private The Fall of Andalasia ~Book 1~

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I retrieved my own weapons and inspected them for damage out of habit and fortunately they were fine. So I picked them up and put them in their respective places on my person. With that done I rejoined the group as we made our way to the town that the princess mentioned.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

"Do I look like a surgeon? It'll hold until we have placed some distance between us and that abomination."

 

Still eyeing the bottle uneasily, Adrass shrugged mentally and took a mouthful of the elixir. Hus heartbeat was stimulated immediately as sweat forming at his brow - limbs tensing as a lifetime of concentrated effort was brought back from the pinnacle of exhaustion. The pain was more noticeable now, but seemed more like a dull, pulsating ache. He shuddered, retching a little and reaching for a gun that wasn't there. The doctor had poisoned him - venom was coursing through his veins and he would never be able to exact his vengeance on...

 

Wait... no, he was fine.

 

Adrass blinked in sheer surprise. He let his hands clench into fists (simply needing to do something with them) and shook himself slightly.

 

"Come then, we need to find civilisation and resupply."

 

...

 

Beginning to move again, the hunter found a rhythm much more powerful than the haphazard pace he had managed before - his body spurring itself onward as if it were taking each individual step as a personal challenge to its honour, each meter between it and civilisation as an insult. Signs of life began to spring up around them - first a little, but gradually becoming more and more frequent. Somebody had been logging the forest, which meant that they lived nearby. People meant a town of some kind, and that meant they could lie low and recover their strength.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Dji,

 

Robert thought for a minute. "So how do you want to do this? I don't want to grab you in an inappropriate area without at least getting your permission first. Do you want to just climb on my shoulders, or should I carry you in my arms? I don't much care either way as long as you're comfortable."

[Sekel 692]

@@Alex Kennedy

Helena simply crossed her arms but then thought better of it and kept them swinging by her sides. "Just pick me up and follow the others. I don't care where you touch, when you pick me up, just as long as we're following them." Helena answered Robert. She swayed slightly as she stood in place.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Dji,

 

He shrugged. "Fair enough. As long as you're comfortable with it. Brace yourself, though. This might hurt your legs when I pick you up at first." Approaching her, he place an arm on her lower back, and with the other he swept her off her feet so that she was now being carried in his arms. "For the record, I do totally take back the whole heavy load thing. You're actually even lighter than you look. No burden at all, really." He began following the others. "If I'm being too rough or accidentally bouncing you around too much or something, just say the word and I'll try to adjust."

[Sekel 692]

@@Alex Kennedy

Helena did as he asked but she still winced a bit when she was picked up. Looping her arms around his neck so as to not fall off, she nodded at his offer. "Sure. I'll do that." Helena said and wondered about the weight comment. "Am I actually lighter than I look? Usually it's the other way around." Helena said incredulously.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"I think he's saying you look heavy! " Tulla chuckled whilst walking alongside them briskly.

 

The farther along they traveled, the countryside became quieter and quieter. The time reaching twilight hours, making the air cold. The road was dark except for the pale cast of the moon. Whisper had no idea how close they were to the nearest town or village.

[Flying Ace 142]

@@RunsWithSquirlz,@@Dji,@@Alex Kennedy

"Robert are you saying Helena looks fat? Because that is not nice at all." Dresden said over his shoulder before shivering slightly in the cold air. "Ok, am I the only one who is slightly afraid of the dark?" Dresden asked looking around the dark forest, "I hade to be a water mage; why couldn't I be a fire Mage, fire sounds real handy right about now."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Dji, 

 

He shot a glare at Tulla. "I am not. You on the other hand..." He chuckled. "No, I'm just kidding. What I meant, Helena, is just that you're exceptionally light, and I hadn't really noticed just how small you are, I guess. Honestly, if you ask me every girl in this group is drop-dead gorgeous. Kind of weird how that worked out, really. Not that I'm complaining."

Edited July 21, 2014 by Alex Kennedy

[Sekel 692]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Alex Kennedy, @

"Right. Cracks about any girl's weight is not nice but ... thanks anyway." Helena said and tried to judge how far they were from the nearest town.

@@Alex Kennedy, @@RunsWithSquirlz, @@Flying Ace, @@Sanctified Absence, @@Shadow Dancer

"It appears that ... we ... are ... about eight miles away from the nearest town. I think we just need to keep heading in this direction and we'll be there." Helena told the group after she was sure all this talk about her weight was finished.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

The scent of farm animals and manure carried across the breeze. The princess tugged the cloak tighter around herself and Finn, doing her best against the cold. Thin as paper she was, she had no meat on her bones to keep her warm. She took comfort in the gentle warmth of her fire dragon.

 

"I think it best not to use any magic anyway."

[Flying Ace 142]

"Ok you got me there, don't want the maiden to sense us." Dresden covered his nose when he was able to smell the manure, "ack, of man that dosnt smell good; at least that means were at a village hopefully." Dresden took a quick look around at the group. "So, what's our story? Because I don't think going around and telling people who you are is such a good idea."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Flying Ace,

 

Robert perked up. This was his time to shine. "Well that's easy. Obviously we're traveling performers. The injuries are from a bandit attack. Most of us lost our instruments and performing equipment running away, which is why my lute is the only one we have. You guys would have to hide most of your weapons, though. I mean, one or two of you can stay armed and pass as our guards or something, but otherwise we need to look relatively harmless."

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"It'll be harder to sense us here, I hear the magic is muddled here. At least that's what my handmaid tells me."Whisper said.

