Into the Woods {Elthas, Closed}

[Nevin]

Nevin nodded at Aphrael, who twisted her head at him. It had only been a few nights since she had stabilized from the forming of their bond, and this was the first time that Nevin felt comfortable taking her outside for more than a few minutes at a time. Which meant that it was now time for him to solve a rather alarming situation that had come up in the last two days.

Nevin was running out of gathered herbal ingredients for the various medicines he made. Normally he would have had enough for another two weeks at least - but the Goblin attack had forced him to eat through his stocks faster than he had anticipated as he made the antidotes and medicines for the guards and for the trio that had gone to confront them. So now, he needed to go out for a few days into the woods, to gather new stock.

He would have gone sooner if Aphrael hadn't shown up, rather thoroughly distracting him from his original goal. The corvid had been... not weak per se, but not up to handling an expedition right away. So they had stayed at the shop, Nevin doing his best to sell from dwindling supplies. Thankfully people had been quite understanding, as most had heard about the attack and the fact that Nevin had been supplying the medical facility with the antidotes to the strange poison the Goblins had been using.

But now the bird was up to it, so Nevin had hung a sign on his door proclaiming he'd be out for a few days, packed his bag and his weapon, and headed out into the forest. His initial destination was the clearing where he and Elthas had first met - there were quite a few herbs that had been growing near that place that he could use.

[Elthas]

Meanwhile...

Elthas considered the traps that him and some other Trappers from Stonevale set aside.

The traps were positioned in such a way to capture small to medium sized game. The tavern required a large supply of meats/other materials to keep their kitchens stocked with adequate wares. Elthas volunteered to hunt with the local hunters from time to time and that day was one of those days. Elthas only had a small numbers of packages to run that day for Llukrath, and then he was free for the rest of the day. A friend had spotted Nevin, one of the local Alchemists, heading into Ruild. Elthas took the information at hand and considered what to do.

If he gets lost again, that would be a big issue for me...for the town in general. He does get lost fairly often. Elthas considered that quirk of his friend. And he DID consider Nevin a good friend. Hopefully he does not wonder off too far. Elthas gathered the traps that were full with game. Small rabbits, and other creatures of that nature. Elthas mercy killed the captured game and placed the intact traps, attaching it to his belt. There were three traps all together. Elthas wiped sweat off his brow.

It was a rather hot day in Stonevale that day.

Elthas wore a simplistic outfit that day, typically clad in black. He kept his fedora handy. His fedora was tilted at a slight angle. He moved quickly gathering the traps he needed to gather to return The Tavern...after he'd located Nevin and kept the lad company. With the traps gathered, Elthas considered his next move. Tracking was a skill he was still developing, but was part of wilderness survival. He knelt down and placed his hand into the fresh earth. He smelled the dirt for a moment, trying to ascertain a specific set of information.

He'd regretted not having trained the arcane arts of his people. However, the world had need of his finely crafted daggers. Elthas would help change the pages of history once more as was the nature of his people. Elthas was currently placed in the portion of Ruild where he and Nevin first met. Several herbs were popular in that area. And was a constantly harvested place. Elthas looked up and decided to walk towards where a camp was established for the residents of Stonevale. Stonevale lived in virtual harmony with the wilderness of Scara Brae...and so Elthas began to make his way forward.

[Nevin]

Nevin was currently.... Napping. The sun was high, the day was warm, his bird companion was thrilling soft flute tones in her own sleep as she perched on a tree branch over him, and Nevin had his back pressed up against a tree on the edge of a clearing, hood pulled down over his face as he snored softly. Aphrael was aware enough that if something tried to sneak up on her or her bond-partner she would notice them in time to wake up fully and warn Nevin, so the two had decided to doze in the shade.

Sitting beside Nevin was his travel pack, about half-filled with herbs. He needed to gather more, and possibly some animal parts if he could find any, but as this trip wasn't meant for gathering animals or blood Nevin had only brought his staff with him. So far the alchemist had focused primarily on gathering plants for the antidotes that had been depleted helping those injured by the Goblins, so he still needed to collect regular healing herbs and plant life.

But for now, he rested.

[Elthas]

Up ahead of the small campfire location there lurked a sleeping figure. A familiar bird hovered nearby. Elthas put down his traps nearby to the smoldering campfire logs. Elthas considered the situation at hand, it was still afternoon. But he had the necessary flint and tools to create the camp fire once more. The Stonevale citizenry had several camps in the area primarily used by hunters to stay safe. Elthas stretched for a moment or two, he'd been working for several hours up until that point.

Once he placed his stuff on the ground, he walked towards Nevin. Nevin was sleeping at the moment...Elthas figured he'd been busy doing Alchemy related stuff. As Elthas considered the situation at hand, the brilliant bird looked down towards Elthas from her position on a tree. The Forest Elf nodded with respect towards the bird. He had never seen it before but assumed it was friendly as it was not attacking or anything of that nature. Elthas then pointed towards the campfire. "It will provide warmth for tonight." Elthas told the bird, and Nevin, in an offhanded sort of way. But he accepted the boy was still asleep and didn't want to wake him up. Elthas had gathered a sufficient amount of supplies for food. He walked back towards the campfire and removed his hat at that point.

Placing it on his own backpack.

At that point, Elthas gathered his tools in a very systemic sort of way.

Elthas worked quickly, but also quite carefully. The campfire logs were set up in a fire pit. The Stonevale citizenry respected nature. Elthas lit up the carefully placed logs and a fire soon blazed that was quite similar to a bonfire. Smoke from the top points of the controlled blaze swirled upward through the air. Elthas sat down for a moment to just enjoy the warmth of the fire. At that point he decided he would cook for himself and Nevin. Elthas readied the cooking tools all around the fire and began to skin the animals, gutting them, and everything else needed to prepare meat.

Elthas had daggers he used as tools but not the combat knives his Father had given him. Those would only be used to protect his loved ones. To honour the old alliances between Men and Elves. Elthas worked quickly to prepare the meats for consumption. The smell of good meats, and food soon filled the air. Elthas also prepared some tea from the various tea leaves he'd gotten earlier in Stonevale. He prepared a mug for himself and for Nevin. The meats, Elthas liked dark and particularly well done.

