Lost Souls Story Thread

[ScardyBob]

The Traveler’s inn was a nice place. Clean and well kept, the look of loving care put into every detail. It made Gidim uncomfortable, since he was more accustomed to a cold dirt floor and the disgust people bestowed upon lonely wanderers. Although not feeling like he belonged, he could not deny his curiosity.
“Out! Away with you, filthy leper!”
Gidim turned his head to see the barkeep grab a broom and begin to wave it at him.
“Go! Or I’ll call the guard!”
Although he knew it was best to leave, he feet seemed stuck to the floor.
“What’s all this commotion?” said a soothing voice.
Gidim turned to see a young elven lady standing near the foot of the staircase. Her clean white robes contradicted the tiredness in her eyes.

“FOLLOW HER! She will lead you to him,” rushed through his head.

The elf started towards Gidim, chastising the barkeep for reacting so harshly. She approached Gidim and said, “My name is Aerie. What is yours?”

Dazed for a moment and nearly speechless, trying to organize his thoughts, he stammered, “M…my… my name is…. Gidim…”

He looked away for a second, dazzled by this young elf, and saw a man across the inn; dusty robes covered what were obviously some armor, and a sword of interest. He was most likely a warrior, definitely someone not to be trifled with.

The wooden figurine against his chest began to get warm. Without even thinking he started whispering to himself, so softly that his breathing almost drowned out the words.

Almost from out of nowhere he felt his spirits lift. Gidim straightened out his back the best he could and took a deep breath.
“My name is Gidim and I am a lonely traveler of these parts. I only wish for a little warmth and food to calm these tired bones,” he smiled at Aerie. “Some of us have had more than our fair share of communing with nature,” he intoned, turning to stare at the barkeep.

Aerie chuckled, her smile widening.

[Magus]

“Not so fast, xvart.” The militia sergeant reached out and casually wrenched the ruby-topped staff from Yolta’s hand before he could think to resist. “I’ll be taking this. No doubt it’s stolen.” He then quickly and efficiently patted Yolta down for weapons. He was a bit surprised to find a small little book tucked in Yolta’s robes. He opened it, looking blankly at the odd little symbols written on all the pages. Back in his mercenary days, he’d seen a few magic-using comrades of his poring over books like this. Could it be that this little goblin knew magic? He looked skeptically at the wrinkled xvart in front of him. Yeah, right. He shook his head at the ridiculous notion and tossed the book aside.

Having found no weapons, the sergeant locked the cell door and proceeded to lock the staff in a large wooden chest nearby; apparently it was where the guard kept confiscated items. The chest was sturdy enough, though Yolta didn’t sense any magic about it. His irksome task finally accomplished, the sergeant left, presumably returning to his station at the gate.

Looking about, Yolta noticed a small barred window high up on the wall. The torches on the wall were the only illumination at the moment, but come dawn he could expect a little extra light.

He closed his eyes and tried to rest…but tired as he was, sleep wouldn’t come. An hour or so passed, the time seeming to drag on endlessly. The light of dawn was beginning to seep through the window when he suddenly got the feeling he wasn’t alone. He opened his eyes to find two disembodied ruby eyes staring down at him. He recognized the creature immediately. A hakeashar. Surprised as he was, it took a moment longer than it should have to make the connection. A hakeashar!

…

-Well, well. It seems the hungry snake has come upon a trapped little rat.-

The shadowy creature’s eyes flared—whether in menace or anticipation, Yolta couldn’t tell.

* * * * *

Aerie chuckled, her smile widening. At least someone around here wasn’t all gruff and grouchy.

“Well Gidim,” Aerie began. “If you’re sick, maybe I can be of help. I happen to be a cleric of some power. I usually charge quite a bit for my services, but I might be able to make an exception this once. What do you say?”

The barkeep rolled her eyes and began sweeping the floor, keeping her eyes on the two.

[Aegis]

The journey north of Calimport continued slowly, the sun beating down on the shoulders of the four travellers, and the heat playing subtle mind tricks on them. All knew enough to conserve the water they had managed to bring along, yet everyone's hand occasionally found its way to resting on the stopping in the water skin. Rail carefully adjusted the cloth covering his head with his artificial hand, tightening the draw cord, so it wouldn't jostle around too much. Once down, he looked to the side, where Ferchen had been riding since the begining of the exodus.

"How many days ride did you say it was from the desert?" there was a hint of frustration in his voice, but his stoic nature did much to disguise it.

