group found their way by the light Suuri continued to provide. It showed nothing unusual. The anticipated rocks, dust, and dirt were all there. Saliara's heartbeat began to gradually returned back to normal when she didn't hear anything from behind or from above.

Suddenly the dirt tunnel turned to stone. Delatiely craved stones covered the walls and floor of the tunnel. The thin layer of dust in the air grew fainter. Saliara raised an eyebrow in the sudden change of their surroundings. 'This better have not been a trap' she thought bitterly as they trudged on with a slightly slower pace than before.

In the distance a pale source of light shown. A quick far way movement caused the light to disappear for a moment before reappearing. Hands flew to their weapons as they steadily drew closer. Suuri's own light began to dim down as the distance between them shrunk. Saliara narrowed her eyes to try and see farther ahead, but it was no use. All she could think of was 'Friend or foe?'

Suuri continued on forward at the head of the party, Severein following right behind her. The dirty floor of the passage penetrated the skin of her feet, cooling them down. Nevertheless she trudged onwards, a light generated by her mind shining closely before the palm of her outstretched hand, she needed a good sense of location to keep the light moving along with them. The rocky cavern suddenly shifted into a ruin-like hallway, roughened stones making up the walls, floor and ceiling. It was quite obvious that those stones had once been much smoother and probably shaped by living creatures, clearly visible because of the still partially flat surfaces.

Tiredness hit like the fallen star that had brought Mostaki its most famous jewels. She had again been severly using the Craft since the Pures knocked on their door, and the light she was generating cost far more effort than any of the others could possibly know. If she had had some control over fire, then it would've been much easier, but that was a useless thought. Only when the light faded did she notice the light in the distance, and the movement it gave away. With the light right there in the palm of her hand, it was almost impossible for her to see anything but what the light illuminated.

No doubt that whatever moved before them, was attracted by their light, but Suuri couldn't let it go out now, or her allies would not be able see what they faced. She already had to give in to her exhaustion, there was simply no way she could do anything else but hold on to the three elements that composed her light, and she feared she would even have to give that up before the possible battle was concluded. A light breeze came from before the group, disappearing behind them before anyone had even realized they had felt it. The movements before them had slowly turned into silhouttes, revealing one person to be short and rather rounded and the other to be tall but still rather broad, at least, he or she was tall and broad to Suuri's experience.

Suuri's breaths became deeper, faster and louder as her heart speeded to try and deliver more energy for her to pour into the light. Severein didn't seem to notice as he moved half past her, ready to strike at the people before them before they even knew what hit them. But as they came within the range of her light, Suuri recognized the dwarf from the day before, the one who had bought her largest melon. “Wait,” she panted, “I know the dwarf.” But before she could introduce anyone, her light faded completely and the white-haired fairy found herself lying on the cold stone floor of the passage way, on the edge of blacking out.

This message was edited by Aulis Vaara on Jul 25 2008.

Severein payed the dwarf a glance as he knelt beside Suuri, gently lifting the fairy's head in his hands. Her eyes flickered, struggling to stay open.
"Just tired," the elf announced to the others. Breaths held were released almost simultaneously, "The strain of maintaining the light, most likely. I will carry her when we are ready to move on if she cannot walk. As for you..." the elf turned to the dwarf, "Who are you? More importantly, what are you doing down here?"
"I came for the little one," the dwarf gestured at Suuri. His voice was slurred and heavily accented, "I remember buying from her regularly. A good lass with good melons. I saw you fleeing from Pures, then you all went inside that human's house. When you didn't come out, I figured you'd be here. These tunnels are interconnected. You can find them all over town."
"If these tunnels are common knowledge," Aranel spoke up, "Then it wouldn't be out of the question to assume the Pures are guarding every entrance, would it?"
The dwarf nodded, "Aye. It's as you say. Last I saw, the Pures were calling in reinforcements to heavily guard each exit.
"If they have enough manpower to do that, then they've probably sent soldiers inside as well," Severein commented over tending to Suuri.
"Perhaps," Aranel agreed, "On the other hand, the path leading to the fewest casualties for the Pures would be to leave us here and let us starve. If we try to leave, we'll of course be surrounded by Pures in an instant. How convenient."
"So what shall we do?" Salira asked.
"Dwarf, are there any paths the Pures do not know about?" Aranel asked.
The dwarf shrugged.
"Uh...I don't think they're giving us much time to think of a plan..." Samantha was pointing at a light flickering far in the distance, painting ghastly, contorted shadows of pikes, Pures, and torches.
"It's the same in the direction we just came from," Aranel added grimly.
"That poor old man..." Saliara stared off solemnly.
"We have to think quickly," Aranel spoke, "Charging one of their groups and catching them by surprise is our best hope. However, with Severein wounded, and Suuri unable to fight, it might prove difficult."
"I can cast magic from a distance," Samantha put in, "You, Saliara, and possibly Ree can keep them busy."

