Spirits of the Earth

Midnight. Midnight was always a strange thing for Leon. The moon so high in the sky, illuminating the forest with its dim light... It caused a certain hunger within the man. A hunger that could only be satisfied by giving in. Turning into the thing that haunted his soul more than anything. At this point in his life, he could control his abilities without struggle. But the cravings... They didn't stop. The want to embrace his wolf side and take out the pent-up rage on somebody never ceased. At least, not at midnight. Not when the moon rested so high in the sky.

Leon laid on his bedroll, looking up at the moon, gritting his teeth and squirming around as he fought off his animalistic urges, trying to force himself to sleep to no avail. He couldn't rest. Not like... This. Although, maybe staying awake was for the best. After all, dangerous creatures resided in the Draconi Forest. Sleep could mean death, if a hungry bear were to stumble upon his camp. Giving up, he sighed, propping himself up on his elbows and staring at his fire. Of course, only embers and charcoal remained now, after burning for such a long time.

He stood slowly, stretching out his arms and legs as he got ready to look for some more firewood. He walked out of the small clearing and into a thicker part of the woods, using his sword to cut off low branches and picking small twigs off the ground. He had no intention of staying in camp when he couldn't sleep. That would just drive him even more mad... The fire was simply to mark where his camp was, so he could explore the woods around him and come back later. Who knew? Maybe it would help him rest so he could travel farther in the morning.

He brought back the collected wood, throwing it on the embers. In no time, a small flame started, then built up into a bright fire. He gave a nod at his work before looking towards the deep, dark woods, grabbing his sword and shield. He slipped the blade into its sheathe on his side, the shield held tightly in his left hand by the leather handle as he began to walk, hoping to see something that would interest him along the way.

The figure passed through the trees like a shadow, dressed in gray and silent as a ghost.  They simply looked like a cloaked traveler passing through the forest, but if one were to look in the travelers stormy gray eyes, they would see much more than a simple traveler.

Healin sensed the flame before they saw its light, and they headed towards it.  Moments later they saw the figure in the shadows.  They didn't stop, but continued towards the flame.  They assumed the figure was the one who had started the fire, but they didn't go towards them.

When Healin got to the fire, they stood next to it, looking in the direction of the figure, they would wait until they returned.

Leon had walked for a long time without stopping, watching the black silhouettes of the treetops sway as the wind hit them. Other than the occasional owl that flew from one branch to another and the distant shreaking of bats, there was nothing truly interesting to see this late at night. And thus, he started back to his camp.

Leon's yellow eyes were clearly visible as he approached his camp, his slit pupils growing smaller as the light of the fire hit them. He growled slightly, seeing the cloaked figure standing there. Even though he couldn't make out their face, or even their gender, he still drew his blade, stepping into the small clearing and pointing the tip of the weapon at them. "Mind telling me what you're doing, snooping around my camp?" He asked, loud enough for them to hear, his voice gravely and rough.

Healin held their gloved hands out to their sides. "Snooping?" they said, their voice giving away no clue to their gender. "I am hardly snooping."

They folded their hands behind their back and looked into Leon's bright eyes. "I was traveling and saw your fire, I wondered what you were doing so deep in the forest, though I now see clearly."

The last line made little sense, but Healin did not elaborate, they simply waited for an answer from the heavily armored man before them.

Leon's face reflected nothing but confusion. This encounter was just... Bizarre. Not only did he have no idea who this was, but he also had no idea what sex they were, what they looked like, their ethnicity, their species... Hell, he could be talking to a ghost, for all he knew!

"Is that so? Well, go ahead then. Why am I out here, all-knowing one?" He spat questioningly, his grip tightening on his sword. For this person to act like they knew what he was doing out here, act like they knew anything about him whatsoever... It angered and frightened him all at the same time.

Perhaps he was speaking with some ancient ghost... That would explain how much of an enigma their appearence was.

"All knowing?" Healin said, almost scoffing. "Hardly."

They cocked their head to the side, assessing the man before them.

"You are out here because you are afraid, not just of me, but of something else," Healin assessed. "You are clearly some kind of lycanthropic being, and perhaps your fear is of that.  You also seem to be hiding, from what, I have yet to determine."

Then Healin looked back into the other's eyes, stormy gray meeting bright yellow. "I could deduce more, but I assume you would rather have me not."

Leon bared his teeth at Healin, growing more and more angry at their words. "Who are you?!" He shouted, shaking with rage. They nailed it all right on the head. He was scared of this person, but also of much more...

He was frightened that he would be found out by more people. He was frightened that he wouldn't be able to control himself, and would kill again. He was out here for both his and others' protection. He was out here in hopes that he would never have to relive those painful years of his adolescence ever again. He held many fears deep within himself, but one fear stood out among the rest.

... He was afraid of himself.

Leon looked up at the moon once again, his heart pounding in his chest and his muscles beginning to bulge as the anger only fueled his transformation, which he tried to hold off. He took deep breaths, now kneeling as he continued to hold onto his sword, stabbing the blade into the soil. "Tell me who you are... How you know all these things." He demanded, still glaring up at Healin.

Healin held out their hands in a placating gesture.

"I do not mean to offend you," they said in a calm voice.  "And who am I and how I know these things about you?  I am a traveler, and I can read people, as well as sense things."

"I am called Healin." The traveler did not give any more information, but simply sat down across the fire from the other man, crossing their legs and looking through the flame at the lycanthropic man on the other side.

Well lookie here. Ain't this interesting. These were the kind of thoughts that went through Kavens mind when he went campfire hunting.
Campfire hunting was a fancy way to say 'looking for an ale and maybe a place to sleep if you're lucky whenever you get lost in the woods'.
Fancy words or no Kaven was lost. After stumbling off the main road to throw up an entire bottle of dreg he was disoriented and in a bad mood. He wandered for hours campfire hunting until he stumbled on a merry little gathering of a soldier, judging by the armor and a...a... He wasn't quite sure what the other thing was. After a magnificent entrance consisting of tripping on nothing and almost face planting into the fire he managed to stand up straight. Surprising considering he was very drunk.
He looked around and decided that this was as good a place as any.
"Does either of you object if I sit here for a moment?" He sat down on a nearby stump without waiting for an answer. These young people don't show any respect to him, so why should he give them anything else? "Much obliged" he said before taking a swig from his travel canteen. Full of brandy as per the usual.

Leon finally calmed himself, moving to a sitting position after sheathing his sword. "Well, Healin... You're quite the talented one, indeed. Seem to have an eye for people, too." He said quietly, deciding not to strain himself too much, now that he had come so close to giving in. "Help yourself to some water?" He held up his flask, full of purified water that he had boiled himself.

His question was interrupted by an audible thud, Leon slowly looking over to see an older man, tripping all over the place before sitting on a stump. Some random drunk, too? What were the odds? "Excuse me? This is my camp buddy, pick yourself up and get the fu-" He started, pointing towards the direction he came from before pausing mid-sentence.

He thought for a moment, his agitated attitude fading as he realized that the drunk probably wouldn't leave without brute force. That was something he couldn't risk... Not with the moon still pestering him tonight. "Just... Forget it. Help yourself, buddy. Don't let me stop you."

Kaven found it amusing how annoyed young people get when you barge in and proceed to mind your own buisness. Young people think they are better than everyone else. Like they are a new species entirely. But when this one just...deflated Kaven was relieved. This one was a fighter, and while Kaven probably couldve won, he would not have come out unscathed. But this one was smart, and Kaven was  relived. He hoisted his canteen in the mans general direction and discreetly kicked his ax behind the stump he was sitting on while taking a long pull of brandy.

Don't be stupid kid. I just want a bed for the night. Thought Kaven. It never hurt to come prepared though.

Healin sighed audibly as the drunk stumbled into view and thudded down on the stump.  They held up a hand when the other man asked if they wanted water.

"No thank you," they said, and then looked over at the interruption that was the drunk.  "and who might you be?" they asked in a voice that clearly stated they hardly wanted to bother right now, and they continued in a tone close to boredom.  "A drunk, I can see, but perhaps a mercenary as well?  Formerly a soldier?  Of high standing, I might add."

What the?

Kaven looked at the figure in the robe. It must be very observant. Maybe a constable? But Kaven had never seen a constable quite like this one.
"Well aren't you just the smartest little thing here? If you weren't so damn creepy I would find that funny. But as it is now," Kaven stood up. "Back off." He tried to look through the things hood to get some sort of idea as to what it was, but he found nothing. He looked at the young man to see of he would try anything. He hoped he wouldn't, but the boy had objected to him staying at first, so anything could happen. Kaven took a swig of brandy but didn't swallow. He also slowly took a match out from inside his pocket. If things got rough he could spit some fire and hopefully escape in a timely fashion.

"I allowed Healin to sit with me. You however, are uninvited." Leon said with a growl, standing and drawing his sword. "Sit and drink your alcohol, before somebody gets hurt." He warned. This man not only had sat down without permission, but his attitude was becoming irritating.

Sure, he liked mead, ale, and whiskey just as much as the next guy, but whoever this guy was had a huge problem. One that frankly pissed Leon off. He walked towards Kaven, a scowl on his face. "Or, you could turn and leave. I don't need trouble from you. Especially considering I get so dangerous at night."

Healin laughed very quietly under their breath, as if to purposely ire someone.  They were having a unusually bad day, usually the traveler showed little to no emotion, and definitely would have acted differently in this situation.

"Why don't you both sit down?" Healin said, their voice the smallest bit condescending. "And then we can communicate in a civilized manner."

Well. That wasn't entirely unexpected. Little brats always trying to push him around. He'd seen the worst this world could offer and came back. Not unscathed, but alive. He wouldn't let a little nobleman's son push him around. And even the creepy thing who might not even be human was annoying him. What are you the next prophet? A messiah of peace? Kaven would have said all this out loud, but he had a mouth full of soon to be flame. He turned to the figure in the cloak, spat out the brandy and struck the match.
"I would have your name before you burn. You little waste of life." Kaven, holding the match the whole time, reached down and picked up his ax. It was two feet long, with an ugly pig iron blade. But hey, it split skulls good enough.

"Calm yourself," Healin said, and their before-bored tone now had a razor sharp edge.  "This should not be a violent match, but a talk." The traveler looked back and forth between the two, and their voice grew eerily calm. "There is little to no reason that the two of you should quarrel, sit, and rest, both of you."

"Strong words, coming from such a brittle, old fool." Leon hissed, shoving the drunk slightly, his sword still unsheathed. Kaven's lousy attitude continued to anger him, slowly pushing him to violence against the drunk. His yellow eyes were narrowed, reflecting zero fear in spite of Kaven's little fire trick.

