Original Thread Started by Minuette on August 25th, 2004.
History: Hepian - Ex Pirate Wanders in
Total Posts: 25
Lore: Search for the Tigron Heart
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Soran Nightblade
- Avatar of Hope
- Posts: 10458
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:45 pm
- Location: NJ
-
Soran Nightblade
- Avatar of Hope
- Posts: 10458
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:45 pm
- Location: NJ
Minuette:
Minuette was still fretting over what they were doing. She kept to herself and stayed close by Mizuki as they travelled over the border of the gates into the forest. What girl were they saving? She had heard her friend mention we were saving one of my kind. A vampire? she hoped it wasn't a bad vampire that fed frequently and just for the hell of feeding. She herself only fed once a month.
"I don't like the forest..." Her voice trailed off as they continued walking deeper and deeper into the darkness. She had travelled in the forest before - only during the day, and she hated it.
Minuette's emerald gaze shifted around uneasily. Her senses were on edge. Her gaze shifted back and forth from the werewolf and finally landed on their fearless "leader". She definately wasn't fond of him - besides the fact that she hated working in groups, especially when she wasn't leader.
Mizuki:
Mizuki looked to her friend. She looked a bit frightened and Mizuki shivered somewhat. 'Bad feeling....' she thought. She looked around her taking in the forest life. The tress were tall and a bit dense. 'Should be fun getting around in here.' she thought grimly, 'maybe I was a tab bit too enthuisastic about this.'
Ceron looked to be on his toes; like he was nervous. "Ceron?" she asked him, "Are you---?"
"I'm fine." he said quickly, "Just being carefull about were we are." Mizuki looked at hm and her friend. True this place made her jumpy some what too but... 'It's like they know something...' she thought. She fingered the gem around her neck. It was pretty yet kind of dangerous. Since it would tell them if they were close. Mizuki began hearing noises that made her jump. She had tried to aviod the forest coming here and now being in it...
"AAAIIIIEE!!" Mizuki screamed. Ceron and Minuette turned around quikly, alert. Minuette sighed heavily and Ceron just rolled his eyes chuckling. "Get it off!!"
"Calm down Mizuki!" Ceron said, "it's just a twig." Ceron untrapped her foot from the twig and Mizuki felt herself become crimson. 'I'm such a fool. And in front of Soran! I'm suppossed to act fearless! Now don't be afraid Mizuki.' she told herself.
"Heh heh, sorry." she said embarassed and walked on. Soran had never stopped so they had to walk faster to get him. "I'm such a moron." she mumbled to herself.
Soran:
Soran did not break pace at the sound of Mizuki's crisis behind him, looking ahead indifferently. He pushed forward, snaking his way through dense clusters of bushes and low-growing trees. Above them, larger trees loomed high in the air, their interweaving branches blocking out a large portion of the sun's light. The course he was taking could hardly be called a path, and was marked by reference points only Soran recognized.
He scanned the surrounding foliage with his peripheral vision alertly as he snaked his way through the familiar terrain. Although Mizuki's pendant had yet to indicate the presence of a demon, he was not about to trust that old geezer's gadget to keep them safe. In fact, if anything would get them killed on this mission, that amulet would be it.
Soran came to a stop as he reached an area where the woods opened up slightly and allowed for a small clearing. A few blades of grass choked their way up through the sun-starved soil of the clearing, which was about ten feet in diameter. This was one of only two spots along the way that were relatively safe to stop and rest at. They had walked about five miles already, and it would be another four through rough terrain before they reached the second stopping point. However, chances were that they would encounter their target before they made it that far. He turned to the others.
"I suggest we rest here for a moment. Beyond this point, we'll be using our weapons for more than just bushwhacking," he said.
Minuette:
Minuette groaned under her breath and squeezed her eyes closed briefly before taking an arrow and placing it into place on her bow at the ready. She hated the forest. Minuette hated the forest more than her past. Witch Queen-weilded evils lurked in the shadows. Always watching.
She sat on a large boulder and pulled her legs into an indian style sitting position. She cast a suspicious glare at the elf and the werewolf, daring with her eyes for them to try anything. Just so Mizuki wouldn't make more of a fool of herself she pulled her friend to a boulder near her's and sat her down.
"Just..sit her Mizuki.." She gave her friend a have smile to ease the mood and sat back on her boulder. Minuette held a death grip on her bow and arrow.
Her head snapped up suddenly. Was that a twig snap she heard in the bush behind her? No it couldn't have been... This is a..safe resting place. She hoped.
Mizuki:
Minuette pulled Mizuki onto a boulder next to her.
"Just..sit here Mizuki.." she said. Mizuki laughed.
"Good idea. I don't know how much more of this I can take." she smiled forcing herself to laugh. "This is so nerve racking." Mizuki held a grip on her sword smiling and watched to boys. They were either standing or sitting and also being alert. She watched there surroundings in silence. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the forest. 'Everything's....so peacefull...' she thought. 'Too peacefull.' She quickly grabbed a rock and with speed that no one saw she threw it at a tall branch in a tree.
Something or someone groaned. "I should've known!" Mizuki yelled grabbing her sword getting ready.
Soran:
Soran's eyes shot upward into the trees. Mizuki's shout had alerted him as well. ~'An ambush?'~ Before he could think, a dark form launched itself down at him from above. His blades flew up defensively, barely in time to block a downward kick from his unidentified opponent. He caught the full weight of the attack against his crossed blades and twisted his arms roughly to send the attacker's momentum off to the side. The attacker hopped nimbly out of Soran's grip, landing on his feet in a threatening stance a few feet away. Now Soran had a better view of the ambusher, and recognized by his clothing that he was a member of the Black Crows. ~'What the hell are they doing out here?'~ Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see that a second attacker had emerged behind Minuette and Mizuki's position.
Mizuki:
She had hit the person in the tree and he had came down to attack Soran. 'Curse!' she thought, 'Can't get one bit of peace!' Mizuki grabbed her sword and stood ready to fight. Minuette was up with her fangs bared and Ceron was already attacking. Mizuki felt a persence behind and she swung yelling. She had hit another peace of metal. 'This should be fun.' Mizuki swung harder and harder at her attacker clad in black while Minuette helped Ceron struggle with another.
Mizuki's blade clashed with the man's sword with equal force. "You jerks don't know when to give up do you?" she spat in his face.
"For me your easy prey so why not?" the man smirked and flung her off. Mizuki snarled and came charging back at him. When he swung thinking that was where she'd have been she wasn't there. Mizuki landed behind him and kicked him in his back. She heard the sound of bone breaking but the man wasn't done. Mizuki held her ground as the man slowly got up. He turned to face her smirking. He wiped the blood from his mouth and straightened his stance.
