The Rod of Lordly Might

[Dream]

"Elves and their Trees!!" thought Klaatu.  "Braandu could easily have carried her to safety.  But they don't trust us.  Now what?"  For some reason he wanted the elf maid to live, and she and her guard wouldn't last long if the soldiers found them up there.

"Braandu!  Let us lead the soldiers away from here!  If we are separated, hide in the river and meet me at the forge tonight, the forge at midnight.  You know, walk slowly on the rocks!"  

Braandu scooped up his father who scrambled up on his back, and he started clumping down the trail to the water.  It was too late.  A group of three soldiers ran up from the river.  They made a triangle formation; one stood blocking the trail with sword and shield and two behind him on either side drew arrows to short bows.  "HALT!"  cried the swordsman.

Klaatu thought, "Not my fight!" and slid quickly down off the armored figure and onto the ground behind some trees.  He fell to all fours and quickly started burrowing, of all things, using his huge hands to scoop and pull the dirt under him to his feet, which shoved it behind his disappearing body.  His digging speed was breathtaking.  He vanished into the soft ground between the tree roots in seconds without leaving a hole.

The soldiers didn't notice the mole-man.  They were watching the huge man in armor with the shovel.  Braandu took note of his father's safe disappearance, then started toward them down the trail.  The archers fired off the first volley over the head of the soldier in front, then each nocked a second arrow.  One narrowly missed Braandu's head, and the second hit his chest plate and fell off.  

He continued.  Both rounds from the second volley at close range hit him and one stuck into a gap of his ill-fitting armor at the shoulder, through the chain mail.  He didn't seem to notice and now was upon the front-line man, who braced behind his shield and stabbed upwards with a sturdy short sword.  

The sword struck not Braandu, but his shovel as it swung before him, which scooped the smaller man in a wide swing and knocked him clear off the path, landing hard, sword and shield flying.  Then the backswing of the enormous tool struck one of the archers taking aim and knocked him off the path the other way, against a tree.  He was stunned and dropped to the ground.  The second archer thought better of nocking a third arrow -- or anything else aggressive for that matter -- and ran off in the woods in the opposite direction from the "juggernaut".  

Braandu strode down the path and into the water.  No one was there.  The mud slowed him somewhat.  He pressed through and splashed out deeper into the water until it was over his head.  It was cold, but not enough to stop him.  His chest still radiated life-giving warmth, and he could wait.  His great weight held him firmly against the bottom like an iron statue, and he just stood there, waiting for nightfall and to rejoin his father when the bad men went away.

[Andimia]

Andimia reaches her hands back, crossing them behind her head, and draws her rapiers simultaneously and then looks at Omaru, giving her swords a quick wrist twirl to show off.
"What do you suggest we do now that everybody has departed to save their selfish hides? I was hoping for a bit of a fight." Though her shoulder still ached  from her fall before, she wasn't going to let it keep her out of a good fight, though she sevearly doubted that the two of them alone could take a swarm of soldiers.
She began to regret leaving her longbow at the inn and hoped if she didn't make it back in a few days that they'd hold on to it and not pawn it right away. She still had her throwing knives, but they wern't nearly as good as a nice powerful bow. She began going through options in her head but figured she'd wait to see what this man would do, as it's never good to face an army alone.

[Nobody]

It was time for Kivval to step in more directly. These people could not be allowed to hurt the girl. There were still uses for her. Kivval quickly found the officer in charge of the regime. He was issuing orders. It seemed that they were creating a rose formation to take the party. Kivval quickly disposed of a person on the outside, and donned the mans armor and cloak. In a new fresh disguise, Kivval walked up to the officer, and waiting for his men not to notice, stabbed him quickly through the ribs. The man tried to scream, but to no avail, all of his breath now went through the hole in his lungs.

