Post by SwitchKun on Aug 5, 2008 12:36:16 GMT -6
((This thread was completed by many different authors.))
A long time ago many people were on a journey to stop evil once and for all. Out of all of their fiends, one was twisted by fate. He gained the sacred power through evil ways and betrayed his friends and they one by one died. Except one, who ran into a cave to try and gain enough power to destroy the traitor. It failed and he died while gaining magical powers. The cave was huge and when the traitor was done with his work, he was killed by his employers. The body was through into the cave and the tears of the dead moved through the cave and cursed it.
After many years had passed many explorers tried to get to the center of the cave, but all failed in the attempt. One of these was the great Marisa Gerrat, who was the mystic queen of the water, and with her, the crest of water was burried.
The water is slowly dying and the people are shrouded in darkness. The old souls who cursed the cave now guard the last of our water supply, as a group of rebels set out to destroy the seeds of evil placed so long ago...
Cyania was looking at the poster. It had a picture of a man dying the streets, 'donate water' Cyania shook her head. The lands were dying and the taverns were even closing down. "I am so tired, but I need water, my magic will drain my health." She sat down and cried, for she feared that her life would soon end.
Kieran walked through the town. He used his semces to guide him.
Cyania was full of woe, she sat in the very dusty town. Her inate magic was draining, and thus her life force was depleting. She stumbled on the dirt road and tripped and skined her expossed knees and elbows.
Kieran heard someone fall. he rushed over to where he heard the noise "are you alright?" he asked the unknown person
Lep looked up when he saw another person trip and fall infront of him, "Hello? Nice day to trip and fall?" He joked, sitting on his knee's he offered a hand to help the girl up.
Cyania was surprised that so many kind people were about to help her in a time of need. "I feel weak, thats all." She replied trying not to show her true weakness.
"So do I, I don't suppose..." Lep began whilst picking her up, then cut off, "No you wouldn't. Don't worry."
Kieran looked at the two people. (wel as good as look as he could) and held out a water skin "One of my last but i'm not hoarding them" he sad offering it to them
Vick stayed in raven form. It didnt need much water, so he had no other choice.
Cyania looked around the landscape. "The world is dying, and I... I am afriad." She said but stopped herself. 'I don't know if I can trust these people, no matter how nice they are' she thought to herself and looked away.
He watched the man offer the water, perched on his sign. He jumped off, and resumed elf form.
"Thank you!" Lep gratefully took the water skin, and started to drain it but paused when he realised he was being un kind, "Sorry, do you want some?"
Cyania then froze a sharp pain hit her side and she fell down again. Her head hit the ground hard enough to make her dazed and she began to have fits and eventually she went still.
He watched in silence, looking at his last water skin. He bent down and poured it into the girls mouth.
Lep looked with a raised eye brow, then poured a little water on the girls face, then down her throat, he looked at the elf and then the other man, "Strange company we are then." Lep laughed.
"Is she alright?" he asked "Come on we'd better get her to shade
Vick nodded, and picked her stil body up. He walked to the shade.
Cyania then moaned a cry of pain. A forced tear went down her cheeck and rolled into the street. "Help... I need help." She cried. The water cooled her face, but magical effects can't always be healed with water.
He placed her down.
"What the hell..." He began weaving a spell of healing.
"What's wrong with her?" Lep asked the elf, he hadn't yet grasped how the elf had turned itself from a raven.
Kieran picked her up. "someone must lead the way. I am blind so i cannot, i can sence life but not walls"
"I havent the foggiest clue. She looks as though she is somehow damaged, otherwise the water would have helped..." He launched the healing spell.
Cyania closed her eyes and whispered a few words. "Inate magic." She managed. It was true, her past would have to be revealed, otherwise, no one would understand what to do.
"Well unless those are magic paving stones, we wont find out until she wakes." He said not hearing her words. Lep drank the last of the water in the skin.
He sent the healing spell for her heart.
"we have to take her somewhere. no one should be here today"
"Agreed, but I have no place, it burnt because of the dryness of everything." Lep yawned he sat on a low wall.
"we should lay her in shade near a wall or somthing"
Vick nodded.
"I will check the area..." He became the raven, and flew up, searching for good shade.
Cyania coursed through her mind searching for any thought or secret her mother might have told her. These people were so kind, they must have bonded in such a time of crisis.
He landed down, becoming elf.
"Right, just round the corner theres some shade. Lets go..."
"Right." Lep helped pick her up.
They lifteed her to the shade "Ok... so now what?"
"Find out whats wrong. I dont have the right magic for it."
"Well we need water don't we? So let's go look for some." Lep suggested, coiling a rope he had picked up.
Cyania relaxed. Her eyes opened and noticed three people standing around them. "thank you very much." She said slightly shy like.
"Oh glad to see that," Lep grinned, "What was that?"
Vick sighed with slight relief.
"Could you tell us what happened?" He said gently.
"I still have water. she looks parched" he offered a water skin to her again
Taking the waterskin and nearly draining it Cyania began to recall all of the information she knew. "A long time ago, there was evil in the land. This evil was ruining the land, like it is now. The water princess, who controls the flow of healthy water tried to kill off this evil and eventually she was lost to us. Her kindred, are my ancestors, the water sirens. I appear as an elf like my father, but the magic of the water princess still flows in my veins." She stopped and looked around the group of people around her
Vick was slightly stunned. This was the stuff of legends he had read...
"That explains alot." Lep said after the pause.
Cyania looked around and noticed that even though the lands were in grave peril, time still moves on. "Night approaches." She whispered silently as the sun sank lower and lower into the sky.
"Yes, it does believe it or not." Lep joked, "How you feeling?" he asked, kind tenderness in his voice.
"better. but the farther away from the water source, the faster my energy and life deplete. Eventually, I will get his with much worse, and I will end up dying." She stated and touched her side. "I am dying from the inside." She trailed off.
Lep tryed to comfort her with a smile, "Well I don't know about the others, but I'll help." Lep held out his hand, "I'm Lep."
Cyania smiled and then replied "I am Cyania. Nice to meet you." She said kind of foolishly, for it was very late to be making introductions.
"I am Kieran"
Cyania nodded and pulled out a blanket. "Well I think it is time we get some sleep." She said cheerfully and began to doze off.
kieran lay down on the dusty ground
Vick looked at a small Yew Tree, and sliced at it. It fell. Cutting some of the wood of, he began carving it.
A while later, he stared at his creation with pride. He had made a six foot long bow.
Cyania stirred her hair fell across her face and she was slightly blinded by it. She brushed it away and looked around. It was still dark out, but the thinest layer of light was just breaching the tip of the horizon.
Lep had fallen asleep sitting upright, he ahd cramp alogn the left side of his stomach and on the left side of his neck, he groaned in agony.
Cyania stared around a vast desert was around her, and yet somewhere in the near distance she noticed a rocky outcropping. It intruiged her, it made her feel uneasy, and yet she felt drawn to it.
"so what are we going to do now?"
"Morning-Ah!- Cyania." Lep said, at least he thought it was morning, he stretched, his muscles aching.
"We should try and make it to the cave, that is if you want to come with me." She said looking at the rocky area.
"I will come. It's better than rotting in this cursed hell-hole"
"'Course I'll come." Lep smiled, although he wanted to scream the pain along his stomach, torturing him.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" She asked and was about to go on when she remembered. "Oh, I don't I could go out without eating first." She said looking at her stomach.
Lep grimaced, he had no food and hadn't seen any for 3 days. "Sorry none on me." Lep shook his head
Cyania was rumaging through her pack and found some traveling food. She passed some around to everyone else. It wasn't the best stuff on earth, but after three days of no food, it would be heaven.
"Thanks!" Lep praised, ~FOOD!~ His mind thought, he ate it with a speed he had never had before
Rosin walked across the desert alone, walking around through dunes, sandstorms and other desert antics. He sat down near a rocky outcrop and began eating some bread..
Cyania called to her companions. "Lets go you guys!" She said with a happy tone in her voice. She placed her dagger well in its place of concealmeant. She started down the trail.
Kieran followed her foot steps
Lep moaned again, he got up and followed, wincing every step, the pain ripping down his left side.
Cyania turned over to Lep. "Are you okay?" She asked, remembering his kindness from yesterday and hoping to return the favor.
Lep was about to shake his head but thought better of it, "No." He grimaced.
"Do we need to rest again?" She asked, not knowing what to do. They really had no more water, they were short on food. Nothing could really be done. "Is there anything I could do?" She asked him trying to figure out a better question to ask him.
Lep smiled and looked up, he grimaced again as another jolt of pain ripped threw him, "No, it's alright, although you could lend me an arm." He suggested holding his arm out for support.
Cyania took his arm and helped him upright. This journey was curcial. She knew that the closer to the source of water, the more energy she would get.
"Thanks." Lep groaned, his arm aroudn her shoulders he limped along, pain still shooting up and down his body, after a while he broke the silence, "You have a nice name..." He blurted out, he had no idea why, he felt embarrased after that and turned away.
S'prite had been wandering through the desert for hours. There was still no sign of civilization. His mind seemed weak in this infernal heat, and he could barely remember his name. Ahead, he saw several travelers heading towards a rocky outcropping. Thinking that they might be able to help him, he altered his course and started towards them.
Cyania moved through the sand and a rough wind blew sand and dirt into her eyes, which were now watering as she brushed her face with her hand
S'prite drew closer. Through the sand and wind, he could see that one of the travelers was a woman. Phased through the heat as he was, his old sense of chivalry built up inside of him. He could not let a lady suffer!.
