[RP]Obake Blade

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo watched the girl over his shoulder, taking in her change of outfit from the corner of his eyes. To go from rags to riches in seconds...and the style of the dress made his senses heighten. Perhaps it was cliche, but...he didn't know very many friendly people wore something like that.

 

"Hm." he muttered, turning his head and closing his vision of the woman. He wouldn't stare. But that wouldn't mean that he wouldn't be keeping close tabs on her. Crossing the camp, he moved to where he had dropped the sheath of his sword. Dropping the point of his blade, he slipped it under the simple scabbard and flipped it into the air. He snatched it out of the air and slid it on his blade, strapping both onto his back in a single movement.

[Quist]

Maggie watched the newcomer walk up next to the fire, an unreadable expression on her face. Holding her staff close to her side, Maggie moved quickly over to Aya, coming upon her friend just as the young merchant finished replacing her supplies. She glanced over at Carwyn, then at Chryseis, then finally at Aya. Leaning in close to her friend's ear, she whispered, "I'm starting to wonder if leaving the monastery was such a good idea."

[JasraLantill]

Aya nodded, glancing askance towards Carwyn's unconscious sister. "Yeah, Mags, I'm getting that very same feeling," she replied. She then stared at the newcomer for a few moments. "Although much better dressed now than she was when she got here, she is still a bit... erm, unusual, isn't she?" she commented quietly to Maggie.

 

"Breakfast is ready!" Takumi announced exuberantly in Received Pronunciation, with an added flourish of a spatula and an overdramatic bow.

 

Aya grinned as she raised an eyebrow. "Of course, then again, just about everyone here is a bit unusual." She looked at Mags and gave her a silly grin. "Except us, of course."

 

She finished lashing her pack down, patted Bob on the neck, then turned to Mags. "So, let's get breakfast. I have a feeling that it's going to be a long time before our next stop."

 

She and Maggie each filled up their plates with the food Takumi had prepared, and then sat over on a log near the campfire, but across from where the newcomer Audra sat. Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Aya asked, "So, Kyo, how far do you think Enkahiru is from here?"

 

The fact was, Aya knew exactly how far the hilltop western village was, but she wanted to start up some conversation to break up the tension of the morning, as well as maybe try to figure out where this Audra person had been headed.

 

And then there was the question of Carwyn's sister. Where had she been headed and who had sent her? And why had Carwyn acted so cruelly towards her? Aya had found that answers to questions like these could be gleaned through conversation, but one had to get people talking first.

[Writer]

Audra cocked her head slightly. "Enkahiru?" she repeated. Pressing her lips together into a thin line, she concluded, "Hmm..." After a moment of thoughtful contemplation while staring into the fire, she shook her head and went after the food. She was hungry, after all. But something in the back of her mind screamed at her for even considering the move. A more rational part patiently reminded her how puzzling this group remained to her. What was their motive for travel? And still more importantly, she thought to herself, chancing a glance over toward Chryseis, why would an assassin be after them?

 

Dismissing her inner questions for the present, Audra loaded a plate with food and returned to the fire, dropping into a crouch beside Aya with a faint smirk on her face. She could tell the young merchant was uncomfortable around her... and somehow, that made her feel a little more at ease with the rest of this highly unusual situation.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo watched the movement of the new comer, Audra, as he poked absentmindedly at the food in front of him. It looked good and smelled delicious, and the swordsman knew all to well that the rest of the day depended on how one started it, but...in all the excitement, he had lost most of his appetite. Even so, he poked a small bit of food into his mouth, knowing that he would later regret it if he ate nothing now.

 

"Probably another half a day's journey out from here." he estimated, glancing off to the west before turning to check the position of the sun in the east. "Although...with our delays, I don't know that we'll make it there before nightfall. If we do, we'll be rather lucky."

 

Glancing from Audra to Cherysis, Kyo couldn't help but marvel at how such a peaceful journey out from the Monastery had suddenly become so very...exciting. An assassin attacking from the underbrush, a thief sneaking into their camp amidst the chaos...was it destined by the gods that their journey not be easy? Must more interruptions keep coming? And here the warrior had thought that the gods would have wanted him to find the Blade...

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Yet again, I start a new page. Cool. ))

 

"Although...with our delays, I don't know that we'll make it there before nightfall. If we do, we'll be rather lucky."

 

"So, another cold night out under the stars," Aya said dryly to Kyo. "Great."

