Chapter 1 part 2

I keep sprinting, spotting a root that was sticking out of the ground somewhat just up ahead. There was a low hanging branch just above it, creating this small gap between them.

Dive.

I didn't say it very loud, if they didn't hear me then it was their problem. I jumped forward and rolled in the air, landing back on my feet on the other side of the root.

=Luckily, he was just close enough to hear the Hyrbird speak. He dove through the gap and onto the ground. He picked himself up as quick as he could and continued running=

=i didn't hear anything but running and the pops from the Nightkin, so I ran full tilt into the root and branch. I tripped, and was held up by the branch. I quickly slashed in various directions to get free, and once out of the branch's grasp, I kept running the direction I thought I was going when I first ran into the plant life=
Thanks for the damn warning!

=He called back=

Sorry! I thought Romanii were supposed to have great Hearing!

Not with all this crazy shit going on!

Speaking of which, why dont we save the bickering until we're out of it, yes?

=He turned back and kept following the Rohgedyn=

Whatever you want! As long as I can still follow you!

=i kept adjusting my course to better follow his voice=

=had been following arrun but soon as he saw the light he started running full speed and starts pulling to the front of the group=

=i see a wisp of light flicker through the trees. I keep heading towards it, occasionally tripping and stumbling over roots and stuff=

=Xazhi and the Rohgedyn burst through the treeline, and the gunfire stops again all at once. Xazhi looks around at the fields that lay ahead, the noontime light nearly blinding him at first. He takes a few minutes to allow his eyes to adjust=

Damn. Well, at least it's Daytime.

=i run out of the trees and slow to a stop. I all but fall to my knees in an overly dramatic sense and raize my hands up to the sky=
All hail the light!

=i got up and looked around=
Anyone injured?

=i remember the Rog isn't used to light. I look at him=
Hey, whatever-your-name is, you need any help getting around?

I pushed myself up from the muddy ground, and stayed there, for a moment, on all fours. I heard laughter behind me. A knight, I think his name was Vanir. He came from the courts of Se'bahn, I saw him a few times while I was still a pupil of the great Alchemist. He was a good swordsman and an all around good man. He walked over to me, offering his hand for support. "Couldn't resist being in the water, eh?" He chuckled this time. I grabbed his hand and he helped me up. "I just wanted to see the lake... and be in its waters." I replied, I was a little embarrassed to have been found in such a state. He pointed north and said, "there's a drier spot to get closer to the water, I'll show it to you." He was being friendly, so I accepted.

It was a short walk, and the area was certainly less muddy. The view from this spot was great, to say the least. The view was like nothing I've ever seen. Se'bahn was filled with plains, not many lakes, certainly none of this size. I was awed, truly, this land must be ripe with beautiful sights such as this. Yet, how many beautiful sights have been ravaged by war? How many natural beauties have been defiled by the wanton destruction? Vanir didn’t seem to concerned with it, but then, he was a Knight.

Filled with sudden sorrow at my realization, I stepped into the lake, forgetting my clothes. “Ah!” I exclaimed, startled by the wet clothe touching my skin as I stepped down into the cool liquid. Vanir, not alarmed, looked over and chuckled. “Cold?” He had this bemused look about his face. My face reddened and I replied, almost curtly, “No, I –I forgot myself.” I stepped back into the grass and removed my boots and my breeches. “I’m going to go for a swim, is that alright?” I don’t know why I asked, I suppose it was because I was in the presence of someone older than I. He laughed, “You don’t have to ask.” He must’ve found this very amusing, he laughed a long while.

The water was cool, and relaxing to be in. I enjoy swimming, probably because of the frequency of which I had the option to go for a swim was so limited. I went under, to swim beneath the surface. Everything beneath the surface is so alien, so different. I let myself sink to the bottom of the lake, I grabbed hold of the sandy floor and repositioned myself. I opened my eyes and looked around, the water wouldn’t be hard on my eyes for my magic was at work. It was dark, I could only see a few feet in front of me. Something moved in my peripheral vision. My heart began to pound, I slowly rotated about to look upon what it was. I saw only darkness. Again, movement in the corner of my eye, I turned again, only to be met with darkness.

I had shivers roll up and down my spine that had very little to do with the temperature of the water. I, once more, re-faced myself in the water, this time to find myself staring into the eyes of a large Fish-like creature. I had never seen many live fish, let alone one swimming in the water. It’s mouth, or what I assumed to be it’s mouth opened and closed, letting an air bubble escape to the surface. I would have gasped if not for the fact that I was far beneath the surface of the lake. I’d have to swimming to the surface for air soon, but I was afraid to turn my back to this fish, it had circled me, studying me, perhaps.

As the air in my lungs dwindled, I began to ascend, moving away from the fish. As my head breached the surface of the lake, I took in a deep breath, and beheld a wonderful sight. Fireflies were out and floating about the night sky. I was smitten with this natural beauty. My attention was quickly drawn elsewhere as something brushed against my leg. My heart pounded in my chest. “It’s alright, it’s just a fish.” The voice was calming, it was the voice of Obscura Umbra, the Dark Shadow, the romantic name I gave to my Sentient weapon. Though the voice was faint, it still spoke, “there is trouble at the camp.” It had been a long time since I had spoken with my Staff. The voice grew quieter and quieter the longer we were apart.

