The afternoon light in Niahi forest helped to illuminate it better than the morning's light had done. Stumbling around in the forest had not been the most enjoyable thing, but at least they weren't lost. Oh no. If anyone was able to ask a question, like 'Are you lost?' the answer would have been no. Well, the short answer would be. The long answer would have been 'Well to be lost one has to not know where they are going, and we clearly know that we are going forward, therefore we are not lost, but our particular location however unable to be discerned.' Luckily for most sane people, they were not around to hear answers.
It was quiet in the forest, as quiet as it could be. There was the odd sound of an animal running around, or birds chirping, the delciate sound of the forest shifting and groaning. There was also the sound of what was very much akin to a travelling pack of metal donkeys stomping through the rough underbrush.
It was not metal donkeys.
Well, it depended on who you asked.
They were humanoid however, and they looked like men which was probably a plus. They wore long strange coats, blackened leather that reached past their shins. They wore very large, thick, durable looking black boots with large buckles on them. These coats had long sleeves as well a belt around the waist to tie them both closed. They even had nice collars, which currently were popped upward for some reason.
Both of the men could have been twins, perhaps not exact, but they were both close in height and look. The taller man however had green eyes, a small nose, and chocolate brown hair. The other however was slightly smaller, his nose was larger, and his hair was a tangled nest of dirty blonde hair. His skin was also darker. Both of them had strange metallic teeth, razor sharp, and grinning at each other.
If they had been in a city, they would have been looked at very strangely. However, they were in the middle of a dense forest.
They still looked like mad men.
"I think I like walking this way. It seems slanted. Walking this way is a fine thing Mal'metheus. We should keep walking." The voice was light and cheerful, however there was a strange almost...metal and hissing tone to it. "Forward? Kinetic Expression of Movement." The taller one, Mal'metheus, or Mal responded. "Accelerated Motion in a predetermined direction that is designated by the way that the user is facing and the way that the legs bend in order to progress." The shorter man spoke in a fashion that sounded like a challenge. Mal stopped and stared at his companion, his face expressionless until it broke into a large grin.
"I like it Hal'enzera. Very well. We shall continue in an accelerated motion in a pre-determined direction that is designated by the way that the user is face and the way that the legs bend in order to progress." Mal reiterated the entire thing perfectly. "Which is that way." Hal'enzera, or just Hal, said as he pointed in the direction they had been heading.
"Yes. In that direction." The two of them smiled before they continued on their trek again. They stomped through the brush as they wandered about in the forest. It wasn't until an hour later did they come across something that finally perked their interest. It was the ruins of an old building, made of stone and wood, burnt out, with the forest reclaiming it quite a bit. "We have a tale." Mal said as he dashed to the ruins, but stopped at the edge of them. "Wooden cellar?" Hal asked as he approached and stood beside his companion. "Not sure. Stone that is scorched. Ashes that are so crisp and thorough...it is...wrong." Mal reached out, and was glad that his hands were covered with a pair of gloves as he wiped at the stone. The ash seemed to be burned directly into the stone, the very heat had scorched the rock completely.
"This is worrying, and yet this interesting." He commented a she inspected closer, going into the premises and looking around for any signs of time. The forest had taken this a long time ago apparently, but...he wondered what could have possibly done this. "Search brother. Start uncovering things, scratch in the dirt." "Ground." "Soil." "Mulch." "Layer of dead and decomposed animals and vegetables." The finality of Mal's voice stopped a retort from Hal who just grinned and began to pull away at weeds, small shrubs and clearing away logs that a normal man would have trouble with.
They were not normal people.
Still, what could they find in a ruined and burnt out house in the middle of a forest?
Their busy hands searched and felt around under rocks and logs, until finally behind a log against a few rocks there was something unusual. Very unusual. "Look Mal." Hal pulled the log further away and picked up two strange shiny objects from the dirt. They were golden studded earrings with a ruby in each of them. "Such heat, such destruction, and such power yet...why do these exist?" Hal stood up and showed them to his brother, who stared at the strange pair of jewellery. "This one has a greater sheen." Mal said as he looked to Hal who smiled. "Shine." "Glamour." "Sparkle." "Ocularly pleasant light effect." "You win. You get the dull one though for using Ocularly." Mal glowered as he took the duller of the two earrings and looked at it.
"Is it wise to put it in?" Mal wondered aloud as he looked down at the small earring in his hand. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." Mal looked up and saw that his brother had already attached the earring in his left ear. Mal shook his head as he undid the back and put the earring into his right ear. Both of the men didn't bleed, nor did they even flinch or show pain on their faces.
They were very odd people.
"So do we continue our search now?"