Fresh off the cooking fire, they would taste incredible and juicy.

Elthas sat down on the ground and began to sing as he cooked.

[Nevin]

Aphrael cracked open one burgundy eye as she heard footsteps approaching through the trees. Her master had asked her to keep an eye out for any dangers, and she was taking her task as seriously as she could while dozing. The figure approaching was dressed all in black and wore a fedora, and he didn't seem to be interested in her human at all. Still, she kept one eye on him as he set his stuff down, and then began stretching for a moment or two. When he turned and began walking towards Nevin, she grew mildly alarmed and called out.

Soft, warning flutes woke Nevin from his nap. He cracked one eye open and looked around for the figure that Aphrael was concerned about, tensing slightly until he realized that Elthas had once again stumbled across him. If he didn't know by now that the Elf had no aptitude for magic, he would have thought that Elthas had placed a tracking spell of some kind on him. Still, he grunted and sent reassurances through the bind to the bird, until she settled back down, content to watch for now.

Nevin himself wandered off while Elthas was busy. He didn't feel a particular need to stay there at the moment, and Aphrael was distracted by the Elf's preparatory work. So he had scooped up his bag and slipped into the woods while Elthas was working on the fire and resumed gathering herbs, picking a variety of plants as he moved about the woods near the clearing. The alchemist did have to squeeze flat a few plants and mushrooms, squishing them flat as he went to save space in his bag - it wouldn't do to not actually have enough to rebuild his wares after all. He could smell, in the distance, cooking meat, so he also grabbed a few plants that would serve as spices for the meal as he made his way back once more.

The Elf didn't seem to have noticed his departure, wrapped up in his food making, and Nevin set the seasoning plants down next to him before sitting back down by his tree.

[Elthas]

Elthas watched the cooking meats for a long moment as that occurred.

The situation called for utter concentration. He was preparing meats for his friend and the newly spotted bird. It was an interesting bird with red and black feathers, and an intelligent gaze about it's eyes. Elthas had no way of knowing the gender of the bird since he lacked magical arts that many of the other Adventurers of Althanas had. Elthas didn't mind. He had his own skills that he was quite proud of, further, he had the daggers his Father constructed for him.

Elthas prepared the food and thought carefully about the situation at hand. It had been a hectic past few weeks, the goblin attacks still fresh on his mind. He'd been somewhat injured during that battle but not fatally. He'd risen to the task at hand and helped protect the sleeping town of Stonevale. Elthas thought back to that battle. The Goblins used poisoned etched equipment, and Nevin's store had become a prime place of interest during the assault. That time, there had been five Goblins.

Elthas suspected more would come someday, Elthas needed to be ready for it. His eyes narrowed as he sat down in front of the cooking fire. He still sang the entire time. His mind wandered to this and that place, thinking about different times. Different places. Time flowed different for his people as they were present across the events of history. Elthas continued to sing calmly as he thought about the situation at hand. The Goblin attack was likely the start of something bigger. It's been some years since the last organized assault hasn't it? Elthas shook his head. His head hurt as he tried to think about the situation at hand.

Elthas had to wonder...Why now...?

As he cooked though he considered what else of his own supplies he could add to the meal he was preparing. Spices would be good...but he didn't want to leave the supplies by themselves. So he would make due with what he had. He turned towards Nevin and smiled when he saw the lad was missing for a bit...probably gathering more stuff, Elthas assumed that. We're here to work so let's get this all going correct. I'll gather more traps when dinner is ready. Elthas knew, you could not hunt on an empty stomach.

[Nevin]

Nevin nodded his head towards the small piles of plants sitting next to Elthas, then tilted his head towards Aphrael, who trilled pleased little flute notes at him and dropped down onto his shoulder, making the alchemist twist slightly as he adjusted to the addition of her weight. He pulled himself to his face and walked over to sit across the fire from the Elf, watching his erstwhile companion as he continued to cook the food. "So, I'd ask what led you out here and to me today - I'd probably be heading back soon if we'd not met up." It was a little strange to see Elthas here - the man had been busy doing oddjobs after the Goblin attack had thrown the village into chaos. Maybe that was actually why he was out here? He had had traps with animals in them hanging from his belt when he showed up.

Elthas seemed to have something on his mind though - even though he'd been singing when Nevin returned, his eyes had been distant, focused on the fire, seeing something else inside of it. He almost hadn't seemed to notice Nevin's return, though for all the alchemist knew the Elf was actually keenly aware of him. Aphrael piped flute notes into his ear, and the redhead turned his head to look at her with one eye, raising an eyebrow before looking back to Elthas and shrugging the shoulder that the overly large corvid wasn't perched on. "My friend here reminds me I haven't introduced you two. This is Aphrael, who has decided I am her bondmate. Aphrael, this is Elthas, the first person I met here in Stonevale." And really the first person that Nevin had talked to for more than two minutes outside of his work or the smithy.

"Hmm. In any case, if we're out here at night, I should probably see if there are any herbs or animals that only show up at night that I could use for some alchemy. Hm." Nevin drummed his fingers against his leg as he thought about it. He didn't know what animals dwelt in the forest at night, and he hadn't exactly packed for combat - but he always had his knife with him, and he did have glass vials along too. Maybe there would be a point where he could slip away from Elthas' watchful eye and harvest some blood?

[Elthas]

Despite his friend being there...something troubled The Elf.

He kept staring at the fire for a long moment.

Thinking about the day of The Goblin attack. Elthas rose to help protect his friends and the town...he'd done the right thing. But something didn't sit well with him. He wore a frown on his handsome face since the day of the attack. There was something troubling him...something he kept hidden away from everyone. There was something else guiding The Goblin attack. There had to have been...they were not acting alone. Elthas knew that things happened for a reason...good people died all the time. But they had risen together to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

And yet there was that hidden something there.

Elthas turned to look towards Nevin and Aphrael. "Sorry if I seem distant. Something is troubling me." From what Elthas knew of Goblin folk, they did oft raid the settlements of Humes in small bands and things of that nature. But the fact that no Overlord was present...bothered Elthas a lot.

Normally, The Goblin folks rally under some sort of a central leadership. Was this the start of something bigger?

Elthas wish he knew more.