The voices of the party planning their attack was dulled to an annoying, incomprehensible buzz to Severein. He felt it. The Void.
Use me.
The voice caressed Severein's mind, gently stroking it with a thousand thin, smoky fingers.
"No..." the elf shuddered, "No, I don't want to." His voice was barely a whisper. In a flash faster than thought, Severein lost all awareness of his surroundings. The weight of Suuri's head and body disappeared from his arms; the incomprehensible buzz was snuffed out completely; and the chill of the cavern air was replaced with a different chill. Only the pitch blackness of the tunnel remained the same. He was in the Void.
Bring them here.
"How?" It was not the response Severein had been about to say. He shuddered after he said it. Did he really want to know?
I will guide. You must channel. Surrender yourself to me. Like you did before with that warrior.
"No. I don't like being out of control."
You will die. Perish. Your friends will be ripped...torn asunder...you don't want that, do you?
Severein squeezed his eyes shut, "Please, let it end..."

The elf blinked. He was back in the tunnel. He was still holding Suuri. The others were still deciding on the best course of action. The familiar cold returned. The only difference was a rift in the air in front of Severein. Blacker than the night. It was the Void. When had he...? Had anyone seen? The elf looked down at Suuri, though it was unnecessary with his vision. Her eyes were closed and the others would have said something if they'd seen...

"Everyone," Severein spoke up, "In here."
The others turned.
"What is that!?" Samantha asked at the same time Saliara asked, "Where does it lead?"
"I don't know," the elf answered honestly. He didn't know where it led to or what exactly it was, "But where ever it leads or whatever it is, it can't be any worse than our situation now, can it?"
"...True..." Saliara replied warily. Samantha was eyeing the rift with outright disgust.
"I wonder if they can feel the taint of the Void..."
"We should hurry if we are to go," Ree said.
Saliara nodded, "I'll go first." The elf hesitated a moment before the swirling black mass before she stepped through. Samantha followed reluctantly, guiding Ree.
Aranel paused, "Master dwarf, it would be in your best interest to get away from here. Tell the Pures the truth of whatever they ask. They cannot follow us. Call it an instinct." The human's eyes rested on Severein for a moment before he, too, entered the rift.
Severein lifted Suuri onto his back as he stood. The fairy was lighter than he had expected.
"Good fortune to you, master dwarf."
"Aye, just take care of the young lass," the dwarf responded.
Severein nodded before stepping through. Back into the blackness. Back into the Void.

But it was different this time. It was black, but Severein could see a path before him. Suuri's weight stayed with him this time as well. He could feel her. She was with him. That was good. The elf had worried for a moment that Suuri might not have come through with him.
The blackness had dispersed to reveal a stormy green corridor of sorts. It was foreboding to say the least.
A guttural roar came from behind Severein. The elf whirled around and felt despair crash into him. The hulking mass of Ba'el was staring at him hungrily.
The Void will consume you... the words echoed in Severein's mind. The elf swallowed. Ba'el charged. Severein turned and took a step onto the stormy path...

