➶ quest

[Jade Harley.]

leanne kios
• nineteen • human • spirit healer • tagged: allya & samahl • camp •

Leanne wondered if she may have revealed herself to early on. Ilian did want to keep her identity a secret, mostly because it would have been easier to move around that way but she did manage to potentially save one of their lives. (Maybe?) The girl found herself staying unexpectedly quiet, instead observing the oddball group that had gathered before her. Samahl, the other elven mage, seemed a little angry with their situation probably because he couldn't for the life of him comprehend why someone would antagonize a demon bear that he had specifically set his sights on. There must have been a reason for that, she wondered so while fiddling with the hem of her cloak she spoke up energetically, "So...um...hey!" His eyes shots to her immediately and she could see the faint glow from both his and Allya's eyes. She was sure that the chill she felt hadn't been just form sitting far away from the campfire. "You clearly knew what you were doing back there, so arcane warrior, what's your history with big, fat and ugly?"

Samahl had just assumed the girl was talking about the bear. At least he hoped so otherwise he should have left her to become demon bear fodder. His eyes widened slightly as he took a sharp intake of breath, "You know what my people are called?" The circle mage giggled at this and her nervous posture seemed to open up as she replied, "Of course!! I mean, who else has a giant glowing sword made of pure magical energy amiright?" She folded her arms, looking slightly proud of herself, "We circle mages are a lot more aware than people think!...Or at least some of us are." This girl was like an open book. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and as Samahl glanced over to Allya he realized what a variety of character they had here. "I was in the process of tracking the demon for a long time. Examining it's behaviours and such to see how I could permanently...dispose of it." He looked over at Allya again, hoping to be able to bond with her at least if he couldn't with the others here. She seemed to be the only other elven he could talk to, the Ilian fellow seemed too unstable for him. "You are an archer, if I am not mistaken, it is a pain when people interfere with your prey. I mean no offense of course, as it seems to have turned out fairly well."

(( sorry if this is a little short ))

[Kitty~.]

a l l y a
role;; rogue archer
race;; elven
tagged;; the party
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From under the tree, Allya watched the camp and its inhabitants. The night was quiet, soothing. There appeared to be no threat of danger looming over them for once in their journey. She was at home in the forest, aware of all the tell-tale signs of its creatures. Although alert, she was more relaxed than she had ever been. As Fabian was healed, she diverted her eyes. His screams would likely haunt her dreams in following nights to come. Not that she would be getting much rest anyway. Prior to these recent weeks, Allya had only been subjected to ordinary horrors. Templars, wolves and bandits she could face. Never in her life would she have believed to fight that bear. She was still unsure about her opinion of Fabian, but alas, she was immensely grateful for his momentous strike upon the great beast. If it were not for him, she feared that perhaps they would not be here, basking in the moment of solace. Maybe it would be wise to thank him, she thought. For, despite their differences, Fabian deserved a little gratitude.

Alyce was talking to the warrior currently. Allya was glad she had not been injured during the mess of battle. Archers were detached. They could kill their enemies without getting their hands messy. Dagger-wielders and warriors alike did not have that opportunity. That much was displayed by the wounds Fabian and Ester both bore. The girl was drinking from Ester's flask, presumably drowning her aches and sorrows. Allya turned her gaze elsewhere. The two most recent additions - Leanne and Samahl had brought up discussion. The archer wasn't certain how she felt about those two yet. Leanne was unnervingly uplifting and Samahl - Samahl was a forest elf. That alone was enough to arise Allya's curiosity. Quietly, she observed their conversation. She was not well-versed in magical terms, so some of it was unclear. She recoiled a little as Samahl's attention turned to her, not expecting the sudden divergence in the conversation. It took her a moment to process his words, her eyes following the two newcomers with uncertainty. She understood where he was coming from, certainly. When a pack of scrawny wolves comes across the injured game you have been tracking for hours, there is undoubtedly a sense of irritation that follows. However...the circumstances in this case were different. He had not been tracking a limping fawn, but a strong and ferocious demon beast. If it had taken several of them to take it down - what hope did he have solo? Unless he possessed some sort of ungodly power, she had a hard time believing this prey would have submitted so easily. "You're not wrong. However, my prey is not usually a demon-infested creature," she replied timidly. "I assure you, had the beast not attacked us first, we would have deemed it unwise to engage it in battle. It had already claimed the lives of most of the company. If we failed to act, Fabian, Alyce and myself would have joined them." She swallowed a dry lump in her throat as she recalled the massacre, the fear she had felt. Allya did not intend to get an enemy that close to her again any time soon.