He stopped, turning to Healin and giving a soft huff. Even though he wanted to break this idiot's face, there was nothing to gain from it. Sure, it would probably shut him up, but then he'd have to deal with whatever army the guy belonged to. If he even belonged to an army at all. He simply stepped back, sheathing his sword and sitting back down near the fire.

Leon crossed his arms, staring into the flames. "You're lucky I decided to listen to the hooded weirdo. You put on a tough persona, but all you tough guys are the same. All talk, no bite." He spat in annoyance.

Ha! These little buggers think they can beat me? Kaven thought. He  always hoped that the world would be better than the scummy underside he had seen. But no, every day people refuse to give an old failure rest for a night, and little men get a cloak and act all mysterious and expect to be taken seriously. Well, I've seen you're kind before. Kaven thought. I've killed your kind before.
"Were all the same? Don't throw me in with those thick-necked thugs. They would kick your teeth in for a copper. Me, I'm a old soldier just looking for a good way die." he dropped the match on the dry grass by the cloaked figures feet. " And you ain't anywhere near good enough for that, boy." He practically spat out the last word.

Healin was on their feet in an instant, their boot smothering the flame, and a second later the hooded figure was standing in front of the older man, their shrouded face inches from the other man's.

"I have offered you my hospitality," they nearly hissed. "And while this other man has not been welcoming, he had decided to let you stay, yet you drop a match on the dry brush, intent on consuming us in flames.  I am having a very terrible day, and If you were any sort of smart, you would heed my words and either sit your overly confidant self down or get the hell out of here.  I am controlling myself as much as I can, don't push me any further."

When will they learn? Kaven thought. Probably never, these little losers think they are so scary. Men like these are the reason Kaven is so cynical. But as his anger dimmed suddenly, he realized that he had been like the man in the armor, long ago. In a time almost forgotten, when his beard hadn't been mostly grey, and when he was a proud leader of men. Maybe this arrogant sod could turn out better than he did. He turned and stomped on the rapidly growing fire for a few seconds, reducing it to naught more than embers. He then sat down on his log.
"You know, you are both arrogant sods. You are both young, and hotheaded. But if I could end up somewhat okay in the end, maybe you could too." He looked at the clearly angry figure in the cloak. "You're almost there. You are just missing something." He looked closer into the depths inside its hood.  When he looked back at the other man his mood soured a bit. "You however, you will take some work. Too much anger, your closer to a beast than a man." It was easy to see, in the way he was territorial about his camp, and how he got very angry very fast. "Go find a nice girl, settle down. Hang up your sword." Kaven looked at his ax. "They do things to you."
He stood up. "But my most important piece of advice is don't piss off old army men. They might be your grandpa." Then he turned and left.

Haelin stepped back when the older man seemed to calm down.

"You have no idea how old I am," Healin said, going back to where they were previously sitting and sitting down again. "I could be a thousand or ten thousand, twenty or ageless."

They narrowed their eyes. "I am sorry for my outburst, I am, as I said, having a very trying day, I am not usually so exuberant."

Kaven stopped. He turned around and looked at the figure.
"Would an ageless creature lose suck control over its emotions?" He smiled. "No, but I accept your apology. But I realize now that I never got either of your names?"

"Perhaps even a very wise ageless creature would lose control if they'd had a day such as mine," Healin said calmly.  "And I have met many an ancient elf that would lose control over smaller things.  Ageless does not always mean wise.

"I am called Healin," they said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kaven. You keep talking about your day. What happened that would make an ageless creature so agitated?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Leon said nothing, just stared at the fire. He stood after a while. "End up like you?" He snarled, taking a few steps forward. "End up like you? A drunk who barges into strangers' camps uninvitedly, just to start trouble?" He asked, obviously pissed off. He stomped on the fire, the entire camp darkening. He shoved past them, hands balled up into fists.

He couldn't believe it. This man, the guy who jumped into his camp uninvitedly and had gone out of his way to make himself an enemy to everyone there, was trying to tell him what to do with his life. "I'm no idiot. I take advice from men who aren't complete wastes of oxygen." He hissed, turning back to Kaven.

"I've killed many thugs. I've butchered soldiers, knights, bandits... Men of all types. Elves, dwarves, goblins, draconians. I've seen the worst this life has to offer. I've been cursed since birth and can only get by through killing for profit. You... You took whatever honor you had and washed it all away with whisky and ale. I, however. I'm still alive. I'm still fighting. I still have something to offer. Men like you deserve no respect. Not from me, not from anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a walk. Hopefully you'll be gone by the time I return." And with this, he began to walk off.

He paused. "... And my name is Leon Woods." He murmured, before starting off again.

As Leon walked off, Healin looked back to the older man.

"My day?"  Healin said, shaking their head.  "I can tell you some, but not all.  To start, this morning I entered and escaped from a demonplane.  Inside, time passes much slower, and I did not age, so what was a year there was only a minute here.  I was in the demonplane for twenty years, but when I finally escaped, only twenty minutes had passed."  Healin's voice grew flat. "I had gone to the demonplane to destroy a demon there, but they captured me, and for twenty years I was their prisoner, tortured on and off before I killed them and escaped. 

"That was the beginning of my day." Healin sat back. "And I do not wish to disclose the rest at this time."

Holy gods. Kavens eyes widened. He stuttered, trying to find something to say. But what would you say to someone who just got tortured for twenty years?
"Well then. I'm sorry I was such an ass,if it means anything. The other man was just supremely annoying." Kavens face split into a smile "And I thought I've been to hell and back."

Leon said nothing as he heard Kaven talk his same garbage... Nobody would ever understand him unless they were in his shoes. All they knew to do was judge and act as if they had any grasp on what it was like to be him. Annoying? Funny, coming from the man who had interrupted his peaceful night. Though the same could be said about Healin...

He had stepped over roots and around bushes, wadding through tall grass and heavy sheets of hanging moss, hoping that their stench would leave his nostrils at some point. He had barely overheard Healin's little story, though he couldn't say he felt anything other than slight sympathy for them. After all, there were many who could say that they suffered. Leon was one of these people.

However... He stopped, looking back at his camp. There could be use for people such as these in his ranks. An aging soldier with at least some combat experience, and a possibly ageless creature with what seemed to be endless amounts of knowledge. He walked back to the camp, looking between the both of them. "Any particular place you two were headed?" He asked, wondering if their paths intertwined.

Healin smiled tightly, though Kavin couldn't see their mouth, covered as it was in their head scarf.  "It's no a problem," Healin said. "And I'm sure Leon has a reason for acting the way he was." They fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "And hell is just a perspective, though a strong one."

When Leon returned and asked where they were going, Healin took a moment to answer.  "Physically, I am currently going nowhere, wandering."

What? Kaven was confused by Healins words. Hell is a perspective? His brow knotted in confusion, and he was about to respond but the angry young man came back.
"Anywhere with good ale and good women." He smiled, loving the lie. He had lost his taste for women years ago, but he said it still only because it rolled easily off the tongue.

"Men fight better in packs. Or... Groups, if you will. Perhaps it would be best if we stuck together." Leon suggested, crossing his arms. His face didn't show any emotion, as he didn't want to admit weakness to these strangers. "Sure, we have our differences. Especially you and I," he cast a glance at Kaven, "but it'd be quite unfortunate if one of you got snatched up by a basilisk." He remarked.

He held out his hand to Kaven, hoping for at least a temporary truce. The one thing Leon noticed is that he and the drunk possessed a mutual hatred for most people and things. Who knew? Maybe he'd find more in common with the man. Or, he'd just end up slitting his throat out of pure irritation. Either way, he wasn't looking for friendship. Rather, a companion on his journeys. The same went for Healin.

"I would travel with both of you," Healin said. "I am on no mission specific to one place."

The traveler was happy to see that Leon was willing to work, or rather, travel with them, and make a truce with Kaven.

"Where are you headed, Leon?" they asked.

Good. The kid was asking for help. Strangely it warmed Kavens heart to see him overcome his hatred. He really was a Kaven from fourty years ago. Kaven smiled and shook the outstretched hand.
"Aye, Ill join you. So where is our mighty pack going?" Kaven asked jokingly, hoping to get on Leons good side. Its always a good idea to be reasonably sure your companions aren't gonna kill you in your sleep.

Leon looked out towards the deep woods, still shrouded in darkness. "Ketra. I'm on my way to Ketra, to look for work. I'm a merc. Small little towns like that are usually full of contracts." He explained, leaning against a tree.

He thought for a moment. Not only did Ketra have contracts, Ketra probably had real beds, too. Fresh ale... A roof to stay under... He quickly pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. He wasn't the type of creature who needed to be surrounded by other people. He'd get a contract or two in Ketra, then leave. Simple as that. "We're a day's journey away. If we're gonna get anywhere come morning, we'll need to sleep. Understood?"

Healin nodded when Leon suggested sleep.

"I will take first watch," the traveler said.  Despite not having slept for a while, they were not tired, and they thought it prudent to keep an eye on Leon and Kaven, not for the traveler's safety, but for the two men, though it seemed they would not try to harm each other now.

Leon nodded in agreement, walking to his bedroll and laying down on his back. He closed his eyes for a little bit, relishing the relief that the complete darkness brought him. He paused, realizing that someone else would eventually need to take over. "... Hey. Wake me up in a couple hours. I'll take over." He told Healin.

Clever. She's trying to keep an eye on me and Leon. If He was as he had been all those years ago it would have been prudent. But as he is now, Leon has nothing to fear.
"Well then I guess I get the dawn watch, wake me up so that you can get a few more hours of sleep hid. You young ones need all the shut-eye you can get." And with that, Kaven rolled up in his cloak and fell asleep.

Leon narrowed his eyes at Kaven, still not fully trusting him. He laid back down on his back slowly, closing his eyes and beginning to drift off. In no time, he was asleep, silence filling the whole camp. The crickets and frogs were silent, not even the wind howling anymore. It was peaceful... Soothing.

As soon as he was awoken for his shift, he stood, walking to the edge of the camp and leaning against a tree. He kept his ears, eyes, and nose alert for anything, or anyone, that could pose a threat to them. His senses were much stronger than that of Healin and Kaven, so the chances of them being surprised were slim. But before he knew it, the sky had turned almost pinkish-blue in color, the sun just barely appearing in the distance. It was dawn, and therefor Kaven's turn to watch the camp.

Leon walked over to the sleeping man, nudging his shoulder with his foot a few times to wake him up. "Your shift, gramps." He murmured, face stoic.