Cohend stumpled through the dunes, thinking he should of restocked his supplies, which happened to be nearly empty, when he spouted a group or other travelers, or bandits, and another person away from them, he decided to get a little closer to them so he could decide whether they were friend or foe
Seeing another person approach the travellers, he quickened his pace. ~A bandit!~ S'prite thought.
Cohend say one of the travelers look at him. he cursed under his breath as he stepped back and began to charge, preparing for a fight if it happenend
It was then that S'prite Cryo Mortis remembered his full title! Thinking back to his motives, he remembered a heat stroke and a sense of chivalry toward helping the woman. He swore under his breath. his personality was coming back to him... He had no sense of chivalry!
However, he had already made his presence clear. strolling up to th man whom he had been charging at, he clears his throat and says, "Hello." in a cracked voice that reminds him of the heat.
cohend stopped suddenly, as the man who saw him just walked up to him and said "hello". at this Cohend tripped and said "whaaaaaaa"(he had tripped when he said this) "ughh.. and hello to you" as he spat out some sand. he shouldnt have jumped to a conclusion like that..
Offering to help the man up, S'prite said, "Who are you? My name is..." he paused for a second. would this man really need to know his real name? "Gagaw."
"And mines Cohend" as Gagaw helped him up, " sorry about that. you cant be too careful these days."
"Yeah." S'prite said as he laughed inwardly at the irony. "Do you know who those people are?" S'prite said as he pointed down to the group of adventurers.
"No i thought you were with them"said Cohend" but are they bandits or just travelers like us?"
"Bye." S'prite says to Cohend. turning his back on him, he continues his trajectory towards the group of travellers.
Cyania was walking with her group when she got sight of someone out in the desert. "I guess we weren't the only ones" She said to herself than to anyone else around her.
walking up to her, S'prite says, "Hello. Where are you headed?"
"Oh hello. I see we weren't the only ones out here" Cyania said. "We are trying to get to that cave but the wind is really slowing us down." She said.
"Do you need any help?" S'prite asked. Despite the fact that he didn't usually get involved in things that didn't originally involve him, she was a very beautiful woman... perhaps he would be chivalrous, if only for this adventure.
"Well I could use all the help I could get." Cyania said. "But maybe I should council with my team for a while." She added turning to her companions.
Coheed watched as Gagaw approached the group "if they are bandits hes doomed"
Lep moaned, "Nearly there." He groaned, he was really appreciating the help from Cyania.
"Thanks Cyania." Lep smiled, the sand begginning to blind him.
waiting for an answer, S'prite looked at the incoming storm.
Cyania was confused. "What should we do? the storm is getting worse and it is still miles away before we reach the out cropping." She yelled over the storm.
S'prite thought for a second. "If you turn away from the wind... Here. Use my cloak. Put it in the way of the wind... Get it?
"What about everyone else?" Cyania asked looking at her worn companions. "Whatever our means, we must make haste." She finished making her way to the outcropping.
Sighing, S'prite followed. "Turn in the opposite direction of the wind, everyone! look at the outcropping through the corner of your eyes, and walk sideways, away from the wind."
Richard stumbled blindly in the harsh wind... Now, he wished he hadn't had to ditch the desert clothes to get past the assasins... Occasionally tripping over a high sand-ledge, Richard continued to stagger in the direction of the cave he had seen earlier.
'One of the consequences of being a hired mercenary, I guess' Richard mused as he thought of the assasins.
Cyania walked backwards to ward away the blowing sand and dirt. Not being careful, she tripped and began to slide down a forming sand dune.
~What could be so important at that rock that she'd be willing to travel through miles of desert to get to it?~ Lunging after Cyania, he caught her before she hit the ground. helping her to her feet, he thought he saw a figure in the distance.
Richard knew he didn't have much time left. He was starting to see things, for everytime he glanced behind him, he spotted a large group of about seven people heading in his direction.
'No one would be out in this hell... Well, except me. If they are real, I want to avoid them. They could only mean trouble.' thought Richard as he carefully slid down a sand dune.
'Well, at least my agility still works' Richard mused to himself.
Gripping Yn (one of his twin daggers),he continued on, keeping a wary eye on the figure in the distance.
Cyania got up just to blow in the face with sand. She was blinded by the sand and quickly brushed the sand from her face. She coughed a few times, for sand had sneaked passed her lips and then a sneeze to follow. It has been hours since she last had water and some food and she was slowly weakening.
Moving his hand blindly, searching for the water canteens that he had stolen off of the assasins, Richard glanced back and noticed that the group was getting closer.
'Well, if I have to dispose of them, I will.' Richard thought, a bit grimly, as he fingered the hilt of his longsword.
Finally managing to find a water canteen, Richard unhooked it and took a drink.
Sensing that Cyania was weakening, he took a small cantine from his belt, he offered it to her. He had been saving it for a special occasion, but shelter was only a few miles away, and she needed it more than he did.
Cyania took it gracefully and replenished her energy. "We should make haste to the rocks, they will repel the storm." She yelled and continued on. 'Just a few more miles (c) she thought to herself.
The figure in the distance seemed to be getting ready for combat. Grasping Yn tighter, he continued. It didn't seem long before he would be upon them...
Checking to make sure that his weapons were still protected from the sand, Richard re-secured his canteen and continued on. It seemed like ages ago, when he had first entered this wasteland.
Getting increasingly anxious about the group tailing him, Richard increased his speed, hoping to make the outcropping of rock before they did.
Cyania knew that each step would get heavier and heavier, but each step she made as the last few miles closed away. "We are almost there!" She cried with joy.
As he neared the outcropping of rock, Richard started to feel an increasing aura of foreboading and evil. From his past experiences, things like that weren't good, but it seemed that the group of travelers, or bandits, whichever they may be, were forcing him there.
"Oh, joy... I have to enter ANOTHER place of extreme evil. I should be paid overtime for this." Richard grumbled to himself, before forging ahead.
Noticing that the group was closing, Richard doubled his pace. The outcropping was close now, only a hundred feet to go. He started to run, hoping to conceal himself among the rocks before the people came. He didn't want to become caught unawares.
When he got to the rock outcropping, Richard noticed that there was an opening to a considerably sized cave. Thinking of taking refueg in the cave, but deciding against it, he nimbly leapt up onto a rock ledge and hid behind it.
Seeing the figure racing towards the rock, S'prite sighed. The figure problably didn't want to fight if it was running away. They were only about 200 feet away from the rock, which wasn't much farther away than the figure was.
Cyania then felt strange. A voice whispered in her head. She could not define the word and she stops to ponder what could the words mean. Shortly after the message, she felt a sharp pain in her leg. She dropped to one knee, but she regained much faster than earlier. "We must press on." She said barely.
Stopping, S'prite looked down at her. "Are you alright?" he said, concerned.
Cyania got up. "I'll be fine, the closer to the rocks, the better off I will be." She said starting her trek all over again.
Checking to make sure that his remaining two dozen throwing knives were in place, and all his weapons were loose in their scabbards, Richard settled down to wait, occasionally taking a swig from the canteen.
Seeing one of the woman drop, possibly from fatigue, Richard's mood become more troubled.
'If they were really after me, they would be better equipped, but my enemies have tried more devious plots than this... Oh, ****. What should I do...'
Seeing the man loosen a dozen throwing knives in their scabbards, S'prite gripped Sayn's (His other dagger) hilt comfortingly. Loosening them in his scabbard, he took his hands off of them as ot to worry Cyania.
Cyania kept going through the storm, making as much haste as she could. She felt her pockets and felt the steel tip of her short sword satisfied she continued trying to keep her weapon's hiding spot a secret.
They were drawing closer to the rock... And the man. S'prite mentally prepared himself for a fight.
Richard casually took note of the group, and how they were preparing for a fight. Maneuvering himself so he was out of sight, richard circleed around to confuse their sense of where he was, and positioned himself to spring upon the woman.
'If its a fight they want, its a fight they'll get' Richard thought, grimly.
Cohend saw the man up ahead, it seemed like the group of people he was following would easily win if a fight broke out, but looks could be decieving
S'prite saw the man inch arond the rock. "Wait here for a second." S'prite said to Cyania. He dashed off to take the man by surprise. Leaping around the rock, S'prite yells, "I AM S'PRITE CRYO MORTIS! STATE YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE!" He pulls out his daggers and ignores the sand in his mouth, trying to be as intimidating as possible.
Suddenly, Richard appears behind the man who so foolishly exposed himself, and holds a knife to his throat.
"Who ARE you?" Richard growls.
Using his other hand to secure the veil across his face, for he didn't have to abandon that, Richard continued to keep one eye on the approaching party.
Cyania heard the loud noise and then she saw something moving near another rock. She walked toward it and found a floating little ball of glowing light. "Hello there." Cyania said kindly as though it were her pet.
Saying a quick spell, S'prite shoots a small blob of darkness into his attacker's eyes. Even a small amount of magic tired him, so he quickly escaped and reversed the grip. "No. Who are you?"
Summoning the small amount of magical power left over from his ancestors, Richard cleared the simple magic from his eyes, and used his foot to kick sand into the wind, where it headed downwind and blinded the one named S'prite for a few seconds.
Using the opportunity, Richard quickly dissappeared into the rock outcropping.
