The Chosen [IC/PG-16]

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The shark had been quite badly injured, and, Keres knew, would die soon enough. The fact that the Nature Chosen could generate such poison was a bit worrisome. Poison was a dangerous thing and it being used so freely...Keres hoped that this girl didn't have a vengeful side. And it would never be aimed at her.

"Slow..." She muttered. The death would not be a pleasant one for the shark. Even if it had attacked, it still made Keres uncomfortable. She used more of her magic, dulling the pain the shark was feeling in its last minutes.

She wouldn't be able to get the object, which she was starting to think was unnatural, maybe even put there by someone, which made her upset. There was knowledge right there but they had to...

 

They had to go, now. Ignoring the swearing Darkness Chosen, and keeping her distance from him, Keres followed the lead of the others and began to leave. They had to hope whoever was in the building wasn't going to pursue them farther.

As the group made their way farther into the desert she could hear the door open up behind them. A crossbow bolt came from the inside, striking Keres in the shoulder, as she was moving slowest of the group, given that she had absolutely refused to let Lindow be at her back. She cried out in pain and stumbled forward but, determination welling up in her, she forced herself to continue, to not show the pain, to push on until they were out of range of another attack.

 

The group would finally be nearing the desert proper soon enough, though it was hard to tell with the sun remaining high in the sky, and step onto the hot sand. But before that they'd need to pass by the one body of water in the desert. They could see it in the distance, perhaps an hour travel away. And they would also notice a strange sight. Stretching across the area in front of the water was what seemed to be a fence. Barbed wire wrapped around cacti, stretching as far as they could see.

---

A man let the bird land on his arm and, taking the message, began to read. "Appeared out of nowhere? Mm, the Chief is gonna want to see this..." He kicked the flanks of the creature he was riding, a large, horned, lizard, and it scurried off towards the northeast.

[Sethera]

Nobody liked Gilly's idea of eating the shark. Nobody liked her idea of charging into the building either. "Bunch of no-good poopyfaces," the girl grumbled. They would have time to cook the shark if they beat up all the bad guys. However, everybody wanted to leave. "But we just got here!" she whined, watching the others start to move. Looking back at the shark, her eyes started forming hearts as she imagined all the things she could make with it. Shark stew, shark steak, shark shish kabob, shark burger, shark stir fry...

 

And that's when the halfling noticed the glint of something blue and shiny stuck to the roof of the shark's mouth. "Oooh, what's that?" she asked herself, drawing closer, completely ignoring everybody around her, including Anise's mumbo-jumbo off to the side. The shark began thrashing, causing the halfling to stop, but after a bit, it stopped, and that's when she moved up right next to its mouth.

 

"What are you doing?" Snow asked from next to her. The rabbit was too exhausted to manifest but Gilly could still see him from where she was. "You should be getting going with the rest of the group."

 

"But it has something in its mouth!" the girl whined. "Do you think it could be food? What do sharks eat anyway?" as she was talking, the girl materialized an ice spear.

 

"Don't tell me you're planning on using that to get it out? The shark will snap that in half," the rabbit warned. "If you ask me, I would prop its mouth open with one and use another to dig it out. Actually, if you ask me, I would tell you to leave right now, but I know you're not going to do that."

 

"Nope!" the brunette replied cheerfully, taking his advice, and setting the spear vertically inside the shark's mouth. After that she stuck her head in the mouth to get a better view, summoning another spear as she did so. Digging against the roof of the mouth where the object was attached, she watched it fall, and stuck her hand further in the mouth to catch it.

 

"What are you doing? Get out of there right now!" the rabbit commanded, his tone unusually urgent. As he spoke, the girl could hear the ice start to creak from above, a low rumbling noise emitting from the interior of the shark. Quick as a flash, the halfling retracted both her head and the hand holding the object, only to watch in fascination as the mouth snapped shut, shards of ice sent flying.

 

"You worry too much Snowy," the girl patted the rabbit on his incorporeal head with her other hand. "I'm perfectly fine, see?" She turned to Hob, who looked to be in the middle of a panic attack. "Are you okay, Hob?"

 

The rabbit hopped onto her shoulder so he could look her in the eyes. "Never do that again. Do you hear me?" he said, tone lower than normal.

 

"No promises here!" the brunette giggled, depositing the item in her pouch, and ran forward to catch up with the others. That action was enough to draw the ice spirit's curiosity, who hopped in the bag right after. The halfling grinned when she saw Mr. Lindow, who had hung back to wait for her. "Come on, Hob, or you'll be left behind!"

 

"Ba...ba-aah," the sheep let out a pitiful bleat before running after her. He slowed down however, when he noticed the girl with the nice boots get hurt from behind him, and nudged her onto his back before continuing to run.

 

--

 

When the group reached what looked to be a large body of water, Gilly crossed her arms, "I'm not falling for that again! I bet that's just fake water like the other one was. Or a monster disguised as water! That's what the fence is for. To keep people away from the monster." She grinned, "Super smart Gilly has done it again!"

 

Hob shook his head, pawing the ground. He could feel the air getting heavier as they approached the water. It was very much real water, and, being very thirsty, he couldn't wait to get to it. Not to mention, he was worried about nice boot girl. He walked up to the orc, having seen the light Chosen make the draken's wound disappear, and baa'ed, pointing his nose at the water Chosen on his back.

 

Snow, still tired out from his earlier action of keeping the orc cool, had settled himself in Gilly's bag, which she had finally remembered to close, looking at the object. A five inch square silver plate with runes etched into the metal, it had a large half-sphere embedded in the side, shining a brilliant ocean blue.

 

However, the runes were what drew the ice spirit's attention the most. Unlike his energetic Chosen, Snow was more of a traditional mage, which one could discern from his powers. He recognized the runes as being magical, but... He scrunched his nose. This is wrong, he thought. This shouldn't be there. So why...? Shaking his head, the spirit decided to show this to the water Chosen when he got the chance. She might know more. From what he had gathered, she was affiliated with the Mage Tower somehow. However, until Gilly opened the bag, he was at an impasse. So instead, he settled down, relaxing for the first time since they left the tower.