Kaven awoke immediately, looked at Leon and nodded. Kaven pulled his bedroll up against a tree so he could still be in his bedroll while on his watch. Once he was settled in he realized that military training still affected him. He woke up immediately, he always had a hidden knife in his boots, and they were always within arms reach. And he always had his back to something. Kaven looked at Leon. The man was a fighter, but not a soldier. He fought only for himself. Kaven nodded to himself. That was why the man was so angry. He had nothing to fight for, to believe in. Nothing to give him purpose. Having solved that minor mystery Kaven turned and watched the sun rise.

When Healin awoke the next morning, Kaven was still on guard, leaning against the tree.

They got up and rolled up their bedroll and looked over to Kavin.  "Good morning," they said. "I assume nothing came upon us while you were on watch?"

Kaven turned and looked at Healin.
"Nothing but his snoring." Kaven jerked his head at Leon. "Well, lets pack up then." He hoisted his travel-pack on to his shoulder.

"You coming?"

Leon had awoken not long after Healin, getting his rook sack together quickly to prepare for the journey that day. He scoffed at Kaven's words, rolling his eyes before standing up straight and taking the lead. He walked until he found the trail leading to Ketra, sniffing the air to make sure no predators were on their way for some breakfast.

"I suppose Healin and I have to be thankful that we weren't attacked this morning. There's no way your fragile old bones would be able to protect anyone." He spat at Kaven, an attack for the last smart remark the drunk had made. Leon couldn't stand this guy... As a matter of fact, it was more annoying than ever, having him around.

After a few hours of travel, the group had come to a rather large clearing, where a goblin encampment was stationed. He gritted his teeth, seeing the wooden stakes rising up from the ground to form tall walls, which were all lined with torches decorated with human skulls. "Damned barbarians... Get down. We'll sneak around... I don't feel like dealing with the ankle-biters..." He hissed.

Sneak? The only place you sneak is into a better place to ambush the enemy from. Kaven thought. He stopped and crouched in the foliage. The camp was small, wth maybe a dozen goblins in it. But it was well fortified, with actual walls. Probably experienced fighters, judging by the skulls

In other words, a piece of cake. He grabbed Leon's shoulder.
"Are we just gonna let these things terrorize the country? Look at all those skulls. How many more will end up there if we don't do something?" Kaven pulled out his cooking knife and placed it in his boot. He then took a hook and a length of rope from his traveling pack. He tied a knot securely around the hook and wound it up so that he could move into range without it getting in his way.

Kaven snuck lithely through the trees, right up to the edge of the clearing. He only saw one guard on top of the walls. Kaven smiled and pulled out his knife.

Now comes the fun part.

Healin packed up their bedroll and followed the two other men to the trail, and then down it.  When they came across the goblin camp, Healin was about to agree with Leon when Kaven rushed off.

Healin narrowed their eyes, and in a flash they were after Kaven, moving silently through the trees after the older man.

They reached Kaven a moment after he reached the wall, and immediately put a hand on their shoulder.

"Wait," they whispered calmly. "Not yet."

Leon grabbed Kaven by the arm, yanking him back behind a tree. "Are you an idiot?! How many more are out here besides the ones behind those walls?!" He snapped silently, eyes narrowed. "You think you have the upper hand, but you don't. They have strength in numbers. And until we know what thise numbers are, we are overpowered. Understand? This is not our problem."

He let him go, mumbling curses under his breath at Kaven as he crouched in the thick shrubbery, going around the edge of the clearing as silently as he could. Leon sniffed a few times, his eyes widening as he caught the scent of more Goblins heading through the woods, just ahead. 4... 5... 6 of them.

"Dammit..." Leon hissed quietly, diving to his stomach, silently drawing his sword. The tiny, green-skinned, pointy-eared little gremlins walked just in front of them, decorated in fur clothing, which sported jewlery and ornaments made out of bones. A Goblin walked a little too close to where the three were hidden, catching a glimpse of the light reflecting off Leon's shield. He looked down, his mouth gaping in a cry of surprise, ending early as Leon shot up, jabbing his blade through the Goblin's skull.

It didn't take long at that point... The rest of the patrolling barbarians turned, teeth bared as they drew crude weapons to defend themselves against the intruders. Leon sighed, hearing the horn inside the camp go off. Looks like they had to do this the hard way... Which meant they'd all need to work together to fight off the odds. "I hope you're decent with that knife, gramps." He growled.

Ah hell. You couldn't even get to the wall without making noise? Well time to deal with it. Kaven turned, and in one smooth motion took out his ax and knife, tossing the small weapon to Healin as it seemed it had none
"Guard yourself!" Kaven shouted as he dodged a goblins swing.

Kaven returned the favor by punching his ax through its face. He tried to pull it out, but his ax was stuck.
Damn.
Instead he swung the corpse attached to the blade into another goblin, crashing it to the ground. Kaven scooped up the goblins crude, one edged sword and stabbed it through the prone beasts chest. He and the others made short work of the patrol, but Kaven turned to see the other dozen racing across the field to meet them. One of the figures was large and clad in plate armor. It was an Orc.
Kaven sighed. This was all going to hell and back.
He stepped forward and yelled across the plain
" I challenge the orc to single combat!"
It was their best chance, now that suprise had been taken from them.

Leon cut down Goblin after Goblin with little strategy or thought. He seperated from Kaven and Healin at one point, blocking blows from the tiny warriors with his sword and shield before skillfully slicing through their skin and bones like tissue paper. A Goblin ended up jumping on his back, punching at his head like a wild animal. Leon grunted in irritation, swinging his sword back and impaling the barbarian in the shoulder. He tumbled to the ground, Leon mercilessly slashing away at him until he fell limp.

After they had done away with the patrol, Leon was more than ready for the other dozen that had stormed from the camp. He paused when he saw the heavily-clad Orc, rolling his eyes at Kaven's challenge. As if these guys were going to agree to a fair fight... What a joke.

"I'll make sure to attend your funeral." Leon murmured to Kaven, looking around at the Goblins, who had all begun to snicker in amusement. Even the Orc was laughing. He must've been the chief of the camp... Most Goblins never mingled with Orcs, but every once in a while, the barbarians would team up with their cousins to wreak havoc on unsuspecting travellers and villages. This camp was a clear indication that a village wasn't far off...

Healin sighed.

A fight, great.  These two 'mighty warriors' were going to kill all the goblins.  It wasn't as though Healin doubted they would be able to take down all of the creatures, but this fight had been unnecessary, and if the goblins had needed to be all killed, there would have been a much more efficient way of going about it.

They deftly caught the knife, not even looking at it.  The goblins and Orc were even closer now, but Healin did not use the dagger as the goblins surrounded them.

Instead, they stuck the daggers into their belt and whispered a small string of words.  Immediately, the small group of goblins around them collapsed to the ground.  The other goblins fighting squealed.

"A mage!" one shrieked. "They've got a mage!"

The goblins looked like they were going to flee, but the Orc roared, not ready to give up this fight, and the goblins, though begrudgingly, stayed.

Healin still did not draw the dagger, but whispered a word and sparks appeared on their fingertips.  They swirled through the goblins, dodging the attacks and just gently touching the goblins, who fell to the ground, motionless.

Well that's convienient. Thought Kaven as he glanced over and saw Healin killing goblins left and right. He still wanted his fight though. He wanted to send a message to the goblins not to pillage around here anymore, and to Leon that he's not just a useless sack of bones and could turn him from a vagrant into a warrior.

Most greenskins won't fight fair, unless you tell them in their own language to go hump their mothers. Then they take honor in a one on one duel. And that's what Kaven did. The orc bellowed at the goblins to stay back, then charged at Kaven, his giant two-handed ax swinging.
Kaven pulled out his ax and the sword he had taken from the goblin and charged.

The axes met with a screech, and came apart. Kaven parried one blow and dodged the other, then slashed with the sword. It bit deep into the shaft, then stuck.
"Shit." Was all Kaven could say before it was wrenched from his grasp. As the Orc started to smile it remembered Kaven also had an ax. Then that same ax came down across the orcs face. Not a lethal blow, but a painful one. The fighters circled and clashed, large ax against the small, the young against the old, strength against experience. It was not a fair fight, for the Orc only had one eye, and Kaven knew how to exploit such an injury. He circled and slashed on his blind side, but couldn't get a lethal blow. The warriors were circling and suddenly the Orc struck with the butt of his ax. Kaven only managed to catch it because he dropped his ax. They stood there struggling, waiting for the others strength to fail.

Their fight was interrupted as Leon darted by, his sword outstretched beside him as he cleaved through the Orc's lower back, blood spilling from the wound and spraying against Leon's armor. The man spun around, the blade coming back for a second blow as it sliced the Orc's head clean off. He watched as the dead body fell, looking at Kaven with a small grunt. "There. Problem solved." He growled. Fighting was one thing, but showboating was another. It was especially painful to watch, as Kaven seemed to be struggling in finishing the Orc off. Amateur... He had hundreds of contracts where he had to deal with Orcs. They were slow, dumb, and sloppy in combat. Why couldn't a veteran like Kaven do away with it sooner?

With Healin's little abilities becoming known, the tide of the battle was shifting in their favor. Leon was surprised to see their skill, but he didn't show it. Healin had mystery behind them, but they sure didn't seem like the magical type. He bared his teeth, turning and blocking with his shield as a Goblin threw a dagger at him. The little warrior charged along with three others, Leon slashing the first two away before stabbing the last one through the stomach in mid-air as he jumped. He looked around, seeing all of their opponents either down for the count or retreating into the woods.

"Little cretins..." Leon hissed, walking towards the camp cautiously. Hell... If he and his companions were going to butcher the residents, they might as well take a look around. Who knew? Perhaps something of use would come up. As he entered, tents were visible on both sides, with one empty space down the middle to make room for a bonfire and a small fort. Something caught Leon's eye especially, though... Three wooden poles, humans bound to them with rope. He walked over to get a closer look, seeing the people more clearly. Two women and a man. He undid one of the women's ties, huffing as he did so. "W-We already told you! We don't know anything!" She exclaimed. Leon removed her blindfold. "Relax... I might be ugly, but I'm not Goblin ugly. One of you, explain what's going on here."

As Leon cut through the orcs back Kaven noticed something. The blood was blue, not the usual tar black of greenskins. He frowned, and almost absentmindedly threw his second knife into an approaching goblins face.

He had only seen blue-bloods once before, and it did not end well. This was the work of a litch. Kavens eyes widened and he turned to Leon, who was busy freeing captives. He ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder.
"This is bad. There's a litch nearby. We need to get out and make a plan. This is really bad." Kaven then turned to the hostages. "Have you seen a cloaked figure walking around here? Or felt like everything around you was rotting?" It was rare to sense the aura of a litch, but it happens, so he asked. He turned and surveyed the camp. "The reason those greenskins seemed so experienced was because they had been changed by the litch. They might not have even been alive." He looked around for anything that might give a hint of the litches presence. A dead plant, a blackened footprint, anything dead. Litches sucked the life out of anything and everything, so Kaven tried to sniff the air for any scent of decay.

