Shadow over Gerelden IC

[DormantEvil]

With a small smile, Yurioni watched as the wolf rejoined his 'Masters' side. Not disappointed in missing out on the chance to give it a pat. It worried her not to know he hadn't wanted it. So she moved on without showing any sign of sadness. A simple nod and tilt of the head showed her acceptance of the creatures rejection. Turning to walk alongside them, she stayed a few meters to the side. Keeping enough distance as to not cause them, or herself discomfort.

They reached a rise in the land not soon after, and paddocks and forests lay to both sides of the path. Which narrowed slightly. Another sign indicated a town lay down the well worn road, but that Ruins of Fort Handrel were down the less worn and partially overgrown track.

Looking up at the sky she noted the gray clouds that seemed to be rolling in from the south west. From the city. The rays of rain that the sun shone through showed they might have to expect a shower within the hour.

Pulling her hood up again, she turned her attention to the surrounding land. Listening and 'feeling' if any eyes watched on. To her the narrow path felt like the perfect ambush point. But it wasn't a high traffic route, but the voice had not specified if resistance awaited them on this journey.

Turning to Zelthuros, Yurioni spoke softly. As there was no noise around to make it difficult to hear.

"If we encounter trouble, you are capable?"

She assumed so. This undead and companion seemed like a good team.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

"Angel. Angel Blackwing." she greeted with a smile, but stopped when she realized he couldn't see.

She walked for a while longer. She knew the way, but his blindless wouldn't help if they ran into trouble. She remembered a spell that might help him. Maybe.

"I can try to mend your eyesight...if you wish." she offered.

She stopped and looked over to him, waiting his reply.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Zelthuros walked calmly next to the woman, a foot or two seperating them. When they came to the path towards Fort Handrel, they stopped. Zelthuros leaned on his longbow casually. It was a habit of his. He looked to the rain clouds and then over to the woman, who had pulled her hood up.

"We are." he replied simply to her question.

There was no need for an overuse of words. He felt that Yurioni thought much the same.

Zelthuros and Shadow led the way into onto the path. His eyes scanned every shadow. Every movement was noted. He paused briefly and looked. Shadow breathed in the scents around him. He looked to Zelthuros and actually nodded at him. The way was clear. For now, at least. What resided at Fort Handrel remained to be seen.

Zelthuros started to walk again. He continued looking forward as he spoke.

"I am Zelthuros." he introduced himself.

"And this is Shadow." he said with a gesture at the wolf.

He walked for a few moments before stopping and turning to Yurioni. He had a nagging suspicion ever since the tavern incident. That wasn't a human's name, nor a human's abilities. And that kind of fire wasn't a mage's fire.

"You are a fire elemental." he said simply.

He looked at her and waited the confirmation.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

"Angel Blackwing..."

He chuckled,

"Why does it sound like I have bumped into an elf? In that case I am your responsibility."

Laughing softly he shook his head,

"My eyesight is returning, slowly, but returning, we could try the spell if you wish, but it should take a few more moments before I can see properly. You know what? I think we should try that spell, if we run into more guards they will spit me like a pig on a skewer."

 

[DormantEvil]

Chuckling as he identified her being, she nodded and simply acknowledged he was correct. "Indeed I am, Zelthuros. You are well travelled to have guessed."

Stopping to stand in the middle of the path after having followed behind them at their pace, Yurioni stood quietly. Sensing by both of their relaxed nature, and her own instincts that they were safe for the moment.

"Although...considering I was created as a true fire elemental, I have lost the ability to use the fullness of my powers. This body you see, which I am trapped in, could not survive through it. It would be nothing more than ash. Whether I survive or not is left to be seen if that happens...I have yet to risk it."

Looking around them, the first scent of rain drifted on the wind. She disliked rain. Although that was not uncommon. It made creating fire difficult, but not impossible. But it worked fast to quell the flames she gathered, hence reducing the effectiveness of attacks.

Walking on again, she remained closer to both of them now that the path narrowed even more and the forest seemed to move in on them. Very few passed this way. Though the ground was littered with the tracks of deer and boar. Scrapings on trees also indicated some called this patch of forest their territory.