The suit Kivall wore was that of the second in command, and that made him first in command. "Retreat!!! Retreat!! All Back Now!"He cried. The horn was blown, and confused officers ran back to reform and decide what to do. He went up to the third in charge and said “It was a diversion. The main regiment is caught in an ambush. They need all men now. Spread the word. Go!�

[Dream]

As he lay still underground, Klaatu heard/felt the sounds of his son as he plowed through the soldiers who had opposed them.  As expected.  Next, he could taste/smell/feel his son enter the water and felt his fear subside.

"Good boy, Braandu" he thought.  "So big, so strong, and still a little boy.  Still afraid of the men.  But that is as well, since men can be so destructive when they put their minds to it".

Then, he sensed something unusual.  The far-away footsteps of the soldiers who had been advancing on them were leaving.  Not just the ones that Braandu had plowed through.  All of them!  Why?  Disappearing from the range of his strange underground senses.  But they had been advancing...  

He buried his pink snout and whiskers firmly into the soil to pick up the faint electrical sensations made by living creatures and all things metallic.  He even stuck his tongue into the dirt to pick up every trace.  A long minute passed with his body in absolute stillness, even his heartbeat slowed to a crawl.

Something... the fire's embers, the oxidized carbon, emitting their last traces of life and warmth.  The elf woman on the ground at the clearing... no, she had not yet left.  That other man was nearby... that too was expected... But... wait, something else?  

Too far away to tell, but it was big.  Very big.  Didn't taste/feel right.  A creepy feeling... too faint.  He'd have to sense for that one again.  But first, he'd check on the elf girl in the trees, and her guard.  "Can't taste/feel them while they're up there"  he thought.  "I'll go back".

To be on the safe side he tunneled back through the topsoil, checking from time to time with his sensitive nose in the dirt for anyone's presence, until he was back to the clearing.  He cautiously popped only his head out of the ground.  The moist, friendly earth slid silently off his smooth fur and collar of his robe like raindrops off a duck's back.    

He took a big sniff and a bigger listen.  The mole-man thought, "The only way I'll locate elves in a tree, if I can't see them."  

Which was likely since he had lost his real eyes years ago.

[Dream]

Braandu stood silently at the bottom of the river as the current swirled around him like a living creature; like untold millions of living creatures.  An endless torrent of life, always moving, always regenerated.  

Father had told him to stay there until midnight.  He was afraid.  Afraid of the bad men.  Afraid for his father and mother.  Afraid that he would fail them, and they would die and he would be doomed.   Afraid for himself.  Afraid of all the changes.  Afraid for his ancestors that his father had promised he would carry and be close to some day.  Afraid OF his ancestors.

The voices came at times like these.  

"Where is my sister?"  [Oh.  She is gone now and you didn't save her.   It's all your fault.]  
"Where is momma?"  [She's gone too.  Father says she's in him but you let her die.  You died, too.  Didn't you know?]  
"Where am I?"  [You?  You are dead, lifeless, useless.  Accept your fate.  Never move again.]

Only the extremes of warmth in his chest contrasted with the cold water on his limbs made him feel like something other than dead.  Or something worse.  

He did not understand eternity, but he could feel it waiting to take him.  If he could cry, he would do so now.  

But father had told him what to do so he clung to that.

[Nobody]

Tethon slowly worked his and Alexia's way down from the tree. Time to go. What had Alexia said before going under. 'North East'. yes that was it. At least she knew her geography. According to memory, there was some sort of village north-east of here. The girl had taken the antidote, so she should be fine, even with as much delay time as she had before taking it, but she would also be tired. Maybe not tired enough to black out, but the blood loss could account for that. It was only a hope that nothing else was wrong. Her breathing was slow, but not too slow.

She had been called quite beautiful. It took a moment to recall what beauty was, but Alexia seemed to fit that. Although such a term could be very ambiguous.

He started off at a light jog with Alexia over his shoulder. He hoped to make the village by night-fall...

