Hunter's Eve Saga 1. ((Re-attempt))

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Note real battle open to one. Just post in this, I'm preferring level 0's-level 2's. Battle/possible quest))

Lorenor walked through the back-water regions of the Concordia Forest. It was night, the time that the ghoul had the most strength at his disposal. He looked up and saw the red warrior's moon. In the distance, some sort of predatory beast howled up at the pregnant moon. Nearby, Lorenor could hear the sounds of distinct animal calls. some he knew, soome he hadn't quite identified at this point in his journey.

Globe-trotting of late, Lorenor thought about his journeys into Salvar and Fallien, both opposite extremes of the spectrum. He thought about his recent missions with the Church of Ethereal Sway. Considering a possible future with the organization, the ghoul carefully considered his personal gains versus potential losses. The gains outweighed the potential losses he could face running jobs as an Assassin for the cloth.

The Civil War in Corone was producing a number of serious problems for the global economy. The value of the gold piece was rapidly dropping and this matter concerned Merchants, financiers and greedy bastards in general. If the value of one's money was worth zilch, all the jobs in the world wouldn't make one wealthy. And it was Lorenor's dream to become wealthy and power.

Seeking a state known as The Glory, Lorenor worked hard and trained hard. He'd gained newfound respect for Lord Sorahn, the leader of his Power Group known as the Gol'Bron. Lorenor thought about that group now. The wind caressed his person causing his cloak to dance gently with it. He wore Vlince and Leather these nights. Clearly, the Gol'Bron was becoming a profitable endeavor to the ghoul's personal goals.

With these thoughts in mind, he suddenly heard a scream. Knowing that many types of predators lurked in the depths of this wild land, the ghoul made his way towards the sound of the scream hoping to catch a glimpse of something new. Something that might prove an entertaining moment to the Immortal. Making his way through the forest proper, the ghoul walked over a hill and crouched down atop of it. Shrubbery sloped down the side of the hill and many oak trees were positioned around Lorenor to provide ample cover for the ghoul.

An owl hooted somewhere nearby. Lorenor felt things scurrying in the underbrush beneath his feat. He studied the scene before him. Seeing a single encampment dwelling at the bottom of the small clearing, the trees were much more sparse where the encampment was. The ghoul spotted several tents and a large number of people dancing around the fire. Dinner was apparently being cooked. The ghoul suddenly sensed someone coming up against his sensory array...

((Enter Here^))

[Bewitched]

It hadn’t taken much to convince the amethyst witch to leave Salvar. With civil war rife and people “missing” from their homes daily, things weren’t in the state of affairs that Alexandria liked them to be. Flying through the streets on her rune-carved broom, the young woman’s white half-cape and wide-brimmed hat whipped defiantly in the wind. She got quite a few stares; people normally didn’t ride broomsticks through the streets, but she made rather good time. The trip on the ship to Corone, supposedly the jewel of all Althanas, was quite dull and terribly expensive. It was amazing how quickly money just fell through her fingers. The rogue witch was even starting to doubt her decision to leave Moenia; she never had to worry about monetary troubles there at home.

It was on the ship to Corone that she met a representative of a guild, or group, or whatever they wanted to call themselves. Again, they asked for money. Her thinning supply of gold lost more weight as she counted out the hundred gold pieces required and signed her name in a flowery hand. So she was a member of “Imperial” now. Sighing yet again, she walked to the railing of the ship and started tracing lines in the air while mumbling a few strange words under her breath. Old habits died hard, and she had been practicing her runework daily for the past twelve years. Turning to lean against the sturdy wood that separated her from the waves below, she sighed again. She never thought to bring more codex tablets along, so her repertoire of spells had significantly decreased after her hasty exodus from the protective city. After all, runes were as good as useless without the codexes to translate what they meant. Sure she could use trial and error… but that invariably led to nasty things happening… and usually they happened to her.

The ship docked, and it didn’t take long for the new arrival to get good and lost. Again. She had ridden her broomstick shortly after cautiously disembarking from the plank (water was scary to her since she had never seen anything more than a kettle-full of the stuff) and rambunctiously thought that, since it was an island, she could easily make her way across in one night if she just went in a straight line.