Still, she did not blame Samahl. God only knew why he was following the terrifying creature, but she was glad he had shown up when he did. Looking at him with curious eyes, her hands absently fidgeted in her lap. She was usually not intrusive, but Allya came across few forest elves. Neither of the clan or the city, Allya found herself intrigued with both cultures - the former more so because of her late parents. Keeping her stature small, she quietly asked, "You're a forest elf - from a clan, yes? Why are they not with you? Surely if they were tracking such a beast, the Keeper would have sent out a hunting party, not just one man. To what she understood, most forest elves preferred to remain with their clan. Few departed to get in touch with the human world. So, what was Samahl's motive?

[Wolvine]

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Ｉｌｉａｎ  Ｄｅｒｅｉ

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Ｅｌｖｅｎ  Ｍａｇｅ

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Ｗｉｔｈ：  ｔｈｅ Ｐａｒｔｙ

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How could a man who had been so close to death not four hours ago be so happy? Even if it was pure bravado (Ilian did not think it was, that smile seemed far too genuine) it was impressive. He could do nothing to prevent the small upwards curve of his lips. Not only was this Ester jovial despite his injuries, he was concerned about Ilian's health. It was peculiar, and probably a way of reducing attention. Despite his assurances, the elf could not help but feel guilty; he had a number of excuses (he was out of practise, he had left his staff behind, he had been angry, oh Vahil he had been so angry) but uttering them would seem unworthy. There was no way to justify what he had done.

He could not quite help the soft, surprised chuckle that he let out, and he shook his head lightly. "It really should be more surprising that you are trying to bargain with me over something like your own health. Very well, we will both go back." He was weary, that much was true. The camp held little attraction though; he felt out of place, uncomfortable. There was an air of unhappiness that he felt choked by. He would almost rather sleep here. Still, it would not do to have this man, who so clearly had no regard for his own well-being, freeze out here simply because he was too stubborn to go back without Ilian.

Ester set off purposefully in the wrong direction. Ilian hesitated for a second, before it became obvious that it was not just a jest, and then another as he momentarily considered letting him go on just so they could stay away from the campsite for another few minutes, but that would be irresponsible; the man was hurt. "Ah, forgive the intrusion, but I think camp might be that way, actually." He pointed back towards the way they had come, a small smile still on his face.

[Kitty~.]

e s t e r
role;; rogue assassin
race;; human
tagged;; the party
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Ester could feel himself grinning as a genuine, albeit small smile crept onto Ilian's lips. He was glad someone was finding even a smidgen of mirth considering their morbid circumstances. He didn't know a lot about the guy, but he was glad nevertheless. Hoisting his branches closer to his chest, he looked back at Ilian. "I'm full of surprises!" he declared as he wandered further into the thickets. He didn't quite recognise where he was going, but he figured all woodland looked the same. It was all trees and rocks and shrubs, wasn't it? He pursed his lips. Come to think of it, he couldn't see the glow of the campfire...Was this really the right direction? He paused a little, trying to find his bearings. Ester never had been all that good at this whole 'adventure' thing. Find him a large city and he would know it like the back of his hand. A forest? A desert? Not so much.

At the sound of the mage's voice, he turned around, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. As he followed the direction he was pointing, it appeared that he was right. Ester used his free hand to scrub at the back of his neck sheepishly. "I knew that," he stated quickly. "I was testing you, actually. Now let's head back before I get some sort of rash or something from these branches. He paused. "You lead, though. I'll watch your back in case there's any wild animals or something. Trust me." Whilst the words sounded likely even less convincing to Ilian than they did to him, Ester was certain just about anyone could see that his survival instincts were inherently lacking. At least he had these quality branches and his bravado, if nothing else.