The golden ball of light moved toward a large rock, and Cyan was curious were it was going. "Come back here you." Cyan called after it and chased the ball toward a small hole in the side of the rock.
S'prite swore and followed him. Darting from shadow to shadow, using his black armor to his advantage, he searched for the man.
Remembering that the rest of the group had cared for the woman, Richard circled around the blundering straggler and leapt upon the woman. Dragging her to her feet, he held a knife to her throat.
"I have your woman friend here!" Richard yelled into the wind. "Come out, and she doesn't die!"
Cyania seemed not to care much. She looked at the dagger and then the man. "What is that suposed to do?" she asked the man. "Bringing me in so close makes it harder to see my intentions." Cyania said ripping out her short sword, which put a long hole in her pant but managed to get her free.
S'prite came out, dropping his daggers. "You are so cowardly as to attack a woman?" S'prite asked, his voice laden with contempt. He mentally braced himself for another spell, knowing that it would completely drain him. "How about we finish this in one on one combat, man on man?"
Richard snorted as he heard the stranger spout chivalric nonsense to him.
"It doesn't matter how you kill, or how you win, just that you do." exclaimed Richard, keeping a wary eye on every possible place he could.
Cyania entered the cool dark cave and found a strange pressence about. "hello? where is my golden ball?" She asked nobody.
Now that Cyania was free, S'prite kept the man focused on is face. "So, you'd do anything to win?..." the man said. Using his feet to flick up his daggers, which he caught dexterously, he caught both of them and shot another globule of darkness at the man's eyes. him being temporarily stunned, S'prite charged, putting his daggers in a cross pattern on the man's throat.
"Must he get in a fight now?" Cyan asked looking at the two fighters. "I better be off. He knows where I will be." She said entering the cave and finding it quite large, but many tunnels twisted here and there. She saw a tint of gold going down the left passage.
Desperately trying to summon the magic before the darkness hit, Richard drew his crescent bladed battle axe and prepared for a fight. Finding that his magic from the Elvish blood was inactive, he switched to his other senses. Using touch, sixth sense, smell, and hearing, Richard kicked the stubborn stranger away just before dropping to the ground and tackling him by the feet.
Picking him up by the small of his back, Richard hurled him at a rock, before dissappearing into the cave where the woman had gone.
'I need to get away from these people. If I capture their woman friend, they might let me go.' Richard thought, a bit desperately.
Cyania kept her short sword out and found her golden ball of light flying down the passage and it stopped before a wall of pure granite. "This must have been placed here. There is no heat in the cave." She said feeling the cool air around her.
Link was wandering round a cave wonderiing what to do when he saw a golden ball fly past him
Rolling backwards to get up, S'prite sprinted after the man. The man seemed horribly weighed down, and couldn't run very fast... besides that, he wasn't fully elven. Not being weighed down with extrenious weapons, S'prite quickly caught up to him, hucking a rock to make him turn around. "Do not attack ladies. It's cowardly. Eevn thieves have honor." S'prite said. "What are you?"
"Come back here!" Cyania shouted as the ball of light flew along the cave. She saw a man standing there, but she had no time to stop.
link saw someone run past him so he folowed "what are you chasing?"he shouthing in front of him
Dodging the rock, and ignoring the man, Richard stopped jogging and started to sprint. Dashing around a corner, he just managed to keep his balance. Spotting the woman, Richard dived for her. Managing to catch her feet, he hauled her down with him.
Getting up before the stranger came, he put another knife to her throat, before growling "Who are you, and why are you here?"
Looking around, Richard spotted a golden ball of light floating in the air. With that, his mood sank, if that was even possible.
Cyania saw that the man was following him. "I don't know what it is." She called back as the ball of light turned a corner.
Using his black leather armor to sneak around the corner without being detected, S'prite came up behind the man who seemed so persistant on attacking them and hit a meridian point (pressure point) on his arm, making him drop the blade. He thn grabbed another meridian along the back of his neck and held Sayn to the back of his neck. "stop attacking us!" S'prite said harshly.
link ran faster trying to help catch the ball
"Stop trying to kill me then!" Richard retorted, quite sharply indeed, before biting the hand holding his arm. Using his free arm, and ignoring the pain in his neck, Richard managed to get hold of one of his knives. Throwing it up and over his shoulder, he was happy to hear a dull thunk, coming from the knife meeting flesh.
Then the golden ball of light flew over a cliff and Cyan not paying any attention at all fell off the cliff and landed in complete darkness.
link who was still folowing the woman fell of the cliff to
"Truthfully,you attacked me first. It was my right to defend myself." S'prite said as he took the dagger out of his armor and used it to provide further persuasion. Then, hearing Cyan's scream as she fell, he sheathed his daggers and sprinted after Cyania, breaking the point of the man's dagger between two rocks and throwing it ove his shoulder as he went.
As the man retreated, Richard slumped down. Something had happened, and he was extremely exhausted. He just hoped that they would come back for him. He'd rather die fighting than alone in a malevolent cave.
Stopping, S'prite looked back at him. "I am not employed. We were not following you. I guess we were just both going to the same place at the same time." Turning on his heel, he commenced his wild dash after Cyania. Seeing the cliff, but unable to stop in time, he ran over the edge... He now knew where Cyan's scream came from.
"Ya, like I'll believe that!" Richard shouted after the man as he slowly faded into the darkness.
Cyania woke up to find herself in an unknown place. Somehow, she had lived even though it was pitch black around her, she could still sense all life around her
link was still falling then it everything went black
S'prite's elven ancestry took control of him, and he landed on his feet. Although stunned by the blow and not particularly happy, he had lived... and he hadn't blacked out.
With his enhanced senses, Richard clearly heard as the three fell over the cliff one by one. The last to go, he though, was probably the stranger who effectivlely disabled him.
'If I help them out of the pit, whereever it may be, I wonder if they would help me get rid of the assasins continuously chasing me.' Richard thought, as he got up, got a rope out of his bag and cautiously started heading in the direction of the stranger.
link woke up and he coouldnt see anything
Cyania found the golden ball of light floating around her. "hello" She said to it and then followed it down yet another passage.
link looked around for a bit and saw i little golden tint so he chased it as fast as he could
S'prite, too, saw the ball of light, and he saw Cyania's features in the meager light. He saw her dash into the darkness. swearing and wondering why that ball of light was so important, he followed her.
after a time the ball of light stopped and Cyania stared at it. Then she looked passed it and found a wall with word written all over it and she began to read the text.
When he arrived at the ledge, Richard slung a rope over a stalacmite, and threw it over the edge. Pulling on it, to make sure it was secure, Richard jumped off the edge, sliding down the rope and landing on the bottom.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Seeing Cyania stop in front of a wall, S'prite stood next to her, completely hidden in the darkness. He began to try to read the text.
link finaly cought up whith the golden ball seamed to have stoped and the woman was reading something
Cyania sat down. "Its a story" She said turning to the others. "Its about my ancestor, Marisa." She said looking at the wall.
Hearing footsteps down a passageway, Richard followed them. He noticed that the air was getting increasingly damp.
Reaching the people, he noticed that they were reading a text of some sort. It was too far away to make out the words, but it sparked something in his memory.
Seeing a man behind him, and fearing that he was the man from earlier, S'prite made his presence aware so he wouldn't get any ideas. "Hello, Cyania." S'prite says, drawing himself up to his full height so as to reveal the green family crest on his chest.
After some time of watching the stranger, Richard came to the conclusion that he was very egotistic, could be arrogant at times, and was very protective of his woman friends. That, and his foolish notion of Chivalry.
Stealthily dissappearing into the shadows, Richard made himself hidden. He was at home in the shadows, so he continued to watch them.
She came into this cave to try to set free the souls that guard the cave... but died in the process... The Water Crest was buried with her!?
That's why there isn't anymore water!" S'prite realizes. he had no idea...,"She's your anscestor?" S'prite said, suprised.
Then, turning around to the stranger, he said, "You are a very strange thief. You carry how many weapons at once? And you don't hide the second that you see something that might hurt you, or when you're observing something. Your weapons clank together when you move. That's your downfall."
Cyania continued down the wall and found that the story just ended. "I wonder what happened to her." She said confused.
"Shoot. I forgot full Elves can see me." Richard mumbled as he came out of the shadows where he had concealed himself. Walking over to a ledge, he put his hand on it and found the convienient stockpile of knives he had left there. He had to hide here some time before from the assasins and slowly eliminate them one by one, so he knew the cave pretty well.
"I won't answer you, Elf. Your kind is too cruel to listen to me, a Half-Elf! Why would you be in this god-forsaken cave though. Its not like you can rescuse the Water Amulet and revitalise the world. Its hard to get to. Tell me why you are here, and I might stop shadowing you."
"I've heard some stories... Snatches of the same story that is on this wall..." S'prite said. He then comcealed the crest on his chest and leaped into the shadows. If that man was back for more, he'd get it. "I have come here helping her." His voice seemed to be coming from where he was not- a useful trick he had picked up on his travels." She is here to... learn more about her anscestor." Sp'rite answered. It seemed reasonable enough, and seemed to fit everything that was happening.
Hearing an argument, Cyania turned and ran away. "I better get away from that creep." She yelled back and drew her short sword.
As the group ran away from him, Richard laughed a bitter laugh.
"You won't find the body of Marissa. You will die in the attempt. You don't know the cave, and magic can be misleading... You won't find it. you will die. Alone. One... by... one.