Ferchen surprised a small grin, knowing full well that the assassin did not appreciate being in the sun, much less the light. "With steady riding, we should reach Tethyn in four more days." She looked ahead, ignoring Rails disbeleiving glint. "But, that would push the camels, and ourselves, very hard. With the exception of you, and the clone, I do not believe we would be able to do it without damaging ourselves." Ferchen looked towards Sethin. She barely knew the clone, outside of what had been told to her, yet she couldn't speak it's name. It didn't seem right for it to have a name. Something such as that did not deserve one, she thought. She lowered her gaze slightly, her thoughts wandering to Virrilis in the back of the group. He had said nothing since they left the camp at dawn. The Bladesinger had, instead, kept his eyes vigilently forward, watching the group, as well as Sethin. Ferchen had seen a definate change in Virrilis since encountering his clone, but she wasn't sure what to make of it just yet.

The minutes passed slowly for them all, each one surpressing the urge to drain their water skins, but each enforcing their own strict discipline. Ferchen glanced off to the side, towards the sand dunes. The same sand dune, it seemed, that she had seen an hour ago, and a day ago. As she was about to look back to the front of the group, her eyes caught a brief flash of something. she snapped her attention up, along with her body, and looked to the dune. It, whatever it was, was moving. She squinted her eyes, and stopped her mount.

"I think I see something..." She angled her mount to face the object on the horizon. She was quickly joined by Rail and Virrilis. Sethin hung back.

"Most likely a mirage, Ranger." Sethin sadi bitterly. The heat was obviously irratating the clone, leaving his tact misplaced at the time. That, and he had no desire to wait around chasing shadows in the middle of a desert day.

"No." Virrilis said quietly, watching the object with interest. "It is definatly something. And it is coming this way..." the Bladesinger's hand dropped to the hilt of his scimitar, and unfastened the leather stop on it's sheath. Rail made a similar movement, trusting the elves eyes over his own.

After a moment of watching the object, Virrilis' eyes widened, and he turned his camel about. "Maraders!" He yelled out. Sethin's attention was now focused on the object coming towards them, and dozen more coming over the crest. Rail urged the camel back, as well as Ferchen, who was now stringing her bow together. Sethin moved back as well, knowing they wouldn't be able to outrun desert maradurs on their home ground. The three men formed a circle around Ferchen, who had now notched an arrow in her bow, and waited for the first to come into sight.

"More of them! To the East!" Rail said suddenly. Virrilis snapped his gaze to the East, only to discover another half dozen coming from the eastern crest.

"Damnit!" Virrilis drew his dagger now, letting the reigns of his camel loose. This was the last thing he wanted to do in the desert.

His thoughts were interupted by the sharp whistling of an arrow zipping past his head into the group, landing in a sand dune. The sound was followed by several more, amongst them Ferchen's bow reprising the attack. Within moments, the first of the Maradurs was among them.

One Maradur came charging in towards Sethin, thinking an easy kill of the, as yet, unarmed elf. Sethin looked back with only a smirk of arrogance. Within a moment, the desert raider knew the folly, as a keen edged katana slid swiftly from it's sheathe, and sank it's tip into the raiders mount, flipping the riding off it, and sending the horse to sprawling the ground, dying. It took only a moment, and Sethin slashed downwards, across the man's back, keeping him down permanently.

Rail was not fond of upfront confrontations, prefering to control the field of battle, but he was no less dangerous to the men coming towards him. his saber drawn, he waited for the raiders to come close. both brandsihed scimitars with jagged edges, obviously with little intention of clean cuts. As the men came in, the charge was met with the sound of steel, and a bright flash of metal as Rails saber quickly parried one blow, and cleanly slit the throat of the other. As he moved his blade back towards the other raider, he heard the sound of another arrow slice through the air, but he also heard another sound. A sickingly soft sound. He risked the glance to his camel, only to confirm his suspician. An arrow was lodged tightly in the beasts neck, and was dying quickly.

Virrilis faced the eastern edge alone, both blades held tightly. He charged the six raiders racing towards him, no intentions of letting them join with their comrades. Riding towards the raiders, he stood himself up on the camel, awkwardly being jostled, but maintaining his balance. He held the scimitar, poised to strike at the first target, and the dagger so that it edged along the inside of his forearm. As he moved, his light silk clothing trailed behind him. Arrows whistled passed him, all flying wide of him, and digging into the sand around him. Within moments, he was to the group. One of the raiders came in from the side, attempting a clean kill of the Bladesinger. His sword found only air. Virrilis kicked himself off the camel, towards another of the raiders, his blades working a deadly arc, catching the raider off gaurd, and tracing a line of blood across his chest. Virrilis' momentum carried through, and the lilthe elf rolled once hitting the ground.

He quickly kicked himself back to his feet, in time to parry an attack from another raider with his dagger. He knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand the attack when they were mounted. With his scimitar, he lashed out, cutting the harness to the raiders saddle, causing it, and the rider, to lose balance, and slide off the side onto the ground. Before the Bladesinger could complete the attack, his attention was forced behind him, to a pair of riders coming. Virrilis kicked back, tiwsting his body around in the process, and lashing out with blades. One met a riders leg, while the other cut across the mounts of torso. The injured rider grunted in pain, and continued to press forward to wrap around. The injured mount stuttered in it's step, and fell to the ground, throwing it's rider to the sand along with it.