[Dream]

Klaatu dug quickly and popped up a short distance in front of Tethon and Alexia.  "Excuse me!"  he said in Common.  "Strangely enough, the soldiers have left, at least for the moment.  I offer you a safe place, a very safe place to stay for the night.  I'd like to talk to you, and if you will allow it, (he said looking at Alexia) I can cure her sickness.  She has been poisoned, right?  I had not gotten a chance to check her balances before the commotion started, it started.  Reversing poison is a simple fundimental transformation, simple fundiments."

He sniffed the air, and spoke again, "There is something big and probably dangerous nearby.  I don't know what it is but I think you should find safety before it finds us, finds us.  You can eat a meal if you wish.  I cannot leave until morning.  My son will meet me at the forge, the forge at midnight.  If you fear him, leave before he arrives.  It's not like he can sneak up, sneak up on you, you know."

The mole-man looked up at them and stepped out of the hole, shaking the dirt off his robe.  "You're all welcome.  I mean no harm, no harm.  I'd like to talk... I need news of the lands beyond this area.  What say you, say you?"

[Nobody]

"Lead the way stranger. I accept your offer" Tethon replied slowly.

He would be on his gaurd. The man seemed strange, an d strange individuals often had some bad habits.

[Andimia]

While waiting for Omaru to respond Andimia noticed that the voices of the soldiers were moving away from them, she scratched her head, careful not to poke herself with her sword in doing so.

"where do they think they're going." she thought aloud to nobody in particular. She heard Teathon come down from the tree and turned to see that he had Alexia over her shoulder. She turned back and tapped omaru on the shoulder with the flat part of her blade.
"c'mon, let's go." and she started after Tethon who was already twenty feet ahead of her.

[Dream]

Klaatu peered at each of them, squinting (?) at them from behind the goggles.  They could not see his eyes.  These were rather hidden behind thick lenses of some sparkling, not-quite-transparent glassy substance held in placed with a strap.

He said, "Please allow me to retrieve my staff," which had been dropped when he first started digging.  He scampered quickly with a curious short-legged gait over to the hole, and pulled the strange metallic rod out of the soft dirt, scrutinizing certain points on it for a moment.  

Apparently satisfied, he said, "Please follow me.  But do me the favor of looking about, looking about?  My sense of hearing and smell is quite good, quite good, but I cannot see especially far.  Together, nothing would find us first.  I remember how the elves can see!  Can see."

He led them through the forest, stopping from time to time to sniff and motioning them to be quiet while he listened.  Nothing seemed to be amiss.  They moved up out of the forest into a more rocky area, leading up a hill.  The soft ground grew hard.  

He said, "Leave no trail now.  No one will follow up here if you step carefully and leave no marks behind.  All those living in these parts fear this place, this place."  He seemed pleased with himself and looked at them.  "I made sure of THAT.  Nasty surprises for those who stray near, stray near."  He grinned, and his sharp little teeth showed.  They looked like a cat's, except that they seemed to be made of silver.

Up the hill, hidden behind large rocks in the appearance of a landslide, was the entrance to a large cave.  It could be easily defended from within.  Klaatu sniffed about once more and then stepped in.  His staff lit up again, and illuminated the room with surprising brightness.

In the back was a small but well-crafted forge, with a glowing fire set and implements of craftsmanship neatly racked on the walls and by the anvil.  The smoke from the fire was not evident at all, but disappeared into a cleverly constructed flue.  Other tunnels, some very small, receded into the walls.  A table and several chairs were present, some of wood, and some of crafted metal with no familiar pattern.  One chair already at the table was very small, and one was huge.  He sat at the small one and turned around to face them.

He said to those outside, "Come in, if you will.  I will prepare food.  Tell me what is your preference?  If you are concerned with the haste so far, take your time looking around, looking around.  I understand one such as me, as me, does not show up every day."