 

Standing at the edge of the camp, a few yards away from the fire, Bob snorted and shook his shaggy maned head.

 

"Well, of course you don't mind," she said to her pony. "You've got warm fur... erm, hair...." She sighed. "I mean, a coat! You've got a coat, Bob. Mags and me, well... we just had blankets."

 

She glanced at Audra who had slid herself over to sit even closer to her. Aya nervously cleared her throat. "So..., Audra," she started. "Where were you headed when you...." Aya was about to say, 'when you ambushed us,' but somehow that just didn't seem the right thing to say. "...erm... found us? Enkahiru?"

[Writer]

A strangely amused light took Audra's eyes. "I was headed for nowhere," she said elusively. "And then I... found you." She glanced over at Bob and then back to Aya. "You speak to your pony..." She stared into the fire with the faintest trace of a smile on her face. "This group gets more interesting by the moment..."

[JasraLantill]

Found? Interesting word choice, Aya thought. She shifted a bit, slightly uncomfortable at the fact that Audra seemed to know what Aya had been meaning to say, even though Aya hadn't said it.

 

She looked over towards Kyo, then at Bob, and then Audra.

 

"Erm... Bob and I have... an understanding," she said to Audra. "He's been with me for a very long time." She frowned slightly. She always had 'talked' to Bob. Not that Bob actually 'spoke' back to her, but she always just seemed to intuitively know what he meant with his snorts, neighs, whickers, and non-verbal cues. "We've got a connection."

 

It suddenly occurred to her that her 'connection' with Bob might be seen by others as a bit unusual. She looked at Kyo. "Is that weird?" she asked him, sounding unsure and looking for a bit of support. "I mean, not weird in a 'don't-sit-by-her-she's-crazy' sort of way, but weird in an 'out-of-the-ordinary' way."

[ForceFightWMe12]

The warrior shrugged lightly, nonchalant as he chewed at the latest mouthful of food, waiting to finish chewing and swallowing before answering.

 

"I can't honestly be sure." he answered, tilting his head to the side. "I've never seen anything quite to the strength that you have - I've seen some who are able to understand what goes through their animal companion's mind...but never quite to the extent that you and Bob seem to be connected." he said, glancing up at the pony as he finished speaking. "Then again...I've never seen a steed quite like Bob."

[JasraLantill]

At Kyo's words, Bob seemed to carry his head a bit higher. He let out a rumbling sort of snort, shook his mane as magestically as he could, then pawed at the ground a few times with one of his front hooves.

 

Aya's brow raised, and she looked at Kyo askance. "Erm...." She was sort of reluctant to say what she was thinking, but then decided to say it anyway. "He likes what you said."

 

Bob's ear's flattened and he pawed the ground with a loud and demanding thud.

 

"Erm... particularly your use of the word 'steed'," Aya added.

 

Bob let out a low satsified whicker.

 

"You're so weird," Aya softly at him.

[Writer]

Audra laughed out loud. "And the communication runs both directions, does it?" she asked, still giggling. "Fascinating." She looked at Bob. "And you are quite remarkable in your own right... but you've got pride issues, if I read it right."

 

She stood and moved slowly around the fire behind the seated company, well aware of how uncomfortable that might be for some of them. "So let me see if I read this group right... young and naive merchant with prideful pony..." she looked straight at Aya and then turned to Carwyn, "... ranger with an assassin for a sister..." and shifting her gaze to Takumi, "... a bard, who's been remarkably silent for one in his occupation, I might add..." To Maggie, "... a girl with the look of one who knows how to fight, but the demeanor of one who's been accustomed to not fighting..." and finally, turning to Kyo, "... and the leader of the group, a master of the sword, accustomed to the harshness of the road."

 

She sat down where she'd been initially, across the fire from Aya. "You're all so very different that one has simply got to wonder what has brought you together."

[Rogue Nine]

"You're all so very different that one has simply got to wonder what has brought you together."

 

Carwyn, who until this point had been sitting off the side quietly, looked up. He studied Audra's face for a few moments, then shifted his gaze over to Chryseis, who was still tied to the tree, unconscious. What has brough us together indeed... He took a deep breath, placed his half-eaten plate of breakfast food on the ground in front of him and rose out of his seat. Making his way to the middle of the encampment, he stood in front of his companions and cleared his throat. As they all looked to him, he remembered that public speaking wasn't his strong point, but he knew he had to say something to them.

