Kingdom of Bones - IC -

By the time most of the group began to leave after the small encounter with a drunken orc-hater, a few bulky men walked up in a hurry towards the fallen drunkard, seizing him by the arms and bringing him up on his feet with mocking and laughing looks. “What went through you mind, challenging this dude with all his friends?” “Bud, you’re so stupid!” among many other gloating at their friend’s foolishness. Luckily for the group of adventurers that came in silently but left with causing a fair bit of ruckus, it was too early in the morning to cause an uproar in the inn. The pair of cloaked figures exchanged a look, before the old man rose up from his chair and brought his left hand in a friendly manner on his associate’s shoulder.

“Safe travel, dear friend. Give my warm greetings to your father.” The old man said in farewell.

“I will. Take good care of yourself.” The cloaked woman answered, bringing her hand to the man’s shoulder in return.

With their farewell given, the two cloaked figures each went their own way. While the woman went towards the front door, the old man walked up to the innkeeper, exchanged a few words with him, slipping a discreet pouch of gold to the burly man before leaving silently through the inn’s backdoor. When the woman crossed the two bulky men and their drunken friend hung up on their shoulder, their gloating came to a silence as the dark silhouette came to a stop in front of them and looked at their way. It was an odd sight to see such big men looking so intimidated by the presence of a feminine figure. Whispers could only be heard as the three men widened their eyes and nodded quickly their head. With a slow nod of her own, the veiled lady left quickly towards the exit.

Outside the inn, the group had been mingling, waiting for the others to come out of the inn. The cloaked woman took a step outside; the sun had risen from the horizon and was now low in the sky, illuminating the few clouds with orange and dark yellow tints. She joined them as they were readying themselves for the journey ahead, some mounting their favored mean of transport, while some were determined to walk. The maiden in black had a mount of her own. She didn’t need to call the creature, for it came of its own from behind the inn. The stallion trotting towards its mistress was of the darkest black, bearing proudly the name its lady called softly as it approached, “Midnight”. With swift grace, the woman mounted her horse effortlessly despite the animal being so large compared to her being.

“”I believe I haven’t been introduced properly. My name is Khalina Blackblood, member of the Blackblood household. It is my pleasure to be acquainted with you.” The veiled lady introduced herself, lowering her pitch black hood as she finished.

Her skin was gray with a blue tint, trademark skin tone of the Vampires , with ravishing eyes of amethyst and a long, silky and silvery hair. Just as the rumors told about the secretive Vampires, her face was of an exotic beauty, delicate yet strong at the same time. Her eyes reflected a determined and strong soul.

“If you are ready, then please let us leave swiftly. The journey ahead will be long, and the sooner we get to Shadow Vale, the better it will be. Time will always remain against us.” Khalina said, purposely borrowing the whispered words of the Maestro.

Satchel reached for her glass with both hands at the same time as the boar-tusked knight. When she did, an armored hand reached down to stop her.  The hand belonged to the human knight. If he had given his name the young elf had forgotten already. "Be still little one. IT would make you sick to drink this."
 
This was simply infuriating to the young elf.  How DARE he speak so calmly and condescendingly to her.  Her face turned red with rage and she stood abruptly to yell at the ignorant man. "Don't treat me like a child! I am the great forest spirit!"
 
"Even wood land deities get hangovers."
 
It was hard to stay upset when the Knight showed no sign of emotion. It was almost embarrassing really. Satchel's firsts uncurled as her anger gave way to curiosity. "Hangovers? Are those bad." She asked as she pulled herself back on top of the bar stool. Shortly after sitting she realized that jumping to her feet in rage had actually made her appear several inches shorter than she was while sitting.
 
"Quite,  young elf. It makes you sore and vulnerable to light and sound." By this point Satchel had conceded on the matter and was mumbling unintelligibly under her breath.
Satchel was pulled away from herself absorbed state when the elephant knight smashed a human in the face. The man was smaller than most, but all men seemed tall to her. She was unsure what they were fighting about, but presumed it to be a dispute over territory or a female. It did not matter much either way to her. The fight did not concern her.
 