"We didn't learn anything." Elthas said out loud. "In the mad rush to defeat them all, we didn't gather any information about future attacks." Elthas partially blamed himself, but he knew that Goblins would not just readily give up any of that sort of information. Another thought bothered him as well. I need to be able to protect Stonevale... He thought about Nan, about the folks living in Stonevale, and he thought about Sketch and Ezra. Often. He'd made friends very quickly that day and that sort of bond never faded away easily.

Elthas was looking at Nevin at that point. "I don't mean to trouble you with such concerns, old friend." Elthas was a deep thinker, and he was afraid he'd missed a vital clue someplace. As he considered the situation, he looked at the food and then he looked back towards Nevin. "Dinner's about ready. I'm sure we can talk better on a full stomach." Elthas tried his best to flash one of his Stonevale famous smiles. But it didn't look correct because of the troubles on his mind. "Did you find many herbs to restock for your shop?" Elthas asked.

[Nevin]

Nevin tilted his head to one side as he considered what the Elf said. It was true that in the rush to deal with the Goblins, the rescue group had rather handily dealt with them. And the fiends had seemed to be a wandering raiding group, as they hadn't even had a camp anywhere nearby that he remembered. But truth be told, there was something about the attack that had been bothering the Alchemist as well, so he waved off the attempt at redirecting the conversation, instead leaning forward and staring into the fire himself.

"On the one hand, it could have just been prompted by the Mountain Goblin. He could have been an outcast from his Tribe, and when he came here he ended up gathering up some other outcasts and began attacking wildly. They do tend to be more feral and antagonistic than the ones around here." He took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he frowned. "On the other hand. A Mountain Goblin shouldn't have been able to get out here on its own, even as an outcast. That may just have been a raiding party, and we didn't even see the actual band. The missing Overlord? Might be somewhere else entirely. We... May need to look for them. And I don't trust the village guards to do that." He folded his arms over his chest and sighed, leaning back as Aphrael trilled worriedly at him. The alchemist reached up and stroked the corvid's head, one finger running between her eyes as he did so.

"We know they aren't in the forest - your people would have definitely noticed a Tribe if there was one moving around in the woods. But there are the hills near the mines - no one's been back there in years from what I've heard." Nevin reached out and snagged some of the meat from the fire, tearing off a strip and feeding it to Aphrael before eating some himself. "What do you think my friend? Up to going exploring?"

[Elthas]

Elthas thought about what Nevin was saying.

He admired the boy's ability to keep his head in the right place. And was glad that they were friends. He rubbed his chin calmly and considered what Nevin said. "Yes. We will search the hills for clues. Maybe they will provide something to the mystery. But I also have to try to accept that this really could have been just a raiding party." Nevin's words made a lot of sense. It was worth it to go searching the hils and trying to see how that strong one had gotten so close to the mines. Elthas would be the first to admit that he knew dreadfully little about The Goblin folks.

There was no way of knowing until they searched...and search they would.

But later on in the morning, or the next day. For now, the three friends would eat. Elthas took a few strips of the meet with his eating utensils. He offered Nevin and Aphrael a place as well as some eating fork and knife for Nevin. Elthas primarily, did not like to eat with his bare hands.

It was a cultural thing for his people.

As he ate he thought about a few matters. He started to sing for his friend, and the present bird. Likely a familiar of some sort. Elthas ate calmly and took a pull of the fresh well water he'd grabbed before he'd left town. He handed Nevin a water skin as well. "Always got to be prepared." Elthas tried to consider how long he'd been away from home. The Forest Elves had a settlement in the forests near Stonevale, but home was in Ruild. Concordia Forest. Though truth be told, his people considered the entire forest of Corone, Scara Brae included, to be Ruild. Elthas was certain The Great Tree of his people would approve.

He missed home, The Great Tree of his people. He was certain his family would understand that Stonevale needed him. Needed his strength. "I'm also thinking about my family." Elthas had taken time to write parcel back home periodically. He also kept in frequent contact with them. He would be home someday soon. For the time being, he liked it in Stonevale. He'd made a number of allies, and friends that would accompany him as long as they lived. He fought and bled alongside them. "You never did tell me before, Nevin. Do you have family someplace worried about you, or waiting for you?" Elthas found himself quite curious about Nevin. He trusted the boy, but he also knew very little about him. Fate had thrust them together, and that was the important thing in Elthas's mind...

[Nevin]

"Look at it this way." Nevin blew across the meat before taking a bite. It was hot, fresh, but unfortunately a bit bland - not that it really mattered when Nevin had ended up sleeping the day away. He swallowed and turned his dark eyes towards Elthas. "We go look through the hills, and you can put your mind at ease. Either we will know for sure that the Goblins have a camp there, or we will know for sure that the raiders you guys dealt with were the only ones. Going to look can only be a good thing." He sat back, taking the offered water skin and taking a long drink. Aphrael trilled at him before taking off, wings beating in the air as she went to search for her own food and drink - not particularly keen on the cooked meat. Nevin watched her go before turning back to look at Elthas, then down at his hands for a long minute before replying with a shrug.

"No, no family. I went through... a rather rough period, and my ties with my past were rather forcibly severed, against my will." That was as polite, and edited a version of his history as he was willing to give. The Elf across from him was, or at least tried to be, a good man, and he didn't need to be dealing with the rather sordid tale. Especially not when he was already in mental turmoil over the Goblin attack - maybe someday he would tell his friend what had happened to him...but Stare only knew because she had an ability that let her see the trauma that apparently still left its mark on his soul. "I grew up in Salvar, towards the outskirts of the country. I started making my trade as an herbalist, looking towards becoming an alchemist one day. Then I started to travel, to see the world and to expand my horizons. There was an accident - and now, well, I can't go home." Nevin grew quiet for a long few minutes, staring into the crackling fire before him. Eventually his eyes traveled upwards to Elthas.

"After the accident, I mostly drifted, looking for a place to settle down. I was taken in by the smith who trained me for a while, but you know what happened there. Then, I ended up here. This very clearing I think."

[Elthas]

He is an exile...I couldn't picture living such a way. He hides his strength of character. Elthas reached out and patted the boy's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him. As he listened to Nevin's story there was a mystery there that Elthas actually appreciated. He liked mystery, the Humes were always a curious lot to Elthas. Capable of so many great things. Elthas nodded after a moment. And agreed to Nevin's plan to re-search the hills just to put the issue to rest...at least for the time being. He needed to be certain his friends in Stonevale were no longer at risk from future attacks. So he ate calmly with Nevin by his side.

