AC: Round 1 - Group 1

[Revenant]

This thread is reserved for member of Group 1. The thread will open at noon on August 18th (Pacific time) and will be closed after two weeks.

Good Luck!

Group 1
Kyla Orlouge - Amber Eyes
Dana - Dana
Artemis Eburi - SirArtemis
Play Back - Play Back

[Dana]

Dana woke up belching up seawater, opening her eyes in animal terror to the nauseating glare of afternoon sunlight. Wincing at the brightness, she tried to ignore the foul, acrid taste of salt and bile passing her dry, cracked lips as she coughed and spat violently. Her stomach churned and her body heaved seawater in an attempt to return to its own balance. Only when her body was satisfied in its survival did Dana roll over in the sand and away from the puddle of her own vomit and onto her back, covering her eyes from the glare of the sunlight to figure out where she was. She was covered in sand and soaked to the bone. It didn't take a lot to figure out she was on a sandy strip of some beach, and with the gentle waves lapping at her feet, her eyes followed the lazy S of a trail she left in the sand when the sea washed her ashore. Dana stared blankly at the wide swaths of claw marks that she must have made in her wild ascent to dry land before she lost consciousness. Her ears thundered with the sound of frothing waves crashing against the rocks near the shoreline. The grey blue sea was a violent, tumultuous place where waves of molten grey steel towered to create watery valleys in their negative space that would vanish an instant later when the waves would crash into one another. The awesome power of the sea and her near brush with death brought back memories, mere flashes of the near tragedy she avoided when she awoke adrift at sea, more than a mile from land. She could remember the feeling of being stricken with panic, the black terror she felt at that moment consuming her in a way that despair would have surely followed if the survivor in her hadn't fought for dominance.

From there, she left the safety of the driftwood she had been clinging to and swam for land. She remembered the feeling of hopelessness of seeing land that close, so close she could taste it, but knowing that it was more than a mile out and it could have been six feet and it wouldn't have made a difference. Dana had had friends who drowned in less. Memories of her fight for survival came flooding back then. How she swam and swam and swam to the point of exhaustion and then past it. She now remembered why her muscles ached and when she tried to sit up she got dizzy as her vision swam and began to blur. She fought and clawed her way through that sea, and fortune favors her that the current and the wind were both moving in favorable directions. It would be all too easy for the current to drag her back into the sea where no matter how hard she fought or how loud she screamed, she would die out there alone. With only her gaze locked at the miraculous sight of land, forever beyond her reach.

But it hadn't been that way.

Dana had swam more than half of that treacherous mile before she felt the awful danger of exhaustion and the onset of cramps threaten to cripple her pace. She had to stop numerous times to catch her breath, and the constant bobbing of her head in both directions to take in air and expel it had begun to make her disoriented. Occasionally she looked up to make sure she was still swimming in the direction of land. The last half of that mile was where she could only remember bits and pieces of. The frustration and anger of being cheated holding her, the feeling of fear that threatened to swallow her. The emotions she had felt returned lazily as those memories bubbled to the surface. And only when she could remember her feet touching the ground and her toes gripping the soft, wet sand beneath the waves did she give her last push as she strode ashore in that weird V shape swimmers always had when they were about to hit land. It was only when she made contact with the sandy bar of the beach did she heave herself ashore and shortly fell into the blackness of an exhausted sleep.

Dana grew angry at the thought of nearly perishing at sea and growled, "How hard would it have been for me to have woken up on the beach instead of almost dying out there?"

It was then she realized she wasn't alone. Beside her others began to awaken. Some dry, others soaked to the bone. Someone began to talk to her, but the ringing in her ears and the realization she had nearly drowned because of some oversight washed their voice away. Instead of acknowledging them, Dana fought the urge to vomit again as she staggered to her feet. She ignored her own possessions that were scattered along the shoreline and forgot the others as she looked inland. A tree line separated the beach from the rest of the island, but that wasn't what caught her eye. It wasn't the rolling hills or the rocky strips of what must have been cliffs that captivated her. It was the awesome sight of the mountain that towered above them all. It was so large it took up most of her vision, even at a distance. It was so tall that more than half of the mountain vanished above the clouds, only appearing intermittently in the sky that was speckled a dreary grey.

Despite the burning pain she felt in her muscles and in her bones that would make most others yelp and whimper in pain, Dana saw that mountain as a challenge and for the life of her she burst out laughing when she realized her first burning desire since she washed ashore on that accursed island. ..I kind've want to climb it, she thought defiantly.

Pausing only to pick up her things, Dana turned back to the tree line where a tall native of this island beckoned her. He was tall and black as the night sky. He wore only a loin cloth, and stood heavily upon his staff which was decorated all on its own. Though she couldn't tell how old he was or make out most of his features from this distance, she realized from the look of it that his face was painted white. Taking her things and beckoning the others lazily, Dana turned and began to walk towards the tribal who had grown so interested in them.

(The tribesman is our guide with more information about our goal for this adventure. He'll have a map, directions on where we are to go and we'll need to decide about whether or not we will go to his village for the night before we set off for that mountain. Our object for this adventure is to save a child who was kidnapped by a horde of tribals that are threatened to sacrifice him or her to their dark, savage god in exchange for ultimate power. How's that sound to the rest of you? Feel free to bunny Dana, the tribesmen and advancing this forward so we're not all sitting on the shoreline for another round of posts. Faster we get moving, the faster we can make that climb and start killing stuff. ;))

[SirArtemis]

'Is it morning already?' Artemis thought, thinking he was simply waking for his day-to-day life. Every morning, as part of routine, the sun crept in through the window of his room at The Bearded Gnome inn and riled him for a day of work at the Norlond Forge. Yet as he rolled over, instead of feeling the soft and smooth sheets of his bed, he felt the grainy and unpleasant sand of a beach. The methodical crashing of the waves nearby, rolling upon themselves as they finally reached land, added to his reality.

With the unfamiliarity came the memory of what he had been doing before he had fallen asleep - it surely was not his typical bedtime routine. He had been on another assignment for his wizardly friend, Daros, who sometimes asked for favors of the versatile young man. Of course, he would oblige, and in fact was urged to do so by his employers - the Norlond Brothers.

But why was he here? There was nothing exceptionally strange about Daros' request - despite that usually being the case. But while he sorted through the possibilities, he began to wonder whether this the tournament he had signed up for a few weeks prior. He recalled reading something about being whisked away to an island, but he didn't realize the methods would be so... abrupt. He would have happily taken a boat, whereas this method brought with it an uncomfortable reminder of an experience with someone called the Trapmaster.

With a sigh of resignation the young man pushed himself up off the hard-packed sand where the tide had recently receded and took a look around. He brushed his hands and black leather armor off and noticed a woman had been laying just a few yards away coughing up seawater.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked as he walked up to her briskly. But as he got close he saw an anger in the woman's eyes that made him hesitate. "Do you need any help?" She wasn't answering, she just ignored him and mumbled something with a growl before looking out ahead of her. Artemis followed her gaze and saw the ridiculous mountain set upon the island and a strange man standing a bit in the distance waiting for the group. When he looked back to the woman, her dirty blond hair full of seawater and sand, she simply leaned down to grab her things and walked off.

'Well she's a sweetheart,' Artemis thought, looking around again. He noticed two other people on the beach. One looked to be a boy - just a teenager - though Artemis' intuition told him that there was more to the young man than it may seem; and from experience, Artemis knew to trust his intuition. The other was a young lady and a bit older, and something seemed familiar about her. Hadn't he met her before?

Brushing his thoughts aside he knelt down to help the pair regain consciousness, knowing that the impatient blond who had walked ahead wouldn't wait long.

"Hey, wake up. Come on you two, we have to get moving." He gently tried to rile the two up, hoping they weren't too banged up from their potentially unpleasant landing.

[Amber Eyes]

“Give me a few more moments Akiv.” The mystic wiped at her eyelids before covering her face with her impossibly heavy arm. As she moved sand rubbed against her skin and the scent and taste of salty air assaulted her, it was not long before Kyla Orlouge had no choice but to accept that she was not in her own bed. The glaring sun seemed to taunt her still-tired eyes and the figure that had roused her would not focus in the bright light. She rubbed her eyes once more before rolling to her stomach and forcing her way to her feet much like a toddler learning to stand. It was not a graceful maneuver by any means, but the goal of getting to her feet was accomplished.

