Re: First signs

[Spritz]

It… It was over. He was dead. They were… safe. The words echoed through the elven woman’s mind, but Lavara could hardly comprehend them. The stiff, strong wood of her bow pressed into her palm, her fingers tightly curled around it. Her face was pale, her brown eyes widened slightly, as she glanced from one, to the other. There was no way any one of them could have killed the knight themselves, as it had taken all of their skills combined to take him down. The death knight’s armor lay on the ground, the metal dark against the pale ash ground. The arrow lie in the midst, and the elf knew she had to retrieve it. Slowly, and as if she was in a trance, Lavara stepped forward, her booted feet crunching down onto the dirty, lifeless soil.
She reached the armor within a few long strides, stooping down over it. The aura around it was strong, still discomforting to her and seeming to still possess the evil of the knight which had worn it. She found herself wondering if the armor was dangerous at all, but that didn’t stop her from reaching her slender hand forward and grasping the shaft of the arrow. Pulling it slowly towards her, she smiled slightly, her mind breaking out of its foggy trudge and back into full speed again. She turned around quickly, before striding back over to where Avan was leaning over Magus’s body. Her stomach clenched painfully as she instantly assumed something was wrong with one of their party, but as Avan helped the young mage up he seemed to be in tact, though a bit pale and shaky around the edges. Nearing the fountain, she quickly stowed away the arrow, its bright blue feathers contrasting with the solid crimson ones that adorned the others. “Are you alright?” Lavara’s face held a small hint of worry, though she would hate to admit to it. Also leaning over Magus, she gave him a weak smile of appreciation. “Thank you.” Referring to the arrow, she turned to Avan and Tiruf. Her smile instantly faded, her face shrouded in set determination and a hint of anger.
“You know that this is hopeless, right? After all, it took all of us to take down merely one! What happens when we are surrounded!” Giving them all a searching look, she lowered herself so she was resting on the edge of the fountains stone basin. “If this is the case, I need to know what we are planning to do.” Her practical side was fighting, trying to gain information that would help them all figure out what they were to do next. “Do you have a plan? If so, now is the perfect time to share it.” Lavara’s tone wasn’t harsh, though her words were searching. Her voice was gentle, very soft in the stiff air and completely opposite from their surroundings. Clearing her throat, she coughed slightly and tried to get used to breathing in the sulfurous air.

[themagus]

Avan was the one to answer the elfs' questions "Don't worry Lavara, we have defeated the one the curse took as guardian, it'll take it some time to gather its forces and that's why i ordered the rest however i don't want to delay too much as right now its vulnerable. One minute did us great good, but the source of the curse is still weak, i can feel it. Ermm, just so you'll know, everyone" he took them all in his glare "That was probably the weakest death knight you'll ever meet, i gather the curse didn't have enough time to grow and the attacks on the villages were its attempt to gain more grounds, to enslave souls and gather more power. From my studies death knights tend to be far fiercer than what we faced here but it definitely was a good example for one." Aven started climbing the wide gray steps toward the city hall, waving them all to follow him "Come on, i might need you for backup, though the danger now is fairly reduced". Tiruf didn't say a word in all of that time, he took his last contact with the death knight pretty hard and was recovering slowly. He simply dragged himself after Avan, his maul still in bot hhis hands. He seemed impassive if anything, somewhat oblivious to the general situation though still aware enough to fight if it came to that, not including another death knight at that. Magus fell beside the big man partly leaning on him and partly holding him, they both were mentally drained, but the rest helped them to make the final efforts.
When everyone got to the halls' big wooden door Avan slowly and soundlessly opened it, revealing an empty, surprisingly clean hall hall that didn't give the slightest clue about being near a volcanic terrain - the walls were white without any cracks, the air and the floor weren't filled with the ash everything around them contained and inspite the air was cleaner it had a sickening atmosphere of damnation and vile, evil essence. Inside the hall stood a lone marble pedestal and on it a small object. As soon as Avan entered the hall the group spread to the sides, covering him and beign able to view all of the hall which didn't seem to be useful as the pedestal was the only thing in there. In contrast to the false purity of the place the object on the pedestal was serounded by black mist, making it seem abstract. Only Avan approached and as the others watched him he lifted his club abovehis head, whispering what must've been a preyer to his god as the club started emitating a soft white light. He then smashed the object and the hall was filled with shimering light. They found themselves lying down, awake after what was probably some time of sleep. The air was lighter and the mysterious object gone. Magus's curiosity make him recover first "What was that? Is the curse gone now?"
"Yes lad, we are safe. As to what it was, it was a heart, a still living heart that was beating with the evil that was imbued with it. Makes you wonder... who could deliver such a curse? And why, ofcourse. We will have plenty to report when we get back, the high mages will want to hear about this." Avan concluded. There was nothing els to say, not at the moment, this place wasn't all too welcoming even without the curse. Raising to his feet, Avan wore a weak smile "Oh, i nearly forgot - no one will be coming here, you could say we conquered it from evil, and so its ours. Take as many valuables as you can with you, and money. I know someone who will exchange it for money or gems, whichever you choose. Don't worry, its a part of our reword" He said, as he led them out of the main city's hall.

