Tavern Tales: Come on in and Have a Drink! Part V

[grond]

"Perhaps some sleep would do you good?" said Arlow to Rios.

"I suppose it would," replied Rios. "Thank you Arlow."

"No no!" interjected Grond, and he cuffed the young Nord's shoulder. "It's the midst of the afternoon! You ain't ready fer yer nap yet, young buck!"

Lofting himself over the bar, the Nord went to the taps and set down two pitchers, one each under two of the kegs. Opening them, he watched the dark stout fall for a moment, as if it were his favorite dancer, or a play. Then turning he said, "Goodman Arlow? A platter of meats and loaf or two! And some fixins! Ask Wilson if he's got any o' thet sausage left too! Rios lad - get these here - it's lunch time. Garulf ye slacker - where'd he go off to now?"

Rios took the pitchers. "Red took him out through the back door. He had a great big grin on his face!"

Grond laughed. "They'll be gone fer a while. LADIES AND GENTS," bellowed the Nord, "THE HOT SPRINGS IS OCCUPIED!!"

They went to a table, and soon Wilson had brought the platter - and there were enough venison sausages for both of the Nords. And Shareel came and joined them, but while the Nords heaped piles of the cut meats onto thick slices of the hardy bread, the dark woman merely picked at some of the vegetables on the 'fixins' platter, and she smiled as they tried to bite their oversized sandwiches.

Then the door to the Tavern came open, and Grond's lunch was interrupted by the only thing which could possibly manage such a feat.

======

While Elm and Quinn sat together and pored over her scryings, they both were startled by a loud bellowing whoop! which came blasting from somewhere below. The slight Mer's wide brown eyes widened further, and she brushed aside a bit of her golden hair, as Quinn looked back at her, wondering.

"What do you suppose...?" began Elm. But when the whooping became a brazenly off-key singing, of some bawdy sailor's song, Elm at first furrowed her brow. Then upon hearing certain lyrics, descriptive of feminine body parts, she and Quinn both began to chuckle.

For down below them, more travellers had come into the Common Room.

======

As he always had, Grond quickly scanned the newcomers' faces; this was his and Rider's establishment, and an owner must know who his patrons are, and quell any trouble as soon as he or she can. Nothing out of the ordinary, thought the Nord upon his first glance. A couple of Redguard travellers, and...

Then the Nord saw a certain pair enter, one clad in white fur armor, and the other in dark leather. Their entrance caused the Nord to whoop so loudly that those in the rooms above pricked their ears, and a mug on their table fell over. "Lily lass!" he bellowed, and leapt from his chair.

The Nord embraced the young Lily, and then Failan. At the table, smiling slightly, Shareel muttered to Rios, "More good friends, I do suspect."

Grond brought them to the table, while singing the bawdy song. He pointed at Arlow, who muttered to himself, "Damn Nord's eatin' all the profits..." But the Barkeep brought out more plates for the ladies.

"This be young Lily. Sorta me daughter and a darin' darlin' - and this be Failan, Mayor of yonder Udolf. Gals - Meet Shareel and Rios!"

While he was introducing them, Grond went and stood behind the young Nord, and pointed at him with both his hands hovering above Rios' fiery head. Grond winked at Lily, who shook her head and sighed. Lily and Rios smiled at each other, both rather demurely. Then Grond came round the table and hugged his Failan. Taking his seat he cried, "Sit! Eat! Gotta be hungry!"

[myrmaad]

Shareel liked days like this, a sky dark blue with softly brooding clouds, warm air breezily caressing her face like a moist kiss, and the rain still far to the south. If only she could stay out here, she hated the depths of the ruins, but knew mother would come tug her back into the damp musty safety beneath the walls. She imagined again her father, why hadn't he come for her, why hadn't he taken her to be schooled in the Dunmer ways of her ancestry. Shareel had ventured to speak sometimes with the friendly bandits and necromancers who worshipped in the safety of the ruins, who would sometimes bring her things like a comb for her hair, or fishysticks. They seemed fascinated by her strange appearance and the wings she inherited from her mother. Useless wings! She knew they were a disappointment to mother, ugly duckling Shareel, with wings too weak to fly. She thought again of her father, she had seen the ashlander camps with their charming warm tents, and the soothing chimes that played the song of the wind. Why couldn't he have taken her to live with them? Why didn't he love her?

Mother's only dream is for me to be like her. Shareel never bothered to try explain how she felt, her mother was too simple to understand anyway. The only life she was interested in, was the one she knew nesting in feral squalor in the dark safe depths. Shareel dreamed of so much more. Before he left father had taught her to read some of his strange beautiful books. He told the best stories, of gleaming cities, fortune hunters, the Chimer elves, and the Dwarven ones of long ago. He told stories of mighty battles and of the newcomers, the outlanders who brought with them the strange customs from abroad.

Skipping along the path near the shore, she made a game of hopping from rock to rock, her wings catching the breeze and softly dropping her to the next, further and higher she hopped and jumped, until a sudden sound startled her and she realized she was quite far from the safety of Ashalmawia, shrouded against the sky in the distance now! Starkly still she stood like a statue.

And then the crackle of a heavy step on the brush, and she turned and ran back, back to the safety of the daedra! Fast heavy steps pounded in her ears and she pushed her wings flat and out, flat and out in the rhythm of her skinny legs, using them to push her forward lest they assist her pursuer by catching the wind, slowing her down.

She could barely breathe, her heart pounded in her chest, her throat closed as hands closed around it! She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out --

Her eyes flew open, and she started to laugh and cough, with relief, why here she was, right here in the seeming safety of this friendly lost tavern.

She gave herself a few minutes to allow her heart to stop pounding. Her nerves were still on edge, her wings nervously jittering from her shoulderblades, still aching with the recent fear.

Shareel instinctively reached for Shard, her beloved dagger, her friend, she had neglected him since stopping here. He needed repairs, she got out her repair hammer and sharpening stone. She needed to prepare some poisons for him as well. She brushed her hair quickly and tucking Shard into the leather pouch she wore on her side, she left the room.

Just as she closed the door a cacophony arose from the great room below. These Nords, she thought, with a raised eyebrow, all they do is eat and drink. She stopped to get some refreshments, and as she did more travelers were introduced around the room. Family. She smiled, a little ruefully as she was made acquaintance of the newcomers. Cheerily the others continued their merriment, and she took her moment to steel away outside.

This was a bit north for abundance of Nightshade, but she hoped luck would be on her side. There were lots of morning glories, she'd start with them. And some blackberries over there. Fly Aminata Cap, lots. Milk thistle.. this was turning out to be a lucky day! Each time she'd get a handful of one thing, another was just ahead. Her purse was filling nicely, she smiled. As she continued to gather, she admired the beauty of each plant as she always did, silently offering a little prayer to the gods for each blessing of beauty and life gratefully harvested, remembering that plants were a blessing of safety from harm, and conspirators in the delivery of death to a foe.

She worried she had no mortor or pestle so she studied the landscape for suitable rocks. If all else failed she could grind them with her teeth and spit them out to cover her blade. Just then a stately purple caught her eye! Nightshade! Quickly she harvested all she could find, 7 plants!

At that moment there was a crackle of a footstep in the brush. Stiffening, and alert, Shareel readied her dagger, but saw nothing. A deer? No, a man, his arrow whistled past but another caught her thigh. The pain blazed through her and turned to white hot anger and she screamed her bloodcurdling rage (this too a gift from mother). A wing-swept leap and she was upon him, sinking Shard into his neck, and then into his heart, his life sighing out of him and filling her as she absorbed his health, their hearts becoming one beating, first his, louder, then softening as hers beat stronger. The gash in her leg was healing already. With a sickening yank, she ripped out the still sunken arrow and shoved it in his eye. She'd better get back.

[charlescrowe]

A breeze kicked up in the common room of the tavern as Raurke faded in to view, Toady sitting on his shoulder. The two were clad in black robes, making them an odd match. Grond stared in stunned disbelief. "What took ya, boy?!" the big Nord bellowed, catching the tall Elf up into a hug that could have easily strangled a bear. "Hurk! Nice to see you too." Raurke groaned as he felt his ribcage nearly collapse. "I had a couple errends that needed taking care of."

The entire display caught the new comers in shock.

[WhoGuru]

Red pulled herself from the hot springs with a sigh, feeling the best kind of tired thanks to her lover. Garulf grinned at her having been chastised once more for vanishing on her and giving Elm reason to worry. Red scowled at him even as her eyes sparkled with merriment.

"You know, I don't think you're sorry Dragonhunter." She said to him as he stood and headed for the edge. "In fact, I think a little humility would go a long way." She threw her clothes on hastily as he neared the side and went to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him deeply. When she stepped back he let her and she gave him a mighty shove, sending him back into the steaming waters with a yell.

Garulf sputtered as he pulled himself up once more and just saw the ends of Red's crimson hair vanishing around the hedge.

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

Red entered the Tavern with a breathless laugh. Grond looked up and saw her damp hair and what looked like Greaves clutched to her chest while she grinned. A roar came from outside then. "WOMAN!" and his friend Garulf appeared behind her, stark naked with naught but a bundle of leafy branches from the hedges clutched in front of his personality.

Red danced away from him and toward the stairs. "Ah there you are. Come on. You've an apology to make." She winked at Grond and ran upstairs, followed by her dripping lover as he tried to keep the branches in place. Grond and Failan roared with laughter as did the rest of the Tavern. The many newcomers watched with interest and humor, wondering what they'd just witnessed.

"Hope he gets the rash from those brambles." Grond said with glee and toasted his friend's backside as he went up the stairs and out of sight.

-----------

Elm turned back to her crystal ball and began muttering once more while Quinn shook his head. "Alright Elm. I trust you. Find us a good treasure." Just then a loud knock sounded, startling Quinn and Elm who's ball rolled across the bed as she jumped. The door popped open then and Red came in with a wicked grin.

"Oh good you're here Elm! I've someone just behind me who wants to say something." Red darted inside and past Quinn, Garulf's greaves clutched behind her as he himself appeared suddenly in the door.

Elm raised elegant brows high at the sight of the branch clad Nord, dripping and furious. "Woman, give me my greaves. Now." He looked at Elm then and actually blushed, clutching the branches closer and then whimpering.

"Well then." Red nodded at Elm. "Go on."

Elm looked between the two, the suppressed hilarity on Red's face and the blooming embarrassment on Garulf's and found herself smirking.

Garulf cleared his throat and glared first at Red, then at Quinn before looking to Elm. "I apologize for leaving with Quinn and not letting you know."

Elm studied the impossibly tall Nord, standing in her room clutching scratchy bundles of branches in front and behind him, shifting from foot to foot while Red stood beside her and snorted a laugh and found herself laughing softly.

"Thank you Garulf." She said finally and then, feeling the humor of the moment, stomped lightly on Quinn's toes. "I shall file this moment away for future reference Quinn." She said as he danced away from her booted foot and the mock severe expression on her face.

