The Pool of Saffron

[streak101]

((Closed to Amaril Torrun))

"Ah...There's nothing like sitting down, and studying...after a long day of studying!" Demetri laughed, lifting his spectacles closer to his eyes. The sea breeze blowed in through the window and billowed his robes. Demetri was tired, of course, any scholar that specialized in studying the magical artifacts, and magical history of Althanas, and that actually knew how to use one of it's ways of magic would be tired after studying and practicing all day. He began reading the book he chose from his library, (Of course, because he was a scholar, this would have been the fifth time reading it.) it was titled, "The Pool of Saffron".

The book told of an ancient artifact, that some believed to be a myth, others believed it to be real. This book was a copy of only a handful of others, each telling a different story than the other, but one thing was always common in each of the stories. A dragon named Saffron created the artifact, and died with it, keeping it in his lair, somewhere deep in the rainforest of Luthmor, even deeper in the forest than the great city of Donnalaich.

Demetri only read a few thirty or so pages, familiar with every line, when he slowly drifted into sleep. He dreamt of becoming a powerful sorceror, with knowledge of everything in Althanas. He dreamt of ruling a great country, with an iron fist against wrong-doers, and a kind heart with all the civilians. He also dreamt of fighting terrifying men.

He was dreaming of a rather vexxing girl when he awoke startled by a ruckus coming from his library. He rushed into the library, tucking the book under his robes for safekeeping, "Who are you?" He spoke to the three figures throwing books around the room, their faces concealed in the evening darkness, "We are here for the Pool of Saffron." Demetri cocked an eyebrow, "You want the book?" "No you fool, the item! Unless..." Another voice came from the darkness, "It's clear he doesn't have it! It's probably still inside the dragon's lair! Let's kill him like we did the other scholars! That way, no one will find us out!" The first voice now spoke, "Yes, we must. For the sake of eliminating obstacles...Go ahead and do it then."

A pair of claws sprang forth from the darkness, aiming for Demetri, "Barrier!" The claws were crumpled up against the invisible wall around him, and the rest of the body followed, giving Demetri a clear look at the attacker. A demon!? "Whirlwind!" Demetri summoned a whirlwind and knocked the demon away from him, "Shine!" A bright light lit up the library, and Demetri's three attackers could be seen clearly. The demon, had red eyes, and had tusks jutting out from his mouth. The first of the others, was a man, he was adorned in the robes of the Magi, and had red eyes. The second was a minotaur, with black horns and green eyes. "Hmm..." The man mumbled, "This one is different than the others! Very well, you live but..." The man extended his hand towards Demetri, and in an instant, the book Demetri had been reading, was in the palm of the man's hand, "I dare you to come after us!" The man and his two followers disappeared.

Demetri was shaken, he knew The Pool of Saffron could be dangerous in evil hands, if it did exist that is. "There is no time, even if it might not exist there is still a chance, and if they are as determined as they looked like they were, and are as evil as they looked, then that means I must try and stop them! But I cannot do it alone..." Demetri only knew of a few people in Althanas, and none of them had any skill in fighting. He had heard of the exploits of two mercenaries though. One was named Banda Utako, his ability to strike quickly, and his unusual weapon, the boomerang, earned him acknowleadgement in the nearby village Demetri visited for food. The other, a half-breed, was Amaril Torrun. Amaril was strong and quick, he also had powers using the elements, such as the much known ice darts he uses.

Demetri gathered his books in a bag and using his magic, made the bag the size of a pouch, and as light as a feather. He left his home in the middle of the dark night, and ventured towards the little village he lived so close by. He awoke the messenger there, "I need you to find me Banda Utako,and Amaril Torrun, tell them to meet me in Donnalaich, their travelers from what I hear, they'll know where to go. This is an urgent message, so get to it!"

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Banda entered through the great gates of Donnalaich, shaking his head, and scattering droplets of water from his hair to the ground around him. It was raining, he was wet, and he was irritated, "I hate this rain!" He shouted, he enjoyed the cold water on his face, and spreading to his arms and legs after a long hot day, but for it to go on, and on for this long made his clothes heavy with water, and sent chill's up his spine, he loved a shower, not a bucket bath. He entered the biggest, and closest building he could find, just wanting to get out of the rain. By a stroke of luck, he had entered the tavern, which was the meeting place his client had specified to him. He searched the tavern for someone meeting the description of his client, but found no one, so he seated himself on a stool, in front of the bar counter. "What will you have sir?" Banda looked up at the Barkeep, he was a Fae, a taller sort of faerie, how this race come to be Banda does not exactly know but he has a few strange theories... "Give me some ale, mildly strong." "Right away sir, three gold please." Banda gave the barkeep three gold, and waited for his drink.

It's just freakin' amazing isn't it? I come here through a rainforest filled with danger, during a rainstorm, to help someone, and their not here! "Excuse me sir," the Barkeep interrupted Banda's thoughts, "But the man at table five wants you to sit with him." The barkeep handed Banda his glass of ale and pointed towards a hooded man sitting with his arms resting on the table. But the man did not look anything like the person the messenger described, Of course, the messenger did look a little drowsy, after all, he awoke me in the middle of the night!

Regardless, Banda sat down on the booth across from the man. Due to the hood, the man's face could not be seen. His robes stopped halfway over his knees, revealing a black pair of slacks, and of course, he wore the normal shoes of the townsfolk. Banda drank his ale casually, "Your hard to find in a crowd you know that?" The hooded man shuffled in his seat, "Away from the door in a place where constant chatter confuses an eavesdropper, its a perfect place to discuss things wouldn't you agree?" Banda shrugged, "It really doesn't matter to me where we talk, I just need to hear what you have to say. My name, as you probably already know, is Banda Utako." The man nodded, "Yes, your physical appearance tells me you are," The man removed the hood, revealing spectacles, and purple shoulder-length hair, "My name is Demetri Cornelius, pleasure to meet you Banda."

Banda finished his ale, "So, fill me in, what do I have to do?" Demetri shook his head, "You? Oh no, for what I have in mind, you'll need me to tag along, and we'll have to wait for the other man to arrive before we can even begin discussing the details." He wants to come along? That's a first for any one of my clients... "Well, if you want to, I guess I can't stop can I? But I wanna know how your going to defend yourself in an emergency, as for the other guy, I don't mind help if you think I need it, but I don't wanna split the reward." Banda laughed, Demetri spoke, "Do not worry, I can more than defend myself, and I'm sure no one will need to split the reward in the end, because I probably won't need to. It's not that I don't think you can do it, I just believe there is something in it for you other than money. But I will explain things in more detail when our other friend gets here..." Banda sighed, patience is a virtue, but virtues are forgotten after awhile.

((Feel free to use ANY NPC I include in this quest unless I tell you not to through PM.))

[Amaril Torrun]

Rainfall poured onto the ornately designed structures making up the rebuilt portion of Luthmor’s capital. Amaril had never even heard of this area of the world until the messenger of a man named Demetri had found him on the coast of Corone. The half-dragon had finally decided it was time to set out for Salvar, the place where he would reside in solitude, contemplating the oddity of his existence and perhaps even discovering the origins of his mysterious birth. Not to mention he just wanted to live in the coldest region he could think of because the dragon half of him resented all warmth. He had only placed one foot onto the deck of the ship that would ferry him across the sea, when an ordinary man who was exiting the same vessel stopped, stared, and then introduced himself only as Demetri’s messenger.

Amaril had missed the first part of what this man had said, focusing more on the messenger’s appearance. The man’s wings, while tucked inside a large coat, had been easily recognized by the half-breed, who knew all to well the pains of hiding one’s anomalies. The creature looked almost elf-like, with fair skin and a frail complexion. Only after the words “many will die” presented themselves to the warrior did he truly pay attention to what was being said. After asking for more details about what was being requested of him, he had learned that Demetri had heard of certain great warriors from the Citadel that might be willing to help. This had caused his heart to sink a bit, as he had recently lost a battle to a young swordsman.

Doubtful as to the true intentions of this Demetri, he was eventually coaxed by the messenger into at least hearing the intellectual out before turning down the offer. With the promise of a reward, Amaril had asked for a map of where Dheathain was located. Seeing that it was only slightly off course from a direct route to Salvar and that he didn‘t have any concrete plans for the future, he had agreed to see Demetri in the Fae capital Donnalaich. If anything, he might leave the foreign land with more understanding about the large world he called home.

This was why he now viewed the stunning structures before him, allowing the icy torrents of heavy rain to stream down his face. The first few days in Dheathain had been miserable, as the half-dragon detested tropical climates, though constant showers did well to improve his mood. He watched as Fae dashed across newly paved streets, being soaked within seconds. He examined each being that came close enough with scrutiny, still trying to make sense of why he had never heard of this race before now. It was during this inspection that Amaril’s eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. Banda, the victor of their Citadel match, was rushing toward a large building. Could this Demetri find no one else to drag across the continent? There are undoubtedly more capable warriors than the two of us. A feeling of unease dropped into the pit of his stomach. Then again, a more experienced fighter would know better than to travel through several countries without the faintest idea why.

Kicking himself mentally for his foolishness, Amaril decided that he might as well follow Banda into the building. It was impossible to believe that the young man had traveled all the way to Luthmor from Corone at the same time, with a different objective. Upon entering the complex, he watched as the swordsman immediately ordered one of the cheapest alcohols known to all races. Then, after a quick word with the barkeep, he turned and sat down with a hooded figure, obviously Fae due to the half exposed wings folded, yet sticking out of the top of the man’s clothing. The two were in the middle of a conversation when the half-dragon decided that there was no point in turning back. He was here. He may as well reap whatever benefits he could from the encounter.

“Banda, it is interesting to see you once again.” Looking at the man sent a chill down his spine. It wasn’t often that one could look into the eyes of your killer, after dying. Quickly ignoring the feeling, he grabbed a nearby chair and placed it at the side of the table. “Demetri, I presume? Please, explain what it is that you want from me, because your messenger was rather vague.”