"As soon as we're both done eating we will search the hills thoroughly. I know the Guard Captain can't spare resources for that." Elthas knew they were both on their own should they find something else there in the hills. "If we find anything out there...we should bring it to The Guard Captain. Sketch had it correct, examining the Goblin's bodies. And the others who found that small, abandoned camp. But still I want to make certain that there are no more ambush parties comings." Elthas was sincerely concerned about The Goblin attack and wanted to be certain that they did everything they could to prevent another disaster.

Elthas took a sip from the water skin and capped it shortly after. He looked up at the night sky and nodded. "The stars are with us." Elthas said calmly. He knew a few of the constellations of Althanas, but only a few. He didn't know all of them though he'd always admired the stars and fancied what might be out there in the great beyond. His wilderness survival skills had allowed him to learn a great many things about surviving in harsh forests. The forests of Althanas would provide in times of need. Elthas looked at Nevin with a soft nod. "We'll rest a bit and then start out after that. No good fighting a potential enemy on an empty stomach anyway." Elthas said with one of his dashing smiles.

[Nevin]

Nevin grunted as Elthas agreed to his idea. Hopefully this would set the Elf's mind at ease for a time about the invasion of Goblins he seemed to fear was coming. And if they did find indications that a horde was on the approach? Well, in that case it was better that they were forewarned of the approaching danger, instead of having it come upon them suddenly.

Still, as they were finishing their meals - and apparently resting, according to Elthas' idea - Nevin tilted his head to Aphrael, who trilled at him before taking to the sky, her black and red form blending into the dark sky as her silent wing beats carried her upwards. The alchemist turned his gaze to the Elf, and raised an eyebrow before explaining.

"She will begin scouting for us. In general, her night vision is far superior to my own. She will try to find points of interest for us to inspect more closely." He sat back, folding his arms across his chest. Having an idea of where to search would be better than aimlessly floundering about in the dark, he felt.

[Elthas]

As if on cue, Elthas grabbed two branches nearby and lit them both on fire. They were fashioned into simplistic torches, and he wrapped them both before lighting them up with spare cloth shirts. The tips would light their way. He handed one of the torches to Nevin. "Here." Elthas said calmly. He gathered his things and left behind what needed to be left behind. He made sure his Mythril Daggers were in place. At that point he started off into the wilderness with Nevin in tow.

Thankfully, the light from the torches created a sort of ambiance.

Shadows flickered just beyond the light, and the stars above also lit their way.

Elthas knew the area really well at that point and could track his way to the hill. Surprisingly though, Elthas did not speed off ahead of Nevin. He wanted the chance to talk with his friend. He kept his torch raised carefully and with his left hand as he stood at Nevin's side. He moved very carefully through the wilderness. They had to journey beyond the mines, and that would take a little while on foot. Elthas studied the area around them knowing full well anything could be hiding in the shrubbery.

The trees were not the same as the trees of Concordia Forest...Ruild. However, they were still the trees of a forest and Elthas felt at home in the wilderness. As they walked Elthas decided it best to remain silent. And soon...they were getting closer to the hills in question. The Guard Captain informed Elthas in an earlier date where The Goblin camp previously was located. The bodies of The Goblins were properly disposed but not before Sketch could analyze them carefully. And soon, they'd arrived at the location in question. Elthas stabbed his torch into the ground carefully, making sure that it would light their way. As he stood there, he thought about what was needed, what was called for. "We need to find any clues." Elthas knelt down and saw that there were some tracks on the ground. Apparently, there had been a number of The Goblins and only that group of five made it to Stonevale.

"There were a bunch of them. I wonder what really happened out here." Elthas touched the ground for a moment. The Goblin prints were still identifiable on the ground. Elthas turned towards Nevin at that point. "We need to figure out where the others went...and if there are more." Elthas confirmed his worst fear. And then up ahead, he saw something he didn't see the first time they'd come to the camp. How could I have missed this...? There, glowing in the shrubbery was a small Goblin Totem. A pagan object used for strange rituals. Elthas stood up and walked towards the strange discovery. "Nevin come take a look at this...Totem." Elthas said calmly as he realized there had been use of The Goblins' shamanistic magics there.

[Nevin]

Nevin had been searching through the abandoned camp, his disquiet growing. There was something wrong here, something off - it looked like things had been moved, and recently, more recently than Ezra's search. As the alchemist was frowning, his eyes scanning the ground trying to see if anything was out of place -

Elthas called for him, wrenching his attention away from his own search. A last glance around, and Nevin's long legs carried him across the deserted camp to where the Elf was standing. The other man was holding something in one hand, a soft glow of light emanating from between his slender fingers - and as Nevin got closer, his eyes widened.

A Shamanistic Totem was curled in Elthas' hand, the Elf rolling it back and forth as he examined it. It took a grest deal of mental effort not to smack the vile thing out of Elthas' hand, his body shivering with disgust. As it was he reached out and took the Totem from Elthas and dropped it on the ground, grinding it under his heel. Unseen to the Elf, red tendrils snaked out from Nevin's leg and curled around his boot, piercing the wooden totem.

There was a strange wail, and the Totem shattered under his foot as Nevin snarled. Under three cover of night the red tendrils slid back into Nevin's skin as he moved his foot and spat on the remains.

"Goblins are vile creatures, as you have no doubt learned. Their magics are born of rape and misery, their Totems bathed in the blood of victims that have been captured by the Tribe in order to fuel their spells. Vile, disgusting things." Nevin's explanation was terse and his tone was repulsed. His dark eyes slid across the area around them as he tensed up.

"We aren't alone here, Elthas. Aphrael can see movement."

[Elthas]

At that point when Nevin smacked the item out of his hand, he noticed it.

His hand burned with a raw energy that he'd seldom felt in his life. At that point he really regretted the fact that he didn't have any of the arcane gifts of his people. He clutched at his hand for a moment and growled as he felt a tremendous amount of pain. His hand smoldered from the fell energies the totem was attempting to conjure. He felt a bit of relief a moment or two later almost immediately after coming in contact with the small item and after Nevin destroyed it. Elthas gasped, trying to get a grip on himself. He shook his head after a moment and looked at Nevin.