Quite a few hours later, she dismounted her flying broom and swung the strange tome strapped across her back to her hands. It was not a pleasant book at all, filled with stories that almost came to life on the pages as she read the cryptic words and symbols that littered every page. The pages also felt strange… as though they had been cursed to remain forever limp as though damp. At first she hadn’t been able to place the origins of the strange binding and cover, but now that she had taken extra time to examine it, she almost threw the book into the nearest fire pit. The cover was leather made from human flesh and the binding was threaded with human bones. She had also never seen a book that required a runic spell to open. The book was rather light even though it was nearly a foot square, but what amazed her every time was what it could hold. With night approaching, flying was no longer a viable way to travel, so she took the broom and stuck it, bristles first, against a blank page. In an instant, the broom was gone and the page now had the picture of a broom adorning it. She flipped through the pages until she found a picture of her still-unfinished supper; removing things was as simple as reaching into the page and taking them out.

She ate while she walked, and she practiced her runes while she walked. She didn’t say them or trace them; she just recited the names, meanings, and ways they could be worked together. Unfortunately, she had never been taught (or paid much attention to the lectures) of how to combine different runes. Sure Antorbok Redgormor made stuff fly and hurt people, but she never understood why. If Antorbok was throw… was Redgormor…? Arrgh! She didn’t have time to wonder why things worked. The fact that they did was good enough for the time being.

A wolf howled, and Alex could see the gold of its eyes for how close it was. She screamed and started running, furiously trying to remember the spell that gave her a personal shield. It had been one of the coolest to watch in class, one sphere orbiting the caster’s head for each rune they used to cast it. She could only manage three at the time, but it was her first try and even then she still only knew how to construct a three-rune circle. Sure stronger spells only required a single rune, but the placement of the Paragon rune still eluded her. It really did make a difference. She heard footsteps behind her and she didn’t need to turn around to know that the beasts were chasing her. Ahead, she saw what might have been a man, but his skin was as ash and he was shorter even than her. It was a long shot, but she had been helped out by random strangers before, so what harm was there in asking another stranger?

“Someone, help me! I’m being chased by a wolf!”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

That was the scream that he'd heard earlier. It was a strange sort of scream, one that would've been drowned out by the sounds of the makeshift camp below him. Lorenor sensed danger close by. But it was definitely a cry for help that belonged to--turning around Lorenor saw the oddest thing heading towards him. It was the least thing he'd expected to see, but it was certainly an odd sort of sight. Knowing that his cover was now blown, the ghoul stood up, flowing orbs of purple vanishing into the air.

Lorenor clenched his fists as he looked at the girl bounding towards his person and the creature that was behind her. Drawing his sword, the ghoul reacted without hesitation. His training with the Gol'bron making him a skilled warrior by now. He'd expected many things to come booming out of the shadows, but a girl being chased by a wolf was not one of them. He decided it was in his best interest to play the hero. Moonlight flashed against the green blade of his Plynt sword as he stared at the girl's general direction.

"Get behind me, girl!"

The ghoul yelled and moved into a combat position. Hissing loudly, he noticed the beast bounding towards the girl's position expecting a quick meal out of her. Lorenor decided that he would intervene on the girl's behalf. He moved with liquid like grace and fluidity into a combat stance in a maneuver meant to intercept the wolf. The wolf growled as it maneuvered, and suddenly skidded to a halt. A black maw dripped with saliva as it detected pheromones in the air.

Smelling the ghoul in the now, the beast turned its attention to Lorenor. A massive bulk of muscle and sinew was hidden underneath fur as black as midnight. The thing had glowing yellow eyes brighter than any golden egg, harsher than Lord Mitra's stare. Lorenor took his sword in hand and prepared to face off against the other predator without fear. The wolf stalked its prey moving in circular movements around the tiny warrior. Lorenor, in turn, circled the beast as well preparing himself to attack.