“Where the heck are we?” Kyla looked around her, taking in the constantly shifting colors of the sea before her as she wiped the sand from her arms. The sunlight danced upon the incoming waves, as though they were smiling at her just before toppling and turning to foam. The sound of the crashing waves soothed her and she quite honestly wanted nothing more but to find her little gully and let the seagulls sing her back to sleep. That was certainly not going to happen, as apparently someone had pulled her from her home and placed her in this quite beautiful place with these strange people. Her clothing was mostly intact, though damp in places. A couple small tears on her pants let her know she had been moved while unconscious, though that had been obvious from the moment she woke. Turning her back to the water Kyla once again looked at the man who had woken her moments before, she knew him but the fogginess in her head wasn’t helping to remember a name.

Several yards away a blonde stranger made her way inland, and laid near her feet was a teenage boy. Upon closer inspection the boy’s identity became clear. With a swift kick to the teen’s side the girl brought him to reality. “Okay love, if I gotta deal with this then you do too. Wake up!” She turned her back on the young doctor, focusing her attention again on the second man in the group. His facial expression made it clear he didn’t know what to make of her actions and Kyla laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all violent just yet,” she gestured behind her in Playback’s general direction, “That guy has been telling me I’m crazy for the last two years. I figure this is either a dream or I have in fact gone off the deep end; whichever though, he deserved that.”

A large black man stood some distance away and for some reason Kyla felt drawn to him, not taking note of the other people on the shore she quickly began the short walk to where he stood patiently waiting, doing her best to catch up with the fair-headed woman.

[Play Back]

Have you ever gone to sleep without realizing it? One second you’re just sitting down, reading a good book or, in my case, going over some patient files, and the next thing you know, you’re blanketed in complete darkness. No explanation for it. Hell, I wasn’t even tired when it happened. I couldn’t complain though; some people had life a lot tougher.

And then one of my patients took it upon herself to kick me in the ribs.

I rolled on the ground a couple of times, holding my side with a groan. After a minute of throwing myself a pity party, I rose to my feet, my eyes focusing on Kyla Orlouge’s frame. “I… don’t think that was therapeutic,” I said, sucking in air with my teeth from the pain of it all. Kyla’s response was a careless shrug of her shoulders.

“Was for me.”

If I had not been wearing my mask, the girl would have seen a scowl that could make demons retreat back to Haidia. I took a moment to get familiar with my surroundings, taking note of what I could in the brief moments I turned my head back and forth. The things that stuck out the most were the large dark man in the distance, the image of a mountain behind him, and the two normal looking people.

Then I realized one of these people was Artemis Eburi, and I realized that this must be my Adventurer’s Crown team. I also realized that the Thaynes hate me. Artemis Eburi not only suffered from dissociative personality disorder (the man thinks his bow talks to him), but he also had the charisma of a piece of dead wood that went to a coma. As the official psychologist for the Ixian Knights, I had advised Sei to let me analyze Artemis while he was staying in Concordia. I was told not to do such things unless the warrior agreed to it.

But seriously; I didn’t even want to talk to the old-timer.

The woman who was leading us was a wildcard. Had never seen her anywhere really. Judging from the droplets of water coming off of her hair though, it was safe to say she had gone for an unexpected swim in the waters behind us. Normally, I’d be opposed to following a stranger and two people I know for a fact need psychological evaluations into some sort of misadventure. However, this was the Adventurer’s Crown, and probably one of my only chances to win any kind of tournament. I shrugged my shoulders and followed the group’s lead, mumbling how this was a bad idea the whole time.

We walked for a little while, towards what I could only assume was the strange man’s village. My side was still throbbing with pain from Kyla’s kick, so I had been a little too focused on my own well being to catch any more than our guide’s name (Howandala). As we walked through the various huts and houses, it became clear to me that this was not a group of advanced people. In fact, it looked as if they still practiced cannibalism.

“Yeah….great idea following the guy we don’t know,” every word I spoke dripped with sarcasm, though when Kyla turned her head to me, her eyes appearing as though they were trying to murder me, I decided to keep quiet the rest of the trip.

We were escorted to a hut with bamboo supports, a doorframe with hung green vines for an entrance. I watched as each of my team mates entered the hut, looking up to the orange-hued sky. The sun was setting, and I could only hope that we weren’t on the dinner menu for this tribe of people.

As I followed the others, the last person of my team to enter, I couldn’t help but notice the extravagant interior of the hut. Several vases lined redwood shelves, the beds looked as if they were made of clouds, and the floor, while just being just hard ground, seemed to have a clean feel to it as well. My nose caught wind of something lingering outside, something that smelled like stew. The thought of potatoes boiling in water, creating steamy goodness caused a growl in my stomach. I clenched my teeth, trying to force my hunger pangs out as I turned to the woman I did not know, the one who had introduced herself as Dana.

“Okay, you talked with that guy more than any of us. Care to explain what’s going on?” I crossed my arms, still suspicious of the stranger, but knowing full well I would have to rely on her if I hoped to survive.

[Dana]

"Allow me to enlighten you all, outlanders." A deep, rich voice interrupted as Dana opened her mouth to speak. As Playback turned to meet the voice an old, liver-spotted hand patted him on the shoulder and an elderly, crooked figure hobbled into view. Like the rest of the natives, the old man was black and wore primitive garb in the form of a dark green cloth that went over his left shoulder and wrapped around his waist. He was adorned with painted feathers, bones, and other trophies that distinguished him that told the story of his life. The old man was short and his back bent with age. His eyes were hooded and his teeth brown from years of misuse. Still he spoke richly and for such a small figure, his voice carried far within that hut. "After all," He said with a smile, "I probably have a better perspective on the situation then Howandala here. Please, now. Take seats around the fire at the center here, my brothers and sisters will be here with food and drink for us all shortly."

As all four members took their places by the crackling fire that sat in the center of the hut, the old man walked around them to the seat of honor and sat cross-legged, placing his staff in his lap. Looking from face to face, the old man smiled, and although it was supposed to be a warm, friendly gesture, from the sight of his ugly, putrid teeth his smile had a grotesque look to it that was especially hard to look at. After a long silence, the old man broke it with a hearty laugh, "Well I suppose introductions are to be made. My name is Zuric, shaman of the Amuli tribe and on behalf of the chieftain and my people, the last free people of this cursed rock, I welcome you."

"They call me Play Back," The little man who chose to sat next to Dana said, before whispering more to himself then to the others, "Last?"

"My name is Dana." Dana said before bowing her head in respect to the elder.

"Arty.. er.. Artemis. They call me Artemis." The other man from her party replied nervously as he tried to avoid eye contact with her. I suppose I made more of an impression then I thought, she realized.

"Kyla." The teenager said with a warm smile to the elder.

"Well then, I am pleased the spirits have drawn you here in our time of need." Zuric said, the shaman folding his hands on his lap as he stared into the fire, "Why some of you may be asking why I am the one welcoming you instead of our chieftain, the truth is that he has been inconsolable since his only boy was kidnapped a few days ago. It is difficult for us to speak to outsiders to begin with, and what with recent events, I am afraid not even the spirits themselves have been able to comfort our leader in his loss."

"So he was taken?" Play Back asked, "By who?"

"Whom." Zuric corrected, though the irony of a tribal correcting an educated man's grammar was lost on him. "The Amuli are but one of five tribes who live upon this land of our ancestors, but unfortunately we are the last of the free people. The rest.. the Gobi, the Yawa, the Vepe, and the Fari.. they have all either perished or their spirits are being held in bondage by the mad sorceror, Sawalu." Sensing the questions that were about to be raised, Zuric continued, "I understand that many of you have a lot of questions over all of this. And I'd be happy to answer all of it, but the truth is that I and my tribe can only extend our hospitality to you for this one night.. before you go."

"Go?" Dana and Kyla said together in unison. They exchanged looks briefly, but it was Kyla who pressed on, "Mister Zuric.. sir.. I know that you said that your leader's boy was kidnapped. And I sense that you'd like to save a lot of time here on your part, maybe to have us eat and rest up before we leave.. so why don't we get to why you've welcomed us here as your guests?"