[Ren✧]

Kha looked down at the large ram that was carrying the injured Chosen. The orc wasn't feeling too great himself and Kal'bri had yet to appear by his side so he couldn't even attempt heal her by magical means. Still, he was healer long before he was a Chosen and wouldn't turn away the injured girl just because he was a bit tired. Sitting down in the hot sand, he gestured towards the animal. "Bring her here." Kha instructed. Having already learned that the Chosen of Water was a woman of few words, Kha did not bother with asking how she was feeling and simply began to examine the wound. 

 

He began to take out some supplies that he kept in the pockets of his kilt, he gave her a worn, but otherwise bare piece of wood. "Bite down. Hard." Kha went to remove the bolt. It was no doubt a painful process. He could not push it through as it was blocked by bone, but pulling it back out was much more difficult due to the arrow shape of the end of the bolt, tugging at it just caused it to tear more flesh. Kha secretly hoped that the small sorceress passed out, there was no need for her to go through all of this. Slowly, Kha began to cut around the bolt and extract it, trying to be as gentle as he could. 

 

When he was finished he wrapped the bolt up in some bandaging and put in his kilt, just in case it was poisoned and they needed it later. He then set about chewing some herbs and then applying the freshly made salve to the wound before tightly bandaging it. If Keres started to exhibit in symptoms of poisoning he would ask Kal'bri to heal her of the pollution as soon as the spirit showed herself again. 

 

"Rest now." Kha placed the Chosen of Water back on Hob, making a religious symbol of thanks towards the animal. 

 

Turning his attention towards the barbed wire fence, Kha wiped his brow, taking a hearty drink from his canteen. He felt somewhat foolish doing so. Here there was plenty of water to drink and he was drinking from their reserves, but still he did not quite feel safe crossing the fence quite yet. Still, the longer he stared at the fence the longer he thought that there was no other choice. 

 

"We break the fence. Get water. I can repair the fence before we leave." Assuming no one stumbled upon them, their presence would go unnoticed. 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"We break the fence. Get water. I can repair the fence before we leave."

 

"Maybe it's best if only one of us that pass through this and refill all our canteens. The rest can stay and watch the situation."

 

Well, the less damage the fence get the easier it would be to fix it. And with how they suffered by many levels of sneak attacks already, it's imperative to have eyes watching everywhere, to not be blindsided by such attacks. Though, if there's only one of them that should pass through the fence, then who? Well, ideally it would be someone small so they can minimize the damage on the fence while allowing them to slip away from the place easily in case of danger. So, pretty much only one person fit the description. She would have said the Draken but his actual height always dumbfounded Anis. Like, he was actually really tall but Anis always felt that he was supposed to be like, half his height now. But nevermind that, Anis went on to approach the person she had in mind.

 

"Gilly, can you get us some water from that place over there? Kha'll make the hole for you, just ask the others for their canteens and any other containers.

 

It looks like you're the one most fitting for this task."

 

---

[Andx]

The group's escape had not gone off perfectly. In the midst of their retreat the men from the building fired on them with crossbows. Only one found a mark in the Water Chosen. Kha began tending to the wounds. They were fast approaching the actual desert and as best the Draken could tell they had escaped their assailants. That said stopping for too long was likely to be dangerous. But they needed water and rest. In the distance was what appeared to be an actual body of water. This wasn't the strange water that moved as Reinaan changed the way he looked at it. This seemed much more like normal water. While that wouldn't have been so strange there appeared to be a metal fence surrounding the place wrapped around various large spiky looking plants.

 

"What's a fence doing out here?" he pondered aloud. While still scanning the area the boy could detect no immediate danger and so he released Ziiyol's power and settled back to normal as his partner reformed at his side. The spirit's excitement was obvious as she reappeared. It would be a few minutes before she regained her composure so Reinaan turned to hte rest of the group instead. Anis proposed only sending one of them through to refill their canteens. That one happened to be Gilly the halfling as the hole in the fence required to let her through would be the smallest. The idea seemed sound but Reinaan didn't like it.

 

"Going alone is too dangerous! There could be something else waiting to attack. At the least I'll go with her." he stated. This would require a decently larger breach in the fence but Reinaan wasn't about to let anyone go off alone. Hunting alone was inviting death. It was a fact painfully etched into his heart and mind. And given the experiences in their short time together he could only imagine what was coming to hurt them next. However it was partly selfish. If they were going to go to the lake at all he wanted to see it himself.

 

"And if those men are still after us you all may need to keep moving even as we're getting water." he added looking back towards the way they'd come.

[Alaina]

While the group had decided to leave the area near the building, starting to collect themselves and move away, the hafling girl had stayed behind for a brief moment. While the Earth Chosen looked in slight horror as the girl stuck her hand into the shark's mouth, she could do nothing to stop her and could only breathe a sigh of relief when she had withdrawn it unharmed. With the group already starting to move away, they went into their full retreat from the area just as the men who occupied the building came out to begin attacking them. While it seemed to be a good enough move away from them, as they traveled further it became clear to everyone that the water chosen had been struck by an arrow or bolt of some kind.

 

Nevertheless, the group continued to move, getting near the desert proper and eventually coming across something strange. She wasn't sure what seemed more out of place here, be it the fence or the large body of water just beyond it. While there seemed to be no other sign of water in the distance, or much life in general, the girl pondered for a moment thinking that having a fence near this thing probably made sense. While she was more in favor of just traveling along the perimeter and trying to find another area to enter through or something to that effect, the group had come to the conclusion to destroy a small portion of it and retrieve the water before leaving. The prime candidate to go on this water foraging expedition was the young halfling girl, Gilly, which gave the girl an immediate cause for concern. These concerns were slightly alleviated as the draken boy volunteered to go alongside her, yet she still couldn't help but be on edge about the whole thing. 

 

As the girl took a few more sips from her canteen of water, she then nodded at the draken's idea of the men from before pursuing after them. She then looked to the two and said, "please be careful." Given there was a fence around it, it seemed reasonable to think people lived beyond it and she would rather them not stir up any more trouble for the day. Handing off her canteen to the duo, as per the suggestion of the Nature Chosen, the girl then turned back and made sure to watch their backsides in case of any pursuers. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Keres bit down on the wood without question. She had had to do impromptu, admittedly shoddy, first aid on herself before and knew it wasn't the most pleasant experience.

Her expectations were met.