"There..." Elthas gasped just then. He saw them approaching quickly, his eyes sharp and seasoned. "We aren't alone." Elthas confirmed.

Three figures emerged from the shadows, Goblins. And stepped out of them. The leader of The Goblins stepped forward. He spoke, in perfect common-tongue. "You were fools to come back here." He began. "We were scouting out the defenses of your people...but now you have confirmed what we original thought." The Goblin was drawing his poison etched sword at that point. "We are going to gut you two. You have interfered for the last time." The Goblin said.

Elthas blinked as The Goblin spoke. His hand felt a little bit better at that point, though there was smoke still streaming off his hand. Elthas reacted quicker at that point to protect his friend Nevin. One of The Goblins reached forward towards Nevin with his dagger weapon. Elthas reacted quicker. He intercepted The Goblin with his own mythril dagger and the two weapons clashed with a spark. Elthas looked at The Goblin. "To arms, my friend!" Elthas yelled, certain not to reveal Nevin's name to the enemy...

[Nevin]

Things had gone sour quickly, very quickly. The Goblins were upon them in moments, and Nevin had to fight back an urge to curse vehemently. He hadn't anticipated combat, didn't even have his staff with him. All he had was his dagger. It would have to be enough - Elthas was busy fighting already, and he wasn't going to be burden. The alchemist tore his dagger from his belt and split off to one side, drawing away the Goblin that had attacked him.

Nevin was relying on Elthas' speed to be enough for the Elf handle himself against the other two creatures. This one was his fight, as he lured it away from the others. The alchemist shot one last look at Elthas before diving behind one of the half-standing tents. The Goblins chasing him let out a gleeful cackle and gave chase, thinking that the scrawny human was scared of it and trying to run and hide.

That was hardly the case though. No, Nevin had wanted this one out of sight of Elthas before he dealt with it. The cackling creature rounded the corner, dagger up and poised to lunge for a killing blow on what he thought was a cowering human -

And instead nearly ran face first into Nevin’s dagger as it flashed through the air. As it was, the flung blade gouged a line through the Goblin’s forehead, sending a cascade of blood down over one eye, partially blinding the thing. It let out an angry, pained howl, and charged forward, now certain that the stupid human had thrown away his only defense, and sure of its victory.

As it got just shy of range of stabbing him, cables of red shot out from Nevin’s outstretched arm, wrapping around the wrist of the hand that held the Goblin’s dagger. The beast found its momentum halted as Nevin stepped forward, smashing his shoulder into its chest as his threads yanked hard on the arm. It gave a cough as the air was forced from its lungs, and Nevin’s threads coiled tight and squeezed, the tearing threads ripping flesh from the arm as he reached up and grabbed its throat.

The Goblin tried to scream, but with no air in its lungs and Nevin’s grip around its throat, it got only a tiny squeak out. The red cord unwrapped from the now useless arm, and shot down to wrap around the hilt of the Goblin's dagger. The weapon was lifted to Nevin’s hand, and mercilessly he shoved the blade into the Goblin’s clear eye, ramming the weapon all the way in to the hilt. A moment of silence passed and the monster slumped, lifeless, in the Alchemist’s grasp.

Moving quickly now, Nevin dropped the body, ripping the blade free from the ruined eye, and ran to help Elthas, his threads retreating back into his skin and under his clothes, once more out of sight.

[Elthas]

In a moment or two, the first Goblin lay dead on the ground. Elthas reacted quickly to slice the creature's throat. As he looked at The Goblin leader, the two hated enemies began to fight. Grass and shrubbery beneath Elthas' boots began to get stained with the black ichor of the fallen Goblins. Elthas engaged the leader. Somehow, the creature was able to keep up with Elthas' full speed burst. It was an older, skilled Goblin and it had power in it's eyes. Elthas noticed that and he thought back to what Nevin had said. Their magic and sorcery is born out of rape and misery and suffering... The thought sent chills down his spine. The Goblin and Elthas exchanged several parrying blows, and The Goblin held Elthas at bay for a moment.

"You have no idea what is going on do you?" The Goblin suddenly spoke attempting to throw Elthas off.

"I know enough...I know you are putting my people in danger and I must protect them." Elthas said defiantly.

"There is more going on than you realize here. Your friend had it correct...about the nature of our magic and power." The Goblin said. "You think you have the upper hand here. So confident you are, but you don't know the whole truth."

Elthas frowned as he parried another strike. He is messing with me...there is something I'm not seeing here... Elthas suddenly broke off the attack and jumped backwards disengaging the enemy. He looked at The Goblin. "What...do you want?" Elthas figured that The Goblin wanted something. As he stood there he clenched his daggers tightly, genuinely interested in what The Goblin was hiding at that point.

The Goblin smiled wickedly. "You're smarter than the others. But your friend has the right idea." The Goblin began. "We have been stealing your folks from Stonevale over time. Nobody notices someone missing here and there. The attack on your mine was a distraction, a preemptive strike." The Goblin continued. "We have an ulterior plan. Elf. Stonevale is just the beginning." The Goblin wave his hand and a small totem manifested in his hand. "Even now your people suffer a fate worse than death itself." The Goblin put his totem on the ground and challenged Elthas at that point. "If you want to know the truth come after me, Elf." The Goblin grinned and started to cackle. He then vanished into the shadows at that point, and left.

Elthas thought about everything he'd just learned. He looked at The Goblin's totem. Have they been growing in power this entire time? And I've been too stupid to see it? He couldn't loose sight of who he was over an ancient enemy. He knew at that point he needed to find Nevin. He turned around and saw Nevin quickly approaching. "Hey, there you are. Man...we have a huge problem right now." Elthas looked down at the glowing red totem that The Goblin placed there, it was an invitation to a much larger battle.

"Some of the Stonevale citizens were kidnapped by The Goblins...and nobody noticed that. We have to find our people." Elthas said, his anger was filling his heart, but he needed to think clearly on the matter before proceeding forward into a trap.