 

"Everyone, I know I owe you all an explanation for my actions," he started. "I've been needlessly violent and angry, and I want to let you all know that that is really not who I am." His lips said this to everyone, but his eyes were locked onto Aya's. The young merchant had looked at him very oddly after he had subdued Chryseis; he could tell she had been disappointed in him or worse. The realization of that fact was one of the major things that had snapped him back into reality. He needed to make sure she, of all people, understood why he had done the things he did.

 

Carwyn took another deep breath before continuing. "As you all know now, Chryseis is my sister. She's also the whole reason I started out on this journey." He looked to Aya again. "I know I told you that she ran away from home, but I didn't let you know under what circumstances." He clenched his hand into a fist. "Chrys had fallen in with this 'cult' when she was just 16...I think they called themselves the Yama-Oni or something odd like that. She was in pretty deep and naturally, our mother, our sister and I disapproved and tried to tell her to stop. Of course, she didn't listen.

 

"One night about four years ago, I come home from hunting and meet Chrys as she's on her way out the door. I try and ask where she's going, but she brushes me aside like I'm nothing. She looks absolutely incensed, yet tremendously hurt at the same time. Before I can stop her, she disappears into the night. I want to go track her, but just then, my older sister comes staggering out the door, covered in blood." Carwyn paused, closing his eyes and pressing a finger to his temple before resuming his story. "She tells me that Chrys has hurt Mom badly. I go inside and find our mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood. To this day, we still do not know how exactly Chrys hurt Mom. My older sister has looked after her ever since, using her healing abilities to keep our mother alive."

 

Carwyn opening his eyes again; they had a hard and determined set to them. "I've been looking for Chryseis for years. And now, just when I find her again, she tries and succeeds in hurting people I care about. When I saw Tellis lying there... it was like watching my mother getting hurt all over again. Add to the fact that it was Aya she was trying to hurt... and I just lost it. I had hoped that over time she had come to realize how much she's hurt our family, how much she's hurt me, but it's obvious she doesn't realize any of that."

 

He opened his hands. "So I hope that this makes you understand where I'm coming from. I love my sister, but I loathe what she has become and how far she has gone to hurt those I care about." Sighing softly, he took a few steps to the side and sat back down, his eyes glossy.

[Jae Onasi]

"... a bard, who's been remarkably silent for one in his occupation, I might add..." said Audra.

 

Takumi smiled as he ate his breakfast, swallowed, and then said "My mother taught me never to eat and talk at the same time. Of course, I was up rather late last night, and I'm not the best morning person. We bards tend to be creatures of the evening. In any case, now that the excitement worthy of many fine stories has calmed, I find myself in need of some matching socks for my rust-colored suede tunic. My green ones require cleaning, as Carwyn knows. Not that they match rust, anyway, so I shall retire to my tent for a few minutes to dress properly for the day." Takumi got up from his seat, thought a moment, and then turned to their leader.

 

"Kyo, I know of a small tavern not too far from here. Chryseis should not weather a cold night in that condition, despite her considerable skill and...fine...conditioning." Catching Carwyn's dark look, the bard continued, "The Yama-oni is not a cult. It is one of the most secretive and dangerous assassin guilds. The fact that you survived a fight with her, Carwyn, is testament either to your fighting skill or her hesitating a moment during the duel. The Yama-oni demands absolute obedience to the Soke, and if he ordered her to kill you, she was absolutely committed to doing that, at least in her mind. What her heart told her at the very last moment may have been different."

[Quist]

Maggie gulped in apprehension as she listened to Carwyn's speech, her eyes darting over to Chryseis every so often as the ranger described her past actions. Carwyn's voice got progressively heavier as he went on, and given what he was telling them, Maggie didn't blame him. In light of these revelations, his harsh actions against his sister did not seem so cruel in retrospect, though she kept that thought to herself. As he finished up and sat back down, he looked so dejected and hurt that her heart reached out to him, but again, she kept those thoughts to herself.

 

Brushing away a tear she didn't realize had formed in her eyes, she sat motionless, looking at each person, trying to gauge their reactions. Audra, being the newest member of their group, had a curious expression on her face, not fully comprehending all of what the ranger had told them. Takumi offered his condolences to Carwyn, adopting a somber expression on his usually jovial face. Both Aya and Kyo sat motionless, neither of them reacting to Carwyn's revelations immediately.