 

She almost blacked out at the pain, not being used to it, due to her fragile body. It hurt. A lot. Usually Keres would have much more to say in her head but she was more worried about not doing something stupid while the healer got to work.

After it was done with she did feel better than when she had metal in her shoulder but she would struggle for a while afterwards.

 

Petting Hob with gratitude, she looked at the Orc for a while. She didn't know what to say. A thank you would be good but she just didn't feel comfortable doing so after he had been so close to her. "I'm not petting you." Is what she settled on, trying to lighten the mood, but saying it with such a straight face it likely wouldn't come across right.

 

They were planning on what to do next. Keres considered pulling the water towards them but she didn't know she could be precise enough or strong enough in her current state. 

 

It was ultimately decided Gilly and Reinaan would go get the water, after Kha cut open the fence, and get out as soon as possible.

Keres watched Kha approach the fence, and she attempted to examine them from this distance. It seemed odd to make such a fence, and even odder to use cacti instead of posts. Why would...

 

The answer was given as Kha cleaved through the fence. The barbed wire opened up suddenly and the cacti, which seemed to have been tied in a way to make them stand crookedly, suddenly moved and straightened. As they did there was a jingling noise that raced along the fence, seemingly originating from something inside the cacti, and Keres could hear it stretch farther across the fence than she could see.

 

She realized then what it was. "An alarm."

---

"Yes, I think I WOULD like to meet these strangers, get me my lizard, we're going to pay them a visit!" The bandit chief said, to the messenger.

Meanwhile, in a different encampment of bandits, the lookout suddenly got to his feet as he heard the telltale jingle. "Boys, let's go, seems we've got ourselves some greedy fools who want to drink OUR water without paying the toll!"

[Sethera]

Hob couldn't see the healing done from his viewpoint, but he did feel when the nice boot girl started to relax. He blinked when the orc performed some sort of gesture toward him. The ram wasn't sure what that was so he let out a "baa" in reply. When Gilly petted him, though, he rubbed his face against her hand.

 

The orc looked to the fence before speaking. "We break the fence. Get water. I can repair the fence before we leave."

 

Anise decided to be careful about this, though. "Maybe it's best if only one of us that pass through this and refill all our canteens. The rest can stay and watch the situation. Gilly, can you get us some water from that place over there? Kha'll make the hole for you, just ask the others for their canteens and any other containers. It looks like you're the one most fitting for this task."

 

Once again, it was up to Gilly to get things done. Really, this group would be lost without her. She was about to reassure them of her awesomeness when Reiny boy decided to be a stick in the mud. "Going alone is too dangerous! There could be something else waiting to attack. At the least I'll go with her. And if those men are still after us you all may need to keep moving even as we're getting water."

 

"I don't need your help!" the halfling stuck out her tongue. "I can do just fine by myself. But I suppose, just this once, you can help. Since you're cool and all."

 

"Please be careful," Pinky said.

 

"Don't worry, Pinky. Careful is my middle name, after all," Gilly winked. However, when Kha broke the fence, the cacti straightened, and a jingling noise raced across the fence.

 

"An alarm," weird girl said. And she was probably right.

 

"Uh-oh," the halfling muttered. "Quick, we gotta get ready to fight! Uhhh, is this the best place to do it though?" she looked around. "Or maybe we can hide and pretend it's not us, and then wham! Ambush them. Though there really isn't a good place to hide, is there..."

 

Hob pawed at the ground like a bull. He would move a bit slower with nice boot girl on his back, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. And he wasn't so sure she should be walking by herself yet anyway.

 

Inside the bag, Snow slept like a baby bunny.

[Ren✧]

Kha felt something amiss as soon as his sword cleaved through the first strand of barbed wire. Perhaps it was a sense developed growing up in war or maybe he felt the odd bit of tension in the wire. Either way, he was not surprised when the alarm sounded. He cursed himself for not thinking to look at the cacti. The halfling immediately began to suggest battle strategies, to which Kha only shook his head. In the last two days they had done nothing but fight and they had already lost one of The Chosen. It wouldn't take much more exhaustion to lose another. 

 

"Maybe there is no need for a fight at all." Kha reasoned. They had no idea what the ringing sound in the cacti meant, and though it probably was an alarm, they had no idea whom it would alert or when, or even if, if someone would show up. There was no need to just assume they would have to fight their way out of every unforeseen obstacle. He knew all too well what kind of destruction that way of thinking wreaked.

 

"My home knows only of war. Only fighting. From what I know, violence breeds more violence." Kha paused for a moment before continuing. "We fight if we have to. We fight without mercy. Until then, let us get water. Deal with trouble when it comes." 

 

 It was at that moment that Kal'bri decided to show herself again. "No wonder your tribe kicked you out." She said nonchalantly, appearing on his shoulder in a bright flash. "To me it sounds like you are a coward afraid of a fight. And don't we all know how you orcs just love a good fight." 

[Hälō]

Lindow sighed in annoyance at the sound of the alarm. This adventure was on to quite the rocky start, huh? Lowering his canteen from his lips, he remained silent to allow Kha to say his piece.

 

"Maybe there is no need for a fight at all. My home knows only of war. Only fighting. From what I know, violence breeds more violence. We fight if we have to. We fight without mercy. Until then, let us get water. Deal with trouble when it comes." 

 

"Agreed." Lindow nodded before moving towards the hole in the fence. "But I think it's better not to split up when we could have two possible groups zeroing in on use..." They were getting weaker with every battle, and he was extremely doubtful that dividing their numbers would end well. "How about we move as a group towards the water? Collect what we can, then make our exit through the opposite side of the fence?" He paused for a moment to adjust the new blade on his hip. "If we're lucky, the group from before wont follow us into this area..."

[Alaina]

While the earth chosen had been watching out for any of the bandits that may have been coming up from behind, she heard the sounds of the metal being destroyed, only for some kind of ringing noise to go off. Looking towards the fence, the cacti appeared to be a bit different in position and she was sure that was no good sign. Hearing the water chosen's words, it appeared that they had alerted the presence of some kind of people, and they were likely closing in on them now. While the girl had the mindset to just find a way to run away from the area altogether, it seemed that the others were more intent on just getting the water and trying to rush through the area as fast as possible. Hearing the lightning thunder Chosen's adendum to the plan made by the orc, she nodded in agreement saying, "splitting up would definitely be bad." With that, she was ready to follow the two sword fighters' lead in getting through the area, taking up the rear of the group and being ever vigilant on any sort of approach. 