[Andimia]

Andimia stopped and called back to Omaru
"Get your feet moving!" after a moment she looked back to see if he was comming but then spun around again realizing that Tethon could not be seen anywhere. "d**nit!" she cursed to herself. For a moment she was indecisive of which direction to go, looking in the direction of Omaru and then back towards the direction that Tethon went with the girl. She sheathed her swords and bent to the ground. Tethon's hevy footprints were clearly visible in the soft ground.
he might as well leave a trail of torches she though to herself. Andi decided to wait for Omaru, no sense in walking back unless he took forever, and no sense in striking out alone, that was far too boring. She stood up and leaned against a tree, drumming her fingers upon her arm as she waited.

[Nobody]

Tethon did not reply immediately as he placed the girl gently on the floor. She would be fine, in time, but she needed some rest.

"I need somethiong wholesome. Do you have meats here perhaps? A soup would be best I suppose." He figured that the little man might not eat meat, but surely the giant would. There should be something for her. He wanted her strength returned and them out of this cave as soon as managable. This little man was small, but certainly odd, and possibly untrustworthy, despite efforts to the contrary. As for the giant clad in armor, well, he did not trust anybody who's eyes he could not see.

He quickly took his bow from his back and unstrung it. If left strung too long it could warp and become less usefull. Then he proceeded to lay his pack on the ground, as well as the pack that belonged to Alexia. Finally done with preparations he made sure his sword was loose in it's sheath, in case it needed to be loosened further, and leaned against the wall.

Only with that done did he really take in the scene around him. The matalworking area was an interesting thing. It was common knowledge that dwarves were good forgers of steel, and less common knowledge that gnomes, being more densely built and more precise in ability, were the makers of exquisite weapons and armor, but he did not think that this man was either of the two races.

 Curiosity did finally win over caution.

"So exactly what is your profession?"

[Dream]

The mole-man stood up.  "I am a metallurgist, a metallurgist.  I have also been called an alchemist, but that term is imprecise.  To be precise, I am a 'fundimentalist', a fundimentalist.  As I mentioned before, you may call me Klaatu, and my son Braandu."

Seeing that the elves were not acting either afraid or dangerous, he walked around the large room and lit several torches attached by metal hangers imbedded into the stone wall with his staff, then extinguished the staff's light.  The torches burned a bright blue light, without visible flame or smoke.  It was clear from the position of the entrance and the rockslide that the light would not be visible from outside.  

He moved with precision, despite his waddle.  His hands were large, like scoops, and clawed with sharp metal tips where fingernails should be.  Gloves were over his hands, covering all but his fingertips, where they were open.

He talked a lot.  "All things are built of fundimentals.  Tiny particles, too small to see.  Not too small to feel, if you can, if you can."  He poked his staff into the top of a metal brazier.  A fire instantly appeared with a "Foomp."  He placed an iron pot of water over it to heat.

He waddled over to trap door and lifted it.  A device was activated.... a long and slender rope seemingly wound itself around a windlass quietly and drew up a box, dripping with cold water.  "Keeps the food fresh, the cold spring below, below."  He opened the box and drew out a haunch of venison.  Drawing a long, very thin knife out from under his robe, he sliced off number of thin slices of meat, then some chunks -- and then cut right through the legbone creating some large chunks of that bone with surprisingly little effort -- and put everything in the pot.  "Adds flavor, and balances the fundiments of the meat".  Then he replaced the meat in the box and pulled out some cold vegetables and chopped them lightly on a stone block next to the brazier.   This was obviously not an ordinary knife, and the fire was not a wood fire... the water was beginning to boil already.  

As he worked, he chattered about the tiny fundimentals and how each was different, how they combined and interacted, and how they could be controlled by a metallurgist.  He offered mushrooms and roots taken from a pantry to the elves for approval, then chopped them and put them into the pot to cook.  The smell of the stew was savory, delightful.  However, the strange and unseen ventilation system removed almost all traces of odor quickly, vanishing upward into a black hole in the ceiling.