 

Maggie let out a breath, then faced Carwyn again. "It's all right," she called out to him. "I understand." What he needed right now was the reassurance that everyone knew he hadn't transformed into some monster and beaten the living daylights out of his sister for nothing, and Maggie knew she could give him at least that.

[JasraLantill]

Aya had remained uncharacteristically silent during Carwyn’s disclosure of his personal tragedy. Honestly, she hadn’t known what to say. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ to Carwyn didn’t quite seem enough. ‘I know how you feel’ was just a lie as Aya couldn’t even fathom how he must have been feeling. And saying the same as Maggie’s ‘I understand’ well… that wasn’t any use as Aya really didn’t.

 

She glanced at the unconscious Chryseis. Even though Carwyn had said she had done awful things, she still felt sorry for the girl. How could anyone let themselves be so misled as to go against their own family in such a heartless and evil way? And why did this cult, this assassin guild, this Yama-oni whatever-it-was want her dead? Aya hadn’t done anything to anyone, at least as far as she knew she hadn’t.

 

Takumi was indeed correct when he had said that Carwyn’s skill at fighting his sister attested to his own fine training. And if it hadn’t been for Carwyn’s quick reactions, and Tellis’ self-sacrifice, Aya would sure be dead now. The realization of what had just happened to her started to kick in, and Aya suddenly felt drained. It was a very good thing she was sitting down, for had she been standing, she certainly would have collapsed.

 

Aya looked around the fire. Kyo, the brooding leader of the group, super-proficient swordsman and unexpectedly wise scholar. Carwyn, the once carefree, but now melancholy ranger and expert bowman. Takumi, the worldly, unconventional bard who was equally skilled with his quick-witted tongue as he was with his sword or whip. Maggie, her long time friend, now turned traveler and an expert fighter in her own right. And, lastly, Audra, the newcomer with a penchant for fashion as well as fighting. All of the group were skilled in some form of weaponry. All except for herself. Dragons, Wolf, Rock Snakes, and now assassins--if Aya hadn’t had her friends with her, she would have been dead a long time ago. And obviously, that’s what someone had in mind for her. But why? Was it because she was the ‘glue’ that held them all together? Would Kyo’s quest for the Obake Blade fail without her support? She suddenly saw her role in the group as something other than navigator-cook-healer and ‘tag along’. Even without having any real fighting skills, Aya was just as important as any of the others.

 

She put down her plate of food she had barely touched, then rose slowly, pausing to make sure that her knees wouldn’t buckle first, before moving toward where Carwyn was sitting. Without a word she knelt in front of him, reaching out to take his hands in hers. As their eyes met, she leaned forward and gave him a gentle, lingering kiss on the lips. It was the only way she knew how to tell him, ‘I understand’, ‘I forgive you’, ‘I still need you,’ ‘I love you’, and ‘thank you for saving me’ all in one single gesture.

 

As she pulled away from him, she smiled at him. “We must keep going,” she said, her voice soft but firm and loud enough for all to hear. “There are unseen forces at work here. Forces that do not want us to succeed.” Her eyes sought Kyo’s now. She understood now that their destinies were twined. He must find the Obake Blade, and she must keep the group together to help him do that. “But we must succeed.”

 

She rose, slowly releasing Carwyn’s hands as she did so. She looked at Takumi. “I know this tavern,” she said to him. “And we should go there. Spend the night indoors and rest ourselves for the remainder of our journey.” Her brow furrowed. “And come up with some sort of a game plan to avoid any more assassins.” She glanced at Chryseis, and then back at Carwyn. “And while we’re there, I’d like to try to heal her.” She tapped the side of her head. “Here.” She tapped her heart. “And here.”

[Writer]

((Joint post with Jasra))

 

"You're all so..." Audra began softly. She stopped, as if searching for an adequate word. It wouldn't come and she shook her head in amazed silence. "I am overwhelmed. Never in my life have I met so many... good people in one place. There is no place for one such as me here... and I am sorry I ever thought there might be..."

 

"There is a place for all of us here," Aya said to her. "Everyone has something special to offer. Carwyn has his bow. Kyo, his sword. Maggie, her staff. Takumi, his...." She eyed the bard over carefully. He was holding a frying pan at the moment and gave her a wobbly sort of grin. "...weapons. And you, you have not only skills with weapons but with stealth as well. What if we needed to sneak up on someone? We certainly couldn't send Takumi. Carwyn, maybe, but perhaps his bow would be needed elsewhere. But you could do the deed. Couldn't you?"