"Hopefully we will arrive at the ruins before the rain sets in..."

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Zelthuros nodded slowly. She had only confirmed what he already knew. At least she was honest about it. Some spirits are...untrustworthy. He was actually curious that she hadn't commented on the scent of death that followed himself and Shadow. It easily identified them to those who could recognize it. Not many did, for the undead were very few and far inbetween.

Zelthuros became very aware of the heat that seemed to radiate off of Yurioni as she walked closer to him. He got the feeling they might settle into a degree of...what was the word..?

Friendship?

It sounded foreign and alien just thinking about it. He didn't have friends. But maybe that was supposed to change.

No. It wouldn't.

He would never trust people. But this...Yurioni...seemed trustworthy. Zelthuros could see that Shadow didn't walk quite as far away from Yurioni as he use to do. He was calmer aroudn her. As was himself. He found himself back to his normal calm.

"The ruins are just around the next bend, if memory serves." he said in his usual low voice.

They stepped around the next corner and Zelthuros felt his arm brush along her's due to the tight path. It was an interesting feeling. A warmth he was not accustomed to. It was a...good feeling.

There were the ruins. And ruins was just the right word. Crumbling pillars, stone thrown about like some child's playtoy, and then the fort itself in the middle of it all. Zelthuros and Shadow walked on, noting every escape route and hiding place as well as the places for a good ambush. Shadow sniffed the air. Nothing he could smell of sense. And a long eyesight is also very good. They both had quite a range and quality of eyesight.

It started a rather heavy downpour once they left the woods. It was almost twenty minutes of walking through the downpour before they reached the shelter of the fort itself. Zelthuros stepped inside, followed by Shadow and Yurioni. He looked down at his clothes.

Blasted rain.

He looked over to Yurioni.

"Would you mind?" he asked politely.

He was referring to his clothes as well as hers. He was asking if she could dry them off.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

She smiled.

"So I am. You don't seem to mind." she observed.

She sat him down in the grass gently, then sat in front of him crosslegged.

"Try and relax." she murmured into his ear and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, half straddling him.

It was an interesting thing about her abilities. To use her blood magic, she had to be embracing her subject, or something similar to an embrace.

She started to whisper in the languages of old, pulling forces long since resting to her. Her blood started to cool in her veins, and Grimlock's started to heat up.

If she were him, she would hear her ears pop and then a bright flash behind her eyes.

As it was, her own body bucked against his and she gasped as a sharp pain drove through her. She always paid some kind of price for using her blood magic.

His skin felt hot against hers, and she was sure it was an opposite effect on him. She breathed softly and leaned her body against his.

"You should...have your eyesight...back...in a moment..." she whispered, and almost passed out against him.

Something had really messed with his eyesight to take this much to heal them. What it was, she did not know. She sighed and leaned into him further. It had been so long since she had been this close to another being...

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

Years of knighthood training allowed him to obey her orders, he felt her sit on him and then it started. It felt like his blood was boiling, but he didn't utter a sound as the coolness of her body was a beacon to hold on to. Suddenly there was a popping sound and he realized that it came from inside his ears and another bright flash rocked his world.

"You should...have your eyesight...back...in a moment..."

He heard that she was strained and felt her lean against him, his armor preventing him from feeling anything beyond that. He opened his eyes and found that his vision had returned and it felt like his vision have never been this good before. He looked down at the elf and smiled, she was pretty even for an elf, he heard confused shouts and the rattling of armor. Gathering her in his arms he got to his feet, holding her tightly against him as he flicked the hood over his head and hobbled off with the gait of a cripple, slipping away unseen and heading for Fort Handrel. The clouds that have been building up finally unleashed their burden and he made sure to cover Angel as well as he kept moving, not sure how long the after effect of her spell would last.

 

[DormantEvil]

As they moved into the cover of the fort, she lowered her hood almost instinctively to take in her surroundings. But also because they no longer had to walk with rain pouring down. She shivered and shook her body like Shadow might, before looking over herself in disgust. She was more a cat than a dog, as they didn't dislike water as much as she did.

"Would you mind?"

Her expression was one of confusion for a moment as she raised her face to see what he was talking about.