The camp wasn't too far when Ester was heading in the right direction. He followed close behind Ilian, a spring in his limp despite the fatigue. It was good to have a little company who was less inclined to drink away their sorrows (with his own liquor mind you!). As they stepped through the clearing, Ester brandished a smile. Although Fabian was still in pain and essentially as useful as the tree Allya was sitting under, he couldn't help but feel a little better about this whole situation. It even seemed Ms Sunshine herself was getting acquainted with the others. Unusual, considering she only seemed to spare scowls for Ester. Placing his collection of sticks near the fire, he set himself down not too far away. It was nice to sit down and relax again, the aching in his skin and muscles finally ceasing their protests. "So," he placed a hand over his mouth to cover his yawn. "What's your story?" So sue him, Ester was curious. The man was doing volunteer work in a run-down stable before he came across them. Call him less-traveled, but Ester didn't usually come across those types of individuals. Most were underhanded, rooting for themselves. Heck, even he was the same.

[mahariel]

dwarf assassin bow knives

form she/her 24 pansexual

;; fabian, the party
Nevakara stirred as moonlight tipped over the edges of the tree tops and into her clearing. She rolled over and off the soft heather around the simmering embers of the fire, blinking a few times to take in her surroundings. She pushed herself to her knees, flexing away the stress on her leanly muscled shoulders. The sound of the river and the soft cooing of the owls, mixed with Yuzzeck's soft murmurs of breath. He whinnied gently, a soft hum of sound that made Nevakara feel almost at home in the woods. She wished she could stay longer, but she had work to do. Places to be. People to kill.

She perched cross legged next to the embers, letting them cast a gentle light over the camp. She straightened her clothes and brushed the dirt off her cloak, stopping to fiddle with the loose cotton blouse. It was coloured brown, a peasant colour they rarely wore below the surface. Most of her clothes as a child were coloured black with charcoal, if the imported fabric was coloured at all. Plus, she resented that it did nothing to flatter her curves. Sure, it was comfy, but changing it up a little every now and again wouldn't go astray. What was the point of all of the resources in the world, in the surface, if there was no room to be frivolous up here? Surfacers, she thought, they're so uptight.

She saddled up Yuzzeck, stroking him gently every now and again to keep him calm in the dark, and set off towards the edge of the woods. She'd leave him tethered at the edge of the path. Then, if she needed a quick escape, she'd be able to make a speedy exit through the forest, knowing the terrain better than a group of travelers. She dismounted and started up the bank, sinking into the undergrowth as she made her way over the ridge, to glance down at the village. It was quaint. Pretty, even, but it looked like it had been hit with a tornado. Clearly, there'd been a battle not too long ago. She spotted a camp a little way away. A prime location to look for a certain noble.

She wandered into town, her hood pulled up over her forehead. Careful, but casual. She was bound to be distinctive, not even clearing five feet, so hopefully she would pass as a human child if she was clever. It had worked before. She avoided the markets and took the back streets, knowing that the crowds would cause her to get lost in a sea of legs and hips. She took a left turn down an alley way and found a building wall blocking her path. She scarpered up a fence and clambered up onto the roof, pulling herself up by the gutter, and stuck close to the thatched surface, low enough to not be spotted as she gazed down at the surrounding camp.

Fires still burned in their pits, casting flickering light over a small ensemble of people. She could hear their mumbled chatter from where she crouched on the roof, watching as they wandered to and fro. Seven hells, she thought, if I'd known that there were this many of them I would have dropped the deal like a hot stone. There were tonnes of them, all dangerous looking and armed. This would take tactics, if it were doable at all. It looked like a clear run into any of the tents, when suddenly two characters appeared out of the darkness, conversing by the fire. Nevakara recognized the pointed ears of an elf, although unfamiliar to her. They appeared to be accompanied by a second figure, one who trailed in their wake as they wandered out of the camp ground. Two people, she thought, as a third wandered across the firelight. A mage. Not her mark. Three, she added to the count, and none of them fit the description. It was a human warrior she was looking for, all of them appeared to be too lithe to be a warrior, and too small and pointed to be a human. Then her eyes fell upon a man settled in the corner. He was tall and bearded, and looked like he could hurl a weapon at a bear alright. It had to be him. But she didn't have time to think it through. Now's the time.