"Good enough." Zuric replied warmly with another flashy smile, revealing his disgusting teeth. "My tribe, our leader and I are endanger. We are the last of our people, as I have said. The rest of the tribes are being used against their will.. one perhaps not.. to aid Sawalu in his bid for ultimate power. He rules atop our mountain, once holy, but now defiled and sits in the carven seat where only the Great Spirit may sit. He wishes to enslave us, and by kidnapping our leader's boy, he is seeing to it that the Amuli are powerless to stop him."

"So you want us to go and get this boy for you?" Artemis asked, though none of them were unwilling in the task. The truth was, they all knew why they were here in the first place, and it wasn't really that they were going through the motions, but for some of them it was a bit weird watching such a vivid set up for a tournament of all things to play out before their eyes.

"Yes." Zuric said. "But the journey will be treacherous. As I am sure Howandala has attested to you, this will be no easy task. The jungle, the most direct route to the mountain is rife with a horde of our possessed brothers, alive and dead, who would tear you to pieces as soon as you walked in. However, there is still a way... Howandala?"

The tall, young tribal that had brought the party to their destination opened the leather map that he had kept and held it up with the aid of Artemis for them all to see. "The jungle is a death trap. However, I will be leading you through the cliffs from here and onto the other side of the valley. It is occupied, yes, but with keeping the high ground and remaining in the shadows, we should be able to make our journey in four days to the mountain where we will begin our climb."

"Four days?" Dana said in amazement. Looking from the others to the two tribals, she explained, "We don't have time to make a four day trip there. Scaling that mountain will take at least two or three in itself depending on how far up we have to go. We are climbing, right?"

"Yes." Zuric replied. "The Great Stairs of ten thousand and twelve steps is heavily guarded, especially to keep our tribe out of the temple that rests at the summit."

"Well, that tears it." Dana said, "I don't know about the rest of you, but we don't have time to play cloak and dagger with these creatures without running out of time. The jungle is suicide, yes, but if we followed the river.." She got up and walked over to the map where Artemis was holding it and traced the inlet where the river closest to the Amuli people were and into the jungle. "We could follow it for one full day and one full night, two days at most if we stopped, and be at the mountain, ready to make our climb."

Unaware of what pressed them so, Zuric looked at her with momentary confusion, but eventually it vanished. "There are more then just other tribes in those jungles and hiding within the shadows of those hills. Sawalu has made good in his evil work bringing about terrible monsters from dark abysses whose names haven't been spoken in ages. It is foolish to tread through the jungle, in the light and most assuredly in the darkness when the jungle becomes possessed by those accursed things."

"Then I leave it to the rest of you to decide," Dana said as tribesmen began to walk into the hut carrying slabs of spiced boar, wild vegetables, and drink. "Eat, rest yourselves and think about where we should go tomorrow. To the cliffs or into the jungle?"

Dana walked back to her seat in silence as the others began talking amongst themselves and asked Zuric further questions about their task and their journey. As a slab of boar ribs was laid before her feet, Dana grabbed the greasy, spiced meat by the bone and broke it off with a crack. Choosing to sate her hunger first, Dana listened to the others in queries, hoping that they would come to the right choice.

(Our first fork! For this round, think about and pose ideas of how to get to the mountain. I can draw a little map for you all if it'll make it easier, but the way of it is that a jungle veers to the left of the isle while a valley runs throught the middle. The cliffs and foothills lie to the right and reach to the right and are the longest trek to the mountain, but the safest. Jungle is the most dangerous, but in following the river and traveling by day, we'd be able to make it within 1-2 days instead of 4 days by keeping to the cliffs. Remember that after this round of posts we're moving out of the village, so in your deliberation and sharing your IC ideas, don't limit yourself to staying in Zuric's hut. Spend your time in the village wisely.. it'll be the last down time we have for quite awhile. =))

[Play Back]

This time, I took in all the information I possibly could, and listened to the queries of my peers. The whole time, a smile was formed on my face, my own ideas formulating in my head with each new piece of intelligence. Our food came in several different forms, Dana taking the boar ribs that were laid at her feet and tearing away at the meat. I watched as the villagers brought in a few more food items, finally settling up picking up a bowl of the stew I had smelled earlier in.

I looked at the brown, soupy food with a peculiar interest. There were small bits of potatoes floating up, as if the vegetables were enjoying a nice hot bath. I also caught sight of several chunks of meat within the stew, causing me to lips my lips and lift my mask up, just enough to reveal my pale mouth and nose. I grabbed hold of my spoon quickly, gobbling up several sips of the soup before I looked to my team mates.

“I need to go out and think for a while, if you guys don’t mind,” I was met by nods from everybody in the building, and I escorted myself out of the hut, stew still in hand. I ate as I walked around the village, one hand directly under the bowl, and the other shoveling spoonfuls of steamy, hot stew into my mouth. I looked around; saw the solemn look on several of the natives faces. I watched as children chased one another around the fire, as if unaware that one of their own had disappeared.

The Ixian Knight in me was telling me that rescuing the kid was a top priority, but the practical side of me insisted that the chieftain’s son would not be sacrificed until the last minute. Sawalu needed leverage, and he would lose all of it if he were to execute the boy. That would prompt these villagers to go to war with the rest of the island and lose dozens if not hundreds of lives. Someone clever enough to kidnap a child to blackmail his father wouldn’t do something so rash unless he had some sort of back up plan.

I spent the rest of the night talking to the inhabitants of the tribe. I got to know these people, the Amuli, a little better. While Zuric was wise, and knew the best two ways of the land, I was also told of several other paths I could ultimately take to get to our goal. If this kid was as in danger as the old man and his horrible dental record suggested, then one of the other people who registered would take care of rescuing the child. After all, when I had signed my name up for the tournament, both Sei Orlouge and Letho Ravenheart had also added their signatures to the sheet. Any danger to a child’s life could be handled by either of those two quite easily.

In my talks, I managed to learn several words from some of the people there, even picked up a smaller version of the map Zuric had given us. I basically had everything I needed in order to get us from point A to point B no problem. The only problem was my continuing trust issues with the group. Artemis never really said much interesting and Dana kept to herself enough for me to still warrant suspicion. I returned to the tent with an empty bowl of stew, and my mask pulled back down.

“I think we should split up,” I stated, matter-of-factly, “Kyla and I have a dynamic that works best if it’s just us. We’ll take the mountain path. Dana, you and Artie seem more physically ready to take the harshness of the jungle than we do. If Sawalu is the dangerous man Zuric claims, then he’ll divide some of his forces when he sees us interlopers taking both routes. That halves the dangers for you guys, and increases it for us. But it also makes it to where one team will more likely than not make it to the top.” As I finished speaking, I walked over to my bed for the night, kicking off my shoes and laying down on the soft mattress that I was provided.

“Regardless of what the rest of you decide, that’s what I think should happen.” As I faded to sleep, I had one thought in my mind. And regardless of what you decide as a group, I’m doing what I want this time…

[SirArtemis]

Artemis' eyes stared at the dancing flames of the dying fire in the center of the hut. The coals were a bright orange and the quiet crackles and pops were soothing. The discussion had been long and had gone in circles for much of the night, punctuated by the silence of another serving of food. Meats and breads, bizarre and exotic vegetables, and a rich stew that made the young man miss home.

Dana appeared distant to the man, more so than even he was distant from the group. Play Back had already gone to rest for the night in the small hut, as did the young lady, Kyla. However, the strong-looking woman still sat gnawing on a bone from her boar ribs casually, as though more in a meditative trance than anything. Artemis wondered if the woman even slept.

"We might have to do as Play Back said," he mumbled aloud, hoping Dana would hear. "Following the river would be troublesome. The map shows it's the primary source of clean water that the creatures of the island have, and they're bound to visit it along our journey. We'd be running into constant trouble, and that's not even counting the difficulty in navigating the land by the water."

Dana's eyes didn't shift, half shut while staring at the fire. The leather flap to the front of the hut fluttered in the late night breeze, sometimes catching just enough to create a slight whistle. Artemis didn't know if she was listening so he just continued speaking aloud to himself. "Four days through cliffs and shadows... safest and slowest... we don't have time for that."