Then he said, "While that is cooking, I'd like to check her balances, her energy balances?"  Noticing their concern, he walked back to the table and laid the knife down on the stone chopping block by the bubbling pot.  Unarmed except for the metallic fingernails, he held out his hands, open, and seemed to squint at them.  "I wish only to hold your hands for a moment, young lady, and I should be able to tell how best to make you well, you well.  What say you?  I shall bring you no harm, no harm."

[Alexia]

OOC: I know it's been a while since I've posted but I got into a car accident and I have been on bed rest ever since. That and trying to keep up with homework and exams next week. Sorry! I will try and do better in the meantime.

IC:

Alexia dreamed of the obligations she had to go by. She hated it. Every minute of being trapped behind a wall of guards and a stack of rights. She wanted the ultamite freedom...

Her arm was sore as it swung down Tethons back. Her ice blue eyes seemed dim as her breathing became normal. Her surroundings were different but she didn't question it. She realized Tethon had taken some good care of her and while she looked to be going north east she shivered not from the cold but from the way she and he were headed. A conversation in the background seemed reasonable as she could not tell who was talking, only hear the booming of the voice. As her head pounded she tried to shif off his shoulder to see better.

"Morning." Alexia said softly until realizing the time it was. "Why are we running." Her voice was scratchy and different than usual but it was the care she gave it. The wound still hurt as she regained her conscious back, but she dared not say anything of it for now.

OOC: Sorry for the spelling!

[Dream]

OCC:  Alexia, I hope you are recovering well from the car accident.  Regarding your post, we're glad you're back, and understand all too well that real life interferes with the best fantasies we can create.

Having said that, I want to say I was a bit puzzled by your post of May 12, which seems to have you riding on Tethon's back, rather than having arrived in Klaatu's cave "just in time for dinner", as it were.  Did you miss the various posts of May 9th, 10th, and 11th?

I will post tonight as if you were at the cave, per the posts of May 10 and 11.  If I have missed something, please let me know and I'll scrap or fix the following post...


IC:
While he held out his hands, Klaatu looked at the elf girl lying on the floor as she murmured "Why are we running?" and he said, "Sounds like she's not quite with us, with us?"  Seeing no objection from Tethon, he took her hands in his, palm to palm, and grew silent.  He concentrated for a few moments as he sensed her chemistry, then said, "She was poisoned, yes....  The humans' usual poison in this land; a mixture they extract from certain roots, certain roots."  Looking up at Tethon, he asked, "and someone, you?, provided her with an antidote..."   Not waiting for a response, he looked at her again and went on, "This is easily corrected, easily."

Still holding her left hand in his right, the little fundimentalist put her right hand down briefly on the floor, and placed his left hand over his heart for a few seconds, then picked up her right hand again.  He concentrated.  A full minute went by, in total silence.  Not even the sound of his breath could be heard.  

A warm tingling sensation flowed through her left hand, up her arm, through her whole body, and back out her right hand.

He put both of her hands down and looked up.  "Wake up, young lady.  I have helped your body rebalance itself.  You should feel much better now."  Looking at them both, he said in a serious tone, "I am not the best of my people at healing.  Serious wounds always take time, although I can help them along.  But rebalancing the fundimentals of simple blood problems like poison is an easy matter, an easy matter for us, especially when the fundimentals of an antidote have already been introduced.  And a good meal can't hurt, can't hurt."

He stood up.  "Let's have some dinner, some dinner, shall we?  Then we can talk.   And where are the others?  They were welcome to come here as well.  I could use their help.  If they follow here but stray too far from our path, they may encounter my traps, my traps.  My son and I have not lived here for six years unmolested without cause."