Gah! If only he was a mage, he could sense it's power.

Litches? Interesting... Leon hadn't seen too many litches in his time, but he knew they were bad knews, with how they were talked about in taverns and inns. Fear usually accompanied the tales of the undead mages, people always hesitant to retell the tales of an encounter with them. Maybe it was their ghostly appearance. Perhaps it was their ability to raise the dead and rot the living with just one touch. Either way... They didn't spook Leon. Rather, they made him want to see them up close and personal.

The man shook his head. "All I remember is delivering a message to the baron of that village just west of here... That's when the ankle-biters grabbed me up and took me here. I don't remember seeing anything undead... Or smelling anything rotten." He said. The other woman shook her head. "Me either."

Leon looked at Kaven. "You familiar with the Litches? They must be pretty bad, if they make you so jumpy..." He murmured, crossing his arms. He looked down at the dead Orc. The blood was most definately blue. And come to think of it, they did smell unusually decayed for living beings. He scoffed. "What's so scary about an old bag of bones raising up more bags of bones? We can take it. Especially if we've got ourselves a mage." He gestured to Healin. He didn't want to admit that maybe sticking around was a bad idea... Besides, he had probably fought worse... Right?

They don't get it.
"You don't just kill a litch. They don't die like men do." Kaven said quietly. He was busy thinking about the battle his squad had had with the litch. It had been long and deadly, with the endless horde of bluebloods, Kaven only just managed to reach the litch. And even then he only killed it with the help of a bottle of liquid dragon flame.

Kaven turned to the hostages. "Get out of here. Go to your lord and tell him to evacuate everyone. Get as far away as possible." As the hostages scrambled away Kaven looked around the encampment. There was little evidence of any comings or goings. Dead things don't need to go hunt for food. But there were some things. A dead leaf, a crushed flower, a black blade of grass. The litch had been here.

Kaven started to follow the road of rot to the den of the litch.

Leon grabbed his shoulder. "Look, all tough-guy talk aside, if you're right about the litch being so dangerous, then maybe we should leave it alone for now." He suggested, for once using his brain. "Let's follow these people back to their village. Get some more information, before we go litch hunting. Deal?" He asked Kaven, raising a brow at him. If Kaven truly wanted to fight the thing at their current strength, then Leon would ablige. However, he'd do whatever he could to change the man's mind, as well.

Throughout this whole exchange, Healin had been feeling around for the litch with their powers, reaching out and testing the waters, seeing how powerful thislitch really was, and where it was exactly.

"The litch is not within it's den," Healing said, walking over to the two men.  "But it is near.  The orc and goblins were being controlled by the litch, and they were alive.  The goblins I took down are not dead, however.   My spell was not one of death."

Healing offered no suggestion on what they thought they should do, waiting to see what Kaven and Leon would decide.

Leon turned to Healin. The litch could control living things, as well as dead things? What did that mean for him and his group? If what Healin said was true, then they'd just as easily become zombies when faced with it. The Goblins they had just cut down were some of the toughest of their kind, and not even they could withstand the litch's influence!

Leon shook his head, crossing his arms. "I vote that we prepare ourselves first. I'm not much for plans... In fact, they bore me. But I don't plan on becoming some litch's henchman." He looked towards the villagers, who were standing idly by. "There... Is a man in our village... He claimed that he saw an undead being in the forest... Nobody believed him, but you three just might be proof. He also might be able to give more information about the prey you seek." One of the women spoke. He also might be able to offer up some coin. Leon thought.

Kaven turned.
"I thought I told you to leave." He said to the villager. But then his tone softened as he said "But thanks anyway." Kaven turned to Healin and Leon.
"First we should execute these goblins so they don't kill anymore people. Then we should go talk to this man, he might know where the litch is, and other things, like how we might kill it." Kaven started to walk away but then realized he was unarmed. He turned around and looked at healin.

"Knife"

Healin looked after the former prisoner as he walked away, but their head snapped back to Kaven as he asked for his knife.

"We cannot kill them," Healin said, taking out the knife, but making no move to hand it to Kaven, at least not yet. "They are unconscious, to kill them now would be to kill in cold blood.  And, we have no proof that they are killers, they may have only been killing because they were being controlled by the litch."

As the villagers walked, so did Leon. He let Kaven and Healin solve the dispute over the knife and goblins by themselves, for he had no time for such petty discussions. He had one thing on his mind: Find the man who could help him kill his prey. He had no intention to tangle with the litch before, but now that coin was in the equation, it made things much more different.

He rolled his eyes, stopping and looking back at the two after going down the path a ways. "Are you two going to follow, or not?" He growled. "Give the old timer his knife so we can go. C'mon, Healin. We're burning daylight." He told them. He sniffed the air ahead. Humans. Lots of them, too. Yep... They were approaching a village.

Oh please. Kaven sneered at Healin. He walked over to an unconscious goblin, kicked up its weapon into his hand and then proceeded to ram it  into the goblins throat.
"They're not alive." He slammed the sword into another face. "They don't know pain, fear." He shoved the sword so deep into the goblins neck, it sunk into the ground underneath it. "Mercy."

Kaven left the sword in the goblin and walked away after Leon.

Healin's eyes narrowed as Kaven proceeded to kill the goblins, and they turned to walk with the man as he followed Leon, leaving the other unconscious but alive goblins where they lay.

Healin shook their head, a sad look now in their eyes. "You think they are not beings such as you and I?  They have feelings, believe me.  They know pain, fear, even love and hope.  Most do not see it, but while goblins may often be merciless, they are not without souls.  I have met decent goblins, and even goblins who work and live with humans in towns and cities.  It is not fair to judge one creature by the actions of others of its kind.  And to kill any creature while it is unconscious is one of the most honor-less things one can do.  I know you were a soldier, and have no doubt seen many horrible things and killed many beings, but never make killing anything but the last option."

Well they have a point. Except for the part where they are being controlled by a litch.
Kaven turned and said in a voice much like his grandfathers, kind and gentle, but tempered with realism.
"That all would be true, and it's a marvelous thing to see humans and goblins being accepting of each other, but you forget the litch. For I was not referring to goblins, but to bluebloods, creatures controlled by a litch. This goblins will wake up and serve the litch, not scatter into the woods as normal goblins would." Kaven turned and held out his hand. "Can I have my knife now?" Then smiled.

Healin nodded. "You are right, but, depending on the kind of litch, and if we must destroy it, if it is killed, perhaps the goblins will be returned to their natural state.  It is unlikely, as most litches kill those that possess, but since there was a chance. . ."

They shook their head, but handed Kaven his knife.  "Well, for now we must focus on the litch, and how big of a threat it is. . ."

Aye. They finally have their priorities straight.
"Most litches only kill their minions so they can't rebel, but strong litches don't have to worry about that sort of thing, so we might be dealing with a stupid or very powerful litch. But most likely the latter."
Kaven shook his head and took back his knife, nodding thankfully. Then he laughed. "Quite the variety eh? Maybe the man in the village will tell us more." Kaven looked up to see buildings rising in the distance. "Speaking of, were almost there."

Leon wasn't laughing. He stared blankly ahead as they entered the village, the houses made out of wood with straw roofs. He looked around, seeing people staring at them in fear and even distrust. He rolled his eyes, parents herding their children indoors as he approached the inn. It didn't take long... The village was tiny, a lumber mill, a tavern, an inn, and a few houses scattered here and there. They were most definately vunerable to attack, which made killing this litch even more of a priority.

As Leon entered, he noticed one thing. It was empty. Not only was it empty, but it looked as if it hadn't been inhabited in ages. He approached the inkeep, an aging, quiet old man. "Need something, stranger? It's been awhile since I've had customers. Looking for food? Drink? A room?" He asked, raising a brow. "Maybe later... We're looking for someone said to live in the village. Claims to have seen a litch around these parts." Leon explained. The old man stood up tall, sighing as he massaged his neck. "That buffoon? Well... He's in there. Never comes out, unless he gets hungry." He told him, pointing towards a door near the corner. "I wouldn't single him out as a buffoon just yet... Me and my companions had a run in with some bluebloods down the path a ways." Leon told him. The old man looked shocked. "I'll be... So he's not crazy after all? Well... You might wanna go speak to him right away, then... He has all the information you're probably looking for."

Leon didn't hesitate. He nodded to the inkeep for his assistance, going around the nicely polished tables until he reached the door. Hesitating, he decided to unsheathe his sword, just in case this man was truly out of his mind. With this, he opened up, seeing something somewhat disturbing. All along the walls, pictures of badly drawn ghouls and zombified creatures were placed in a random order, as well as words written in blood that read, 'UNDEAD' and 'THEY LIVE.' On the bed, a red-haired, balding man rocked back and forth, his entire arm stained with dried blood and bearing a huge gash. It wasn't hard to tell who's blood was on the walls, at this point. "Hey... Buddy? We've got a couple questions to ask." He murmured. "Questions? Who's asking?! Certainly not anyone who believes me... They say I'm crazy! They say I'm a fool! What do you say, huh?!" The man stood, bags under his eyes, which were both bloodshot.

This was going to be a very long, very tedious conversation.

Oh hell. First off, they were in a town that looked like it was in the middle of nowhere, even though they were well within civilization. Secondly, the guy they came here for is bonkers. But hey, he might know something about the litch. But as Leon confronted the man Kaven started to realize that he should sit this one out and let the kid handle it. A good interrogation builds character, as his old staff sergeant used to say. Right bastard he was, but he had his moments.

Kaven decided to go order a round or ten at the bar. That's when he realized another problem. This towns beer selection was terrible. They barely had anything that was worth drinking! So to hell with it. Kaven sauntered up to the bar and ordered no less than an entire bottle of cheap whiskey. The bartender was momentarily stunned before reaching under for the bottle. Kaven nodded to the other man. They were two sides of the same coin. One rough and tumble, the other a pacifist. One was a conniseur of alcohol, the other served it, but didn't drink it. Kaven liked the man. Even if he wasn't very fun to be around.

But hey, Javen wasn't either.

Healin followed Leon and Kaven into the inn and into the room where the red-haired man sat.  They eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing the man, but they made no other gesture as Leon spoke.

When Kaven levt the room, Healin followed, if only for a moment, to see where the older man was going. When they saw Kaven ordering a drink, they returned to the room with the writing on the walls to listen and see how Leon was going about questioning the man.