And after a few silent moments of thinking he wanted a hug, or some sort of sexual favor she looked between Shadow and Zelthuros. Finally waking up to the fact they wanted to be dried off, she laughed at her own confusion. But the laugh seemed odd, like she didn't do it much or had it confused with some other emotion.

"I'll see what I can do."

Stepping in, she knelt down and put her arms around Shadow slowly. Keeping them off his fur, she lowered her gaze and bowed her head. Soon her body began to pulse heat. Waves quickly drying the fur to make it stick up and fluff like it normally would. He might have a slightly dry nose, but he could lick it himself. She wouldn't do that for him. Passing her hands around his body, she was like a human hair dryer.

Stepping back again she moved over to do the same thing to Zelthuros. Moving in to stand only a foot off his chest, her arms spreading out. One hand hovered beside his head, the other moved down his opposite arm. He would also feel the pulsing of heat, more intense though since he had more to dry. It would hit him in waves.

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Zelthuros watched as her face showed a sense of confusion. He tilted his head slightly then as she laughed. It was in interesting sound. She must not be used to it.

Then again, what would his laugh sound like? He hadn't laughed since he found that Shadow had come back to life with him. A laugh of joy.

That had been the happiest moment of his life. Of either of his lives. Learning that his best companion and friend had come back with him.

Shadow sat entirely still as Yurioni put her arms around him and started to dry off his fur. She sat back, finished, and he licked his nose. He didn't like it when he had a dry nose.

Zelthuros then watched as Yurioni walked up to him and put her arms around him. He was half tempted to step back immediately, but instead just placed his hand on one of his sword hilts. He felt the heat coming off of her in strong waves.

She was close. Much closer than he allowed anyone else. Her chest was less than a foot from his. He stood completely still, however, and let her finish. Any other being might have felt slightly awkward at such close proximity, but they were not any other being.

He looked to her once she had finished and nodded at her.

"We appreciate it." he said to her as a sort-of thanks.

He hadn't asked to be dried off out of discomfort. Something in the rain seemed to be...off. This rain was different than any other. It wasn't a natural rain, and had been intended to harm.

"You sense it as well, do you not?" he asked, referring to the rain.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel felt rather dizzy as Grimlock picked her up and started to move away with her. She didn't mind him carrying her, but once she recovered she would walk on her own. Her pride didn't allow any more than that. It started to rain, and the rain turned into a heavy downpour. After the first few drops hit her she knew something was off. Something was wrong with this rain.

She moved her hands slightly and whispered a few words. The air above them solidified and more or less sheltered them from the rain.

Not long afterwards they arrived at Fort Handrel, and they entered into the main tower ruins. There was a pair of humanoid looking figures, and then a wolf sitting next to them.

The woman had her arms around the man and they stood very close together. Lovers of some sort? Sure seemed like it.

Angel looked up to Grimlock, still laying in his arms.

"Thanks." she whispered, and then stood on her own.

She noticed the the air above them was still solidified into a solid disk. She reached up, shrunk it down to a smaller size, grabbed it, and twirled it in her fingers. She looked to the embracing pair and then back at Grimlock.

"You didn't tell me your friends were together." she said to him, unintentionally loud enough for the pair to hear her as she spoke over the rain.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He looked at the other two and grinned,

"If they are, I had no idea. I have seen the male in the marketplace and was curious about him, he interested my horse as well so I had to find out who and what he is."

He watched as she played with the disk what seemed to be made out of air, maybe he could learn something from her.

"I will have to retrieve him, without Kelt you can say that I am sure not to go anywhere."

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Zelthuros looked to his right at the pair entering the ruins. One was the human from before, in the tavern. The other was a woman, and a curious one at that. She twilred a disk of solidified air in her fingers and said something to the man.

Zelthuros caught it over the sound of the rain. Lovers? He looked back over to Yurioni. Is this what lovers did? He left it as her choice. It might make a good cover.

He blinked and then looked down to Shadow. The wolf seemed to shrug and pressed his snout into Zelthuros's palm. He gave him a pat before turning to the new pair.

"You were called as well?" he asked.