 

"Thats not a bad idea. In fact, I think its our most believable cover. Zaddion doesn't look quite like a musician though. And Whisper, keep quiet that your royalty." Tulla stated.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

He shrugged. "Zaddion can be a fortune teller or something. Or he could just perform with his magic. While we're at it, you could say you do some kind of animal acts or something. It's not really all that far from the truth. At any rate, if anyone doesn't believe us, I, at least, can play for them and prove it."

[Sanctified Absence 126]

Giving a little thought to the matter, Zaddion came to the conclusion that Robert's story could work to the advantage of the entire group, everyone certainly seemed to have some way of passing of as an entertainer. "If it helps in any way I'm quite good at performing light shows, so the only problem is my clothing. Then again I doubt many Illian citizens would recognize there kinds of robes as anything threatening anyway."

 

Holding out his palm and giving very little effort, Zaddion materialized a few tiny sparks of light and made them dance around in a ring as a little gesture of proof for his claim. "If we didn't have to worry about being tracked at all I could do things like this on a larger scale... Perfect for entertainment as far as I'm aware."

Edited July 21, 2014 by Sanctified Absence

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I followed along focused on doing my assigned task, and hoping the civilians here are used to seeing an assassin walking around, or better yet not know what an assassins armor looked like. I decided I would just say I was a hired mercenary if anyone asked. 

[Torrent505 370]

When the old man had started to bury Serafinno the young dragon had thought it was all over and resigned himself to this terrible fate. His exposed snout made use of his only remaining sense by smelling Whisper up above him. He wondered for a moment if she was there to say good bye to him, but then she started to dig him out! As soon as he had a little bit of space between the dirt and him he began to wiggle and squirm; with Whisper pulling on him he was out in moments. He was very confused again as to what was happening but it didn't matter, all that mattered was Whisper was saving him. Even after hearing that he was a bad dragon she was saving him, he should have know she would; they were best friends, Whisper would always save him and he would always saw her.

 

He scrambled out of the hole and up into her arms, as part air dragon he was very light for a creature his size and strength. He nuzzled and whimpered against her, shivering and shaking in relief from all the fear he had been in and the exhaustion all his struggling had caused. It was so late at night now and he was so tired he just leaned his head up against her neck and closed his eyes. He let himself drift quickly off to sleep, trusting her to keep him safe until he would wake up and could keep her safe in return.

 

••••••••

 

Grave smiled to himself as he used his powers to move his wheeled contraption along, he could feel the Doctor and Hunter up ahead. They both had suddenly and drastically increased their speed, which was good, they had almost reached the lumber yard and if they made it there now in the dark of the night they had a chance to lose him and the others. He would rather not fight these two, it would feel like a betrayal of his deal with the princess... Then again they had refused his deal and their deaths may convince the Iron Maiden that there had been no other survivors. Decisions, decisions; he decided to leave it in their hands, if they didn't make it or he found them on the way back to the city then he would deal with them.

 

He continued his quick pace speeding away from the mercenaries, the Iron Maiden while still trailing a ways behind him was the only one able to keep pace. Grave briefly wondered if they could feel his magick, and if they felt it would they think he was running from the Iron Maiden and her goons or leading them?

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"Indicus gives us away, people arent blind to armor. Just be careful Zaddion, your clothes are Andalasian. They fetch a pretty penny across the border." Tulla warned him.

 

Whisper gently stroked Finns head as they neared the dark town. A farming town with muddied roads, dark all but a lantern swinging in the main road. The princess was shocked by the state of disrepair. She had seen farmlands before but they were lush where these were dried, the animals clean and free where these were caged and filthy. The smell was overwhelming.

 

Above their heads, a Mu skittered across the rooftops, looking down at them with its eerie yellow eyes. It paid them no mind when it saw a rat, leaping after it and shocking it with a small spark.

 

The Iron Maiden was nonetheless wiser about the position of Adrass and the doctor. It was becoming increasingly difficult to sense Graves magic the deeper they went into Illia. She held no worries if the Bounty Hunter escaped; for she would remember his face and name.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz, 

 

Robert was rather enjoying himself with weaving this lie. "Indicus? You mean the guard we hired to protect our caravan? Too bad we were ambushed by such a large group of bandits. He couldn't possibly have taken them all by himself, and we, of course, are no fighters."

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I nodded,  and was glad that I was one step from going back to my normal routine, I would have to request the guild master not give me a contract like this for awhile. Now we had to make it alive to the king and then my job was done. Someone else can do the rest.

[Sekel 692]

Helena gagged a bit when the smell hit her. She had forgotten this smell while she was in Andalasia. "So we're just going to say that we're traveling musicians huh? If that's the case then where's our caravan? Surely with a group this size, including their 'guards' would have a caravan with them."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Dji,

 

Robert looked down at the girl in his arms. "We left it behind. We had to move quickly if we wanted to get away from the bandits alive. Unless you think you have a better idea?" After he spoke he looked back up and took in his surroundings with a mix of curiosity and a sort of pity. So this was Illia.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

They crossed in front of an Inn. The wooden sign painted with a crude painting of a harvest; long worn out by the hard sun. It read Boggarts Inn.

 

Lanterns flickered faintly behind the clouded windows, it was past closing. The keepers seldom had a someone boarding with them, so it became habit to close shop early. Tulla stepped up and gave a hard rap on the door. Whisper concealed her dragon deeper with the cloak and stood behind Zaddion. She was nervous but yearning for rest.

 

The door creaked open and an old maid looked at them with sleep in her eyes, or maybe too much drink.

 

"What can I do you for?" she eyed Indicus wearily "We got nuthin' of value either."

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I sighed, slightly annoyed that I was mistaken for a thief but not surprised. Dark hooded armor is really not good for public relation's. I decided to stay in the shadows and out of sight until we reached the larger cities, I did not want to give the wrong impression to others.