"Can I have my Greaves now woman?" Garulf said then to Red. She tossed them to him and he grabbed them as they hit his chest, dropping his branches in the process. Red whooped a laugh as he lowered them and backed from the room. "Oh we are going to have a talk about this Lady Thief." Garulf said and laughed as he stepped out in the hall. "Bloody thieves." He was heard to mutter.

Elm cleared her throat, looking to Red as she strode past to the door. "Thank you?" Elm said and made Red laugh again.

"Just wanted to be sure Quinn wasn't the only one in the dog house over this." Red shrugged and stepped to the door. "Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Not at all." Elm said and gave her a quirky smile. "It certainly is entertaining around here."

"It is at that. Come downstairs, I'll stand you to a drink and perhaps we can come up with something interesting to do." Red grinned as she stepped out. She chuckled all the way downstairs. Elm and Quinn had looked bemused. She heard Grond teasing Garulf as she turned the corner on the stairs and as she suspected, found them near to another wrestling match with Failan lost in a fit of giggles beside them.

Red sighed, hoping Elm and Quinn would be down soon and reveling in the feeling of being alive once more and among her friends. Some miracles were worth a little pain. She hoped whatever Elm had been scrying in her crystal ball for would prove interesting and more, that she would take Red along on the adventure. She felt an odd sort of kinship with the elf and ordered a round of spiced Meade for them from Arlow even as Garulf eyed her with wicked purpose.

[grond]

There's something in the air, thought Grond. It's light as a feather.

Grond stood at the end of the bar, his arm round Failan. The Nord looked at the faces round the Common Room, dimly lit by the fire and the candles. Some were familiar and dear; like the Tavern itself they were welcoming as its torchlit sign outside. Some were new and secret; like the chest that fairly glistens with warding energy they attracted the Nord, despite possible traps. He looked to the tables, and nodded or waved to vaguely familiar patrons at some, but his gaze returned always to the table where Red sat, with Garulf and Lily, Raurke and Rios. The little Goblin Toady sat very politely on a stool between Raurke and Garulf, and played the game Raurke taught him - Stone, Scroll, Shears - with Garulf.

Grond wondered about Arwin and Jean. He had explained the strange happenings to Failan. "I'm certain they will return safely," Failan had said. "They'll make the kidnappers pay dearly!"

He smiled at Lily as she sat in animated conversation with Red, Raurke and Rios. Rios, fine lad - Grond hoped Lily would think the same. Then Shareel entered and returned Grond's wave with a curt nod and a faint smile. But when Red beckoned the winged woman to their table, Shareel raised a long finger and strode gracefully to the staircase. Grond noticed a dark stain on the dark woman's cloak, but her gait seemed hale. Trouble she can handle I bet, thought Grond.

"What are you doing, my Nord?" murmurred Failan into Grond's ear. She stood on tiptoes to reach. "Are you drunk?"

Grond replied, "No my lass - well, maybe - but, well, I'm just thinkin." He brushed strands of chocolate hair out of Failan's face, and she smiled up at him with mock concern.

"Thinking. You? What about?"

"Oh friends and family, my love, friends and family. Nothing too grave." He thought too of Calico Jack and young Echo, and hoped they were finding grand adventure, wherever they were.

Failan's bright brown eyes studied Grond with quiet amusement. "My Nord - whatever has you in this mood? For it becomes you. I rather love it!"

Suddenly Red's voice called out in a clear note, "Failan! Come! And bring your fat Nord!" Those at the table exploded in laughter.

As Grond took Failan into his arms and they joined the others at the table, the Nord's last thought was of his friend the Rider, gone off again to parts unknown. And though he knew the Ranger would return again, for now the Nord missed him. Though he would never admit it.

[Psykolabe]

Lily and Rios were getting along pretty well, considering that Rios’s sentences were only half coherent, and even the full sentence was nonsense. So you can imagine the trouble Lily was having communicating. After the first few minutes together, Rios became more understandable, but his face was still red enough to blend in with his hair.

And he would have just looked like a shaggy mass of red and orange, if it were not for his green eyes. These were what Lily was using to communicate with him, for the most part, for words are only one means of expressing ourselves, and though their conversation aloud was indeed stimulating, she much enjoyed what his eyes were saying too. A great story behind them, a story Lily couldn’t wait to hear.

As more and more of the tavern’s guests were called over to join the conversation, the more ill-at-ease Rios began to feel. Stammering worse than a madman, Rios quickly excused himself from the table. Since Rios and Lily were in the midst of a conversation, this somewhat puzzled her, but Grond, seeing the somewhat confused look on her face, came up behind her and patted her on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry kiddo, he’s just a little off today. Crashed through our roof just this mornin’!†Grond said with a little laugh. “He’ll be back shortly, believe me.â€

Lily looked lightly up at Grond, and gave him a half-smile. “Alright.â€

But, in fact, as the conversation went along, Rios did not reappear at the table. To be honest, no one had seen head nor tail of him after he excused himself from the conversation.

________________________

After Rios excused himself, he went to find Arlow. This proved to be somewhat more of a difficult task then Rios would have initially guessed. Rios searched for him for about 15 minutes before he gave up.

“Perhaps he is preparing your room?†chirped the voice of Neos.

“Ah, yes. That, or attending to some other business of some importance.â€

Rios was concentrating on talking with Neos, so he did not notice Arlow passing him. By his luck, Arlow thought that he should hail Rios and tell him where his room was.

“Rios. Rios!†Arlow repeated his name a few times before Rios snapped out of his stupor.

“A-ah yes, Arlow. W-what is it?†Rios managed to spit out.

“That is the second time today†Arlow thought, “that he has been in such a state. How strange a man…â€

“S’About your room sir. ‘S upstairs, 3 back on the left.â€

“Thank you, Arlow.†Said Rios curtly, and then he was off. Arlow remained in his spot for a moment, pondering again this enigmatic Nord, but he remembered that he did have other business to attend to, and with that, he was off.

Not wishing to rejoin the conversation just yet, Rios tip-toed out the back door, and headed out to the stable house, where his pack still remained. As he entered, he noticed the sun’s reddish-orange glow slipping through the patchwork repair that had been made to the roof. He immediately spied his pack, the reddish brown, now turned a black or dirt colour, from a mixture of water, and the diminished light. As he searched through the pack, he noticed many tools were missing, and as he straightened up to look for them, the sun’s rays hit off of one of the many devices strewn about the stable.

He went around the stables gathering his things, much to his discontent, muttering exclamations somewhat unfit for the ears of children. Rios was careful to examine all that he picked up, as to make sure it was in working order, and as to not take anything that did not belong to him. Seeing that many of his tools were in a state of disrepair, he rammed his fist into the wood. This is never a good idea. The horses gave a little whinny, and Rios jumped back, cradling this hand for a few moments.

After is seemed that he had gathered most of his tools, broken and not, he took up his pack and exited the dimly lighted stable house. The light that assaulted him as he exited was so intense, Rios had to squint his eyes for a few seconds as to not cause extreme discomfort. As he raised his hand over his head to block the sun, his shoulder joint crackled like paper, which, at first, made him ask what made that sound. But Rios was quick in remembering that he had stored the information about the convention of machinists in Anvil in the secret pocket on his shoulder. Rios had stitched such pockets in all of his clothes as to protect himself from bandits.

Deciding that however much he would like to stay and join in the festivities, he needed new tools. And the machinists convention would be the perfect place to get them, along with a few new ideas. Rios managed to sneak back into the tavern, once again unnoticed, and make his way up to his room. He eyed it over quickly, and seeing the stationary, quill, and inkwell on the desk, he quickly scrawled out a note.

It read;

“To whoever reads this,

I’m in Anvil at the moment, gathering new tools and other various items. I shall return before tomorrow comes. In all probability.

Riosâ€

He nailed the note to the door, strung his pack about him, and opened the window. He threw Naz, who fell for a short distance, then stopped. Rios took a few steps backwards, then jumped as well as he could out of the window.

“Naz. Let’s not have a repeat of last time, okay?â€

“Fine. But I get to steer on the way back.â€

“Why do I talk to you..."

"Because you love me!"

"Oh yeah, because you're the only stone I have!"

"Hey! I still have feelings."

____________________

As the minutes passed, some of the patrons began to notice that Rios had left, though none of them mentioned it. Shareel left to ask Arlow if he knew where Rios was, and much to her benefit, she did not have to run the gauntlet in the process.

“All I know is I told ‘im where ‘is room is, an’ he left to it. Though, he was in a rather odd state when he left.â€

Shareel bowed her head slightly, and returned to the table to share her news.

“He has had a rather long day“ Shareel thought to herself, “perhaps he is taking a nap?â€

She returned to the table, and shared what she had discovered about his whereabouts, Grond gave a haughty laugh.

“Now’s no time to be nappin’! S’almost time to eat again! I dare say the lad wont wanna miss that! What say all the young folk go give him what-for?†Grond laughed his great laugh again, and placed that grin on his face.

Elm, Quinn, Lily and Shareel all departed to fufill this plan. Elm, because she enjoyed scaring someone as much as the next person, Quinn because he is a young male, and that is what they tend to do (Bother people, that is). Lily just thought it would be fun, and Shareel because, well, she secretly wanted to see him react, and thought it would be a humorous endeavor.

As they approached the room Arlow has directed them to, they all spotted the note on the door. Quinn turned to Elm to see her reaction, which was her slapping the palm of her hand on her forehead. Lily’s face had an upset look shoot across it, which she quickly tried to suppress. This only caused her face to turn red, and then give her a look of embarrassment. Shareel’s face kept it’s natural position, and she turned back down the hallway to tell the others.

[WhoGuru]

Elm slid back into her seat beside Red and met the quizzical glance of the lady thief. "Rios has gone off to Anvil it seems." Red nodded, unphased. She knew so little of the newcomer and Elm did not seem worried so she wouldn't be. She noticed Elm glancing at her and finally the elf cleared her throat, pushing her dwemer spectacles higher on her nose.

"I have a proposition." Elm began and Red watched her as she fidgeted before settling again. "Quinn and I are in need of money, to continue the search for the thieves."

Red nodded. "I saw you scrying earlier. Did you find anything?"

Elm smirked and nodded. "I did. A ruin swallowed by the earth north of here."

Red closed her eyes for a moment, thinking if she knew of it and to her surprise did not. "Do you know where exactly?"

"I can lead us there easily enough. I would not ask for your aide however, with Quinn still healing, we could use...well..." She faltered and Red chuckled.

"Someone with a sword to watch your backs and perhaps pick a lock, disarm a trap here and there along the way?" Red grinned and then raised a finger. "Provided I get to keep my share of whatever we find of course. Poor thief I'd be if I came out empty handed."

"Oh of course!" Elm said and held out her hand. Red took it, giving it a firm shake and knew she would have gone even if they'd offered nothing. The prospect of an honest dungeon dive after all the strangeness in her life lately sounded like music to her ears. Elm then cocked her head to the side, studying Red above her spectacles unblinkingly and said softly. "Your voice doesn't match your eyes. Too young. You're very odd."