[streak101]

The hairs on the back of Banda's neck stood up as he heard the familiar voice, he arm twitched as it begged him to draw his sword, Stop that! He grabbed his arm and rubbed it. "Nice to see you too Amaril." Banda smiled nervously, it's not exactly a barrel of monkeys to partner up with someone you killed. He looked at the half-breed, he had recovered all his lost appendages, which was good, but in the areas where they had been previously dismembered from, there had been scars, which wasn't in the Citadel healing process. He could'nt have been fixed up by the drunk man could he? I told those monks to watch him!

"I'm sorry for the scars." He pointed at the marks, it was the least he could do after cutting the man up that badly. Amaril sat at the side of the table, Demetri spoke, "And now the party is complete, now we must get to business." Demetri cleared his throat, "I've called you both here, because the world is in serious danger." Banda cocked an eyebrow, "You can't be serious, if you are why us?" Demetri shook his head, "I'll get to that, but first the purpose."

"About a week ago, I was alone in my home sleeping, later in the night, I was attacked by three evil men, a minotaur, a man, and a demon. They were looking for The Pool of Saffron, of course some say it is a myth." Banda made a 'what' gesture, Demetri placed a crude drawing of what the item was said to look like on the table, it resembled a glass jar with a golden rim, "It looks a lot more majestic in person. Anyways, The Pool of Saffron is a jar that, once filled with water, reveals to the holder how to fulfill his dreams. It was created by a dragon; Saffron himself. Now if someone with a good heart were to find it, the world could benefit, but in the hands of an evil man, who wishes to torture it, well...." Demetri crumpled the drawing, "I'm sure that would explain it."

Banda closed his eyes. It was a good deed, and he liked good deeds. But he still wasn't sure, "Where is this place? And what about my reward?" Demetri lifted his spectacles, "Yes well, before that my impatient friend, I still need to answer the previous questions. Now, I don't know many people in this world, and those that I know have no idea how to fight. I heard about you two from the village I was living by, and well, the faster I found someone to help me, the sooner these men can be stopped. We are going deeper into Luthmor, to Saffron's lair where, hopefully, the artifact is not there, but if it is, we must recover it before the other men do. Now, Saffron kept a treasure collection, a large one at that, I'm sure you will find something of interest over there. We won't need to battle the dragon though, as Saffron has died, simply put."

Banda quickly made up his mind, he was amazed by dragon's, and to visit one's lair was great enough. "I'm in," He turned to Amaril, "I apologize for dicing you at the Citadel, but if what this man says is true, we must make amends and put a stop to this." Banda held out his hand to Amaril, hoping the half-breed would shake it, and be a new found ally.

[Amaril Torrun]

Banda spoke up briefly before Demetri had the chance to explain anything. The look in the swordsman’s eyes revealed repentance for their past skirmish, though he said very little, merely commenting on the various scars the half-dragon had received. Amaril felt no need for such an apology. They had both traveled to the Citadel for the same reasons and one of them had to be victorious over the other. If he were angry toward anyone, it would be himself for having lost.

Demetri finally broke the tension and was immediately questioned by the younger warrior. It seemed that this Fae was truly incapable of hiring the proper help required when he let the two past rivals know that they were chosen almost randomly. The only explanation was that word of the Citadel had traveled to this distant land, and a perhaps a few tales of combatants as well. Demetri had, in all probability, picked the two names off of a list of somewhat worthy fighters.

The mission seemed significantly more planned than the organization of the group, putting Amaril somewhat at ease. The idea of three brutes putting the entire world in danger was rather unrealistic, but stopping them sounded easy enough. Then, there was the circumstance of traveling to a dragon’s lair. Such places were told in fairy tales and the like, and having a man that could take him to this lair was an extremely rare opportunity. Perhaps I’ll discover more about my own kind, or what created me.

Help me.

The voice! The sudden familiar telepathic message, if that’s what it was, jolted Amaril so badly he almost slipped out of his seat. The intonation was always the same, a low pitched, almost tired sounding voice, begging for help. It struck him at completely random times and he had no clue about how to act on what was heard. How could one find the source of a message, clairvoyantly sent with no directions on how to proceed?

Luckily, the other two men were engaged in more conversation about what was to come, and missed the small episode. Amaril shook off any thoughts of the voice, as he always did, just as Banda turned to him, hand outstretched. I thought he already apologized. Having no hard feelings about their short past, the half-dragon accepted the request for forgiveness with a firm handshake. “Please, don’t think about it any longer. We both fought with the same intentions toward the other. Actually, if I remember correctly, I was the one who lost control. If you hadn’t diced me, I would have done the same, or worse to you. Now let’s just concentrate on the task at hand. It sounds like we’re gonna have to fight together very soon.”

The half-dragon stood up and dragged the chair back to its original position before turning to Demetri. “I accept your offer as well.” The promise of whatever treasure one could find in a dead dragon’s lair would be enough to attract most mercenaries, but Amaril’s consent to take a part in this quest had nothing to do with riches. He would simply go to Saffron’s lair in appreciation of the place, with a mind set on knowledge of his own kind, not treasures.

[streak101]

Demetri cleared his throat, "It seems we are ready to go, now according to my recent studies, Saffron's lair should be farther east out of Donnalaich. Let us make haste now." Demetri stood up, and re-adorned the hood before he walked out of the tavern.

Banda got out of his seat, and followed after Demetri, the Fae was waiting for the two mercenaries outside. "You know Demetri," Banda said as he swung the tavern doors open, "I still don't know how your going to help on this trip." Demetri sighed, why must this man ask so many questions? "First off, without my help, you won't know your way around my country, or where Saffron's lair should be located. Second, the many dangerous plants, and creatures here could harm you or possibly kill you if you didn't know how to defeat them, and third," Demetri cracked his fingers, "Fire!" A ball of flame puffed over Demetri's hand, "I'm very capable of defeating said creatures and plants, and I can very much protect myself thank you very much." Banda eyes lit up, "So you can do magic huh? Yeah, I know of a few people that can do that." Banda recalled Shenjara, almost lit up the entire damn forest she did.

Demetri scoffed, "Let's get going then." They continued walking along the beautiful sculptures, Banda didn't find much time for art, and he liked seeing beauty whenever he had the chance. They were walking past great ruins when Banda finally tired of the art. Reminds me of when I walked with good old Zerith, and the gang to the stables. Hey! That reminds me of something! Laughing to himself, Banda began counting the birds that flew by, "One, two, three, four, five..." Despite it's simplicity, Banda enjoyed this game a lot. They had finally reached Donnalaich's city limits, and were entering Luthmor once again.

Demetri pointed towards different plants, naming them, and describing the different consequences, or benefits one would obtain from touching one, "This one can kill you after digesting it, and this one can cure you of any ailment," Sometimes they were strange, "This one will give you a nasty case of the runs, and I don't mean your nose. This one can be used for hygiene, a substitute for showering if you will." As a joke, he picked some of these, and gave Banda the bathing leaves (as he nicknamed them), "You could use some of these you know." Banda scowled, "I'll have you know that I shower every time I finish working outside thank you." Despite that, Banda stuffed some in his pockets.

They took a break ten minutes into the lush rainforest. Banda laid down, "Hey Demetri?" The Fae looked towards Banda, "Yes?" "Can you tell me whether those bushes are supposed to shake, or is something behind them?" Demetri's eyes widened, he could see golden eyes staring at Banda, "Get back!" Banda sighed, It's never a shaking bush species is it? He rolled backwards, and jumped, landing two feet from Demetri, and six feet from the bush. Slowly, three cat-like creatures emerged from the bushes, decorated in black spots, and light brown fur, "What are those things?" Demetri narrowed his eyes as he looked at them, "Algora, and three adults too, now that's a rare sight. Be careful, their known to pounce at their enemies." Banda swallowed, "Right, I'll take the one on the right, Amaril, you the left, and Demetri you take the one in the center."

The three algora, as if understanding Banda, each stared at the corresponding person, slowly pacing forward. It was silent, and then Banda's enemy pounced at him. Banda fell to the ground, pinned onto it by the algora, "Quick one, aren't you?" The algora's massive paw smacked Banda across the face, Banda grabbed it's enormous ear, the cat creature flinched, hissing, "Yeah, not so mighty now are ya?" What in the world are you doing?! Stop talking to it, and kill it! Banda slid his legs under the beast, and kicked the algora off. Okay, that wasn't me. Am I going crazy are something? Yeah, yeah that's it. Banda shook his head, he drew out his sword, it looked dull with the lack of sunlight, "I need a new one." He said to himself, he usually had random thoughts like these. Again, the algora jumped out at him, but this time he was ready. Banda swung his blade like a baseball bat, curving his swing up, it's sharp side facing the beast. It cut into the cat, quickly passing the epidermis, and dermis, and roughly cutting through the bone, cutting the cat almost in two. Blood splashed to the ground, and sprayed on Banda's clothing, this is just sick.

Banda turned towards Demetri, but it seemed the scholar had finished with his opponent before Banda had killed his. Demetri hadn't killed the beast, but rather tired it. He dodged it's pounce easily recalling having to live with these creatures, and using what he learned in books. As soon as the algora had slipped on his landing after one pounce, Demetri cast a sleeping spell, and put the algora to sleep. He sighed at Banda, "Well, you probably would have done the same if you knew how, I though, rather not kill this poor thing." "Your making me feel guilty." Banda looked towards Amaril, checking to see if the half-breed was alright. "He's tough, he should be fine."

[Amaril Torrun]

Amaril cringed at Demetri’s expression of power. The instant ball of fire cackled and licked over the long fingers taming it and though he knew that the fae was on his side, he couldn’t help but fear the flame. He could almost feel his insides melting from the deadly element even though the distance between them made it impossible for such a small fire to have any real effect. Still, if he uses that too close to me, I could easily die. The half-dragon had long ago discovered his serious weakness to fire. The fire Demetri had created would have been enough to kill Amaril if were to hit him in the chest, his icy insides within melting rapidly. “Please be careful Demetri. I don’t do well with fire.”

“You don’t like it?”

“It isn’t a matter of liking it, for me. Please, just don’t let it get near me, or it’ll be just you and Banda to fight off your enemies.”