He was never one for talking more than need be.

A horse? Hadn't he seen a horse in one of the other ruins on their way in? He thought he did.

At any rate, going out in that...rain...didn't seem like such a good idea. What was a good idea was going through the underground passage to the tower just outside the next settlement.

It was part of an old escape route for the lord of this ruin, before it had become a ruin, of course. The passage was still intact. Zelthuros and Shadow knew it well, for they had traveled by it several times. They like to know every path to where they were trying to go. Four hundred years of wandering helped in that respect.

It had been quite some time since they had been in those tunnels, however. He had head of goblins being seen around this area. Maybe they had moved into that tunnel? Time would tell.

 

[DormantEvil]

The new arrivals caused Yurioni to turn her body towards them, lowering her arms underneath her cloak as if reserving herself. Maybe it was also slight embarrassment. She had not taken a lover who had recovered from the 'intensity' of her passion in many years. Once she had bedded with a human who had been infatuated with her vessel since before the joining. Their first attempt had him scolded before more than one or two items of clothing were removed. He had spent years investing all his work and money into charms and spells of fire resistance after that. But it had not saved him from the power unleashed during her climax. Enough to boil the blood, and incinerate the flesh, and barely within her control of doing much worse. There was also the lack of breathable oxygen left in the small room they had inhabited. He had died. She had moved on. A short relationship spoiled by the fragile nature of his human form. A rather grotesque reminder left for her to remember the next time.

Lovers? Perhaps. But Zelthuros would pay the price in most cases. Unless he had some way around taking damage from fire.

After judging the new comers, Yurioni turned back to her friend.

"You sense it as well, do you not?"

Nodding in agreement, she sniffed the air. For now the rain seemed set in, perhaps in an hour it might pass by. Then they could continue the journey, now stronger. Yurioni wondered how many others would be arriving, too many and moving across the land would be problematic. Too few, and she wondered if they would be enough to fight against whatever they were destined for.

Either way, victory or death would be honorable. That was all she cared about.

"I suggest we wait here until the rain passes over. It will also give us a chance to rest and swap information. To fill in any gaps, and contemplate a reason behind such a summoning."

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel blinked and her gaze shifted from Grimlock to the woman. She had lowered her arms from the other man and hid them in her cloak, seeming almost embarrassed. Well, they did seem to know eachother. Maybe they were in a relationship, like she thought.

"Don't be ashamed of it." she said to the other woman with a smile.

She took her disk and, with a flick of the wrist, threw it out into the rain like a frisbee. She muttered a word and it returned to its previous gaseous state. She turned back and laid her eyes on the wolf sitting next to the man's side. Something about it was different from other wolves she had seen before.

Angel turned back to Grimlock.

"We'll get your horse, don't worry." she said to him with a small smile.

A sudden bout of dizzyness hit her and she stumbled into him. She held onto him to prevent herself from falling again.

"Sorry." she murmured.

Angel looked over to the woman as she spoke. It was a sound idea, but the elf didn't quite like the way the air felt outside. Being outside no longer seemed...safe.

"It's a good idea, but I don't like how the outside feels."

She shuddered slightly against Grimlock.

"Someone doesn't want us traveling by the roads."

She blinked again and looked to each of them. Just what had she gotten herself into?

Whatever it was, she got the odd feeling that she was supposed to be here.

"I think introductions are in order?" she said in a cheerful note.

She turned her gaze to each of them, including the wolf so as to treat it as an equal.

"I'm Angel Blackwing." she said with a smile.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

He helped the elf to steady herself again and listened to the comments.

"I take that we were all called here for a reason, as for this strange storm..."

He shrugged,

"Maybe we should wait for a spell, see if more are to join us and if not find another way to travel."

He shook some of the water from his gauntlets,

"I am Grimlock, the King's champion and by the looks of it now a renegade."

 

[LeoHawk35]

Elsewhere
Loghain watched as the clouds continued to rain down on the land around Detrol, extending for several miles around the entire city. He turned his gaze to look at the circle of people standing around a statue deep within the castle grounds. The king's own personal mages. The rain would keep them from traveling.

Or so he thought.

A messenger strode up to him, short of breath.