While Red blinked, at a loss how to explain her circumstances, a roar of laughter came from behind her and Grond's large hands slapped on her shoulders. "Has ya dead to rights Red, if you'll forgive the phrase." He pulled a chair up between the two women, draping his long arms across the backs of theirs. "Let me tell you a story about our favorite thief here, Elm."

Red shook her head while Elm chuckled, bemused by the big Nord and settled herself to listen, shoving her glasses up on her nose again. Red listened to the tale until Grond reached the fields below Caripea. She rose then, leaving the table and went outside, rather than listen to her death. It was selfish but she found she didn't want to hear her good friend describe her death with that particular hitch in his voice. She knew soon after that would come her daughter and that was another story she wasn't ready to hear again just yet.

In the stables, she found Savior happily munching hay in his stall and wrapped her arms about his neck, taking comfort in the feel of that simple act she had so missed. Red spent most of an hour with her horse, grooming him, feeding him one of the apples she kept near his stall, sometimes listening to the sounds from the Tavern and finding her inner peace again.

"I was right. You are odd."

Red whirled and found Elm standing in the door of the stables, the lenses of her spectacles glowing with moonlight. Elm came further in and shrugged. "I like odd. Shall we go do you think? To the ruin I mean. I know it's night still but not for much longer. We could wait for morning I suppose." Elm fiddled aimlessly with a piece of tack on the wall beside her while Red tried not to chuckle. "I was thinking however we should go now as it is so close to dawn. We could be well on our way if we go now. Might even reach it before nightfall." Elm took a breath finally and looked up to Red, raising a brow at her as she gave up and laughed.

"I was wondering if you were going to breathe soon." Red said and wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "Now sounds good. Let me just go get my things. Saddle up your horses." Red greeted Quinn with an amused wave as he passed her going into the stables and heard Elm telling him they were heading off for plunder.

Red realized it was late indeed as she reentered the Tavern. The tap room was all but empty. Grond snored loudly by the fireplace with Failan resting on his chest and her Garulf must have gone up already. She went upstairs to her room and as she expected, found the Nord sitting on their bed, honing the blade of a dagger. "Going out are ya?" He asked her with a grin and she nodded.

"Hmm. Elm and her friend Quinn are in the mood for plundering a nearby ruin." Red pulled the belt off the table laden with her tools: Picks and probes, a length of coiled silver rope, various pouches for concealing things and several small throwing knives at it's back. She strapped it on and then her sword before shoving a few changes of clothes into her pack and dropping it on the foot of the bed where Garulf was still watching her. "Want to come?" She sat in his lap then, putting her arms around his neck. "Long lost buried ruin, there's bound to be something up there you could thump."

"Ah well an offer like that!" Garulf planted a loud kiss on Red's mouth and made her laugh before he picked her up and set her aside. "Already packed my bag. I figured you'd have the itch by now." She laughed again as he picked up both their packs and opened the door for her. "Perhaps I'll find me a dragon in there."

Red and Garulf passed through the now quiet Tap room as Grond had vanished though Failan was now sleeping quietly by the fire on her own. Arlow met them at the door. "I've added some provisions to your saddlebags." He smiled and motioned them out. "Try to come back in one piece."

Red snorted as he closed the door behind them and linked arms with Garulf as they headed to the stable to start another adventure.

[grond]

For Grond, telling the tale had been easy. There in the Common Room, mildly dizzy from the thirty or so pints of stout he'd swilled, and with Red nearby, the Nord let the story of her death fly out of him in a cheerful manner. Just another Tavern tale with a happy ending, he reckoned, to be shared with new friends. Little gravity did Grond ever lend to death, and even less did he feel toward it now; the end of the tale was even more joyous, for it ended with renewed life. Red had been killed, and then she had been miraculously returned to them. That, thought the Nord, was an even greater ending than would have been a vision of the thief sitting at a table in Sovngarde.

So it was that Grond retold those events in a happy, stout-soaked voice.

When Red excused herself, Grond thought little of it at first. But soon a thought winnowed through his thick wits; Red was not a Nord, and her ( and his other friend's ) ideas of death were indeed grave, and sad, and very solemn; and they attached much importance to that which Grond himself did not. He did not quite understand the gravity. After all, the body means little when the soul has departed for greater places. But this was not his dear friend's belief. So Grond spun the tale of Red's daughter Scarlet, and followed them through the mysterious and dangerous city of Moshq, and into the castle of Korvaglia, and as he did so, he imagined that Red left the table as a manner of respect for her daughter, who had given her body so that Red, her mother long lost to her, might live again. He tried to call Red back, but she smiled and waved him off, and left the Tavern.

Grond was wrong about Red, and he would probably never understand her true reasons. He came to the tale's conclusion: "We thought it was the wretched Scarlet who came to, but then she convinced us she was Herself, our darling girl, for real! Back from the Veil! And so far we've lived happily ever after. The End!" And, being drunk, Grond thought his ending was hilarious, so he laughed his booming laugh. Then he whirled away from his chair and called for his Failan, while Elm and Quinn, somewhat astonished by the tale, muttered to each other of the hard hearts, and poor manners, of Nords.

Grond meanwhile found Failan, on a sofa before the fire. They whispered things to each other, soft things, which both heated his senses, and acted as a lullaby to the Nord. The lullaby claimed victory. Soon, despite loud songs sung at one of the tables, they fell asleep.

Sometime later, after harsh half-remembered dreams of Red's wretched daughter - who in the end repented - Grond awoke. Feeling quite out of sorts from the dreams, he had a strange sudden idea. So he disentangled himself from his Failan's arms, kissed her ( uncharacteristically ) softly on her tan cheek, and left her asleep. Though foggy and unsteady Grond lurched through the now-quiet Common Room and to the door to the cellar, where lay his new gold and silver hammer - a gift from Arwin.

Once there, the Nord gathered his travel pack and left through the cellar door. He skirted the stables and the training yard, and went thumping up the short steep hill. He dropped himself onto a white bench at the top of the hill, and sat for a short time under the boughs of the weeping willow tree, between two grave markers. Some distance below, the front door to the Tavern could be plainly seen. The Nord studied the fine craftsmanship of his new hammer, and he did not look at the writing on the markers.

Grond whispered to the hammer, "You look well made, and you be light and swingable."

One marker read Vereta. Arlow had sent a worker to right the stone and refill the hole there - for the villianous Demetri had taken the body of their young friend and desecrated it - and though it was an empty grave, this was, for Grond's friends, a place of memorial.

"I hope," continued the Nord to his hammer, "you stay with me longer than them what came before ye."

Upon the other gravestone was carved simply, Red.

After a moment Grond spied light spilling from the Tavern entrance. A number of figures came outside. He knew the tall one was his old friend Garulf. So the Nord went back down the path, to see what the commotion was.

[DarkRider]

Quinn pulled himself into Mystaria’s saddle stifling a groan to avoid any teasing. He offered a hand to Elm so she could mount up behind him, clutching her map in one hand, “How many are coming with us?” he asked, his tone a bit too bristled for his own liking.

“Three,” Elm answered, “The lady thief and the two Nords.”

“Wonder how we’re gonna split a fork five ways,” he muttered.

Elm spread the map across his back to get her bearings, “Keep talking Imperial and I’ll only have to split it four ways.”

Quinn laughed quietly, shaking his head.

Garulf rode out of the stable into the yard behind them, leading Red’s Savior by the reins, “Beautiful hour for a treasure hunt,” he commented, then snorted, “Quinn lad, you want to ride here with me so I can keep ya in one piece?!” he teased, patting the rump of his mount.

Quinn felt his face flush in anger, his body tensed as his hand shifted toward the knife concealed in his boot. Elm’s hand was suddenly on his wrist, “Don’t,” she whispered, “we have more important things to focus on.”

She plotted their route on the map and lined it up with the stars overhead, “We’ll need to head through there,” she said pointing to a small, dark pass through the trees and a sea of dense dry brush, “stay that path and continue North until we cross a river.”

Grond rode up to the group on Mik as Red emerged from the tavern, ready for whatever may lie ahead for them. She easily stepped up into Savior’s saddle and took the reins from Garulf, winking at him sweetly.

“We’re ready when you are, missy,” Grond said genuinely, pulling Mik’s head up.

Elm smiled, “Perhaps that judgment should be reserved for the ruin,” she said, pushing her spectacles back up the bridge of her nose, “We need to ride north, Quinn and I will lead the way.”

“The way to a trove of shoes and cutlery for all,” Quinn added quietly, taking a jab from Elm as he kneed Mystaria toward the path his partner had indicated.

The ride along the overgrown pass was uneventful for the most part, save for encountering two corpses amidst the trees; from the state of them they appeared to have been duelers long dead. The group passed by in a reverent silence, knowing nature would reclaim them in time. It wasn’t long before the woods opened up again and the sounds of a steady river greeted them as its banks came into view.

Quinn could feel Elm wrestling with the tattered map behind trying to maintain their course in an unfamiliar territory, “We follow the river north a ways, there should be a bridge we can cross.”

“I know the one ye mean,” Grond and Garulf said in the same moment casting a sharp eye at one another.

“Keep yer nose outta me head, dragon breath,” Grond snorted.

Garulf spit, “Me? Yer the one diggin around in my head, ye lousy wart!”

Quinn grinned at Elm, “Not that either has anything inside worth taking,” he said quietly.

Elm laughed quietly and nodded, “Those two could squash you, you know,” she pointed out as Quinn urged Mystaria north along the river bank around the two arguing Nords. Red followed, leaving Grond and Garulf to bring up the tail of their arch, still arguing loudly.

“I’ve killed men fer less you know,” Grond boasted with Garulf parroting the oh-so-familiar line, Grond growled, “Well I have!”

“Name one,” Garulf grinned.

Grond gave it a moment’s thought, “Yer Mum!”

“Easy now you two,” Red scolded, “You won’t be any use if you kill each other on the way there.”

“Alright me darling,” Garulf answered, then winked at Grond, “I’ll kill ye later.”

Grond smiled in rise to the challenge, “I’ll be weepin the whole time I dig yer grave.”

[charlescrowe]

As Raurke walked into his and Serenity's Room, Serenity tackled him. "Where in Oblivion have you been, dirty brigand!" She yelled, thumping Raurke on the chest. "Away, schooling Toady in the ways of the Arcane forces, crazy wench." Raurke spat back, giving his sister a playfull tap on the noggin.

"And you couldn't have done it here?" Serenity harped. "Anyway, I'll have you know Tam found out about your little sword thieving stunt." She continued. "Did she now? Took a while longer than I expected." Raurke said casually. At that, Toady dizzily wandered out of Raurke's sleeve. "Would you two stop movin round s'much? you'sa gonna scramble me like eggies!" Serenity giggled and picked up the goblin "Missed you too, Toady."