When she saw the others being to leave for some reason she decided to make her way out as well, but not before sneaking a quick sip of the drink the stuff knight had forbidden her.  It was more bitter than anything she had possibly imagined. When it touched her tongue her face scrunched and her whole body trembled. She could not imagine why the highwaymen had spoken so highly of it. She tried once more with the same result before nimbly hopping over the bloodied man on the floor and sliding out the door.
 
When the pale skinned princess left the building she offered Satchel a ride on her Kumi Lizard, but the prideful elf had only focused in on one offending word. "I am not that little!" She proclaimed before stubbornly turning her back as a declaration of her resolve to walk the rest of the way.

Xugha saw the small elf getting frustrated at people calling her such, and walked over. He knelt down on one knee, to bring himself closer to her height. He bowed his head, looked up and said "Greetings, oh Great Spirit of the Forest. I could not help but notice we hadn't been introduced to one another. Allow me to start. I am Xugha Orok, Cleric of Orcuus. I am pleased to meet one with such a notable reputation such as yourself." He paused in order for her to introduce herself.

After the others had gotten outside and Khalina finished talking. Aaron took another look at the people he's now working alongside. Some of them looked more than capable of handling themselves in a fight, while the others not so much. Still though, he was stuck with them.

"It's a pleasure to be acquainted with you as well Khalina, but I'm not going anywhere just yet." He says as he looks towards the others. "If I am going to work alongside you people. I'm gonna need to know more about you, I'm not the sort of person that will work with just anyone, especially anyone I know nothing about. but let me be the first one to talk, it's only fair."

He cracks his neck again then continues speaking. "My name is Aaron, I'm a traveling mercenary that until now, was out of work. Don't get on my bad side and you won't end like that guy back in the inn." Hopefully no-one here knew of him, he rather not spoil the surprise he has for the others, nor did he want them asking questions. He goes back to fiddling with his rings while he waits for a potential response.

"Are you not smaller in stature to me?, are you hundreds of years old?" Valestia asked almost mirthfully "Indeed I should likely refer to everyone here as young ones but you in terms of our kind are quite young." the ash elf smiled sweetly at the little yet proud elf girl "I just assumed that you may perhaps be more comfortable with a fellow forest dweller and fellow elf like myself."

Sanguine on the other hand decided to answer the question directed at the group, introductions and personal information. Flying to what was hopefully a central point for the group he announced "I am Sanguine, a bird bonded to Lady Valestia Sara Celsia. We are forest dwellers, wendigos as should be clear by our skin and the lady is a practitioner of magic. She is a rather private person so I hope this much information will do." The birds voice was cold and monotonous as he talked, he cared little for what they thought of himself and the lady for they would act on the quest regardless of any animosity towards them.

Finally someone was giving Satchel respect she rightly deserved. The tusked knight even went as far as bowing to address her. His flattery was so great that it kept Satchel from exploding once more at the older elf who belittled her still. Though she paused briefly to ponder why such a fantastic bird would travel with such a woman.

She had never seen a real princess before, but she used the stories she had overheard in the wood to imitate royalty to the best of her ability. "It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Orok. I am Satchel, guardian and soon to be lord of the forests North of here." She grew silent for a moment. It was difficult to find a compliment for someone she had just met, but a polite princess lady always honored her guests, or so she had heard. "Those are fine tusks you have. Very befitting a fierce knight like yourself. You may stand now."

Xugha stood shortly after Satchel finished, and said "I thank you for the compliment about my tusks, but I must correct you, my lady. I am not a knight, merely a servant of my God. I would like to ask you a question: How do you feel about songs, because I have one I feel you would enjoy." Xugha smiled as he said this, quickly running the song through his head, to ensure he knew the words.

Bal listened to his comrades talk among themselves and from their cordial introductions, things were going smoother than he anticipated. Good He thought. Their chances of success would be far greater if they learned more about each other. Eventually, he hoped they could learn the value of trust. That, as much as skill at arms was paramount to a gladiator.

In pitched reenactments of great battles in the arena, he would often find himself among members of other races. All of them had brought something to bear against their opponents, and after the course of dozens of battles they grew into a tightly-knit group. Whether it was small skirmishes or large scale engagements, they learned quickly on how to think and fight as one.

He turned to the rest of the group. "And what of you, my friends?" He asked. "If we are to trust each other - perhaps it is time we make ourselves known."