[Andx]

At Kha's touch the whole of the fence began to resonate a sound. An alarm Keres simply stated it as being. Seeing only cacti and wire fencing Reinaan had to wonder how the sound was being made but that wasn't what was important. Someone had set this system up to be informed of would be trespassers. Splitting up for a quick water supply trip was now off the table. At Lindow's suggestion they all needed to move toward the water together. Perhaps any remaining pursuers would stop at the fence themselves. That just meant hoping whoever managed the alarmed fence would be kinder to them. A bit of a risky gamble to be certain but they didn't have much of a choice at this point. Reinaan stuck to the end of the group of as the other Chosen began moving through the fence. The Chosen of Earth who he'd fought alongside closely with in the Council's tower seemed to want to go through last. When they had a moment Reinaan thought to himself he'd have to actually get her name and get to know her and the others better. But that would require not being on the run for their lives.

 

The first few through it was Reinaan's turn to move through the fence. He tried to move through quickly but as he kept moving foward he felt a tug at his neck which halted him for a moment. "What the-" he called out as the material dug into his neck. The cloak he'd been wearing was so open and loose that it had naturally caught on the barbs on the wire as the boy moved through. This in turn blocked the passage delaying the last few to pass through for a moment. Moving back didn't help so the boy just muscled his way past, allowing the cloak to tear in several places. The ends and sleeves were what had caught. There were some rather unsightly tears in the ends of the fabric which exposed slightly more of the boy's legs, tail and arms. It was a real shame, the Draken had thought rather highly of the garment but the tears detracted a bit from the cool factor. He'd probably take it off soon when he'd settled some, maybe take in the sun more directly for a bit before putting his jacket back on. But for now he was safely on the other side of the fence. Ziiyol took to his side and seemed to have calmed down by this point. The others were now free to pass through. There was nothing to do but move toward the lake.

 

"I'll keep watch on our sides!" he said with some gusto. As he began moving forward with the group. Looking out toward the desert he quickly realized there wouldn't be much means of hiding for them or anyone approaching them. At the least there were no trees or caves as he'd always been accustomed to having around him. But the change of scenery aside the Draken's instincts were hard to suppress given the sense of danger he still had about him. So he turned to focusing on every sight and sound he could as they moved.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Maybe there is no need for a fight at all. My home knows only of war. Only fighting. From what I know, violence breeds more violence. We fight if we have to. We fight without mercy. Until then, let us get water. Deal with trouble when it comes."

 

"I respectfully disagree, but you are right, we need to get the water first. We'll stand our ground and prepare ourselves for the inevitable attack on us."

 

"How about we move as a group towards the water? Collect what we can, then make our exit through the opposite side of the fence?"

 

"Impractical."

 

"splitting up would definitely be bad."

 

"We wait here. If there is a trap inside, or anyone that were watching over this watering hole, Gilly should be more than capable to return to us with haste. Trapping ourselves in the middle of this wired area would be very unwise. We should provide cover for ourselves and for her, but for now, focus on diligently observing the surrounding."

 

But, in the middle of Anis' long winded words, the others of the group had also entered the area after someone made a big hole on the fence. She shook her head and sighed. They were far from being safe...nay, they were never going to be safe as long as they embark on this mission. The world itself seemed to be against them, as was natural. Exercising too much caution would never hurt, but now they're going straight to what could end up as a trap or a corner with little room for escape.

 

They could make a hole on the other side of the fence, but it takes some time that would leave them vulnerable to attacks. This was also technically still the enemy's territory. The possibility of encirclement once they entered the watering hole was significant. Nevermind the possibilities of other traps placed inside. Had they stayed outside, they would be in a better position to defend themselves.

 

Anis was not the leader of the group though. so she was not one to make decisions for them. They already made the choice, so right now Anis just had to find ways so they wouldn't be attacked when they're most vulnerable. She was already somewhat occupied already by trying her best to keep Ileca silent throughout this area. Thankfully the new hole made on the fence was enough for both of them to pass through, but it was still an unpleasant experience.

 

"I'll keep watch on our sides!"

 

"I'll assist you."

 

The Draken was seemingly eager to look out for potential dangers, and so Anis decided that she should assist him in looking over the area too. She considered to summon a few moths to help her detect any presences around, but she remembered that she wouldn't be able to see what they see. After all they're actual moths, not familiars. To make them familiars would simply be unnatural and that was not how her magic works. And so, she had to rely on her senses and limited night vision to look around.

 

"You're a lot gloomier and tenser than before. Did you really regret taking this mission, Anis?"

 

"I never put my heart into this mission from the start. But, I'm still doing it for her sake. After all, she's the one that pushed me into this, and it's how she chose to spend the rest of her time.

That wish is something I should respect."

 

---

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Keres' head turned with each new voice. So many people saying so many things she was hardly able to keep up with the planning. But she got the basic idea. They were to wait and see what happens when whoever set the alarm got there.

It seemed bad but what else would they do? They had no way of knowing where they'd be coming from, right?

 

"Woooow" Flux's voice came, startling the girl, as the Water Spirit finally reappeared next to her. "Look at that rock!" Keres sighed as the Spirit, seemingly oblivious to the situation, found something to focus on. Well it was good to see Flux was back in form, at least, she had a feeling she'd need him soon enough.

 

They all got into positions to lookout for whatever was coming.

"We wait here. If there is a trap inside, or anyone that were watching over this watering hole, Gilly should be more than capable to return to us with haste. Trapping ourselves in the middle of this wired area would be very unwise. We should provide cover for ourselves and for her, but for now, focus on diligently observing the surrounding."

Keres did have an issue with that. "Water..." she said, without elaboration. To most it might seem like she just wanted to get to the water for the obvious reasons. However there was something else.

 

This was, quite literally, her element. And so she, without word, followed Gilly as she went towards the water. She would make her stand here, with the water at her back, not over there. She was stubborn when she had to be and this was a moment she felt she truly had to be.

 

And so they waited...for how long, it was difficult to tell. Keres knew it should've been nighttime but the sun still beat down above them. It wasn't until a strange sound, something similar to running, but muffled, likely by the sand, came towards them.

