"Shelter?" she said. "Shelter!" she repeated the word, because it was an interesting word, with the funny 'shh' at the beginning, then that 't' sound. . .  Then she remembered his question.

"Oh, no, I'm not," she said, grinning at him through the strands of dripping-wet hair that hung in her face. "I'm just taking a walk.  Are you looking for shelter?  You're not doing a very good job at it.  There are so many buildings around, if you wanted shelter, wouldn't you just walk inside?  or are you lust taking a walk, like me?"  She spun in a circle, turning her face up to the rain and holding out her arms. "It is such a wonderful day for a walk, isn't it?"

Rain.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain!

It was a wonderful thing.  The sound of it was akin to thousands if tiny footsteps pattering across the ground, through the trees, over the rooftops.

It was dark, raining, cold, and windy.  It was indeed a beautiful day.

Of course, most people wouldn't think of it that way, but if Meerior was one thing, it was not
'most people'.

The young woman walked through the streets, a bounce in her step.  Though she moved quickly, there was no urgency in her steps, no purpose.  She was just walking.  She arrived here in Zantaric just hours ago, and her clothes and hair were soaked.  She carried nothing with her but the pouches on her belt.  No cloak to shield her from the elements, no pack to carry supplies.  Her clothes weren't even appropriate for traveling, though she seemed completely comfortable in her soaked garments.

She grinned and gave a cheery hello to a goblin she passed on the street, waving to him.  He scowled at her and drew a knife, but she waved him away.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you, friend!" she said, her voice far to loud for the dark streets, echoing over the cobblestones and peircing through the heavy blanket of rain. "I'm just taking a little walk, no need to get all frazzled over me!"

The goblin had started away by now, and was very clearly ignoring her as he walked away.

"Ooh, some people just don't understand a friendly 'hello'," the young woman said to herself, her voice still quite loud. "I mean, there really isn't a time where a good 'hello' isn't in order, now is there?" she paused for a second. "No, you're quite right, a 'hello' wouldn't really be in order if you'd already been with someone for a while.  But why not say hello again?  It really wouldn't do any harm, would it?  And what if you forgot to say hello earlier?  Or just wanted to say it again?"

She continued to talk as she walked down the street, her buckled shoes clicking against the cobblestones.  She was still talking and had wandered down an alleyway when she saw someone ahead of her.

"Hello!" she said, and continued in a voice of the same volume. "Oh, that was the perfect time to say hello, wasn't it?  Just perfect!  I think I'll say it again.  Hello!"

Hello!

Welcome to the site, and I hope you have fun here!

Whim pretty much covered the basics, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!  Everyone here is really nice and helpful (I needed a LOT of help when I first arrived, ;))

(OOC:  If you would like to continue, I'm for it, if not, that's fine with me, too.)


IC:

"Now what?" Ariznim whispered as they were yanked along. "We have to get out of here!"

"Shut up!" the man snapped, and Ariznim lowered her voice as she continued.

"I can't transform into my other form, it'll take to long!  Do you have any powers that could help us?"

Faelis did not want to leave her side, but he was exhausted, and he knew he needed rest.

"Thank you," he said at the offer.  "I'll be in the room right next to this one."

He may need rest, but he knew he couldn't go very far from Leyla's side.  In the state she was in, he knew he needed to be near her.

Even though he knew she was in good hands, and just one door down, it took a lot for him to leave the room and enter the one he would be saying in.  He sat down onto the bed with a sigh, putting his face in his hands.  He was wholly unfamiliar with the emotions he was feeling now, and he didn't know how to deal with them.  He laid back on the bed, wondering how he'd ever be able to fall asleep.

But the room was dark, his exhaustion couldn't be held at bay, and minutes later, he slipped into a deep sleep. 

She'd escaped death so many times in the last few minutes, but she couldn't think of anything else to stall the assassin, to stop him from achieving his goal.

Then Leon started to shift.  Flordia saw him out of the corner of her eye, and it took everything not to look over at him.  Doing so would alert her would-be killer that something was happening.

Then Leon attacked.

Flordia thought that for sure the assassin would be killed instantly, but he was back on his feet as soon as the werewolf let him go.

Flordia glanced around the room, looking for anything that may be able to help them.  Then her eyes fell upon the two guns the assassin had held before Leon had attacked him.  She had no clue how to use a gun, but had seen them be used a few times before.  It hadn't looked that complicated, and she didn't have much of a choice now.  The assassin was advancing on Leon, and Flordia knew that she had to act quickly.  She reached out, grabbing the nearest gun and lifting it.

It appeared to be loaded to her untrained eye, and she pulled back the hammer, clicking it into place as she aimed for the assassin.  His back was to her, and Leon was just past him.  If she missed, she might very well hit the werewolf.  But she had good aim with a dagger, maybe this would be similar?

She corrected her aim a half a centimeter. . .  And fired.

The bullet shot through the air, and the split second felt like minutes as Flordia watched the bullet.  Then it hit.

Lodging itself into the assassin's shoulder.

(OOC:  I know it's been a loooooong time, but I thought I may as well post.  If you want to continue, I will as well!  if you don't, then that's fine too!)