 

"I-I..." Audra stammered, startled that anyone in the group wanted to keep her around. "Y-yes, I certainly could manage..." She frowned. "But you're not making sense. You'd trust a complete stranger to do something for you?"

 

Aya looked at the girl. She certainly was a stranger, but.... "You were sent to us for a reason," she said plainly. She looked skywards. "I believe all of us were."

 

"I was... sent?" Audra asked, startled at the thought that the path of her life may not have been up to her to shape.

 

Aya grinned. "I think, and I'm not by any means a priestess so don't hold me to this, but, I think that there are higher powers at work here. Guiding us on our path." She looked at Kyo. "A mission, a quest, that must be completed." Turning back to Audra, she said, "And your place in all of this will be revealed." She grinned again. "Eventually."

 

Audra was so overwhelmed that she fell into thoughtful silence, trying to wrap her head around the ideas Aya had introduced.

[Jae Onasi]

"There is a place for all of us here," Aya said to her. "Everyone has something special to offer. Carwyn has his bow. Kyo, his sword. Maggie, her staff. Takumi, his...." She eyed the bard over carefully. He was holding a frying pan at the moment and gave her a wobbly sort of grin. "...weapons.

 

"Weapons, indeed. The tongue is mightier than the sword. In certain situations, of course...." Takumi gave the group a sassy smile. "I'm quite terrible at stealth. A bard is supposed to _attract_ attention, after all. Now a little misdirection now and then can be a very good thing.

"I'm not so sure about divine influence, but the 'little voice' that is my intuition tells me something will happen, perhaps soon. So, we now know a powerful assassin guild is involved. Which means there is a very powerful patron paying the guild if it's not the Soke himself funding this. We need to find out who that patron is. That might also give Kyo more information to locate the blade."

[ForceFightWMe12]

The warrior turned his gaze from the group as Aya leaned in close to Carwyn, knowing full well what was about to happen. Though it could easily have been interpreted as a simple movement of politeness - giving the couple a moment of privacy, as it were - but in reality, Kyo couldn't stand to watch the display, as strange as it was to admit. In fact, it took him several moments to become aware of the reason, seeing as he almost flat-out refused to believe that these feelings were taking hold of him again. Aya meant nothing more to him than any of the others in the group, and that was that...right?

 

Even as the group continued to talk amongst themselves, Kyo's gaze didn't return to them. He listened to each word said, recognizing each voice, but he didn't turn to look at the speaker. He himself said absolutely nothing, even in the silence that had followed the last of Takumi's words. Without even looking, the swordsman knew that every eye was on him, waiting for him to speak...and so he quickly banished the dark look in his eyes, blocking it out with a flat, unreadable expression. Standing up without a word, he quickly grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "We should be going." he said simply before turning his back to the camp and taking a few steps to the edge of the hill.

[Quist]

Maggie quickly heeded Kyo's command, gathering up her belongings and making herself ready to leave. Glancing around at the group as they did the same, she was a little shaken up as to how swiftly their party had been altered. Takara, Tellis and Katsuro were gone and it was unknown if they would be rejoining everyone. In their place, the newcomer Audra had been added, but she was still quite the unknown entity. Even now as Maggie observed her, the odd girl fidgeted to herself, looking quite furtive in her borrowed clothes.

 

Maggie's gaze then moved over to the still-unconscious blonde woman bound to the tree off to the side. Chryseis Stormchild...yet another unknown. What would become of her? She glanced over at Carwyn, who still sat on the ground, looking somewhat lost, even in light of Aya's stirring speech.

 

Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. Good going, Mags.

[JasraLantill]

It didn't take Aya long to help Takumi pack up the cookery gear and load it up on Bob. Carwyn's unconscious sister Chryseis was also carefully loaded onto Bob, with Carwyn taking great care in ensuring that if she did wake, she wouldn't be going anywhere without Bob firmly attached.

 

In less than an hour, the group was moving again, heading west to the town of Enkahiru. What they would find there was anyone's guess, but Aya knew of one thing that would be waiting for them.

 

"So, when we come to the pale blue troll," she said, in a quite casual manner, "we'll need to pay in advance. Harry's a cash up front kind of guy. Doesn't trust anyone. Always thinks everyone's out to rob him." She rolled her eyes. "Weird, especially when you see the size of him. He's huge! No one in their right mind would ever consider ta...."