Unless..." Richard called after them before cackling, the laugh echoing of of the cave walls.
"You know nothing of my magic!" Cyania yelled back as she disappeared into the darkness of the cave. The moist air grew thick as she felt herself decend.
Despite the fact that it would tire him, S'prite he shot a blast of darkness back at him, which hit him in the mouth and silenced his mad cackling. e then lunged out of theshadows and fo**lowed Cyania.
Easily dissolving the magic, for Richard's magic was somehow stronger in the cave.
"Oh, but I do... I do, heir of Marissa!" Richard called after her, before starting to whistle a tune from back home.
Cyania grew scared. "Who is that creep?" She asked herself. Then she felt it again. A strange feeling that someone was contacting her. She still couldn't understand it, but she knew she was close.
Seeming to materialize out of the shadows, S'prite answered. "It would seem that he is a mercenary. He called himself The Shadow... I have heard of him before."
"Oh, he creeps me out." Cyania said looking around as though something would pop out and scare her.
"Apparently, he creeps everyone out. He is well known among employers, and anyone who employed him is considered lucky. I had heard recently that he was dead, though..." S'prite said. The air was growing damper. Since this entire thing had to do with water, he figured they were getting closer.
"Do you supose he is linked to this whole business?" Cyania asked. She was worried, that if more people like him knew about Marisa, and where her body was, it could be dangerous.
"I don't know. It seemed as if he had been here before..." S'prite trailed off, worried that he may scare her. Summoning his courage, he said, "Like he knows where this leads, and he knows how to get water back."
"i don't he could bring any water back, not with Marisa's power." Cyania said thinking about the story again. "I think it is best if we find some water ourselves." She added hoping to rest up in case that man appeared again.
"OK." S'prite said. "Let's set up camp here." He said, noticing the dark shadows under her eyes.
S'prite sat up on a rock. "I'll stand watch." he said, leaning against the walls. keeping a lookout on the path they had come from, he glanced down the corridor that lay in front of him occasionally. He doubted any mindless monster could get to them without being detected by his hearing, but just in case...
Lep sighed, "Argh..." The pulled muscles were finnaly easing off.
Lep lay down on the cold, damp, hard floor, "Night then."
With no way to tell if it was night or day, S'prite guessed it was nighttime. The night had so far passed uneventfully. Perhaps that strange man would come back for more... he hoped not. Though loathe to admit it, it had taken all of his skills to defeat him.
Lep fell asleep, natural instinct when sleeping was to draw to the warmest thing, S'prite's legs and Cyania.
Cyania stirred. She had slept fine, but dreams had distrubed her that night. "ugh, is everyone awake yet?" She asked.
Lep moaned, "No, more sleep." He hissed, not offensivly, just dreamily.
"I am." S'prite said. S'prite did not need sleep as much as others. His many sleepless night s had hardened him.
Cyania nodded and eventually fell back asleep.
Unfortuntly, for Lep. Once he awoke, he barely ever managed to go back to sleep.
So, after five minutes he sat up, yawning he slowly rubbed the 'sleep' out of his eyes.
Bored, S'prite drew his daggers. He had used them in the fight with... The Shadow. He saw a drop of blood on Sayn's tip, and wiped it against the hem of his pant leg. Sighing, he sheathed his daggers and leaned against the wall, resting with one eye open.
-In Cyania's dream-
The world was black and full of ash. The lands were dead. Without water, life can't go on. The sea's dried up, animals died. Crops failed, and people too, died out. Eventually it became nothing. Cyania stood alone in this dark world. She heard a cry for help. "Marisa" Cyania screamed...
Lep shook Cyania, "Wake up!" He cried.
S'prite noticed Cyania's night mare and walked over. he reached down and woke her. "Cyania? Wake up. You were dreaming."
Cyania jolted awake. "That place was terrible." She said as a cold sweat streaked down her face. "Marisa..." She whispered.
"What place? What about Marissa?" Lep asked, confusement plain on his features
Concerned, S'prite asked, "What's the matter?" There was something that he didn't like about this cave, besides the initial creepiness and sense of evil (also besides the fact that there was a psycopathic maniac in the cave with them). There was a sense of profound sadness within the cave. S'prite sighed.
"The world was all black and vile, I don't know who would want such a place." She said looking down. "I hope it isn't to late to save her." Cyania said.
Lep still looked confused, but shook his head, he went back to sitting.
"Don't worry. We''l make it." S'prite said, going against the usual pesimism. "We'll save her."
"I don't know how yet, but I will." Cyan said with more confidence than ever.
S'prite nodded encourageingly, then looked away, continuing his guad duties. "You might as well get some sleep," S'prite said.
Cyania nodded and feel back asleep.
S'prite watched her until she was asleep. He had the feeling that they were being watched. He would rather fight something than have it sneak up on him.
Feigning sleep, he yawned and kept his eyes open a little, just enough to see if someone, or something, came.
Lep yawned, his arms groaning. "Cyania? S'prite?" He asked.
Cyania awoke and yawned with a sign. "I am up." She said to Lep.
Stretching and groaning, S'prite gets up. "Morning." He says. "... I think."
Lep smiled, "Hmmmm, what's for breakfast? Moisture? Oh and... More moisture!"
"Thats not funny!" Cyania said laughing, trying to eat the air.
Lep grinned, "So... To be serious, what is on our exotic menu?"
a bat flew bye and Cyania caught in with her magic. "Will this do?" She asked
Eyeing the bat with displeasure, S'prite sighed. It wasn't as bad as some of the things he had eaten, but it was still pretty bad.
Lep laughed (c) "Mmmmm, favourite, lovely chewy.... Bat skin!"
Cyania managed to avoid eating the flying vermin without anyone noticing. "Okay now, lets get going." She said. "Before that creep comes back." She added going down the passageway.
Lep nodded, following, he pretended to eat the air as they went.
S'prite got up and peared down the hallway both ways. Standing up fully, he pulled out his daggers, testing the points. He wasn't sure anything was alive in this hell-hole, but he wanted to be ready if there was.
"Hmm the air seems thicker this way." Cyania said pointing to the left. The walls were tinted blue and they seem to be reflective.
"Yea..." Lep grinned, "Tastes thicker too..." He babbled.
Peering at the strange walls, S'prite wonders what happened to that psycopath. Then, curiosity overtaking him, he wonders what material the wall is made of. Reaching out slowly, he stops his finger a hair's breath'd away from it. What if some spell came out and incinerated him? Tearing his eyes away from the wall, he continues to follow Cyania.
"This place is turning more into a built place, the walls are smoother and cut more even then the cave we entered." Cyania noticed seeing the walls curve and there was a few torches lit to light the area. "I wonder how they managed to stay lit for so long." She pondered out loud.
Lep frowned, suddenly stern, "Something isn't right." He said whilst drawing his sword, he looked around him for any signs of physcial wall traps.
Yn and Sayn flying out of their sheaths, S'prite grasped their hilts tightly. Silently agreeing with Lep, he thought there must be a reason that the wall was like this... And why had he been so intent on poking it!?!?!?
Cyania looked back at the tense warriors. "Just remember guys, this place is cursed. Any temptation, might lead to instant death." She reminded them looking at their faces made her worry too. "Lets press on and think about our task, and our task alone." She state simply and moved on.
Seeing that he had made her worry, S'prite put his daggers back into their sheaths. He could draw them quickly enough, if he needed to... He let a calm look come over his face. He tried to follow Cyania's advice, but it was pretty hard when you were in a cursed cave.
Richard glided down the cave passageway like a wraith, occasionally checking his supply caches. Remembering the group who were desperately trying to save Marissa's tortured soul, and find the water crest, he turned down a side passage, down into the roughly hewn part of the cave.
Cyania entered a large part in the cave. "This must be like a hall of sorts." She said turning around looking at the high ceiling and bookcases.
S'prite, his curiosity piqued instantly by the sight of books, looked around cautiosly. What were books doing here? It was obviously a trap... but the thought of the ancient knowledge contained within these decripit tomes was extremely alluring. Looking at the books longingly, he sighed. If the bait is obvious... don't take it.
Staring at the books, Cyania got curious. She cast some magic around the books and pulled it from the case. "Maybe this will help." she said opening it
Deciding to brush up on his literature, Richard took a side passage and headed for the library. As he got near to the library door that he had inserted a couple years ago, Richard noticed that voices were coming from inside.
'Huh. Probably those suicidal 'heroes' again. If they have survived this long though, I guess I should introduce myself... Possibly.' Richard thought to himself as he pushed the doors open with two hands.
Striding into the library, he stopped momentarily, glanced, first at the intruders, second at the books, before sauntering over to a bookshelf and pulling out an ancient text.
S'prite saw the man walk in. Instanly drawing his daggers, he stopped in shock. The man pulled out a book! Expecting a million tons of ston to fall onto their heads, or a fiery inferno to burst up in between his feet, he sheathed his daggers and through himself to the ground, hoping that it wasn't the second trap.
Cyania looked at the book. Sensing the man reading in the room she stopped for a while. "Well if he doesn't care about us, then he is no threat." She said reading about Marisa.
Hearing the heir of Marissa's coment, Richard snorted.
"Oh, I care alright. Infact, I care aplenty. Really though, I'm surprised you got this far. Not many 'heroes' were cautious or smart enough to avoid the reflecting wall trap... But, I'm guessing you are all tired, hungry, thirsty, and aching?" Richard retorted, before snapping his fingers and conjuring a chair.