The man drew one of his daggers from its sheath, staring at the black matte finish. Once, he'd have seen the bright white metal of the mithril blade and stared at the reflection. Now that his weapons had been further enchanted and alchemically coated, they were some of the most powerful and lethal tools he had ever seen.

'Time is always against us it seems,' Judicis said, the sentient spirit of Artemis' bow speaking into the man's thoughts. 'This may be a tournament, and this may not be. However, if the young man's life is truly on the line, that doesn't matter. We must stop this.'

"Cutting through the jungle would be the fastest route. My blades will slice through the vegetation with no problem and my boots will let me move quickly through any terrain. I have the stamina to make it at a quick pace in a day, and Dana looks like she can keep up. Play Back and Kyla don't look like they have the energy, but it's the fastest way. Just one day..."

Artemis let his gaze fall to his bracer - the form that Judicis took when idle. It allowed much easier movement than slinging a bow over his shoulder, and Artemis was glad that he had discovered the means. "What do you think? Should we split up?"

He had aimed the question at Judicis, but Dana had been the one to respond, reminding Artemis that she was awake. "I could keep up. And Play Back wants to split up anyway. The sooner we get this done the better. I don't want any dead weight."

Artemis looked up at the woman who hadn't changed her demeanor. Despite speaking, she still looked half in a daze. "So through the jungle then?"

"Get some rest," she said. "We'll decide in the morning. That Kyla girl still hasn't made it clear how she feels about all this. Once she does, we'll know what we have to do. Personally, I think right through the jungle or along the river are still the best and fastest routes."

"Yeah," Artemis said, letting his voice and gaze fall off, "I suppose we'll see in the morning." He sheathed his blade, heading to one of the empty beds in the small hut and closed his eyes. However, his night wouldn't be peaceful; he would drift in and out of sleep with nightmares of what was to come.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla lay silently, taking in the words spoken several feet away near the fire. Her bed was comfortable but for some reason not even the feeling of her body sinking into the soft cot could lull her. Her mind raced as she tried to listen to the conversation around her while thinking of the others in this tournament. Somewhere out there were her uncles. Sei, Steppenwolf and even silly misguided Ciato. She knew her focus was supposed to be on accomplishing the goal with her group and yet the thought that her family could be simply a few hours away, minutes even, how could she not go after them? A soft cry filled her throat, and try as she might to keep it in, someone must have heard. She kept her tears quiet after that, but they ran down her face and soaked the blanket beneath her head. She couldn’t do this. A tournament that paired you up against other warriors in a magical place with medical personnel was one thing, but knowing her family could be out there with no idea of their goal? Kyla Orlouge wasn’t cut out for this type of game.

When morning light first came through the windows the young girl crawled silently to Playback’s side. She woke him gently, pressing her hands to his chest and moving them softly from side to side. When his silver eyes met hers from beneath his dark mask Kyla motioned for the door. The man nodded, gathering his few supplies and following her silently from the hut. Outside the door the old man sat staring towards the mountain with a grin upon his face. “I thought you two might set out early. I’ve asked my niece to prepare some small packs of food to help you on your journey. Mind if I ask why you are leaving without the other half of your group?” Zuric’s question had no malice to it, only genuine curiosity seemed to lace his words. All the same though, it brought back all the feelings from the night before.

“My family is out there somewhere.” Kyla spoke the words with a quiet voice, not fully trusting herself not to cry again. She grabbed on to what anger she could to calm herself, “And I’m not anybody’s dead weight.”

The man gave her a knowing glance and directions to his niece’s hut. They made thier way through the small village, laughing from time to time when on made a joke about the local culture. The duo made several turns down dusty streets while listening to the birds begin to wake. just as they thought they'd missed the hut, as woman stepped from a doorway ahead.

Within a few minutes they were packed up and heading from town, the lovely dark-skinned woman’s well wishes still fresh in their minds. When they reached a point where they could no longer se the outskirts Playback pulled out a small map, quickly showing it to the girl. “Which path should we take?”

Kyla laughed softly, causing the doctor to look at her with the familiar ‘you might just be crazy’ look. “Playback, I can see the mountain. Think about this really hard.”

[SirArtemis]

When Artemis woke for the half-dozenth time, it was finally bright enough out that he didn't feel he'd have to force himself back to sleep. Images kept playing in his mind while he lay there - faces all mottled and decaying, painted various colors and decorated with bizarre piercings. Their gazes all appeared empty and emotionless. It made it very difficult to sleep for the young warrior.

He rolled over in his bed, looking around the room and seeing that the young boy and girl weren't there. He wondered if they had woken early to prepare. The fire had died out and the visible coals were black now, though there may have still been some warmth deep beneath.
Artemis threw his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. With a yawn, followed by a clearing of his throat to start the day, he rose and walked over to wake Dana from her slumber, giving her a gentle shake.

"Come on, the others are already awake. Wake up and come outside." Seeing her respond with a few grunts and stretches, Artemis walked out through the leather tent flap into the dewy morning air. He took a deep breath in, relishing the chilly morning breeze rolling in from the ocean and the taste of salt in the air. However, he did not see Kyla or Play Back anywhere in sight. He took a brief walk around the village to see if he could find them while also stretching his legs, but after not seeing any sign of them, he returned to his tent only to see Dana standing in front and Zuric approaching.

"I can't find the others," Artemis said as reached Dana at the same time as Zuric did.

"The others left earlier this morning without you. We gave them what supplies they needed and they went on their way. It seems the young lady has other more pressing issues and was not interested in helping us in our plea."

Dana cursed under her breath at the news. "Damn selfish girl, just putting us all at risk."

"I have prepared a meal for you to begin your journey as well as some supplies for you. I have included some of the basic equipment you may need for the climb as well."

"Let's be quick about it," Artemis began. "We have only the daylight to make it through the jungle. Time is against us."

"Stay yourselves, outlanders, and hear me," Zuric motioned with hands raised in a calming gesture.

"What is it, shaman?" Dana replied, already growing annoyed with the old man, even though she knew he meant well. She was stubborn and rash, and sometimes the woman's actions came quicker than her thoughts.

Zuric beckoned them close, his face expressionless as he looked out onto the horizon into the direction of the majestic mountain that loomed in the distance. "Its name is Yarrus. It is an old word for 'Indomitable' from our ancestors. It has been the seat of power for the Great Spirit since the First Days and been a beacon of hope and strength for us all..."

Dana's eyes follows Zuric's to the mountain while Artemis kept focus on the man speaking. "...It is said that the spirits themselves are drawn to it from the spirit world. It is a way for our ancestors to remember the living world when all else, even their memory, fades away."

"Get to the point, sir," Dana said curtly, her eyes captivated by the spectacular site of the mountain.

Turning his gaze slowly from the mountain to the pair, Zuric eyed the woman up and down, taking her in as he measured his words carefully. "Before you venture forward, I offer you a final warning not to continue with this fool's errand and go search for your friends instead. While you are strong, woman, you are also brash, and you will surely perish within that vale. If not during the day, then you will at night when those terrible, black and old things move from the shadows. Eaten by the dead, killed by the living, or torn to shreds by the darkness within. That is your fate, outlander."

Leveling her gaze at the shaman, Dana regarded him with silence until even the air had grown still. Artemis was about to speak up, but Dana spoke with an air of unwavering confidence that made her out to be either very brave or very foolish. "I've set my mind to this thing, shaman. I do not take these perils lightly, but I will overcome them to save that boy. We will go to this mountain and climb it to slay Sawalu and rescue your chieftain's son. And I will kill, cripple and maim any and all who harry us."

Meeting her pensive stare, the old man nodded like a parent regarding a youth going against his sage advice. "Then you are certain of it, outlander. And if that is the way of it, I will give this to you if it helps tip the odds in your favor." Pulling a dagger from his belt, he offered it hilt first to the woman. She took it and examined it carefully, while Artemis' eyes made their own appraisal from a few feet away. The hilt was made of curved cypress that had been polished and wrapped in leather hide. The blade was curved like that of a kukri and was not made of any metal Dana was familiar with; it looked like that of steel but had a blue hue to it and was cold to the touch.