Kaven sat at the bar chatting with the bartender. He was actually quite a fun man, glib and sharp-witted. Kaven was having fun, and only part of it was from the alcohol, which was rare these days.

After about fifteen minutes of chatting Kaven got up and went to check on the others. He peeked his head into the room and said
"How's everything goin' in here?"

Leon looked around at the man's handiwork on the walls, not having much of a reaction. He saw the chair of in the corner of the room, walking to retrieve it. He walked back to the man, placing the chair down and sitting in it with a heavy sigh. "I see you value your arts and crafts. Very... Interesting arts and crafts, but hey, art is subjective, right?" He asked somewhat lightheartedly. The man shook his head. "No... No, no, no, no, no! It's to remember what they looked like... The dead! The dead! What the dead looked like... Those corpses waltzing through the woods..." He rambled on.

Leon narrowed his eyes. This conversation could last a couple minutes, or a couple hours, depending on how deranged this guy really was. "Kinda hard to forget a litch, or a litch's minions, for that matter." Leon responded, finding it hard to believe that the drawings were simply to remember the ghouls and bluebloods.

"Litch...? No... No litch..." The man shook his head, looking dumbfounded. Leon's eyes widened. What...? He immediately thought. The entire time, they thought they were after a litch, and now they learn that there's no litch at all? He needed answers. "What are you talking about? That old man outside said himself that you claimed to see a litch!" Leon protested, a slight growl rising in his throat. "I never said anything about a litch! I told the people I saw the dead... The ghouls! They made the rumors that I saw a litch!I didn't! No way!" The man frantically defended himself. Leon sighed. "Then tell me... What did you see?" He asked. The man sat down on his bed, running his hands through his hair.

"The deer-heads! The cannibals! Making dead rise from all around!" He said after a long pause, staring at Leon with pure fear in his eyes. Leon looked shocked, narrowing his eyes. The tables had definitely turned...

Wendigos...?

Kaven was very confused when he came in. First off, wendigos don't make bluebloods, they make zombies. And even that rarely! Mostly they just dance around campfires and eat people. Second, even if they made bluebloods, why just send them into the woods and have them kill people?

Oh. That makes more sense. Thought Kaven. They were out there collecting people for the wendigos to eat. Well human cannibalism aside, at least its not a litch. Kaven thought. Then the more sobering thoughts crept back into his head. Maybe. were not sure of anything. Except that Wendigos don't make bluebloods, and there were bluebloods. So where does that leave us? Kaven walked into the mans room and crouched by Leon and stared at the man. Just as the man was starting to fidget, Kaven asked
"what color was the fire?" The mans eyes widened and started to sparkle.
"Fire? Uhh, Uhh," He stuttered, eyes unfocusing.
"Focus!" Snapped Kaven. As the man came back to reality Kaven said gently and slowly "What color was the fire?" This time the man gave a coherent response
"The fire was blue. No! Green! No!" The man started to list every color except orange or yellow.
Kaven sighed. This man was touched.
"Give me your hand." Kaven said. Cutting off the mans rambling. Lethargically he complied. Kaven swiflt pulled out his knife and cut a slit on the mans wrist.

The blood welling out of it was blue.

Leon stood and leaned against the wall as Kaven began his own short interrogation. The new learnings of the monsters they were after being Wendigos was definitely a surprise. One that would need far more research. First of all, bluebloods and Wendigos didn't exactly match. Sure, the deerheads had the ability to create zombies, but not bluebloods. That was reserved for litches. Unless... This was a very different kind of Wendigo.

He looked down, seeing Kaven take his knife and cut a shallow slit into the man's wrist. He instinctively went for his sword, eyes widening at the blue fluid that escaped the wound. "Dammit... That explains the behavior..." He murmured. The man shook his head rapidly, backing up on the bed. "No, no, no, no, no! P-Please! You can't do this to me!" He pleaded for his life, knowing that him being touched meant he was doomed to death. "You'll go insane and start ripping men and women to shreds soon, if we don't do something about it. You do realize this, right?" Leon asked, drawing his blade.

The man's eyes darted from side-to-side, panting as he tried comprehending Leon's words. Without warning, the shade of his eyes turned into a pale blue, his skin going a sickly grey as he charged at Leon with a foul scream. Leon bared his teeth, lifting his sword up in front of him and skewering the man right through the chest. As he died, Leon pushed him off the blade, letting his body fall to the floor.

As the blood pooled around him, still blue, like the blood that escaped his wrist, Leon swore under his breath. "And there goes our only lead..."

Healin stood by and watched all that unfolded quite calmly, their hands folded behind their back.  They watched silently as the man was found to be a blueblood and then they sighed softly as Leon stabbed the man, sending him falling, dead, to the floor.

"Perhaps a Litch and a Wendigo working together towards some common goal," Healin suggested, looking down at the body of the man. "Or perhaps the Wendigo is a blueblood, made so by the litch."

Shit. That was disappointing. Not unexpected, but disappointing. Kaven sighed and turned to Leon.
"Our lead isn't completely gone. We know he was touched, a living blueblood. Those have to be made by the litch itself. But Healins idea of blueblood wendigos might have some merit." He nodded thoughtfully. "So first we should track down anyone who knew where this man came out of the woods. That should give us a start at least." Kaven gestured at the door.

"Shall we?"

Leon nodded, standing and walking towards the door. He opened it, the inkeep looking at him with wide eyes. "What was that awful sound I heard coming from here...?" He asked. Leon huffed. "Your crazy fool was touched. I was forced to kill him." He explained breifly, walking past him. "W-What?!?!" The inkeep asked, shocked and scared. He rushed into the room, seeing the body and beginning to panic. "His stories were true... All of them were true! And now we're all at risk!" He said, his voice shaky. Leon turned to him. "Calm down. We'll fight off the bluebloods, if they make themselves known here. But we have bigger fish to fry..."

He remembered the odd turn of events, their lead going on about wendigos, claiming there was no litch. Perhaps it was true, but it was unlikely. Like Kaven said, only a litch could create bluebloods. It was something that would definitely need further investigation. "The monsters in question are wendigos. According to him, anyways." He told the inkeep. "Do you have any idea where he came out of the woods? Did you see him?" He asked. The inkeep looked hesitant, but finally gave in with a sigh, nodding. He led them all outside, pointing towards the woods. "There's a cave in that direction. Through the waterfall. All who go in never come out. It's a labyrinth." He explained. "He told me he was foolish enough to go in. That's when I learned about all this. If only I listened..." He rubbed his temples.

Leon narrowed his eyes in the cave's direction, looking back towards Kaven and Healin. They were all skilled in some degree. He doubted anyone here in the village was trained to wield a sword, therefor they were unable to survive the cave's winding, confusing nature. Leon had ventured into dangerous, inescapable places before and lived to tell the tale. This wouldn't be any different. He looked at the inkeep, a look of determination on his face. "How much coin are we talking for the head of whatever's responsible?" He asked. The inkeep narrowed his eyes. "As much as I can cough up." 

Healin followed Leon and Kaven out of the room, and then outside.

The cave may be difficult, but Healing was nut unduly worried.  When Leon asked about a price, Healin sighed, they did not often charge for getting rid of a monster, and they would not now, but Leon apparently thought it was necessary.

"What is rumoured to be in the labyrinth?"  Best to know as much as they could about what they were going up against.

Labyrinth? What is it with litches and labyrinths? Kaven still thought it was a litch behind all of this and he was using the wendigos as a distraction. Kaven shook his head. Last time the litch had been using a dark cult to hide itself, and had hidden in a labyrinth of his own, albeit on a mountain top, not behind a waterfall. Still, its a little too similar for comfort.

Kaven shook his head and said
"I'm gonna go get supplies." Then left the tavern. He wandered the tow until he found a general store. Five minutes later he came out with all the supplies necessary for three people to survive a week in the woods. Hopefully they wouldn't be out there that long but hey, it never hurts to be prepared. Then he went on the more important mission. 

Kaven had over the course of his travels found out that the church of a town is usually more than it seems. So when Kaven entered this one he strode to the priest and said " Beware friend, a storm most foul is coming." The short, bald man stopped, looked around, and finding that they were alone said
"Best get inside, lest the lightning strike you down." Then headed behind the altar. After flicking a hidden switch the floor sunk, then slid aside to reveal a staircase.

At the bottom was a room full of various weapons, herbs, and bottles. In short, everything you need to defend a town from the creatures of the night. Kaven turned to the priest who, on closer inspection, was very muscular and fit, and asked " do you have anything for litches?" The priest shook his head.
"I only have a single vial of dragonfire, barely enough to incapacitate it." Kaven sighed. As he surveyed the room one last time he saw something. In the corner, leaning against the wall,
A sword of dragonsteel. He picked up the sword, it was a longsword, meant to be used with two hands. Kaven had never seen a finer weapon. He turned to the priest and held up the sword.
"Do you know what this is?" The priest shook his head. "May I?" The priest nodded.

And so Kaven walked out of the church equipped to kill a litch.

The inkeep scratched the back of his head, looking down at his feet. "The... Thing that has caused so many to disappear... We know its a thing, simply because we've heard its roars..." He muttered, taking a seat on a bench outside the inn. "We have no idea what it is or what strength it possesses... But we've all chosen to refer to it as, Alisha of the Falls." Leon raised a brow at the name. Who calls a bloodthirsty monster Alisha? Still... He decided it was better not to underestimate something that could end his life. He just nodded. "We'll take it out. You have my word."

As he began walking, he suddenly stopped, turning to Healin. "Go get Kaven. It's about time we took out this Litch." He told them, then took off into a sprint into the darkness of the woods. He looked up, seeing the sky turn a pale orange as the sun began to set. He looked back down just in time to see a jagged ledge, stretching up towards the height of the trees, with a waterfall emptying into a small creek just in front of him. He could barely see a cave beyond the white water, taking a deep breath as he gripped his sword harshly, pulling it from its sheathe. Well... It was time to decide if his years of experience would finally pay off.

Healin did not appreciate being ordered around, but it was a sound request, and they nodded as Leon ran off.  The debated calling to the young man to come back, it was not a very wise decision to run into the forest alone, no matter you fighting prowess, when there was a litch, and perhaps wendigos, in there.  Healin just sighed and shook their head, even if they did call to Leon, the young man probably wouldn't listen.  So they turned around to go and find Kaven.  They found him near an old church, armed with a very old and beautiful sword.

"That is interesting," Healin commented upon approaching the older man.  "Where did you get it?"