[WhoGuru]

"I'll be weeping tears of laughter the whole time I'm digging both YOUR graves!" Red roared from ahead and then burst into laughter. "Bloody Nords."

"Ah the dulcet tones I so adore." Garulf muttered aside to Grond and both men snickered. Elm grinned to herself as she studied the map, smoothing it's fluttering edges along Quinn's back as they rode. They were and odd and unruly lot these Tavern folk but things certainly were not dull in their company. The forest was quiet. At this late hour, even the night bugs had gone off to their beds and Elm had a mad, happy moment picturing them in little rooms, with little beds. Pulling minuscule covers to their chins as they blew out teeny candles by their beds. She chuckled and muttered 'nothing' when Quinn asked what was so funny.

Red rode at the head of the party, savoring the warmth of Savior beneath her in the chill predawn air and the twinkling of the stars above as the faintest glimmer of light appeared on the horizon to their East. Into the silence came Grond, kneeing Mik ahead and he grinned at her.

"Give us something to break the quiet here, lass." The Nord said slyly. "It's been a fearful long time since I heard that voice o' yers."

Red laughed and nodded. It had indeed been long since she'd sung for her friends and sat straighter in her saddle. She sang:

In garden glen my true love stood

waiting in the shade

In sweet, sweet voice he called to me

to follow where he bade.

But I am woman, strong and proud

and not some docile maid

With heart and steel, go where I may

and not where man hath said.

For sake of pride I hid myself

close beside the tree

and peeked upon my true love's face

while wait he upon me.

His countenance much darker came

his voice leading to shrill

while calleth he my name once more

and then much louder still.

To love a man for one like me

is not some easy task

to trust him even harder still

for all men wear a mask.

For this I waited by the tree

to see my loves true face

If darkness I found waiting me

for safety I would race

Yet as I drew myself to leave

I heard a gentle sigh

and looking back he knelt one knee

and wiped tears from his eye.

Now on his face I found not hate

nor darkness anywhere

Twas love that looked upon the grass

and breathed my name to air.

So sad he seemed to think me lost

without me by his side

that in that spot my heart gave sound

and said his name with pride

For here was man who sought no slave

but loved a woman fair

and here was I now in his arms

our lives, til death, to share.

As the last refrain died away Red looked over to find Grond wiping tears from his eyes as he smiled at her. "Ah thank ye Lass." He said gruffly and fell back with Garulf who merely smiled happily. Red saw Elm peeking around Quinn's shoulder at her, eyebrows raised and smile wide before she vanished to her map reading once more.

The sun had climbed above the horizon as Red sang and now threw rays of light down upon them, bringing life back to the forests and warmth upon Red's skin. They had followed the river a fair way north and now Red pulled Savior to a stop beside the rushing waters and looked out over the bridge that crossed it. She was sure normally the bridge was high above the waters but recent rains had swollen it so that they now lapped over the boards of the bridge at its midpoint.

"One at a time I think!" Red called back to the others and kneed Savior out onto the planks. The stallion tossed his head as the cold run off from the mountain above wet his hooves but strode gamely on. "I know it's cold." Red laughed and patted him on the shoulder as he huffed at her. As they neared the mid point, the weight of her and Savior sank the bridge into the waters so he was actually wading and Red's legs were doused to above her knees. She shivered in response but kneed her sturdy boy forward.

She heard shouting then from the others and turned to see what the fuss was about. Red couldn't make out anything they were saying over the rushing of the water. They were all waving their arms at her and then Elm stood up in the saddle behind Quinn and pointed upstream. Red swiveled her head to look and her mouth fell open in an O of surprise.

More than snow chilled waters had been washed down from the mountain. A mass of dead and uprooted trees was swiftly heading for her and she kicked Savior, trying to get him to run but with the water above his own legs he wasn't able. All but swimming he strained now to reach the higher side of the bridge. She felt his muscles shivering beneath her with the cold and could still hear her friends calling from the other side when the avalanche of deadwood crashed into the bridge and into them.

[grond]

They saw the flood far upstream. Red had just passed the midpoint of the bridge. "OI! Red!!" shouted Garulf, waving his arms. Quinn and Elm did likewise. "Red!!" they shouted from the bank. And Elm stood on the saddle and waved her arms.

"She can't hear ye!" shouted Grond. Then he cried to Mik: "Boy!" The grey stallion shot off with a leap, brushing past Mystaria, and the Nord galloped along the edge of the river.

As Grond shot past her, his untied mane flowing behind, Elm had a vivid glimpse of the bared teeth and the wild mania in the Nord's eyes. Vaulting boulders and fallen logs, Mik raced the torrent as it came.

Garulf stood by, helplessly watching Grond ride. He and his horse paced along the bank, frustrated as the waters came. Quinn and Elm did as well - for they hadn't the head start that Grond had.

With tremendous force the crushing wall of water - cold as ice - hit the rope bridge. It threw Red off Saviour. The tangled masses of twisted and torn branches and long vines, roots and wide trunks and logs seemed to attack Red, too swiftly for her, or Saviour, to escape. She spied the ropes of the bridge and threw her hands out to catch them, but then the cold deluge pulled her away. Under and within itself, the flood sent her downstream.

Meanwhile Grond had come to a spot where the river narrowed. There was a stone bridge which arced across the gap, and some distance beyond the river churned in a narrow channel, and fell out over some edge which Grond had no time to view. Now the engorged river twisted angrily along its course. It pummelled the sturdy bridge, and waves splashed across the face of it.

Grond heard the coming flood. Leaping off Mik he took a length of rope from his saddlebags. The Nord looked around frantically for a possible anchor, and he looked back to the bridge and paused, glancing down at the rope. "No time fer a knot there!" he bellowed at Mik, "Git to the uplands son!" Grond pointed up to where the bank rose then whistled and Mik with an angry toss of his head obliged his friend. Then he saw his anchor.

There was a great ancient oak a few feet above him, with deep roots and strong boughs, and a trunk wider than two Nords could hug. "Hope I got enough rope!" the Nord yelled as he ran up the bank and threw one end round the trunk and picked it up, then looked out. The wave was roaring toward the bridge, and the falls. He looped the rope ends round his bare midsection and tied a sturdy knot. Then he saw a flash of red bob through the foam. Red. He saw she was unconscious and somehow caught in a maze of wooden debris.

"Here I come Dearie!!" he shouted.

Racing back to the bridge Grond barely beat the churning flood, and without a pause the Nord leaped and dove clumsily toward the spot where he'd seen her. He met the flood with all his force, but it was no match for the wave.

======

"There!" cried Garulf, pointing toward the opposite riverbank. Quinn and Elm looked out and saw that Saviour lay trapped in the swollen stream, amid hardy roots which had caught some of the debris sent by the flood. There a dam had grown, and the horse lay still, his proud head above the current, tangled within the jumble of tree and branch.

"What about..." began Quinn.

"I hope Grond's found her..." added Elm.

Garulf was silent. Then he sighed and said, "Let's see to Savior for when the DragonBait returns with 'er."

======

Grond saw her fiery hair near a wide trunk which did not roll in the water, but seemed to float sedately amid the tumultuous flood. He managed to leap very close to the tree, which held her in the V of its split trunk. The pounding wave nearly knocked him senseless, and the water tore at him, but he furiously struggled closer to her. He would not lose her again.

Then he had her limp form in his arms. The rope met its end. The knot held and so did the Nord's hands on the thief, and together they were plucked off the broken tree, as it continued under the bridge and down over the edge ahead. Grond felt the enormity of the flood's force in his belly, as the knotted rope dug into him there. He hugged Red and curled up into as tight a ball as he could manage, protecting her, as from behind, both water and debris smashed into them. The lucky Nord was spared a serious blow to his head, and he did not lose consciousness.

And then the flood was past them. "Let's sit here a minute, Dearie," said Grond to his unconscious friend. The chill waters refreshed him, but he began to taste his own blood, from wounds he could not feel in the cold water. "Let's rest a sec. This knot'll hold us." The Nord spat out a mouthful of water the flood forced into his mouth. "Then we'll get you to a fire."

[DarkRider]

With no sign of Red or Grond, the three set to the task they knew they could complete. The waters were beginning to bottleneck where Savior’s head was resting, threatening to drown the poor creature. Savior let out a mournful whinny, trying to kick his legs free of the debris to no avail. Garulf leapt from his mount and waded into the water. At first he tried to pull the limbs free, but the frigid water sapped his strength and the limbs were too heavily entwined to pull loose. So he focused on Savior instead, wrapping his arms around the pony’s broad neck and lifting his head above water. If the horse were to drown his Red would be heartbroken and that was something he could not allow.

“Easy boy,” Garulf coaxed the stallion to calm, patting him gently, “we’ll get ye free.”

Quinn and Elm had dismounted, pulling ropes from the saddles of the two remaining mounts. Quinn tossed his coat aside, and waded into the water with one end of the ropes while Elm hurried to tie the free ends to the saddles. Quinn pulled himself across to the branches and began tying his end of the ropes to the larger of the pile. Garulf watched him work feverishly, as though he understood the importance of saving Red’s steed from a terrible end. As soon as the ropes were secured he pointed to Elm.

“We’re set here,” he confirmed.

Elm nodded, taking the reins of Mystaria and Garulf’s warhorse, Lightfoot, in her hands, “Come now,” she told them, guiding them away from the water, “Pull hard my friends, Savior needs your strength.” The two horses lowered their heads as the ropes drew taut, leaning into the weight, “Come,” Elm coached with strength in her voice, “Pull hard.”

The branches groaned as Elm lead the other horses further off. Savior began to kick again, growing nervous, but despite the puling, the branches would not give. They had formed a web so sturdy, the weight of the water held them as fast as stone.

“I don’t think this is working,” Garulf chattered from the cold as the water beat against his back, “and not to put too fine an edge on it but, I don’t know how much longer I can hold his head up.”

Quinn reached to his back and from the light harness around his torso he withdrew a silver rod the length of a short sword; had he not removed his coat it would have remained concealed. Holding it over his head, the rod suddenly telescoped out to a full length staff. Quinn stabbed it into the water beneath the branches then called out to Elm.

“Elm, we need more, see what they’ll give you!”

The young woman nodded at him and looked at the horses, this time, she reached out to them with her mind, “Savior will die, we must free him now, my friends”

The horses both whinnied and began to stomp as they pulled. The ropes were beginning to groan and twist. Lightfoot reared up and threw his weight forward fiercely. As the branches began to lift, Quinn found the river bed with his staff and wedged it in, using his staff as leverage. At last the great web of debris began to shift off of Savior. The stallion began to kick again, trying to stand, desperate to right himself. All at once, the branches gave way; some broke free and washed away, while others were dragged up on shore. Released, Savior finally found his footing and bolted out of the water and into the trees where it was safer. Garulf and Quinn climbed out of the river, fighting the current that threatened to wash them away.