"Let us try that again, shall we?" he said before coming at her again. Mizuki noticed his smiling face and she knew something was up.
"What are you smiling about?" Mizuki questioned as they found themselves in another grapple.
"Oh but that would take away the fun of this!" Mizuki kicked out from under herself tripping the man and she held her sword at his throat.
"Not so confindent now, eh?" Mizuki smiled down at him knowing she had won. 'If he's down why is he still smiling?' she thought confused.
"You look confused girl," the man in black said, "Why don't you look behind you." Warning signals went off n Mizuki's mind as she began to turn around. Too late...
Mizuki's agonizing cry could be heard thru out the forest.
Soran:
Soran and Ceron battled their opponent viciously, Soran making swipes with his armblades to preoccupy the man while Ceron took the opportunity to slash several large gashes into him with his razor-sharp claws. The rogue could hear the sounds of battle behind him, but was too busy with his current opponent to check on Mizuki and Minuette’s status. They were probably fine, considering they only had one attacker to contend with.
~'This is not good,'~ Soran thought, considering the situation, ~'All this noise will attract them for sure.'~ Seeing that their current opponent was nearly finished, Soran lunged in at him with his armblades for the final strike. He narrowed his eyes and skidded to a halt as his opponent seemed to disappear from under his nose. He scanned the clearing rapidly for signs of the man they’d just been fighting, a dark sense of foreboding forming in his mind. Something was wrong…<br>
Glancing behind him, Soran realized what was happening. Their opponent had abandoned the fight with him and Ceron to ambush an easier target – the already-preoccupied Mizuki. The rogue stiffened as he saw, too late, the black figure descending with a dagger toward Mizuki’s neck from behind her back.
As Soran realized he would never make it in time, another form flew past him in a blur. Ceron had already sensed the ambusher’s plan, and was rushing toward the half elf with all the speed he could muster. In his gut, however, he knew that he would not make it in time. The werewolf sprung from the ground powerfully, slamming into Mizuki’s attacker with such force that the man's spine cracked audibly in half. The man was dead before he even his the ground, but Ceron slashed open his chest for good measure.
It all happened so quickly that it took Soran a moment to take in the situation. He had just managed to ascertain that Ceron’s target had been finished off when he heard a pained cry ring out through the forest. It was Mizuki’s voice. His eyes flashed to the half elf, studying her body for injuries. She had sunk to her knees, and was curled over as if in some terrible pain. Spotting the offending dagger lying bloodied on the ground beside Mizuki, he knew something was very wrong. Ceron had deflected the dagger from its original deadly course, but the blood dripping down its blade proved it had still managed to strike her somewhere else. As if it had been waiting for the worst possible moment, the pendant around Mizuki’s neck began to pulse with an eerie, yellow-green light.
Minuette:
When Minuette heard her friend's cry ringing in her ears she rushed over. She noticed the pendant 'round her neck glowing and her stomach lurched. She took note of the dagger with blood on it. Mizuki's blood. She cursed under her breath and looked from her friend to Soran.
"If he slit her throat, she'll die. If..." Her voice trailed off as she thought of what she was going to propose they try. She glanced again nervously at the pendant glowing it's eerie glow. She could sense them coming. "I could change her, make her a vampire and she'd live..well, sort of. If she's going to die it's her only chance!"
Minuette scanned her friend for injuries again, she found a cut near the base of her throat and close to her heart. It wasn't deathly deep but it looked serious enough for drastic measures. She pulled out a sash she had in a pouch hanging from her belt. She removed Mizuki's arrows and dressed her wound with the sash. She looked up at Soran and awaited his answer.
Soran:
Soran's eyes iced over as he watched Minuette skillfully but frantically binding Mizuki's wound. His instincts told him to show no emotion, but inside his thoughts were racing. He was not good at this kind of situation. He was not used to worrying about any injuries but his own. Mizuki's scream had probably given away their location to every demon within several miles of them. Suddenly the attractive powers of the stone seemed like the least of their problems.
If he were to escape on his own now, he would certainly be safe. Soran shook the thought from his mind, bitter that he'd considered it. ~'Finish what you start, or it will finish you.'~ He'd have to come up with a better plan than that. Minuette looked up at him expectantly, holding Mizuki protectively in her arms.
They needed to get out of this spot, and fast. Soran restrained a wince as his chest ached mercilessly from the night before. Ceron was still in good condition, and the glint of fury in Minuette's eyes would make her even stronger than before. Soran crouched down beside Mizuki. Minuette tightened her grip on the half elf slightly, not trusting the rogue so close to her injured friend.
"We have to move, now," Soran said coldly, pulling Mizuki up onto his back. He felt Mizuki's fingers clench around his neck, proving that the half elf was still clinging on to consciousness. Knowing that she was conscious made him wish he'd asked the vampire to carry her. "We're going to have some company," he said darkly. The rogue exchanged a knowing glance with Ceron and led the way at a brisk jog up a steep, narrow path through the trees, deeper into Ashgrown Forest.
Mizuki:
Mizuki felt herself drifting and the only thing she could feel was... 'I'm so stupid. I'm not suppossed to die. Soran shouldn't be saving me again. I'm useless.' Mizuki felt hott bitter tears come to her eyes and she had no strength to fight them off. They rolled down her face and onto Soran's back. The only thought that kept on coming was that she felt useless. Never before had she felt this way.
She felt the sting of the wound on her chest. She felt so close to dying that she thought everyone would be better off and almost stopped fighting for life. ~*You die on me now girl, and I swear I'll make your afterlife hell.*~ someone said. 'That voice!' Mizuki thought with a spurr of life. She began to stirr with a new thought on her mind. 'I must live! I must live!'
She struggled against the darkness clouding over her and tightened her grip around Soran's neck. She didn't know she was on Soran's back for the longest time until she felt his heartbeat against her palm. 'A heart beat? Life. That's why I'm here. I'm here to save a life!' She fought against death without another thought.
Minuette:
Minuette strapped Mizuki's bow and arrows to her back along with her own set of arrows. She gripped her bow tighter, an arrow securly in place. She pointed it towards the ground and was ready to shoot it.
She kept close to the elf carrying her friend. Her eyes remained on Mizuki, the rogue, and the path they were travelling. She could hear the swift, but heavy footsteps of the werewolf behind her. She could sense evil in the distance. Her thoughts flashed back to memories of when the Witch Queen weilded her.