 

She paused, suddenly aware that she was getting some strange looks from some of the others. "What?"

 

Bob snorted.

 

"O-oh...." Aya nodded with understanding. "I wasn't talking about an actual pale blue troll," she explained. "It's the name of the inn in Enkahiru. Harry's the innkeeper." She grimaced slightly. "Not that Harry couldn't possibly be mistaken for a troll. He's ill-tempered and homely enough, but underneath it all he's...." Aya couldn't really call Harry 'nice' or 'pleasant' or even 'good-natured'. In fact, he was pretty much the exact opposite of all of those descriptions. But he was honest, his inn was tidy and warm, and his word was always good. But, always trying to see the best in people, she settled on, "He's fair."

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn looked up from the bowstring he was picking at to focus on Aya walking a few feet in front of him. "I'll take fair," he said. "As long as Enkiharu is more hospitable than Ryuu-Tokai was. I've had my fill of dragons, 'mancery and the like." He turned his head to look at his still-unconscious sister. "I've had my fill of general nastiness, actually..."

[Writer]

Audra walked near Kyo in silence for some time. Then, she spoke in a hushed tone, meant only to be heard by Kyo's ears. "The Bard mentioned 'the blade'... as something you all mean to be finding." She paused thoughtfully. "I have given you no reason to trust me yet and I think your merchant friend Aya is overly naive in doing so... but if you would satisfy my curiosity... what blade?"

[3yks]

Kai had had his own adventure in the few day's he had been apart from the group, for out on the hill as he had slept a creature had attacked him and he had fought it into a ravine, and then when he was cleaning up in a river he'd discovered a hole in the water that dropped him into a cavern, and it had taken him some time to get out of the cavern. When he had finally returned to the Monastery he had discovered that Kyo and the others had already left. So he had moved to follow them as rapidly as he could, and now he could see them ahead on the road.

 

And then he was suddenly walking next to Kyo and some new woman, he peered at her. He seemingly had appeared out of the air beside her, "Obake," he said, in response to the question he had over heard.

 

"Kai is sorry for abandoning Kyo, Kai had some issue with a small rock snake, and a hole in a river, and a cavern full of mazes," He nodded his head to Kyo, "Kai still wishes to help Kyo though, and has found him once again."

[ForceFightWMe12]

The warrior's slight jump was quickly hidden beneath his stoic exterior as the other man appeared on Audra's other side, seeming to pop into existence out of nowhere. He couldn't help but allow himself a small smile, and he nodded a head to the old friend. "It's good to have you back, Kai."

 

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

 

It was just as the sun began to set that the group neared the edge of the small fishing settlement that Kyo had spoken of, Enkahikru. When he said that it was a small settlement, he had meant it - the entire village, if it could be called that, was comprised of a few shabby huts gathered around a dirt square, as well as two rows or so of moss-covered lean-to's that expanded in a radius around the center square. There was only one two-story building on the edge of the dirt square, and the warrior assumed that that would be their best bet for a place to stay, until they could find a fisherman or sea captain willing to ferry them across the straight back to the mainland.

 

It was true that they drew stares from children that were being called back home as the sky turned an inky black, their mothers eying their group suspiciously. The men returning from the docks seemed wary of them as well - but Kyo couldn't blame them. A rag tag band of rather dangerous looking warriors didn't often come through this part of the world, he suspected, and he would have been extremely surprised to have been welcomed with open arms. They followed the steady stream of two's and three's heading into the two-story building, pushing through the door to step into a rather spacious room, dotted with crude wooden tables and chairs and lit by several kerosene lamps, which stretched out from the walls like cheap sconces. He glanced around at the few men that already populated this floor, which was quickly starting to look as if it served as the settlement's only tavern. Bidding the others to find a seat at a corner table, he proceeded to the man behind the bar.

 

The man, gruff and a bit bigger boned than most, wore a beard that looked as if it had seen better days and hair that appeared to be slicked back with hair grease that was a few years too old. His cheeks, fat and rosy, shone in the light - altogether a rather unpleasant person to look at, but...well, beggars can't be choosers.

 

"Na'o na'o - we don't want no trouble in hurr, ya hear?" he said, putting a meaty elbow soundly on the bar top as Kyo approached. The warrior had to fight to keep his face straight - though he was sure that he himself probably didn't look all too 'prim and proper', he was rather...repulsed by this man's apparent lack of personal care.