To the North-East, coming around the lake, were a dozen men, wearing similar garb to those in the building they appeared by, riding large lizards, and heading straight towards the group.

 

"Ho there, travelers, quite the strange place for a picnic!" One called out, as they got within 50 feet, fanned out in a single line, with the speaker slightly ahead, which caused the others to laugh. They slowed their advance but kept going, and the group would be able to see the swords at their sides and the javelins in a quiver on the lizard's saddle.

[Andx]

Watching the group's sides proved to be... well uneventful. There wasn't much of anything out this way. Just lots of sand and the lake drawing ever closer. It had the young Draken starting to lose focus given just how empty it all was. The feeling of sand beneath his feet was interesting. Reinaan had never seen this much sand. In the mountains you usually walked on rocks or grass or mud or something. The boy's focus lasted until they approached the edges of the desert lake. From there he ran to the water's edge very excited for what looked like a very nice swim. Ziiyol shared his excitement until it registered with her they were quickly approaching a large body of water and she withdrew some. She looked on as her partner began drinking from the body of water, nervously hoping he would come back after that much. But she had no such luck.

 

Reinaan set his bag and spear down at the water's edge and then after some struggling managed to remove the now torn cloak the council had given him for the trip. The sun beat down on his now fully exposed body and it felt wonderful. The black scales absorbed the sun nicely warming the boy's body while the white and red scales shimmered in the intense light. He held the cloak out with his hands looking it over. The tears weren't too bad he supposed. Maybe it would still be worth wearing for the rest of the trip through this place. But for now he set that to the side and sat at the water's edge. He slowly removed the bandages Anis had placed over his neck and was sure to set them aside carefully as well. Looking at his reflection in the water Reinaan rand a finger over the affected area. The scale layer at the very least had healed up wonderfully. But there didn't even really seem to be much sign of scarring. Kha's magic really was something else. Convinced he was alright the Draken dove head first into the water. The temperature was much warmer than the cold lakes of the mountains and the new experience filled the boy with excitement. He then simply floated a bit in place with his face up towards the sky. After enjoying the moment he stepped out back onto the sand with water droplets now sliding off all parts of his body. Remembering what they were there for Reinaan made it a point to fill up his canteen and offered to do the same for as many of the others as would allow him. All the while his tail swayed happily behind him.

 

With the task complete the group began waiting. Hoping that whoever came to answer the alarm would be willing to speak with them and not simply look to fight. Reinaan sat down near the group with his belongings and clothing all neatly piled at his side. He then lied down on the sand for a bit simply looking into the sky again. The sand on his back was warm, the rays of the sun on his chest were warm too. It was amazingly comfortable to him. Ziiyol seemed happy now that her partner was done playing with water and twirled gently about near his side. The Draken wasn't sure how much time passed. But come to think of it they'd been out here for a long while now. The sun didn't seem to be going anywhere very quickly. When was it going to be night time? Reinaan was certainly tired enough to sleep some as he let out a large yawn and sat up. As he shifted about a sound caught his ears and his attention.

 

Then he saw them coming from around the lake to the north-east. The lizard riders all at once were upon the group. Their clothing resembled that of the men they'd fought back in the building they'd appeared by which alone had Reinaan concerned. There were weapons strapped to the large lizards but nothing draw yet it looked like. Maybe they could keep this peaceful. The boy stood as the riders lined up and brushed the sand off his body. He made no movement for his weapon even though it and all else he possessed were right there at his side. At least in his case with nothing on his body they would know he wasn't hiding anything. Though thinking on it that could work for or against them depending on how the men wanted to proceed. The lizards interested him. They were large enough for grown men to ride. Larger than the boy himself for that matter. They couldn't be Draken as no Draken would ever walk like that or allow another to ride them even if they did walk that way. The lizards were still moving.

 

"What's a picnic?" he questioned just barely loud enough to be heard after the lead man's remark. It was hardly the most important thing at hand. Ziiyol offered a convoluted and inaccurate explanation which the Draken promptly ignored and was thankful the men couldn't see her at the moment. "We just needed water to get through the desert." he said offering most of the truth. No need to bring running away from guys dressed like them up. That was all the boy considered worth saying at the moment. These men rode lizards he couldn't imagine they'd think much of him being a reptile himself.

[Ren✧]

Kha moved to go fill up his canteens, trying to keep an eye out for any surprises. He cupped his hands beneath the surface, splashing his face with the water from the oasis. It too was victim to the heat of the sun, but it felt good to wet his face. He considered asking Gilly to try and chill the water, but he had already troubled her and her spirit quite enough. He would make do. Cupping his hands below the surface again, Kha drank greedily from the spring. The water weathered at the rough edges of his voice, his tongue and throat having been turned to sandpaper by the heat of the desert. He took another hearty drink from the spring. Finally he was beginning to feel the effects of the heat stroke abate. 

 

Kha tried to make small bits of conversations with some of the other Chosen. It had occurred to him that in the chaos of the last couple days they functionally knew nothing about one another. He figured he may as well make the most of their time resting at the spring, even if they were all on edge as they tried to anticipate the meaning of the alarm. Kha turned to Lindow, the closest person to him. "Where is it you come from?" He asked.

 

Meanwhile, Kha noticed that after her little outburst Kal'bri had chosen to talk with Ayden. Unsurprising. The Chosen of Dark had been the one most keen to give her attention. Kha made a mental note to check on Ayden's condition later, he had taken quite a beating in their last few confrontations and it would do well to ensure his health. 

 

As time stretched on Kha, noticed that the merciless day did not relent into night as it should have. He found that it was easy to lose track of time, no way of knowing how long they had been there. He was about to suggest that perhaps they move on when the dull thudding against the sand could be heard. Immediately the tenseness that had been tangible in the group when they had first arrived returned. Kha tried not to let his battle instincts get the better of him, heeding his own advice from before. Still, it didn't stop him from reaching for his sword as the image of the riders came in from the north east. 

 

They appeared to be riding on giant lizards. These reptiles were enormous, bigger than any in his homeland, and atop them appeared to be warriors similar to those that they had encountered before. Still, it didn't mean that diplomacy wasn't out of the question. 

 

"We just needed water to get through the desert." 