While lost in her thoughts, she stumbled on a twig. Though she quickly regained her composure so she didn't slow her pace, she cursed herself for letting her memories let her guard down. Another thought flashed through her mind. 'What if they catch us. What if they recognize me.. My arrows...' Her thoughts clouded with dread again. 'What if they take me back to her and kill them.' She refocused on the path ahead. Her stomach lurched again as she shook her head of her silly thoughts. 'Pull yourself together! Focus! Focus! We've got to save Mizuki, get the damn tigron heart, and save this...other girl.' She nodded to herself to reassure herself and continued on - keeping a close distance still to Mizuki and Soran.
Soran:
Soran ran as swiftly as he could, choosing his footholds carefully as he climbed more than hiked the trail. His chest throbbed as it begged him for more air, but there was no time to stop. Mizuki's pendant dangled from her neck over the rogue's shoulder, and he glanced down at it as it began to glow brighter. In the forest surrounding them, the hum of insects and wildlife fell to a hush. ~'It's here.'~
Soran's glare locked onto the woods to his right. Something was definitely there. A burst of motion suddenly erupted from the woods as a vicious form flew out, lunging straight for Ceron. The beast was about 7 feet tall and stood like a human, but had the powerful hindquarters of a beast and was covered all over with dark black and orange stripes. Ceron did not need to see the gleam in Soran's eyes to know that what was flying at him with 3-inch claws was a Tigron. The werewolf rushed forward to meet the demon's attack.
Soran watched the two lock in combat. They were probably matched in strength as well as fighting style. ~'Classic case of Cat vs Dog,'~ he thought, the direness of the situation bringing out his sense of sarcasm. This was not a good place to fight. There was no room to maneuver in the dense undergrowth. He glanced to the vampire, hoping she was exceptionally skilled with the bow, because unless she was it would be of no use to her in such close quarters. He spun around on the alert as he heard the sounds of two more enemies of a smaller, but faster species emerging from behind them.
Mizuki:
Mizuki's wounds burned but she had to keep fighting. 'I haven't used thi technique in so long, but I need to keep trying!' Mizuki thought.She was healing herself with the trick her mother had taught her so long ago. Mizuki just prayed it worked. Then all of a sudden, in one sift gasp of breath she awoke to conciousness.[sp?]
"GAH!" Mizuki gasped jumped off of Soran's back slightly making him stumble.
"What the--? Mizuki!?" Minuette yelled to her. Mizuki got up from the ground and showed no emotion of relief to Minuette. She saw the battle between Ceron and that monster and she cringed. She fingereed her amulet and it was warm and glowing brightly. 'Crap.' Mizuki cursed.
"Minuette, with me on arrows at my first fire!" Mizuki yelled to her friend. If they were going to take it down they needed to do it together. Mizuki grabbed her arrows from Min. and readied them. "Ready...one....two....three....FIRE!" Mizuki laughed her arrows straight for the beast with Minuette's arrows following.
Soran:
Soran's eyes widened as he felt the body against his back suddenly seem to come to life and jump off of him. How in the world had she...?
He didn't have much time to contemplate Mizuki's impossible recovery, because no sooner did he regain his now-light footing than the two new visitors he'd sensed pounced out of the forest towards him. They were Zephyrs, a small, incredibly agile species of demon with sharp teeth like a jackal's. They stood on two legs about ffour feet tall, covered entirely in short black fur.
Soran tensed and threw up his blades to deflect the first Zephyr. The demon made an angry chirping sound in the back of its throat as its teeth met with the rogue's armblade, then hopped nimbly off Soran's arm and over his shoulder, gripping the elf's brown hair fiercely as it flew down behind Soran's back faster than something its size should have been able to.
Soran threw one foot back to keep from being pulled backwards by the demon's antics and stabbed backward with his steel-tipped elbow toward where the Zephyr should have been, but could not hit the creature that was still about to rip his scalp off.
His attention turned from the Zephyr behind him to the second one, which stood in front of him ready to pounce. The rogue threw a rapid roundkick at the creature. In reaction, it hopped in close to Soran's body, out of range of the kick, and threw one of its own into Soran's chest.
Soran grunted painfully as the blow threw him backwards to the ground, his chest exploding with pain. The Zephyr that had been behind him scittered out of the way of his falling body, and the two beasts grinned wickedly at the rogue. Soran knew from past experience that Zephyrs were clever enough to work together, so why hadn't he seen through what just happened? What was wrong with him? He wasn't focusing. From where he lay, he could see the Tigron with several arrows stuck in its arm, stalking angrily toward the arrows' owners. With one clawed fist it yanked out both arrows and cracked them in half like matchsticks.
"Between the eyes!" Soran ordered hoarsely to the two archers, "Or it will just heal itself, no matter how many arrows you-" His sentence broke off as the Zephyrs pounced back at him. ~'Get up, Nightblade,'~ he told himself, though his chest screamed at him to stay down.
Mizuki:
"Between the eyes!" Soran's hoarse cry was heard. Mizuki, without a second glance or thought, shot one true arrow with Minuette's other's trailing behind between the beasts eyes. The beasts anguished cry was eye shattering as it fell to the ground. But even as the creature died the work still wasn't done.
"Minuette!" Mizuki ordered. "Work with Ceron on getting at its heart also make sure it's dead! I need to help Soran!" Mizuki put her arrows away and unsheated her sword turning around to lunge at the creatures attacking Soran. "Not this time!" she yelled coming at them.
She kicked one of the creauters off of Soran and helped him up. Soran did not look good so she had to help him. 'This time it's my turn to save him.' she thought determinde and angry. She rushed towards the one she kicked off, catching it off gaurd as it still got up from the ground. She sliced at its chest then the other came at her back. Mizuki struggled against the creatures, her eyes screaming in rage, until Minuette left Ceron's side to help Mizuki. Once the one on Mizuki's back was gone she was free to attack again, but her wound on her chest re-opened and she staggared. 'Damn,' Mizuki cursed gripping her opened wound.
Soran:
Soran had to give up trying to keep track of the Tigron as the Zephyr leapt onto him, digging its sharp claws into the base of his neck. Soran forced his right blade into the demon’s mouth as it made to bite his face, glaring up into its hungry maw. He struggled to rise, but his abdominal muscles refused. ~’Why can’t I sit up?’~ he thought impatiently, wanting to slice the Zephyr into a hundred gory pieces.
When he saw the Zephyr fly off of him, his first thought was that perhaps the Tigron had decided to steal the smaller demon’s prey for itself. He was caught unaware by a warm grip on his arm, and cast a murderous glare upward at the source of the contact. When he realized it was Mizuki pulling him to his feet, his anger yielded to shock. He could not believe the strength with which the half elf, whom he’d thought was badly injured, pulled him up to his feet. He narrowed his eyes skeptically as the girl leapt in on the demon she’d just injured, striking at it angrily. The girl seemed perfectly fine, but Soran knew that wasn’t possible. He watched as Minuette jumped in to assist her, but suddenly Mizuki’s stance changed drastically, and the girl curled over, grasping her old wound.