For some reason, his small magical ability was always amplified in the library.
A long time ago many people were on a journey to stop evil once and for all. Out of all of their fiends, one was twisted by fate. He gained the sacred power through evil ways and betrayed his friends and they one by one died. Except one, who ran into a cave to try and gain enough power to destroy the traitor. It failed and he died while gaining magical powers. The cave was huge and when the traitor was done with his work, he was killed by his employers. The body was through into the cave and the tears of the dead moved through the cave and cursed it.
After many years had passed many explorers tried to get to the center of the cave, but all failed in the attempt. One of these was the great Marisa Gerrat, who was the mystic queen of the water, and with her, the crest of water was burried.
The water is slowly dying and the people are shrouded in darkness. The old souls who cursed the cave now guard the last of our water supply, as a group of rebels set out to destroy the seeds of evil placed so long ago...
Cyania was looking at the poster. It had a picture of a man dying the streets, 'donate water' Cyania shook her head. The lands were dying and the taverns were even closing down. "I am so tired, but I need water, my magic will drain my health." She sat down and cried, for she feared that her life would soon end.
Kieran walked through the town. He used his semces to guide him.
Cyania was full of woe, she sat in the very dusty town. Her inate magic was draining, and thus her life force was depleting. She stumbled on the dirt road and tripped and skined her expossed knees and elbows.
Kieran heard someone fall. he rushed over to where he heard the noise "are you alright?" he asked the unknown person
Lep looked up when he saw another person trip and fall infront of him, "Hello? Nice day to trip and fall?" He joked, sitting on his knee's he offered a hand to help the girl up.
Cyania was surprised that so many kind people were about to help her in a time of need. "I feel weak, thats all." She replied trying not to show her true weakness.
"So do I, I don't suppose..." Lep began whilst picking her up, then cut off, "No you wouldn't. Don't worry."
Kieran looked at the two people. (wel as good as look as he could) and held out a water skin "One of my last but i'm not hoarding them" he sad offering it to them
Vick stayed in raven form. It didnt need much water, so he had no other choice.
Cyania looked around the landscape. "The world is dying, and I... I am afriad." She said but stopped herself. 'I don't know if I can trust these people, no matter how nice they are' she thought to herself and looked away.
He watched the man offer the water, perched on his sign. He jumped off, and resumed elf form.
"Thank you!" Lep gratefully took the water skin, and started to drain it but paused when he realised he was being un kind, "Sorry, do you want some?"
Cyania then froze a sharp pain hit her side and she fell down again. Her head hit the ground hard enough to make her dazed and she began to have fits and eventually she went still.
He watched in silence, looking at his last water skin. He bent down and poured it into the girls mouth.
Lep looked with a raised eye brow, then poured a little water on the girls face, then down her throat, he looked at the elf and then the other man, "Strange company we are then." Lep laughed.
"Is she alright?" he asked "Come on we'd better get her to shade
Vick nodded, and picked her stil body up. He walked to the shade.
Cyania then moaned a cry of pain. A forced tear went down her cheeck and rolled into the street. "Help... I need help." She cried. The water cooled her face, but magical effects can't always be healed with water.
He placed her down.
"What the hell..." He began weaving a spell of healing.
"What's wrong with her?" Lep asked the elf, he hadn't yet grasped how the elf had turned itself from a raven.
Kieran picked her up. "someone must lead the way. I am blind so i cannot, i can sence life but not walls"
"I havent the foggiest clue. She looks as though she is somehow damaged, otherwise the water would have helped..." He launched the healing spell.
Cyania closed her eyes and whispered a few words. "Inate magic." She managed. It was true, her past would have to be revealed, otherwise, no one would understand what to do.
"Well unless those are magic paving stones, we wont find out until she wakes." He said not hearing her words. Lep drank the last of the water in the skin.
He sent the healing spell for her heart.
"we have to take her somewhere. no one should be here today"
"Agreed, but I have no place, it burnt because of the dryness of everything." Lep yawned he sat on a low wall.
"we should lay her in shade near a wall or somthing"
Vick nodded.
"I will check the area..." He became the raven, and flew up, searching for good shade.
Cyania coursed through her mind searching for any thought or secret her mother might have told her. These people were so kind, they must have bonded in such a time of crisis.
He landed down, becoming elf.
"Right, just round the corner theres some shade. Lets go..."
"Right." Lep helped pick her up.
They lifteed her to the shade "Ok... so now what?"
"Find out whats wrong. I dont have the right magic for it."
"Well we need water don't we? So let's go look for some." Lep suggested, coiling a rope he had picked up.
Cyania relaxed. Her eyes opened and noticed three people standing around them. "thank you very much." She said slightly shy like.
"Oh glad to see that," Lep grinned, "What was that?"
Vick sighed with slight relief.
"Could you tell us what happened?" He said gently.
"I still have water. she looks parched" he offered a water skin to her again
Taking the waterskin and nearly draining it Cyania began to recall all of the information she knew. "A long time ago, there was evil in the land. This evil was ruining the land, like it is now. The water princess, who controls the flow of healthy water tried to kill off this evil and eventually she was lost to us. Her kindred, are my ancestors, the water sirens. I appear as an elf like my father, but the magic of the water princess still flows in my veins." She stopped and looked around the group of people around her
Vick was slightly stunned. This was the stuff of legends he had read...
"That explains alot." Lep said after the pause.
Cyania looked around and noticed that even though the lands were in grave peril, time still moves on. "Night approaches." She whispered silently as the sun sank lower and lower into the sky.
"Yes, it does believe it or not." Lep joked, "How you feeling?" he asked, kind tenderness in his voice.
"better. but the farther away from the water source, the faster my energy and life deplete. Eventually, I will get his with much worse, and I will end up dying." She stated and touched her side. "I am dying from the inside." She trailed off.
Lep tryed to comfort her with a smile, "Well I don't know about the others, but I'll help." Lep held out his hand, "I'm Lep."
Cyania smiled and then replied "I am Cyania. Nice to meet you." She said kind of foolishly, for it was very late to be making introductions.
"I am Kieran"
Cyania nodded and pulled out a blanket. "Well I think it is time we get some sleep." She said cheerfully and began to doze off.
kieran lay down on the dusty ground
Vick looked at a small Yew Tree, and sliced at it. It fell. Cutting some of the wood of, he began carving it.
A while later, he stared at his creation with pride. He had made a six foot long bow.
Cyania stirred her hair fell across her face and she was slightly blinded by it. She brushed it away and looked around. It was still dark out, but the thinest layer of light was just breaching the tip of the horizon.
Lep had fallen asleep sitting upright, he ahd cramp alogn the left side of his stomach and on the left side of his neck, he groaned in agony.
Cyania stared around a vast desert was around her, and yet somewhere in the near distance she noticed a rocky outcropping. It intruiged her, it made her feel uneasy, and yet she felt drawn to it.
"so what are we going to do now?"
"Morning-Ah!- Cyania." Lep said, at least he thought it was morning, he stretched, his muscles aching.
"We should try and make it to the cave, that is if you want to come with me." She said looking at the rocky area.
"I will come. It's better than rotting in this cursed hell-hole"
"'Course I'll come." Lep smiled, although he wanted to scream the pain along his stomach, torturing him.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" She asked and was about to go on when she remembered. "Oh, I don't I could go out without eating first." She said looking at her stomach.
Lep grimaced, he had no food and hadn't seen any for 3 days. "Sorry none on me." Lep shook his head
Cyania was rumaging through her pack and found some traveling food. She passed some around to everyone else. It wasn't the best stuff on earth, but after three days of no food, it would be heaven.
"Thanks!" Lep praised, ~FOOD!~ His mind thought, he ate it with a speed he had never had before
Rosin walked across the desert alone, walking around through dunes, sandstorms and other desert antics. He sat down near a rocky outcrop and began eating some bread..
Cyania called to her companions. "Lets go you guys!" She said with a happy tone in her voice. She placed her dagger well in its place of concealmeant. She started down the trail.
Kieran followed her foot steps
Lep moaned again, he got up and followed, wincing every step, the pain ripping down his left side.
Cyania turned over to Lep. "Are you okay?" She asked, remembering his kindness from yesterday and hoping to return the favor.
Lep was about to shake his head but thought better of it, "No." He grimaced.
"Do we need to rest again?" She asked, not knowing what to do. They really had no more water, they were short on food. Nothing could really be done. "Is there anything I could do?" She asked him trying to figure out a better question to ask him.
Lep smiled and looked up, he grimaced again as another jolt of pain ripped threw him, "No, it's alright, although you could lend me an arm." He suggested holding his arm out for support.
Cyania took his arm and helped him upright. This journey was curcial. She knew that the closer to the source of water, the more energy she would get.
"Thanks." Lep groaned, his arm aroudn her shoulders he limped along, pain still shooting up and down his body, after a while he broke the silence, "You have a nice name..." He blurted out, he had no idea why, he felt embarrased after that and turned away.
S'prite had been wandering through the desert for hours. There was still no sign of civilization. His mind seemed weak in this infernal heat, and he could barely remember his name. Ahead, he saw several travelers heading towards a rocky outcropping. Thinking that they might be able to help him, he altered his course and started towards them.
Cyania moved through the sand and a rough wind blew sand and dirt into her eyes, which were now watering as she brushed her face with her hand
S'prite drew closer. Through the sand and wind, he could see that one of the travelers was a woman. Phased through the heat as he was, his old sense of chivalry built up inside of him. He could not let a lady suffer!.