Demetri nodded in acknowledgement before taking off for the city’s only exit. Amaril looked upon the sculptures once more, wondering just how far they would have to travel, when he heard Banda start counting. He had no clue as to the purpose of the young man’s periodic voice, but the swordsman seemed to be entertaining himself and the half-dragon decided to leave it at that. Soon, they were amongst hundreds of trees, the thick forest of Luthmor. Here, his employer started explaining the usefulness and dangers of various plant life. Amaril took one of the herbs, a large yellowish green leaf, which supposedly could cure any ailment.

I’m sure it can’t cure absolutely everything, but it might come in handy at some point. Maybe it‘ll cure this tropical heat. Teasing himself, he nibbled off a small end of the leaf. It had a dry, bitter taste and instantly wrenched his stomach causing him to vomit a bit. Demetri turned at the sound and Amaril caught a slight smirk as the guide continued on the path. “So it just clears your system naturally…” the half-breed mumbled to himself. He let the leaf fall from his clawed hands, leaving a green smear on one of the sharp fingers.

After hardly half an hour of marching out of the city and into the forest, they stopped for a break. That old fae might be capable with his magic, but he’d better toughen up if he thinks he can fight anything. As if on cue, three large felines entered the small clearing the travelers resided in, with the obvious intention of attacking. He heard nothing of what Demetri or Banda had to say about the creatures, as one of them was slowly stalking up to him. The animal was as long as an average sized human, razor sharp claws digging into the soil, and a ravenous mouth, revealing drooling incisors.

Amaril slowly slid his sword out of its sheath on his back, bringing it in front of him. As if compelled by magical force, all three animals prepared to pounce in unison. This isn’t natural. He had never heard of any type of animal that would reveal itself before attacking, and now they were acting as one. He had no desire to kill something if it was being controlled by an outside force.

Just before his algora attacked, Amaril stood as high as he could and spread his wings to full length. Simultaneously, he roared as loud as possible, hoping to scare the cat into submission. His plan far exceeded what he had hoped for, as the cat suddenly seemed to fall out of its trance and fled the scene. The one that Demetri had just put to sleep screamed in terror as it tried to do the same thing, but the fae’s spell was still affecting it greatly. The poor animal wobbled on its four legs before falling back to the ground. Amaril looked at the third creature and saw that Banda had tragically killed it

“Don’t kill this last one! Demetri, can you keep it subdued. I think these things were sent to attack us. Are any of these enemies we are trying to beat capable of such a task?”

[streak101]

((Demetri isn't old persay, he's actually in his mid-twenties.))

Demetri nodded, "Yes, I suppose they are. One of them was a magic user, like me, he could have linked their minds to his, allowing control of their bodies. Of course, that would mean that any pain distributed to the creatures would be sent to the user," Demetri turned to Banda, "So killing it was a bittersweet moment I guess. Now let's continue, it's obvious that if we take short breaks we'll end up being attacked by another one of his traps again. We will walk until nightfall, and we'll set up camp wherever we are, and not to worry," He looked at Amaril, "We won't be having any campfires."

Banda sighed, again they began to walk into the rainforest, soon it began raining again. Rain, I guess I should get used to it. He stared at a particular looking plant, it's stem was long and red, and it's leaves were of a bluish yellow hue, "Hey Demetri, what does that plant do?" Banda pointed over to it, "Well, the leaves of that plant give out a very nasty smell, if you were to crumple it, and shove it in someone's face, they would quickly fall unconscious at your feet. The stem of the plant is sometimes grinded, and used as a healing powder. Pick it, and give it to me."

Banda plucked the plant out of the ground, leaving the roots, and gave it to Demetri. Demetri waved his hand over the plant, and shrunk it to the size of a peanut. Then, he gently placed into his pouch, and put it away. Banda gasped, "You know a lot of magic huh?" Demetri laughed, "You have no idea." They continued to walk deeper in, it was boring compared to the first ten minutes, nothing interesting happened since the algora.

The sun was setting when they decided to set up camp, "I thought we were going to walk until nightfall?" Demetri shook his head, "There's been a change of plans. If we wake earlier than our enemy, we could get to the lair before them. If we want to do that, we will need to sleep earlier, and wake up earlier." Suddenly, a menacing cackle surrounded them, "Yes, but it is a pity that you will not get that far!"

A man materialized out of nothing, cackling madly. Demetri gasped, "It's him! That's the magic user!" Banda looked at him, his red eyes seemed familiar to Banda. Who is he? "Haha! Yup yup! We'll get rid of you now before you even get to the lair! That way, no one can stop Cigam!" A high pitched voice rang out, a demon flew in through the canopy above them, and stood to the right of the man. "Yes, no one will interfere with Cigam's plans." A calmer, more rough voice was heard, as a minotaur walked out of the bushes. Demetri lifted his spectacles, "Careful gentlemen, Cagim, that's him right there," Demetri pointed at the man, "can kill you if you make the wrong move. Cagim, I challenge you to a magic duel, leave your cronies out of this, and my allies will not interfere." Cagim's eyes narrowed, "Very well, Hyact! Lomard! Leave this to me."

The two cronies backed away, but drew their weapons. If things get hairy for their boss, they will jump in, no doubt about it. Banda leaned towards Amaril, "Be on your toes, I don't trust these guys to stand back, and let things get ugly, hell, I know I wouldn't let Demetri get killed out there. I recall those ice darts you threw at me, it might be a good idea to get one ready just in case." Banda pulled his boomerang out of the sling, he was ready to stop them too. Demetri spit on the ground, "Let us begin then."

((I'm giving you the oppurtunity to use Demetri in action, :D))

[Amaril Torrun]

So the party’s opposition had powerful magic on their side as well. Demetri seemed to be very unsure of the capabilities of his adversaries, and Amaril continued to feel uneasy about the whole situation. If the time came when they had to fight, he might very well die against foes far surpassing anything the half-dragon might muster as a defense. This fool should have found better fighters. He may have had little time, but surely if time was so precious, he should have at least sought out someone closer. This thought and thoughts similar to that effect swirled in his despairing mind. He had traveled so far, expecting to help save a significant portion of Althanas’ populous, but it now felt like a suicide march.

Demetri instructed that there would be no more breaks until nightfall in order to try to avoid any more ambushes. Personally, Amaril wanted to continue on through the night so they could beat their foes to the lair, reclaim the Pool of Saffron, and escape back to Donnalaich without another violent episode. The rigorous trek offered little comforts as the travelers battled dense undergrowth and thorny vines. As they moved deeper into the forest, it seemed to grow thicker, until he no longer had any idea of where they were headed, and it became impossible for him to fly to the tree tops. His life was in Demetri’s hands.

The uncanny voice issued several more of the short pleas as they traveled, and he began to realized that the time between them grew shorter and shorter. It was rare for him to hear the voice more than once a day, and he felt a tinge of fear for no obvious reason. I’m only hearing a voice after all, nothing more, and that isn’t the strangest thing about me. He looked down at his claws and touched his bare chest with the end of his scale-coated tail. For all I know, this could be the beginning of some sort of ability. I’ve heard that some dragons can read minds.

Demetri started to speak again, this time stating that they would make camp earlier so that they could wake up earlier and catch an advantage. Amaril wished the fae would stop thinking about breaks when they were supposedly on such an important mission. Demetri sure has a different view on how quests should operate.

Just as he was about to make this thoughts heard, a malicious laughter interrupted them. He watched as the three enemies introduced themselves in an all too extravagant manner. They were full of themselves, pride being an obvious weakness, yet he still didn’t know enough about them to exploit it. Demetri cut off any chaotic battle that was inevitably about to ensue, challenging Cigam to a duel. His request was accepted, surprisingly, and Amaril felt a glimmer of hope. If Demetri wins, then we should be able to take care of the other two without a problem, but if he loses… maybe this magic user will let Banda and I go. Hope of a quick fix to a deadly situation quickly faltered as the demon figure and the minotaur both drew their weapons. Coming to the same conclusion as Banda, he began to form on of his ice darts before being told.

“Be careful Demetri.”

The fae nodded as he stepped forward, Cigam doing the same. The two stood in another small clearing, with the followers of each waiting around the perimeter. The slightest disadvantage of one magic user over the other would cause immediate mayhem for both parties.

Cigam took no time to attack first, summoning a ball of flame, similar to Demetri’s from earlier, yet larger in size. He hurled it toward the fae, who, with the wave of his hand, caused the projectile to shrivel and die. He then attacked with an identical maneuver and Cigam hopped to the side, earning a slight singe on the left sleeve of his shirt. He growled and created two more balls of flame, one in each hand. Amaril backed away slightly, fearful of the embers. Cigam threw them both at the same time, each aiming for different sides of his opponent. Demetri simply made both of them disappear once again.

“I know you’re more capable than that, or maybe you should stop this before you get seriously injured.”

Cigam sneered. His pride was wounded, and Demetri was gaining in momentum. Almost lost in watching the heat of the battle, Amaril barely noticed that the demon, Hyact, was inching around the clearing and was almost at the fae’s back. And now they will cheat. The half-dragon sighed and dug his feet into the ground, ready to leap as soon as the moment came.

Demetri was in full concentration on Cigam now, conjuring some sort of magic attack that might prove more effective. Energy circled around him, encased him, and he soon gained control over it. Just as he flung it toward his opponent, Hyact leapt toward his unguarded back, sword raised to cut the fae down. Amaril leapt into action at the same time, parrying the attack with his sword. Before the demon had time to react, his right leg was impaled by the half-breed’s deadly tail. Hyact screamed in pain, fell backward.

Amaril took this time to glance over at Cigam, who was also apparently knocked to the ground. Through clenched teeth, he muttered, “This isn’t over.” With that, he picked himself up and fled into the woods. The demon disappeared in a puff of smoke, most likely to reappear at the evil squad’s meeting place. Lomard, absent during the quick skirmish, turned and followed Cigam’s noisy path.

Amaril turned toward his companions. “Should we pursue?”