~’Foolish!’~ Soran thought disapprovingly, but did not have it in him to be angry. He’d had a feeling this would happen. The last Zephyr gathered itself to attack her, but was stopped as Ceron’s claws sliced it in half. “What happened?” he demanded to Soran as he noticed Mizuki’s condition.
Soran did not respond, watching Mizuki for answers to the questions piling up in his mind.
Minuette:
Minuette helped Mizuki sit down. She checked her wounds and redressed them again with the sash. She checked her for any concussions or other injuries that might of taken hold of her while in battle. When she was sure Mizuki was in one piece in physical condition she continued to inquire about her emotional condition.
"Are you ok? Here, drink this. It will sooth the pain a bit." She handed her friend a small cantine. While awaiting Mizuki's answer she went to the Tigron and finished cutting out it's heart. It was dead, all right. It had no pulse and its eyes had grown cloudy. It was already gaining a rigor mortis effect. She quickly bundled up the heart and stuffed it away for safe keeping. She turned back to Soran, Ceron, and Mizuki.
"More of them might come. What do you want to do? I say we get moving, no resting until we are safe. You seem winded, Soran. Ceron can carry you and I can help Mizuki. I think we should make haste and get back to Hepian." Her eyes were deathly serious as she looked to Soran, awaiting his answer. She took note of the pendant, still glowing.
Mizuki:
Mizuki used her sword to help herself stand up again and took note of everything.
"Yes yes I'm fine." Mizuki answered Minuette's questions quietly while drinking from the cantine.
"More of them might come. What do you want to do? I say we get moving, no resting until we are safe. You seem winded, Soran. Ceron can carry you and I can help Mizuki. I think we should make haste and get back to Hepian." Minuette propossed. Mizuki tried to stiffle a laugh. Ceron carry Soran? That should be interesting.
"She's right Soran. We're both wounded and we do need to get out fast." Mizuki searched Soran's face for any kind of sign. Ceron stepped forward to grab Soran.
"Come on." Ceron coaxed to Soran. "Fight it and I'll just sling you over me."
OOC: Anyone else notice that Ceron and Soran's names are almost alike? Maybe it's just me.
IC: Mizuki felt the amulet glow around her neck. She was worn out and had no strength to fight. 'That spell didn't last long.' Mizuki sighed and let herself be helped by Minuette.
Soran:
Soran shot a feral glare at the group that was worrying over him. He stood straighter and evened out his breathing indignantly. "That won't be necessary." He would die fighting before he'd be carried.
The rogue's attention turned to the pendant around Mizuki's neck. It was still glowing as brightly as ever. More demons would arrive at any moment, and there would be no end to them. Soran walked up to Mizuki and took the pendant off her neck. "We're a walking waypoint as long as we lug this rock around." He took the stone and hurled it into the woods ahead of them, then turned to the others. "We've got what we came for."
Ceron looked at Soran, understanding the rogue's plan. "Hopefully they will be more attracted to that stone than us. We'd better move quickly."
Mizuki:
Mizuki's arm was hung around Minuette's neck as she helped Mizuki to stand. Mizuki watched as Soran took the amulet and threw it into the forest. She understood why he did it and she hope it wasn't in vain. Mizuki opened her mouth to speak but she gasped, having a coughing fit and every once in a while coughing up speks[sp?] of blood.
'Oh no!' Mizuki thought fearfully as her coughing fits calmed down. 'My voice, I can't speak! Why now? Why did it happen now!? Damn....' Minuette looked to her friend afraid for her well being but Mizuki gave her a weak half smile. 'The exchange finally took affect.'
When Mizuki was learning in the art of battle, her mother taught her a trick that would temporarily heal a wound, giving her some strength to finish off a fight. It was only to be used as a last resort technique for in exchange the user had to give up their voice until the wound was properly healed on it's own. Well, that wouldn't help if she needed her voice for anything, and now that it's gone she would be a temporary mute for a time.
Mizuki looked to her friend and motioned to her neck with her hand. Trying to give off some clue to Min. that she couldn't speak.
Minuette:
Minuette's brow furrowed at Mizuki's gestures towards her neck. She didn't really get what she was trying to tell her. She ventured a guess, though.
"You lost your voice..?" She glanced around the woods out of habit. 'What perfect timing...' She thought to herself and reached for another cantine, one full of water. She handed it to her friend. "This might help if you can't talk?"
Minuette shifted her weight on her feet. She turned her attention to Soran. Were they going to make their way back to the safe haven of Hepian? She almost laughed at her own remarks of Hepian being safe. 'It's safer than here and now..' Her thoughts trailed off.
"Well, Soran? Can we get going? I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to be making camp here tonight and I definately don't want to run into any other demons out here - especially after dark." She gave him a hard glare.
Soran:
Soran nodded to Mizuki's question, pushing his dark hair out of his face. His green eyes had returned to their usual cold, unreadable expression. He turned silently from the others, plotting the fastest route to Hepian in his mind as he led the group swiftly back on a winding path through the dense forest.
Mizuki:
Mizuki drank from the cantine again. 'Maybe my throat is just dry?' Mizuki thought. But no, she tried to speak again but nothing came out. 'Curses.' Mizuki thought, 'but it was th only way to help them and not be a burden.'
Ceron noticed Minuette's some what struggle with her friend and offered to help her. "Let me help you carry her." but Min. shook her head.
"I can take care of her." she said still helping her friend walk. Ceron rolled his eyes and took Mizuki's other arm making her stand up somewhat straighter. They walked in silence as they tried to make their way back to Hepian. 'If I could only speak.' Mizuki thought disstressed. 'When will it wear off mother? And, that voice I heard, it sounded...familiar...' She eyed Soran's back then her gaze shifted to Ceron's. She was surprised that a werewolf was alone. Wouldn't they be in packs? 'Ceron, I have so many questions I must ask of you.' Mizuki limped her way between Min. and Ceron as they walked thru the forest. She also feared about Soran's wounds. 'Will he be ok?'
Soran:
Soran let out a low sigh inwardly as the trail finally began to widen up, indicating that they were almost to Hepian. The group had been very quiet during the past few hours. Even Mizuki hadn't spoken a word. Soran welcomed the silence, not wanting to give away their location to any more demons.
He thought about what would happen once they reached the city. Soon, his job would be finished. He'd finally be on his own again. He faltered in his step confusedly as his chest momentarily seemed to hurt more than before. Ahead of them, the tall stone gates of Hepian became visible from between the trees.