Cohend stumpled through the dunes, thinking he should of restocked his supplies, which happened to be nearly empty, when he spouted a group or other travelers, or bandits, and another person away from them, he decided to get a little closer to them so he could decide whether they were friend or foe
Seeing another person approach the travellers, he quickened his pace. ~A bandit!~ S'prite thought.
Cohend say one of the travelers look at him. he cursed under his breath as he stepped back and began to charge, preparing for a fight if it happenend
It was then that S'prite Cryo Mortis remembered his full title! Thinking back to his motives, he remembered a heat stroke and a sense of chivalry toward helping the woman. He swore under his breath. his personality was coming back to him... He had no sense of chivalry!
However, he had already made his presence clear. strolling up to th man whom he had been charging at, he clears his throat and says, "Hello." in a cracked voice that reminds him of the heat.
cohend stopped suddenly, as the man who saw him just walked up to him and said "hello". at this Cohend tripped and said "whaaaaaaa"(he had tripped when he said this) "ughh.. and hello to you" as he spat out some sand. he shouldnt have jumped to a conclusion like that..
Offering to help the man up, S'prite said, "Who are you? My name is..." he paused for a second. would this man really need to know his real name? "Gagaw."
"And mines Cohend" as Gagaw helped him up, " sorry about that. you cant be too careful these days."
"Yeah." S'prite said as he laughed inwardly at the irony. "Do you know who those people are?" S'prite said as he pointed down to the group of adventurers.
"No i thought you were with them"said Cohend" but are they bandits or just travelers like us?"
"Bye." S'prite says to Cohend. turning his back on him, he continues his trajectory towards the group of travellers.
Cyania was walking with her group when she got sight of someone out in the desert. "I guess we weren't the only ones" She said to herself than to anyone else around her.
walking up to her, S'prite says, "Hello. Where are you headed?"
"Oh hello. I see we weren't the only ones out here" Cyania said. "We are trying to get to that cave but the wind is really slowing us down." She said.
"Do you need any help?" S'prite asked. Despite the fact that he didn't usually get involved in things that didn't originally involve him, she was a very beautiful woman... perhaps he would be chivalrous, if only for this adventure.
"Well I could use all the help I could get." Cyania said. "But maybe I should council with my team for a while." She added turning to her companions.
Coheed watched as Gagaw approached the group "if they are bandits hes doomed"
Lep moaned, "Nearly there." He groaned, he was really appreciating the help from Cyania.
"Thanks Cyania." Lep smiled, the sand begginning to blind him.
waiting for an answer, S'prite looked at the incoming storm.
Cyania was confused. "What should we do? the storm is getting worse and it is still miles away before we reach the out cropping." She yelled over the storm.
S'prite thought for a second. "If you turn away from the wind... Here. Use my cloak. Put it in the way of the wind... Get it?
"What about everyone else?" Cyania asked looking at her worn companions. "Whatever our means, we must make haste." She finished making her way to the outcropping.
Sighing, S'prite followed. "Turn in the opposite direction of the wind, everyone! look at the outcropping through the corner of your eyes, and walk sideways, away from the wind."
Richard stumbled blindly in the harsh wind... Now, he wished he hadn't had to ditch the desert clothes to get past the assasins... Occasionally tripping over a high sand-ledge, Richard continued to stagger in the direction of the cave he had seen earlier.
'One of the consequences of being a hired mercenary, I guess' Richard mused as he thought of the assasins.
Cyania walked backwards to ward away the blowing sand and dirt. Not being careful, she tripped and began to slide down a forming sand dune.
~What could be so important at that rock that she'd be willing to travel through miles of desert to get to it?~ Lunging after Cyania, he caught her before she hit the ground. helping her to her feet, he thought he saw a figure in the distance.
Richard knew he didn't have much time left. He was starting to see things, for everytime he glanced behind him, he spotted a large group of about seven people heading in his direction.
'No one would be out in this hell... Well, except me. If they are real, I want to avoid them. They could only mean trouble.' thought Richard as he carefully slid down a sand dune.
'Well, at least my agility still works' Richard mused to himself.
Gripping Yn (one of his twin daggers),he continued on, keeping a wary eye on the figure in the distance.
Cyania got up just to blow in the face with sand. She was blinded by the sand and quickly brushed the sand from her face. She coughed a few times, for sand had sneaked passed her lips and then a sneeze to follow. It has been hours since she last had water and some food and she was slowly weakening.
Moving his hand blindly, searching for the water canteens that he had stolen off of the assasins, Richard glanced back and noticed that the group was getting closer.
'Well, if I have to dispose of them, I will.' Richard thought, a bit grimly, as he fingered the hilt of his longsword.
Finally managing to find a water canteen, Richard unhooked it and took a drink.
Sensing that Cyania was weakening, he took a small cantine from his belt, he offered it to her. He had been saving it for a special occasion, but shelter was only a few miles away, and she needed it more than he did.
Cyania took it gracefully and replenished her energy. "We should make haste to the rocks, they will repel the storm." She yelled and continued on. 'Just a few more miles (c) she thought to herself.
The figure in the distance seemed to be getting ready for combat. Grasping Yn tighter, he continued. It didn't seem long before he would be upon them...
Checking to make sure that his weapons were still protected from the sand, Richard re-secured his canteen and continued on. It seemed like ages ago, when he had first entered this wasteland.
Getting increasingly anxious about the group tailing him, Richard increased his speed, hoping to make the outcropping of rock before they did.
Cyania knew that each step would get heavier and heavier, but each step she made as the last few miles closed away. "We are almost there!" She cried with joy.
As he neared the outcropping of rock, Richard started to feel an increasing aura of foreboading and evil. From his past experiences, things like that weren't good, but it seemed that the group of travelers, or bandits, whichever they may be, were forcing him there.
"Oh, joy... I have to enter ANOTHER place of extreme evil. I should be paid overtime for this." Richard grumbled to himself, before forging ahead.
Noticing that the group was closing, Richard doubled his pace. The outcropping was close now, only a hundred feet to go. He started to run, hoping to conceal himself among the rocks before the people came. He didn't want to become caught unawares.
When he got to the rock outcropping, Richard noticed that there was an opening to a considerably sized cave. Thinking of taking refueg in the cave, but deciding against it, he nimbly leapt up onto a rock ledge and hid behind it.
Seeing the figure racing towards the rock, S'prite sighed. The figure problably didn't want to fight if it was running away. They were only about 200 feet away from the rock, which wasn't much farther away than the figure was.
Cyania then felt strange. A voice whispered in her head. She could not define the word and she stops to ponder what could the words mean. Shortly after the message, she felt a sharp pain in her leg. She dropped to one knee, but she regained much faster than earlier. "We must press on." She said barely.
Stopping, S'prite looked down at her. "Are you alright?" he said, concerned.
Cyania got up. "I'll be fine, the closer to the rocks, the better off I will be." She said starting her trek all over again.
Checking to make sure that his remaining two dozen throwing knives were in place, and all his weapons were loose in their scabbards, Richard settled down to wait, occasionally taking a swig from the canteen.
Seeing one of the woman drop, possibly from fatigue, Richard's mood become more troubled.
'If they were really after me, they would be better equipped, but my enemies have tried more devious plots than this... Oh, ****. What should I do...'
Seeing the man loosen a dozen throwing knives in their scabbards, S'prite gripped Sayn's (His other dagger) hilt comfortingly. Loosening them in his scabbard, he took his hands off of them as ot to worry Cyania.
Cyania kept going through the storm, making as much haste as she could. She felt her pockets and felt the steel tip of her short sword satisfied she continued trying to keep her weapon's hiding spot a secret.
They were drawing closer to the rock... And the man. S'prite mentally prepared himself for a fight.
Richard casually took note of the group, and how they were preparing for a fight. Maneuvering himself so he was out of sight, richard circleed around to confuse their sense of where he was, and positioned himself to spring upon the woman.
'If its a fight they want, its a fight they'll get' Richard thought, grimly.
Cohend saw the man up ahead, it seemed like the group of people he was following would easily win if a fight broke out, but looks could be decieving
S'prite saw the man inch arond the rock. "Wait here for a second." S'prite said to Cyania. He dashed off to take the man by surprise. Leaping around the rock, S'prite yells, "I AM S'PRITE CRYO MORTIS! STATE YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE!" He pulls out his daggers and ignores the sand in his mouth, trying to be as intimidating as possible.
Suddenly, Richard appears behind the man who so foolishly exposed himself, and holds a knife to his throat.
"Who ARE you?" Richard growls.
Using his other hand to secure the veil across his face, for he didn't have to abandon that, Richard continued to keep one eye on the approaching party.
Cyania heard the loud noise and then she saw something moving near another rock. She walked toward it and found a floating little ball of glowing light. "Hello there." Cyania said kindly as though it were her pet.
Saying a quick spell, S'prite shoots a small blob of darkness into his attacker's eyes. Even a small amount of magic tired him, so he quickly escaped and reversed the grip. "No. Who are you?"
Summoning the small amount of magical power left over from his ancestors, Richard cleared the simple magic from his eyes, and used his foot to kick sand into the wind, where it headed downwind and blinded the one named S'prite for a few seconds.
Using the opportunity, Richard quickly dissappeared into the rock outcropping.
The golden ball of light moved toward a large rock, and Cyan was curious were it was going. "Come back here you." Cyan called after it and chased the ball toward a small hole in the side of the rock.