[streak101]

Demetri took a deep breath, his second encounter with the demon was more frightening than the last, "No, they are heading in the opposite direction of Saffron's Lair, most likely the area of their camping grounds. They'll lick their wounds while we advance during the night." Banda rubbed his face, "So no sleep tonight?" Demtri shook his head, "No, its painfully obvious that we've been dragging our feet to make room for luxury, and the fact that we are this close to our enemies would insure our demise during the night.

Demetri turned his head to Amaril, he flashed a grin, but it vanished quickly, "You could say that I was thinking differently about our quest, but of course, everyone has their own way of doing things no?" Demetri smiled, he enjoyed reading minds, especially when it caught people off guard, but he rarely did it, "I need to warn the both of you, Cagim is capable of doing things much worse than great balls of fire, and what he intends to do with The Pool is even worse, whether he knows what could happen or not." He hoped that explained a few things. And now to toy with the dragon's mind.

Demetri walked over to Amaril, and whispered, "Its true, some dragons can read minds, some can even contact each other this way." Demetri paused for dramatic effect, "I'm capable of doing a lot of things Amaril, I also know a plethora of things. I cannot tell you your exact future, but your questions will be answered at Saffron's Lair."

Banda zipped up his pants, he whistled as he walked away from the tree, relieved. As Demetri spoke, he was thinking of his situation, I didn't get to do anything during that skirmish! This stinks! Next time that big creepy minotaur shows up, I'll show him whats what! Banda spat on the ground. Demetri turned to him, and walked away from Amaril, "Don't worry there Banda, you'll get to fight the big scary ox man, and do stop urinating on the plant life here, my my, if I hadn't forced it to keep still you would've have lost your precious extremity."

Banda gulped, one because the thought of losing his extremity was frightening, two because Demetri had read his mind a little too well, "You can read minds!?" Demetri laughed, "Yes, yes I can, why hide the fact? Now march!"

So once again, the group was marching forward, the sun setting to the west. Banda put his hands behind his head, he looked up at the tree canopy, obviously because it was covering the sky. He remembered when he was a soldier and stared up at the sky after his battles, how welcoming it had seemed, Banda thought that if he died on the battlefield, the sky would be like a beacon towards Mount Olympus, where he would be judged by the pantheon based on his deeds. "If the sky can't be seen, and I can't be judged by Zeus, then I won't die here, its as simple as that." Banda said aloud.

It was pitch black now, the moon light could not penetrate the canopy, and so the group was walking in complete darkness except for the tiny ball of flame five feet away from Demetri who was ahead of the two mercenaries. Banda began dragging his feet, his legs stiffened, urging for him to stop, his head drooped, his eye lids grew heavy, and his arms felt like cinder blocks attached to his shoulders.

"Demetri, how much longer before we can rest?" The fae turned to face him, it was obvious he was tired, there were bags under his eyes, and his shoulders sagged, but those were the only two things visible in the light, "We must keep going, if your tired, I have an old family tradition for staying up," Banda raised an eyebrow, "What?" Demetri laughed, "Place your left testicle in one hand , and then clap." The thought made Banda perk up, "What kind of family did you live with?" Demetri cackled, "The thought is enough to wake you up isn't it?"

Banda shook his head, feeling vivid again. He decided to walk closer to Demetri, positive that the man was using some kind of spell to reduce his urge to sleep. Perhaps I can absorb some of the spell or something. Banda looked towards Demetri, there was a sort of flame in his eyes, the kind that showed determination, and something more powerful, Banda's eyes widened, "Demetri look out!"

((Surprise me! :p)

[Amaril Torrun]

Again, Demetri’s thought process confused Amaril. Why would he want to leave their enemies alone with such an overt advantage? His question had been rhetorical, with the mere intention of getting his companions to join him on the offensive. Now Cigam’s group would recover and come back with a more vicious attitude. The fae finally realized that traveling through the night was the best plan, the one that the half-dragon had thought of earlier.

As Banda took a short break to relieve himself, Demetri took the time to strike a conversation with Amaril. Without any bit of self-restraint, he revealed his powerful gift to read minds. The unsuspecting mercenary took in none of what the fae said, perturbed by the invasion of his thoughts. Demetri‘s powers seemed to come to him out of thin air, whenever the need should become appropriate. Banda and the half-dragon were merely pawns in a much larger game between the fae and Cigam. He suddenly began to wonder if he was truly on the right side. He quickly discarded the thought, hoping that Demetri’s preoccupation with talking about plants again might be enough to keep his notions secret.

Night eventually came, and with it, darkness. For a second he had thought about suggesting a small fire in Demetri’s palm as a useful torch, but said nothing. A light amidst such darkness would be a beacon for all prowlers of the night, not to mention that the fae had probably already absorbed Amaril’s idea. So, without a word, he followed behind Banda, keeping his senses keenly focused on what was behind him. Banda’s complaining was enough evidence to prove that his stamina was wearing thin, and so he would not be able to defend an attack from behind. He listened half-heartedly to his companions’ conversation, perking up at every broken twig, every slight rustle of vegetation. His muscles were beginning to strain, the mind growing a bit foggy, but he forced himself to remain alert.

Out of nowhere, Banda yelled about something up ahead. Amaril leaped forward, drawing his weapon quickly, cutting his wing slightly on accident. Just as he reached the front of the group, a large ball of fur hurled itself at the half-dragon. He swung his sword, but it was knocked off course due to a branch, hidden in the darkness. The fur landed right on Amaril’s face, screaming wildly. Grasping wildly for it, the feral creature weaved in and out of his hands, pulling at his long cascade of hair and climbing all over his body. It quickly found itself on his ankle, and he kicked as violently as possible. The animal lost its hold after the third kick and went sailing back the way it had came.

“What the hell was that?” He picked his sword up, holding it readily, awaiting another attack.

Demetri was chuckling behind them. “That, my friends, was a chimpanzee.” He burst out into laughter.

Amaril blushed, though the night kept it hidden. He turned to Banda. “This guy is insane.” He sheathed his sword. “Let’s just keep going. Something else must have heard the racket and will be here soon.”

Not waiting for a reply this time, he marched forward, angry and embarrassed.

[streak101]

"I don't think he's insane, just indifferent." He said as Amaril passed him and their client. The forest was pitch black now, Banda couldn't see much ahead of him, and so he decided to keep close to Demetri to make sure he wouldn't lose the sorcerer. Of course, walking in the middle of the night without saying a word had begun to frighten Banda, he always found the dark frightening as a child and never grew out of it. He stroke up conversation with Demetri to keep himself from being too frightened, "So Demetri, what do you think about Alerar's government?" Demetri lifted his spectacles, "Well, I believe that Lord Vordutin has made a foolish decision to attack Raieara. Surely conversation might have saved all those lives?"

Banda nearly tripped, "Eh...Your history books must be really outdated, that war ended two years ago, Alerar lost, and Vordutin died during the battle." The scholar was silent for a few seconds as they walked, Banda overheard something he muttered, "I've been away from the world far too long it seems." Banda raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" Demetri sighed, "I might as well tell you, the only reason that I know so much is because I isolated myself from the world for ten years. Of course I acquired tid bits of information from the village I lived by, but the last news I heard was of Vordutin and the beginning of the war, and of course ,recently, your's and Amaril's exploits."

Banda scratched his head, "You have a lot to catch up on Demetri." Demetri nodded, "I see that now." The two had struck up conversation on the history of althanas. Banda, who seemed like the sort of person that failed to even remember to put his pants on, was actually familiar with history. Of course, his knowledge of the past could only go so far, eventually he had forgotten the rest, and that conversation eneded quickly.

Banda hadn't been focusing his attention on his body during the chimpanzee attack, or the history lecture, but now that everyone was silent, he began to drag his feet, nearly falling over a few times. His spirit was diminished, his arms ached, and his legs grew numb, he staggered up to Demetri, "How much farther until rest?" The scholar stared up into the unseen sky, "I don't know, you both are adventurers, and my retainers, it's your decision whether we rest now, or keep walking."

Banda gave a faint smile, "I say we rest..." He sighed happily, and keeled over, hitting the ground with a thump, "What do you say Amaril? Can we sleep or what?"

[Amaril Torrun]

Amaril rubbed the slightly smeared, bloodied area of his wing, trying to quell the mild stinging. And now he let’s us come up with the decisions, after telling us what to do all this time? He shook his head. Demetri was too odd to try to understand.

Looking over to Banda, he saw through the darkness an exhausted, almost child-like form, begging for some sleep. The swordsman seemed about to collapse from fatigue, though the half-dragon wanted to continue on, getting to the Saffron’s lair before the enemy’s. The forest was dangerous as well, and if they remained in one place for long, they would most likely be attacked by more creatures, just as they had before. “I don’t think it would be wise to stop in the middle of the forest.” Standing around was making him realize the weariness inside himself.

He started to walk forward, but paused. A team was only as strong as the weakest member, and at the moment, that was Banda. The young man was a talented fighter, but he would need some energy to be anything more useful than a target dummy. I haven’t been very pleasant toward these two men. We’ve already fought alongside each other twice, and I still haven’t accepted them as true companions.

“Ok Banda, we can sleep for a few hours. How about we sleep until dawn, when we can see our surroundings better.” He looked at Demetri, wondering if he was reading his mind. Then we’ll know whether or not we’ve been going the right way. Demetri’s eyes narrowed, but said nothing. Amaril shrugged at the fae’s reaction and sat against the nearest tree.

As soon as the pressure was released from his legs, he felt a pang of tiredness sear through his aching muscles. He stretched and flexed, trying to drive the worn-out pain, but it kept coming back. It reminded him of the days of travel to see Demetri, only to go on another endless march. Lying there however, he felt a great sense of relief, mingled with the weariness, and quickly dozed into a deep sleep.

Help me!

Something cried out in pain. Amaril ran forward, but couldn’t reach the shadowy figure, couldn’t reveal the source of the sound. Demetri suddenly appeared to his side. “All your questions will be answered at Saffron’s lair.”