Elm untied the ropes from Mystaria and Lightfoot then hurried to see to Savior. The stallion was shivering, but he allowed her to pat him down and check for wounds. He had a few minor cuts that had already stopped bleeding after a soak in the icy water, and other than being cold and a bit shaken, he seemed unharmed. After being checked out, Savior seemed to decide he was okay and began to graze of the sweet grass around his feet, content to wait for his master to return.

Quinn’s staff collapsed with a flick of his wrist and he returned in to its holster on his back. Garulf whistled in amazement.

“That’s a handy trick,” he said, clapping Quinn on the shoulder, “What sort of magika is that?”

“It’s not magicka, it’s mecha,” the Imperial shrugged, picking up his coat and trying not to shiver, “Dwermer craft,” he explained.

“I’ve never seen its equal,” Garulf admitted, he had heard of dwermer technologies, but had ever seen a weapon with such elegant strength and design; his face revealed he was truly impressed, “I’m sure Savior is grateful to ye, I am too, me Red would never have been the same without her boy.”

Quinn suddenly felt awkward, he was unaccustomed to receiving thanks or praise, “I’m certain,” he replied self consciously, “I think we should start a fire and wait for Grond and Red to….get back,” Quinn added, heading off into the trees to find some manner of firewood.

Garulf watched him go then strode over to where Elm was watching Savior eat, “I think yer friend doesn’t like me much.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be such a bully,” Elm offered in a nonchalant manner.

Garulf blushed, duly shamed, “Aye, I have been giving him a rough time of it. I sometimes forget not everyone finds such things as amusing as we Nords do,” he grinned.

“This clearing should make a good place for a camp,” Elm said redirecting Garulf's focus, “we’re close to the river, so Red and Grond should be able to find us.”

Garulf sighed, “Let’s just hope they can.”

[Psykolabe]

It was reaching dusk as Rios approached Anvil, he was rather frazzled, partly because of the long day, and partly because he had been riding for the better half of the night. His hair was blown back into a permanently wind-swept position, and his face was flushed. Unlike the other eccentricities in his appearance, his blushing was mostly to do with his thoughts on the nice girl he had met at the Tavern, Lily. Still, it was now time to get to business, and he had reached his destination, the port-side city of Anvil.

Rios had never been to Anvil, or any city for that matter, and it amazed him. The architecture, and all the people bustling to and fro going about daily business, it was so wonderful and new. He was about 6 inches from the anvil stone-way when he dismounted. He landed alright, and slid the board into the sheath on his back. Or so he thought, He walked about 6 feet before Nazriel fell from the crevice between Rios’ back and his pack, and hit the stones with a loud ‘Thump!’ and a sharp cry from Naz.

“Sorry Naz, I thought the sheath was there.â€

“You better be sorry…â€

Rios kneeled down, and swung the rather heavy pack off of his shoulders, which had new marks made by the pack’s straps. Rifling through the twisted and warped metal that littered his bag, Rios finally came across the sheath. The sheath was made from woven leather, and silver cloth, which gave it the look of water running down the pieces of it. Strapping it onto his back, and strapping Naz into that, then putting the pack on top of both of them, Rios moved from the spot he had occupied for the last few minutes, and began his journey into the city.

Rios wandered around the city for about half of an hour, then decided it would be a wise decision to find the convention, and get on his way back to the tavern. He asked a rather shady-looking Kahjit, named M’Aiq, for directions, but the man answered in riddles, and with very odd sentence structure. Poor, confused bloke is what Rios thought of him. He asked many people after this man, and though it seemed this would be a large event, no one knew of its whereabouts. Rios decided to ask a guard, for surely they would know the goings on in the city. He approached the guard nearest to him, who was a rather tall, and broad shouldered imperial fellow, with a scar running from the area under his right eye to his chin on the opposite side. He addressed himself, and asked the guard,

“Might you know where the machinist convention would be located?â€

“I do.†Answered the guard. He paused for a second, in which he ran his veiny hand along his scar. “ You’ll find the entrance next to ‘The Nakai-lein’, which is the big galleon docked near the harbor.â€

“Ah, thank you good sir.†Rios turned away, as he meant to walk to the harbor, but he found himself without any knowledge of where to go to get there.

“Sir, where might the dock be?â€

“What? Are ye daft? ‘Tis just down the main street, then take the left as you reach the bookstore.†The guard, despite his surprised and angry tone, had a look of utter amusement upon his face. The wide grin made the scar go crooked, and it now resembled a crescent moon. This was a look Rios could do without seeing again.

Now sure of his heading, Rios headed where he was directed. In a few short minutes, in which he mused himself of all the silly ways a guard could’ve gotten a crescent-scar, he reached the docks. And he hadn’t searched long before he saw the grandest ship he ever had seen.

"That," He told himself, “Must be the Nakai-Leinâ€

After he walked over to this magnificent ship, and ogled it for a little while, he let his eyes search for the door. All the found was a small trap door in the middle of the dock. At first, he though little of it, and kept looking. However, upon further pondering, and inquiry, Rios wondered why there would be a trap door that goes right into the ocean. He decided he should give it a try, and it popped open with minimal effort. What faced him was a small drop, and a tunnel leading out under the sea. Without a second thought, Rios jumped down the door, pack and all.

After walking a short distance, Rios found himself surrounded by sea water, but some sort of magicka was holding it back, and creating a watery pathway. The temperature grew noticeably colder, due to the surrounding water. After many yards more, Rios reached a grand building, which was made of a golden-brown material. Upon further inspection, he found the material to be not entirely solid. That is to say, it made a ‘squelch’-ing sound when touched. Rios passed by the 2 men on either side of the entryway, and was suddenly assaulted by a great noise. In a few seconds, the noise settled into a dull roar, as a small wood-elf female popped up before him.

“Hello, sir!†the woman said, “And who might you be?â€

She was a great deal shorter than Rios, so he could not see her initially.

“R-Rios. Rios Asukah. I’m from-“

“Oh dear, I know where you’re from! I have your information right here!†She cut him off with her high voice.

“Oh, very well then. Shall I go explore then?â€

“Feel free! Just don’t destroy the place.†She gave him a stern look, the giggled again, and proceeded to bounce away.

“What an eccentric woman…â€

Rios immediately spotted the stall for spare parts, as it was rather near the front. He leisurely walked over to it, taking time to admire the inventions of some very skilled machinists. Reaching the stall, Rios asked for what he needed, paid and stuffed his pack with the new tools and parts. After this, Rios wandered through the great halls of the convention admiring all he saw for a good many hours. Eventually he decided he would return to the tavern, as they might be worried and such. He packed the new devices he bought into his bulging pack.

So, exiting back the golden-brown building, he once again came upon the hall of water. The surrounding walls were now much darker, and much colder, then they were earlier. Still, Rios wanted to try something. He stuck his hand towards the walls of water, meaning to see if he could reach through. His hand met, and passed through the wall of water with no effort. Retracting his hand from the frigid water, he decided to do it. He secured his pack, and tied everything tighter to him. Unbuckling Naz from his sheath, Rios drew the board out and held it at his side. He had also placed his goggles over his eyes by this point, and was ready to go.

“Rios. What are you doing?†Both Neos and Naz questioned.

No reply.

“Rios, Answer us. What are you planning to do?â€

No reply.

And suddenly, Rios breathed deeply, threw Naz a good distance, and jumped to him. He quickly drew his bow, and strung it with an arrow whose head looked similar to a tornado. He fired the arrow right at the water wall. The effects were greater than Rios had expected, in a short time, the arrow drew water to it, creating a moving whirlpool, and as it passed above the surface, a typhoon. Rios immediately turned up into the wake of this great watery mass, and sped through the ocean. The sheer awe of what Rios saw almost made him lose focus, the celestial bodies all reflected and moving through the water like ribbons. The lights creating a stream of all the colours that walked through Tamriel.

And Rios was now riding through the center of the typhoon he had created, speeding towards the top. Rios was feeling himself quite the show-man right now, so he again strung his bow, and this time with an arrow with the tip, a shape of a flame. The next moment after he fired it, the magicka inside of it released, causing a flame to shoot out of the top of the typhoon and create a mist. As he Reached the zenith of the water spout, he grabbed both of his arrows, and shoved them back in his pack, No sense in wasting materials.

Feeling satisfied with his show for the day, Rios headed back in the general direction of the Tavern. After he regained his bearings, which he lost due to the rather exciting experience he just had, he sat himself on the board and repaired his mangled inventions.

_____________________________________

At the Tavern, Lily was growing impatient. She decided to go for a walk to clear her head, and thought she might tell someone of this. The only person around was Arlow, as Shareel had retired to her room, and the others had gone off on an adventure. If Grond had only let her go...

“Arlow, if anyone asks for me, I am out for a walk.†Lily stated plainly.

“Alright.†Responded Arlow, not paying much attention. As Lily reached the door, Arlow seemed to realize what she had said. “B-but, this late madam? Would it be safe?â€

“I can take care of myself, Arlow.†She replied sternly. She then turned and walked out the door. A few steps beyond the door, and the torch light no longer reached her.

“Aye†Arlow told himself, “She can handle herself.â€

__________________________________________

Rios knew he was rather close to the Tavern, so he cleaned himself up marginally, and re-organized everything back into his bag. As he was placing his last arrows back

into the quiver-pouch, Naz awoke from his state.

“Rios, I think I see some people down on the road, just ahead a little ways.â€

“Huh?â€

Rios halted Naz to a stopped position, and peered into the darkness. And sure enough, there were about 4 or 5 figures in the darkness, but from this distance, they were still indefinable. Rios edged closer, and went a little higher too, he now had a nice clearing space above the treetops. It turns out that there were two more figures that Rios did not see, and that is because they were sprawled on the ground, and pretty badly burnt. From his perspective, it looked like these men attacked a lady, of whom they had now surrounded. Upon looking at her closer, he identified her as Lily. Well dang, this just got better…

Now he realized that Lily, whom he perceived to be innocent, had blasted those two men. With a little planning, he knew what he needed to do. He strung his bow thrice, launching an arrow that would make the noise of a Daedra, one that would cause a small fire, and one that created a pressure wave. The last to arrows worked perfectly, but the first one landed too close to the bandits, and it made a sound of metal scraping metal, which is a sound almost as horrid as a Daedra’s cry. These 2 sounds combined to create a symphony of screams, which still served it’s purpose in shocking the attackers.

Unfortunately, the metal was something Rios never got the time to fix. Back in Sky Rim, this was less important, because the mountains seemed to echo the Daedra cry clearer anyway, but on an open plain, which is not a place he was expecting to fight, it mattered much more.

Either way, he swooped down as fast as he could, and hoisted the stunned Lily over his leather clad shoulder. She began to kick and squirm violently, but he then took off towards the dim light of the tavern, which was only half a mile away. After he bolted away from the ground Lily was so familiar to, she clenched onto her new assailant. Suddenly, this foreign man turned her over and held her in his arms, so that she was able to see his face, which was beet red. She recognized him easily, the nervous boy from the tavern, Rios.

“Dear Lord! You had me scared half to death!†She yelled into his face.