"The priest forgot about it. Dragonsteel, maybe," Kaven examined the sword for a minute "Five thousand years old, give or take." One of the best weapons for killing a litch, or really anything, and he was holding it. Kaven was in awe. "Problem is I don't use two handed blades. Either give this to Leon or use this yourself. I'd be worse than useless with it." Sad but true. His day to use dragonsteel would come. Just not today.

Leon knelt, gazing into the cavern for a long time while waiting for his companions to return. Eager to venture in, both with coin on his mind as well as the thrill of adventure, he got quite annoyed when they seemed to be taking quite a long time to finish up whatever they were doing and joining up with him. He sighed, standing and heading back in the direction of the village. As he went back through the winding trees and shrubs, he arrived back near the inn of the poverty-stricken village. He walked onto the main path, looking around everywhere for Kaven and Healin. He soon caught a glimpse of them both, near the church. He raised his brows. The last thing he expected was for them both to be of such strong faith... Of course, upon closer inspection, that wasn't the case at all.

A sword in Kaven's hands. Not really surprising, considering he was once a military man, but this sword was like none other. It emitted brilliance upon first glance. Leon had seen many swords, but none were as beautifully crafted as this. Considering it was in such close proximity to the church, it was clear what Leon was looking at. This sword was something holy. Built to slay demons, dragons, undead and every other beast a man could imagine. He caught the very end of the two's conversation, as well as Kaven's claim that he could not wield the sword.

"Well, I'm not too certain that our magic-using friend here would take you up on that offer. I however, will." He took the sword, leaning the flat side of the blade against his shoulder as he removed his shield and his weapon belt, along with his sword, which was still in its sheathe. He offered them to Kaven. "Trade? You need a weapon of some value, right?" He asked. He dropped both at Kaven's feet, allowing him to pick them up if he truly wanted them. Leon gazed at the steel, sighing heavily. "Well... Let's see how well this fares against Alisha of the Falls... Assuming she's indeed a litch." He shrugged. He heard a faint laughing, causing him to look towards the door of the rather impressive-looking church.

"You believe our dear Alisha to be a litch?" The priest asked, looking rather baffled. "I can tell you're new here... And saying things almost as nonsensical as that old fool in the inn? Well... Nonsensical to them, not to me. I would keep your voice down, though, or else the whole village will shun you for being mad!" He jested. "Come... I will explain the legend of Alisha of the Falls... You must be prepared, before you go to take her out, yes?" He asked, gesturing for them to follow before disappearing back into the church. Leon looked at Healin and Kaven, giving a curious grunt before following the priest in. "The man came back to the village after being gone for three days... Everyone assumed he had been swallowed by the cave's labyrinth. But alas, he was mad, or so the people thought... Ranting and raving about seeing things in the woods, almost being eaten alive by the dead..." He began, taking a right into a secret room, filled with bookcases. Leon followed closely, thinking this priest could be the key to gaining more info.

"Any normal man would scoff the claims off. But not I... I had two twin daughters... Felicia and Allison... They were the first to venture to the cave. They were the first to never return. People claimed it was just the cave. They said it was just too confusing in design for two wee little girls... I knew better. I knew after the fifth disappearance that something else was going on." The priest said as he looked for a specific book. Leon narrowed his eyes. "The man spoke of wendigos." He revealed. "Aye. He did. I was the one and only man to hear him out. He told me that a strange-looking wendigo lured him towards the cave. He also went on to say that the dead had risen deep within the labyrinth... Blood as blue as the ocean itself! Skin rotting off the bone... He described it as a hell-hole for sure." The priest said. He soon found what he was looking for, the book thick, with a brown, leather cover. "Ah-ha!" He blew the dust off, flicking through the pages quickly.

He reached a page displaying a female wendigo with two heads and two sets of bat wings. Next to it, rested an identical, but poorly drawn replica. "He gave me this drawing... And I immediately recognized it. It's a rare phenomenon... Barely any cases in the whole land of Le'raana." The priest explained. Leon crossed his arms. "Go on..." The priest nodded. "The creature is known as a Bloodbound Wendigo. Created when one human twin is forced to feast on the other. Both twins bind together to form what you see here. Under one condition..." He murmured, suddenly looking saddened at the apparent fate of his little girls.

"... They must first be touched by a litch." Suddenly, everything came together. The hunt was looking so much more clear. Of course, the man never spoke of any undead... But if his sanity had truly faded, then amnesia was to be expected. Nevertheless, Leon now knew what they were looking for. And in his hands rested the tool to end the village's suffering once and for all.

Oh for the love of everything holy. I go through all this trouble and there's not even a litch? Kaven was equally annoyed and relived. He stepped to the priest and said
"The storm passes friend." The president nodded, still fighting down the surge of emotion that came with painful memories. Kaven knew the feeling well. He turned to Leon. "Well, I guess I'll take your hand-me-downs." He grinned and picked up the sword. Thick, heavy, sharp. Perfect weapon for him. He then walked out of the church and gestured to his companions to follow, wanting to give the priest some privacy. Once they were outside he smiled. One last fight. And with an undead abomination at that. Perfect. He turned to his companions and said "Who wants to kill a monster?"

OOC: Yeah... I didn't explain that very well in the last post. The Wendigo needs to be touched by a litch to become a Bloodbound Wendigo. Which means they're dealing with both.

Leon gave a swift nod, remembering the way to the cave very well. "Over here... Through the woods. And let's hope the gods are on our side, yeah?" He smirked at Kaven, growing fond of the man he had mentally labled, Son of a Bitch. He began walking in front, leading them to the place their unholy mission would begin. These two he had accompanied were strange, irritating, incompatible, and awkward. Perhaps that was what made them so handy in battle?

As they arrived, it was dark outside, stars shining overhead in a gorgeous display. There was no time for sightseeing, though... All they needed to do was step through the falls. He glanced at both companions, wondering who would venture in first. Giving a huff, he placed one foot into the pond, which was freezing cold. Taking slow, steady steps forward, he entered, the water splashing over him, coating his body in moisture as he finally saw what the caves looked like. They began with a massive stone chamber, a bridge branching off to five seperate tunnels. Below them was a forest of stalagmites, which jutted up to sharp points out of the ground, easily killing a man. A faint echo could be heard, as well as the sounds of dripping water. It was eerie, that was for sure.

What was even more eerie, was the fact that bright blue torches were lit on the sides of the bridge. Lit by magic. This meant that they were not alone here.

Healis listed quietly to all that unfolded.  That was their way, to listen, and to learn.

After bidding goodbye to the priest, they followed the other two to the waterfall in the forest, always on the lookout for danger.

As Leon stepped into the freezing waters, Healin did the same, barely a step behind.  It was quite strange, how all of this had come to be, but Healin was not surprised, not many things surprised the being.  But all the same, the three companions were so at odds with each other, each having a different set of beliefs, a different way of living, even a different set of morals. But here they were, all going out on a quest together, most likely for different reasons. 

Kaven watched as his two companions vanished into the water and smiled. He had seen the glint in Leon's eye as he strode cmfidently into what might be his death. It might not be a pretty girl and a private life, but this man has come far. He has lost that animalistic sense of aggression and lack of direction. Kaven shook his head and smiled again.

As he crossed the barrier of freezing water into the lair of a litch Kaven only had one thought:

This is it.

Healin glanced around, the light of teh torches casting an eerie blue glow over everything.

Though Healin held no weapons, they were far from unarmed.  Besides the rushing water behind them, there were no other sounds.  The noise from the waterfall would have masked most noises, but, all the same, Healin listened for any clue that perhaps an enemy was nearing.

They crossed the bridge and entered a stone tunnel, the same blue torches fastened onto the wall.  Healin said nothing as they continued forward.

Kaven walked through the stone hallway next to Healin. Kaven realized he didn't know much about Healin, so he turned to her and asked
"So your a mage, but what kind of magic can you use?"  Not the best small talk, but Kaven was out of practice. As he was waiting for an answer he scanned the shadows at the end of the cavern. Suddenly he thought he saw movement, a tall, monstrous beast from the brief glimpse. He stopped dead in his tracks and said
"Stop, there something at the end this hallway. Probably the wendigo."

Leon stayed towards the back of the little group, his fists clenched around the hilt of the gorgeous, yet deadly sword. He kept a close eye on anything that might have been following from behind, slightly paranoid as he traversed the caverns. He paused, his eyes trained on the darkness in front of them as Kaven claimed to see something not too far ahead. Leon's eyesight was much better than most men, and he could definitely make something out. He went past his two allies, walking forwards slowly as he tried getting a better look.

He walked forwards as quietly as he could, ending up in a large chamber, surrounded by murky water with a pathway leading to a small island in the middle. Upon this island, a creature was crouched, eating the carcass of a recently deceased man. Leon stopped, looking back at Healin and Kaven and urging them to come forward, in case the thing decided to attack. As he looked back, his blood froze in his veins when the creature turned towards him, standing up straight.

It was indeed their target. Two rotten, decaying deer heads rested on the shoulders of a female body, which wore nothing besides a tattered sliver of fabric over its chest. The legs were that of a deer as well, complete with hooves and a small tail, rotting heavily, much like the heads. Chains were bound around the monster's arms, a short scythe resting in its hands, the blade dragging the ground. Leon took a step back, hi sword at the ready as it screeched loudly, two pairs of wings sprouting from its back. One pair was bound with chains as well. Things took a turn for the worse as an unbelievably tall figure rose from the water behind the beast, wearing a black robe that concealed its hands, feet, and head. A bird mask rested on its face, hiding any type of expression.

"The litch... Finally it shows itself..." Leon muttered, taking a fighting stance. This was bound to get ugly. The litch lifted an arm, the water around the island glowing as waterlogged bodies rose from the depths, their eyes blue. The litch emitted a distorted laugh, Leon launching at them both, only to slash at a cloud of smoke as they both disappeared. He swore, looking around to see corpses swimming towards the island, ready for their next meal. "Healin! Kaven! Get ready!" He called to them both, growling hatefully as he prepared to fight.

Oh hell. Kaven got into a battle stance just as a corpse charged at him. He ducked to the side and stabbed it in the side. Another one lurched into him and he barely managed to kick it off before it bit him. A clawing hand nearly cut him before he cut it off. Kaven slowly lost himself in the bloodshed, becoming one with his sword, ducking and weaving, cutting and slashing until he stumbled onto the island in the middle of the lake and saw the arcane symbols on the ground. Teleportation glyphs. He had seen the same in the last litches lair. With some magic stimulation the glyphs would activate and send them wherever the litch and wendigo went.