On queue, the scene quickly took the form of an enormous cave, golden trinkets that seemed to be smashed into the rocky walls. A room appeared, and with it he saw Cigam, drinking from a clear pool of water. Demetri lay crumpled at his feet, and Hyact was slowly, meticulously ending Banda’s life.

HELP ME!!!!

Out of nowhere, Lomard the minotaur charged from the side with an angry war cry. Slashing down at the unaware half-dragon.

Amaril awoke with a start. It was morning.

[streak101]

Banda's heart sank when Amaril said those dreadful words, he wanted to keep going! I can't feel my legs for the love of Zeus! Just rest man! When Amaril continued to walk deeper into the forest, Banda sighed, with his last bit of stamina stood up, attempted to continue travelling, and fell over, face first, onto the ground, "I just can't move anymore! I haven't slept in a day! I can keep going for a long time, but I'm drained from getting to Dheathain! Please, let me rest!" Then, as if the gods had spoke to him, Amaril had a change of heart, and compromised with sleeping until dawn.

Banda gave a sleepy smile, "That'll be enough to get me going again, just like the old days in the army! I wouldn't worry too much about Cigam or the animals, him and his cronies are probably licking their wounds, and the animals are all sleeping!" Demetri laughed, "No Banda, there are several nocturnal beasts in Luthmor, but don't worry, most of them are herbivores." Demetri suddenly shot a glance at Amaril, Banda wanted to know why, but was too tired to ask. Slowly Banda fell asleep onthe forest ground, his last thought just before he drifted into unconsciousness was What does he mean by 'most'?

Banda was dreaming, he sometimes could tell apart reality, and fantasy when he slept. He was pacing around what looked like a royal suite, treasures lay about just waiting to be picked up. His mind suddenly took him to another royal-looking room, only this was much larger. There was more happening in this room, he saw Demetri, and Cigam locked in another magical duel, and Hyact fighting with Lomard, he could not see Amaril, and then suddenly, his mind showed him...himself.

Banda stared at his body, it was kneeling on the floor his leaning forward towards an object his mind had distorted to prevent him fromclearly seeing it. Banda kneeled to get a better look at his face, there was something strange about it. He jumped back in surprise, the eyes were shrouded in a light violet mist, staring directly into the object. His body turned towards him, its eyes locked with his, and the next thing Banda knew, he had replaced himself in the dream. He was forced to stare into the object, Banda could feel himself being drained, and suddenly was shoved away.

Banda woke up, panting and sweating, Demetri was kneeling beside him, "Are you okay? You were screamin, and kicking all night." Banda shook his head, "I'm fine, I just had a bad dream that's all." He said, but he knew that the scholar was already reading his mind, seeing the same dream Banda had been repeating in his mind. Demetri shrugged, and stood up, "I'll let you recuperate." Banda sat up, wiped his face with his bandana, and took in a long breath. He stretched, and dusted off his clothes, despite the horrible dream, he felt revitalized.

However he was hungry, his stomach growled, yearning for food, Banda reached into his pockets, and his bag, but only found the few leaves Demetri had given him to clean himself with. I wonder if they taste any good. Banda picked the smallest of them, and put it into his mouth, he chewed the leaf, and gagged. He spat it out, the leaf tasted not surprisingly like soap. Demetri called out to him, "Banda, there are some edible leaves over here." the fae had a grin on his face, probably already knowing Banda was going to taste the cleaning leaf, "Amaril, I didn't enjoy doing this, but I thought that you two might need some meat," Demetri disdainfully laid two flanks of meat on the ground beside Banda, "So here are two rabbits I cooked, consider it an apology." He sent a thought to Amaril, I'm not any good with decisions. Banda grabbed one of the flanks of meat, and scarfed it down, "You must have been sick to your stomach removing the intestines." Demetri held his stomach, "You have no idea."

They fiished their morning meal and continued walking, Demetri sent a thought to Amaril, See? We are going the right way, while you two couldn't see anything, I had magic to aide me. It began to rain, Banda looked up and scowled, "It's not going to end any time soon is it Demetri?" The scholar looked up, "No I'm afraid not, when it rains it pours as they say." Banda grumbled as the rain grew heavier, at this rate, he was going to be drenched in a few minutes, "Demetri, don't you have some kind of spell to protect against the rain?" The fae only shrugged, and in a few seconds the entire party was surrounded in a bubble like aura, the rain bouncing off it, keeping the three dry. Banda poked the aura, asking Demetri, "What is this?" Demetri replied, "Barrier."

The walking continued through the rain, now being completely ignored by Banda. He attempted to figure out the time of day, but with the tree canopies hiding the sun from the forest ground, could only make a guess based on the time that has passed since dawn, "Eight o' clock in the morning." He said to himself, And most likely well ahead of Cigam and his chronies. Banda thought of their situation, they were already ahead of the villain, and had chased them off in the wrong direction. If they continued the rest of the way unhindered, they should make it to the lair by this afternoon.

I still don't understand how Cigam can be so dangerous to the world. "Banda, you believe in the gods don't you?" Demetri said. Banda nodded, then waited for Demetri to continue, "Imagine, what if Cigam became a god?" Banda gasped, "Okay, so maybe that would endanger the world, but how does one become a god?" Demetri sighed, "Don't know, but I'm fairly sure Cigam wants the pool of saffron to tell him how." Banda folded his arms in thought, What of the other two? Once again, Demetri spoke up, "We only have to worry about Hyact. That minotaur, Lomard, he is not with them, his body, and voice are being controlled by Cigam, but his mind is still free, and he is desperately trying to free himself from Cigam, if we free Lomard, he will help us defeat Cigam." Banda was quiet for the rest of the morning, when noon came he spoke to Amaril, "Hey Amaril, how're you holding up?"

[Amaril Torrun]

The meat was tender and went down easily. The morning meal added to the apologetic messages from Demetri helped to improve his mood. The memories of the past night’s dream had quickly faded, as wakefulness had hurriedly shadowed the fantasy in a symbolic fog. Now, he was able to enjoy the peacefulness of morning. Chirps, roars, and howls let the forest know that it was time for the day animals to tackle yet another day. Faint breezes periodically played upon Amaril’s face, toying with his long hair. Even the heat seemed to have diminished over the course of the night, making him feel even more at home.

He listened quietly, yet again, as Banda and Demetri conversed amongst themselves. He was glad to be left to his own blissful morning, thinking nothing of Cigam becoming a god, of Lomard being his slave, or of that intrusive voice. Even that single telepathic message seemed to respect the half-dragon’s state of mind. Finally, the young swordsman broke the almost trance-like warrior’s thoughts.

“I’m doing fine. It’s you that I’m worried about, with the way you dragged your feet last night.” His face split into a grin and he chuckled lightly. “Anyways, I think we’re almost there.”

He halted and looked straight ahead. Demetri frowned and asked, “And why do you think we’re there?”

Amaril slowly started to piece back together the remnants of his dream. “Because there’s a giant cave up there, see? And that, my comrade, is where the dragon lived.

Frowning even more so, he looked into Amaril’s mind to see how the half-dragon suddenly knew more than he had before. “Not all dreams can be trusted, friend. You would do well to put it out of your mind. Though,” he paused for a second, shook his head, and continued. “Though, you are correct, that is where Saffron lived, and that is our destination.”

Amaril nodded. The grin had fallen from is face as soon as his eyes had caught sight of the lair, and he was back to his grim, solemn manner in which he found most comfort. It was hard to ignore a dream that could possibly be telling the truth about their fates. After all, it had been accurate about the location of the cave, and as they got nearer, he noticed gold glints coming off of the walls.

Save me! I’m here!

“I’m really not sure this is the safest thing for us to be doing. I mean, should we really just march right inside, throwing precaution to the wind?” He stopped walking for a moment.

Demetri looked back. “I told you, the dream can’t be trusted. I’ve already tried to look into Lomard’s mind, but he is not within my ability’s range. If he were in that cave, I assure you I would know of it.”

Amaril remained defiant. “And what if Cigam found out that you read into his mind slave, and has now set up defenses against the minotaur’s mind? I…” He turned to Banda. “What do you think we should do? Charge in blindly, or take our time and stay alive?”

[streak101]

Banda stared at the ground, his hand grabbing his chin, and holding his elbow with the other arm. Charging in would be stupid, it always has been most of the times in my life. Then again, if what I'm thinking is true, then Amaril had a dream sort of like mines, a vision of sorts maybe? We could be in danger, but like Demetri says, you can't always trust your dreams, and we it could be safe.

"Well, Banda, out with it." Demetri said, Banda looked up, he took in a deep breath, "Well, I say we make sure that nothing's in that cave, even if Cigam isn't already inside the cave, something else could be inside there, like another one of those Algora things." The scholar sighed, "If you both insist."

Demetri whispered something under his breath, faced the cave, and held out his left hand in front of him. He began to whisper more words, holding his right hand a few inches over the left, slowly a small ball of light formed over the fingerless glove covering his left hand, it grew larger and larger to about the size of his fist. Demetri moved his left hand about, the ball following the palm of his hand. He pulled back his arm, and quickly extended it towards the cave, the ball of light shot towards the darkness of the cave. As the ball touched the floor of the cave, it extended and exploded, showering a small portion of the cave with light.

Demetri turned around to face Banda and Amaril, "See? Nothing there, it's empty, now let's hurry before Cigam makes his way here!" They entered the cave, Banda looked around carefully, checking behind them to make sure no one was trying to keep them in. The cave was rather large, and strangely warm. Banda sneezed, and it echoed deeper into the cave for a good minute, This is one long cave. Demetri nodded, "Of course, but Saffron didn't live out here, in this part of the cavern, he lived deep in the end of the cavern, where...well, you'll find out soon enough."

They followed Demetri, and his magical ball of light, showing them the way into the cave. Banda raised an eyebrow, the deeper they ventured, the more things he found on the wall. He saw what looked like gold ore, but as they got deeper he noticed that they resembled little figurines of dragons, almost as if telling a story. There were also many things on the floor that looked like treasure, necklaces, rings, crowns, those sorts of things. "Geez, Saffron was a pack rat."