"It is known as a spirit drinker," Zuric answered, almost startling the pair as they regarded the weapon. "It is an otherworldly weapon that shamans use to protect themselves from creatures of the spirit world when we walk between lands. Sawalu is not entirely human. He has given up much of his spirit to those beyond this world in exchange for power. Therefore he is immune to mortal weapons and can only be slain by magical means. You may use this to kill him or any other of the terrible things he has wrought upon this world."

"What metal is that?" Artemis asked, unfamiliar with the substance but ever curious due to his blacksmithing lifestyle.

"It is not metal. It is the bone of a whale that has been blessed in the blood of a shaman and bathed in the essence of an ancestor spirit. I am sorry that I only have one to give," Zuric said, glancing over to the young man.

"Don't worry about it," Artemis said with a wink and a smile. "I have a life-drinker of my own, you could say, among a few other tools. I'll be fine. I'm more versatile than I may appear."

"I hope your words carry truth with them," Zuric said. "What I can offer is this..." He reached into a bag and handed Artemis a fetish made from bones and entrails. "It will ward off the spirits. However, it will only last for part of the day. After that..." Zuric finished with a shrug while Dana and Artemis cringed at the awful odor the thing carried. "I may also offer a blessing, if you will accept it."

"Our thanks, shaman," Dana said, following Zuric away. However, Artemis stood in place, staring at the grotesque fetish.

'I'll never understand this stuff,' Artemis thought to himself, only to be met with the feeling of laughter from his sentient bow. While he waited for the pair to return, he donned the mask and glove attachments of his gade suit, knowing he would need to keep his body temperature comfortable for the long day ahead of him. After hiding his short dark brown hair and bright blue eyes beneath the fine cloth material, he tied the fetish around his chest and made sure it was snug.

When Dana returned, her hands were dripping with blood and her face was painted. However, despite the paint, Artemis could tell that her expression was one of confusion as she looked upon the man she would be stuck with. "You look ridiculous," she managed to say, and though Artemis felt a retaliation was necessary, he kept his mouth shut as to not offend the shaman. Instead, he simply shrugged.

"Does the job," he said in reply. "Got your climbing equipment and rations? I've already tucked mine away."

"Yes," she nodded, and Zuric could only look out at the pair, hoping that they would succeed in their mission.

"Good, then off we go. Try to keep up. I won't be stopping and we'll be moving fast." With that, he turned and broke into a jog, making a straight line toward the mountain off in the distance.

_________________________________________________

The pair had made it to the edge of the jungle rather quickly. The earth had shifted from a dark beige into a rich and deep brown as the moist and thick canopy hung over them. The ground was firm and packed beneath their feet, and the vegetation was not yet thick. Artemis took a moment to send his will into his enchanted boots, causing them to grow metal studs below to help him with traction. He drew his blades, their deep black barely visible, and jogged on.

Hours passed and they barely noticed as they made excellent time through the jungle. Artemis' blades cut through anything that got in their way without any trouble and the fetish did its job - at least that's what Artemis convinced himself of. Occasionally a living vine reached out at them, but they barely noticed. To the black blades, it was just another low-hanging branch getting in the way.

Eventually, the young warrior saw that the vegetation thinned and so he took the time to sheath one of his blades and use the free hand to nibble on some rations. He knew he wouldn't have time to sit down, and so he moved on. Only once did he ever look back to see if Dana was following him, and from the expression she wore, he didn't feel the need to look back a second time.

They would make it by nightfall. They had no choice.

[Dana]

Placeholder.

[Play Back]

As soon as Kyla told me to think hard, something triggered in my memories, like a light switch being flipped on…

~~~~

I was in my office, sitting across from Kyla. I had been jotting down notes about this particular therapy session. I was making extreme progress with the patient, finding out more and more about her as the hours passed. Though I knew the basics to her history, the Daughter of the Dragon had been seeing me more often since she had went on her journey to find herself, and we were developing a certain love-hate relationship. It usually ended with one of us getting mad at the other, storming out, and then inviting our nemesis for food or drink later in the day. It was an odd dynamic, but it worked.

Today we were on the subject of Kyla’s ‘father’. The girl had went on and on about how she first met Sei, how he rescued her from the darkness that had consumed her, then again from self-imploding, and again from a hell that rivaled Haidia with it’s share of powerful demons. It was all very interesting, and actually gave me some insight about Sei Orlouge himself, but it was not what I had been looking for.

“That’s all well and good, Kyla,” I said, standing up from my desk and walking over to my office door, “but I wasn’t talking about Sei when I asked about your father.” My voice had drowned out the sound of both the locking of my office, and the latching of the deadbolt. This was a serious issue Kyla had to get off of her chest, and I was not going to let her run away this time. “I want you to tell me more about Niche Orlouge.”

Kyla’s head had shot up from the blue couch she had been lying on, her eyes burning with a fire I had rarely seen from the girl. Kyla’s family was a very sensitive subject, and the stories involving her birth father, the oldest of six Orlouge brothers, was the most sensitive of all. I saw her stand up, her posture and the way she seemed to be stomping towards me, her boots slamming against the wooden floor boards of my work room, seemed to indicate that she was prepared to get out in a huff. I stood my ground, crossing my arms while standing in front of the door and shaking my head.

“Not this time, Kylana,” I spoke with my own determination, my eyes as piercing as my clients, “You’ll have to go through me and two locks if you want to get out of here.”

Kyla’s expression went blank for a moment, as if she could not believe the words that had just left my mouth. She then let out a loud laugh, full of both sarcasm and humor. I lifted an eyebrow at the girl, not that she could see it, wondering what was so funny. She didn’t say another word, simply walked back to the couch, looked towards me, and sunk slowly into the shadow casted on the floor by the piece of furniture. As she slipped into the ‘ripples’ that formed on the ground (similar to a small wave), the girl stuck her hand back through her self-made portal to wave ‘bye-bye’ to me.

That was the day I learned about Kyla’s shadow step.
~~~

I snapped my fingers, which I then pointed at the girl, my tone carrying its own excitement. “Your shadow step!”

Kyla nodded, apparently happy that I was catching her drift, but the realization of the girl’s abilities suddenly made me curious. I quirked my head to the side, “But if we could just get there, willy-nilly, why didn’t you tell us during the planning phase?”

“Because I don’t trust that woman.” Kyla’s delivery was dry, which is how I could tell that she was serious on the matter. For whatever reason, Kyla truly did not like Dana.

My head bobbed to the other side, like a dog hearing new sounds. “So then why didn’t we take Artemis with us?”

“It would be too suspicious if all three of us left her alone. Somebody had to stay behind, and I’d rather the guy who knows what I can and can’t do remain at my side.” The sentence ended with a smile. She was trying to compliment me, assuming I would think being ‘chosen’ by her was some great honor. It totally was.

My head straightened. “So then why all the cloak-and-dagger lies about your family? We both know that any of your uncles can more than handle themselves.”

“I had to tell them something to explain why we left before them. And I’d rather that woman think I’m weak and dead weight than to actually show her my full hand. Besides, I didn’t like her whole ‘it’s a race’ mentality.” Her voice had deadpanned again at the explanation, though there was a hint of agitation now. My teenage curiosity had gotten the best of me, and it was starting to annoy the older woman. I nodded; satisfied with the answers I had received as I moved in closer to my partner, gazing over to the mountain range.

“So how does this work? We slide into the shadows and just ‘poof’ we’re out of another shadow?” I realized I was asking another question, and tried to shut my mouth before I could finish asking, only to find my body slowly sinking downwards.