 

Kha nodded along to what Reinaan said. "We mean you no trouble. We are new to these lands. Perhaps you could help us, you obviously know the desert much better than we do. We could use your help." 

[Hälō]

"We just needed water to get through the desert."

 

"We mean ou no trouble. We are new to these lands. Perhaps you could help us, you obviously know the desert much better than we do. We could use your help."

 

 

Lindow watched as one of the men near cracked a joke about Reinaan as he looked between the boy and his mount."Hey look, is that your cousin or something?" The other bandits seemed to find it hilarious but soon silence their laughter when the man at the head of the group began to address the two chosen who had spoken first.

 

"Well if you're new then I suppose you don't know that this water is our Chief's and he don't like people takin it for free. You'd better have something good for us." Soon after, on of the other men inched closer to mention something in his ear. He responded quickly. "Yeah I know that, what you think I'm dumb? Right, you all, where'd you come from anyhow?"

 

It was time to chime in. Pulling out the card granted to him the Council, Lindow took a step forward. "We've been sent from the Mage Tower. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of supplies... but we do have these." Lindow spoke calmly as he waited for the leaders response.

 

 

"Eh what's a card gonna do?" someone near the end of the line said.

 

"Shut up George" the head bandit snapped back. "Lemme see that thing."

 

Handing the card over to the bandit, Lindow continue his pitch. "They're from the council. Show 'em to merchants and we can receive any basic supplies we need for our journey... like food." He paused for a moment to allow the other man time to study the card. "Like I said, we don't have many valuables with us, but we do have a hefty amount of medical supplies... Would you say that half of our cards and the rest of our supplies would be a fair trade for some water and safe passage to the next town?"

 

"That's pretty good, free sheet? Without work? No catch?" Lindow eyes narrowed slightly as the man began looking him over. It didn't take long for his eyes to land on the sword that rested on his hip...

 

"No catch. Just say you're one of us and the won't ask any questions." Playing it cool, he addressed the stolen weapon. "Another group attacked us when we arrived. Weren't civil enough to actually hear us out like you gentlemen were... they're alive. But I think it's only fair we kept the blade they used to injure our people."

 

 

"Chief not gonna like this." One of the other men said.

 

"Chief's not here, this thing could come in handy."

 

"I don't know, how we know it works?"

 

"Hey I recognize that sword, they killed Kenny!"

 

"Those bastards!"

 

This was going better than expected. He only had to seal the deal now. "Oh so they were friends of yours... my apologies then." Lindow nodded solemnly. "Nonetheless, you can search us. We don't have money and have nowhere near enough supplies to be traveling... those cards are our meal tickets."

 

"Hmm not much supplies..." The head bandit grinned. "I got an idea. Give us some of those cards, and one of them and we'll even bring you to town ourselves." The man looks at Keres and Ryia.

 

sheet. Though he was able to retain his poker face, Lindow felt his heart rate spike.

[Sethera]

Everybody started to move toward the water. There, Gilly drank from it directly before remembering her canteen, which she filled up. Nearby, Hob drank from it as well, and the two felt very refreshed afterward.

 

Then some people on lizards arrived. "Ho there, travelers, quite the strange place for a picnic!" One called out, as they got within 50 feet, fanned out in a single line, with the speaker slightly ahead, which caused the others to laugh. They slowed their advance but kept going.

 

"What's a picnic?" Reiny boy asked. "We just needed water to get through the desert."

 

"Oooh pick me, pick me, I know!" Gilly squealed. "A picnic is when you eat lots and lots of food, and oh, that's a good idea isn't it? Do you guys want to join us for one? You need to bring your own food though, cuz I can't share any of mine. Gotta feed a growing girl, after all."

 

Nearby, the orc said. "We mean you no trouble. We are new to these lands. Perhaps you could help us, you obviously know the desert much better than we do. We could use your help."

 

Then, Mr. Lindow wanted to trade away their cards. "You're not trading away my card," Gilly huffed. "I need it to eat." However, she didn't say much more, listening to Mr. Lindow negotiate with the group. Then they wanted either Keres or Ryia for some reason. "Eh?" she asked. "What do you want them for? Wouldn't that just be more work? You'd have to feed them and everything. They don't even talk much either, so they wouldn't be good company. Also, they have to stay with us," she said. "Cuz we're a group and groups don't split up, well, unless they want to. Do you guys wanna leave?" she asked the two.

[Alaina]

As the group had come to their decision, the earth chosen had merely followed and kept watch as best she could. While there seemed to be a lull, she had decided to rest down on the ground, keeping watch for anything that might make its way towards them. While the horizon had seemed to be relatively clear for a short bit, it wasn't until that the silhouettes of riders could be seen that she had gotten back up, shield at her side. As the group had gotten closer to them, she mentally braced herself for whatever kind of altercation were to come, even if the group did seem to be in a diplomatic to dealing with these men. 

 

While things had started to go well, with each of the trio of males that stepped up seemingly able to convince them that they weren't any harm and were just in need of water, which wasn't entirely untrue, it soon went south. While the Thunder Chosen had seemed to try and barter with the group of bandits using the silver card as a form of currency for them, the men quickly realized that they had fought with another group of theirs and did not seem all that pleased. While the Thunder Chosen tried to seal the deal, the men seemed to be interested in taking something more than just the card. As he looked to both herself and the water chosen, the girl's unease only began to grow. 

 

As the final clincher of their deal was either her or the water chosen being picked to go with them, the girl felt herself lock up a bit. The implications behind what they had wanted were as terrifying as they were obvious, causing the earth chosen to be unsure of how to proceed, as her face had a clear nervousness to it. As the halfling spoke up, asking if the girl wanted to go with the men, the earth chosen felt herself snap back to attention. Giving a clear shake of no towards the halfling girl, she felt it was obvious that no one would want to go along in this scenario. Likewise, she had figured the water chosen wouldn't either, and had decided to go back to keep her focus on the men before her, steeling herself for if they had made any sudden moves or advances towards them. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

This was a bad situation from basically every kind of perspective Keres could think of. It seemed extremely clear to her that, unless someone came up with something, there was two options. Give in or fight.

Looking at their current strength, given the advantage her magic posed, it was possible they could actually fight back. However given recent events Keres was wondering if perhaps...they would all die here if they fought.

 

She was scared.