They continued to travel deeper, when Demetri abruptly stopped, and dismissed the ball of light, they were surrounded in darkness, the rain outside could be heard echoing into the cave, "Hey Demetri, why'd you do that?" The scholar could be heard moving something ahead, "We won't need it anymore." Demetri pushed open the door, and immediately light flooded the cavern, Demetri stepped through the door, "Gentlemen, we've made it, welcome to Saffron's Lair."

Banda gasped, he recognized this place, it was here where he found himself being drained by an object, a cold chill went up his spine. Demetri lifted his spectacles, "Remember, you cannot trust dreams, Amaril's dream wasn't all true, your dream might prove the same." Banda took another deep breath, if that was true then he probably had nothing to worry about. Demetri continued, "Now let us hurry, and find The Pool, remember, it's an object shaped like a jar, possibly larger than a normal jar, and most likely decorated with the many treasures found around you."

[Amaril Torrun]

Banda’s answer was exactly what he expected of a soldier. No one was as carefree as Demetri, and the fae seemed to be agitated by that fact. The unexpected magic did little to surprise him, as he had long since gotten used to the fathomless depth of magic of his employer. I pray that you are right, Demetri, and there is no one here.

I’m here! Find me and save me! Something within him stirred at the telepathic message. The past few times, it had been sending him different messages than the usual Save me and a feeling inside was telling him that Demetri had been right. His answers might indeed be answered at Saffron’s lair.

As they made there was inside the large cave, he was able to visualize the golden glints much more carefully. There were hundreds of small statues in the forms of dragons, and as they got deeper inside, human figures began to take more precedence. He recognized the walls instantly as a tale of the humanoid races taking the world from the ancestral dragon races of old, though he knew not how he could have that kind of knowledge. Looking up at his companions, he felt a twinge of rage at such petty beings, creatures that roamed and conquered the land with no real basic need. He immediately banished the thoughts from his mind, fearful of the dragon half of him. Demetri merely looked back, stared into his eyes, and turned to the path once more.

They finally reached the depths of the cave that could be called Saffron’s ancient home, and as Demetri opened the door…

You made it!

The thought exploded in his head, and he fell to his knees. His two companions, unaware of the turmoil in his own mind, walked into the room, but he heard nothing that was said. Blurred visions of his dream came back to him, but focused this time on the shadowed figure he could not reach. This time however, he saw where he needed to go.

He pushed himself off the ground, desperate to get the now constant voice out of his head, following its directions in the hopes that it might finally end. He immediately turned to the opposite side of the room as Demetri and Banda, crawling and looking around the edges of the floor in a crazed state. Demetri tried to look into the half-dragon’s thoughts, but was somehow blocked. Frightened he sent a message to Banda to stay clear of the rampant mercenary, also telling him that their frantic companion might decide to attack.

Amaril noticed none of this, and suddenly found a tiny crack in a mound of lost treasures. He pushed it all to the side, throwing it across the room as he neared the bottom of the pile.

Yes! Please, I need you!

The last few pieces of the hoard were removed, and below it was a very small crack between the cave’s floor and wall. Inside, crumpled up and obviously trapped, was a small winged dragon, and Amaril immediately found it to be the most precious life to behold. Surrounded were the scorched remnants of rat bones and hair. A tiny trickle of water was dribbling out of the wall, and into a small pool the creature had created with its teeth. The baby dragon was so trapped, that all it could move was its neck, craning to view its savior for the first time.

Help me out. I can’t live here.

He didn’t need to be told to free the poor creature. He was already reaching down into the crevice and tugging the baby dragon loose when Demetri spoke up. “Amaril, what are you doing. He walked up behind him, hand raised to cast a spell if the half-dragon decided to attack. The hand fell once he saw what the half-breed was doing; a feeling of puzzlement, enlightenment, and intrigue took over. “What is this?”

Amaril hardly paid attention to the answer he gave. “This is my baby dragon. I’ve heard its voice call to me, and now that I’ve saved it, I will befriend it and raise it.”

The dragon nodded ever so slightly before adding, My name is Naryx. I am yours.

He set the dragon down at his feet, and the baby toppled over, muscles having gone through severe atrophy. The savior scooped it back up into his arms, staring at the creature as if it were his own child. “Demetri, Banda, I am sorry, but I can’t risk another encounter with Cigam. Good luck with the search. I must find a place to call home, where I can nurse this baby back to health.”

Avoiding his companions’ eyes, he slouched out of the room, and up the long tunnel. Halfway through, he heard voices coming from the mouth of the cave. As he came closer, he saw the faint outline of a minotaur leading the way for two other figures. Fear gripped him, but the fear was for Naryx, not himself. Quickly, he darted back to the treasure room, praying that his enemies had not seen him.

Bursting into the artificial light that came from seemingly nowhere, he whispered hurriedly, “Cigam and his men are here. We’re too late to avoid the fight.”

[streak101]

Banda stared at Amaril with a half surprised look, Banda, be careful, something's wrong with Amaril, he might have gone crazy, and he might attack us. Banda took a step back, he wasn't prepared to fight his friend, but drew his shield out, only to defend himself from the half-breed. Demetri, he seems to be looking for something, sort of like a toddler searching through a messy room. Banda watched as Amaril tossed aside what looked like priceless items, the mercenary snatched one from the air, a small figurine, in the shape of a dragon, much like the ones found on the cave walls, he pocketed this, a small keep-sake to remind him of this adventure.

He gasped as he saw what Amaril had found, a baby dragon, frail and weak, but a dragon nonetheless. The half-dragon stated that he would leave, Cigam nowhere to be found, and The Pool of Saffron easily withing grasp, Banda had no problem with this, but if they were going to find it without his friend's help, he would need to hurry. Amaril left through the door in haste, Banda looked at Demetri, who was confounded at Amaril's sudden exit. "Demetri, keep an eye out for Cigam, and his group, I'll find The Pool." Banda ran along the carpeted path, turning the corner, he stopped suddenly at what he saw.

The gigantic, lifeless body of a dragon was slumped on the floor, it's wing folded over its body, the head resting under an outstretched arm, and the hand holding a small object. Banda cared not for the object, but walked slowly to the enormous dragon, he kneeled before it, tears streaming down his face, he felt pity for this creature, from what Demetri had told him in the conversations they had before reaching the lair, Saffron took his own life, wishing to end centuries of solitude, and loneliness. Banda wiped the tears from his face, he looked at the small object, "Don't worry, it's in good hands now."

He reached for the object, as he expected it was The Pool of Saffron, still resting in it's owner's hands, Demetri was right, it did look more magnificent up close. The container had a rounded oval shape, the brim outlined with a golden ring, the handles resembled angel wings, and were also crafted out of gold, it was about the size of a ruck sack, the container itself still held water in it. Banda picked it up, and suddenly was forced to place it on the ground next to the lifeless dragon, his head turned to face the contents of the jar. The room around Banda began to spin, and the mercenary felt a sort of suction coming from the jar, It's like my dream! I'm being drained of my life force!

There was a flash of white light, and he could see nothing, then an enormous dragon faded into the white light, "Hello Banda, I am Saffron." Banda gasped, "What's going on!?" He looked around, This dragon's going to eat me! Saffron showed his teeth, attempting a smile, it wasn't very inviting, "No, I'm not going to eat you, now listen," Banda turned to face the gigantic creature, "Though your mind is here, with my spirit, your body remains in your world, kneeling on the floor, staring into my Pool, your eyes covered with a purple mist as you saw in your dreams." Banda nodded, understanding.

The dragon flapped his wings, sending a buffeted gust at Banda, who fell over, Saffron paid no attention to it, "Time is short, any minute now you will be forced back into your world, I must explain myself. The Pool has powers other than the one spoken of in books and such, it allows the user to peer into their memories, and dreams, and to store them in the Pool's magic, so as to hold on to them forever, I myself have stored my own memories into it, memories of ancient spells, if Cigam were to see my memories, he could use these spells to destroy the world, or possibly take over it, you must not let him have it." Banda nodded.

Saffron continued, "I want you to know this, I did not kill myself. I had no intention of dying, but they found me," Banda interrupted, "Who is they?" Saffron flapped his wings again, "Relatives of Cigam, a horde of them came after me, I managed to kill them all, but their evil magics had poisoned me, it is why the evil mage was seeking to find my lair, his ancestor's story was carried down his family, and when it reached him, he sought out to find my lair, and claim the treasure his ancestors sought out before him." Banda gritted his teeth.

"You must go now, remember, protect The Pool, for humanity's sake, nay, for everything's sake!" Banda was shoved aside by two large horns, Lomard the minotaur, Cigam, and Hyact had reached the lair. Banda held on to The Pool of Saffron, the contents spilled on top of him, and the minotaur. Banda recovered from the shove quickly, standing up with new found strength, and a headache. He prepared himself for Lomard's attack, but the minotaur was clutching his head, and foaming at the mouth, shouting out, "I will not allow you to control me!" He roared viciously, and fell to his knees, Banda quickly picked up The Pool, and looked at the minotaur, "Lomard? Are you still under control?" Banda had asked, a blunt question, but he would get an answer, "N-no, I am not, thank you for whatever you did, Banda. I apologize for what I did to you and your friends." Banda shook his head, "It's fine, but where is Cigam?" The minotaur pointed back towards the entrance to the lair, "He is locked in a duel with Demetri." Banda ran towards the entrance, "There's no time to waste! Let's go!"

[Amaril Torrun]

Ignoring Demetri’s dubious expression, he quickly dashed to the opposite side of the room, placing Naryx in a hidden spot behind a mound of treasure. “I’ll come right back for you.”

I know. The dragon gave him what he thought was a wink and a nod, urging the half-dragon to do what was required of a warrior. Your friends need you.

For the first time, he noticed that Banda wasn’t in the room. He was about to ask where the swordsman had gone, but was already pointing down a hall on the right side of the room. He didn’t have time to get there and warn the young man of the coming enemies though. Just as he took a step toward the hall that would lead out of the antechamber, an explosion occurred near the entrance to the cave. Turning quickly, he drew his sword, seeing Demetri knocked to the ground a few feet from where he had been standing. In the entranceway of the treasure room stood Cigam and Hyact. Lomard was already charging into the next room to combat Banda. He was about to continue his way to get Banda, but Demetri stood up and turned toward him.