He thumped his hand against his chest in a playful gesture. "I reiterate: I am Balthasar, King of the Arena. But you may all call me Bal, if you wish."

He rode up to Xugha, and was inwardly impressed that the Orc was so humble before his god. An admirable trait to be sure, but not one that marked a truly great warrior. "I would like to hear your song, Master Orc. I have heard each Orc Clan has a unique 'battle poem' detailing the deeds of its members in times of trial. In my land, it is a sign of strength and respect to show one's prowess, especially after great deeds were performed. Let us hear it."

Xugha looked at Bal and said "That was not the song I was referring to, but I do know of the songs of which you speak. If it would please you, I will sing the Battle Poem of my mother's clan. I must warn you, however, I will sing it in the traditional Orcish, and only provide a translation AFTER I am done."

Auris left last out of the group, clapping the man Xugha had smashed the face of on the shoulder, saying that "A wise man does not encourage violence against himself as you did. Live long by these words." Before he left at a long-striding lope to catch up with the departing party, unknowning what their guide had said or what was to befall him later. Which was fortunate, for had he known Valestia responsible for his murder, the world would have been likely to end as the Sword Knight turned against the Ash Elf. While others used mounts of one description or another, Auris was more alike to Xugha and Satchel, accustomed to walking long distances in spite of the burden his armor and sword might be considered; Auris merely saw them as an extension of his own abilities, or rather, as so closely interwoven with him that he could not say if it was an extension of him or if he was merely a vessel for the realization of it's own potential. Grav, he thought, would tell me it was both, I suppose.

Hearing introductions were in occurance, Auris spoke up as Xugha ended his chant and the man reached the middle of the group, "A fine heritage, friend Cleric. May the coming struggles bring honor to that lineage. I," he thumped his chest towards the half-Orc, "am called Auris, son of none, Sword Knight of the Temple and, apparently, rebel saviour of the land alongside the rest of you. Scabbard's peace upon our fellowship."

"A great honor." Said Bal with a salute as the last of the group arrived. He was pleased earlier by Auris' appearance, and a part of him wanted to see just how formidable the Knight was. Even before he became a free man, he had heard of The Order he served: They were said to be fierce warriors dedicated to mastery of the sword. "I am Bal, and this is Xugha, Sanguine, Valestia, Aaron, and Khalina." He gestured to the rest of the party, who each gave their own greeting in turn. "And that was indeed a fine ballad, Orc-Friend." He likewise thumped his fist against his chest in a playful gesture.

He looked the Sword-Knight up and down, and nodded. This would be a formidable ally indeed.

"You have a poetic spirit, friend-Auris. From your weapon and your armor, you are of a kind. Your equipment is masterfully crafted. I have no doubt that will serve us well in the coming battles. And while I have heard of the Sword-Knights, I have little knowledge of them besides their name, and that they dedicate themselves to the pursuit of physical and mental unity. A noble goal, indeed, but if you do not mind me asking, what is your profession?"

Tsera'shul listened to the conversations before pushing herself off the edge of the tavern and stepping towards the group once more, "My name is Tsera'Shul Moza'tarrall, A Maestro of War," She stated, removing her hat and giving a bow, "Best not mistake me for but a simple bard, as the Maestros of War are closer to spellblades," She replaced her hat after smoothing a bit of hair back over her left cheek, hiding the scar once more.

"If the world was to meet it's end then all in my order would lose our magics completely. Without a world's life it has no beat, and without that beat we have nothing to draw our power from," She explained, "I look forward to seeing how... harmonious we fight when it gets to that." With her spiel finished she let her hand rest casually on the pommel of Francois, awaiting any replies to her words.

"Profession?"  The apprentice asked, only half understanding the question, "I am unsure as to what you inquire after, warrior.  We Sword Knights profess to nothing but harmony between steel and flesh, to stand as realizations of the Sword's infinite capacity of justice for the just and tyranny for the tyrannical."  His hand went to the hilt of his own sword at his hip, loosely draped over the guard, "We strive to be exemplars of balance between the righteous and the wicked, sworn not to a god or a devil, but to an ideal."  He nodded to himself, "I suppose it may be best to describe ourselves more as monks with a capacity for war than as warriors of a certain philosophy."