She snatched the bow off her back and knocked an arrow, pausing to gather her thoughts as she wrapped a piece of twine tethered to a small steel bell, just small enough not to effect her arrow's flight, but big enough to create a distraction on a quiet night. She drew the string close to her chin, flexing her back as she aimed for a tree not far from the campground. She loosed the arrow with a satisfying ding and a rattle as it clunked between the shaft and the tree. Hopefully it would draw out the stragglers, the ones she didn't want, but had no qualm with killing should it come to that.

Nevakara didn't dare wait for them to move to investigate. She could deal with it if the distraction didn't work. She leaped from the roof and into a dive roll that curled around her bow, and she sped across the ground, staying low and in the shadows as she slunk around the back of the tents until she was a few meters from her mark. Then, only then, did she knock an arrow. She would have preferred to stab him the old fashioned way, but an arrow through the head would have to do. She couldn't risk being spotted since he was in company. She took a deep breath pulling, the arrow close to her chin as she had done a thousand times before. Her heart pounded with the thrill of the chase. But for some reason she was distracted. She began to think of Yuzzeck back home, her horse's namesake. Of her family. Of the pressing feeling of the sky and all of its stars pressing in on her in a place with too much oxygen and not enough stone. She felt her breathing quicken and her hands begin to quiver.

She loosed her arrow.

It missed Fabin Sharpe's face by millimeters.

"****ing damn it all the way to hell." She whispered, still trying to control her breathing. She'd lost her nerve. It wasn't long until they started looking for the assassin, if she hadn't roused suspicions already. She needed to get to a vantage point. She needed to get off the ground. What were you thinking, choosing a time like this to lose it? She screamed at herself inside her head as she took off at a sprint. She streaked towards the village, leaping a wall and ducking around an alley way into a crowded market. What was I thinking? How could they expect me to pull off an assassination of a guy in a group like that? Oh, goodness, they were armed to the teeth. What were they doing? How badly do they need this guy killed? Were just a few of the thoughts that sped through her mind as she made for the forest path. If she got a chance to pull off an assassination like that, good. But a group like that was not the soft target she'd been promised.

[Keriae]

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❛''''ＡＮＤ Ｉ＇Ｍ ＮＯＴ ＢＡＣＫＩＮＧ ＤＯＷＮ
I WILL STAND MY GROUND! I WILL STAND MY GROUND!
⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯

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ＢＥＣＡＵＳＥ
ａ ｃｈａｍｐｉｏｎ ｉｓ
WHAT THEY CALL ME NOW!

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xxxxxxxage: twenty seven
xxxxxxxclass: warrior-knight
xxxxxxxtagged: party

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Somehow, Fabian missed the look on Alyce's face when he refused to take the alcohol. If he had seen it, he would have said something, probably. After all, alcohol was one of his best friends, and not drinking alcohol had to be almost as much as a shock to Alyce as when he'd (for all appearances) severed all ties with his past life and become a knight. But he didn't see the look on her face - a it happened, his exhaustion had overcome him for a couple of seconds and his eyelids drooped. When he jolted awake again, Alyce was saying something about his ego. Fabian didn't know what to say to that, not when he hadn't heard most of the words, so instead he just grunted. He really, really didn't want to do anything else right now other than sleep and try to forget what had happened. He'd nearly died. He probably still could, given the state of him, and his entire body felt like it had been hit with an entire cavalry unit, never mind just one horse.