...And found himself standing on a hill overlooking Kalan more than a league away with the others. All except Aranel and Ree were looking around in awe.
"We made it..." Salira breathed, then laughed, "we made it out alive!"
"So we did," Aranel agreed.
"I must admit, I was worried at first, but that...rift took us straight here," Samantha said, snapping her fingers, "Like that."
"They didn't enter the Void...?" Severein thought to himself as he lay Suuri on the soft grass. He stared at her wonderingly, "Did she see really travel to the Void with me? Yes, of course she did. Is it because I took her in there with me? Or did the others enter as well, but have no memory of it?"
"We need to move from here," the elf advised, "It's too open. Once we find some place more secluded, I suggest we stop for the night. Suuri is not the only person who is exhausted. I'm sure we've all had enough adventure for one night."
"Will I sleep? Will the Void be waiting for me?"
One thing was certain. Severein needed to learn how to control the Void.
If there are no teachers on Mostaki, then I will learn from a teacher elsewhere. I will learn about the Void from the Void itself if I must...

OOC: I really have to apologize about not posting when I said I would. -_-
I just got caught up in so many other things and it just proved catastrophic.
At any rate, I've posted now, though. If there're any problems here, feel free to PM me.

It seemed like she was floating, but her feet told her that was a lie. She seemed to be standing a massive floor, though she couldn't see it herself. There was only darkness around her, there was nothing to be seen in any direction. Funnily enough, even though there was no light, she could easily see her own body. Or rather the clothing that was covering most of it. Voices whispered through the darkness, but Suuri couldn't understand a word they were saying, although it sounded like one of the voices was welcoming her. She couldn't really determine where the voices were coming from either, they seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and even when she walked around, the intensity of the whispers remained the same, as if they moved along with her, following her every step.

She suddenly found herself standing in front of a grass-green hallway, crafted from illuminating stones, separated slightly by the darkness of the place she was in. The arched hallway seemed to go on forever. Only because Suuri gasped at that moment, did she realize how she could breathe normally here, perhaps even a bit better than in the real world. Well, real world was perhaps not the correct term, this world could be equally real, but she considered the world she called home to be the real world. The passage way still remained as she stood before it. She expected it to disappear if she moved though, which was a slight disaster as it was the only point of reference she had. So instead of moving, she kept staring into the hallway, wondering if there was another side to it. Finally she took a step. A step into the hallway which instantly vanished as her body no longer responded to her commands and only a final whisper came to her: “You have been marked by the Void.”

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but as she woke it was dark out and there were no movements around her. Her clothes clung wetly to her sweaty body, she wasn't surprised after what she had dreamed. Or hadn't it been a dream at all? Severein had talked about the Void, and that last voice had been quite clear, as opposed to all the others. Of course, if she was marked, that could be meant figuratively, or in a way that she herself could not discover it, it was too dark to investigate her body anyway.

She was wondering who was on guard duty. She doubted her new companions were dumb enough not to put out a guard, and even if they were, Aranel and Severein were not. It was only a question of being able to walk about without giving the guard a heart attack, as that would do no good. Standing up, she had to balance out her body more than once, apparently, she was still somewhat tired and exhausted, and she could well use something to eat or drink. But first she took of her soaked clothing, no wonder she was thirsty after sweating that much, and laid them spread out on the ground to dry. There was a gentle nighttime breeze, so her clothes would dry well. Next she tapped into her energy, using the Craft to summon a small fountain of water from the ground. Before she could drink however, she felt a sharp metallic object pressed against her neck.

She could not see who was holding the blade, but she was almost certain it had to be the blind elf, the others would never have noticed the fountain of water. “Ree... It's me, Suuri.” Her words were barely a whisper that wouldn't carry any further than three or so feet, but she knew that Ree had heard as the elf removed the sword from her throat. The elf simply walked away again, making no audible sound as she disappeared into the darkness of the night. Strange elf. Didn't even say anything. After she finally managed to drink, Suuri looked around her to try and find the elf Severein, but with the darkness of the clouded night, she could not even distinguish any sleeping figures from the ground.