"Captain, sir, the warrants have been issued and descriptions dispersed." he stated.

Loghain smiled cruelly.

"Good." he said to the man, and then waved him off.

The warrants were actually bounties on the heads of the few that had escaped the tavern burning. There were accurate descriptions of the clothing and physical appearance of each of them from the last time they were sighted. Names were also given for all but three: Yurioni, Zelthuros, and Shadow.

In truth, they were still trying to find out just who they were.


Zelthuros
Zelthuros watched the pair calmly. The female, Angel Blackwing, was an elf by looks as well as name. Though without that name she looked human enough. The male, Grimlock, did seem familiar to him. He had seen him at the tavern when it burned. He had also been the one to ask about Zelthuros.

Well, he found him.

At any rate, Zelthuros nodded at each of them as they introduced themselves. And what might the King's Champion have been doing in such a place as the tavern?

Zelthuros walked calmly over to the entryway just at the point where the rain couldn't quite touch. He closed his eyes and listened.

The trees. They sounded different. They groaned under this rain. And the rain...it didn't sound like rain when it hit the ground.

He opened his eyes and turned back to the group. He walked back over to stand next to Yurioni, Shadow following at his side as always.

He still hadn't introduced himself. He wondered if he should. Probably.

"My name is Zelthuros." he said simply.

He gestured to his wolfish companion.

"This is Shadow."

He hadn't given their titles. The names alone would likely tie them together.

Zelthuros, Ranger of the Far Reaches.
Shadow, the Dragonheart.
The Dark Ones.​

It was said that they were only legends. That they had died hundreds of years ago.

But Legends never die.

They were given several hundred years ago. Everyone thought they were dead. Zelthuros and Shadow wanted to keep it that way.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel blinked and watched the man almost seem to listen to the outside world. Could he really understand what it was saying? She shook her head and glanced over to Grimlock as he spoke. The King's Champion? She hadn't known that he had named a new one. Why was the King's Champion now a renegade?

The man introduced himself as well as his wolf. Zelthuros and Shadow.

Angel frowned.

Why did those names seem familiar...

Comprehension dawned in her mind.

Are they..?

The Dark Ones.

She didn't want to believe it at first. But after watching them for a short while, she realized they might well be. The man certaintly fit the description always given of Zelthuros. Tall, cold, quiet, and with a dangerous aura about him. Then the wolf. Same thing. And the way they seemed to orient around eachother. The way those eyes seemed to take them in coolly.

They had to be. But they had died hundreds of years ago...

How could they have come back?

She decided not to mention it. Zelthuros hadn't given their titles, so she assumed there was a reason to it. The Ranger of the Far Reaches and the Dragonheart. If they really were who they said they were, which they really hadn't, she would have to ask where those names came from.

Until then, she would deal. The others would recognize the names just as she had. Everyone had heard the Legends of them.

Angel turned to the as of yet unnamed woman. She smiled at her.

"And who might you be?" she asked with a warm note.

She always got along well with people.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

The door to the tavern was suddenly kicked in and dozens of armed guards streamed in. Thankfully, the guards paused long enough to declare a death sentence on everyone in the tavern before they started lopping off heads, giving Jager enough time to flip the hood of his cloak up and grab the bottle of Belvarian ale from the counter (no sense letting such a fine drink go to waste) before dashing upstairs to find an good exit to escape from. Jager’s still inebriated mind told him that if he were to take a running dive out one of the windows, he’d be able to clear whatever perimeter the guards had setup outside, so that’s what he did. Or at least tried to do.

Just as Jager was leaping to get through a still closed window, he was enveloped in a flash of light and vanished.

He woke up some time later to find himself face first in the dirt, but it didn’t take Jager long to realize that he wasn’t outside the tavern. No, a quick look around revealed that he was inside some ruins, perhaps the ruins of Fort Handrel. How he knew what ruins these were, Jager wasn’t sure. Nor was he sure how or why he got there. What he was sure of was that one, it was raining outside, and two, he was sober, although the how was still a mystery; he couldn’t have been out that long.