[Nevin]

Nevin had heard the end of the confrontation, and the challenge. And he had frozen, dark eyes wide. His gaze shot to the sky, to where Aphrael was still flying, blended into the darkness. A faint trill reached his ears, and she began searching for where the blasted Goblin had fled. His fingers curled into a tight fist, leather creaking as he gripped the dagger in his hand tightly.

"I had noticed a few faces not coming in recently, but I had attributed it to them not needing potions recently. This is.... Elthas. You're faster than I am. Aphrael and I will continue to search - I'll stay here as a point of contact, she'll look from the skies. Return back to Stonevale as quickly as you can - we need reinforcements if there are more Goblins out here." Nevin's voice was hard as he sat down in front of the totem.

He was examining the thing. He could feel the waves of repulsive magic flowing from the damn able thing. He could feel that dozens of sacrifices had been worked over this thing, it practically stank for blood and death to him. It was an abominable thing, and the alchemist intended on smashing it as soon as he knew it was safe to.

High above, the massive black and red corvid swung further, circling out in the sky as she hunted for where the Goblin had come from. Through her human, she could feel the taint of the magic from the totem. And with that, she could detect it as soon as she was close to another source. It was only a matter of time before she tracked down where the vile feeling came from.

[Elthas]

Elthas eyed the totem for a moment, and sighed briefly.

He was strong, but he still felt powerless against many of the world's greatest mysteries. As he stood there he looked towards Nevin. "Do what you need to. I'll track your friend, and I'll find our people. Don't worry. I promise you I won't fail...even if it costs me my life." Elthas was an Elf, and they took promises very seriously. He turned towards the direction the large bird was flying towards, and proceeded forward on a mad dash to meet with the enemy head on. To his discovery, judging by the short distance that the bird had flown towards he knew The Goblin had jumped relatively close by. Elthas bounded towards the direction he saw Nevin's bird flying.

Best speed forward.

And what he found, further up the hill, and up that Stonevale region mountainside was a small camp of several Goblins. Further, there were several makeshift huts set up and this camp was further south on the road than the rest of their base in the mountains would have been. They have a camp here...?! Elthas was not gifted with magic in the traditional sense of the word. His body was gifted with boons from The Great Tree of his people. As he arrived, he noticed that The Goblin's leader was standing at the front section of the camp.

The Goblin started to clap as Elthas arrived. "You are here...good."

Elthas readied his daggers, as he got close to the camp he could hear screams of the captured villagers. His hand, touched by the fell magic of The Goblins...burned with a harsh pain. He flinched for a moment and noticed how many there were snarling and cackling at Elthas...he'd come alone. "I'm not a coward." Elthas began. He looked around, there were six crudely fashioned, but livable mud huts. Traditional Goblin architecture...if there was such a thing. Elthas bounded forward but stopped directly in front of The Goblin, a mere few paces away. "You've been planning this all along? You're The Overlord from before?" Elthas had to know.

"I'm no Overlord...but there is one present if you have to know." The Goblin rubbed his chin for a moment. As if deep in thought. "So now that you are here, you see what we have planned for your precious Stonevale." The Goblin continued to talk. "Even if you defeat me, there are others...we have long prepared for this day. The day we shall have our revenge against your people." The Goblin frowned at that point. "Far too long your cities in Scara Brae, and in Stonevale have hunted us like we were naught more than animals. Well today, the animals will have their revenge."

Elthas listened very carefully to what The Goblin was saying. How could I have been so stupid...I tried to warn them all... Elthas shook his head. He needed to think and think quickly, on the fly. There were far too many and their weapons were likely dripping with poisons. A few were even basic archers, and prepared their crude arrows, aiming them at Elthas. Elthas did not falter, or take a step back. Instead, he looked at The Goblin's leader. "I suppose there is no running from this then. You have chosen your side and I have chosen mine." Elthas started to slowly walk towards The Goblin. As Elthas did that, The Goblin commanded his fellows to lower their bows. They did so. "Fate has been unkind to both of us." Elthas said...and suddenly attacked The Goblin dashing forward at best speed. The fellow reacted just as quickly, his reaction time quite impressive. And he intercepted Elthas with his own sword...

,,,And that's how the final battle began.

[Nevin]

Nevin could feel Aphrael's alarm as she watched from the skies as Elthas clashed with the Goblins. They had seem amused by his arrival from what the bird could make out - and Nevin snarled in frustration as he realized he would not be able to make it to where the Elf had gone in time to help. A command to Aphrael - to harry and distract when she could, raking claws on the Goblins as Elthas fought to survive.

But then his attention was pulled away from his friend's fight by a weird bubbling sound. It wasn't normal - it sounded like a strange popping sludge, thick and viscous. The Alchemist's eyes snapped open and he looked around. There hadn't been anything around him that could make a noise like that except for —

The totem. Almost unwillingly Nevin looked back to it. The reddish aura that had been surrounding the thing had thickened while he was focused on his familiar, and now it was a tangible thing, a sludge that corroded the air and earth it came in contact with. The popping sound was coming from it - bubbles were forming in the sludge, and as another popped it released a foul odor. The man rolled back as the gunk surged outwards - and as he stood up, he was witness to the sludge shivering and pulling inwards, back to the totem, and wrapping around it.

Nevin watched in mute horror as the sludge formed into a loose approximation of a human body - only about half again as large, and with no head. As he stared, faces formed in the goop, screaming wordlessly, their expressions rictuses of agony and misery. It charged at him with a gurgling bellow, one slimy arm raising high into the air as it prepared to crush him into the ground.

[Elthas]

"It has begun, Elf." The Goblin said to Elthas at that point. He looked far away for a moment and then focused back on Elthas as he charged into battle. The Goblin intercepted Elthas with a parrying sword. And looked at Elthas. There was strangely not hatred in The Goblin's eyes...but something far more dreadful. Far more dangerous. The Goblin appeared sinister and calm, as if it were planning the downfall of a much larger enemy. "When your kingdoms burn, who will you turn to for help?" The Goblin mused out loud. "Your Thayne have no power here. The Forgotten Ones are silent, and there is only our wills to create The Future."