"And as for harmony, Lady Moza'tarrall," he partially turned to address the woman while keeping to his stride, "that depends on how well your rhythm might coincide with my own.  And, of course, whether you seek to obstruct me in my duties or aid me in them."

Perhaps the abundance of human voices was too much for ears that had grown accustomed to solitude. It could have been that she found the treeless scenery distasteful, or that she was homesick. Maybe she was simply tired of being mostly ignored by her new companions and just plain tired in general. It was most likely an amalgam off all those things building up inside Satchel that made her body violently tremble before finally letting out a deep long growl.

"Enough!" She shouted throwing her hands up in the air. "No more standing around and no more jibber jabbering. If you want to get to know each other and get all lovey dovey you can do it on the road." South is this way. Now hop hop. Move it move it." As she half skipped half marched ahead of the group Satchel realized that she truly only understood the gist of everything she had just said. The bard must have felt that way all the time she imagined. When she remembered Sir Orok's offer she stopped and faced the group once more, paying no mind to whether they had actually started to follow or not. This time her voice was softer and the words came out more slowly. "And maybe we can sing a song or two on the way? I really like the one with the talking bear if you know it."

Valestia sighed, forging a relationship between herself and the elf girl would take quite some time and longer than she expected. Perhaps a good relationship would not even be possible but she could at least try.

Suddenly, after the orc-man’s song finished, the girl beg to shout in frustration which seemed to be directed at their current non-existent pace forwards. “Perhaps she is right. We have a quest to complete, desires to fulfil and the longer we idle here all the longer before we attain what we yearn for.” The ash elf said in a cold voice echoing nobility as Lorna began to pace Southwards. “Shall you young ones take the lead or shall I?” she added deciding not to reveal her lack of knowledge of music.

Khalina listened intently to her traveling companions as they introduced themselves and revealed a bit more about themselves than what they started off with inside the tavern. Of course, most of the fellows present at this moment, she knew a bit about them, as she was the one who did a bit of searching around and select them for this mission. Even knowing that much, she was intrigues to know if they had something more personal to mention. But as the introductions tailed off, it became apparent some of the fellows assembled here were anxious about leaving right away. Be it home sickness, eagerness to get the reward they were promised, or simply by fear of not being able to succeed before the doomsday, the elves, ironically, pressed on forward to begin the march. It was with such irony that, the two who could live the longest among their companions here, were the most anxious to leave.

The Vampire guide chuckled at the two elves pressing the group to march onwards. She gave a small nudge on the black horse’s flanks to make it go forward, meeting up with the Ash Elf’s mammoth-sized reptile. “I’ll be showing you the way. While you might know the location of Shadow Vale, we are not taking the most direct route. We’ll be taking a small detour, to make sure we lessen the chances of attracting unwanted attention.” Khalina stated, having taken the lead ahead of the group.

“Reaching Shadow Vale will take us a full day at this pace. If I’m judging correctly, we might be able to reach the forest’ borders by noon tomorrow. Let us press on, so we can meet with our contact at the earliest.” The young-looking Dark Elf spoke with a calm voice and a tone that suggested she was thinking about the journey by itself.

And so the group set forth at a walking pace towards Shadow Vale, the dark forest rumored to be home of terrible man-eating beasts and creatures of unknown origins, lurking in the forest to hunt the unwary travelers who would get lost in these mysterious woods. But even before reaching their first objective, the road to Shadow Vale was a long one, and surprises might be waiting the would-be heroes on their travel.



After half a day of traveling, the sun was high in the sky. Despite being beginning of summer, the sun’s rays were hot, and filled the atmosphere with impressive heat, making one easily uncomfortable in armor or dark clothing. Even the group’s guide had pulled her hood over her head to hide her sensitive eyes and skin from the sunlight. This day announced the beginning of an indeed very hot summer.