“A common misconception,” Kyla said her cheerful tone back again. Guess nobody usually asked her how her mojo worked. “Most people think its teleporting; it’s more like walking along the shadows, while skipping beams of light. For a place as far as that mountain, we’ll still have to cross the shadows of the forest, but it’ll be like a nap for you. It’s still going to be a couple of hours though.” I looked up at Kyla; my own head now level with the ground. She was the last thing I saw before I was blanketed in darkness.

~~~~~

I opened my eyes, trying to shake whatever it was I felt in my head out. Kyla had not been lying when she said it was like a nap. Just the position of the sun in the air told me it was already past noon, stretching my arms and looking to my companion for what to do next.

[Amber Eyes]

The shadow step had drained Kyla’s body, the girl breathing heavily from the sheer exertion of it all. While a normal shadow step for such a distance would not have been much for the girl to do alone, the young mystic found herself carrying one hundred or so extra pounds in the form of Play Back’s body. Sweat was now dripping down her face, the soft breeze of the mountain’s chill a soothing and welcome distraction from all of her hard work.

Play Back’s words brought Kyla back to reality. “Are you okay, Kylana? Do we need to rest?”

Kyla looked to her friend, the wide-eyes of the boy behind the mask, and shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said, a small little lie to keep the child from worrying about her, “just needed a second to gain my bearings. I’m okay now, really.”

Play Back nodded, happy with the answer, “so what’s our next move?”

“We search for the enemy camp,” Kyla spoke with the conviction of a leader, “Then we take a rest so we’re fully energized, and go after this Sawalu.” As she spoke, she began to walk down the mountainous terrain, making sure not to slip on the wet rocks caused by melted snow. Play Back followed like a puppy, though from the sounds of his own wheezing, the high altitude was affecting the kid’s breathing. That mask probably doesn’t help either, Kyla thought.

It took another hour or so of travel, Kyla having to help Play Back get over more dangerous steps, and Play Back checking in on his weary friend every so often when he checked his miniature map. Together, the two made quite the team of adventurer’s, giving Kyla hope that maybe the Crown was in her future after all.

Their search proved successful after climbing several large rocks, the two came across a hawk-like view of the enemy camp. Kyla gasped at the sight, shocked to see the horrors that Sawalu had unleashed upon his own people. Huts had been burned down, still smoldering smoke from what once was a family’s home. Corpses strewn the land, sprawled out in mutilated positions. Armed soldiers looked more dead than alive standing guard, the skulls of their previous victims placed ceremoniously across their feet like game after a kill. Finally, in the middle of the village for all to see, was a cage that had a small child in it, his loincloth in tatters and attempting to shoo away nearby pigeons in an attempt to eat their bird seed.

Kyla ducked out form under her rock, grabbing her chest and breathing heavily. Such devastation reminded the girl of her own village, razed to the ground by bandits trying to obtain mystic power. They had killed most of her family for that cause, that ultimate power. Now, here was another warlord who saw himself fit to rule his land, taking others hostage and doing as he pleased for his own selfish goals. Kyla made a fist, a sword of pure shadows forming in her left hand.

“Whoa Kyla…” Play Back whispered, grabbing the girl’s wrists and lowering her hand down, “you’re not thinking clearly. If we go in there right now, we’re as good as dead. We have to bide our time, wait for nightfall, and then strike. That way, most of the soldiers are asleep and we can hopefully free the kid without causing much of a commotion.”

Kyla’s eyes blazed with fury, taking Play Back suggestion as cowardice from the teen. “Sawalu has to die. My own town got this same treatment! What the hell do you know about this barbarianism?!” Kyla’s question was only answered with the slap of Play Back’s hand across her face. The sudden hit made the girl lose her concentration, her shadow sword disappearing into nothingness. She looked back to her partner, her cheek stinging with pain.

“I’m from fucking Lavinya!” Play Back whispered, though his tone indicated true rage at the girl, “Every fucking night, our towns get raided by the undead! Before I left, I watched my best friend’s parents get eaten alive by fucking vampires! Vampires, Kyla! Do you know what it’s like to see an actual person ripped to shreds by someone’s teeth and nails?! To know that they’re tearing into a [i]person[i] like Dana was tearing into those fucking ribs last night?! DO you?! Because I do!”

Two streams of tears flowed out from Play Back’s mask, the kid turning his back to the girl. Kyla was at a loss for words, reaching out to the youth with a stammer. “Play Back….I didn’t know…I’m…I’m sorry…” The girl spoke with such distance to the boy that she was unsure if she sounded sincere or not. It seemed as though the Ixian Knights psychologist had some issues of his own.

“Save it,” Play Back said, taking a deep breath and then turning back to his friend. His eyes indicated a forced smile, “let’s just set up camp and get some rest. You need to be in tip-top shape if we’re going to save that kid and leave.” Kyla, still not sure of what to tell him merely nodded, her own rage vanquished from her mind.

The tent took about half an hour to set up. The duo had decided to go out about half a mile away from the village, onto the upper edges of the mountain so they wouldn’t be noticed by any patrols. Setting up the tent took another half hour. Between Play Back setting the poles up wrong, and Kyla losing their sleeping bags, there had been a few complications.

When the final stake had been wrapped up thoroughly though, Kyla and Play Back stood for a second to marvel at their small little makeshift house. It wasn’t much, just an average brown tent with a zip-down door, but it would be their saving grace for the last leg of their adventure. Kyla felt proud of what the two of them accomplished together.

And then a staff slammed into the back of her head, knocking her out cold…

[SirArtemis]

The pair had made it the base of the mountain after their long day through the jungle, and luckily, they had only found themselves facing some enemies once. The trio of tribals, though troublesome, hadn't worried Artemis much. They were decaying before the fight had began, making their movements slow and weak, and their red facepaint showed they were from one of the other tribes. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something felt off though. He had expected more difficulty after the warnings posed by Zuric. Had something happened that he was not aware of?

He realized that he couldn't be bothered, so he had set down his campfire cube upon the ground for a fire. The small square device fell upon the ground and Artemis, still panting, reached into his pocket to retrieve the smaller sibling to the pair. Opening it up, he pressed the small red button and watched as the cube upon the ground began to unfold on itself, spiraling outward and laying itself down into a square approximately two feet wide. Then, abruptly, it burst into green and blue flames. With that out of the way, Artemis closed the smaller cube and slid it into his pocket, retrieving some of his remaining rations and staring up at the mountain.

"How are you holding up?" Artemis asked, removing his mask and gloves finally and slipping them away as well before taking a bite of his food. The woman had kept up fine, though she was sweating plenty and strands of blonde stuck to her face in all directions. Artemis couldn't stifle a grin, remembering her comment on how silly he looked in the outfit in the first place.

"I'm fine," the woman said. She also let her gaze return to the mountain, pulling out her own rations as well. "It's not as big as I thought," she said with disappointment.

"It'll still take time. We'll rest for the night, and come morning, we should be able to scale it within another day. The cloud cover hangs deceptively low in this climate, so though the peak was obscured, it's not too tall."

"I figured that much out..." the woman mumbled, as though irritated by what the man was saying to her.

With a shrug, he ignored her and found a comfortable patch of soft vegetation to lay upon close to the fire and sat down. "Hopefully you don't mind taking first watch. I only need a bit of sleep anyway and I'll be fine, and based on last night, it doesn't seem like you sleep much anyway. I'll see you in the morning." He nibbled on his rations more, waiting for his body to settle a bit before he tried to sleep. It would take some time after a run like that, but he'd rest easily tonight - or so he hoped.

____________________________________________

Hours passed but the nightmares had found him. Thankfully, and for whatever reason, they were less potent than the night before. Truthfully he thought it would have been the other way around - as he approached this Sawalu character, he expected to be more affected. He didn't know what to blame. Maybe the fetish still had some effect, as Artemis still wore the relic.

When their shifts changed, Artemis shifted into his darkvision, staring up at the mountain in the night. He did not need light to see, and he saw the details of the mountain and its crevices quite clearly. With hours to spare, he had mapped his course, calculating the many routes and difficulties that they would face while scaling. From the map he had been given of the mountain itself, he knew where they would save time, and though this side of the mountain was steeper, it reached the peak faster as well. And with the magic of his Boots of Triton, he wouldn't even need climbing equipment. Dana on the other hand - that was her business.

Eventually, the sun crept over the horizon and Artemis riled the woman from her sleep, and both shared a breakfast again before beginning their ascent. "I've spent the last few hours mapping a course. I've found one that I think is best. You're welcome to follow or find your own way." He didn't wait for a response. The young man just turned, put his gloves and mask on again, and forced his boots to adopt a more acceptable climbing form. The base had some adhesive that would make him grip better, and an extremely sharp and hard spike peeked out from the tips of his toes so that he could kick into the rock if need be. It may as well have been diamond, or adamantite for that matter.