Virrilis landed face first in the sand, quickly pushing his body around, and kicking himself up. Just as his head left the sand, another arrow dug itself deeply into the dune, narrowly missing the Bladesinger. There were two riders remaining, the others on the ground, and one of them dead. He had no chance to check on how the others fared. The hurt rider cursed to himself, and tried to notch another arrow. The other rider came charging at the elf, scimitar raised high, ready to end the battle. As the man came charging in, Virrilis crouched low, and waited, his blades ready defensivly. Once within striking distance, the raiders blade came down, and Virrilis' came ip, with the Bladesinger wrapping his blades around the man's arm, locking, and then dragging him from the mount, and loosening the grip of the raiders weapon. Within a second, Virrilis' dagger was returned to his belt, and the other scimitar in hand. He glanced quickly the one with the bow, who was lining up the shot. In an instant, Virrilis released the plain weapon, and sent it head over haft towards the last mounted raider, digging the tip into his chest, and sending the arrow off into the air. Virrilis quickly edged himself into the centre of the four remaining raiders, his blades poised, and the raiders creeping closer to him...

[Rob-hin]

Within seconds Yolta stood on his feet, not loosing the hakeashar out of his sight.

His mind raced like mad, exploring all possible options available to him. Unfortunately, there were few. Hakeashar are immune to magic aimed directly against them and they can not be hurt with non magic weapons, so what to do?

The creature closed in and Yolta slowly stepped back towards the opposite side of the jail cell, carefully shuffling back step by step. Loosing his balance would prove fatal. With nowhere to go, he felt the iron bars against his back all too soon. Time was definitely not on his side.

The creature hovered towards him, the eyes lighting red in a sea of black mist, only a few feet away. The xvart knew enough of such creatures not to let one near him and suck all his magical strength out of him, every wizard’s nightmare. Time and setting were not favourable to him, and with this concept in mind an idea was born. “Let’s change the odds in my favour, shall we?”

His right hand reached into a pocket on the inside of his outfit, a bag of holding sewed into it, and he pulled out a little pouch. Concentrated, while opening it, he began casting.
“Abicio paries concipio hostis”

Finishing the spell, loudly screaming the words, Yolta tossed a handful ruby dust in the air; it vanished instantly. As soon as the dust disappeared, the air around the the Hakeashar stated materialising. Realising what was happening, it leaped forward trying to escape the trap, it was too slow. His red eyes flew towards the small xvart but suddenly they were gone, a solid wall appeared in front of it.

The creature was trapped in a windowless cell of massive stone, without cracks or windows for the creature to escape through. “Don’t bother trying to go through the wall itself, as you normally can.” Yolta raised his voice so the creature could hear him clearly. “The walls extend into the Ethereal Plane, blocking ethereal travelling!” For some reason, He enjoyed trapping the creature like this. “Your prison will remain in place for some hours, ten or so. Giving me the time I need to prepare your disposal.”
No ordinary Hakeashar could ever escape this trap. It would take a teleportation or astral travel to escape. Destroying this sturdy cell would be even harder, that would require a disintegrate spell, sphere of annihilation spell or a rod of cancellation. And he was pretty sure no hakeashar was capable of these things.

[Aegis]

Ferchen steadied the camel as best she could amongst the scrim. It took her longer to fix her bow upon a target with each arrow loosed, and the raiders were charging in quickly. She stayed near Rail, wanting to ensure she wouldn't be overwhelmed. She readied another arrow, and took aim. Letting it loose, it was quickly followed by a loud clang, and thud, as it dug into the chest of one of the maradur's, past his thin chain mail armour. They were too close now. She hastily placed her bow back onto the camels saddle, and drew out her sword. In the corner of her eye, she saw Rails camel get hit with an arrow, and stumble to the ground, the skilled Assassin rolling off the other side before bing pinned into the sand. Her attention was quickly snapped back, as one of the raiders came charging in, his scimitar raised into the air.

She broguht her sword up to parry the attack. The blades shrieked in protest as the met. The raider quickly angled his blade, running it down the edge of Ferchen's, creating a wave of sparks, slamming it into the hilt of her sword. Ferchen's hand went numb from the impact of the hit, and felt her grip loosen. She released the reigns of her camel, and brought her other hand over to try and steady the blade. As she was locked in the struggle, a flash cought her eye. Risking a glance, she saw one of the Marauders hanging back from the melee, his hands twisting in the air. His face was veiled by a deep purple veil, but she didn't need to see the man's face to release the peril they were in. She kicked back, off her camel and away from the raider, and turned to the group, about to call out a warning. She hit the ground behind the camel, and saw the raider pursuing swiftly. She called out. The others didn't seem to hear her. She called again, before she released what had happened. The wizard had silenced her. She spun quickly to face the oncoming raider, raising her sword again, barely parrying the attack.