On the horizon was a distinguishable gorge standing in the group’s way. Those well-versed in the area’s geography would know of this area by its many historical events, mainly those that happened during the era of Gliese’s old king, Basil. The name of this canyon was aptly named “Cutthroat Gorge” after the success of a counter-invading strategy used here, which put an end to the barbaric invasion from the south. The stories now old and forgotten from the knowledge of most common people, this place is now seen as a dangerous place, and a makeshift outpost was made from the ruins of an ancient base of operations used by the old kingdom to oversee travels here. It was apparent to most that there was a stone bridge connecting the two areas from one end of the gorge to the other, but all that remains now are the foundations of what was once a magnificently crafted stone way.

“Here we are, Cutthroat Gorge.” Khalina spoke as they approached the outpost. “Do you know that this place was the very reason how the southern barbarians’ invasion came to an end, almost five hundred years ago? What you see here is the result of a burdening decision made by the king. To put an end to the barbarian threat, King Basil sacrificed the most direct trade road to his southern lands, effectively abandoning the south and blew the Stoneskull Bridge to cut off the barbarian’s main forces from their supply source. In the end, the barbarians were wiped out during a siege, sealing off the wildmen’s fate with this move.” The vampire guide explained in further details the history of Cutthroat Gorge, with such precision that it begged the question if she was there herself to witness it.

Nearing the imperial outpost, the group was greeted by a patrol of ten guards, lightly armored as to reflect just how hot this day was. While the casual imperial guard was wearing a heavy suit of metal plates, a shield and a spear, these men were only wearing the leather outfit they would don before putting on the metal plating. Sweaty and clearly fatigued, they however met the adventurers with forced vigor in an attempt to bear their usual intimidating stance.

“Halt! This area is off-limit. Only those with official orders from the King may pass through here.” The guard up front commanded. As he kept still and waited for one of these would-be wanderers to show him an official proof of their presence here, one of the guards behind him sneaked to the official’s hear, whispering something. With a nod, the first guard turned attention with a slight smirk on his face. “Of course, we could turn a blind eye and not mention your presence here in our reports, but that doesn’t come for free. Gods above know how long we’ve been stationed here, and the pleasures of the city are missed by some of my fellows.”

Khalina did not answer to that corrupted man’s statement, and remained perfectly still on her horse, gazing upon the foul men.

“I did not expect the King to have built an outpost here. It just shows you how much things have changed. By all means, we have to get across the canyon without alerting our presence to the higher authorities. Do what you think would be best to get across these guards, be it the hard or the easy way, whichever suits you most.” The dark elf lady’s voice echoed in everyone’s head, however clearly not spoken vocally.

Satchel’s hands flew to her braid. One hand twisted the end into palm of the other as she though on what the man said. The number of city pleasures she could list were rather limited. Striking ale off the list after her experience with it at the tavern only left her with one alternative.

She sauntered over to Xugah with a proud grin on her face, crediting herself as the first to solve their dilemma. “You heard them right Ser Orok?” As she spoke, she bounced up and down in a futile attempt to establish eye contact with the man who towered above her. Her eyes passed his chin once, but that was the highest she managed to reach. “They want pleasures of the city. That can only mean one thing. I can give it to them, but I’m going to need your help. I’ll start.” Before the Orc could protest she took a deep breath. After pivoting around on one foot, she began to sing, or rather shout at the top of her lungs. “A bear there was a bear! A bear! All black and brown and covered with hair!”

A child-like laugh rang throughout the forest. Ignoring the angry chitter chatter from the squirrel, the pixie weaved between trees and bushes. Her movements were graceful and fluid as she beat a hasty retreat. Her blue eyes twinkled with mischievous intent. Her tiny arms carried an acorn that nearly weighed as much as she did. Still, she could easily ignore the heaviness in her palms for the thrill of the chase. Her giggles were like bells chiming between the branches. The furious squeaks from the rodent behind her only encouraged her to laugh more.

However, like all good things, the fun had to come to an end. She found herself becoming bored with the ordeal. She had barely broken a sweat and the fuzzy tailed creature was already slowing down. With a discontented sigh, she tossed the acorn over her shoulder. The nut fell to the ground with a thump. The squirrel ran to it and hugged it to its chest. Then it shook its fist at the pixie and darted back home. Ever the mature one in the situation, Pyxis stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at the retreating animal.