[Alexia]

OOC: I read it carefully and to announce...yes she’s not with you because she’s still in shock...well until the healing ‘ritual.’ I’m feeling a lot better. Thanks

IC:
After feeling the vibration through her hand she could feel the fatigue disappear but the pain of her shoulder still remained. With the hot rod shoved through her shoulder, it tried to heal leaving its red scab. Letting out a heavy puff of air, dirt on the floor seemed to move as she coughed softly. Her ice blue eyes seemed to focus back to where she was than her dreamland or a subconscious feeling. Her head seemed to pound slightly as she quickly looked around before sitting upright. Everything seemed to be in a cave with dinner?

Sitting up and pushing herself towards the cold, solid wall and looking around seeing her vision a little fuzzy. A moment later she rested her head against the wall and concentrated on a small speck that glowed off a warm light. After getting her sharp vision back, she looked over towards the ‘crew’ and swallowed uneasily. “Anything I missed?� She spoke in ancient Elven.

[Dream]

Klaatu stood up, and walked around the room, past a weapons rack by the forge, loaded with glistening swords and spears.  He reached past the rack to two chairs against the back wall instead, both of appropriate size for the guests.  "Excellent, excellent.  I don't understand what you said, since my understanding of your tongue is limited, but you look much better, much better," he said.  

Pulling along the two chairs to the table in the middle of the room by the stewpot, he picked up his knife and put it back into its metal sheath under his robe.  He pulled out a bottle of some sort of wine from a cupboard.  Dinner appeared to be ready.  He said, "Eat, eat, and drink.  We shall gain nourishment, and with it balance and health -- and perhaps then we can tell each other what we are doing here, doing here."  

He scooped steaming stew into bowls, and put out spoons at each seat.  He moved his hand below the pot, and the cooking fire dropped to a low glow as if by magic.  The robust scent of the herbs combined with the savory smell of the venison.  Next, he poured wine into glasses, and drank some, so they could be sure of its safety.  Then he sat down on a stool, raised his glass, and said as a toast, "May ooloo grant us warmth and energy forever!"

[Nobody]

"Nice to see you well Alexia." Tethon spoke the words in Ancient Elvish as well. The words were choppy ad at times unsure. The high gaurds, having to deal with the King and Queen, were required to learn Ancient, but Tethon had not learned it well enough, and it had been some years. It was handy though.

 "Our friend has offered shelter here, and he seems to have helped revive you.". In Ancient, there were several words that denoted friend. Tethon used the one that meant one who has just been met, and might not be completely trustworthy, but still a friend.

Who knows what Klaatu was here for. Two guest chairs? The man did not seem like the type to have guests often. But maybe with the sword trade...anyway, Tethon did not think the man was trying to poison him. He could already have killed Alexia with those strange powers of his called, what did he say they were, alchemism, no that was the other one. Fundimentalism, whatever that meant. Klaatu's explainations had made no sense that Tethon could decipher. Anyway, if it was poison, the man would have just offered poison to Tethon, and killed Alexia afterwards.

Unless he thought that Omaru and that thief woman were coming. Too many years around high court politics. Or maybe not enough years. All poisons and schemes.

"May Ulu grant us warmth and energy forever" he said mispronouncing the word ooloo as he lifted his glass...

[Alexia]

Alexia’s gaze shifted towards the guard, the table and the food. It smelt good but she didn’t trust her instincts. Not even if Tethon was involved. “Who is this Ulu?� Alexia asked in Elven and then common. She looked over towards the man who gave her ‘strange possessions.’ Alexia was puzzled at Tethon’s words: Friend. “You say you know him as a friend. A companion. But you apparently just met him. Why the change of heart?� She asked in ancient Elven, her words slurring as her voice cracked idly.

[Dream]

Down at the river, down below the surface, Braandu's thoughts refocused again.  The voices had lost their battle again, although he knew they would return again.  When he was weak, or doubting.  He must not doubt his father.  He must not think too much about what had happened...

The sun had set.  Cool darkness had settled in.  He never told father, but he had liked the coolness of dark.  He couldn't "see", of course, in the normal sense, but he could feel with the unique sensation of every square inch of his surface area under the chain mail.  Even through his boots.  The energy of living things.  Vibrations.  Heat and coolness.  