She held the blade and attack in check, using both hands to fight the desert marauders strength. She felt the man pressing in strongly, her blade edging closer towards her. Suddenly, she felt a burning pain along her waist. Her mouth let out a silenced cry of agony, as she dropped her blade, turning to see the wizard directing a jet of flame towards her. She gritted her teeth, and attempted to grab at the raider in melee with her, missing, and falling to the ground. The raider was about to finish his attack, if it weren't for the wizards single hand motion stopping him. The raider nodded, and turned towards Rail.

The Assassin seemed to move just as swiftly in the sand as he did on solid ground, her saber parrying attacks to one side, his dagger to the other. He seemed familar wit hdefending against the curved blades, using that knowledge to turn them more effectively, but was finding it difficult to make an opening to attack. Already two of the raiders lay at the ground by his feet, a third one from the initial charge, but three more were still around him, two of which still had mounts. He launched himself to the side, avoiding an incoming attack, twisting his body in the process, her saber whipping around, only to be met by another blade. Beads of sweat were running down his forehead. It was too damned hot, he thought to himself. He kept the saber locked with the scimitar, and whipped his dagger around, slashing at the raiders wrist. A thin stream blood resulted, and the scimitar was dropped. Rail capitlized on the new found opening, and drove the saber home, slaying the raider. He spun quickly His dagger poised in front of him, his saber readied to meet the next attack. The raider came in swiftly, his mount moving past, and his scimitar arced towards Rails chest. The skilled assassin parried the blade away with his dagger, and attempted to strike at the passing raider. Before his blade could meet the raiders flesh, another arrow came whistling past, scraping along Rails forearm. The pain was enough for Rail to pull his hand back, but not enough for him to drop the blade. He whipped his head around to see where the archer was, only to spot the wizard along the outer rim of the melee lower a small bow. Rail recognized the garb instantly. He dived to the side instinctivly, avoiding the continued attack from the two raiders. He hit the ground, rolled, then kicked himself to his feet, pushing himself towards the wizard, a murderous look on his stoic face. The wizard gave him a c0cky grin, the kind that Rail hated the most. The one that Rail knew meant he did not have the upper hand.

A burst of water began to stream from his hands, slamming into Rail with full force, knocking the assassin to his back, and turning the sand around him into a thick mud. The pursing raiders caught up as he hit the ground. Rail looked up as one of them stood over top, with his blade raised. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain below his ribs, then he blacked out.

[Aegis]

Sethin maintained his balance on his mount with incredable ease. controlling the beast was a simple matter to him, allowing him to focus on defending himself from the desert raiders. Three of the marauders circled in close to Sethin, the clone watching them silently, one hand holding onto the leather reigns tightly, the other one holding his katana out to the side. The three charged in at once, each scimitar poised to stirke in a different location. Sethin gave a wry smirk as they closed in. Once within stirking distance, a trio of slender blades cut through the air towards the mounted clone. Before any could connect, though, Sethin slid himself off the side of the camel, a pair of the scimitars soaring harmlessly overhead, the other one meeting only the fine edge of his blade. The blades clashed loudly, but neither seemed to care. As soon as the clones feet hit the ground, he sprung back up, luanching himself over top the camel, still holding the reigns with one hand. As he moved upwards, his katana cut a single vicious arc, cutting easily through both the raiders mount, and the raiders leg. The marauder let out a loud cry, his blade dropping to the ground, along with everything below his one knee. Sethin righted himself in the air, and landed, on a slight angle, back on the camel's back, and thrust his blade out to finish the raider, piercing his chest easily with the keen blade.

Sethin didn't wait to watch the man die. He urged his mount around. As he did so, he heard the distinct sound of arrows whistling through the air. Paying little heed to the pair of arrows embedding themselves into the sand around him, he faced the two marauders who had missed on the first pass. He gave another wry grin, taunting them to try again. The two raiders exchanged a brief look, before nodding, and pulling back slightly. Sethin c0cked his brow slightly at the unusual turn of events, and was about to urge his mount on. He heard another arrow dig itself into the dirt, this one getting a bit closer to him. His eyes followed the two retreating marauders, one of which was nodding off to something to the side of Sethin. The clone glanced in the same direction, only to see both Rail and Ferchen on the ground, both unconscious and defeated, along with several remaining marauders coming in to join the fight against Sethin. He also saw the veiled wizard on the crest.