With a deep breath of the crisp morning air, Artemis looked up at the mountain before him, his vision now normal, and admired the beautiful natural structure. The rock shifted from dark grays to silver streaks, all lined with marbling of black and gold. It was a magnificent example of nature's capability.

With his first step, Artemis began his climb, digging into the rock with his boots and sticking easily. His hands, strong from hours of blacksmithing, had no trouble finding handgrips and pulling him up. He pushed off toward the clouds with each step, reaching and stretching as the chilly air rolled down the mountain past him. Sometimes he would hear the ring of a hammer and would know that the woman with him was not too far behind, using the climbing equipment that Zuric had given her.

They went on like this for hours, the only sign of changing being the new position of their shadows across the rock face as the sun moved along its daily route. Finally, Artemis found a small plateau a little past midday. He started continuing on, but as he did, a small blur flew past in front of him, causing him to fall the few feet that he had climbed and landing on the flat surface. He swerved around, looking for the source, and saw an insect a few inches long flying around.

"What the hell is that?" Artemis said through his mask as the blur flew toward him again. The wings flapped quickly, moving the large creature through the air close enough to the young man for him to recognize the familiar yellow and black pattern of a wasp. "Holy shit, that thing is huge!"

Artemis, never a big fan of bees, pulled out his daggers and stood defensively, waiting for the insect to fly toward him. It was a few inches in length, with its stinger taking up a third of its body. It zig-zagged past the young man and he found himself swaying and dodging frantically to keep up with the agile insect, at one point even tumbling to get out of its way. "I really don't like bees," Artemis said, watching as it flew around again and up the mountain. He waited a moment, contemplating sheathing his weapons, but then watched as it changed its course yet again and flew straight at the young man.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing his vision through his mask and readying his daggers. As it approached, just a few meters away, he tensed his muscles. Finally, it was within reach, and Artemis moved his arms with such impressive agility that even the bee would be impressed. Sadly, it wouldn't have the chance as the keen edge of Artemis' blade, Justice, sliced through the creature right in half. As he ducked, he let the pieces of the bug part ways around him in a 'v' shape and fall over the edge of the mountain.

"Ow!" Dana exclaimed, finally catching up to Artemis on the plateau. "What the hell was that?" she asked, rubbing her cheek.

'Shit,' Artemis thought, realizing that the stinger must have struck her in the face as it flew past. "Probably a rock or something, I don't know. Let's take a quick break and eat before we continue on. Still have a long day ahead of us." As Artemis took off his mask to eat again, he stared as the woman's face slowly puffed from the venom of the stinger grazing her flesh on its pass. Of course, he didn't say anything...

As the woman finally rolled onto the plateau, it was clear to Artemis that exhaustion had finally caught up to the strong and proud woman. After a day's jog through a jungle and a half day's climb up a mountain, with barely a full night's rest in between, her body was finally succumbing to reality. After all, Artemis had the advantage of his magical boots and undersuit, and it gave him a huge advantage. As she lay upon her back panting, Artemis felt it may be best that he go at it alone.

"Dana, I know that you've pushed yourself beyond any point where you've gone before, but I think it's safer if you stay here. Your body has overexerted itself and climbing the rest of the mountain could get you killed, and if not, then whatever we find at the top will. I'll leave my extra food and water with you and once I save the boy, we'll find you on the way down. For now, just rest."

He expected an argument from the stubborn woman, but it seemed she was more focused on breathing than on arguing, and the young man found himself feeling thankful. He filled his mouth with another bite of rations and took a swig of water before donning his mask again and reaching up to climb again. He had no time to waste. He had to reach the top before something awful happened, and he had a bad feeling about what was waiting for him.

[Play Back]

I was grabbed from behind before Kyla fell. Each of my arms was held by a man dressed head to toe in black leather. I looked at the assailant with a wide grin across my lips. “Big mistake, pal.”

In an instant, I was gone from the man’s grip, appearing behind him and slamming my fists into his back several times, each of my blows directly to his spine. He fell, grabbing at his wounded backside with a groan. I smiled from beneath my mask, reaching my hand down to find my kunai.

Only to find that I didn’t actually have my kunai.

I looked down at my belt, sure that I would have had the weapons on my person. I looked forward, my opponent starting to get back up. I blinked out of existence again, this time appearing directly above my foe, driving the bottom of my heels into his head, his face getting shoved into the ground by over one hundred pounds of force. Yeah, he wasn’t getting back up for a while.

I turned to see if there were any others. There were. Another blackened leather figure began to approach me, his body hiding the faint glimpse I caught of an older native. I looked down, reaching for the staff that had cold-conked Kyla, and ran at the man, screaming at the top of my lungs. He shaped his fists into a position that was ready to strangle my little neck before I disappeared again. The man turned behind him, his hand had instantly formed into a punch, but he met nothing but air. He looked to his right and left for a second before finally looking down, where I stood with the staff.

I shoved the wooden rod as hard as I could upwards, slamming directly into my opponent’s chin and sending him flying back on top of his buddy. I was panting now; teleporting always drained me, and doing so three times in a row was rather exhausting. I turned to the last person standing in the area, the man I could only assume was Sawalu.

His skin was gray, as if it were almost ready to rot off. He had an aroma about him that reminded me of the undead from my home. My mask did well to hide the stench, but I could not get over that grin; the same as Zuric’s, with all the grime and green, but with more chips or completely missing pieces altogether. I shuddered at this sight, at this man who didn’t look as if he should be alive, and I charged.

Sawalu waved his hand, and I fell to the ground instantaneously. Looking at what had derailed my motion, I was horrified to find a skeletal hand now holding my ankle in place. I looked back over to Sawalu, making sure my form blipped out of the reach of his undead minion and to his side. The sorcerer was waiting however, and delivered a punch into my kidneys. It wasn’t a punch meant for another organ, he had known where I was going before I went there, and had even pinpointed where he wished to attack next.

I wheezed in pain, doubling over for a moment and attempting to swing my fist at the man. The punch was caught almost before it had been swung, and Sawalu’s grip tightened around my hand. I could hear cracking from the appendage as I screamed in horror. I knew that this would be it, that I was going to die at the hands of this old man. Sawalu’s fist came at my face and after that, blackness.

I woke up face to face with the child Kyla and I had seen in the cage earlier, the chieftain’s son. His skin had been horribly blistered by exposure to the sun, his stench even greater than that of Sawalu. I could feel the heat of the sun on my own skin, and I quickly closed my eyes upon realizing that I was no longer wearing my mask. I could feel something gripping my hair, though I didn’t know if it was man or contraption. I heard a voice, a voice that held out its ‘s’ sounds, like the hiss of a snake.

“You see how you’re heroes fall before my might boy? You see how your village can only send a woman and a child after me? All they could muster was this petty attack, and now you shall see how pathetic they truly are. Open your eyes, boy!” I didn’t know how, but something told me that he was referring to me in the last statement. I obeyed, only to see my own reflection in the steel of a large hunting knife.

“You will die here, young one, in front of this child’s eyes. You will die knowing that you failed. It’s why I waited for you to wake up. You will feel every inch of my blade as it cuts in to you. Prepare for your death, a sacrifice that shall never be forgotten!” I closed my eyes again, and as the thick accent receded, I could feel the cold metal of the weapon pressed against my neck.

[Amber Eyes]

The trio walked towards the darkening village, the sun setting behind the mountain at their backs.

The mutant smiled and placed his hand upon the girl’s shoulder. “You’ve come a long way Kyla, I owe you my life.”

The mystic smiled back briefly before forcing her eyes ahead to the approaching huts. “Yeah, well…I would’ve rushed in there and gotten us both killed if it wasn’t for you. I think I’ll stick around for a few more therapy sessions if you don’t mind.”

“You have a deal Miss Orlouge. How are you doing Sazashi?” Play Back turned his attention to the third member of the party.

The boy simply smiled.




Kyla woke, her head aching from the blow. She rose slowly, fully expecting someone to be keeping guard. When it became clear that no one was nearby for a single silly second Kyla scoffed. Did even these strange tribesmen think her weak? The girl shook the thought from her head; Play Back was missing, now was not the time for silly vanity. Let them all think her weak, she would show every last one of them just how big an error they had made.