Leon roared out, being consumed by the battle as he slashed and cut through the rotting minions with pure, burning hatred. A few of the undead clawed at him with their filthy, unkempt nails, the man dodging accordingly before taking them out quickly and easily. He blocked the few that had wood-axes and cleavers with his mighty sword, not daring to get hit by any of the monsters. The last thing he needed was to come here in hopes of slaying two infamous beasts only to be infected by common zombies.His bloodshed halted as he noticed what Kaven had seemed to notice.

With a growl, he impaled a corpse through the skull who attempted to run head-on at him before coming up beside Kaven. "Well, well, well... Teleportation. Not a fan, but it'll have to do, if we wanna find them." He huffed out, baring his teeth and turning quickly to slice through another corpse's chest. The thing fell to its knees, Leon roaring out angrily as he stabbed it in the throat. "I'm sick of fighting the henchmen... Healin! Get over here and make these glyphs work! Do your thing!" He called to their companion with a snarl.

Healin started for the small island as soon as the undead strated to climb from the water.  An undead launched at them as they reached the island, but Healin sent a blast of flame at the zombie, sending it curling back into two more undead, who promptly caught fire and burned to ashes.

Healin knelt outside the circle of glyphs and brushed a finger over one.  Sparks flew, and Healin stood up, stepping into the circle before crouching again.

A zombie got past Leon and leaped at Healin's back, it's arms outstretched, filthy claws ready to strike.

Healin threw out a hand behind them, not even looking, and the creator was thrown backwards and halfway into the water, where it did not rise again.

Healin's hands danced over the glyphs, tracing symbols intricate shapes into the air.  They needed magical stimulation, but the amount had to be precise.  If they simply threw a blast of pure magic at the glyphs, they would teleport to where the litch and wendigo had went, but they could be in pieces.

Oh hell. As soon as Kaven saw that Healin needed some time he turned and saw even more undead crawling up from the murky depths. He sighed and jumped into the fray. After a few cuts of his sword Kaven took stock of his body. He wasn't as strong or fast as he was when he was younger, and it was increasingly obvious that it was only a matter of time till he was scratched. He growled and resolved that he sure as hell wasn't dying to goddamn zombies and attacked with renewed fervor.

Leon looked back at Healin, an obviously frustrated look on his face. He wasn't angry at them, but he certainly wasn't happy, either. They would need to dice through many corpses before Healin was finished, and Leon had no idea how long it would take. Kaven certainly didn't seem like he was an infinite pool of stamina, and Leon knew for a fact that he wasn't either. Without really even thinking, he jumped in beside Kaven, his sword already making its way through a shoulder and a throat.

He bared his fangs, his eyes flashing angrily as he swung the blade skillfully, blood spraying against his armor and tan skin as bodies fell around him. He turned, thrusting the sword into an undead's stomach before slicing to the side just in time to disembowel another coming up beside him. He kept casting glances at Kaven, making sure the old-timer was alright, but at the same time, also casting glances at Healin to ensure they weren't in any danger. Things were a lot easier when he worked solo...

Suddenly, Leon became overwhelmed. As the zombies continued to pile up out of the murky waters all around him and his companion, he could only slash and dice so many apart before it became too much. They clawed at his armor, a few latching onto him and attempting to gnaw at his face. He jabbed at them with the long blade, getting off as many as he could to no avail. He was eventually lost in the sea of decay, with many of the corpses now charging straight for Healin. With their whole operation at stake, Leon finally pulled out the last resort. With a loud, beastly roar, a giant, dark grey wolf burst from the mob of undead, bodies flying left and right as Leon tore apart any zombies in his path, leaving them as nothing more than hunks of flesh scattered along the ground.

He howled, the corpses falling back as Leon ripped their brethren to shreds with his massive, razor-sharp claws. He bounded towards Healin, who was now being crowded around by corpses. He bit into one's torso, engulfing its head and completely tearing it in half. He slammed another away, back into the water before sinking his teeth into another's legs, swinging it around from side-to-side until it was dead. Looking at Healin, he did nothing more than stand guard, right behind the mage until they were finished.

Healin rushed as much as they could, but they couldn't risk ruining the spell.  They saw as Leon and Kaven fought to guard them, but they seemed to be tiring.

Then Leon went under a hoard of zombies, and Healin leaped to their feet, ready to attack, but the zombies wee all around them.  They were about to unleash a spell, but then a grey wolf burst from under the zombies, tearing them apart with his teeth and claws.

As Leon attacked, Healin turned back to the spell, and within moments, there was a flash of bright light, and a blue portal opened in the ground.

"We have to go now!" they shouted over the sounds of the fight.  "It'll only stay open for a few moments!"

Kaven kicked the foul-smelling thrashing zombie off his sword and ducked another clawing hand in a motion as smooth as quicksilver. Suddenly he heard Healins shout and was filled with an immense relief that spread into his muscles and warmed them with a final burst of energy. He dived for the portal faster than he had ever moved before.

Leon immediately shot his head back towards Healin as the light flashed brightly behind him. Giving a deep growl, he started towards the portal, Kaven practically shoving past him as he dove in. The last one through, Leon shook his head, his eyes squinted as he tried adjusting to the new surroundings. Gone were the groans of the undead and the sound of blades clashing. Now, there was an eerie silence and the sound of water dripping all around them.

Opening his eyes widely, the giant wolf looked around and took everything in. They now were in a chamber much larger than the last, stalagmites hanging from the ceiling as water dripped down from their sharp tips. The ground, while mostly rock, was covered in a thick layer of bones, and what rested in the middle could either bring a man to tears, or incite horror. The wendigo from before, Alisha herself, sitting on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest, sobbing weakly. Leon gave an audible snarl, lips curled back to get her attention.

Looking up, the two deer heads' cheeks were stained with tears, the mouths pulling back in ugly grimaces at the sight of the three. Standing, the wendigo pulled the two scythes from the earth, swinging them in a circle threateningly all while giving a hideous screech. As she did this, the litch appeared from the darkness. "You've delved too deep into the darkness of this labyrinth... I regret to inform you that your journey ends here." It said, its voice deep and menacing. "You either retreat and live to fight another day," It lifted its foul hand, causing the earth around them to collapse into a seemingly endless abyss shrouded by a ghostly fog.

"or become one with the corpses..." At these words, Leon reared up on his hind legs, roaring hatefully with his claws extended. It was clear what his choice was.

 Kaven was shocked. Not by the bones or the abomination that was the Wendigo, or even that one of his companions was a wolf, but  by the voice of the litch. It was a voice that cut deep into his soul, and made the scar on his chest burn. The litch was hidden by a thick, dark robe but Kaven knew. It was the same one from years ago. The one that had taken the lives of so many of his friends, the one he had thought was dead. His chest burned and constricted with conflicting emotions. Rage and Vengeance burned in his heart, but fear squeezed the air from his lungs. After a second of internal conflict Vengeance won. He shouted a string of words that would make a drunken sailor pause then charged the litch. As his sword was whistling towards the litch it simply stepped to the left, and was twenty feet away. Kaven turned and let loose a growl not unlike the ones Leon was making.

Healin scanned the room, the litch, and the wendigo in a matter of seconds, but they did not move to attack, even as their two companions did.  Healin looked to the wendigo again, why had it been crying? 

Kaven and Leon seemed to be focusing on the litch, and Healin whispered a few words, still watching the wendigo, which didn't seem to be getting in on the fight that seemed to be about to happen.

'Why were you crying?'  Healin asked the wendigo, but they didn't ask it the regular way, but rather sent a message into the creature's head, so that the others wouldn't be distracted.

Leon's reaction to the litch was much like Kaven's. Full of fury and unrelenting anger, Leon charged full-speed straight towards the litch, leaping up at its throat with open jaws and claws extended. The being simply moved to the side, Leon chomping down on nothing. Snapping his attention towards the litch, it raised its hand, forming a rapier out of decrepit bones and slashing at Leon, who jumped out of the way. "Bad dog... PLAY DEAD!" The litch shouted, sending out a telekinetic blast which caused Leon to fly back, crashing against a nearby boulder.

Whimpering, the werewolf began to shift back into his human form, the armor he was wearing still mostly intact despite the monstrous transformation. However, he remained unconscious, the litch slowly turning its attention to Kaven. "Your turn... I hope you will not disappoint me like your friend..." It hissed, clenching both fists around the rapier's hilt as he began a slow stride towards Kaven. "Tell me... How did it feel when I butchered your fellow vermin, knowing you couldn't do anything to save them?" A foul chuckle emerged from the litch's rotten lips.

As all of this was happening, the wendigo began a slow, weak stride towards Healin. 'My... My head... It is killing me... Please help...' She sent her thoughts to Healin. 'I do not wish to be here anymore... Please, break this curse... I beg of you!' She pleaded, suddenly crying out loud and falling to her knees. She gripped her heads, still crying out in pain as the litch seemed to be causing her some sort of pain using its foul magic. "Do your job, little Alisha. Do your job and destroy that pesky mage." It ordered. Alisha stood, snarling in a hateful fashion as she charged Healin. There was no humanity anymore... Only a beast that looked for blood.

Healin looked over as Leon was blasted back and fell to the ground, apparently unconscious, and as the litch turned to Kaven.  They knew that they needed to get over there and help them, but the wendigo was speaking.

"I do not know how to lift your curse," Healin sent, but their eyes narrowed as the litch sent orders to the wendigo, seemingly taking over the creature's mind.  The wendigo attacked, but Healin sidestepped and sent a blast of magic into the wendigo's back.  It was only to stun the creature, to knock it unconscious for the time being while Healin went to help Kaven and Leon.

Healin rushed towards the litch, they scooped a handful of stone dust and dirt from the ground, and whispering a string of arcane words, tossed the dust into the air.  A ball of power appeared between their hands, and they sent it blasting at the litch.  It was a very old and powerful magic, the blue power crackling as it sped towards the undead creature.

Kaven felt rage flare even hotter in his chest at the litches taunting. This undead scum-licker dared taunt him? His greatest friends, men he had known since he first joined the army had fallen, killed by this litches foul magic. Only Kaven and his best friend, Tuldar had survived, and even him without an arm. As these memories flashed through his head he noticed the litches arms, and the scars and burns on them. Then he remembered. The litch had a weakness, and it was hard to exploit then, anop probably even harder now. He turned to Healin and said
"Get Leon up or at least get me his sword! Its the only way we can beat the litch!" Then he turned to the litch and said "You could have killed me, but instead you kill my entire goddamn squad and cut me open. Now you DARE to mock them! Im going to finish what I started long ago!" His speech turned into a mindless battle cry as he charged the litch. He swung his sword in a deadly arc, and when the litch tried to parry he sheared right through the brittle bone sword, straight into the litch. But suddenly, it wasn't there. It was ten feet to Kavens left with a new sword, and a cut deep into its chest. Its skeletal face pulled back into a smile, but didnt say a word. They had both said their piece, and the time for words had passed. The litched stepped, and moved ten feet in an instant, and Kaven barely managed to parry and return a counter attack. The litched moved, adn swords clashed. Over and over, the litch attacked, Kaven blocked and returned a blow. Kaven was just stalling however, waiting for leon to get up, for already he felt himself tiring, and his end drawing near.