Mizuki:
Mizuki saw the gates of Hepian before them. 'Oh thank the gods.' she thought. They made their way to the gate and this mission would be over and she could properly heal without having to move. 'The end to this crazy adventure.'
OOC: My turn to make a topic! lol. It's in Hepian title...To save the Vampire girl
Minuette was still fretting over what they were doing. She kept to herself and stayed close by Mizuki as they travelled over the border of the gates into the forest. What girl were they saving? She had heard her friend mention we were saving one of my kind. A vampire? she hoped it wasn't a bad vampire that fed frequently and just for the hell of feeding. She herself only fed once a month.
"I don't like the forest..." Her voice trailed off as they continued walking deeper and deeper into the darkness. She had travelled in the forest before - only during the day, and she hated it.
Minuette's emerald gaze shifted around uneasily. Her senses were on edge. Her gaze shifted back and forth from the werewolf and finally landed on their fearless "leader". She definately wasn't fond of him - besides the fact that she hated working in groups, especially when she wasn't leader.
Mizuki:
Mizuki looked to her friend. She looked a bit frightened and Mizuki shivered somewhat. 'Bad feeling....' she thought. She looked around her taking in the forest life. The tress were tall and a bit dense. 'Should be fun getting around in here.' she thought grimly, 'maybe I was a tab bit too enthuisastic about this.'
Ceron looked to be on his toes; like he was nervous. "Ceron?" she asked him, "Are you---?"
"I'm fine." he said quickly, "Just being carefull about were we are." Mizuki looked at hm and her friend. True this place made her jumpy some what too but... 'It's like they know something...' she thought. She fingered the gem around her neck. It was pretty yet kind of dangerous. Since it would tell them if they were close. Mizuki began hearing noises that made her jump. She had tried to aviod the forest coming here and now being in it...
"AAAIIIIEE!!" Mizuki screamed. Ceron and Minuette turned around quikly, alert. Minuette sighed heavily and Ceron just rolled his eyes chuckling. "Get it off!!"
"Calm down Mizuki!" Ceron said, "it's just a twig." Ceron untrapped her foot from the twig and Mizuki felt herself become crimson. 'I'm such a fool. And in front of Soran! I'm suppossed to act fearless! Now don't be afraid Mizuki.' she told herself.
"Heh heh, sorry." she said embarassed and walked on. Soran had never stopped so they had to walk faster to get him. "I'm such a moron." she mumbled to herself.
Soran:
Soran did not break pace at the sound of Mizuki's crisis behind him, looking ahead indifferently. He pushed forward, snaking his way through dense clusters of bushes and low-growing trees. Above them, larger trees loomed high in the air, their interweaving branches blocking out a large portion of the sun's light. The course he was taking could hardly be called a path, and was marked by reference points only Soran recognized.
He scanned the surrounding foliage with his peripheral vision alertly as he snaked his way through the familiar terrain. Although Mizuki's pendant had yet to indicate the presence of a demon, he was not about to trust that old geezer's gadget to keep them safe. In fact, if anything would get them killed on this mission, that amulet would be it.
Soran came to a stop as he reached an area where the woods opened up slightly and allowed for a small clearing. A few blades of grass choked their way up through the sun-starved soil of the clearing, which was about ten feet in diameter. This was one of only two spots along the way that were relatively safe to stop and rest at. They had walked about five miles already, and it would be another four through rough terrain before they reached the second stopping point. However, chances were that they would encounter their target before they made it that far. He turned to the others.
"I suggest we rest here for a moment. Beyond this point, we'll be using our weapons for more than just bushwhacking," he said.
Minuette:
Minuette groaned under her breath and squeezed her eyes closed briefly before taking an arrow and placing it into place on her bow at the ready. She hated the forest. Minuette hated the forest more than her past. Witch Queen-weilded evils lurked in the shadows. Always watching.
She sat on a large boulder and pulled her legs into an indian style sitting position. She cast a suspicious glare at the elf and the werewolf, daring with her eyes for them to try anything. Just so Mizuki wouldn't make more of a fool of herself she pulled her friend to a boulder near her's and sat her down.
"Just..sit her Mizuki.." She gave her friend a have smile to ease the mood and sat back on her boulder. Minuette held a death grip on her bow and arrow.
Her head snapped up suddenly. Was that a twig snap she heard in the bush behind her? No it couldn't have been... This is a..safe resting place. She hoped.
Mizuki:
Minuette pulled Mizuki onto a boulder next to her.
"Just..sit here Mizuki.." she said. Mizuki laughed.
"Good idea. I don't know how much more of this I can take." she smiled forcing herself to laugh. "This is so nerve racking." Mizuki held a grip on her sword smiling and watched to boys. They were either standing or sitting and also being alert. She watched there surroundings in silence. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the forest. 'Everything's....so peacefull...' she thought. 'Too peacefull.' She quickly grabbed a rock and with speed that no one saw she threw it at a tall branch in a tree.
Something or someone groaned. "I should've known!" Mizuki yelled grabbing her sword getting ready.
Soran:
Soran's eyes shot upward into the trees. Mizuki's shout had alerted him as well. ~'An ambush?'~ Before he could think, a dark form launched itself down at him from above. His blades flew up defensively, barely in time to block a downward kick from his unidentified opponent. He caught the full weight of the attack against his crossed blades and twisted his arms roughly to send the attacker's momentum off to the side. The attacker hopped nimbly out of Soran's grip, landing on his feet in a threatening stance a few feet away. Now Soran had a better view of the ambusher, and recognized by his clothing that he was a member of the Black Crows. ~'What the hell are they doing out here?'~ Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see that a second attacker had emerged behind Minuette and Mizuki's position.
Mizuki:
She had hit the person in the tree and he had came down to attack Soran. 'Curse!' she thought, 'Can't get one bit of peace!' Mizuki grabbed her sword and stood ready to fight. Minuette was up with her fangs bared and Ceron was already attacking. Mizuki felt a persence behind and she swung yelling. She had hit another peace of metal. 'This should be fun.' Mizuki swung harder and harder at her attacker clad in black while Minuette helped Ceron struggle with another.
Mizuki's blade clashed with the man's sword with equal force. "You jerks don't know when to give up do you?" she spat in his face.
"For me your easy prey so why not?" the man smirked and flung her off. Mizuki snarled and came charging back at him. When he swung thinking that was where she'd have been she wasn't there. Mizuki landed behind him and kicked him in his back. She heard the sound of bone breaking but the man wasn't done. Mizuki held her ground as the man slowly got up. He turned to face her smirking. He wiped the blood from his mouth and straightened his stance.
"Let us try that again, shall we?" he said before coming at her again. Mizuki noticed his smiling face and she knew something was up.
"What are you smiling about?" Mizuki questioned as they found themselves in another grapple.