As Jager sat on a chunk of rock, watching and listening to the rain, and feeling the air around him, he pulled out what appeared to be a long tube from within his cloak, about as long as his forearm; it turned out to be a rather intricately designed wooden flute, the style of which was rather uncommon in this region, or any region for that matter.

Unaware of the small group of people in a nearby section of the ruins, Jager put the flute to his lips and began to play. It was a low, haunting tune that he played, one that seemed to perfectly mirror the feel of the rain and the air around him. It captured the essence of the rain, the historic feel of the ruins, and the patient nature of the surrounding forest, and communicated those themes through the music to create images within the minds of listeners.

The musical talent that Jager displayed was a trait among the mysterious Mori elves that allowed them to listen to and feel the world around them, then creating music that recreated that world within the minds of listeners like a painting done by a master artist. The music always changed, was never the same, but if a Mori elf spent enough time in one area, listening and playing, he could take the common themes and recreate that music anywhere, allowing others who listened to visit those faraway lands.

This musical talent was a mystery often written off as simply the work of a very good musician, much like how the existence of the Mori elves was written off as nothing more than an old tale, even by other elves.

So, Jager sat and played, closing his eyes and letting the music flow.

 

[DormantEvil]

The air inside the ruins was cold, for her it was uncomfortably so. But the others, apart from the other woman in the group didn't seem to mind it. But again, it would not pay to come down with a cold and die so soon. Looking around the small stone walled dwelling that now lay half in ruins, Yurioni spotted a corner where a plant had tried to grow. The tree looked as though it had been dead for quite some time. With a deep breath, she concentrated for a quick moment before throwing a small fireball towards it. Once it hit the dry wood it ignited, and began to burn. Heating the inside of the ruin.

Moving forward, she held out an arm for Angel Blackwing. Who although mostly dry seemed to be suffering from the rain more than the others. Perhaps she did need to dry off more, or at least feel warmth in her bones.

"My name is Yurioni, and I ask you to join me by the fire to dry off. Your friend as well, there is no need to stand so close to the door when you are chilled. Are you ill?"

Yurioni had an odd sense of helping people, sometimes she looked at a person and left them to their own deaths due to their own weakness. Other times she would help the most weak of people. This time she saw a weakness in the group she wanted healthy for when they began their journey again. But she hid her reasoning with a smile, and offered her services if need be.

Unknown to her, music played in another part of the ruins, perhaps keener ears would pick up on the soft tune that seemed to fit perfectly with their surroundings.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel gave the woman a small smile to show she appreciated it.

"It's good to meet you. No, I am not ill. It just took a bit of strength to cure Grimlock here of his blindness." she explained.

She took the offered arm and allowed Yurioni to lead her to the fire. Something had felt off about that fire, though. It didn't feel like the fire she could conjure.

She was also aware of the heat that seemed to emanate from Yurioni's body.

Interesting.

She turned to Grimlock and waved him over to join them. She glanced over at Zelthuros and Shadow, still standing at the door.

Angel blinked and looked over to Yurioni.

"Don't care if your lover freezes?" she asked, genuinely curious.

She looked down into the fire, watching it sway to and fro. Fire had always interested her, but it wasn't her specialty. She glanced back to Yurioni, waiting her reply.

 

[DormantEvil]

Leading Angel to the fire, she pulled a square stone over for her to sit on. Before gathering a few more to set around the fire for the others. So it was due to using magic that this woman was weakened. That was a good sign. What type of magic, Yurioni would like to know.

"You cured his blindness? Was he always blind, you have a rare gift in that case. Or was it just a side effect you healed."

At the mention of Zelthuros, Yurioni glanced over to the two figures standing at the door. Without thinking so much about her answer she replied. "I can warm him if he becomes too cold, it is not an effort I mind."

Looking back towards the fire, she felt her eyes sparkle. The glimmers of flame seeming to connect deep down inside her soul, her life long companion. Her whole. She felt closer to it than any other, even the vessel she inhabited. It was her.

"What do you know of these ruins? Of the voice?"