S'prite swore and followed him. Darting from shadow to shadow, using his black armor to his advantage, he searched for the man.
Remembering that the rest of the group had cared for the woman, Richard circled around the blundering straggler and leapt upon the woman. Dragging her to her feet, he held a knife to her throat.
"I have your woman friend here!" Richard yelled into the wind. "Come out, and she doesn't die!"
Cyania seemed not to care much. She looked at the dagger and then the man. "What is that suposed to do?" she asked the man. "Bringing me in so close makes it harder to see my intentions." Cyania said ripping out her short sword, which put a long hole in her pant but managed to get her free.
S'prite came out, dropping his daggers. "You are so cowardly as to attack a woman?" S'prite asked, his voice laden with contempt. He mentally braced himself for another spell, knowing that it would completely drain him. "How about we finish this in one on one combat, man on man?"
Richard snorted as he heard the stranger spout chivalric nonsense to him.
"It doesn't matter how you kill, or how you win, just that you do." exclaimed Richard, keeping a wary eye on every possible place he could.
Cyania entered the cool dark cave and found a strange pressence about. "hello? where is my golden ball?" She asked nobody.
Now that Cyania was free, S'prite kept the man focused on is face. "So, you'd do anything to win?..." the man said. Using his feet to flick up his daggers, which he caught dexterously, he caught both of them and shot another globule of darkness at the man's eyes. him being temporarily stunned, S'prite charged, putting his daggers in a cross pattern on the man's throat.
"Must he get in a fight now?" Cyan asked looking at the two fighters. "I better be off. He knows where I will be." She said entering the cave and finding it quite large, but many tunnels twisted here and there. She saw a tint of gold going down the left passage.
Desperately trying to summon the magic before the darkness hit, Richard drew his crescent bladed battle axe and prepared for a fight. Finding that his magic from the Elvish blood was inactive, he switched to his other senses. Using touch, sixth sense, smell, and hearing, Richard kicked the stubborn stranger away just before dropping to the ground and tackling him by the feet.
Picking him up by the small of his back, Richard hurled him at a rock, before dissappearing into the cave where the woman had gone.
'I need to get away from these people. If I capture their woman friend, they might let me go.' Richard thought, a bit desperately.
Cyania kept her short sword out and found her golden ball of light flying down the passage and it stopped before a wall of pure granite. "This must have been placed here. There is no heat in the cave." She said feeling the cool air around her.
Link was wandering round a cave wonderiing what to do when he saw a golden ball fly past him
Rolling backwards to get up, S'prite sprinted after the man. The man seemed horribly weighed down, and couldn't run very fast... besides that, he wasn't fully elven. Not being weighed down with extrenious weapons, S'prite quickly caught up to him, hucking a rock to make him turn around. "Do not attack ladies. It's cowardly. Eevn thieves have honor." S'prite said. "What are you?"
"Come back here!" Cyania shouted as the ball of light flew along the cave. She saw a man standing there, but she had no time to stop.
link saw someone run past him so he folowed "what are you chasing?"he shouthing in front of him
Dodging the rock, and ignoring the man, Richard stopped jogging and started to sprint. Dashing around a corner, he just managed to keep his balance. Spotting the woman, Richard dived for her. Managing to catch her feet, he hauled her down with him.
Getting up before the stranger came, he put another knife to her throat, before growling "Who are you, and why are you here?"
Looking around, Richard spotted a golden ball of light floating in the air. With that, his mood sank, if that was even possible.
Cyania saw that the man was following him. "I don't know what it is." She called back as the ball of light turned a corner.
Using his black leather armor to sneak around the corner without being detected, S'prite came up behind the man who seemed so persistant on attacking them and hit a meridian point (pressure point) on his arm, making him drop the blade. He thn grabbed another meridian along the back of his neck and held Sayn to the back of his neck. "stop attacking us!" S'prite said harshly.
link ran faster trying to help catch the ball
"Stop trying to kill me then!" Richard retorted, quite sharply indeed, before biting the hand holding his arm. Using his free arm, and ignoring the pain in his neck, Richard managed to get hold of one of his knives. Throwing it up and over his shoulder, he was happy to hear a dull thunk, coming from the knife meeting flesh.
Then the golden ball of light flew over a cliff and Cyan not paying any attention at all fell off the cliff and landed in complete darkness.
link who was still folowing the woman fell of the cliff to
"Truthfully,you attacked me first. It was my right to defend myself." S'prite said as he took the dagger out of his armor and used it to provide further persuasion. Then, hearing Cyan's scream as she fell, he sheathed his daggers and sprinted after Cyania, breaking the point of the man's dagger between two rocks and throwing it ove his shoulder as he went.
As the man retreated, Richard slumped down. Something had happened, and he was extremely exhausted. He just hoped that they would come back for him. He'd rather die fighting than alone in a malevolent cave.
Stopping, S'prite looked back at him. "I am not employed. We were not following you. I guess we were just both going to the same place at the same time." Turning on his heel, he commenced his wild dash after Cyania. Seeing the cliff, but unable to stop in time, he ran over the edge... He now knew where Cyan's scream came from.
"Ya, like I'll believe that!" Richard shouted after the man as he slowly faded into the darkness.
Cyania woke up to find herself in an unknown place. Somehow, she had lived even though it was pitch black around her, she could still sense all life around her
link was still falling then it everything went black
S'prite's elven ancestry took control of him, and he landed on his feet. Although stunned by the blow and not particularly happy, he had lived... and he hadn't blacked out.
With his enhanced senses, Richard clearly heard as the three fell over the cliff one by one. The last to go, he though, was probably the stranger who effectivlely disabled him.
'If I help them out of the pit, whereever it may be, I wonder if they would help me get rid of the assasins continuously chasing me.' Richard thought, as he got up, got a rope out of his bag and cautiously started heading in the direction of the stranger.
link woke up and he coouldnt see anything
Cyania found the golden ball of light floating around her. "hello" She said to it and then followed it down yet another passage.
link looked around for a bit and saw i little golden tint so he chased it as fast as he could
S'prite, too, saw the ball of light, and he saw Cyania's features in the meager light. He saw her dash into the darkness. swearing and wondering why that ball of light was so important, he followed her.
after a time the ball of light stopped and Cyania stared at it. Then she looked passed it and found a wall with word written all over it and she began to read the text.
When he arrived at the ledge, Richard slung a rope over a stalacmite, and threw it over the edge. Pulling on it, to make sure it was secure, Richard jumped off the edge, sliding down the rope and landing on the bottom.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Seeing Cyania stop in front of a wall, S'prite stood next to her, completely hidden in the darkness. He began to try to read the text.
link finaly cought up whith the golden ball seamed to have stoped and the woman was reading something
Cyania sat down. "Its a story" She said turning to the others. "Its about my ancestor, Marisa." She said looking at the wall.
Hearing footsteps down a passageway, Richard followed them. He noticed that the air was getting increasingly damp.
Reaching the people, he noticed that they were reading a text of some sort. It was too far away to make out the words, but it sparked something in his memory.
Seeing a man behind him, and fearing that he was the man from earlier, S'prite made his presence aware so he wouldn't get any ideas. "Hello, Cyania." S'prite says, drawing himself up to his full height so as to reveal the green family crest on his chest.
After some time of watching the stranger, Richard came to the conclusion that he was very egotistic, could be arrogant at times, and was very protective of his woman friends. That, and his foolish notion of Chivalry.
Stealthily dissappearing into the shadows, Richard made himself hidden. He was at home in the shadows, so he continued to watch them.
She came into this cave to try to set free the souls that guard the cave... but died in the process... The Water Crest was buried with her!?
That's why there isn't anymore water!" S'prite realizes. he had no idea...,"She's your anscestor?" S'prite said, suprised.
Then, turning around to the stranger, he said, "You are a very strange thief. You carry how many weapons at once? And you don't hide the second that you see something that might hurt you, or when you're observing something. Your weapons clank together when you move. That's your downfall."
Cyania continued down the wall and found that the story just ended. "I wonder what happened to her." She said confused.
"Shoot. I forgot full Elves can see me." Richard mumbled as he came out of the shadows where he had concealed himself. Walking over to a ledge, he put his hand on it and found the convienient stockpile of knives he had left there. He had to hide here some time before from the assasins and slowly eliminate them one by one, so he knew the cave pretty well.
"I won't answer you, Elf. Your kind is too cruel to listen to me, a Half-Elf! Why would you be in this god-forsaken cave though. Its not like you can rescuse the Water Amulet and revitalise the world. Its hard to get to. Tell me why you are here, and I might stop shadowing you."
"I've heard some stories... Snatches of the same story that is on this wall..." S'prite said. He then comcealed the crest on his chest and leaped into the shadows. If that man was back for more, he'd get it. "I have come here helping her." His voice seemed to be coming from where he was not- a useful trick he had picked up on his travels." She is here to... learn more about her anscestor." Sp'rite answered. It seemed reasonable enough, and seemed to fit everything that was happening.
Hearing an argument, Cyania turned and ran away. "I better get away from that creep." She yelled back and drew her short sword.
As the group ran away from him, Richard laughed a bitter laugh.
"You won't find the body of Marissa. You will die in the attempt. You don't know the cave, and magic can be misleading... You won't find it. you will die. Alone. One... by... one.
Unless..." Richard called after them before cackling, the laugh echoing of of the cave walls.