As the litch dodged Healin's magic, they looked over to where Leon lay, the beautiful sword near him.  Healin didn't want to take it from him, leaving him defenseless, but he was still out cold, apparently, and they needed the ancient sword.

When Kaven had told them to get it, they had immediately understood, so now Healin grabbed the sword.  Kaven was distracting the litch, but he was tiring.

Healin ran, silent, towards the litch, the undead monster's back to them, and despite the size of the sword in comparison to the mage, they swung it with expert precision at the litch's neck.

As their blades clashed together over and over, the litch's agression growing over time with each swing of the bone sword, he finally had Kaven backed up to the edge in no time, almost paying no mind to the cut in his chest. "You believe yourself to be some kind of hero, don't you!? A veteran of sorts! The man I once met on that fateful day is gone, however! You are no hero! You are a drunk! An unworthy bearer to the sword you wield! Unworthy of the air you breathe!!!" The words were shouted with pure malice as the litch twisted his sword around in a half-circle, quickly disarming Kaven before grasping around his throat and lifting him into the air.

"And now... I will take that breath straight from your worthless lungs... And use your own life to fuel the body you see before you. One worthy to bear a sword! One bustling with power and might!" He hissed, turning just in time to parry Healin and send the sword flying from their hands, right back to Leon's position, where it stabbed into the earth. He grasped Healin's throat as well, beginning to sap their strength just as Leon slowly woke from his unconscious state. Seeing the sight in front of him, the mercenary quickly cleared the cobwebs and looked around for the sword gifted to him by the priest in the village. Seeing it off to the side, he stood, yanking it from the earth and glaring right at the litch.

Once the undead monster finally realized that Leon was awake, it was too late. Leon sprinted straight at the litch, who dropped Kaven and Healin and immediately reached for his own blade in hopes of blocking Leon's attack. The wendigo was now awake as well, running at Leon with scythes at the ready in hopes of saving her master. Alas, the majestic blade went straight through the litch's abdomen, prompting a pained gasp from him. He looked down at the steel puncturing his skin in disbelief, black, vile blood oozing from the wound. Leon looked from the wound to the litch's eyes, An angry scowl on the lycan's face. "To Hell with you, monster..." Twisting the steel in the litch's wound, multiple groans of agony escaped his lips, Leon guiding him to the ledge and slowly letting him fall off.

The body smacked against either wall of rock on the way down, the loud crunches becoming softer and softer as bones broke against the hard stone. As soon as the litchwas out of sight, obscured by the fog, a loud thud was audible as it hit the ground. Panting, Leon looked back at the wendigo, which had frozen in place. Eyes wide, it fell onto its knees, then onto its front after the death of its creator. Leon looked on in confusion as the two heads, two sets of wings, deer legs, and vicious claws became ignited with a strange, red fire, burning away into ember and ash and blowing away in a sudden gust of air. What remained was a young girl with a full head of long, auburn hair, her skin deathly pale, reletively nothing covering her body except thin strips of cloth. Leon, eyes wide, slowly bent down to check on his comrades while keeping an eye on the girl the entire time.

Kaven knelt on the ground, trying to regain his breath and blink away the black spots in his eyes. He looked up and saw Leon, holding the beautiful sword, and simply said
"Kid, you did it. Good job." then stood up, walked over to the chasm and spat into it. Then sat down and massaged the bruises developing on his neck.

Leon rolled his eyes. After all this time, the old man was still calling him, 'kid.' He at least thought him saving the old man would boost his rank slightly. If not that, then maybe it would at least tempt him to start calling him by his name. Shaking his head, he kneeled close to Healin, helping them up and checking on them to make sure they were ok. It had been quite the long journey... Leon hated having friends of any nature, but unlike most, these two didn't seem to care much about his wolf-like nature, but rather, they embraced it. And even though he didn't like admitting it, Kaven really helped shape his character and fighting skills for the better.

Walking over to the girl, who he could only assume was the same girl that was forced to devour her own sister, he picked her up slowly. Blinking up at him, her body shaking like a leaf, she spoke her first words in many years. "Where... Am I?" Leon couldn't help but chuckle. "A rotting cave in the Draconi forest. Now let's get you out and back to your old man, shall we?" He asked. Her expression lit up, a smile crossing her face. "Papa... He's alive!?" He gave a nod. "Yes... And he misses you dearly."

She frowned, looking away in realization of her past sins. "My sister... I... I'm a monster..." She whimpered. Leon shook his head. "You were tricked and manipulated by a monster. Now, enough tears. I think it's time we celebrated, yeah? A big feast in your village. Word out to the rest of Adela that the litch of the labyrinth is no more. End the poverty in that miserable little hovel." He said, mostly to Healin and Kaven, who he smiled at for probably the first time. Letting the girl down, he looked for the exit of the cave, hoping that they'd be able to make their way out without issue.

As Leon and the girl, who took the lead, finally exited the cave, making their way through the wall of falling water, dawn had arrived. They were in there an entire day? Surely the village had lost hope by now... Well, a very nice surprise would be awaiting them. Leon gave a nod to her, trekking through the water until they reached the shore and cutting through the treeline to the village. As Leon and her approached the church, the priest was on the front porch, tilting a bottle of mead against his lips as he spotted them. Dropping the bottle with a stunned expression, he jumped up excitedly at the sight of his daughter, all grown up and no longer a foul wendigo. "My little girl... Thank the gods... Why did you leave!?" The priest's words were filled with both love and anger. But mostly love.

As the rest of the village came out of their homes and the inn at the sound of the commotion, they all ran over, spotting the familiar face of the priest's little girl. A huge celebration took place that day, until the early afternoon, people dancing, drinking, eating, and singing at the heroes' victory. Leon, Kaven, and Healin were all given their own special seats, watching the event happen as they were showered with gifts and praise from nearly every man, woman, and child in the village. After all, with the litch gone, the energy and life wouldn't be sapped from the populace anymore. Whenever the local baron brought his men through the streets, they would no longer have to worry about death's ugly hand residing over the village's people. It was a golden age for everyone, indeed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" The innkeeper shouted over the commotion, standing atop the long dining table as everyone quieted down. "Today, these three have freed us from the illness, weakness, and fear that Alisha of the Falls has brought to us all! That the apparent litch hiding right under our noses has brought to us all! Today, we witness a growth of our crops! A rebuilding of the foundations that made our village great! The foul presence of evil has been snuffed by the howl of the wolf today, and much like the howl of the wolf, the howl of the wind of victory will snuff out our dark days, leaving them to rot in the past where they belong!" He raised his tankard of mead up high, some of the beverage spilling out as the others cheered at his words. "A toast, to our heroes!"

As the festivities ended, Leon handing the magnificent sword back to its rightful owner, he took his sword and shield back from Kaven and got ready to head back to his home in the Thunderblacks. Turning to the two, he put his hands on their shoulders. "In the time I've known you both... I've grown as a person. Both in character, and strength. I could have never vanquished either beast without you. And this village would still be suffering if it wasn't for you two. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." The words he spoke were very unlike Leon. But he believed every bit of what he had said.

Turning to Kaven, he pulled something out of his rooksack. A bottle of wine, brewed by the dwarves. "The dwarves make a Hell of a wine, old man. And I know how you love your wine." He smiled. Turning to Healin, he pulled out a magical effigy, crafted from wyvern bones. "Something to suit a mage. I have no clue what it does, but I suppose you could figure it out." Beginning to walk away, he could hear the voice of the innkeeper not far off, calling his name. "Your... Your reward, sir! You nearly forgot!" In his hands rested a bag of coins. Quite heavy, from the looks of it. Leon thought to himself for a long time. Did he really need coin? After the adventure he had, with so much growth and just the feeling of being able to reunite a family and save a village from its own damnation... A reward such as this just felt unwanted.

Even though it hurt his heart to amount all of his hard work to nothing, Leon looked the man dead in the eyes and shook his head. "... Keep it." He said, his expression unreadable. And with that, he was off.

Healin was not really one for festivities, but they sat through them, the people apparently needed this hope, and it wouldn't be good for them if one of their newly announced 'heroes' just disappeared.

They were glad to have been able to reunite the little girl with her father, and to have rid the town of the litch's curse, after all, it was sort of their job to do this sort of thing, though they never really limited themselves to any particular occupation.

As the celebration was ending, Leon approached them, and his words were not usual for the man.  And while they were not completely expected, Healin could tell they were heartfelt, and they nodded.  "It was a great pleasure to work with both of you," they nodded to both Leon and Kaven.  I thank you as well."

When Leon gave Healin the magical item, they inclined their head in thanks. "I think I may know what it is, and I thank you again."

Then Leon began to leave, and Healin saw him refuse the money that the innkeeper offered, and while one could not see it, a smile graced Healin's face.  Thoguh it was concealed by their scarf, the sparkle in their eyes showed the satisfaction at seeing Leon finding that the reward of saving these people was reward enough.

Kaven had the best day of his life that evening. After an hour he had beaten everyone in the village at drinking games, except of course the blacksmith, who was a six foot tall mass of muscle who probably had been drinking since he was six.

After two hours Kaven decided it was a good idea two wrestle him. The end result was a bunch of farmers dying of laughter and a concussion for Kaven. Then the vomiting began.

Kaven tried to walk into a nearby alley, but stumbled and threw up on somebody's doorstep instead. Then the cycle of chugging alcohol and unpleasantly removing it from his stomach lasted until the speeches.

Kaven missed most of what the innkeeper had to say as he was under a table, gagging his guts out. But when Leon approached him he sobered immediately. He tried to stand up with dignity, but instead he stumbled dizzily to his feet.

After Leon finished saying his piece, Kaven simply said slowly and precisely
"Well Leon. You have become someone to be proud of. You will go far, and I cant wait to see it happen." Then he smiled and turned to Healin. "I honestly dont know anything about you or who you are, so I will just wish you luck comrade."

When Leon gave Kaven the wine he smiled and said " I got a gift for you too." Then he reached under the table and pulled out the dragonsteel longsword. "You are the only one here that can use the damn thing. It deserves better than gathering dust in a church." Kaven was about to take a swig of the wine but suddenly said "Oh! I almost forgot! That sword needs a name, and its up to you what it is." Then he took a drink.