IC:  "I have no idea," Kinn said, keeping his voice hushed, as if that would keep any monsters away or traps from springing.  "Probably thousands of years old. . ."

He glanced around once more.  The ruins seemed untouched by magic, but one could never be sure about these things.  Powerful magic could be detected often, but once a mage or other magic-user got powerful enough, they could make even the most powerful spells undetectable.  It was especially hard to sense old magic with which Kinn was unfamiliar with.

"We should probably go," he said slowly. "Who knows what might be in here. . ."

Welcome to the site!

I hope you have a fun time here, and if you have any questions about the site or lore or anything, feel free to ask.

Have fun!

Faelis felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of what Nier was saying happen to Leyla, but he knew that what the woman was saying was true, Leyla was by no means weak.

At the question, however, the elf was surprised. He thought for a moment.

"I care for her. . .  I also feel a great amount of responsibility for her. . . and. . ." he paused before continuing. "I suppose. . .  I suppose I have. . . feelings for her."

It was obviously hard for the elf to admit this, and even though he knew it was not a weakness, many would take as such, and emotional revelations were not something he was used to.

The jolt of takeoff caused Anton to almost slip from the dragons back, but he held onto one of the spines in front of his and managed to stay on.  Once they were in the air things were much smoother, and Anton heard what Celegwen said.

Her words were not surprising.  He had known she was honourable, from what she had said before and by the way she acted.

"So, do you give your services to anyone you come across who happens to need help?" Anton asked.  His tone was mostly sincere, but there was a slight hint of sarcasm there as well.

OOC:  So sorry it took so long for me to respond guys, :P
___________________________________________________________

Faelis wasn't surprised at Julianna's remark, something hadn't felt right about the story to him either.  However, he kept it to himself, but didn't ignore it, simply stored away the information for a later time. 

Excanos's explanation for Julianna's question seemed legitimate, but still. . .

"So, if you have seen this woman before," Faelis started, "and seem to have a more vivid memory of her that Julianna does, do you think you'd be able to recognize her if we did end up finding her?"

'As ready as I can be.'  Anton thought, but instead of speaking he nodded and took her outstretched hand and climbed onto the dragon's back with a little difficulty.  He did his best to get a secure seat and a firm handhold onto the dragon's spines, though he had no idea how well he would be able to hang on once the dragon took off.

"Are you a bounty hunter or simply a do-gooder out to help?" Anton asked.  He didn't particularly care, but it was something to say, and the man found some comfort in words.  Those were something he usually knew how to use.

Oh, this was turning out to be a fine day.  First he's stranded in the forest, and now the only person who can possibly help him requires him to climb onto the back of a dragon.  no, he was not afraid of heights, but that did not mean he relished the thought of doing something like dragon riding.

"If I knew where my carriage had been attacked from here, I would not be lost," he said. "But I may be able to recognize the place on the road where we were attacked.  And as for heights, even if had any qualms about being in the air, they would not stop me from getting out of this place."

Of course, the was the fact that perhaps this woman and her dragon were just as deceitful as the bandits that attacked his carriage, and were planning on killing him or ransoming him anytime they liked, but he favored the odds of him staying alive in the company of these two than his odds of surviving alone in the woods.


(OOC:  Sorry again about the long wait. :P) 

"The Raven," Faelis pondered. "I've definitely heard of her, but not much."

He glanced over at the other young man before turning his gaze back to Julianna. "Do you have any idea why she would want the stone?  You know it's magic and it's abilities.  You know it best, so, between the tree of us, you probably have the best idea of why 'The Raven' would want it.  Was it just for it's power?  Or do you have enemies."


(OOC:  Sorry for the super late reply, :P)

Anton did not respond to her comment, but nearly rolled his eyes at her request for his help in avenging some girl's murder.

He was not going to take down any bandits or murderers, and if he was to, it would be from the confines of his estate, coming up with a plan instead of actually out here in the woods gallivanting after the criminals themselves.

But he knew that the only way he was going to live out here was if this young woman helped him, and the only way she was going to help him was if he helped her first.

He looked at her outstretched hand for a moment with disdain before taking it. "We do." He responded, then he dropped her hand and stepped back.  He hadn't seen the bandits very well, he had been in quite a hurry to get away, but if he told that to the woman she could very well dump him right here and leave him to fend for himself.  He would tell her teh truth about what he knew with confidence.

"I had fifteen of my guards with me," he began. "And they were quickly overwhelmed by the bandits, which there were about twenty of.  They were skilled fighters, but wore a variety of worn clothing, nothing to suggest they were part of a very organized operation.  Unless, however, that was how they were intended to come across.  They did not seem interested in anything other than the belongings that were being carried by the wagon.  By all appearances they were simply a bunch of thieves."

Anton, despite his situation, was filled with indignation at her words, didn't she know who he was?

Obviously not, but Anton wasn't going to try and convince her and her dragon of anything.  It was an extremely hard thing for the man to do, but he swallowed his pride, well, most of it, as he replied.