Of course, his father would tell him, "Braandu, you must understand, there is no such thing as cold, as cold.  Cold is only the lack, the lack of heat.  Heat always travels to non-heat, from plus to minus.  It cannot be stopped.  You can delay heat transfer, you can insulate heat and cold, but heat is living energy and it will always flow, always flow."  And so on.

He had heard the lectures before.  Father taught him everything.  He always taught Braandu, always explained.  It was boring, sure, but it showed his love, as he gave from his boundless well of knowledge.  Thinking of father's voice made him feel better, warmer, more alive.

Midnight was approaching.  It was time to go.

[Dream]

Klaatu dug into his bowl of stew with obvious pleasure.  He spooned in chunks of delicious meat and vegetables, and slurped up the juices in the bowl, helping himself to seconds.  Then he leaned back in his chair and looked at this guests for a moment, saying, "How does it suit you?  It has been a long time since I have dined with elves, too long.  The ingredients are well balanced for your constitutions, I believe.  Of course, being the cook, I suppose it's seasoned to my liking, my liking."  He grinned, and the sharp little teeth were seen again.

"Go ahead, eat.  Enjoy, enjoy!"  He got down from his chair and waddled over to the entrance to the cave and peered out into the darkness.  He sniffed.  And again, deeper this time.  Not good.

Klaatu went inside, to where the elves sat.  "Excuse me for a moment, a moment", and scampered down a small tunnel opening.  

Inside a close room, he stuck his nose in the dirt of the floor and relaxed his breathing and heartbeat.  His senses reached out, further and further. He felt vibrations, sensed life energy.

"Yes... There are the usual deer up on the hill, rabbits in their dens, the badger in his hole down the hill is snoring... and Braandu is coming from the river.  As I had told him...  But something elsewhere is not right.  That big thing is nearer.  Very quiet.  Why did it not set off my traps?...  doesn't it carry any metal?  Is is just a dumb beast?  Even a dumb beast should have blundered into one of my traps...?"

He went back to his guests.  "I do not mean to cause alarm, but that something, that something that was following you did not quit.  If you would, finish your meal, and I will close up the cave.  You will be safe here tonight, but of course, you can leave if you prefer.  My son, Braandu will be here soon, but he can always enter safely when he arrives.  I hope you will stay tonight, since he and I were planning to leave this area in the next day or two... and perhaps all of us could travel together, together for a time.  I could use your excellent elven eyesight since I am nearsighted, quite nearsighted, and we can be very handy to you in certain ways, as you have already seen, already seen."

He picked up his staff, and then went over to a shelf and started putting some bottles and vials into pockets cleverly sewn into various seams of his robe.

[Andimia]

Andimia cursed. It was getting dark and she handn't thought to bring a torch. If Omaru really wanted to catch up she'd let him find her.

She started following the guard's footprints with what little light was left. She walked through the forest, bending down periodically to check the tracks. When she reached a rocky area she cursed again at the fact that she could no longer see any footprints..
"Where the heck do I go now?" she said to nobody, as pitch black decended upon the land. No moon shone to give any light on her situation. She moved back to the edge of the forest and slung off her pack and unfurled her blanket and wrapped it around her, sitting with her back against a tree.
"I'll just have to wait untill morning to continue my search." she shivvered into her blanket and closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep.

[Nobody]

At the mention of that "something" Tethon quickly grew quiet. Being a royal gaurd, his face held no betrayel of his thoughts, and he even seemed very casual, but his eyes told a different story.

He consumed his soup readily, taking in the warmth of the soup. He seamed interested in nothing but the soup, but his eyes were weighing and measuring. Telling nothing outright, but hinting at perhaps a thousand things.