"Oh but that would take away the fun of this!" Mizuki kicked out from under herself tripping the man and she held her sword at his throat.
"Not so confindent now, eh?" Mizuki smiled down at him knowing she had won. 'If he's down why is he still smiling?' she thought confused.
"You look confused girl," the man in black said, "Why don't you look behind you." Warning signals went off n Mizuki's mind as she began to turn around. Too late...
Mizuki's agonizing cry could be heard thru out the forest.
Soran:
Soran and Ceron battled their opponent viciously, Soran making swipes with his armblades to preoccupy the man while Ceron took the opportunity to slash several large gashes into him with his razor-sharp claws. The rogue could hear the sounds of battle behind him, but was too busy with his current opponent to check on Mizuki and Minuette’s status. They were probably fine, considering they only had one attacker to contend with.
~'This is not good,'~ Soran thought, considering the situation, ~'All this noise will attract them for sure.'~ Seeing that their current opponent was nearly finished, Soran lunged in at him with his armblades for the final strike. He narrowed his eyes and skidded to a halt as his opponent seemed to disappear from under his nose. He scanned the clearing rapidly for signs of the man they’d just been fighting, a dark sense of foreboding forming in his mind. Something was wrong…<br>
Glancing behind him, Soran realized what was happening. Their opponent had abandoned the fight with him and Ceron to ambush an easier target – the already-preoccupied Mizuki. The rogue stiffened as he saw, too late, the black figure descending with a dagger toward Mizuki’s neck from behind her back.
As Soran realized he would never make it in time, another form flew past him in a blur. Ceron had already sensed the ambusher’s plan, and was rushing toward the half elf with all the speed he could muster. In his gut, however, he knew that he would not make it in time. The werewolf sprung from the ground powerfully, slamming into Mizuki’s attacker with such force that the man's spine cracked audibly in half. The man was dead before he even his the ground, but Ceron slashed open his chest for good measure.
It all happened so quickly that it took Soran a moment to take in the situation. He had just managed to ascertain that Ceron’s target had been finished off when he heard a pained cry ring out through the forest. It was Mizuki’s voice. His eyes flashed to the half elf, studying her body for injuries. She had sunk to her knees, and was curled over as if in some terrible pain. Spotting the offending dagger lying bloodied on the ground beside Mizuki, he knew something was very wrong. Ceron had deflected the dagger from its original deadly course, but the blood dripping down its blade proved it had still managed to strike her somewhere else. As if it had been waiting for the worst possible moment, the pendant around Mizuki’s neck began to pulse with an eerie, yellow-green light.
Minuette:
When Minuette heard her friend's cry ringing in her ears she rushed over. She noticed the pendant 'round her neck glowing and her stomach lurched. She took note of the dagger with blood on it. Mizuki's blood. She cursed under her breath and looked from her friend to Soran.
"If he slit her throat, she'll die. If..." Her voice trailed off as she thought of what she was going to propose they try. She glanced again nervously at the pendant glowing it's eerie glow. She could sense them coming. "I could change her, make her a vampire and she'd live..well, sort of. If she's going to die it's her only chance!"
Minuette scanned her friend for injuries again, she found a cut near the base of her throat and close to her heart. It wasn't deathly deep but it looked serious enough for drastic measures. She pulled out a sash she had in a pouch hanging from her belt. She removed Mizuki's arrows and dressed her wound with the sash. She looked up at Soran and awaited his answer.
Soran:
Soran's eyes iced over as he watched Minuette skillfully but frantically binding Mizuki's wound. His instincts told him to show no emotion, but inside his thoughts were racing. He was not good at this kind of situation. He was not used to worrying about any injuries but his own. Mizuki's scream had probably given away their location to every demon within several miles of them. Suddenly the attractive powers of the stone seemed like the least of their problems.
If he were to escape on his own now, he would certainly be safe. Soran shook the thought from his mind, bitter that he'd considered it. ~'Finish what you start, or it will finish you.'~ He'd have to come up with a better plan than that. Minuette looked up at him expectantly, holding Mizuki protectively in her arms.
They needed to get out of this spot, and fast. Soran restrained a wince as his chest ached mercilessly from the night before. Ceron was still in good condition, and the glint of fury in Minuette's eyes would make her even stronger than before. Soran crouched down beside Mizuki. Minuette tightened her grip on the half elf slightly, not trusting the rogue so close to her injured friend.
"We have to move, now," Soran said coldly, pulling Mizuki up onto his back. He felt Mizuki's fingers clench around his neck, proving that the half elf was still clinging on to consciousness. Knowing that she was conscious made him wish he'd asked the vampire to carry her. "We're going to have some company," he said darkly. The rogue exchanged a knowing glance with Ceron and led the way at a brisk jog up a steep, narrow path through the trees, deeper into Ashgrown Forest.
Mizuki:
Mizuki felt herself drifting and the only thing she could feel was... 'I'm so stupid. I'm not suppossed to die. Soran shouldn't be saving me again. I'm useless.' Mizuki felt hott bitter tears come to her eyes and she had no strength to fight them off. They rolled down her face and onto Soran's back. The only thought that kept on coming was that she felt useless. Never before had she felt this way.
She felt the sting of the wound on her chest. She felt so close to dying that she thought everyone would be better off and almost stopped fighting for life. ~*You die on me now girl, and I swear I'll make your afterlife hell.*~ someone said. 'That voice!' Mizuki thought with a spurr of life. She began to stirr with a new thought on her mind. 'I must live! I must live!'
She struggled against the darkness clouding over her and tightened her grip around Soran's neck. She didn't know she was on Soran's back for the longest time until she felt his heartbeat against her palm. 'A heart beat? Life. That's why I'm here. I'm here to save a life!' She fought against death without another thought.
Minuette:
Minuette strapped Mizuki's bow and arrows to her back along with her own set of arrows. She gripped her bow tighter, an arrow securly in place. She pointed it towards the ground and was ready to shoot it.
She kept close to the elf carrying her friend. Her eyes remained on Mizuki, the rogue, and the path they were travelling. She could hear the swift, but heavy footsteps of the werewolf behind her. She could sense evil in the distance. Her thoughts flashed back to memories of when the Witch Queen weilded her.
While lost in her thoughts, she stumbled on a twig. Though she quickly regained her composure so she didn't slow her pace, she cursed herself for letting her memories let her guard down. Another thought flashed through her mind. 'What if they catch us. What if they recognize me.. My arrows...' Her thoughts clouded with dread again. 'What if they take me back to her and kill them.' She refocused on the path ahead. Her stomach lurched again as she shook her head of her silly thoughts. 'Pull yourself together! Focus! Focus! We've got to save Mizuki, get the damn tigron heart, and save this...other girl.' She nodded to herself to reassure herself and continued on - keeping a close distance still to Mizuki and Soran.