Seven marauders surrounded Sethin, with the wizard watching casually from the edge of the battle. Sethin stopped his mount, his katana still held firmly, ready to take on them all, and quite confident he could. To the side, he heard his other half still battling, but unsure of how he fared. Sethin and the marauders sat watching each other for several uneasy seconds, before a pair of them slid their scimitars back into their sheathes, only to replace the blades with heavy netting, weighted with large iron orbs, each one glowing with a misty grey colour. This changed the situation slightly, Sethin knew it. Within a moment, he urged his mount around, and charged one of the raiders with the nets, his katana poised to strike as he passed. As if on cue, the raiders charged as well, closing in on the clone, and the two nets were loosed. As one came in, Sethin tilted of to the side of the camel, enough to not become ensared in it, but not enough to avoid it completly. The heavy net mesh hit roughly on the shoulder, almost knocking the clone from the mount, and distracting him enough that the second net came soaring in, on target. Sethin turned to face just as the mesh made contact, wrapping him up tightly, and knocking him from the mount, onto the sand. Two of the marauders grinned, and dismounted, and stood near the fallen clone, ensuring the net was secure, before sending the remaining raiders to deal with the blade singer.

[Magus]

For a moment there was silence. Yolta grinned, congratulating himself on his quick thinking.

-A clever little mortal, aren’t we? And powerful too. How is it that a goblinoid wields such magic?- The creature seemed taken aback, impressed. Trapped in the magical prison, its communication held no fear, though it was now completely at Yolta’s mercy. It seemed intrigued more than anything else.

“As I tell my students, there’s always an exception to the rule. Judge an opponent by appearances and you’re bound to get burned. You’re not the first who’s learned that lesson the hard way.” Yolta scratched his chin, considering the best way to get rid of the creature.

-Hmm…indeed. Might I know the name of this…unusual xvart?-

Yolta didn’t see any harm in it. A name was a powerful weapon in the hands of some creatures…but a hakeashar wasn’t one of them. And soon it would no longer be a threat. “I am Yolta.” He said it proudly. It wasn’t every day that a wizard humbled a hakeashar, known as the wizard’s bane.

-Humbled?-

Suddenly Yolta sensed a teleportation. Shadows wrapped him from behind before he could react, smothering him. He felt his energy seeping out of him, fast.

-Insolent rat. You are nothing. You are prey. You are dinner.- The impressed, intrigued voice from before was gone, replaced by cold, vicious disdain. It was all an act. All an act.

His strength fading, Yolta reached into his robe. He would only have one chance…

-No, I think not.-

Yolta’s mind suddenly exploded in agony. He felt himself falling. As his vision faded, he saw the eyes glowing red above him, mocking him.

Then all was dark.

[ScardyBob]

“Well Gidim,” Aerie began. “If you’re sick, maybe I can be of help. I happen to be a cleric of some power. I usually charge quite a bit for my services, but I might be able to make an exception this once. What do you say?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t believe there is anything you can do to cure what ails me,” Gidim spoke, “Though I could use some food and a warm place to rest for a while.”

Although his body resisted the movement with many creaks and groans, Gidim motioned Aerie to follow him to a table in the back. Almost without thought, he walked over the armored man who had caught his attention before.

“May we join you kind sir?”

[Magus]

Cold…he was cold. His head hurt. He opened his eyes. It was dark. He felt the ground on his lips. He was lying face down on the ground. He lifted his head. Ah…so bright! He shielded his eyes with his hand.

Where was he? He looked around. He was underground. The sun shone through a rectangular hole in the wall, blocked by thick metal bars. On the other side more bars trapped him in this little room. That’s right, he remembered being locked in here by a human.

Who…was he? He felt like he should know. His name…yes, it was Yolta. He was a wizard. That’s right, he was a wizard, a fabulous wielder of magic! He reached in his robes and pulled out his spellbook. He looked in awe at all the funny little symbols on the pages. Did he know these? He thought he remembered knowing them. Why didn’t he know them now? Ugh, all this thinking was giving him a headache. Headache…why did his head hurt so much? Glowing red eyes…that creature. What was it called again? A hackeashin? That nasty hackashin showed up, and he had been scared, he remembered that. He’d put it in a nice little box, but it got out and did something to him, and then it was black except now it wasn’t. He looked sadly at his nice little box floating in the air. It should have worked. It was a great plan. The stupid hackacough did something to his head. That was it. Hackancoughs liked magic too, and he was a great wizard, so it probably had sucked away his magic too. Oh well. He just had to read his spellbook again and he would get his spells back, right? Yeah, he just needed to read his spellbook. He opened his spellbook and glared hard at the little symbols. He didn’t feel anything happening. He felt a chill up his spine. What if he couldn’t cast magic anymore? That hackashough did something to him. He knew it had. That’s why he couldn’t think right! The hakeashough must have magicked him!