She kicked the air and buzzed towards the top of the trees, harrumphing all the way up. When the forestry broke and gave way to the sky, Pyxis paused. She admired the sun's bright light and felt rejuvenated. Her wings beat furiously to suspend her in that spot, each set doing its job to keep her afloat. Her eyes slid shut for a few seconds and she inhaled deeply.

An unfamiliar sound made her ear twitch. Suddenly, she became alert and, worse yet, curious. She saw a glint of shiny out of the corner of her eye, a reflection of sunlight that somehow broke through the tree tops. Naturally, the pixie had to investigate. Her vigor renewed, she flew full speed towards the source of the shine and the strange sound. Clink, clink, clink, it went, almost like a raindrop but more unnatural. There were hoofbeats too and the rustle of fabric. She begged her tiny wings to bring her there faster. What could this disturbance be? What was its purpose?

She skidded to a halt as she saw a group of people. She was never taught math but she would have guessed there was at least a hundred members in the party. They all dressed so garishly, with their shiny clothes or colorful cloth. Pyxis glanced down at her simple, modest, au naturale garb. These strangers should learn about blending in with their surroundings, should they want to survive against predators. Although, judging by the size of a few of them, there wouldn't be that many predators they would worry about.

They all seemed so solemn and focused, determined even. Pyxis took the opportunity to study them from afar and the oddity of the group struck a cord with her natural instincts. Not only were they wrapped up in audacious covering, they were all sorts of different kin. She saw a few human-like species, a couple of elves (although one seemed to be quite off), and a particularly ugly creature. Her head tilted and her brow furrowed. Buzz, buzz, buzz, she went, trailing behind the group.

She followed them until they approached an outpost. Her language was rusty so she had a hard time understanding the conversation. Something about proof and life. It was when the little elf broke out in 'song' that the pixie had to cover her ears and grind her teeth. Good Mother Earth, she thought elves were supposed to be whimsical, musical creatures... not sounding like a boar giving birth. Once Pyxis recovered from the shock, she released her ears from her death grip and saw an opening for investigation. Naturally, if they had wandered through her home, they automatically wanted to be studied. Pyxis hovered above the group, her big eyes switching from one character to the next.

She saw the most flamboyant of them all, a female with a feather cap. She kicked her heels in glee and flew downwards, making a beeline for that hat. She loved feathers because feathers came from birds, the nastiest creatures of all. She brushed up against the feather on the hat, tickling her body with it and allowing a small giggle loose from her lips.

Bal watched Satchel's display with amusement. He was quite pleased at her performance, even if the others weren't, though mainly because he believed her being flippant. When Satchel was finished, he was sure the guards were unamused.

"We don't wish trouble. We're on a very important mission here, so please, if you could kindly step aside? I hope my elvish friend's performance was pleasing enough to you." He said with a grin in Satchel's direction, though it was difficult to tell if he was sincere or sarcastic. "I must give you one warning though: Attacking us would be a very unwise decision."

Tsera facepalmed and sighed, "By the resonace, such a cacophenous attempt to sing," She muttered, about to approach when her hat, to her perspective, started to emit giggling. With a roll of her eyes she removed her hat and looked at the pixie toying with the feather atop it, smiling. "Well. Hello there, sprite." She said amiably, returning her hat to her head, "Try not to dislodge the feather, it took me a while to get it on there." she added before approaching the guards and, after giving her allies a look of 'trust me', she began her spiel.

"Out here alone with nary a fleck of fair flesh, and you think once we arrived you can force it from us for passage? Ever heard of buying us dinner first before asking women for such a deed?" she questioned, "That, however is beside the point. My march goes through here, and unlike others, it does not stop. You would not, want to be responsible for an entire order of warriors to find a way to leave this world purely due to the wrongdoings of the kingdom's men, would you. Not when those warriors command unique powers the king would rather keep in check, hm?"

Ayperos stepped forward and the scene at the outpost was now being viewed from another angle. His contact had been vague about what he had overheard. Something about great reward and saving the world. While saving the world didn't interest him and he didn't need any reward, the party of adventurers intrigued him and so he had traveled along the road until he found where they were held up at the outpost.

The guards at this outpost were being obnoxious and just as stupid as always. He usually made a point of passing up this outpost but without the ability to shadow walk, they were held up.