 

These men clearly meant no good towards her or Ryia. She knew enough to realize that. But what else would they do? If they wanted to fight they'd need to do so soon, get an advantage, and stay focused the entire time.

 

She had to decide.

 

That was all there was to it. She had analyzed as much as she could and even she could tell there wasn't much time left. She mustered her determination and will and made her choice.

"I will go with." She said, standing straighter and speaking as loudly as she could. She couldn't afford to let them lose this. More important things were on the line. She didn't know these people but she'd have to hope they were determined enough to do what was necessary. "Only one card." She pulled her card and looked at the man standing in as leader, staring at him with that blank expression of hers.

 

"Heh, brave girl. Fine, one is all we need. But we ain't bringing your friends anywhere, they can go now, or no deal."

[Sethera]

People were all tensed up. Pinky didn't want to go, so it was clear, even to Gilly, that these men wanted to take these girls against their will. But why? That still didn't make sense. The halfling wanted to go up and punch them in the face for being such meanies, but then Weird Girl stepped forward.

 

"I will go with." Her voice was surprisingly clear and strong. "Only one card." She pulled her card and looked at man who had been talking a lot, staring at him with that weird expression of hers.

 

"Heh, brave girl. Fine, one is all we need. But we ain't bringing your friends anywhere, they can go now, or no deal," he replied.

 

"You're so indecisive!" Gilly exploded. "First you say you'll bring us to town, then when we do as you ask, you decide not to. You're so stingy. Just because you only have one card you decide to change things up. Well, let me tell you, one card is the key to a limitless feast! Limitless! But I guess people like you just don't understand the awesomeness that is food. Someone who doesn't understand amazing food doesn't sound like an honest person. You sound like...uh...what's the word. Those stupidheads who go back on their promises. Why should we trust anything you say?!" She stuck out her tongue.

 

The halfling stood, tensed. People like these guys, people who went back on their words, and did things against others' will, were meanies. And meanies liked to fight. So she had to be prepared for a fight.

[Hälō]

 

"I will go with." Even Lindow couldn't hide his shock upon hearing these words come from little Keres. "Only one card." She pulled out her card and looked at man who had been speaking as the group's leader, staring at him with that wonderful dead expression of hers.

 

"Heh, brave girl. Fine, one is all we need. But we ain't bringing your friends anywhere, they can go now, or no deal," he replied with a grin.

 

"You're so indecisive!" Gilly sudden interjected with one of her outbursts. "First you say you'll bring us to town, then when we do as you ask, you decide not to. You're so stingy. Just because you only have one card you decide to change things up. Well, let me tell you, one card is the key to a limitless feast! Limitless! But I guess people like you just don't understand the awesomeness that is food. Someone who doesn't understand amazing food doesn't sound like an honest person. You sound like...uh...what's the word. Those stupidheads who go back on their promises. Why should we trust anything you say?!" 

 

"Settle down, Gilly..." Lindow spoke in a low tone as he passed by the Ice Chosen to usher little Keres to the front of the group. "This actually works out perfectly..." Lindow's lips curled into a fox-like smirk as spoke in a sinister tone. "I've grown sick of dealing with this one anyway." He began to drag Keres towards the group of bandits, feeling the girl's body grow rigid in his grasp as they drew near. "Hell, I'll even throw in my card as a token of thanks for hearing us out and being so reasonable... That should keep word of this out of your boss's ears right?" 

 

Lindow had managed to drag Keres within a mere five feet from the man before he was told to halt his advance. 

 

"That's close enough! Go ahead and hand the card to the girl." 

 

"Alrighty then..." Lindow glanced down towards Kere's with his cold gaze before producing his card. Slowly moving his hand towards the girl as if he were trying to avoid making any moves that could be considered hostile, Lindow's smirk grew wider before he sudden burst into action.

 

"Third Blade!" Lindow called the name of his spell as he shoved Kere's behind him and leaped forward towards the head bandit. Suddenly impaled by a crackling blade of lightning magic, the bandit leader could do nothing but wheeze and cough as his body was ravaged by merciless currents of electricity. Though unfortunately it seemed the other bandits were ready for battle...

 

Three of the men had already begun to move backwards whilst reaching for their javelins. Seeing this, Lindow prepared himself to avoid the ranged assault, but soon found himself faced with even more danger as the remaining eight bandits began to charge forward, four of which moving to converge on him and Keres.

 

"Get back!" He barked over his shoulder towards Kere's before drawing his sword. He didn't want to risk her getting caught up in what he had planned next, and having her rendered immobile. Dashing forward to meet the four soldiers that attempted to surround him and the Water Chosen, Lindow raised his blade in a defensive stance whilst channeling lightning magic all around him. The result was a crackling field of static electricity that stunned the bandit's mounts and caused them to rear backwards, forcing their riders to the ground. Panting from the rapid use of magic, Lindow now had to count on his allies to prepared to fight for their lives. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ren✧]

Kha slowly watched their attempts at diplomacy crumble. The idea of handing over Ryia or Keres to these men made him feel ill, but in truth he did not see how they could possibly hope to take on this many enemies. However, it seemed as though Keres was willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the group. Kha briefly considered the idea that they could let the bandits take Keres and later rescue her. Or perhaps trick the bandits into taking them to the town where they could lose them in the crowd. His planning was cut short when Lindow moved towards Keres, dragging her towards the bandits.

 

Kha drew his lip up in a low growl, revealing the full length of fangs. Perhaps the Chosen of Thunder was less trustworthy than he had expected. Of course, Kha had been thinking about letting Keres with them as well. However, seeing it all played out made him think otherwise. Slowly, Kha's growl rose in volume and he prepared to leap in between the bandits and Lindow. However, before he could, Lindow struck with feline-like quickness. 

 

The narrow blade of electricity arced towards the leader of the lizard riders so quick that Kha barely saw it. He didn't stand a chance. The other bandits drew back their javelins to avenge their fallen officer, Kha roared in defiance, swinging his blade dramatically over his head to try and draw their attention. It didn't seem like his help was much needed, however, as more electricity danced through the air and across the sand towards the riders, causing their mounts to rear in surprise. 

 

Kha watched as the riders furthest from the group began to reach for the javelins. With another roar he charged, rushing passed Lindow and Keres. Stepping on one of the felled riders he careened towards one of the javelin wielders. Planning to crash into one of the riders with his shoulder, Kha hoped he could disrupt them enough to buy the rest of them more time. 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"I will not die until I achieve something."