“No, I need you here. Banda is going to have to take on the minotaur himself.”

Amaril looked at the two opponents, greed and hatred in their eyes, consuming their souls. He wished to be the one fighting the minotaur, whom was a creature simply caught under a spell. “Yes, half-breed, stay and help this faerie fight us off, if you think you can.” The magic user cackled. The next moment, Demetri and Cigam were once again locked into a battle of mentality.

Hyact took a step toward the mercenary, baring a toothy smirk that showed he wanted a rematch. He drew his own sword, pointing it out at his foe. “This time you won’t get in a cheap shot while I’m fighting someone else.”

Amaril glared right back at the demon. “You mean the way you attacked Demetri while he was busy beating down your leader? No, I guess cheap shots won’t play a factor here.”

Hyact snarled and charged forward, jabbing his sword straight at the winged man’s heart. Amaril rolled off to the side and tried to decapitate his adversary. With lightning speed, the demon parried the attack, and disarmed the half-dragon in one fluid motion. His swordsmanship was astounding, and Amaril backed up, trying to think of another way to beat his enemy. Sword fighting was not his forte, and he raised his tail to resemble that of a scorpions.

“I don’t think your tail is going to be as useful this time around. I’ve already seen what it can do.” The demon charged again, ducked underneath a swing that was once again aimed at his chest. At the same time, he swung his tail hard at his opponent’s side, but the hellish being blocked it with another quick flick of the sword. His hardened scales protected him from losing the precious weapon. What the demon hadn’t expected was an ice dart that Amaril had been forming since the beginning of the battle. He spat it in the demon’s direction while jumping backward from yet another blow directed at his vitals. The six inch dart pierced the unarmed shoulder, but Hyact did little to show any pain.

Bring him to me. I can help.

Listening to Naryx wasn’t hard, since he was already so close at the time. Refusing to bring the baby dragon’s existence into the open, he backed toward the area but did not pick it up. After all, he had no idea how such a small, weak thing could help fight such a strong, talented opponent. Hyact charged forward yet again, but his eyes lost focus as a tiny head peered around a pile of treasure. Amaril took the advantage, lashing his tail toward his foe’s back and dug his clawed hand into his armed shoulder. At the same time, a current of static surged through him. He thought it was Cigam attacking, but quickly saw what could only be explained as a miniature lightning bolt coming from the baby dragon’s mouth. It was striking the demon’s sword, and as the half-dragon pulled away, he watched as the blade fell to the ground.

Screaming in pain, Hyact kicked at the protruding head, but Amaril’s tail quickly wrapped around the extended ankle and yanked the demon to the ground. He grabbed his enemy’s own sword and raised it above the fallen creature’s chest. “And now you die.” A bloodthirsty anger coursed through Amaril once again, and he plunged the sword into the demon’s chest. A piercing scream erupted through the cave as Hyact writhed on the ground. Stepping away, Amaril watched blood pour all over the stone floor before his opponent disappeared in another puff of smoke. It doesn’t matter where he goes. He’ll die of his wounds anyways.

Forgetting that there was still a battle going on for the rest of his companions, he returned to Naryx and all his anger subsided. “How did you do that? And I haven’t even asked, but how did you get stuck in this place?”

I was born with the ability and got stuck when I hid from the one’s that killed my father, Saffron. I haven’t been able to grow since I got stuck, and have survived off of rats and tiny bits of water. But there isn’t time to explain everything. You still have a battle to continue.

Amaril turned around. Demetri was still locked in battle with Cigam, one knee on the ground and sweating profusely. Cigam was also strained, but appeared to have much more control over the situation than he had the last time around. He also caught a glimpse of Lomard and Banda side by side, the minotaur obviously freed due to his master’s complete focus on the enemy.

Picking his prevalida blade off of the ground, he charged at the mage, sword poised to strike. Cigam hardly lifted a finger, but such a powerful force of electricity hit the half-dragon that he fell to the ground where he convulsed in pain.

[streak101]

Banda gritted his teeth, while he was gone, Demetri was dueling with Cigam, and Amaril had killed Hyact. Him and Lomard were still on the other side of the corridor, Banda spoke quickly, "Lomard, we must help them, let's go!" The minotaur nodded, and they charge into the room.

Demetri had been giving it all he had, but his magical capabilities were at their limit, and Cigam had plenty of energy left. Demetri was forced to kneel to avoid being blown away from the sheer magical power of his opponent, he could only glance once to see Amaril kill Hyact, and as the half-breed charged at Cigam, the evil mage forced him to the ground, and Amaril fidgetted on the ground.

Banda's eyes widened, and he ran faster, with Amaril unable to fight, Demetri was in danger. The scholar felt his last bits of energy leave his body, "Banda...forget peace with this mad man, kill the bastard..." Demetri released an explosion of energy, and directed it towards Cigam, the explosion sent him into the nearby wall, but had served its purpose in weakening Cigam's magical power. Demetri closed his eyes, and blacked out.

Cigam clutched his head in pain, He's weak! Banda drew out his boomerang, and threw it at Cigam, it gouged the sorceror in the leg. He ran up to Cigam, drawing his sword, and swinging at his head. Cigam dodged, and clutched Banda's head. The mercenary gasped, something was flooding his mind, "If I cannot defend myself, you shall be my shield! Ahahahaha!" Banda's mind felt as if it split into two. He grabbed The Pool, and tossed it behind him, to Lomard. He quickly found himself unable to move on his own, Cigam filled his mind, "I am your master now!"

Banda felt himself turn around towards Lomard, "Yes, Master Cigam!" No! I don't want to! He rushed over to Lomard swinging his sword crazily, "No one will stop my master from his goal!" Banda swung his sword at Lomard's legs, the minotaur jumped over the blade, and kicked it away with his hoove, "Do not worry, I won't kill you Banda." Lomard said, "But I will need you to stay out of this, Cigam! You pathetic excuse for a man! Your powers may be enough to best me whilst I sleep, but now your magic is too weak!"

The minotaur grabbed Banda by the shoulders, and lifted him up off the ground, Banda's enslaved body spit into the minotaur's eye. Lomard gritted his teeth, "My, what a charming gesture." He threw the mercenary to the wall, Banda's head collided with the stone masonry, and he slid down to the floor, alongside Demetri, out cold. Lomard turned to face Cigam...

[Amaril Torrun]

Lomard drew two short swords from the sheaths on his back, twirling them in order to do both, intimidate his enemy and to stretch out his arms. He could feel Cigam trying to enter his mind, but the man had no hope to break through the minotaur’s superior defenses. It was a critical blow to the mage, and they both knew who was going to survive the battle. The man was suddenly stricken with fear, staring into the expressionless, stoic eyes of his past mind puppet.

He opened his mouth to speak, perhaps a word of discouragement toward the minotaur, but was cut off by Lomard’s sudden charge. The man dove to the side, stumbling and falling against the cold, hard rocks as he grasped the leg that had been wounded by the boomerang. Watching his foe turn and continue the threatening gallop, he created a fireball and hurled it toward his enemy. It struck the attacker’s shoulder, singeing the hairs, but it remained ineffective against such a coarse hide. Lomard let out a roar, with the faint sound of a horse neighing, and lifted his front legs over Cigam.

“You will never be free of those things you did under my command. Only I can erase them from your memory.” The mage was desperate to live, reminding the minotaur of those he had been forced to kill, hoping to strike up some sort of emotion.

“No, you killed them.” Lomard slammed his front hoofs onto the mage’s chest, causing the wretched gasping sound of a man with shattered ribs. “And now, your sins will follow you to your dwelling place in hell.” Cigam’s eyes widened, just before the twin swords were driven into them, spewing blood everywhere.

A normal human being would have felt revulsion for such a merciless, sordid execution, but Lomard lavished in it. He allowed the blood to flow freely over his hoofs, and when he bent down, he opened the corpse’s mouth and cut the tongue out. According to the teachings during his upbringing, Cigam would not be able to speak at the trial deciding the punishment for his life of evil. Without any means to defend his soul, he would be sent to the most scorched, agonizing station for all of eternity.

Turning, he saw Amaril watching, not with disgust on his face, but an interested and almost eager expression. He truly has a monster within him.

Amaril looked away, feeling the judgment in Lomard’s eyes burning into his own. He battled the bloodlust for mere seconds before ridding himself of it once more. He got up, wobbling a bit from weariness. Cigam’s electric attack had significantly disoriented him. He found his sword several feet away and proceeded to place it back in the sheath between his wings. Still avoiding Lomard’s piercing stare, he went over to Banda and Demetri, checking their vitals and making sure they were still alive.

“We all survived. I can’t believe it.” He went over to Naryx, finding that the precious creature had somehow managed to fall asleep. Well I guess being stuck in one position for so long would make one inclined to take a nap. He smiled and gingerly stroked the baby dragon’s head, careful to not wake it up.

[streak101]

Banda opened his eyes, everyone stood there, watching him, "What's going on guys?" Lomard laughed, "I sent you into the wall, and you were knocked out, then I faced Cigam," The minotaur nodded over his shoulder, "I think you can see who won the battle." Banda shivered, Cigam's eyes were missing, and so was his tongue, "Gruesome, but everyone has their own way of killing somebody huh?" He stood up, and clutched his head, it felt as if someone were bashing his head open.

WIth everyone safe, Demetri couldn't contain himself to ask, "How did you free Lomard's mind?" Banda shrugged, "I don't know, he shoved me while I was holding The Pool, and then all the water inside it spilled on us. Next thing I knew, Lomard was fighting to regain control of his body, and won." Demetri pondered this for a moment, "Hmm...When the water is inserted into The Pool's container, it becomes enchanted with magical energies, and just like when electricity touches water, the two magical energies destroyed each other," Demetri turned to Banda, "You said the magical waters spilled on you as well?" Banda nodded, and Demetri continued, "Hmm...Seeing as you weren't under control at the time, those waters could have some affect on you, I'd be careful."