[ i left your part out, mostly, so you could fill it in, if you want ofcourse. if you have problems you know where to find me ]

[Spritz]

Lavara snorted, shaking her head. Avan's answer was none the reasuring, especially when he noted that the death knight had been weak. She could hardly imagine what the stronger ones would be like, as she was sure somewhere in this journey, they would be meeting them. Possibly even fighting them. Avan glared at all of them, continuing to speak. The young elf didn't enjoy lectures like these, she was impatient and just wanting to get to the next step. Soon however, the party picked themself up, Magus and Tiruf leaning on eachother. They were both weak, showing there phyical, and mental lack of energy and strength. The two shuffled forward, the small party looking about to collapse. The only cure to that however, was rest. Lavara knew that rest was going to be very hard to find in this place, as there was no where that was safe enough to let you're guard down. Either way, she slowly moved behind the others, staying in back and keeping an arrow notched tightly on the string.

A terrible headache throbbed at the back of her temples, her soul feeling weary and weak. Her limbs felt like they were made of water, and her eyes threatened to close. There was no way she could possibly rest however, not now. Though her body and soul were tired, her mind was racing and awake, making her fall into line until the four reached a set of very tall, sullen grey stone stairs. They climbed up them, until reaching huge wooden doors that Avan slowly opened. The inside of the hall was nothing that Lavara had imagined it to be. Instead of looking like the devil himself possessed the place, it had a fake, plastered on look of pure intent, but as she drew in a breath, even the air reeked of vile and evil that made her skin tingle.
Her eyes were trained on Avan, as he approached the one thing in the room that made Lavara shiver. A shroud of blackened mist hid whatever was inside of it, and as Avan raised his weapon, it began to glow with a faint white light. This battle would not be won with pure strength alone, and Lavara sincerley hoped the others also knew that. She was sure that they did, but inwardly she felt as if they were all responsible for eachother, and if one fell, they all fell. That was probably true too, as it had taken all of their ability to take down the one death knight. A bright, peircing flash of light made Lavara jump, caught off guard and deep in thought. Her gaze cast over to where Avan had been standing, but she felt her legs faltering and growing weak, unable to support her body. Falling to the floor, her head cracked against the smooth marble and she was cast into a deep unconciousness.

When she finally came to however, she was lying in the same positon as before. A thin trickle of blood had dried onto the floor, where her head had hit the stone when she had fallen. Raising her head groggily, she blinked several times to see that she was the last one awake. Immedietly, a sense of indignation washed over her, and she forced her aching muscles to work, pushing herself into a sitting position until she could regain her wits and her ability to think clearly. Avan was conversing with the rest of the men, and Lavara let her eyes fall closed. It wasn't that she was tired, but she was merley trying to recall what had really happened before she had fallen. Listening to Avan, she cringed at his words and pried her eyelids open once again. Avan stated that they were free to take whatever they found, but she found that she was not interested in what had been corrupted with evil. As he began to lead them away, she picked herself up off of the floor and fell into step, standing near Magus.
"Thank you." She spoke quietly, so only he could hear. "For saving my life."