"well, we have a hard journey north-east from here in the morning." Tethon said finishing his soup "So if you would be so kind as to show me where to sleep, and perhaps a bed for her"

He did not call her a Lady, disguise was the best course he thought, but he had failed to create a cover story with Alexia, and she might stubbornly refuse to accept it. Being called in the middle of a lie was worse than not lying at all. Besides, he was still unsure as to how strongly he influenced her, and who knows how she might feel about creating a cover story without her. If there was a chance, Tethon would work one out with her.

If she did not tell this man who she was first. She might enjoy an alias. It certainly was supposed to be an adventure, and this would only add to it, although how she would feel after being shot and poisoned...well most men stopped enjoying such things after a cold night in the rain, not to mention taking pains in battle.

Speaking of which, it was starting to rain. It would not be pleasant to be outside in that cold rain, and what looked to be a heavy one at that. At least it would wash away any tracks that had been left...

[Andimia]

Andimia awoke as a cold wind cut through the blanket and she shivered. She was about to roll over and go back to sleep when she heard a patter off to her left. The half-elf perked up and heard another noise to her right, then the rain came.

Grumbling she stood up and grabbed her pack, Wrapping the blanket around her and over her head. Maybe they made camp just over this rocky hill with a nice fire. She held out her hand and caught a bit of rainwater in her palm and rubbed it over a particularly bad cut on her knee from her tumble down the  hill earlier that day.

Andimia stepped out from the forest edge and began walking up the rocky hill. The gentle rain was just cold enough to make her feel miserable, and though the moon or stars wern't out it seemed that something in the air gave her light enough for her elven eyes to see the outlines of the rocks. Slowly picking her way up the slope she crested the top just as it began to pour.

She cursed again, this time a lot louder, as she could see no fire off in the distence.
"I should have stayed at the inn." she grumbled as the rain soaked through the blanket. Her eyes widened as she remembered she was wearing leather. She scanned the dark land for some sort of refuge from the rain that would shrink her already tight-fitting clothing.
seeing no shelter anywhere around she gave up and sat against a rock at the top of the hill and curled into a ball, trying to sleep, as the rain pelted against her face and splattered loudly upon the rocks around her.

[Alexia]

There came a point in her life when she knew something was wrong by the facial expressions. Something was quite wrong and she completely missed it. Thoughts poured into her mind: Is the food poisoned? Are we somewhere where we shouldn’t be? She wanted to ask this aloud but didn’t both as she sat down near the chair, letting her hair fall over her shoulders. She looked at the food: It looks reasonable.

The floor started to quake from the rolling thunder. “The Gods are angry this night.� She mumbled under her breath. She wasn’t hungry, just tired. She wanted to sleep but something else kept her awake. Then she herd a lie spoken about her after her name was mentioned. Her ice blue eyes glared at the royal guard. She wasn’t hurt she was disappointed. “My father did not teach a liar!� She roared in her mind wanted to scream it at him. Though, her face told plenty.

Something rang in her ears making them twitch and red. Looking away from Tethon she looked down at the bowl, swallowing hard. Something off in the distance had something making her sensitive ears hurt more than a week’s headache or illness. She wanted to cry but she knew better...

_ _ _ _ _

Their army was of strength and fearless warriors. Each held a bow in their hands and flaming arrows in the other. Off in a great distance men stopped and watched the Elven King speak his ritual of bravery. They waited for their chance to attack and they did. It was a cleaver device made of thin steel so when slapped with a copper stick it rang, piercing sensitive ears for miles upon miles away. Horses were even a little too sensitive as their ears were covered with certain, rare cheesecloth’s.

The Elven army seemed to have everything under control for a brief minute until their eyes started to swell with tears as the ringing sensation screamed in their minds. Their once perfect aim, seemed to falter by a thin slab of steel being rang over and over. Only the ones with horrible hearing were the ones able to shoot the arrow but they had seemed to die faster.

It would only take hours before Alexia’s father’s Kingdom would soon crumble.