Obsidian had left the cabin sometime before dawn, alerted by something which had brought on a strange feeling of dread within her. Despite the danger, she made up her mind to go check it out as the feeling would not dissipate no matter how much she tried to focus otherwise. And it was with this compelling urge inside her, that the moon elf had reluctantly gotten up and exited the small cabin, closing the door quietly behind her so as not to wake anyone.
Outside, the morning was steadily approaching, the soft rays of light beginning to show itself more and more as the minutes passed. Following only a vague sense of wrongness, Obsidian soon found herself on a path she hadn't recalled seeing before. The dirt path was narrow and led fairly straight before cutting off abruptly in front of a small wooded area. However the feeling of dread was so strong now that Obsidian began to feel sick to her stomach at the intense waves of unease which flowed through her. Taking a few deep breaths, she stepped forward once and looked around her, trying to find the source of her discomfort.
Soon, a figure approached. The first things that Obsidian noticed were this figure was covered from head to toe in black robes, a hood covering his (or her) features. The other immediate thing she noticed was a strange dark purplish-magenta light emanating from the person's hands, holding their hands out as though searching for something. The figure continued on slowly like this, testing each new area with this odd magic light. As the figure drew ever nearer, the moon elf could feel a palpable sense of evil emanating from the person whoever or whatever it was. The aura was now more detectable and became even more so as the person continued walking, the dark magenta-purple light harboring a darkness inside which no light should rightly possess.
Suddenly the figure stopped and looked sharply in Obsidian's direction. The lunar mage had been so focused on the newcomer and the dread she felt, she hadn't thought to hide herself in shadow with her magic until it was too late. The feeling of dread intensified as the figure stared straight at her, dark hood of blackness revealing nothing, yet Obsidian could feel eyes boring into her so deep that it felt as though the figure was staring straight into her very soul. And Obsidian very much did not like the feeling at all. She stared straight back at it, trying to remain calm and unafraid, but with little success. The strange light at the creature's side brightened momentarily before it went out in a flash. Shortly after that, the figure spoke, its voice oddly androgynous and gravelly. She could not tell if it were male or female as it spoke in a threatening tone to the moon elf before it.
"You." the figure spoke that one word, and Obsidian felt her insides twist in fear. "I heard about you." It continued to stare unnervingly at the moon elf before speaking again. "A thorn in my master's side you are. What shall I do with you, I wonder? After all, can't have you meddling in his affairs, now can I?"
Obsidian remained rooted to the spot, all senses telling her to run but she found her feet firmly stuck where they were, as though this creature had the power to freeze her in place. She couldn't move one bit and so continued to stare uncomfortably at the ominous robed figure. All she could gather with her scattered thoughts was the thing before her must be in league with the forces she saw in her moon vision. All other coherent thoughts fell by the wayside, finding she couldn't even speak at that moment. So all she could do was stare helplessly as the person lifted an arm, clawed fingers barely visible underneath the sleeve of its robe, pointed at her and muttered an incantation in a speech so dark and vile Obsidian could barely breathe.
A daze of fog surrounded her and she found her elven eyesight couldn't pierce through its misty haze so it had to be not a normal fog, which of course was obvious from the start that it wasn't. The moon elf was mildly aware of the creature starting to mutter another incantation before it stopped suddenly as though distracted by something. She couldn't hear it move away but she certainly sensed that it had, the aura becoming fainter as it tried to follow its new lead. The fog remained in place for what seemed like hours, but was probably only several minutes at best.
Soon, the disorienting effect dissolved and Obsidian could see clearly again. However the creepy figure was nowhere to be seen and Obsidian feared for her companions as she strongly suspected it went after them now. She couldn't help but feel relief at the fact that her life had been spared, even if it wasn't intentional but she was still alive regardless. Slowly her strength began to return, the coldness which had permeated her being fading away more and more as the vile stranger left the vicinity. Moving her fingers and toes, she began to walk quickly back to the cabin, intent on alerting the others of the danger they now faced. That is, unless the creature got there first.
Her walk soon hastened into an all-out sprint as she hurriedly tried to make her way back before anything happened. She soon made it back to the cabin, Obsidian had all intents and purposes of running inside to warn her comrades and gracious host when she noticed the cabin door ajar and the sounds of yelling and shouting coming from the river. Without sparing a glance inside, the moon elf rushed off toward the river, her heart heavy in her chest as she did.
What she wasn't expecting was to be delayed by a bear. Obsidian stopped suddenly and froze as the animal snarled viciously at her. She wasted no time and dashed over to a tree where the shadows pooled more heavily and shrouded herself in her magic. The bear, now not being able to see the tall biped anywhere sniffed the air angrily for a while trying to figure out just where she was, before finally giving up in a huff as it stalked over to a grove of trees some ways away from her position.
Obsidian had already begun to move toward the river again, trying to locate her companions whose shouts she clearly heard. Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she continued to make her way steadily so as not to alert the bear or any other enemies in the area. She could not afford to be delayed again. She couldn't! Pushing past some branches and leaves in her way, Obsidian finally made it to the river and spotted a boat up ahead, several yards away. She did not see the sinister figure anywhere but she did see her companions Liri and John as they struggled with the boat and rushing current of the river.
Opening up her bag, she withdrew a rope and quickly jogged over to where they were, reappearing again from the shadows, the meager cover the trees provided quickly dissipating as she shrugged off the magic darkness like a cloak and yelled to them over the roar of the rapids, "Here! Grab this!" And she unfurled the rope quickly, tossing it their way, praying to the moon goddess Nephril that they would not get washed over board and drown. So far the bear seemed to not pay them any attention, but Obsidian's mind was focused on the safety of her companions now, all thoughts of the bear pushed to the back burner.
Meanwhile, a furious hawk sat overhead in the highest branches of a tree nearby, watching the whole spectacle unfold in extreme agitation. The mysterious cloaked figure and Osgald were nowhere to be seen, while the hawk just glared angrily down at the trio as it contemplated what its next move should be.