((Gaa, I still hate how it turned out. Sorry Magus. ):))

[themagus]

Magus simply looked to the ground, his face wary, and nodded his acceptence "We all sould have died if any of us was killed, i guess the help was mutual. Come on, maybe we can find something useful in these ruins of a city". He started walking throught the houses looking for anything that could be handy or expensive enough to buy himself new things but needless to say that most of what he saw was ruined and corroded by the sulfur and ash that were in the air. Some of the private cellars were in better condition but looks like this city was looted long ago, or perhaps the curse corrupted everything... He got back to the old machine that got them there, the vehicle looked just like they left it though it felt like it was ages ago. Lavara was waiting for them at the gate and he joined her, giving her a questioning look that refered to the absence of Avan and Tiruf as he imagined he was through most of the ruins, but apparently the fighters were in a place he wasn't, because they weren't coming back any time soon. Time passed and the sun was setting, a grey orb vaguely illuminating the world untill it disappeared, then a large noise of jingles and heavy boots was echoing through the streets - Avan and Tiruf were carrying huge sacks on their backs and a stretcher loaded to bear between them. Even in dim light Magus could recognize their overweighted walk and was surprized to hear the sound of coins. He couldn't stop himself from asking "Did the villagers got the payment here?" but he didn't believe it even when he mouthed the words as he guesses a group of villages sholdn't have this much gold to reward mercenaries and it was Tiruf who answered "Nahh those bunch doesn't have half as much waiting for us. While you been trailing this place or just chit-chatting, or..." he made a dramatic stop, grinning, then lost interest in his little joke and continued "Anyways, there was this back room around the hall, if you wouldn't be in such a hurry to get out of here you might have gotten yourself something nice, this curse is a real preserver of antiques. We had to limmit ourselves though, that old vehicle of ours can't carry everything." They put everything down near the vehicle and Tirus started loading everything, Avan was still resting from the fight, his shield arm hurt, sore and bruised. It took Tiruf a while and even then he had to leave some of the sacks behind.
Avan turned the engine on and they drove off, not as quickly this time but the distance was shorter by far than getting from Alonte to the villages. They got back within the night, Tiruf and Avan trading places near the steering wheele so both of them could catch some sleep and were greeted by a scout who hurried to fetch the village elder from his lodge in the other end of town. Giving the elder a short version of their adventure Avan concluded with that all they needed now was a good sleep and asked if they could use the villages inn, the elder was more than approving so they immidiately were in their rooms, served with warmed faces by the bartender and welcoming drunken toasts by the village's late nighters and the occasional drunkards who joined for the sake of cheering anyone else but themselves. The companions could find a warm large bed, table, chair, candle and a large bathing tub, and were left for the night. Magus undressed and sunk himself in the water. They were cold but he welcomed them, he felt comfortable in water and spent some time in the tub before he started scratching the ash and sulfor that stuck to his skin. When he was done he wore his underwear and trousers and crawled to his bed, letting a deep sleep take him. When all the companions gathered at the inn's mess a young man with gentle features came up to Lavara "Excuse me fair hero, im the village's bard and i just happened to hear about your exploits, would you sing us a song about your journey so i could carry it with me throughout our rigion? Elven songs are famouse as the best, will you honor me by singing it the first time?" The croud was very different then the one they saw before - well dressed men, workers of the village and their children gathered to see those who redeemed their homes from the cursed undead and all were watching with a mix of curiosity, gratitude and respect, every one of them holding a different level of the three. The bard, seem to be well knowned was talking in an audiable and melodic voice, his words streaming and pleasent and the croud got silence, faces glancing over the the new local heroes.

[ ok, so its a bit of a fail, but my brain fell dead right at the last word XD ]

[Spritz]

Lavara couldn't help but let out a low chuckle as Avan and Tiruf came into view, loaded down with a hoard of things they had picked up from around the city. It had been quite some time they had been waiting, the sun having sank low in the sky and casting shadows about the place. She felt on edge, warry that they were being watched yet again. Just because the curse had been defeated didn't mean there wasn't anything else around here looking to kill them all, thus she glanced anxiously from side to side as the jingling of coins and other objects became louder. All thought of stealth was quickly forgotten as Tiruf and Avan came closer, their faces full of joy from finding these prizes.