They all had returned to the entrance of the cave, Demetri was the first to speak, "Banda, Amaril, and Lomard you three have possibly saved the world, and have saved my life, for this I thank you deeply." Banda laughed, "It's what we do, so I guess this is farewell then?" The scholar shook his head, "Not neccessarily, you have brought it to my attention that Althanas has changed over these past years, and I want to know how, will you allow me to accompany you on your travels for a short time in order to do so?" Banda nodded, "If you want, but travelling is the hardest part." The scholar shrugged, "I'm prepared for it then."

The fae turned to Lomard, "And what are you going to do?" The minotaur folded his arms, "I'm going to stay here, and give Saffron a proper burial, and I'm going to remove Cigam's carcass from the premises. I'm also going to protect The Pool of Saffron. The artifact belongs here, in its rightful home, and I will guard it for a time, after that, I think I'll go back to my own home." Demetri patted Lomard's shoulder, "Be careful then." Banda waved good-bye to the minotaur, and turned to Amaril, "Until next time then." He looked towards the baby dragon on the half-dragon's shoulder, and smiled, "Your gonna get big huh?" He laughed, "Which way back to Dheathain Demetri?" The scholar pointed into the rainforest, "That way." Banda sighed, "Let's get going then."

((Spoils: Due to contact with the magical waters, Banda can now look into people's memories, and their dreams when sleeping, he does not know of this ability yet. Demetri is only a familiar up to then end of my solo (Outreach to Alerar) which has already been judged, so in others words: Demetri is not a familiar, or an NPC to Banda Utako.))

[Amaril Torrun]

Amaril watched his two companions disappear into the forest. He somehow felt that it was a rushed departure, regardless of the fact that he had attempted to leave them less than an hour before. Demetri’s request to tag along during Banda’s future travels was an odd thing for an employer to do, but it seemed to be perfectly within the fae’s unconventional personality. The two almost seemed like friends to him, simply leaving for a short while with the intent to meet up again at a later date, but he couldn’t see a random meeting with Banda for the third time in such a vast world.

He returned his attention to Naryx, then spoke up to Lomard. “I will help you bury Saffron. I couldn’t just take his son without paying my respects.”

Lomard bowed in acknowledgement. “I agree. I sensed a darkness within you, Amaril, but your graceful determination to do what is right outshines that obscure evil.”

The burial took place inside the cave. Unable to carry the dragon’s remains without causing damage to them, the two set to work on making a tomb around the body with large stones. Within, the Pool of Saffron also rested, hopefully never to be discovered again. The half-dragon had not even thought of possessing it until he watched it disappear behind the stones. Even then, he knew that to take it for his own would be foolish, for he would undoubtedly be hunted down by the other Cigam’s of the world.

With the labor completed, all three of the remaining party stood before the resting place, heads bowed. Naryx allowed one tear to drop to the ground before lifting his head and turning to Amaril and Lomard. They both nodded in approval and he began a telepathic eulogy.

Saffron, my father, was one of the purest souls to ever live in this world. I fear the early years of his life will forever remain forgotten, for I do not know of any other living heir besides myself. What I do know is of his final battle to defend the world from the evils that sought his powerful creation, The Pool. He tried to send my mother and I away, but she was caught leaving the cave, and threw me back inside. I landed in that small crack in the wall, and listened to my parents fight off an army of men and women. I fear that this tomb also represents my mother, as I doubt her body will ever be recovered.

Father, rest in peace now, knowing that the things you gave your life for remain safe to this day.

They all bowed their heads once more, but Amaril’s thoughts strayed from Saffron to the young dragon. He was finally realizing that the dragon wasn’t really a baby. Naryx must have survived off of those rats and the tiny faucet leaking water for years. Don’t worry about my past confinement. It was uncomfortable and lasted a long time, but no where near as long as you might think. The events resulting in my imprisonment and my parents’ death happened only a year ago. I’ve been searching for a mind that I could reach, but only one with good intentions. I must have needed one with dragon blood to communicate from such a long distance, so you were the best choice. Don’t speak of it anymore.

Amaril nodded, and gazed upon Saffron’s tomb one final time. “We look to the future.”

((Amaril gains Naryx as a familiar. The young dragon has two key abilities. He can speak telepathically to anyone, but the closer to dragon blood and shorter the distance, the better his communication gets. He can also shock people and things, but the attack only causes a momentary delay in activities. I will write a much fuller description of Naryx in my next level up profile.

The contact with electricity opened up a new aspect of Amaril’s elemental scale, but there are no real defining characteristics as of yet.))

[Karuka]

Judgment time! Whoo! Just a forward, the following critique gets a little bit harsh in places, but all of it will help the both of you do better next time.

Continuity: 3. Seriously, guys, as powerful a mage as Demetri is, why did he need Amaril and Banda to travel all the way across Althanas? Why couldn't he have enlisted a couple of experienced Draconian warriors, and why would the tale of Amaril's and Banda's Citadel fight have even left the Citadel, much less Radasanth, and Corone entirely, and gone all the way out to Dheathain? It doesn't make sense. I also don't get how Lomard knew Banda's name. The fact that Amaril was bringing up the same questions IC as I had OOC was not a good sign. His continuity was a little better, but hearing voices calling for help does not a solid continuity make. I don't feel that either of you had a solid reason for being there at all.

Setting: 2. I didn't get much feel for any of the setting at all. "Hey, we're walking through town." What town? I saw a lot of rain in kind of a void, and then OMG! A random bush was shaking. A bush in a void. And some random plants...a generic cave...a typical dark hallway, and some ill-defined shiny stuff. Neither of you really bothered to describe the setting. In one of Amaril's posts, there was some mention of birds chirping, but other than that, no senses were ever really stimulated.

Pacing: 4. This quest was really rushed, from beginning to end. For a 'save the world' type quest, twenty-odd posts just don't cut it. You rushed through the introduction of the problem, you rushed through the hiring and meeting of Banda and Amaril, you rushed through the battles, and the non-battles. And it hurt you everywhere.

Dialogue: 4. The only one whose dialogue seemed to fit their character was Amaril. Banda and Demetri sounded exactly alike, and that didn't fit Demetri at all. He's a scholar - a HERMIT scholar - he should be talking about esoteric things and notions that would make Einstein's head spin, not about...staying awake by slapping your left testicle about. Banda sounded more like a 14 year old kid than a former soldier, and Cargim's taunts sounded juvenile at best. There's a lot of improvement that can be made here.

Action: 4. Like I said, rushed. Everything was rushed so that the reader doesn't get the feel for the story, and so it clunked through the end. Also, it seemed that Banda randomly went to relieve himself on a bush, which was unnecessary save to say 'hey, a man-eating plant.' Not all plants are special. So you didn't need to have Demetri pulling leaves out of the air saying 'here's a soap leaf, take a shower.' Amaril, you rushed it along, too. And chimpanzee? Do those even exist in Dheathain? And Demetri...seemed far too powerful. He just was able to pull too much magic out of his hat without the consideration of the fact that he's going to be an NPC for a PG, therefore shouldn't be anything stronger than level 2 or 3. He seemed about as powerful as the mighty Luc Kraus, and that's just a wee bit much. The battles both went too quickly, and just...be careful of what you want to happen in the quest. I think with more planning, it could have been really good.

Persona: 5. The main issues I had with this were that Demetri didn't act like a scholar. He was a central character, and he just didn't fit his role. Everyone else sounded fairly two-dimensional or worse. The most character you got out of anyone the entire quest was out of Lomard, when he decided to bury Saffron and protect his lair. Amaril was a little less 2-D than everyone else, but he could have used a LOT more fleshing out.

Mechanics: 5. Streak, you jumble a lot of verb tenses, and you also strings lots of clauses together when it's not needed, or worse, you break them apart. Remember: commas only belong occasionally. Sentences, should not be, broken up, like this. It's a mistake I used to make all the time. Try reading what you have aloud. If you have a natural pause there, there's probably a comma. If it's the completion of an idea, then it needs a sentence. If a sentence is long and clunky, it can probably be re-worded and broken up.

You also have trouble with homophones, such as "their, there, and they're," and "you're and your." Remember: their is 3rd person possessive. It means that an object belongs to them. There is relative, meaning that something is there, not here. They're is a contraction, meaning "they are." Your is possessive, it means that something belongs to you. The score of this thread will be YOUR score. You're is "you are." You're going to gradually improve your grammatical skills as you go through the rest of school.


Lastly, don't have more than one person talking per paragraph. You make that mistake frequently, and it's not good.

Amaril, you were better here, but you have the occasional dangling participle phrase. From the chimpanzee attack: Grasping wildly for it, the feral creature weaved in and out of his hands, pulling at his long cascade of hair and climbing all over his body. ~ what was the creature grasping wildly at? Or was Amaril grasping wildly for him?

Also, you made a little mistake in post 12 that could have been caught by proof-reading. "On queue..." should have been "on cue." Just little things that a proofread could have fixed.

Technique: 5. You tried for foreshadowing, I could tell, but again, the quest was so rushed that it wasn't an effective technique.

Clarity: 6. I could mostly understand what you were saying, and I didn't have to re-read often, but I did have to take time to sit quietly and try to untangle what had just happen in any given scene in my own little head. Again...stop rushing, spread things out, don't be afraid of long quests, and you'll do better.

Wildcard: 7. It wasn't a bad quest, and could have been a lot of fun. I feel the rubric was a little harsh on the two of you, so I gave you a couple of extra points. Go forth and improve! I'm interested to see what you do next.

And the damage is: 45! Congratulations!

Both of you get your requested spoils, so long as RoG approves them on level up. Streak, be careful to limit how powerful the new ability is in regards to PC's and player-owned NPCs. Banda also gets the little golden dragon figurine, not worth more than 75 GP if he decides to sell it.

EXP/GP rewards:
Streak101 gets 440 EXP and 150 GP
Amaril Torrun gets 850 EXP and 150 GP

[Letho]

EXP/GP added!