Suddenly, the thing barked at Lorenor and ran in his general direction. It attacked like most wild dogs do, reaching for the neck of the beast. Skilled, the warrior moved out of the beasts' way and swung its sword in an upward arch. His form was flawless. His technique was perfect. There was no hesitation or fear in the maneuver. A sickening sound of flesh against a sword blade filled the night as Lorenor lopped the wolf's head cleanly off the trunk of its neck. The wolf's head rolled off to the side and vanished into the underbrush, lost to the scavengers of the night. Lorenor saw the free meal afore him and grinned widely. His lower jaw extended and opened, unraveling itself as the ghoul prepared for a quick meal. Leaning down upon his knees, Lorenor suddenly tore into the flesh of the wolf and began to eat the hide of the beast attacking its corpse at the flank region. Sickening sounds of a flesh eater filled the air...

[Bewitched]

Ghostly orbs in empty sockets met Alex’s own emerald eyes, and for a minute, she was more scared of the thing she had called out to than she was of the wolf chasing her. She wanted to close her eyes and keep running to avoid looking into those empty eyes, but she had to see where to place each foot so she didn’t fall and make an easier meal for the wolf. The man… thing drew a green blade, and for an instant, the rune witch’s heart froze. He really was going to kill her. The dark glint in the smoke of his eyes… that posture that said he was ready to leap… What a way to start a “life of adventure”.

He spoke, and the witch’s heart started beating again. He really was going to help! The ghoul flashed by, and she didn’t even bother turning around to watch. All she knew was that she heard the most disgusting sound ever moments after her savior leapt. A few seconds later, the air was quiet. Then she heard a sound that put the previous one to shame.

Sheer curiosity forced her head to turn toward the sound unwillingly. Within moments, she was looking at the partially-digested meal that she had so recently eaten. Yet even the sight of her vomit was preferable to seeing a humanoid form tearing into the flesh of another (formerly) living thing. He didn’t even bother cooking it!

“Bankorok… Redgormor… Somes.”

Even on her hands and knees, she managed to find the will and strength to whisper out a few words. With each word, a rune appeared around her, starting from the direction her head was facing and forming a triangle with equal sides. When she finished speaking the final word of her barrier spell, the trio of runes glowed a deep red as they burned themselves magically into the ground. It wasn’t the impenetrable shield her teachers could form, but it was at least some protection against the beast should he decide to attack her next. The only visible indicator that anything surrounded her was the runes; the shield itself was invisible until attacked.

Standing once more, she found the will to turn and face her feasting savior.

“Th… thank you for saving me,” she squeaked, bowing to him in appreciation. She still had her fingers between the pages that showed her broomstick in the tome behind her back, prepared just like she prepared her shield. She didn’t quite trust the man-thing on the ground before her. Looking around, she slowly stepped out of the protective field, still keeping it between them, and walked over closer to where he had been standing. He must have either had better eyes than she did, or there was something over there that she couldn’t see.

“Sorry if I’m being rude… but what were you looking at over here?”

He would probably pass through her barrier if or when he came over to her, but as long as he didn’t plan on hurting her, he would most likely not even notice it was there.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Gore filled the ghoul's mouth. He ate his meal without interruption whilst questions filled the air. Once he'd taken his fill, the predator slowly stood up from the open carcass. He turned, painfully slowly, towards the girl observing her with supernatural eyes. He let the questions purposefully linger in the wind, as it howled about them. Invisible strands of air flowing about in every direction as the night breeze picked up. Lorenor heard a flutter in the leaves as the sounds of night creatures continued to intensify. The smell of blood filled the air now exciting various nearby predators. Lorenor observed the darkness for a single moment afore turning his eyes back towards the girl.

"There's a camp over there. If you look hard enough you can barely make out the light of a campfire. I think they are refugees fleeing the ravages of the War." There was some amusement in his tone of voice now.

For try as they might, none could avoid the war. It was like a machine that consumed all. Now it had triggered separate conflicts in Salvar and Raiaera, the machine of a new age spawned afore them all. Lorenor walked over to the edge of the small valley as he whiped blood from his face. He could see a mystical energy burning through the air, placed by the witch-girl. This made the ghoul smile, even as his face righted itself. His lower jaw, the maxilla region, closed upon itself with a strange sound. The scar visible upon his chin, lower lips, and much of his neck.