Still, Alyce continued talking. She was an annoying chatterbox most of the time, but now he could deal with her. And that was only because he was so tired, so worn down from what had already happened on this ill-fated mission, that he could block her out and only hear the sound of her voice, and not the words. It blended in almost seamlessly with the sounds of the night, so much so that Fabian started to drift off again, cobalt eyes shutting and chin dropping so low that his beard brushed against his clothes, now stiff with dried blood. While he didn't trust anyone here enough that he wanted to sleep, his body wasn't giving him the choice. Alyce was the one he trusted the most, and even then, he wouldn't leave her with any of his valuables, or even a bottle of wine. Yet his body was screaming out for rest, and he was too weak right now not to stop himself.

In the end, it wasn't much of a fight. Minutes after Alyce had arrived, Fabian was out of it. He was well and truly asleep, and he couldn't have stopped himself. But he didn't stay that way for very long. Ever a light sleeper, due to his days on the streets, he was awoken by the sound of a bell. The warrior's mind was thick with fog when he jolted awake and looked around, eyes wide. He was clearly startled, and yet he couldn't see anything in the shadows between the trees. He couldn't see much past the other side of the crackling fire, to be honest.

Before he could react any further, look around for anything that could be a clue, an arrow whizzed past his face and thudded into the ground inches away from his injured leg. Well, at least it hadn't hit the wound, or caused a new one; he didn't think he could cope with yet another injury. Recoiling, Fabian did have time now to look around, in the direction the arrow had come from. Who had shot the arrow, and why had they shot it at him? He was used for many different things by the people who had better lifestyles than he did; perhaps someone wanted him dead, someone who was competition? "What the hell was that?!"

[Wolvine]

█

Ａｌｙｃｅ  Ｔｏｂｉａｓ  Ｖａｕｘ

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Ｈｕｍａｎ  Ｓｐｙ

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Ｗｉｔｈ：  ｔｈｅ  Ｐａｒｔｙ

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Alyce talked. That was just what she did. Ever since she'd learned her first words, she'd expressed her stream of conciousness verbally. It was a reassurance to herself, a way of making sure she wasn't alone, even when she was. It was stupid and annoying, and she knew it, but she was helpless to stop it. She sat next to Fabian's sleeping form and talked, about nothing, about everything, her voice dropping to little more than a mumble as she told him about her nightmares, her fears for the journey, reassured by his deep breathing that he wouldn't hear.

She stared out across the camp, watching Allya making tentative conversation with a couple of they new recruits, watching Ester and Ilian emerging from the forest and setting a fire, watching her own eyelids begin to droop. She caught snatches of conversation when the wind picked up; the "You're a forest elf?, Allya inquiring about the origins of one of their companions, a quiet "I was born in Gavalos.", Ilian's answer to a similar query. It was peaceful, for once. She was grateful for the change.

It did not last. It never did.

She felt rather than saw the arrow fly past Fabian's head. Immediately, all her weariness vanished. She was on her feet in half a second, despite the complaint her ribs made, the warrior's arm around her shoulder, doing her best to drag him out of sight.

"Looked like an arrow to me," she retorted, flippant despite the way her heart thudded in her chest. Her eyes scanned the treeline, looking for a shape. That had been an unmistakable attempt to eliminate a target. The question was, was their would-be murderer an assassin after just Fabian, (though why would anyone be trying to kill them? they were on a mission which had been sanctioned and everything!) or a member of a gang? Were they about to be swarmed by bandits? They had to move. There was no way they could fight in this condition.

[Subversive Radio]

(Is this open, and if so, can I res a character?)

[Kitty~.]

e s t e r
role;; rogue assassin
race;; human
tagged;; the party
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Ester was far more content by the fire, sitting relaxed by the elf that (he liked to believe) he was becoming fast friends with. He absently poked at the tinder with a stick. To be entirely honest, he was ready to doze off. Allya, one of the few who had fared the best during the battle, had been willing to take watch for most, if not all of the night. Despite her frigid and hostile personality, it appeared the woman had an inkling of selflessness after all. Or perhaps she was staying up to make sure no one stabbed her in the back. Although Ester didn't know her nearly well enough to be making these types of assumptions, it was hard not to. She had that look in her eyes. She didn't trust anyone here. Not yet.