The elf herself had no intrest in these things, looking only for what the reward would be at the end of this tiresome journey. The bounty that the two men had picked up held no value to Lavara, so she politley stepped to the side as they began to load it up. A few of the sacks wouldn't fit on the vehicle, and they also weighed enough to possibly crack the wood. At any rate, quite a few minutes passed while she watched in silence; the pair trying to load up as much as possible. She wondered why they were driven by such things, as the beginning of the adventure had merley started. Surely there would be more spoil later on, so why waste valuble room now?

Despite the questioning that was going through her mind, Lavara didn't say a word. She cast her gaze about them, her eyes moving and searching the darkening shadows as the last rays of sunlight slipped out of the city, seeming to plunge them into deep and devourous darkness. Soon, the group clambered aboard the machine, and Avan began to drive them out of the city. She sat as far away from everybody else as she could, looking for solitude and quiet for the time being. Nothing about this place was the same as back home, and she couldn't deny a small twinge of yearning to be back in the woods. That was the place she loved, and nothing could take away the small nagging feeling that twisted her gut. What would happen to them? She was sure they wouldn't come away from this trip without injuries, whether that be in body or soul.

Unknown to Lavara, she drifted off to sleep during the much shorter journey to the nearest village.

Even when they were deep inside of the town, she was dozing lightly and only slightly aware of what was happening around her. The sound of voices, the light smell of smoke from a fire. There was the also the sound of creaking wheels, but more over it was pretty quiet as it was late at night and not many people would be awake in the first place.


Within a few minutes, she had waken up fully and was now awaiting the response to their tale of adventure, looking around her and hoping it wouldn't be a trap. Who knew what vile filth could call this place home; but it did look a bit more welcoming than the city had. She nearly shivered at the thought of the place, and now she realized this was a place that was safe for them, if only temporarily. Her body was weary, and the constant jolting of the war machine hadn't helped that matter. When she swung her legs to get out of it she nearly tripped, her legs deemed useless until she was able to get her blood flowing once again.

She was soon escorted to a small room at the inn, where she was able to refresh herself and wash her clothing, hanging the garments before the blazing fire as she slipped into one of the large tubs to wash herself. She soon was fresh and clean, her clothing slightly damp as she was summoned to meet the others at the mess. Slipping on the clothing, she soon trotted down the stairs and met the others. The bath had been wonderful, though she was still very tired and ready to fall asleep at any given moment. About to ask Magus a question, she was inturupted by a young man who politley asked if she would begin their tale in a song.

The elf had no idea what to say. She had never thought herself skilled in the art of music, but it was possible she could have been. Lavara's life had consisted of trying to survive, instead of the pleasure music and singing would have gave the ones who were well off. How long had it been since she had sang last? Looking around at the people who had gathered, she noted the expression of thankfulness and excitement clear on their features. How could she let them down? Glancing over to the others, she looked to them for some sort of gesture that would help her decide what she would do.
She started to sing, her voice melodic in the small room. She sang the tale in a way her people would do so, recalling the adveture in the way she had saw it herself. Through the eyes of a peacemaker, emotion making her voice waver slightly as she first started out. Her voice was quiet, as she was a bit timid to have all attention on her. Not liking this very much, she glanced from face to face, but saw nothing that she should be afraid of. As the tale progressed, her voice grew stronger. The fire cracked right along with the tune, the crickets sang outside and added their parts. Soon, it was over. She had recalled everything into one song, her voice trailing off before quieting completley.

(I'm not good at writing songs, thus I left the lyrics out.)

[themagus]

[ lol i thought Lavara will send him back to his barding collage XD and it’s alright about the lyrics ]

Most of the conversations stopped and the bard pulled out the feather from his hat and a parchment from his pocket, sat himself comfortably on a nearby chair and got ready to write whatever Lavara was planning to sing. As her voice trailed between the stoves' flames and to every corner of the inn the crowd went silent and eyes were turned to gaze at the warrior elf singing her battles, filling their souls with adventure. As she went on the people of the small village wanted to get a better look at the adventurers who fought skeletons with the aid of a god and magical arrows, tables were moved, chairs were dragged and then lifted followed by cautious and quiet footsteps, and the door leading outside was closed all so they could hear better of the horrors that threatened their village, the feather pen running quick and smooth over the parchment, making short notes alongside the lyrics. As she the song went on and into the part of fighting the death knight quiet murmurs crawled in the crowd though not loud or long enough to interrupt the song, those with the sharper ears could hear the questioning of some and firmness nature of other murmurs before they stopped completely as the part of the actual defeat of the curse arrived. Everyone were listening intently, the feather long stopped from scratching at the paper, and the silence went on for a few more moments after the song was done. Magus put a hand on Lavaras' shoulder, it wasn't easy to any of them and her singing their little adventure nipped at the still lively memories.