He looked around frantically. He had to get out of here! He had to find someone who could un-magick him, quick!

* * * * *

Aerie followed her old friend (or would that be new friend…she couldn’t decide) to a table in the back. There in the shadows under the stairs sat a man in armor that she hadn’t spotted until now.

“May we join you kind sir,” she heard Gidim say.

There was something familiar about the way the man sat. The man nodded silently at Gidim, then looked at Aerie. Their eyes met. It couldn’t be!

“Xandax?” She said it softly, unsure of herself at first. But as they locked eyes, her doubts were quelled. He recognized her too. There was his shield, propped next to him. And that wrapped bundle was probably his sword. “I can’t believe we’d meet in a place like this! You left so suddenly, you know, and I never got a chance to thank you for helping my husband and me. How have you been? What are you doing in this small town so far from Athkatla?” She sat down across from him excitedly, intent on hearing everything the stoic warrior would tell her.

[Xandax]

It was Aerie, then the creature in the night was what he thought.

They sat down at the table, the strange person … human … Xandax wasn’t sure, and Aerie.

“I can’t believe we’d meet in a place like this! You left so suddenly, you know, and I never got a chance to thank you for helping my husband and me. How have you been? What are you doing in this small town so far from Athkatla?” Aerie asked him.

Xandax tilted his head, there was something; he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Aerie seemed herself, but not quite, he could feel it in his bones. Xandax looked around the area. No sign of the wizard, strange – there was something hidden under the surface, Aerie was here … that creature was here.

“There were nothing left for me in Athkatla” Xandax replied emotionless “I had to move on” his mind flashed and a mental image appeared, shortly after it disappeared again. “I’ve just stopped in this … “he glanced around the tavern “…town, to rest up before gathering supplies for crossing the wastes of the desert. I’m going ….” he almost said home “east…” he replied instead “…, and I’ve not been this way before.”

Xandax wasn’t sure Aerie knew of this heritage that haunted him, so best not to disclose too much. He could not remember how much Magus knew … and if Magus had told Aerie.

He knew he had to return to his homelands once more – his fleeing had proved unsuccessful. Since he destroyed his father’s human form, if that could be called human, a shadowed form of his father and numerous of his minions had continued to haunt Xandax. Haunting him in his dreams and occasionally in life as well. He knew that he had to return and try to stop his father once again – this time eternally. He could feel the warmth all the way from Ferox, at the thought of his father.

Xandax had continuously and discreetly observed the strange besides Aerie.

Xandax narrowed his eyes slightly, while looking toward Aerie “Where is Magus?” he asked.

[Aegis]

The Raiders circled in around Virrilis, the Bladesinger's weapon poised, ready to strike out at the first blade within reach. It didn't take long for the raiders to move in with the confidence brought on by out numbering their foe. The four raiders moved in, closing the gap quickly. Virrilis moved just as swiftly, kicking up tufts of sand in the process. In a sudden movement, the elf lunged forward, his dagger cutting silver streak through the air, lashing out at the nearest attackers chest, not meant to connect, just to give some space. Before the dagger returned to it's ready position, Virrilis curved his body about, thrusting out with his scimitar towards the raider adjacent to him. The Marauder angled his body slightly, but not enough, a the keen scimitar cut a red trail along the man's chest, sending him back, one hand cradling his wound, the other gripping his own weapon tightly.

Virrilis didn't stop his motion. In a flash of movement, he sprinted himself forward, towards his initial target, but instead of attacking wit hhis weapons, he kicked forward, planting one foot on the raider's chest. Then, angling his body, he swung the other over his head, his body following suit, his hair and flowing clothes creating a shimmering wall as his body moved through the air, almost tangling up in the raiders behind him. He quickly centred his body, bringing his legs down, and touching back to the ground, his blades already working, cutting deeply into one of the riader's rexposed backs. Another one down, the Bladesinger thought to himself.

Virrilis had more room to work now, the three raiders moving to try and encircle him again. It wouldn't happen easily. The three came in swiftly, each one's blade arcing in towards the elf. Virrilis' hands worked faster, his dagger parrying the raider to the left, his scimitar working back and forth the raiders ahead, and to the right. He lunged himself to the side, forcing some pressure on the raider to the left, his scimitar still ringing loudly off the other blades. He ran his dagger down the edge of the Marauder's blade, to the pommel, before heaving the man back. As soon as the Bladesinger had more space, he raised his hand, dagger still in palm, and mouth a few, silent words. The raider began to charge back in, but was suddenly halted in his tracks, his eyes slwoly becoming heavier, and his body staggering to maintain balance. That would give Virrilis the time he needed, or so he thought.