 

[LeoHawk35]

Zelthuros

Zelthuros stood by the entryway, watching the rain puddle on the ground. Shadow sat next to him, neither so much as moving. Zelthuros wondered what this rain really was. No normal rain, surely. It could be a conjured rain, of course. Perhaps sent by the Knight-Captain? Loghain was the name, he believed. Must be very desperate to catch their group. He wondered why that was. He looked down to Shadow, who had cocked his head slightly.

Shadow blinked and listened. What was that? A soft sound over the rain. Very soft. He looked up to Zelthuros and gestured in the direction of the noise with his snout and stood.

Zelthuros nodded and drew an arrow from the quiver across his back. He laid it on the string of his longbow before following Shadow out into the rain. He paused before stepping into the downpour to hold up a closed fist over his shoulder, the hand signal for hold. He stepped into the rain and followed Shadow, moving to the next set of ruins over. A wall connected the building they were heading towards and the one where the rest of the party remained.

They slipped through the partially collapsed entryway and immediately noted the elf playing some sort of music. It reflected the immediate area around them perfectly. Interesting. It tugged on a memory from some time ago, but he couldn't quite remember...

At any rate, Zelthuros stayed in the entryway, a decent distance from the man, with Shadow at his side. Of course, it could be said that the man was an elf, judging by the appearance. That, and no human can play music like what he was playing. What he could hear over the rain, anyway. Shadow looked up at Zelthuros, and then turned his silver gaze back to the elf.

Shadow could taste the scent of an elf on him. But it was different than that of Angel, the elf in the other set of ruins. A scent he had noted before. But only twice before.

Zelthuros kept his eyes on the elf, and did not remove the arrow from his longbow. It couldn't be said whether he was ally or foe quite yet. Considering he was dry, he had gotten here without going through the rain. That meant either he got here beforehand...

Or he teleported here. Or was teleported by another being.

Zelthuros picked out a few details that seemed familiar. This was another of the few from the tavern. The one with the expensive, and stolen, drink. Odd that he didn't seem to be drunk at all now. Not even the least bit tipsy, it would seem. Very interesting.

Zelthuros and Shadow waited, watching the elf and betraying no emotions with their faces or body language.

One of the many good things of living for over four hundred years was being able to hide your emotions.

 

[AngelLightheart]

Angel Blackwing

Angel smiled shyly with blush.

"Oh."

She cleared her throat.

"I see."

She glanced over to Yurioni. She was rather blunt, wasn't she?

"I suppose you could warm him up if you wished..."

She blinked and the thought of the two of them in bed flashed into her mind, and then left just as quickly as she tore it from her mind.

Not something she wanted to think on.

Much.

She turned her gaze over to Zelthuros, and was startled to realize neither he nor Shadow were there. She tilted her head slightly in confusion, but turned back to Yurioni anyway. He wouldn't leave his lover, anyway.

"I know nothing of these ruins. I'm new to the area, actually. A travelling bard. Same with the voices. I bumped into the gallant knight here on my way to Detrol. Literally bumped into him."

She paused and blushed slightly at the memory, but continued regardless.

"He was ailed by some sort of curse. Strong magic. Old magic. It took quite a bit of my strength to cure him of it."

She purposefully skirted around how she had accomplished such a feat. She didn't like spreading around her abilities. They were...unseemly.

To others, anyway.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Grimlock

"Well getting barged over by an iron juggernaut can't really be seen as bumped, but she did do me a favor, I think I actually owe her my life, if I was found there, I would have been either killed or captured for treason."

He motioned with his head in the direction that the hooded man and wolf went, he could sense that something was different about the pair, they were far from normal.

"They went that way, he motioned for us to stay here. Being the human of our little group, I find it wise not to anger any of you, so I will stick to what I know and that is being a knight. Now if you ladies will excuse me..."

He stepped back towards the entrance, keeping a vigil. They probably didn't need anybody to stand guard for them, but he just felt like the only able bodied man that could do it, so he did it. He pulled his hood back over his head, partly to keep out the damp cold, but it also prevented any light to reflect off of him from the fire. From the feel of it, they weren't going to get followed on foot, but that didn't mean that an attack would not come. His hand felt itchy, it longed for his sword, but he didn't draw it, for too long non-humans have been threatened by man so his companions might not see it as a good thing if he drew his sword.