As if coming to Suuri's aid, the sky lit up with the first light of the morning, painting the clouds dark red and the rest of the sky more to the orange side. The ground only received a minimum of light, but it was enough for Suuri to be able to look around. She could see that the group had settled in some type of bowl like valley for the night, in order to not be noticed from afar. She could also see that only the human female and the other female elf were lying on the ground close to her, sleeping. Upon further inspection, she found Aranel sleeping a bit further away from the others, near a few rocks, most of Severein's equipment lay near the man, but Severein himself did not. The hilly surroundings hid both the blind elf and Severein from Suuri's view, she had to go out and find him herself, so she picked a random direction and followed it.

While she did climb the hills, she made sure not to stick out too far above them, so that she couldn't be seen from a distance. If the others had seen the necessity to hide between the hills, then she shouldn't screw it up by letting herself possibly be seen by other. Suuri found it quite funny that even though she had only been on the run for two days, she was already thinking about such things. But she supposed that such things could not be helped, after all, not only her own life, but also those of other depended on her keeping her eyes open and being cautious. At least for now. Perhaps things would calm down a bit once they were out of the general area of Kalan. That raised the question of where they were now, and how they got there, but since she couldn't simply guess that, it would be for later.

The sky continued to brighten as Suuri made her way around the hills surrounding the camp, but still Severein was not found. However, since daylight had become bright enough to actually see some details, Suuri took the time to quickly see if there were no marking of any kind of her body. She started with her feet, followed by her legs, but they all seemed normal, her lower intimate area was the way it was supposed to be too, as were her belly and what she could see of her back. But when she investigated her right arm, she wanted to hit herself for not seeing it sooner. What appeared to be a tattoo just below the inner side of her elbow. The tattoo's blackness was frightning, the thing almost seemed as it was a hole, rather than a tattoo. Two major concentric circles connected five others whose centers were located in the middle of the two major circles at equal distances from each neighbouring circle, the inner major circle was also filled with a thick cross. The texture of each of the small circles seemed different, they reminded Suuri of the elements of the Craft. And now that she noticed, the inner major circle seemed to swirl, somehow. This just had to be the marking the voice in her dream had talked about.

Breaking out of her investigation of the tattoo, she continued onward, trying to find the elf. She had to find Severein as quickly as possible, they had to discuss this before the others woke up, before anyone noticed they were not at the camp. She shivered under the sudden gust of cold wind flowing over her body and pushing her wings slightly back. She tried her best to ignore it as she rounded another hill, viewing the camp from the corner of her eye between the two hills, no-one seemed to be up yet, but with the limited line of sight, it was hard to tell. There were only two options left, Severein was around the next hill, or he was further away from the camp than Suuri had assumed. If it was the latter, it would be useless trying to find him in time, so she crossed her finger and walked around the last hill in the circle around the camp she had followed.

The long elf lay on the grassy hillside, his long whiteblode hair hidden beneath his back. He still wore the same cloak he had worn last night, making it seem as if there were only parts of a body. Suuri could not see his sword, but she was sure it was nearby. The elf's eyes were closed as he laid stretched out on the climbing land, with one knee sticking up into the air a bit. If she didn't know him any better, Suuri would've said the man was relaxing. She approached him as slowly and threaded as lightly as she could, even using her wings to try to remain quiet. The elf almost seemed as if he was actually sleeping, but perhaps he could even see her with his eyes closed. “Severein,” she said softly, “we need to talk.”

The elf's eyes shot open, their color flickering between light blue and dark purple constantly, Suuri had no idea what it meant. But the swirling darkness around his irisses concerned her more, it was the same darkness as the tattoo on her lower right arm. How could she not have seen that sooner, how could she have misses such an obvious sign? Another thought struck her, perhaps only those marked by the Void could actually see the markings. “What is it, Suuri?” Severein's reply finally came, more gentle than she had expected.