"You know nothing of my magic!" Cyania yelled back as she disappeared into the darkness of the cave. The moist air grew thick as she felt herself decend.
Despite the fact that it would tire him, S'prite he shot a blast of darkness back at him, which hit him in the mouth and silenced his mad cackling. e then lunged out of theshadows and fo**lowed Cyania.
Easily dissolving the magic, for Richard's magic was somehow stronger in the cave.
"Oh, but I do... I do, heir of Marissa!" Richard called after her, before starting to whistle a tune from back home.
Cyania grew scared. "Who is that creep?" She asked herself. Then she felt it again. A strange feeling that someone was contacting her. She still couldn't understand it, but she knew she was close.
Seeming to materialize out of the shadows, S'prite answered. "It would seem that he is a mercenary. He called himself The Shadow... I have heard of him before."
"Oh, he creeps me out." Cyania said looking around as though something would pop out and scare her.
"Apparently, he creeps everyone out. He is well known among employers, and anyone who employed him is considered lucky. I had heard recently that he was dead, though..." S'prite said. The air was growing damper. Since this entire thing had to do with water, he figured they were getting closer.
"Do you supose he is linked to this whole business?" Cyania asked. She was worried, that if more people like him knew about Marisa, and where her body was, it could be dangerous.
"I don't know. It seemed as if he had been here before..." S'prite trailed off, worried that he may scare her. Summoning his courage, he said, "Like he knows where this leads, and he knows how to get water back."
"i don't he could bring any water back, not with Marisa's power." Cyania said thinking about the story again. "I think it is best if we find some water ourselves." She added hoping to rest up in case that man appeared again.
"OK." S'prite said. "Let's set up camp here." He said, noticing the dark shadows under her eyes.
S'prite sat up on a rock. "I'll stand watch." he said, leaning against the walls. keeping a lookout on the path they had come from, he glanced down the corridor that lay in front of him occasionally. He doubted any mindless monster could get to them without being detected by his hearing, but just in case...
Lep sighed, "Argh..." The pulled muscles were finnaly easing off.
Lep lay down on the cold, damp, hard floor, "Night then."
With no way to tell if it was night or day, S'prite guessed it was nighttime. The night had so far passed uneventfully. Perhaps that strange man would come back for more... he hoped not. Though loathe to admit it, it had taken all of his skills to defeat him.
Lep fell asleep, natural instinct when sleeping was to draw to the warmest thing, S'prite's legs and Cyania.
Cyania stirred. She had slept fine, but dreams had distrubed her that night. "ugh, is everyone awake yet?" She asked.
Lep moaned, "No, more sleep." He hissed, not offensivly, just dreamily.
"I am." S'prite said. S'prite did not need sleep as much as others. His many sleepless night s had hardened him.
Cyania nodded and eventually fell back asleep.
Unfortuntly, for Lep. Once he awoke, he barely ever managed to go back to sleep.
So, after five minutes he sat up, yawning he slowly rubbed the 'sleep' out of his eyes.
Bored, S'prite drew his daggers. He had used them in the fight with... The Shadow. He saw a drop of blood on Sayn's tip, and wiped it against the hem of his pant leg. Sighing, he sheathed his daggers and leaned against the wall, resting with one eye open.
-In Cyania's dream-
The world was black and full of ash. The lands were dead. Without water, life can't go on. The sea's dried up, animals died. Crops failed, and people too, died out. Eventually it became nothing. Cyania stood alone in this dark world. She heard a cry for help. "Marisa" Cyania screamed...
Lep shook Cyania, "Wake up!" He cried.
S'prite noticed Cyania's night mare and walked over. he reached down and woke her. "Cyania? Wake up. You were dreaming."
Cyania jolted awake. "That place was terrible." She said as a cold sweat streaked down her face. "Marisa..." She whispered.
"What place? What about Marissa?" Lep asked, confusement plain on his features
Concerned, S'prite asked, "What's the matter?" There was something that he didn't like about this cave, besides the initial creepiness and sense of evil (also besides the fact that there was a psycopathic maniac in the cave with them). There was a sense of profound sadness within the cave. S'prite sighed.
"The world was all black and vile, I don't know who would want such a place." She said looking down. "I hope it isn't to late to save her." Cyania said.
Lep still looked confused, but shook his head, he went back to sitting.
"Don't worry. We''l make it." S'prite said, going against the usual pesimism. "We'll save her."
"I don't know how yet, but I will." Cyan said with more confidence than ever.
S'prite nodded encourageingly, then looked away, continuing his guad duties. "You might as well get some sleep," S'prite said.
Cyania nodded and feel back asleep.
S'prite watched her until she was asleep. He had the feeling that they were being watched. He would rather fight something than have it sneak up on him.
Feigning sleep, he yawned and kept his eyes open a little, just enough to see if someone, or something, came.
Lep yawned, his arms groaning. "Cyania? S'prite?" He asked.
Cyania awoke and yawned with a sign. "I am up." She said to Lep.
Stretching and groaning, S'prite gets up. "Morning." He says. "... I think."
Lep smiled, "Hmmmm, what's for breakfast? Moisture? Oh and... More moisture!"
"Thats not funny!" Cyania said laughing, trying to eat the air.
Lep grinned, "So... To be serious, what is on our exotic menu?"
a bat flew bye and Cyania caught in with her magic. "Will this do?" She asked
Eyeing the bat with displeasure, S'prite sighed. It wasn't as bad as some of the things he had eaten, but it was still pretty bad.
Lep laughed (c) "Mmmmm, favourite, lovely chewy.... Bat skin!"
Cyania managed to avoid eating the flying vermin without anyone noticing. "Okay now, lets get going." She said. "Before that creep comes back." She added going down the passageway.
Lep nodded, following, he pretended to eat the air as they went.
S'prite got up and peared down the hallway both ways. Standing up fully, he pulled out his daggers, testing the points. He wasn't sure anything was alive in this hell-hole, but he wanted to be ready if there was.
"Hmm the air seems thicker this way." Cyania said pointing to the left. The walls were tinted blue and they seem to be reflective.
"Yea..." Lep grinned, "Tastes thicker too..." He babbled.
Peering at the strange walls, S'prite wonders what happened to that psycopath. Then, curiosity overtaking him, he wonders what material the wall is made of. Reaching out slowly, he stops his finger a hair's breath'd away from it. What if some spell came out and incinerated him? Tearing his eyes away from the wall, he continues to follow Cyania.
"This place is turning more into a built place, the walls are smoother and cut more even then the cave we entered." Cyania noticed seeing the walls curve and there was a few torches lit to light the area. "I wonder how they managed to stay lit for so long." She pondered out loud.
Lep frowned, suddenly stern, "Something isn't right." He said whilst drawing his sword, he looked around him for any signs of physcial wall traps.
Yn and Sayn flying out of their sheaths, S'prite grasped their hilts tightly. Silently agreeing with Lep, he thought there must be a reason that the wall was like this... And why had he been so intent on poking it!?!?!?
Cyania looked back at the tense warriors. "Just remember guys, this place is cursed. Any temptation, might lead to instant death." She reminded them looking at their faces made her worry too. "Lets press on and think about our task, and our task alone." She state simply and moved on.
Seeing that he had made her worry, S'prite put his daggers back into their sheaths. He could draw them quickly enough, if he needed to... He let a calm look come over his face. He tried to follow Cyania's advice, but it was pretty hard when you were in a cursed cave.
Richard glided down the cave passageway like a wraith, occasionally checking his supply caches. Remembering the group who were desperately trying to save Marissa's tortured soul, and find the water crest, he turned down a side passage, down into the roughly hewn part of the cave.
Cyania entered a large part in the cave. "This must be like a hall of sorts." She said turning around looking at the high ceiling and bookcases.
S'prite, his curiosity piqued instantly by the sight of books, looked around cautiosly. What were books doing here? It was obviously a trap... but the thought of the ancient knowledge contained within these decripit tomes was extremely alluring. Looking at the books longingly, he sighed. If the bait is obvious... don't take it.
Staring at the books, Cyania got curious. She cast some magic around the books and pulled it from the case. "Maybe this will help." she said opening it
Deciding to brush up on his literature, Richard took a side passage and headed for the library. As he got near to the library door that he had inserted a couple years ago, Richard noticed that voices were coming from inside.
'Huh. Probably those suicidal 'heroes' again. If they have survived this long though, I guess I should introduce myself... Possibly.' Richard thought to himself as he pushed the doors open with two hands.
Striding into the library, he stopped momentarily, glanced, first at the intruders, second at the books, before sauntering over to a bookshelf and pulling out an ancient text.
S'prite saw the man walk in. Instanly drawing his daggers, he stopped in shock. The man pulled out a book! Expecting a million tons of ston to fall onto their heads, or a fiery inferno to burst up in between his feet, he sheathed his daggers and through himself to the ground, hoping that it wasn't the second trap.
Cyania looked at the book. Sensing the man reading in the room she stopped for a while. "Well if he doesn't care about us, then he is no threat." She said reading about Marisa.
Hearing the heir of Marissa's coment, Richard snorted.
"Oh, I care alright. Infact, I care aplenty. Really though, I'm surprised you got this far. Not many 'heroes' were cautious or smart enough to avoid the reflecting wall trap... But, I'm guessing you are all tired, hungry, thirsty, and aching?" Richard retorted, before snapping his fingers and conjuring a chair.
For some reason, his small magical ability was always amplified in the library.