The little girl burst out in horrific unmelodic singing and he covered his ears. Each party member approached making various degrees of threats and bribes. He stepped forward from the shadow of the tree he was in and into the shadow of the outpost just beyond the guards. He pulled a quarterstaff from the shadows he stepped from and approached the guard nearest him. One swing from his staff quickly knocked out the guard who, like his fellows, was not in full armor. The resounding THUNK got the attention of the other guards, but before they could act he stepped into the outpost's shadow again and into that of the large mount that the ash elf was riding. "Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen." He turned in the direction of the opposing guards who were still recovering from the surprise of him vanish. "Introductions are needed of course, but those might need to wait until this little problem has been solved. Anyone care for a bit of sport?"

After reaching the guards Aaron choose to wait to see how the others would go about this issue, if they could get pass without starting a fight, may as well go the easy route. First Satchel attempted to bribe them with singing, while it was pretty terrible, it was a hopeful try. Then Bal tried to persuade them to let us pass with a small threat tagged onto the end. Around this sort of time he also noticed a small pixie flying around the hat of Tsera, but choose to stay focused on the situation at hand over that.

Just before Aaron was gonna walk up and start a fight, seeing as peaceful means have not seemed to work. He sees a guy dressed entierly in black walk up behind one of the guards while pulling a quarterstaff out of seemingly nowhere. Aaron grinned when he watched he guy knock one of the guards out but it quickly changed to a slightly puzzled look as the guy vanished into the shadows and appeared next to them and greeted them.

"Yes, introductions will be needed once this is over, and its been too long since I've had a fight." Aaron says as he cracks his neck then he turns to the others. "Wheather you like it or not, we're in the thick of it now." He grins as he looks over the guards. They were wearing leather armor, if worse came to worse he wouldn't have much issue dispatching of them.

Satchel saw the man appear behind the King’s men, and had her bow strung and aimed by the time the staff smacked the guard’s skull. She had planned to get by them peacefully, knowing that the bodies would take too long to decay this far from the forest’s edge. This stranger had carelessly taken the choice from her. Now they were forced to leave a marker that even the talentless humans would be able to find, and perhaps even track.

The guards would be easy enough targets for her at this range. They were much bigger and slower than game Satchel had spent her life hunting. They were not even wearing any protective metals to divert her arrows. Yet she was hesitant to shoot. She had seen plenty of men die over the years, but few of them perished at her own hand. Scaring intruders away or waiting for them to leave on their own was normally sufficient for her, so she had to be certain of something first. Without turning her head she looked back at her nearest companion to ask, “Humans die when you shoot between their eyes right?”

"Why would you want them to die?" Valestia responded to the elfs question, Lorna hugging the ground so that her mistress appears a bit less intimidating. "But should you wish to kill them yes it does but we should rather disable them o leave their corpses deep within the forest" the ash elf added softly and hastily. Lorna's tail however was slowly wishing from side to side, getting faster with each swing as it prepared to attack either this strange shadow assassin or the guards depending on who remained and what action they planned to take.

Earlier she had just barely noticed the man appearing from Lorna's illusionary shadow, or possibly her real bony shadow as she did not see it entirely that well, after hearing the shouting which as meant to be a song coming from one of her own kin. Valestia had almost cursed under her breath when she saw the shadow emerge as depending on the guard response she considered possibly singing a more melodic tune in return for passage. that possibility was now obviously no more thanks the the fool of an assassin, someone she thought was likely too quick to jump into battle rather than waiting to see the better path under the given circumstances.

"Stay your bow, elf-friend." Said Bal, holding up his hand. "There is yet a chance for this to be a peaceful resolution."

Despite her hostility, Bal felt his respect for the elf growing. She had the look of a ranger in her eyes: A rare trait he long admired.

In his homeland, it was considered a sign of respect to show one's prowess. That she'd drawn her bow so willingly meant she had a strong spirit - if a bit unstable. Understandable, though, and any mental immaturity was surely due to her age and upbringing. Bal knew little of the elf-folk or how they aged, but he was certain she was young by their standards.

When Valestia spoke up, Bal was the next to respond.

"We do not wish them to die, unless they prove a hindrance." He said quietly. He turned back to the guards. "If you would, please, stand aside. I say again - we mean you no harm."