"I won't let you harm anyone else." Elthas said quickly, a rage suddenly seething in his heart. His hand burned him at that point, as he held his dagger, the hand that came in contact with the totem he'd grabbed. He felt a rage swelling in his heart that he never felt before. Normally, Elthas was quite a passive individual. He preferred peace to sudden acts of violence, but he knew that this time...there was no avoiding it. The surging in his hand became more intense. At that point, Elthas felt something terrifying in his mind. Something similar to The Goblin's Fell Magics, but far darker. Hidden, in the depths of his heart...he knew it was always there. Waiting, longing for release.

Elthas' mind slowed down at that point as the burning in his hand became all too real. Steam swirled off his hand, as he clutched his dagger tightly. And then he was overwhelmed with a different Boon. Not a Boon of The Great Tree...but a Boon from somewhere far darker. The Void, The Darkness. It burned his hand a lot and burned his heart and soul, and he began to cry at that point. But the transformation was not visible to Elthas. Instead, The Goblin suddenly had a terrified look on his face.

"You...!!! How did you...!?" The Goblin demanded, but it was already too late.

The burning fire within Elthas scorched him to his very soul. He was crying red-stained blood. His face a mask of sheer rage that was maddening. Time stood still for The Elf as he dropped his daggers for a moment and suddenly PUNCHED The Goblin square in the head. There was a sickening wet smack as Elthas hit him. Then, Elthas began to howl like a mad beast, the present Goblins suddenly became extremely terrified at what they were witnessing. After a moment or two, Elthas had literally beaten The Goblin's skull in with his fist. The skin around his hand was glowing with a red energy, residue from The Totem he'd come in contact with. Residue from a Fell source of power.

The creature's skull was smashed asunder as Elthas pounded it into the ground. His fist and knuckles bleeding, empowering The Fell energies coursing through his veins. Elthas howled like a madman once more, and started to attack The Goblins, one by one. Howling and snarling like a beast would...

...something had happened.

Something foul, and dark and truly terrifying.

[Nevin]

The weighty sludge arm smashed down, enveloping the area in muck that ate away at the very ground around where it had landed. Nevin thankfully wasn't there - he had rolled to the side, and was staring in horror at the ground. It wasn't like acid melting away the earth - whatever this nightmare was it was literally pulling the ground into it, and he could see that the arm was swelling as it consumed the soil. Rocks and grass didn't seem to slow it down any, as they were embedded in the arm as it rose up back into the air, and he stared at it he could see them sinking inwards.

This was dangerous. It was growing with every step that he saw it take, as even its pillar like feet were eating the earth. If this thing got into the village, by the time it got there it would cause untold destruction. It was at its most vulnerable now, when it was only just getting going. Now it was small, even if not that small - it was still easily ten feet tall, and growing as it walked toward him.

Nevin flung the dagger into the one of the screaming faces that was turned towards him. The blade sunk into the sludge, and for a moment Nevin saw that the toxin upon the metal was affecting it - but then a fresh wave of red-purple goop surged out of a 'mouth' over the dagger, and the weapon vanished from sight. A new face appeared, and black ooze dribbled from its eyes as its mouth opened in a rictus of a scream.

Normal weapons wouldn't work on this thing, Nevin could tell. But how on earth could he fight it? It was learning even now as he dodged out of the way of its attacks - the sludge like arms were snaking out wide and wider, starting to form into scoops. Even when it missed those arms ripped up chunks of the earth, folding those pieces into itself, consuming more and more. At this rate it was only a matter of time before it caught him.

Cables of red unspoiled from his arm, bursting forth in a vibrant wave of crimson that shone with an inner light as Nevin faced off against the nightmarish construct. His eyes glimmered in the light from his tendrils, the red in them shining more brightly as his magic flared.

"By the Crimson, I will pass your souls on and let you rejoin the flow. May the next life treat you better."

[Elthas]

Fifteen minutes passed...

Elthas broke the last one's neck with his bare hands.

A screaming sound filled his head as he stood there gasping and screaming for a moment or three. Elthas stood there and looked at his hand. There was a burning set of void symbols on his hand, eldritch symbols. He felt a tremendous pain flowing outward from his hand. Corrupting his very nature. At that point, he was starting to calm down. He'd allowed The Void to feed through his body. Through his very hand. As he stood there, he cried the same tears of blood from earlier.

Then, he remembered something.

I-I'm supposed to be doing something... He felt as if he'd been hiding a seething rage deep in his heart. That horrible Goblin totem had awakened something fierce and deadly within him. As he gasped for air he finally felt the rage subsiding for a long enough moment that he could think normally. He blinked a few moments and wiped the tears of blood from his face. He felt fire in his lungs and heart. He took a look around and saw nothing but dead Goblins everywhere. I...I did this...? Elthas thought to himself. He realized at that point that there were people nearby he needed to rescue.

He walked towards the huts and entered one of them, inside he saw cages with people from Stonevale. My people...my family... Elthas acted immediately and began to undo the cages and try to rescue any of the survivors. Some of The Stonevale citizens had already been killed, sacrificed to The Void. But there were a few survivors. One, a girl he knew that Elthas had always liked from earlier looked up as if from far away. She saw Elthas and smiled for the first time in a long time, she'd been suffering.

Her body was bruised and scared. "E-Elthas...?" She called out weakly. "I can't see..."

"Those monsters did this to you." Elthas worked to cover her up and picked her up. He gathered what survivors he could. He manged to find five still alive. Have they been kidnapping folks over and over under our noses...? I can't...I won't forgive this... Elthas had chosen his side. The Void. He would use The Void to exact revenge on The Goblins someday. But for now, he had to get the survivors back to Nevin and Stonevale proper. He carried the girl with him. The others were still able to walk...

He clothed them as best he could.

One of the survivors, a man named Llrekyth, looked around. "E-Elthas there were at least twenty...how did you do this?" The man was stunned at what he'd seen. Absolute carnage of every last of The Goblins present.

"The point is there dead. Every last one of them. I have to take you all to safety now." And Elthas began the journey back towards Nevin with the survivors in tow...

He had picked a side.

[Nevin]

A thin tendril of sludge shot out, snaking towards Nevin. Reacting on instinct, the crimson threads wove into a shield and met the attack, and Nevin felt a strange.... Affront? Indignity? Some emotion like those shot through him, almost as if he was insulted. The sludge washed against the protective barrier - but didn't take it in, didn't eat it. It tried, sucking against the shield, but Nevin's threads were more than they could handle.