He drew his head back, “I-I’m S-s-s-sorry…†Rios was stuttering terribly, and he was more nervous than he usually felt.

“Darn right you are!†She continued yelling. A silence fell between them.

“A-are y-y-you alright?†Rios asked.

“Am I alright?†She asked indignantly, “You leave without telling me, I get attacked by bandits, and I think I’m about to be killed by a blasted Daedra! How do you think I feel!?â€

Another strange silence fell between them, but this time, it was not words that broke the silence, but the door to the tavern bursting open, to reveal Shareel.

Her face still stoic, but looking tired, Shareel asked “Are you alright?â€

Lily jumped out of Rios’ arms, turned to her, and glared. Then, without speaking she stomped inside.

Shareel now turned to a very tired Rios, who now had a bleeding forearm, “Was it something I said?â€

Rios shook his head, “No. She’s just in a bad sorts. I apologize for cutting this conversation short, but I would rather like to sleep.â€

Shareel bowed her head, and Rios trudged up to his room, Naz and all. As he climbed the almost-familiar stairs, he caught a slight glimpse of Lily slamming her door. He lazily found his room, tossed his things on the floor, and fell into the bed.

Darkness enveloped him as he drifted into a deep slumber.

[WhoGuru]

Grond held tightly to Red in the swirling waters of the river, the cold eating into his muscles finally. Even an old Nord could only take so much. He hadn't the strength to pull them both to shore with only one arm. Instead, he turned his back to the shore and began kicking strongly as he could. The tether line biting into his gut they came closer and closer to the banks until finally he felt the bottom beneath his feet.

The Nord called extra strength to his weakened arms and pulled Red from the waters, carrying her to the dry bank and dropped with her to the grass. She was chilled to the bone he could feel and though her heart still beat beneath his hand no breath passed her blue lips. "C'mon girl." Grond said and forced his own breath into her lungs once, and again and then again and then received a face full of water when Red came to spitting the chill stuff from her throat. Grond rolled her to her side and let her gasp before sitting her up in his arms.

"Flood!" Red gasped finally and set Grond to laughing.

"Next time look before you leap." He stood, bringing Red up with him and carried her somewhat unsteadily back upstream. "Bloody hell Red, you give this old man grey hairs."

Red managed a week chuckle and briefly thought about arguing she could walk then decided her legs felt rather like Arlow's prized pudding and settled in for the ride. In the distance they heard the distinct neigh of an irritated horse as they walked, Grond humming some Nord tune under his breath. Several minutes later, Savior appeared, crashing through the underbrush and came to a sliding stop in front of them.

Red burst into laughter and reached arms out to her boy. Grond moved her next to him, laughing himself at the stallion's uncanny ability to sense his rider. "Knew you had to be around somewhere." Red said into Savior's neck. "Had yourself a nice swim while I was sucking river water." She chuckled and dropped back into Grond's arm, her strength sapped. Her sopping clothes were still frigid from the water and she felt herself drifting off.

Grond stepped to Savior's side and, putting Red carefully over his shoulder, pulled himself up in the saddle and sighed for being off his water logged legs finally. He repositioned Red and settled her. "Back to the others now Savior. Let's get your mistress warm eh?"

Savior snorted, pawing beneath the Nords weight and turned sedately back the way he'd come. He had heard his mistress wake, that first gasping breath she'd taken and had burst the hold the Elf girl had on his reins with ease. As if anyone would keep him from his mistress and he snorted again, tossing his head and hoped the big Nord would start eating more carrots.

Shortly they reached the small camp, blazing fire at it's center and Elm was there instantly with a grip on Savior's reigns and a scowl for the Stallion. "You could have said you know." Elm growled at the horse softly and received what Red could have told her was a disgusted snort in response.

Garulf and Quinn pulled Red from Grond's grasp while the Nord lumbered out of Savior's saddle and slapped the Stallion's neck firmly before heading to the fire. "She's cold through." He said to Garulf as his friend settled with Red in the crook of his arms.

"Not anymore." Came the mumbled reply from Red. She barely opened her eyes, only cuddling closer to the warm arms holding her and slipped back into exhausted sleep. Elm left Savior to his sweetgrasses once more and came to the fire, taking a critical look at Grond.

"You're head's bleeding you know." She stated and began muttering to herself as she rummaged through her bag for herbs and such.

"Just ignore it." Quinn said as he sat across from them and nodded to Elm. "She does that when she's thinking. Grond chuckled, listening to the stream of thought that muttered from Elm as she ground a few things together and came at Grond with a clean cloth and a paste of some sort.

"What's in there missy?" Grond asked, blocking her hand and then gaped when she smacked his hand away like a child.

"This and that. Sit still." Elm replied and began dabbing the paste onto the gash on his head while Grond did his best not to chuckle. He needn't have worried. Garulf and Quinn were doing it for him. Elm finished her ministrations and then went to sit quietly with her bag, placing things carefully back in and Grond reached a tentative hand up to touch his sore scalp and found naught but the faintest of ridges where the gash had been.

"Well done Lady!" He said heartily and set about warming the various parts of himself that had numbed in the river. It was still early morning and by the time the sun was high in the sky hours later, Grond had warmed and Red had revived. She sported bumps and bruises nearly everywhere but was smiling and happy to be in one piece and breathing.

She went to Grond and wrapped her arms round his chest, squeezing til she heard a grunt and a crack. "Thank you Grond man." She said and stepped back. "You need to leave the garlic alone in future though." and went to Savior, tossing herself up in the saddle.

"Yer welcome lass!" He said and then spent several moments processing her comment, heard the snickering of Garulf behind him and laughed. "You little minx!" Grond called and hauled himself up on Mik as Elm and Quinn passed him following Red.

As the two Nords brought up the rear, Garulf commented that it had been the smell of Gronds breath rather than his breath alone that had brought Red back and took the punch to the shoulder with a grin, well earned as it was.

The party traveled on for several hours as the sun beat steadily westward, draping golden rays through the tree tops as they climbed higher into the mountains. Rather than thin, the trees grew thicker, their boles wider and as the suns last rays struggled to find them below the canopy of branches overhead, they came in sight of the first remnant of an ancient Ayleid city.

Elm called a halt from behind Quinn and spoke up so they would hear her. "This is it. Somewhere ahead there should be a door, or opening of some kind. Not really sure which, my scrying wasn't that clear but the city is beneath us somewhere and in it's lowest level we should find the treasure we seek."

"Should?" Red asked and Quinn barked a laugh quickly silenced by Elm's not so gentle rap on the back of his head.

"Will find. It's down there." Elm told the red-headed thief. "I'm sure of it."

"Good enough for me." Red nodded to her and stepped out of Savior's saddle. "Well we'd best get to looking then as the last of the light is going."

[Psykolabe]

Rios awoke, for what he assumed to be 20 or so minutes after he collapsed, as the moon had moved very little in terms of celestial positioning. What woke him was a light noise and some wet bed sheets around his arm. The noise, he quickly understood, was the rain hitting the glass. However, the wet bed sheets required a little more investigation, as well as the lighting of a rather rusty oil lamp that was precariously perched on the edge of his nightstand. The bed sheets appeared to be stained from a cut down the forearm of Rios’ right arm, and as the cut was none too deep, the cut worried Rios very little. The more pressing matter was getting the blood out of the bedding that was so kindly provided to him by Arlow.

Still very much asleep, he stumbled over to the pack that lay sideways on the floor which was littered with a mixture of tools that fell loose from the pack, and dirt. He rummaged through the pack until he found a small bag, made of stitched leather. He undid the metal clasp that held it together, and reached inside, pulling out a small vial. He reached his pinky down the vial, and scratched a fingernail full of gel off of the surface of the contents of the vial. He rubbed this on the cut, and the red and other colours inside, turned a dark purple, as the wound gave off a strange heat. Rios grabbed the bandages out of the sack, and wrapped his arm to the best of his ability in his current state.

Deciding that he would probably be unable to sleep, he exited his room. He brought himself to go and sit downstairs.

“I wonder where the others are?†Rios wondered. “I didn’t think they’d be asleep by this time.â€

After he descended the stairs, he spotted Shareel sitting alone at the bar, head cocked to the right, gazing lazily at the wall. Deciding she would be as good a person as any, he approached her.

“Uhm… E-excuse me?†Rios blurted out. Shareel’s head snapped straight up again, and she turned on him with an unusually soft expression. The term soft, for Shareel, still refers to a pretty intense glare, but it is not as blank a face as she usually had. Seeing that Rios noticed this, she once again cleared her face.

“Yes? Was there something you needed, Nord?†She responded a bit harsher then she had initially intended.

“Y-yes. Are the others still here?â€

“No, they left just a short while after you did. They went off to go find some money as to pay for some horses I believe.â€

“Really? Well thank you, then.â€

Rios, who was still tired, dragged himself over to the chairs that stood in front of what used to be the fire, but what was now reduced to a few smoldering cinders. The whole room smelled strangely of cooked meat, and this scent had reminded Rios that he had not eaten in a good long while.

“Shareel? Might you happen to know where the kitchen is?†Rios asked of her.

She shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine.â€

Rios expressed his thanks, and got up to look for the kitchen, and some food. As he walked down the lower hallway, Shareel called after him,

“If you are in there, might you not grab me an apple?â€

Rios put up his hand in a gesture of affirmation, and said “Sure.â€

It did not take Rios’ nose very long to find the source of the smell. It was a room, not too much bigger then his bedroom, with all the amenities one would expect in any kitchen. An oven, a stove, a cutting area, and a baking area, along with a well-stocked pantry. Much to his surprise, he found Lily half bent over the stove, with what seemed to be a block of charcoal in the pan. He walked silently up next to her, and said,

“I’m sorry about before…†As the words slipped out, he wished he could’ve grabbed them back. Dang fool he was, coming in here and talking to her. He should’ve stayed in his room. Dang fool!

As he said this, she jumped backwards, and placed her left hand over her heart.

“Rios! You almost scared be half-to-death! Again!†she told him breathlessly. She punched him lightly in the shoulder.

“I-I’m sorry…†Rios said to his feet. The silence permeated the room, and the pressure it laid upon the two was thick enough to slice. A ‘Crack!’ Of thunder broke the silence, causing Lily to jump yet again and knock the pan from the stove. Rios made to catch it, but upon touching the handle, he burned his hand, causing him to drop the pan. The thing that looked like a piece of charcoal had shot across the room and broken in two upon the tan wall of the kitchen, leaving a small black mark. Seeing what had transpired in that short time, Lily put her hands over her mouth in shock. Rios jumped backwards and grabbed his hand in pain for the second time today.

“A-are you alright?†Rios managed to blurt out

“I’m fine! But your hand-“

“Is fine. I will b-be okay. I’m sorry about your…†Rios’ sentence faded off as he gestured towards where the black rock now lay, split in two.

“Ah, don’t be daft.†She smiled at him, “It wasn’t going all that well anyway.â€

Rios smiled a very awkward smile back at Lily, which only made him look even more like a confused schoolboy. Lily giggled at his funny smile.