 

"Neither do we," he answered briskly as he came to stand at the bar. Glancing towards his friends, who were already arranging themselves around two tables that had been put together to accommodate their large number, he spoke again. "We're actually looking for a few rooms - just for the night. We plan to find a captain and a ship by morning."

 

The greasy man looked at him with a wary expression - apparently very uncertain about giving anything to this man and his strange company. "Well, er...we're a real small village hurr..."

 

Kyo arched an eyebrow. "We can pay well."

 

That seemed to spark the barkeep's interest. "Weel, welcome tuh th' Pale Blue Trowll - Ahm Harry." he said, offering a hand filled with sausage-sized fingers towards Kyo. The warrior took the man's hand for a moment, seeming slightly hesitant about it. He might have been strong, but it seemed as if, should he allow his hands to get caught in the small space inside the other man's fist, his fingers might be pulverized to bone meal.

 

A few moments later, the warrior was crossing the bar to the table where the others were sitting. Pulling back a chair, he swung it around and sat down on it backwards, his chest against the back of the chair as he leaned towards the table. "Well, it turns out that there are only two rooms available on the upper level." he said with a light sigh, "From the looks of things, we're going to be a bit...cozy tonight. However," his eyes flashed over to Aya, "He did offer us a stall in this place's only stable, out back. So Bob should be fine for the night."

 

((Sorry to totally ditch out on Kai's introduction...but I needed to kick this thing in the butt ^.^''' Oh - and congrats to whoever gets the 2,100 post XP))

[Rexraptor2000]

((Sorry if the post is a bit long. I got a bit carried away for my re-entry.))

 

Toa smiled and waved appreciatively to the monks back at the monastery, grateful for their service and hospitality, before turning back to the road ahead. He had some ground to cover if he wanted to reach the group by nightfall, if he could reach them at all. Not an expert at the sun, Toa could still tell when the sun was nearing its time.

 

He walked on the road for about an hour or two before he started to get bored, and Toa noticed that the sky was beginning to cloud and darken. To counter this, he used an army of his little fire soldiers to light the road as it began to completely darken. The Pyromacer was completely confidant that he would be able to travel through the night when it began to rain.

 

“Pyrain bat fodder!” Toa hissed as the sudden torrent of merciless rain came down to extinguish his soldiers and strand him in total darkness. He ignited his hands in retaliation, though it was still near pitch black around him, and moved in a direction off of the road where he had seen a suitable tree for hiding. It had grown muddy and slippery in the short torrent that had endured so far, so when Toa took a single step off-road, he slipped and fell right on his back in the mud.

 

Letting out a long line of old Pyromancer swears to show exactly how angry he was, Toa pulled himself out of the mud and let the rain, however much he might hate it, wash it away. After that, he headed straight for the tree. When he reached it the area under the branches was surprisingly dry, allowing him to drag a few branches going and start a self-sufficient fire.

 

He sat back against the tree, letting the fire dry him off and relaxing for a moment, even closing his eyes to enjoy the sound of the crackles of the fire over the rain. That was when he heard it. It was the scratching of claws against bark, faint, but still there. And when he opened his eyes to face the perpetrator, Toa found the snout of the ugliest animal he had ever seen right starting right back. The next few moments after that were up to speculation and, as he would tell it, even more speculation. It’s just safe to say that the immediate area around Toa was virtually almost incinerated after he was finished dealing with the creature (A raccoon), with the exception of the tree, his pack, and the Hydra in it.

 

Toa slumped against the tree, a fire burning in front of him again and the ground scorched beneath him. This felt homier much to his delight, and soon he was blissfully asleep.

 

In the morning when he woke up, things were actually looking good. Well, they were until he had to do the two things he had simply never been trained to do: forge for food, and handle a fever he had somehow developed overnight. They both complicated each other to say none the least.

 

The Pyromancer plucked an apple from a tree nearby, looked it over to the extent his eye, and moved it to his mouth to take a bite. Then, without warning, a sneeze of fire erupted from his nose and turned it into an apple crisp, no pun intended. What Toa held afterward were ashes much to his hunger’s dismay. Five more attempts like this and he decided food could wait.

 

Now Toa was heading down the road again, though at a slower pace due to his sickness which had escalated to being able to cook an egg on his forehead. (No joke: he actually tried an egg he managed to steal from a nest, and it mostly worked. Well, except for the fact that he was attacked by a swarm of birds shortly before it was finished) Still, he moved fast enough that he would be able to overcome his companions by tomorrow morning for sure. Hedri was walking besides him, to lighten the load on his back and give the Hydra a breath of fresh air.