Each step sent stabbing pains through her arms and legs but she pushed on. It was only a short walk to the camp she had seen the night before, surely that is where they had taken her team mate. Kyla hoped that the others, Artemis and Dana, were okay wherever they were. For the first time she felt a pang of guilt from leaving the pair behind. Loud voices reached her ears as she approached the camp, not taking time to notice the beautiful view from atop the mountain. As soon as she approached Kyla noticed several lifeless bodies in a pile as though awaiting burial. A grin covered her dirt-stained face as her heart swelled with pride knowing who must have put them there. She could feel her blood-matted hair sticking to her neck. Her whole right side was aching, but if it was the last thing she did she would see to it that what Play Back started would be finished. A light-brown tent shielded the center of the camp from her sight, but already Kyla knew that she might be too late. When the man's taunting finally ceased she felt a familiar cold filling her right hand. As she stepped around the tent, a knife glistened just below the Ixian's chin. One shot Kyla, you have one shot.

The blade had just about cut the skin of Play Back’s throat when Sawalu fell at the teen’s feet. When he opened his eyes there lay the tyrant with a throwing blade made of shadows sticking out from his back. There was no grand finale, no last words; if he hadn’t been the one being saved it would have seemed very anti-climatic. When he finally pulled his eyes from the corpse Play Back found Kyla standing several strides away, another throwing knife already formed in her hand. Shock marked her striking features and for the first time perhaps the psychologist got a firsthand view of the Kyla Orlouge that others whispered about in the hallways. He had seen her broken and struggling to survive, he had seen her at her worst. This though, was the first time he’d seen her at her best.

[Dana]

Placeholder.

[SirArtemis]

After leaving Dana on the plateau, Artemis had continued his ascent, his mission still in mind as hand reached over hand to grab higher toward the heavens. The air had gotten thinner and thinner, and the long trip through the jungle the previous night was catching up with him as well. He had more stamina than most, but he still had limits.

During his climb, a strange feeling overwhelmed him. It was almost a relief - as though a weight had been lifted off him. It had been worsening throughout the climb and he had attested it to the change in altitude, but the abruptness of the shift told him otherwise. Something had happened, and he did not yet know what it was.

With labored breaths, he pushed on, and as oranges and reds and purples filled the skies during the sun's descent, he finally reached the peak of his journey. Artemis dragged his body over the edge, his muscles strained due to being pushed past their limits. He wondered if tomorrow he would finally be sore again for the first time in many months. After all, it's hard to get a break when working for the Norlond Forge. Yet as he arrived, he realized what it must have been that felt so relieving.

At the top of the mountain, sitting by a fire that had been put out, was an empty cage. The door swung ajar casually, back and forth, and as Artemis narrowed his eyes, he caught enough light to notice that something was out of place.

He picked up his heavy feet, being sure to revert his boots back to their normal form for his last few steps, and took off his mask. Still holding it in hand, he used his free hand to run his fingers through his hair, the short dark strands falling back into place as though nothing had disturbed them from their rest. He untied the fetish that still hung around his chest and let the odorous object fall to the ground, walking past it without a thought. When he reached the cage he found a note flickering in the wind, pinned to the wooden frame with a crude knife. He reached for it and tore it from its place, holding it with his free hand.

Hey, we took care of it. Thought we'd let you two sleep in.

-Kyla

Artemis couldn't help but laugh after reading the note, smiling at the outcome of his journey. After a run through a jungle and a day climbing up a mountain, what he had thought would be the fastest route, the two teenagers had beat them there and saved the boy without so much as any trouble.

He shook his head at that, and held his arm up in the air, note still in hand - as though in victory. Head down and eyes closed, he let go of the note, letting the wind catch it and take it far, far away. He stood there in silence for a few moments, at a loss for words, and then simply lay down on the hard-packed earth.

At least the boy was safe.

[Revenant]

Round 1 closed for judgement.

Good luck!

[Revenant]

Plot: (14)

Storytelling (5) – This w.asn’t that bad of a little jaunt through the forested jungles. The dynamic of splitting up really wasn’t the point of the whole working together thing, but you guys did a good enough job setting up why you did. I would have liked to see more team work from all four of you, as I truly think you all could have done some great stuff

Setting (5) – So, you all started off really well, with making it clear you all were on a beach. Then, it sort of just vanished into the woodworks. You guys made such great strides to use all five senses at the start, and in the end you barely, if at all, used one. This is mostly prevalent with Play Back and Amber Eyes (Post 16, that had great character, but no setting really.) Dana, you punched me in the face with the opening post. You spent a lot of time saying that you were, in fact, on a beach. The repetition was a bit much and it hurts because you clearly have a solid understanding of how to write. Arty, you sprinkled the setting in here and there, but sometimes you mention it just to get it out of the way. Readers can pick up on those feelings of rushing to accomplish a single goal just to accomplish it. Take your time, come back to the post if need be. You all can improve on this category easily go back and read the post, and judge it yourself. What would you score yourself if you were looking for setting?

Pacing (4) – PLACEHOLDER: see what I am seeing? That not only destroys the flow of the story, but it’s just an eyesore that disrupts everything. It also led to Artemis having to bunny Dana. This is the single reason why you guys got hammered in your scores. Two people on one side, and now a flailing solo writing with Arty having to guess what Dana wanted to put, which makes it doubly harder for Dana to write, because she can’t post something that contradicts what’s forced upon her. It creates this nice conundrum that resolves nothing. Try to avoid these things in a tourney.

Character: (15)

Communication (4) – Ok, that score looks harsh, but let’s dissect it really quick. You guys, well, didn’t communicate. You split up, in a team tournament. And even when you did split up, the dialogue seemed a bit choppy. Naturally, Play Back and Amber Eyes were on par with each other, but Artemis you solo’d the whole thing. You took control of another’s character and I’m not sure what happened outside the quest, but you guys were all over the place as far as communications go. This hurt you, because Dana got lost in the shuffle, and it showed, badly.

Action (6) – This was mostly in the hands of Play Back and Amber Eyes, handling the fight at the end, and while it was a solid bit of action, I did like the beginning when all four of you were together. True, there were no battles, but it was interesting to see how you all viewed one another, and the actions you made based off of conclusion jumping. This score would have been a solid 8 if you all stuck together, in my humblest opinion.

Persona (5) – Well, I did get an interesting look into your characters, and you all did a solid effort in showing who they were, but towards the end, I felt the rush of accomplishment to prove a point, but there was no set up. Kyla’s character does indeed tend to get herself into a lot of trouble, but when you make the comment that finally, at last, she is seen at her best, it feels almost like a quirky Disney movie ending. It’s rushed in and last minute to tie a bow over the whole production. Same for Play Back’s outburst about Lavinya and the horrors he sees. It’s harder for me to feel for him because I wasn’t set up properly. To improve these huge character moments, you need to sprinkle throughout the story the tale of why you are the way you currently are, and why the change, when revealed, is so important to the reader to relate to.

Prose: (17)

Mechanics (6) – Artemis, you are excused from this lesson. Guys, read your work. You dropped words, you missed punctuation, and in some cases even forgot to capitalize. Each time I catch this, it rips me out of your world to fix it in my head, which hurts your clarity score as well. Dana, you had the biggest Grammatical error, which I hope you’ll fix in the future. When a character ends their dialogue with a talking action like said, muttered, shouted, and so forth, you place a comma, not a period. The example is as follows: “I hope this makes this clear to you what I mean,”the judge said to Dana. “I’d hate for it to keep bringing your scores down.” Keep that in mind. And Artemis you had errors too, just not nearly as many as the others.

Clarity (6) – The grammar errors in mechanics brought this score down as I had to fix the errors in my head, breaking the flow of the story. Also, jumping between both stories with little action to suspend the need to change directions also hurt. When doing multiple stories in the same stories, you need to leave a cliff hanger to make me want to come back. Leaving in the middle of it for no reason can ruin the story, as I stop caring what’s going on in either story.

Technique (5) – You guys are all solid writers, but this work is nothing really outside the norm for you. Amber Eyes showed the most trial and error in attempting to add more to her writing repertoire while it seemed the rest of you just defaulted to usual procedures. Never stop striving to challenge yourself with new words, new techniques, new style and flair.

Wildcard: (5)

Total: 51

Dana receives 130 exp and 20 gp.
SirArtemis receives 510 exp and 50 gp.
Amber Eyes receives 542 exp and 50 gp.
Play Back receives 255 exp and 40 gp.

[Silence Sei]

EXP- GP Added.