“W-what? Did I-I do something?†Rios asked, worried. His face turned a brighter shade of red, and he immediately stared down at the floor again.

“No!†she giggled. She grabbed a wash towel off of the counter, and made to pick up the pan. Rios immediately grabbed a wash cloth and insisted, “A-ah, l-let m-m-me.â€

Their heads hit, and they both fell backwards into the walls behind them. After the few moments it took to recover, both Lily and Rios let out a laugh. Agreeably, Lily’s was a bit louder than Rios’ shy, nervous laugh, but it was laughing none-the-less. After the laughter died, another silence filled the room, but this time, it was Rios who broke the silence.

“I take it you were unable to sleep also?†Rios asked

“Yes, I realized that I was far too excited to return to sleep.â€

“A-ah, I apologize, please-“

Lily cut off Rios mid apology, “It’s fine.†And after a beat, “Just don’t go running off without telling me again, okay?†She smiled, and blushed. “I-I mean, us. Not us! No! But me, and Grond, and Red! T-that is the us I’m referring to!†She laughed nervously as her gaze shifted to the cabinet next to where Rios had fallen.

“Alright.†Rios said. “Shall we get u-up off the floor?â€

Lily giggled again, and nodded in consent. Rios popped up quite energetically, and in doing so, accidentally revealed his bandaged forearm to Lily. After he helped her up, she asked him about it.

“What happened?! Were you hurt?â€

“It is nothing.†He explained.

“Nothing?†Lily thought, “A cut like that is certainly not ‘nothing’.â€

“Rios, really-“

“I am fine. It is nothing.†He replied rather sternly. After a few moments pause, he turned to her again, “I’m sorry…â€

Damn, this is the situation Rios had been trying to avoid… Good going. She made no affirmative motion, so Rios continued to talk.

“I just remembered, Shareel wanted an apple. Might I get her one?â€

Wordlessly, Lily nodded, and went over to the pantry. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Rios, “Would you like one?†she asked quietly. He nodded,

“Please.â€

Lily returned back to the main room of the kitchen with 3 apples in hand. 2 red, and one green. She handed both red apples to Rios, and walked out of the room, heading back to the sitting area. After standing there for a few moments more, berating himself, Rios followed her, apples in hand. They wordlessly sat next to Shareel, and handed her an apple. She nodded her head to Rios and Lily in a small gesture of gratitude, and bit into it. For the next few minutes, all that could be heard was the crunching of apples from all three of the people sitting at the bar, and the rain pounding hard upon the wooden walls of the tavern. Once again, The boom of thunder broke the silence. Lily jolted upright, and gripping her apple so tightly, her knuckles turned white. Rios jumped in his chair too, but as he was much taller, and as his hands were under the bar counter, him straightening up caused his arms to hit against the counter’s sturdy underbelly. Shareel was relatively unaffected, only her wings quivered.

Shareel stated, “I think it is time I retired to my quarters. Good night.â€

Both Rios and Lily nodded to her as she removed her self from the barstool, and walked gracefully up the stairs. After Shareel had reached her room, She closed the door, placed the apple on the nightstand, and cradled her head in her hands. She was never a fan of nights like this, after all it brought back so many unpleasant memories.

At the bar, Rios and Lily still sat in relative silence. Rios attempted to make conversation,

“Lily I-“

She cut him off, “I think I shall also retire to my room, goodnight.†And with that, she walked up the stairs too. As the sat down upon her bed, she places the apple core in the waste bucket under the nightstand. Sherubbed her eyes,

“What a day…†she told herself, “What a day.â€

Most of what she was thinking of right now centered around Rios, her new awkward, stuttering friend. Rios, who had remained at the bar, had thought of the same nature relating to Lily.

As Rios placed his apple core upon the counter, he cradled his head in his hands, listening to the rain beat down upon the roof of the now home he had found.

[WillieSea]

The dark tunnel wound slowly up, ever so slowly. The green ooze that covered sections of the tunnel emitted a faint and eerie green glow, more than enough light for them to see by. No sounds could be heard in the tunnel other than their own. They walked for what seemed like hours and Arwin wondered if they were going to travel under the entire mountain. He was also beginning to wonder if this was really a short cut.

As Arwin mulled over these thoughts he almost walked right into the door that was suddenly before him. Had it not been for Jean pulling him to a stop Arwin would have a bruised nose.

The small female squirrel like creature that had guided them here looked up at Arwin in wonder and then shrugged her shoulders. “Door to city this is. Door to sewers under city. Bright burning eyes above city, this way better!” It then whimpered in a small voice, “I go now?”

Arwin looked down at the creature as if noticing it for the first time. “What?!! Burning eyes? Oh, just go, get out of here.”

Jean punched Arwin in the arm again. “Thank you for showing us the way here. We are in your debt.”

The creature then yipped a happy bark and skittered off back down the tunnel singing a squeaky tune.

Meanwhile Arwin was examining the door trying to find a way to open it. He turned to Jean as she came up to him, “I don’t see a knob or a locking mechanism at all. I don’t know how we are going to get past the door.”

Jean looked at the featureless door and pondered the problem. With a sudden inspiration she walked forward and pushed the door which swung open on its hinges. Arwin shook his head in resignation and followed Jean through the door.

The stench of the sewers they found themselves in was almost overpowering. Arwin winced and tears came to his eyes. Jean coughed and prayed she would quickly become used to the smell.

They walked through the wet gunk that covered the floor and soon came to a stop. Ahead they heard what sounded like several cats and dogs being tortured to death. The howls and shrieks became louder as they walked onward, the sound started to reverberate through the tunnel. The noise almost became debilitating as it strummed up and down their spine. Arwin shivered and cringed his head down into his shoulders.

They soon came to a door and looked at each other, wondering how they were going to get through it considering their hands were busy plugging their ears to give them some respite against the racket.

Frustrated, Arwin finally kicked the door inward. They both looked into the room expecting the worse and only saw three green slime covered creatures who were standing in front of a strange machine and holding black sticks in their hands up to their mouths. The noise had been their singing which abruptly stopped after the door was kicked in.

With the noise finally stopped, the irritation Arwin had been feeling manifested itself in his sword arm. With a guttural howl he jumped into the trio of would be singers and vented his frustration on them as he vented their spleens. In no time at all the three creatures lay on the floor oozing. Arwin stood over the corpses, panting like a wild animal.

Jean shook herself and tried to ignore the migraine the noise had given her. She smiled wanly at Arwin and thanked him for stopping the incessant wailing noise the would be crooners had been making.

They luxuriated in the sudden silence and simply breathed for several minutes trying to calm down from the after effects of the noise. Jean finally noticed a metal ladder leading up into the darkness above. Drips of green slime came down from that darkness and they knew they were getting closer to their child. This gave them new energy and resolve to continue onward.

Arwin started up the ladder and Jean followed close behind him. Green slime dripped on then as they made their way upward into the darkness.

[WillieSea]

The metal ladder continued upwards for some time. Arwin could not see anything in the darkness, he just concentrated on climbing upwards. It was not long before Arwin cracked his head on the metal plate at the ladder top. Jean looked upwards as curse words drifted down to her. She could not help but smile slightly as she tried to put concern in her voice, “Are you okay?”

Only muttered grumblings answered her as Arwin held on tightly to the ladder rung and push with all his might on the metal cover. Jean cringed down below as the metal grate clanged loudly on the stone floor above them. Arwin stuck his head into the dimly lit passage above him and looked around as the echoes died down. He then quickly tried to climb out of the cistern and only managed to slip on the slimy floor and fall flat on his face.

Picking himself up off the floor he wiped at the green slime from his face and reached down to help Jean up into the hallway. They then froze as the sound of creaking hinges echoed from up the hallway. Jean and Arwin moved against the wall and waited to see what would happen.

- - -

Belgart was the runt of the attack wing he belonged to. He looked at his comrades, at the mighty Glenrus and the swift Archus and sighed, he hoped to someday be as great and evil as they were. Drafkar suddenly jumped up making Belgart screech in surprise. He quickly clamped his clawed hand over his mouth but he saw Glenrus glare at him for his outburst.

Belgart growled as he jumped up and down and pointed at the door to the sewers. Glenrus pounded his giant fist on the floor once for quiet. In the sudden silence Archus came up behind Belgart and slapped him on the back of the head hard enough to send him flying towards the sewer door.

Rubbing the back of his head, Belgart picked himself off the floor and opened the door to the sewers. Someday he would become strong and then they would all be sorry for treating him this way. As he stepped into the sewage tunnel he could hear the three others snickering behind his back.

- - -

Arwin watched as a shimmering life force came into his view. It walked slowly down the center of the passage. The creature was small of stature and was quickly gaining on their position.

In the trouble he had getting out of the sewer grate from below and then hiding, he had forgotten to pull his weapon out. It was already upon them and Arwin dreaded pulling his weapon out and alerting the creature to his presence.

Thinking quickly, Arwin swung his foot out to trip the creature but he misjudged in his aim and kicked the creature in the rear instead.

- - -

Belgart cursed the others under his breath as he moved down the passage to investigate the noise Drafkar had heard coming from this area. That blasted Drafkar was always hearing things and poor Belgart would have to go investigate the ‘nothing’ while the others relaxed and absorbed the power of the place.

He was contemplating his imaginary revenge when he suddenly saw a movement to his right and then he felt a sharp pain in his rear as he was catapulted down the passage. The floor being covered in slime caused him to slide uncontrollably and then the floor beneath him disappeared!

- - -

Arwin pulled out his crystal long dagger and jumped after the creature. Just as he was about to cut it from top to bottom, it vanished from his view and fell down the still open sewer grate. He listened to the creature screech as it fell the great distance to the floor far below. In a moment the screeching stopped to be replaced by a loud thud. Silence once again reigned in the tunnel.

Arwin stepped back towards Jean and pointed up the passage where the creature had come. “I think that may be the way to go” he whispered.

[WhoGuru]

Red shoved through the undergrowth at the rim of the small valley. The trees about them were ancient and tall. They were half up the mountain here yet had found this valley and Elm's eyes had fairly lit up in the cool shade of the forest. She walked now practically at Red's elbow, map crinkling in her hands. Qiunn was close behind them watching the trees around them warily with Grond and Garulf in the rear.

"It's close." Elm muttered. "It's here, in this valley. I'm sure of it. I think. No, I'm sure of course. It is here." She looked up suddenly and smiled at Red. "Doing it again aren't I?"

"Hadn't noticed a thing." Red chuckled and pushed through a group of large Mulberry bushes and then stopped with a little gasp of surprise. "I think we found it." She called back and heard the same gasps from each of her friends as they came in view.

The valley was more of a crater, deeper than they thought. The ruins of an ancient Ayleid city sprawled across the valley floor, tumble down blocks and columns and trees shooting up through what once had been domes. Vines had overtaken nearly all the structures. The once pristine white stones were now green and leafy. Light filtered in shimmery rays through the tops of the trees and gave the scene an ethereal beauty wrapped in silence as the forest creatures made none of their usual sounds here.