"I am not heading anywhere other than civilization," he said, his tone clipped.  "I was apprehended by a band of criminals while I was traveling and had no choice but to flee.  In my haste I was unaware of my surroundings and became lost."  It was nearly impossible for him to admit weakness like this, but no lie could pretend that he was in control of the situation, no matter how much the thought pained him.  "As for why I'm dressed like a nobleman, it is because I am one, and this dirt and state of unkempt is the result of traveling through the forest for the past two days."

How could this happen?  How could this be happening?  How?

It couldn't be, that was the only answer.  It couldn't be.  This was all a dream, some crazy fantasy dreamed up after that glass of wine.  There was no other explanation for this.  He was walking through the woods for the Gods' sakes!  Walking through the woods, alone.  No guards, to carriage, nothing.

But Anton was no fool, and despite wanting to believe it with all his heart, this was not a dream.  He replayed the past two days in his mind, trying to convince himself that this wasn't happening.

It had been a nice evening, and he had drank a glass of wine as he prepared for tomorrows trip.  He was going to be meeting with a merchant, but the situation had been quite unsatisfactory, he wouldn't be able to have the meeting at his estate and would have to meet with the merchant at the other man's estate, due to complications with the merchant's health.  So the next morning he set out in a heavily guarded carriage for the merchant's house.  They had arrived in good time and the meeting had gone smoothly, for Anton at least, and he got what he had wanted from the merchant.  It had gone so well, in fact, that their supposedly week-long stay was cut down to only a day.   They had left the man's estate, and that's when the trouble started.

Bandits.  Lots of them.

Anton's guards were overwhelmed, and Anton knew he had no choice but to make a run for it or suffer whatever fate the bandits wanted for him.  The problem was, he was not very good at running.  He was nearly killed as he fled, but somehow, in the confusion of the battle, had been able to escape, and he was now roaming an unfamiliar forest, alone.

And no one at his estate would expect a thing.  Since he didn't stay at the merchant's estate for as long as he thought he would, and the trip took over a week by carriage, his estate wouldn't be expecting him for over two weeks, and by that time anything could have happened to him.

He had been walking for hours, but to the noble it felt like days, weeks.  He wasn't he din't want to go back the way he came, who knows where the bandits were?  But he knew Draconi Forest was huge, and he had no idea how to survive anywhere other than a house.  Perhaps he should take his chances with the bandits?  They probably had raided the carriage and taken off by now, for fear of being caught on the main road.

Yes, he woudl turn around, go back the way he had come, find the main road again and get a ride back to his estate, or at least to a nearby town.  Anton turned around, and then he realized he had no idea which way he had come.  His head nearly exploded from the frustration and shock right there, but he tried to take a deep breath, though his lungs didn't seem to be working correctly.

It took a full five minutes for him to get back into control and start walking again, in the direction he thought he had come from.  Several hours later he knew he had chosen the wrong direction, and by the time night fell, he was exhausted.  His once-fine clothes were torn and dirty, and his feet felt as though they were about to fall off, not to mention the strange feeling in his stomach.  It took him a few hours to realize what it was.  Hunger.  Something he couldn't ever recall feeling before now.  He walked until he couldn't anymore, and he fell asleep at the base of the tree.  By some miraculous luck, he made it through the night without some creature coming upon him, and he started walking again the next day.  Then he found a trail.

Thank the Gods.

He traveled along it all day, exhaustion dragging him down with every step.  Then a shadow passed over him.  He looked up to see a dragon flying above him.  He started to run.

But he knew he couldn't outrun a dragon.  Then it landed in front of him, and he saw the young woman sitting on the dragon's back.  She drew her sword and Anton drew himself up, mustering every last bit of composure he had left.  When she asked for his name he narrowed his eyes.

"Anton Delaware III," he said, managing to keep his composure from slipping. "What is your purpose here?"

Welcome to the site!

When i joined, I had a similar problem as you as in I found lots of sites but none of them were what I was looking for, and I didn't even bother to join!

Anyway, I hope this is the place for you and you have lots of fun here!  if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Well, she was a seer.

Faelis laughed as he made his way towards the two. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Then, before he could say much else, there was a portal opened in front of them.  The elf sighed.  "Ah, Hell.  Again."  But then the portal was closed, not a trace of it remaining.

He turned to Excanos, only to be engulfed in a hug.  The elf slipped out of the other man's grasp, his reflexes working before his brain.  When he realized it was not an attack, he relaxed and smiled at the young man.  "Not nearly as long as it seems," he said.  "We were in Essyrn, right?  I started that barfight, you unwillingly got involved. . ?"

Florida gasped as the form of Komiddy splashed to the floor.  Only an illusion, like Leon had said. . .

She grabbed the dagger that skidded across the floor to her, clutching it tightly in her hand.  She saw the bomb, and ducked as Leon threw it away from them, and as it exploded Flordia was thrown backwards.  She hit the floor hard, and she struggled to get up as she saw Komiddy coming towards them.

"Please don't do this!" she said to the man approaching, her voice shaking as violently as her body. "I'll do my best to lead my people, I'll have help!  You don't have to do this!"

He seemed unbeatable, how were they supposed to fight something like this?  how could they possibly win against something so powerful and so unwilling to back down from his goal?