The bard got up and said with a worried, concerned tone "Well then, thats a story i won't forget, not anytime soon anyways." He was facing the general direction of the door, not looking at the elder or most of the other people who were present. The elder didn't get up, he was sitted at a comfortable old leather armchair, his eyes shining when he looked at the bard "Donald..." he said in a croaky yet harsh voice "Yes pa', i'll head streight to Avril, i'll sing my song and get the message through" said the bard in a way that a child would tell his dad that a thing is done but he'll check it again anyways, the bard went to one of the inns' mess corners and took up his bag, hanging it lightly over one shoulder and walking out of the inn and leaving the door open. The elder adressed Avan then "Do you think it have anything to do with what's going on at the Valness?" Avan looked obvious "I don't know but i sure hope its not." was what Avan could offer, he didn't want to think about undead for a week, for a month if he could avoid it. Avan took the last bit of his mug, slapped his hip and got up "Well, we aren't for the tourists ride here, come on, we need to report back." The four of them walked out of the inn in time to see the young bard taking off on a horse loaded with parchments, feathers, ink, flute, mandoline and a small harp, riding off southward "They'll never take anything faster, those bards" said Tiruf gingerly, the village held several vehicles, but many bards of Eorzea took the horse and often confronted with a question about the nature of their transport 'It's a poet thing' became a common good-spirited answer.

Near their old transport was a wooden chest filled with gold - the reward from the villages which Tiruf placed between his legs as he settles in the gunner sit, Avan climbed to the driver sit and Magus took his place next to him, assuming Lavara would want the more remote sit as she did when they came to this place. Avan started the engine and they took off gliding on the grass and away from the village back north to Alonte. Tiruf cheered up segnificantly "Aha! I told you we'll hear that elven coice of yours, and now you've got a fine tale to tell! Gods be mighty! That's the most dangerous thing i've done as of yet." The drive went smoothly and when evening came they stopped at a small inn to have a good night sleep and a warm meal, Avan paying the extra money to part their loaded car in the owners' driveway. They set out again soon after sunset and got back to Alonte in late morning, the smeels and sounds of a city shredded with people welcoming them before the first buildings became visible throught the mist. Avan drove to the mercenaries guild without stopping knowing that a vehicle loaded with treasures will be a magnet to thieves from all over the city. Parking the car at one ofthe guilds' small werehouses him and Tiruf unloaded the heavy sacks of jewels and gold, then Avan went to a desk pulling a paper and pen from a drawer and cataloging the loot. He called the threesome and looked up at them "Tiruf already know the drill so i'll explain it to you two - this is all of our reword" he gestures at what was just unloaded from the car "The guild gets a quarter from everyones' share or a quarter from the total loot in other words, the rest we can split evenly. To be honest non of us can carry his quarter, so unless you want to buy an estate, or something else so very expensive you could take all that you'll care to carry and leave the rest to the guild, the eggheads here will be very greatful, i can assure you. There's another way however - if you'll care enough to stick around for a week i could exchange your quarter with diamonds and other small and quite expensive things so you could carry it, quality guarenteed by the guild - you'll be able to exchange that back to money nearly anywhere as the mercenaries guild opperates everywhere. Take your time thinking about it, it's one of the largest sums you ought to get i sepose. I know i didn't have that much money for a long time."

Magus thought about it for only a moment "I'll stay and wait for the exchange." He never had money or any kind of fortune, and he needed some new things badly, he took what was needed for him to manage in the city for a week and left the rest to Avan so he'll exchange it. Tiruf poked in his pile and pulled few jewleries and gems from it, Avan did the same but took more claiming it to be a donation for his gods' order, since both were working for the mercenaries guild they'll enjoy the benefits of giving the rest of the money to the guild. Magus stayed to see what Lavara wanted to do with her part.

[ need to talk about the continue of it, no time now though ]

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