And Nevin knew he had a weapon against this thing. His crimson threads weren't absorbed by the sludge, and he could defend and attack with them. So he lashed out, his arm swinging out a lasso of threads that wrapped around one of the sludge-arms. With a mighty pull, he yanked backwards, tightening the noose of the lasso. Slowly the coil of crimson cut through the sludge, until with a heavy plop and thump, the arm fell off.

For a moment, Nevin felt victorious. He had broken this thing's power - but before he could even finish exulting in the minor victory, the abomination of magic and despair stepped on its severed arm, and the sludge was immediately reabsorbed into itself, and the arm regrew. His effort, undone, the damage erased.

Disbelief, anger, despair. The alchemist's gut curled into a knot. He had hoped that severing the sludge would render it inert to the creation - he hadn't expected it would be smart enough to recover it, and so quickly. He would need something else, some other way of defeating this monstrosity. The only question was, how was it vulnerable? Poison hadn't worked, nor had ripping a limb clean off.

It came to him, as he rolled out of the way of a trio of tendrils that tried to coil around him. The totem, that was the source of the vile magic, and it was somewhere at the center of this mass. He had to get that, get it out and destroy it. But that meant getting close, so that his threads could reach into the sludge and find the totem.

So the next time the disgusting sludge shot for him, Nevin wrapped his threads tight around his clothes, protecting him as the abomination grabbed him. It hoisted him into the air, and drew him in closer, and the blood mage knew that it intended on shoving him into its chest to consume him. It wasn't smart enough to realize that if it's arm wasn't eating him, it wouldn't be able to either. But that was fine by him.

Three feet - two feet - one foot - there. He was close to the imposing wall of sludge, and the stench this close was completely disgusting, and he found his head swimming as he struggled to breathe through the putrid odors that made his bile rise. Hopefully he wouldn't have to bear this long, as he thrust his crimson tendrils into the sludge wrapped around him, sending it back into the creation's body.

Searching, twisting, winding, the threads ran through the body, darting back and forth as they sought out the source of the corruptive filth around them. Nevin was beginning to worry - if he had to he could entirely encase himself in his threads, but at that point he didn't know if he would even be able to breathe to survive. Just as his head was about to be shoved face first into the purple-red ooze, he found what he was searching for.

His tendrils wove together and wrapped around the totem, and with a mighty heave they ripped the statuette free of the sludge. It froze, stiff and almost in shock, and then began vibrating. Nevin fell to the ground as the sludge-thing released him, its arms blindly groping about, trying to find the totem before it ran out. But it was too late by then - Nevin had rolled away, taking the totem with him as he moved further, and he stood up as the sludge beast collapsed, the filth beginning to dissolve.

But even as that sludge disappeared, more of the gunk was forming around the totem, shimmering into existence around the statuette. With a snarl, Nevin completely encased the thing in crimson loops, and tightened them inexorably, smashing the disgusting magical artifact to a fine powder. When the vile feeling of dark magic no longer flowed, he slowly released his crushing grasp, and a brown-white powder ran to the ground, all that was left of the thing.

His tendrils retracted into his skin, and Nevin adjusted his clothes as his chest heaved with exertion. The surrounding area looked absolutely demolished, chunks of earth just gone, and most of the remnants of the Goblins camp had also been absorbed during the fight. But of the abomination of magic, nothing remained but the powder of the totem.

[Elthas]

Elthas arrived a few minutes after Nevin defeated the fell creature that The Totem called forth into their world. All Elthas saw was residue of magic in the air. There were holes in the ground, smashed trees, and other mysterious phenomenon. As Elthas arrived he looked around with his single currently working eye. One of his eyes was blood shot and closed. He carried the one girl with him. The other four survivors followed closely behind Elthas, not wanting to stray too far.

"What the hell happened here?" One of the survivors asked.

Elthas wore a small grin on his face. "I don't think we want to know." Elthas shook his head. He assumed quickly the magical residue was Nevin's doing, and that the second Totem was destroyed. He looked at his friend who also seemed quite ragged and tired. "I found these folks, Nevin. We need to get back to Stonevale." Elthas said, glad that the rage awakened by The Void was subsided and he was able to think clearly once more. Elthas was also quite tired and needed to eat and sleep after that. But before his own needs, the citizens of Stonevale needed to be returned home. Elthas nodded towards Nevin and began the silent walk back towards Stonevale. To explain everything he'd learned, and what they were all really up against.

There is an Overlord present...Thaynes damn it. Elthas thought to himself, they'd won the day, but he was certain at that point that there would be many more battles to come. The Goblins were preparing for something dark and sinister and it was going to happen VERY soon. Elthas considered that. He would be ready. As they walked back to Stonevale, some of them limping, including Elthas himself. He'd been apparently hurt by The Goblins a second time. This time however, he'd not received any serious injuries.

As they walked forward, Elthas began to sing a sad song of his people.

[Nevin]

Nevin stood up, sore and tired from the fight. Even if he had avoided actual damage from the totemic beast, it had smashed into his shield a few times, and he had had to let it grab him to enact his plan to beat it. While he hadn't been touched by the corrosive, or absorbing fluid, it had put a great deal of pressure on him through threads. But it looked like he had come out of his fight better than Elthas had - the Elf was limping, and one eye was clamped shut.

But he had survivors. Five people, four following him and one in his arms. Nevin's hand curled into a fist as he stared at them before nodding. Getting these people home and safe was their top priority - he would come back and scour the earth of the signs of the Goblins once these people were securely in Stonevale.

High above, Aphrael began circling the travelers, her keen eyes scouring the night, making sure no Goblins snuck up on them as they traveled back to the town. He kept quiet as they walked, mulling over the events that had happened. The totemic beast had been a dangerous foe, and most conventional means of combat would have been utterly ineffective against it. Was it designed to be a weapon of war, or of terror? Either way, it would have devastated the town. The Goblins, it seemed, were quite serious about their war this time.

[Philomel]

Name of thread: Into the woods. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?489-Into-the-Woods-Elthas-Closed)
No Judgment.

Rewards:

Nevin (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?136-Nevin) recieves:
1540 Exp
155 GP

Elthas (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?21-Elthas) recieves:
1145 Exp
145 GP

[Philomel]

All rewards have been added