“I eh... I had a dream...” The elf raised an eyebrow, but Suuri thought he already knew where this was going. “The voices said I was marked. And they were right.” Suuri sighed with relief as she had finally said it. She hadn't expected it to be hard to tell him. The elf had been sitting up straight in a mere moment, his face directed at her, while he could see her from any possible direction.
“The void?” the question finally came. Suuri nodded in return, while the elf stared at her for a moment. Suuri waited for the moment to end and then moved her right arm forward so that Severein could see the tattoo. He stretched his fingers to touch it, but from trying herself Suuri knew he would only feel her own soft skin.
“What happened after I fainted, Severein?” Suuri looked at the grass next to the elf, she didn't really know where else to look, nor how to look. Although she found it a bit ridiculous, she couldn't help it. It was such a weird situation. If only she could go back to tending to the forests near Kalan and selling melons in the market. But that was definitely out of the question now, after all that had happened. And of course, the Void probably had plans for her, and it didn't seem like a wise idea to try and fight the Void. It would be like trying to fight the Craft itself, it was just ridiculous, something as ever present as a branch of magic was beyond the understanding of living beings, if it had a will, then without a doubt it could crush a being in a moments notice. Those voices in the Void had to have been its thoughts, that would without a doubt make sense, but she was just guessing at this point, it had no use whatsoever.

But apparently she had not missed the start of the elf's story, as Severein had never begun talking, he only looked at her. Only as she looked up, did he speak. “I think the others are up by now. Let's go back to the camp, I'll tell you what happened another time.” His promise seemed genuine, and that was enough for Suuri for now. Since they were companions now, she had to trust him and vice versa. As the two entered the camp, they saw that everyone was indeed up, sitting around a small fire, putting their heads together. Suuri walked by her sleeping place, grabbing her sleeve, before joining the others around the fire. She put the sleeve around her right arm to hide the tattoo, hoping that no-one would notice the change of arm, although her nakedness provided a good distraction.

-----------------------

O²C: If you want anything changed, please let me know.

"What?" a voice snarled. "Don't you dare say such things!" Saliara took a step back away from the angry elf. She hadn't thought he would have reacted this way. "I am in control now and you would do well to follow what I say." The elder male elf pointed at her with his knife. Saliara had quickly lost the surprised expression on her face to be replaced by one of pure anger. "Don't point that on me" she growled and knocked the knife away from herself. "I am my own person, Rasin. I can make my own decisions. I don't need you and your demanding ways." "Who'll take you in, uh? Who will take the time to train you?" Saliara's glare deepened as her face grew dark. "If you are even thinking about bringing that up again..." she warned. Rasin let out a faint smirking sound. "Oh you mean the time..."

Saliara jerked as the image began to fog. "Da-" she began as she tried to regain any sort of stability. She grasped onto a nearby table as all of her uncle disappeared expected for his grin. Saliara couldn't even shiver at that...smile of his.

The soft crunch of grass being smashed by a boot gave the final blow to her dream of a memory she wished not to remember clearly.

Saliara squinted to realize the sun was already peeking over the landscape. 'It's already sunrise?' she asked herself in disbelief. 'How could..How could I have slept that long?' It had been years since she had slept this late, but those were simpler times for her.

"You're finally up" she heard Samantha mutter. "I guess so.." Saliara stood up with a small stretch and walked over to the little fire that the Ree, Aranel, and Samantha had been putting together.

Saliara sat close to it once the three were finished and had already taken seats themselves. "So, first order of business is probably getting some food" Saliara began. "The Hadefs are to supply us with that, but..."

Saliara glanced over her shoulder to notice what the others had been looking at. It was the last two members of the group. Severein and Suuri seemed rather calm, so she picked when where she had left off. "The Hadefs are going to supply us with food and a few other necessities, but obviously we can't track them down in every city we come across. So until we reach Luna, we'll be on our own for that." Saliara glanced at each one of them before continuing "The key to this whole thing should be in Luna for the trading fair that will be taking place when we arrive, so that means we'll have to been there within five days." "That shouldn't be too difficult. It's a three and a half day walk to Luna from here." Saliara nodded. "Exactly, but we have to worry about the Pures and those that support them during the trip there."

OOC: It's fine it happens.