Soran:
Soran ran as swiftly as he could, choosing his footholds carefully as he climbed more than hiked the trail. His chest throbbed as it begged him for more air, but there was no time to stop. Mizuki's pendant dangled from her neck over the rogue's shoulder, and he glanced down at it as it began to glow brighter. In the forest surrounding them, the hum of insects and wildlife fell to a hush. ~'It's here.'~
Soran's glare locked onto the woods to his right. Something was definitely there. A burst of motion suddenly erupted from the woods as a vicious form flew out, lunging straight for Ceron. The beast was about 7 feet tall and stood like a human, but had the powerful hindquarters of a beast and was covered all over with dark black and orange stripes. Ceron did not need to see the gleam in Soran's eyes to know that what was flying at him with 3-inch claws was a Tigron. The werewolf rushed forward to meet the demon's attack.
Soran watched the two lock in combat. They were probably matched in strength as well as fighting style. ~'Classic case of Cat vs Dog,'~ he thought, the direness of the situation bringing out his sense of sarcasm. This was not a good place to fight. There was no room to maneuver in the dense undergrowth. He glanced to the vampire, hoping she was exceptionally skilled with the bow, because unless she was it would be of no use to her in such close quarters. He spun around on the alert as he heard the sounds of two more enemies of a smaller, but faster species emerging from behind them.
Mizuki:
Mizuki's wounds burned but she had to keep fighting. 'I haven't used thi technique in so long, but I need to keep trying!' Mizuki thought.She was healing herself with the trick her mother had taught her so long ago. Mizuki just prayed it worked. Then all of a sudden, in one sift gasp of breath she awoke to conciousness.[sp?]
"GAH!" Mizuki gasped jumped off of Soran's back slightly making him stumble.
"What the--? Mizuki!?" Minuette yelled to her. Mizuki got up from the ground and showed no emotion of relief to Minuette. She saw the battle between Ceron and that monster and she cringed. She fingereed her amulet and it was warm and glowing brightly. 'Crap.' Mizuki cursed.
"Minuette, with me on arrows at my first fire!" Mizuki yelled to her friend. If they were going to take it down they needed to do it together. Mizuki grabbed her arrows from Min. and readied them. "Ready...one....two....three....FIRE!" Mizuki laughed her arrows straight for the beast with Minuette's arrows following.
Soran:
Soran's eyes widened as he felt the body against his back suddenly seem to come to life and jump off of him. How in the world had she...?
He didn't have much time to contemplate Mizuki's impossible recovery, because no sooner did he regain his now-light footing than the two new visitors he'd sensed pounced out of the forest towards him. They were Zephyrs, a small, incredibly agile species of demon with sharp teeth like a jackal's. They stood on two legs about ffour feet tall, covered entirely in short black fur.
Soran tensed and threw up his blades to deflect the first Zephyr. The demon made an angry chirping sound in the back of its throat as its teeth met with the rogue's armblade, then hopped nimbly off Soran's arm and over his shoulder, gripping the elf's brown hair fiercely as it flew down behind Soran's back faster than something its size should have been able to.
Soran threw one foot back to keep from being pulled backwards by the demon's antics and stabbed backward with his steel-tipped elbow toward where the Zephyr should have been, but could not hit the creature that was still about to rip his scalp off.
His attention turned from the Zephyr behind him to the second one, which stood in front of him ready to pounce. The rogue threw a rapid roundkick at the creature. In reaction, it hopped in close to Soran's body, out of range of the kick, and threw one of its own into Soran's chest.
Soran grunted painfully as the blow threw him backwards to the ground, his chest exploding with pain. The Zephyr that had been behind him scittered out of the way of his falling body, and the two beasts grinned wickedly at the rogue. Soran knew from past experience that Zephyrs were clever enough to work together, so why hadn't he seen through what just happened? What was wrong with him? He wasn't focusing. From where he lay, he could see the Tigron with several arrows stuck in its arm, stalking angrily toward the arrows' owners. With one clawed fist it yanked out both arrows and cracked them in half like matchsticks.
"Between the eyes!" Soran ordered hoarsely to the two archers, "Or it will just heal itself, no matter how many arrows you-" His sentence broke off as the Zephyrs pounced back at him. ~'Get up, Nightblade,'~ he told himself, though his chest screamed at him to stay down.
Mizuki:
"Between the eyes!" Soran's hoarse cry was heard. Mizuki, without a second glance or thought, shot one true arrow with Minuette's other's trailing behind between the beasts eyes. The beasts anguished cry was eye shattering as it fell to the ground. But even as the creature died the work still wasn't done.
"Minuette!" Mizuki ordered. "Work with Ceron on getting at its heart also make sure it's dead! I need to help Soran!" Mizuki put her arrows away and unsheated her sword turning around to lunge at the creatures attacking Soran. "Not this time!" she yelled coming at them.
She kicked one of the creauters off of Soran and helped him up. Soran did not look good so she had to help him. 'This time it's my turn to save him.' she thought determinde and angry. She rushed towards the one she kicked off, catching it off gaurd as it still got up from the ground. She sliced at its chest then the other came at her back. Mizuki struggled against the creatures, her eyes screaming in rage, until Minuette left Ceron's side to help Mizuki. Once the one on Mizuki's back was gone she was free to attack again, but her wound on her chest re-opened and she staggared. 'Damn,' Mizuki cursed gripping her opened wound.
Soran:
Soran had to give up trying to keep track of the Tigron as the Zephyr leapt onto him, digging its sharp claws into the base of his neck. Soran forced his right blade into the demon’s mouth as it made to bite his face, glaring up into its hungry maw. He struggled to rise, but his abdominal muscles refused. ~’Why can’t I sit up?’~ he thought impatiently, wanting to slice the Zephyr into a hundred gory pieces.
When he saw the Zephyr fly off of him, his first thought was that perhaps the Tigron had decided to steal the smaller demon’s prey for itself. He was caught unaware by a warm grip on his arm, and cast a murderous glare upward at the source of the contact. When he realized it was Mizuki pulling him to his feet, his anger yielded to shock. He could not believe the strength with which the half elf, whom he’d thought was badly injured, pulled him up to his feet. He narrowed his eyes skeptically as the girl leapt in on the demon she’d just injured, striking at it angrily. The girl seemed perfectly fine, but Soran knew that wasn’t possible. He watched as Minuette jumped in to assist her, but suddenly Mizuki’s stance changed drastically, and the girl curled over, grasping her old wound.