He hummed in response to Ilian. "Gavalos, huh?" he echoed. From his years of education, Ester vaguely recalled the place. He didn't remember a lot, only that it existed a fair travel north from their current location. It was apparently uninteresting for him to forget specifics over the years. "I've heard of it. Nice place?" he asked. Ester's own hometown had been a bustling city with merchants and nobles as thick as flies. The same place stood, still owned by his family and was likely housing his sleeping parents and siblings at this current moment. Oh, how he envied them right now. What he'd kill for a soft bed to lie on.

The sudden, faint chime of a bell drew his attention away from the mage. Ester may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but something wasn't quite right. Hesitantly, he got to his feet. He was fully prepared to investigate the noise when another arrow shot through the sky and missed Fabian by barely a hair's breadth. The noble could have slapped himself. Of course. That's what that sound had been; a distraction. Ester had used similar techniques in his own assassinations. He thumbed at the hilt of his daggers. In the dark of the night, it was almost impossible to determine where the arrow had come from exactly. Allya was on her toes, her own bowstring pulled taught as she aimed it at the canopy beyond them. Her ears were twitching, her eyes were blazing. Any sign of movement and her arrow would go flying. A scowl on her lips, it appeared Ester wasn't the only one sick of things attacking them. What, wasn't a demon bear enough for them? Now they were being hounded by some invisible man? After almost becoming the beast's roast dinner (very well done), the rogue assassin was not at all impressed by this new turn of events to say the very least.

"How many are there?" Ester asked Allya in a hushed whisper, as though they couldn't already see them. She shot him a look like he'd just insulted her grandmother, scrutinizing him with slit-like eyes. Expression irate, she replied, "I don't know." And returned her undivided attention to their hidden perpetrators. He didn't really care. He could talk to a brick wall if he had to. This such experience was very similar, except brick walls tended to be far less angry.

[Keriae]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ＦＡＢＩＡＮ ＳＨＡＲＰＥ
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
❛''''ＡＮＤ Ｉ＇Ｍ ＮＯＴ ＢＡＣＫＩＮＧ ＤＯＷＮ
I WILL STAND MY GROUND! I WILL STAND MY GROUND!
⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯

★x
★
★

ＢＥＣＡＵＳＥ
ａ ｃｈａｍｐｉｏｎ ｉｓ
WHAT THEY CALL ME NOW!

★
★
★

xxxxxxxage: twenty seven
xxxxxxxclass: warrior-knight
xxxxxxxtagged: party

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As he spoke, Alyce wrapped his good around around her shoulders and somehow managed to lift him to his feet. Well, Fabian managed to help her too, finding enough strength in his exhausted body to support some of his weight himself, but the speed at which they moved upwards caused his head to spin so much it was really a miracle that he didn't bring whatever remained in his stomach back up. His injured leg protested and he tried to keep most of his weight off of it, but between the injury and Alyce, he wasn't left with much choice other than attempting to help her drag him out of sight, into a place that would hopefully be safe. Not that anywhere was safe. But Fabian was out of action, unable to defend himself, never mind go after whoever or whatever had fired an arrow at his head and only just missed.

Somehow they reached what could be classed as the safest place when out in the wilderness - a clump of trees that had grown so close together that their branches were entwined like lovers' limbs, blotting out the night sky completely with their foliage. Now that he could regain his breath (who knew being injured would make him feel so unfit and useless), Fabian turned his gaze onto the woman and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He asked, tone heavy with sarcasm. "I would never have guessed." Removing his arm from around her, the warrior allowed himself to slump against the rough bark of the tree behind him, taking his weight off of both the woman and his injured leg, which he was sure had begun to leak blood again. His hand inevitably strayed to his sword, though he could not use it, as if he would somehow be able to protect himself from his invisible assassin.

The steel was cool in his palm, and even like that he could feel the weight of the blade. Not that it mattered. "Where are the others?" Knowing them, they'd probably stayed in the clearing. Allya, he could understand, given she was an archer and had keen eyes, but Ester and the others? They'd be no use too, unless they managed to capture the person who had caused all of this. "We can hardly complete this idiotic quest with the two of us."