 

They were walking through an open area where there was only a bit of tall grass on either side of him when Hedri suddenly started squeaking and letting out hisses. Before Toa could respond or see what was setting off the little creature, an arrow suddenly soared right by his face from one grass area and planted itself in the other, causing him to plant his feet where they were. He turned his head towards the area where the arrow had come from, attempting to make out anything in the tall grass, and heard a voice somewhere behind him shout “Don’t move!”

 

Toa froze as he heard the sound of footsteps moving through the grass on both sides of the road, and he saw some figures emerge from the area he was looking at. People clad in ragged clothes that shown of worn and abuse, but reliability none the less. Some had bandanas and armbands, while others were full covered. Bandits, he managed to piece together in his clouded mind. His fever was rendering some mental and physical processes difficult.

 

There were seven in all, all lean and looking very unfriendly to the fever-induced Pyromancer. The lead one, a young woman who actually looked very good for a bandit, stepped up to him and stated “I don’t think we’ll have to say what we want.”

 

“Aright,” Toa replied sounding defeated and looked down at Hedri. “Give them the stuff.”

 

The Hedri looked at him like he was insane, as was the lead bandit, and let out an accusing hiss.

 

Toa drew back as if angry and asked “What do you mean ‘what stuff’? The stuff that you were supposed to get for the merchant!”

 

Hedri hissed and let out a few squeaks in response, spurring Toa to appear even angrier and say “Don’t give me the old ‘but no one gives stuff to a pygmy Hydra excuse! What are we going to say to Jim when we reach town?! That you forgot to pick up his items?!”

 

And this proceeded to go on for 10 more minutes of arguing before the bandit, snapping out of her confusion and disbelief, intervened.

 

“What the hell are you talking about and why are you talking to that thing?” she asked moving her face close to Toa’s, real anger apparent in her own voice as she stepped between the Pyromancer and the Hydra. All the other bandits, who were chuckling among themselves as they watched the two argue, snapped to attention as their leader moved forward.

 

“Firstly, I’m talking about the stuff. Secondly, this is not a thing. This is Hedri, my best friend and companion. Lastly, has anyone ever told you that you have beautiful eyes?” Toa asked, complete calm in innocence in his voice despite his apparent fury just a few moments before.

 

“Well, um, ah-,” She replied as she drew back, surprised, and managed to snap out of it. “Complements won’t get you out of this. Don’t move while my men search your pack or you’ll taste my blade.”

 

To emphasize this, she immediately drew her dagger and had it to his throat quicker than he could respond. Not much considering he was sick, but it was still quick. Toa stood still as his pack was taken and rummaged through, much to his personal dismay. Then it happened. He felt a sneeze building up, and looked at the bandit imploringly as it became clear as to what was happening. She glared at him for a moment, but none the less eased his dagger a bit so his throat would be spared.

 

Toa’s throat was spared, but when he sneezed fire at her, her face wasn’t.

 

The bandit let out a cry of surprise as the burst fire scorched her face (Actually her eyebrows as Toa might or might not learn later). Toa drew back in surprise, but none the less used this to his advantage. He spun to face the other bandits and let fire flow from his fingertips, the flames intent on devouring them. They, being bandits, turned tail and ran like hell as they were nearly burnt alive. Toa let the flames follow them for a bit before calling them off, laughing nearly uncontrollably to himself as he did. He turned around to find that the lead bandit too had run away, and Hedri looked up at him with a look of disgust.

 

“What?” Toa asked the Hydra, putting on a face of innocence. “Laughter is the best medicine I’ve heard of.”

 

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

 

Nothing really interesting happened to Toa after that, thank the gods. By the time he reached the town however, his fever had escalated to the point of delirium at times. Nothing to serious, but if he didn’t at least take a moment to sleep and get rested, he was going to lose it.

 

Toa walked through the doors of the tavern, his posture perfect yet his expression reflected exactly how he felt: terribly sick and ready to lose his stomach again. When he saw them he strolled straight up to the group, attempting to replace the look on his face with that of cheer. He stopped next to Kyo and said, an apparent strain on his voice, to everyone “Hey guys, how’re you all doing?”

 

He himself, besides his sick demeanor, was a bit dirty to say none the least due to the mud incident, but was otherwise unscathed.