I swam to shore, to find that Vanir had gone off, and that my clothes were missing. I thought it was some soldiers’ joke or something. The lake was good distance away from the camp, and where the lake was closest to the camp it was also muddy and filled with reeds. I didn’t want to risk harming my manhood to get there. So, agreeing with myself, I crawled out of the lake, and began walking back to the Camp.

By the time I got within eye distance of the camp, I could see fire. Our tents were being burned. I heard the sounds of musket fire, fear settled into my limbs. I approached still, wanting answers, as well as something to wear. My suspicions were shortly revealed to be true. The humans had betrayed us, they must have stormed the camp while everyone slept, but where was Vanir? Had he returned to the camp only to be shot down, or had he fled?

I still approached the camp, more slowly, I stayed close to the edge of the lake, it was my safety net. The humans didn’t look around much, they probably assumed they had killed everybody. However, my tent was still up, untouched by the flames and by the humans. They circled it, for reasons unbeknownst to me, and stood around it. Another man, the leader by the looks of him, said something barely audible from where I was. After a moment of silence, he entered the tent briefly, he came out and looked around, talking to his men. I guessed he knew that there was one loose Romanii, I don’t know if they wanted to kill me, or if they wanted me for more diabolical purposes.

The fires continued to burn and the smell of burnt flesh eventually permeated my sense of smell. I was disgusted, but I wanted to know who yet lived and survived the onslaught brought on by the humans. I wanted to know who I could nurse back to health. My staff was also somewhere in the camp, or so I believed. I would need my Sentient weapon if I wanted to defend myself, with better odds of survival than simply using my fists.

The men left my tent standing, for whatever reason, and thusly when they abandoned it I went to it. My dash was to no avail, for neither my clothes nor my staff were in the tent. I was naked and surrounded by an enemy who I presume wanted to kill me. I was in the ocean without a boat. I heard shouting, and turned, the human leader returned, he probably saw me enter the tent. I stood there, defeated, as he entered the tent. He was holding my clothes, but my staff was nowhere to be seen. “Are these yours?” His voice sounded funny to me. “Y-y-yes…” I said, my voice was nearly a whisper. I didn’t meet his gaze, I was distraught, the company I was in charge of nursing back to health had been killed by these humans.

He dropped my clothes at my feet. I looked up, confused. He noticed my confusion and said, “Get your clothes back on.” Was that, kindness in his voice, pity? I did as I was told, putting on my undergarments and garments. Before I put on my shirt I pulled my boots on and tightened them to fit. As I was reaching for my shirt and hood when another voice rang out, “Sir, are there any survivors?” He looked at me, and then turned slightly, “No, there aren’t.” Was he protecting me?

After I had clothed myself, he left the tent to tell his men to go back to their homes. He remained behind, however, telling them that he wanted to look through the healers tent, to see if there were any poultices that could heal ailments. I had a few, and offered them to him, he took them, gratefully, while explaining that they had used the last of their herbal poultices to cure children that were sick, but still more were sick. I was confused.

He dismantled the tent, and told me to take what I needed and leave. I did. I dare not ask any questions for fear of looking a gift horse in the mouth. As fate would have it a simple escape was not for me. A group of humans saw me and immediately recognized me for who I was, they shouted at me and I ran. I ran towards the small village that my now burned comrades had camped by. I was desperate, the forest beyond the village was my destination.

The men chased me, and as I approached the village those who killed my Romanii brethren saw and recognized me. They too, chased me. Shots rang out from their muskets, clouds of smoke bellowed out from their barrels. My heart was pounding, the fear for my life making my strides longer and my vision narrow. I ran faster than I had ever ran before. The forest was dark and foreboding, but it was the only place I could escape the humans and their muskets. When I entered the forest, they didn’t follow me. I didn’t stop running, however, I continued to run until my legs gave out and I collapsed from exhaustion.

I'm fine. It's just. Bright.

I sit down on the grass of the field, keeping my eyes shut.

Yea, well. Your forest is dark. C'mon, we need to keep moving. In case those Nightkin decide to come back.

(about 2 days behind the main)
The next day I awoke with sunlight in my face. My staff was upside down, the blade was in the ground, the wood of the staff standing tall. “You’re up.” The voice was in my head. My head was cloudy, it took me a moment to take in my surroundings and realize that I was in Deepwood. I had never seen a forest in my life. It was strange, alien. Everything seemed crowded, too close together. My sudden onset of claustrophobia was short lived as my primal needs set in. I needed food.

I got up and brushed myself off. I stank with the sweat of fear. I looked at the staff, how did it get here? I thought back to last night, I had brought it with me when I went to the lake, and then I brought it with me when I returned to the camp. It didn’t seem like I did though, I shook my head in the vain hope that it would clear my thoughts. It didn’t, not that it mattered, It was here now. My stomach growled and gurgled in hunger. I grabbed my staff, and ventured deeper into Deepwood.


(it's not really sunlight, I'll explain my next post)

=Finally, he adjusted his eyes. He looked around and saw nothing but rolling hills and fields in three directions, and Deepwood in the other. He looked at the others=

Where should we go from here?

=He turned to the Romanii=

That would lead us right back to the Daemonil.

We can't go south, obviously. What about North? Or South West? Along the tree line, I mean.

North works, I suppose.