He spun his attention fully to the two raiders still battling strong against him, only to see the looming shadow of their allies quickly running to join the frey, along with the veiled Marauder stalking in slowly, his hand pointed towards the Bladesinger. Virrilis pushed forward, swinging his dagger around, forcing the two raiders back. After a moment, he slashed out with his scimitar, the raider barely blocking it in time. Virrilis didn't concern himself with it, and lunged in tight, thrusting his dagger deep into the man's chest. He whipped himself, and the dagger, back out swiftly, moving to counter the other raider's newest attack. As he did so, he heard the steel ring loudly, shrieking in protest. The blades locked for a moment, and the elf gritted his teeth, while the Marauder grinned a toothy grin. Virrilis suddenly felt something close in around his body. His grip weakened on his blades, before dropping them. He looked frantically about him, seeing nothing that could possibly have grabbed him. Finally, he turned to see the veiled raider, his hand clenched tightly. After a moment, his vision turned black...

[Rob-hin]

-Calm down my friend.- It was Japheth. - Calm down.-
He knew this voice, it was a friend. But who was he and what was he trying to tell him? The words didn’t make any sense anymore!
-Stay there, I’m coming.-
“What?” The voice didn’t answer.

Confident about the way he handled the affairs with the xvart, the sergeant made his way through town, still vigilant and with a satisfied smile on his face. Suddenly and out of nowhere, a man appeared in front of, he came out of nothing. Instinctively he drew he sword, ready for anything.
The stranger turned around and looked him straight into the eyes. He wore a long green robe, decorated with golden dragon figurines. He tossed back his hood, revealing his face, a large grey beard and eyes that stared right through the sergeant’s soul.
“You, how dare you arrest one of the most important Regent of all members of The Order?”

Shook up buy this important looking man, the sergeant tried to regain his dignity. “Who are you to meddle with the affairs of local justice?”

“I am Japheth, chancellor of the Arcane Order.” With these words, he pointed towards a broche on his robe, a silver star. “I demand you show me to him.”

Overrun by Japheth, the sergeant complied, but he was not happy to do so. “This way.” He nudged his head towards the county jail. “But he’s not going anywhere until I allow him to do so.”

Not answering, Japheth made his way towards where Yolta was held.
Stepping inside, he saw Yolta laying face down on the floor, the sphere still hovering in the air, containing nothing but air. The sergeant entered right after him “What the…?”

Japheth didn’t waste any time and started casting a spell immediately.
“Integro apud amicitia, addo corroboro claritas!”

Instantly, Yolta felt his strength of mind returning to him, as if the mist in his mind cleared. He could think straight again, if not for this incredible headache. “Japheth?”
-I’m here my friend.- He answered without words, just feelings.

Yolta slowly rose to his feet. “See, I told you something was amiss here…”

[Magus]

What the hell was going on? The sergeant glanced at the man that called himself Japheth, then at the xvart. His gaze was then drawn to the floating sphere. What the hell was that doing there? He looked at Japheth again, scowling a bit. He wondered if the guy was as important as he seemed to think he was. Best to play it safe, at least for now.

“Look,” he said, his voice cool and in command. “I don’t know who that xvart is. And frankly, I don’t really care. I caught the fellow trying to sneak through the gate. When questioned about it, he lied. What with the trouble around these parts lately, we’ve been ordered to arrest any suspicious individuals trying to enter the city. If a goblinoid trying to sneak into the city isn’t suspicious, I don’t know what is. If you have a problem with that, take it up with my superior. Captain Ulbricht is in Boltswick at the moment, meeting with the Council. You can wait for him to return in a week or so, or you can go see him yourself. But until I get orders from the Captain, this xvart stays put. As for you…” Here he turned to Yolta. “You have some explaining to do. What happened here? What is that floating thing doing there?”

“Sergeant Kurdis, sir!”

“Hmm?” He turned to see the two morning shift guards, Sergeant Hummel and Private Indsor, hustling down the stairs.

“Private First-Class Geldyn told us you hadn’t returned yet. Who is this?” It was Hummel that spoke. They both glared at the conceited-looking old man, a wizard by the looks of him.

Indsor’s hand was on his sword. “Do you need any help, sir?”

Sergeant Kurdis locked eyes with Japheth. “No, I think he was just leaving.”

* * * * *

Xandax narrowed his eyes slightly, while looking toward Aerie “Where is Magus?” he asked.

Aerie had been listening enthusiastically to Xandax’s tale to this point, though she’d noticed Xandax looking around strangely from time to time. Nonetheless, she couldn’t hide her surprise at Xandax’s abrupt question.