~’Foolish!’~ Soran thought disapprovingly, but did not have it in him to be angry. He’d had a feeling this would happen. The last Zephyr gathered itself to attack her, but was stopped as Ceron’s claws sliced it in half. “What happened?” he demanded to Soran as he noticed Mizuki’s condition.
Soran did not respond, watching Mizuki for answers to the questions piling up in his mind.
Minuette:
Minuette helped Mizuki sit down. She checked her wounds and redressed them again with the sash. She checked her for any concussions or other injuries that might of taken hold of her while in battle. When she was sure Mizuki was in one piece in physical condition she continued to inquire about her emotional condition.
"Are you ok? Here, drink this. It will sooth the pain a bit." She handed her friend a small cantine. While awaiting Mizuki's answer she went to the Tigron and finished cutting out it's heart. It was dead, all right. It had no pulse and its eyes had grown cloudy. It was already gaining a rigor mortis effect. She quickly bundled up the heart and stuffed it away for safe keeping. She turned back to Soran, Ceron, and Mizuki.
"More of them might come. What do you want to do? I say we get moving, no resting until we are safe. You seem winded, Soran. Ceron can carry you and I can help Mizuki. I think we should make haste and get back to Hepian." Her eyes were deathly serious as she looked to Soran, awaiting his answer. She took note of the pendant, still glowing.
Mizuki:
Mizuki used her sword to help herself stand up again and took note of everything.
"Yes yes I'm fine." Mizuki answered Minuette's questions quietly while drinking from the cantine.
"More of them might come. What do you want to do? I say we get moving, no resting until we are safe. You seem winded, Soran. Ceron can carry you and I can help Mizuki. I think we should make haste and get back to Hepian." Minuette propossed. Mizuki tried to stiffle a laugh. Ceron carry Soran? That should be interesting.
"She's right Soran. We're both wounded and we do need to get out fast." Mizuki searched Soran's face for any kind of sign. Ceron stepped forward to grab Soran.
"Come on." Ceron coaxed to Soran. "Fight it and I'll just sling you over me."
OOC: Anyone else notice that Ceron and Soran's names are almost alike? Maybe it's just me.
IC: Mizuki felt the amulet glow around her neck. She was worn out and had no strength to fight. 'That spell didn't last long.' Mizuki sighed and let herself be helped by Minuette.
Soran:
Soran shot a feral glare at the group that was worrying over him. He stood straighter and evened out his breathing indignantly. "That won't be necessary." He would die fighting before he'd be carried.
The rogue's attention turned to the pendant around Mizuki's neck. It was still glowing as brightly as ever. More demons would arrive at any moment, and there would be no end to them. Soran walked up to Mizuki and took the pendant off her neck. "We're a walking waypoint as long as we lug this rock around." He took the stone and hurled it into the woods ahead of them, then turned to the others. "We've got what we came for."
Ceron looked at Soran, understanding the rogue's plan. "Hopefully they will be more attracted to that stone than us. We'd better move quickly."
Mizuki:
Mizuki's arm was hung around Minuette's neck as she helped Mizuki to stand. Mizuki watched as Soran took the amulet and threw it into the forest. She understood why he did it and she hope it wasn't in vain. Mizuki opened her mouth to speak but she gasped, having a coughing fit and every once in a while coughing up speks[sp?] of blood.
'Oh no!' Mizuki thought fearfully as her coughing fits calmed down. 'My voice, I can't speak! Why now? Why did it happen now!? Damn....' Minuette looked to her friend afraid for her well being but Mizuki gave her a weak half smile. 'The exchange finally took affect.'
When Mizuki was learning in the art of battle, her mother taught her a trick that would temporarily heal a wound, giving her some strength to finish off a fight. It was only to be used as a last resort technique for in exchange the user had to give up their voice until the wound was properly healed on it's own. Well, that wouldn't help if she needed her voice for anything, and now that it's gone she would be a temporary mute for a time.
Mizuki looked to her friend and motioned to her neck with her hand. Trying to give off some clue to Min. that she couldn't speak.
Minuette:
Minuette's brow furrowed at Mizuki's gestures towards her neck. She didn't really get what she was trying to tell her. She ventured a guess, though.
"You lost your voice..?" She glanced around the woods out of habit. 'What perfect timing...' She thought to herself and reached for another cantine, one full of water. She handed it to her friend. "This might help if you can't talk?"
Minuette shifted her weight on her feet. She turned her attention to Soran. Were they going to make their way back to the safe haven of Hepian? She almost laughed at her own remarks of Hepian being safe. 'It's safer than here and now..' Her thoughts trailed off.
"Well, Soran? Can we get going? I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to be making camp here tonight and I definately don't want to run into any other demons out here - especially after dark." She gave him a hard glare.
Soran:
Soran nodded to Mizuki's question, pushing his dark hair out of his face. His green eyes had returned to their usual cold, unreadable expression. He turned silently from the others, plotting the fastest route to Hepian in his mind as he led the group swiftly back on a winding path through the dense forest.
Mizuki:
Mizuki drank from the cantine again. 'Maybe my throat is just dry?' Mizuki thought. But no, she tried to speak again but nothing came out. 'Curses.' Mizuki thought, 'but it was th only way to help them and not be a burden.'
Ceron noticed Minuette's some what struggle with her friend and offered to help her. "Let me help you carry her." but Min. shook her head.
"I can take care of her." she said still helping her friend walk. Ceron rolled his eyes and took Mizuki's other arm making her stand up somewhat straighter. They walked in silence as they tried to make their way back to Hepian. 'If I could only speak.' Mizuki thought disstressed. 'When will it wear off mother? And, that voice I heard, it sounded...familiar...' She eyed Soran's back then her gaze shifted to Ceron's. She was surprised that a werewolf was alone. Wouldn't they be in packs? 'Ceron, I have so many questions I must ask of you.' Mizuki limped her way between Min. and Ceron as they walked thru the forest. She also feared about Soran's wounds. 'Will he be ok?'
Soran:
Soran let out a low sigh inwardly as the trail finally began to widen up, indicating that they were almost to Hepian. The group had been very quiet during the past few hours. Even Mizuki hadn't spoken a word. Soran welcomed the silence, not wanting to give away their location to any more demons.
He thought about what would happen once they reached the city. Soon, his job would be finished. He'd finally be on his own again. He faltered in his step confusedly as his chest momentarily seemed to hurt more than before. Ahead of them, the tall stone gates of Hepian became visible from between the trees.
Mizuki:
Mizuki saw the gates of Hepian before them. 'Oh thank the gods.' she thought. They made their way to the gate and this mission would be over and she could properly heal without having to move. 'The end to this crazy adventure.'
OOC: My turn to make a topic! lol. It's in Hepian title...To save the Vampire girl