"I have a sudden urge to paint." Red mumbled and then shook her head as Garulf chuckled at her. "Down we go." She led the way down the slope, picking a path around some of the crumbled pillars and aiming for what looked like it had been an ancient thoroughfare in old times. She hoped it would lead them to the entrance of this ruin. They reached the bottom and fanned out along the wide path. Red's eyes were glued to the ground, the paving stones peeking out here and there from the grasses and roots, following the vines as they wended across and over.

"Stop." She said and raised a hand to halt them.

"What is it?" Grond asked, coming to her side.

Red pointed just ahead of them. "There's a trip wire." She got down on her knees and crawled forward just a bit, reaching a hand out but not touching a low vine that stretched across the path. "Almost didn't see it. It's rusted and the vine has grown along it. Old then." She muttered and backed away slowly, getting to her feet again. She backed everyone up a good ten yards and then found a small chunk of rubble. "Shall we see what it does?" Red asked with her crooked grin and tossed the rock at the vine.

The wire snapped easily with age and for a moment nothing happened. "Maybe it was a dud." Quinn joked and then jumped back with the others as the ground in front of them rumbled and gave way. The paving stone beneath the leaf little crumbled inward, falling away and leaving a wide pit in it's place. "Alright. Not a dud." Quinn stepped to the edge with the others, looking over, and whistled. At the bottom of the pit stood great spikes rusted brown with age.

"Bloody Ayleids." Grond growled. "Damn Elves couldn't make anything easy."

Garulf snorted and slapped him on the back. "Don't worry old man. We'll keep that delicate skin intact for Failan."

"Don't start you two." Red warned with a laugh as Grond shoved at his friend.

"Why wasn't that tripped long before now?" Elm asked suddenly. "Or that one too?" She pointed ahead and Red followed seeing another tripline further up the path and another beyond that. "You'd have thought the forest creatures would have tripped at least one of these."

"Well that's a comforting thought." Red said softly. "Let's get off this thoroughfare, follow along beside it. Has to be safer than this."

"Famous last words." Quinn tossed at her and took Elm's arm, leading behind the red headed thief. "Hope she doesn't get us dead. Half the forest heard that thing go off." He complained softly to Elm who only nodded and patted his hand to soothe him.

[charlescrowe]

As Rios sat at the bar, Raurke popped in, causing a discernible amount of pressure in the air at his sudden arrival. Rio's heart caught in his throat as he turned to see a tall, pale skinned elf blushing drunkenly as he straightened his robes. "Sorry for the start." Raurke politely nodded towards the young nord. "Just came down for another glass of Sutch's finest wine." he grinned gaily. Rios chuckled nervously, and went back to his apple.

"Ah, a young man in love..." Raurke pondered aloud as he perused the wine shelf. Rios blushed slightly, then looked at the stranger insultedly. "W-what's that mean?" Rios grumbled. "Ah, don't mind me, I'm just a drunken patron." Raurke smiled wickedly as he selected a rather old looking bottle. "Not that it's any of mine, but just relax, people feed off of other's emotions. Let her know that you're interested, subtly of course, and then just play it calm, young one." At this, Raurke pulled a pair of goblets from under the bar and poured Rios and himself a generous amount of wine. "I'm Raurke, as it were. And you are?"

"R-rios." The nord replied shortly. suddenly, Neos spoke up in the back of Rios' mind. "There's something not quite right about him, Rios. Be careful around him." Rios looked to the elf, watching him gulp down a nord sized mouthful of the drink. "Pleasant to meet you, young master, sorry I can't hold a proper conversation, but I'm rather tired, and more than a little drunk. By the by, that is a curious little trinket you ride around on. mayhap Illithiel isn't the only conscious soul trapped in those mysterious soul gems after all." Raurke said bluntly, then vanished before Rios' eyes.

[WillieSea]

Jean followed close behind Arwin as they made their way up the tunnel from which the creature had come. They both stopped dead in their tracks as a crack of light came through the now opening door in front of them.

A growl could be heard from inside the room followed by a grunt from the thing opening the door. Arwin and Jean had flattened themselves against the walls as the creature walked through the door and had turned to close it. It did not succeed in this endeavor and instead slumped to the floor, green goo spouting from its now opened neck.

Arwin pulled the door open slowly and spotted two more of the creatures inside. One of them was a rather large beast with horns and rows of sharpened and misaligned teeth. A bolt of lightning blasted into the room, turning the smaller creature into ash. The larger beast jumped up and bowled through the doorway, knocking Jean and Arwin back down the darkened passage.

Arwin quickly looked around for his dagger and finally noticed that it was sticking into the belly of the giant thing that now strode down the passage towards them. Jean lay on the floor a little further down, not moving.

Arwin quickly pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow, quickly aiming and letting his archers sight take hold of him, he released the arrow. He watched the arrow speed towards its target as if in slow motion, its multi-colored feathers shimmering in the dim light as if eager to devour its target. It finally found its target and sank deeply into the skull of the beast right through its eye socket.

It started to fall backward when the feathers on the arrow glowed brightly and then incinerated in a blast of fire and smoke. Arwin lowered his arm from over his face and watched the beast burn from the inside out, gouts of fire and smoke erupting from its carcass.

Arwin ran towards Jean just as she was starting to get up. She waved him off saying, “I am fine, just had the wind knocked out of me.” He helped her up and they once again faced down the tunnel, towards the doorway and the bright room beyond.

[WillieSea]

Arwin slowly entered the room with Jean right behind him and they looked around. Green slime covered most of the room and it trailed up an upward slanting hallway towards a bright light in the distance. As they walked carefully up the slime covered passage the floor started to vibrate slightly and a deep hum became audible.

They slowly climbed the long tunnel incline as the light intensified to a point where it started to hurt their eyes. The smell of the place they were moving towards hit them like a brick wall and they had an overpowering urge to retch. They steadied themselves against the wall and took deep breaths through their mouths. Arwin spat out and whispered, “The smell is so bad you can taste it!”

They came to an archway that enters into a very bright chamber. The sound of magical energies crackling filled the air and the vibrations through the floor filled the air with a deep resonating hum.

But all this was quickly forgotten when they saw a bright yellow beam of crackling energy in the center of the room from floor to ceiling. The light emanated from two huge crystals, one on the floor and the other on the ceiling. And inside this beam was a vision of a child morphing from a baby to a young woman and then back again. Both Arwin and Jean knew it was Anna. The magics of this place coursed around her in the magical beam and she giggled as she floated in the energies.

They stood transfixed as a very large green slime blob hovered around the beam of light, its sickly tentacles brushing against the beam of light near where Anna floated. Sparks of magical energy discharged from the beam of light to be sucked up by the creature, crackling up its tentacles.

The creature was somehow using Anna help it collect the energy from the beam. The creature had not noticed them yet. Jean put a hand on Arwins’ shoulder and pulled him back into the passage as he had been about to charge the blob.

Jean looked into Arwin’s eyes, “We have to plan this attack if we are to succeed. We have to win for Anna’s sake.”

Arwin’s features softened, the wild look leaving his face. “Your right. It won’t do her any good if we get ourselves killed.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, looking at each other, not sure what to do. Arwin then saw that look on Jean’s face that he know all to well, she had an idea…

They backed down the hall a little further and Jean pulled her backpack off. She opened it up and pulled out a large book. She quickly turned the pages until she found the page that contained the gateway spell she had used earlier.

The two of them started perusing the pages until they found a description of the green blob, a lesser demon. It gains power by absorbing it from the creatures it dominates. Apparently, it was also absorbing energy from the city itself. It also had the ability to create lesser creatures out of its own body as long as it had a steady source of power.

It could absorb any magical energies directed at it and was also immune to weapons. Jean looked up at Arwin wide eyed. Jean sobbed, “What can we do against it? We have to get Anna back!”

Arwin looked back with determination and hugged Jean close to himself. He soothed, “We will find a way, we will find a way…”

He then took the book and read some more about the creature. Turning the page he saw a drawing that was very familiar, it was a long crystal dagger. A dagger that grows in the crystal caverns created by the magical light of the place. Arwin pulled out the dagger that he had found in one of his trips through the shops magical portals. That is when he noticed a swirling deep glow emanating from within the crystal blade.

Jean looked up at Arwin when he stood up. “There is nothing you can do to help. Stay here, I have a demon to kill.”

Jean stood up quickly and replied, “No! I may not be able to do anything against the creature, but I can help you.”

Arwin was about to reply but he saw the look in Jean’s eyes and reconsidered. With new resolve, the two of them headed back towards the brightly lit chamber.

[Psykolabe]

Rios, rather unnerved by what he had just seen, which was a man who just appeared and dissapeared, thought it must've been a sleep-deprived halucination. But as he mused this thought around his groggy mind, he thought how many strange things had happened today, and how many strange people he had met prior to this incident, that this idea that Raurke, as he were, was a real person seemed not only plausable, but likley. Yes, in fact, he had remembered someone like that man earlier in the day, and he was a little less strange then, of course, but all oranges are a little stranger when drunk.

Oranges?

No, I meant to say people...

Oranges... what an absolutley absurd thing to say...

Mabye bannanas?

No, no, not those either.

Those are fruits, and people are not fruits.

Unless they are...

Are they?

As Rios sat in the bar area, toying with thoughts of people as fruits, Arlow groggily meandered out from the bottom-floor corridor, and spying Rios, placed himself across the bar.

I think I'll be a kamquat today...

Kamquat is a funny word...

A Kamquat is a word?

So words are fruit too?

Is fruit taking over the world?

As Arlow spied Rios's eyes darting wildly from side to side, he decided it might be time for this patron to go off to bed.

"Sir?"

Arlow tried to get his attention by calling out to him, but it did as much good as telling an apple to peel itself.

Mabye I'm a fruit too...

Have they gotten me?

No, I don't think so...

At this thought, Rios took a bite out of his bandaged arm.

He gagged, and spit up a little,

No, definitley not a fruit,

I think the only way to combat fruit is to sleep

Right?

That makes sense,

Sleep with your eyes shut so they cant use their delicious powers to infiltrate your brain?

Yeah,

That sounds like it'll work. [\i]

Rios jumped up from the bar, ignored that he hit his injured arm upon the underside of the counter, for the second time tonight, and yelled,

"You wont get me you darned fruits! I know how to thwart your evil plans!"

He raised his arm in a fist high above his head, and ran towards the stairs. Unfortunatley, in his state, and excitement, he forgot to account for a wall. He ran face-first into the sturdy tavern wall with such force, he trpiied backwards falling onto to couch, knocked unconcious.

Arlow stood there for a great many moments afterward, trying to understand what exactly had just transpired, something about fruit, and plans, then the wall...

Arlow shrugged

"Oh well, I guess is works for me!"

Turned back around, and shuffled back to his bedroom.