“Oh, I suppose you didn’t know…” She trailed off, glancing away. Hiding her face, Xandax thought. It was but a brief moment, and when she faced Xandax again she looked normal enough. “He disappeared after that battle with Lazal. I haven’t seen him since…no one has. I’ve been searching for him these past couple months. I know he’s alive, somewhere. I’ve been using divination to try and locate him. It led me here…” Here Aerie paused for a moment, hesitating. “…And now that I’ve concluded my business in the area…I need some money to buy materials for another scrying. And that’s why I’m here.” She looked at Xandax and smiled. “You know, I’m doing a magic show here this evening. Perhaps you’d care to stay and watch?”

She looked at Xandax hopefully, catching Xandax off-guard. Before he knew it he was nodding his head. “Sure. Why not?”

“Great! You’ll be here too, right?” She looked at Gidim.

“O-Of course. I wouldn’t miss it,” Gidim stuttered.

“Then it’s all set!” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Hey Xandax,” she said, sobering a bit. “Before he disappeared, Magus told me of the phantoms that haunt you. How’s that going?” Seeing Xandax’s surprised look, she chuckled a bit. “You didn’t tell him anything, right? Magus has his ways though. You didn’t think he hired you entirely on faith, did you?”

[Xandax]

“He disappeared after that battle with Lazal.”

Xandax imidiately felt the pain in his right arm, the feeling of having it separated from the body. He shook the pain from his mind; it was not real.

Aerie had asked for his presences at a magic show. "Show, heh" Xandax thought, she had to be pretty desperate to put on a show for the masses, if only for the money. Xandax had never had needs of money, his wandering though the realm had provided him richly with what money he had use for and more so.

“Then it’s all set!” Aerie was grinning from ear to ear. “Hey Xandax,” she said, sobering a bit. “Before he disappeared, Magus told me of the phantoms that haunt you. How’s that going?” Seeing Xandax’s surprised look, she chuckled a bit. “You didn’t tell him anything, right? Magus has his ways though. You didn’t think he hired you entirely on faith, did you?”

Xandax froze a bit "How did …." He paused his thoughts. Sure why not – that creature had telepathic abilities, no wonder if its master would have also. Xandax sighed in his mind, but tried to give off as few emotions as possible. He didn’t like others roaming around where they weren’t supposed to, that was part of the reason why his mother had learned Xandax to control his mind to such an extent as making him resilient to mind controls.

"What did they know, how much did they know, should he tell them, could they possible help?" The thoughts were many and fast, Xandax wasn’t used to others knowing, unless they were participants of the haunting. But these weren’t – they couldn’t. Otherwise they would have made their move long ago, when he was in vulnerable positions.
Xandax decided that giving off as little information as possible would be the best approach.

”It is still there, stronger then ever. That is why I travel in this direction, taking the less obvious route.” Xandax replied. He could feel the warmth of Ferox at the thoughts, although it properly still was cool. The mysterious sword - Ferox – Xandax didn’t know much about it, although he had wielded it an immense number of times over the years. Xandax hit many of the facts as good as he could, for now he didn't quite trust Aerie enough, and he especially didn't trust that person at her side. So he decided not to let them in on the growing menace toward him. Xandax' father had proven more dangerous towards him in death.

Xandax glanced at Gidim, then back at Aerie.

”There is little I can do about it at the moment though, so I might as well stay around here in case I am needed - ” Xandax looked at Aerie “- and for starters, a friendly person there tonight at your ……. “ he sighed a little, but a small smile appeared on his face, as if the situation was ammusing “...show, might be good start.”

[Rob-hin]

Reaching out for support, Yolta felt Japheth’s arm wrap around him. Though the feeblemind effect had been lifted, he still felt dizzy.
“Sergeant Kurdis, I beg you pardon for my earlier…” Yolta hesitated. “…little white lie. Please try and see it from my point of view though. Everywhere I come, people judge me by appearance.” A fault he had made himself this night.

Yolta caught the gaze of the sergeant and locked it to his before continuing. “Tired of my long journey, I made the wrong decision by lying to you to gain your trust. But I am not hoping for your sympathy, so if you will hand me my possession.” He released his gaze of the sergeant and glanced over to the chest holding his staff. “Then I’ll be on my way.”

Yolta released himself of his friends support. “Before I take my leave, I shall introduce myself the proper way.” While bowing he picked the symbol of the Order out of the inside of his robe, the silver star, and showed it to Sergeant Kurdis. “I am Yolta, regent of the Arcane Order, teacher of magic and student of live. I thank you for the lesson I learned here in your fair town.”

-Aren’t we forgetting something?-
“Oh yes, let me take care of this.” Yolta faced the sphere in his jail cell. With a snap of his fingers, it disappeared.
-Will you tell him about the hakeashar?-
-I had better not, but I intend to keep a close eye on the town of Pedsgin.-

Yolta smiled at Sergeant Kurdis politely. “My cane?”