 

The first line of her tribe's creed flashed on Anis' mind as the group assumed their fighting stance against the bandits. She had dismounted from Ileca, and both her and Shirin was readying themselves for combat. Lindow had attacked the leader of the bandits and struck him down, but the eleven remaining ones were definitely going on the offensive now. Keres and Lindow was clearly the ones in the most vulnerable position with how they're in the middle of the enemy group now.

 

"Even though the ideal is high, I never give in."

 

She was never in favor of just surrendering. This group of bandit had caused much grief to the group, and no matter what they did, they would remain as a thorn on their side. She pulled an arrow from her quiver. Ten arrows left. The primary targets were clear. The javelin-throwers were not something she could ignore for long, but at least they were being handled by both Lindow and Kha, which left her wemith the swordsmen circling th. One, two, three, four of them. She pulled the string of her bow, closely aiming towards the vitals of one of them, and she thus fired a shot, followed by two others to the one near her first target, although these could be less accurate than the first one.

 

But, before she could finish her shot, she noticed that one of the people she thought had been downed and stunned was actually still active, and he grabbed Kha's leg, restricting his movement. She hurriedly attempted to fire a shot at him, but before she could, a javelin hit Kha at the side of his body. It wasn't clear whether it was hitting his vitals or not, or how bad the wound caused by it was, but in response Anis immediately fired a shot towards the head of the man on the ground. In the meantime, Ileca went into a daring charge towards the two swordsman coming from the group's side, ready to tear them apart with her beak and claws. She didn't look like she was hungry, but a kind of flame flared inside of her pupils. Seeing this, Shirin slithered down from Anis, and prepared itself to do a combination attack with its Chosen whenever a group of swordsman came close.

 

"Therefore, I never die with regrets."

 

Whispering the last part of the creed as she pulled another arrow from her quiver, several spheres that looked like some sort of fruit started to appear on her other hand, which she immediately pocketed. On the off-chance they would die here, she could not let the bandits get the last laugh. It wasn't even revenge. Simply enacting justice for those who fell. She wished that she wouldn't have to use these, but no room for doubt now.

 

---

[Andx]

Reinaan stared down at the ground trying his best not to get mad at the snide remark made by one of the men to his lizard mount. It wasn't that he was embarrassed but it bothered him to be compared to something like what they were riding. These things looked nothing like dragons. And if there was any non Draken animal Reinaan Malyol wanted to be compared to it was a dragon. His own irritation aside he had been relieved to hear the men were not overly eager to fight. They merely wanted some form of payment for the water. That was more than reasonable. The group didn't necessarily have money on them. As it was the young Draken still had no real grasp of what money was given his isolated childhood in the mountains with his village. But the cards the Council had given them seemed valuable enough as Lindow offered. Excited exclamations and comments from among the men seemed to say it would work for them. But the leader of the men added something on to the deal. He wanted one of the women in their group, in particular he seemed to be eyeing Keres and Ryia. Initially the Draken couldn't think of what use one of them could be to the men but something clicked in his head. This was about mating only without the woman's desired participation. The very idea disgusted the young boy. Any such act was severely punished in his village. He wouldn't let anyone here be used for that. But could they persuade the men otherwise?

 

Lindow acted before Reinaan formulated his thoughts fully. He took Keres with him and seemed to be offering the cards and her. The young Draken was about to yell in rage as all at once a blade of electricity shot out from Lindow, mortally wounding the leader of the men. The remaining eleven jumped to attack the group. Things happened fast as Lindow sent out more electricity, knocking four of the men off their mounts. Kha moved to attack the three who stayed in the back to toss javelins and was injured for it. Then Anis and her bird companion separated to attack the remain four men with swords still on their lizards moving to attack the group from the north and south. Anis' first arrow to the north of these men hit one of the men squarely in the chest, knocking him off of his mount. It wasn't a clear kill but at least immediately he wouldn't be doing much. Two more shots were fired to the second man on the north. One flew past the man slightly off course. But the other hit his mount. The lizard screeched in pain and began thrashing some. While not injured this man had to stop his mount to keep from being thrown. The northern two were effectively halted.

 

Ileca charged off to face the two to the south but the men reacted quickly and scattered. The two kept their focus on the bird charging them and moved to approach her from either side. An effective flanking of the creature. Each would proceed to ride in attempting to slash at her. Anis had shifted her focus to one of the men who had grabbed Kha. He was one of the four who had been knocked off their mounts by Lindow's electricity. He had steadied himself faster than the others enough to attempt to stop the Orc and succeeded in that the javelin had been able to find its mark from his interruption. Anis' arrow flew swift and true striking this man who had grabbed Kha in the head. There was little resistance as the length of the shaft entered and the man slumped over onto the ground. A precise and effective kill. This left one three men still regaining their composure from being thrown near Keres and Lindow as well as the three javelin users in the back who were all unscathed as of yet and seemed ready to keep attacking.

 

Three on the ground near Lindow and Keres, three in the back ready to launch more javelins, the two to the south preoccupied with Ileca, the two to the north preoccupied with injuries to their person or mount. Reinaan took it all in as best he could it all happened so fast. He quickly reached down for the spear at his side. There was no time to do much else not that clothing would have really done anything to help protect him. It would be just the scales he was born with, the way he liked it. He looked to Ziiyol who grasped his intentions and quickly disappeared, once more flowing into Reinaan. Sparks began randomly flying from off the boy's scales all over his body. His pupils narrowed as his focus on sensations heightened. He charged forward toward Keres and Lindow on the south side. His goal: the men who were busy getting to their feet. He had his spear readied in his right hand and the claws of flame extending from his left.

 

The practically flaming Draken's charge was quick and he arrived at the downed men's sides without much issue. He leaped onto the nearest of the men aiming to slam the man back down to the ground with his legs and weight of his body while he readied his claws and spear. Their aims were straightforward. The claws would pierce through the man's back, the spear at the base of his neck. However his advance did not go unnoticed and one of the men toward the back readied and threw a javelin aimed for the Draken. Reinaan heard the sounds and knew it was on course for him without diverting his gaze from his target. Attempting to dodge it was going to be difficult.