Feeling the cold, arctic breeze, Lorenor returned his gaze to the refugee camp. He suddenly thought of Camp Milax. The mission there had been a dangerous mission to free a group of Refugees kept prisoner by the Corone Empire. Foreign Nationals they called them now, terrorist was the new dogma on the lip of the government's elite. Lorenor chuckled as he thought of the transformation from democracy to dictatorship. Which side would he fall upon? He still hadn't thought much about the war other than it provided ample opportunity to satiate his greed.

Lorenor smelled the girl's scent and it was sweet. It filled the air, clinging to it almost as much as the archaic forces she commanded seemed to stick to the air. Lorenor looked at her for a long moment and then returned his gaze back to the refugee camp. He stood there in deep thought.

"I mean you no harm, unless of course you were wanting to die. Unless of course you wanted the company of an Immortal." The ghoul said calmly. His words were strange indeed. He whispered the promise of immortality.

[Bewitched]

Silence… awful, terrible silence filled with the sounds of flesh tearing and mutated lips drinking blood. Had there been anything left in the witch’s stomach, it would have long ago found the forest floor. She was hungry since retching everything she had eaten all day, but she would have to suffer it out for at least the rest of the night. There was no way she could even think of eating after seeing… that.

Unbearable as the silence was, the torment did not last forever. A rather pleasant (compared to what she had been hearing) sound like flesh mending itself turned the young woman’s head back to the man-thing that had saved her from the wolf. She could see the scar from where his mouth had split to consume the beast, but otherwise he looked relatively normal. It was a surreal feeling, like waking from a terrible nightmare to see a less-frightening image of what you saw in the dream. His words were amused as he spoke, and they were a bit unnerving, but they were also far too true for Alex’s liking.

She squinted in the dim moonlight, but did eventually find the refugee’s campfire. Green as she was, the thought of extinguishing the fire to hide a group’s presence never registered in her mind. It made sense to keep a fire going to stay warm. A few almost-deliberate sniffs coming from behind her drew her immediately back from the distant camp and served as a sharp reminder of her comfortable lifestyle. It wasn’t expensive perfume, but she still did like smelling nice when out and about. She hadn’t realized that nobody would be around to converse with but this… thing.

His second set of words unnerved the witch as they flowed like honey over her ears. Of course she didn’t want to die! But… what did he mean by “the company of an immortal”?

“Of course I don’t want to die,” She spoke hurriedly, her mouth forming the syllables before her mind realized what was happening. “I mean, who does? I’m only eighteen… I’m not old enough to die yet…”

Antorbok Redgormor… but then what? Somes wouldn’t do much against this… thing, and Ventus wouldn’t give me enough time to get a barrier up or even get my broom out. Terra would probably be best, but I don’t want to hurt him too badly… he hasn’t been anything but nice… well, nice to me at least.

Her mind raced; casting runic spells wasn’t as easy as a wave of the hand or a thought. If you didn’t know what you wanted to do or changed your mind mid-casting, strange things could happen. Occasionally someone got lucky and discovered a new rune or new use of the spell, but most of the time the spell backfired. Violently. She had experienced that result far too often for her liking.

Thinking about how best to attack someone when they were being nice may have made no sense to the average commoner, or perhaps even the more seasoned adventurers, but to someone fresh out of the pot and literally dumped into the fire, a bit of paranoia was expected late at night. She had called out in desperation; maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do after all.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor listened to the wind for a long moment. It seemed to whistle as its invisible wisps gathered across the land. It was hard to pinpoint which direction the wind came from. Lorenor could see oak trees about his person and further down, into the valley where the refugees awaited. Still deciding on a particular plan of attack, the ghoul all but ignored the girl before. But suddenly something happened.

More and more, the air around the two became tainted with archaic forces. He could tell that she was summoning her powers out of desperation. Her words came out quick, forced. It was clear that she intended to do him harm. Damn! I just saved her and she wants to attack anyway or at least prepare herself for attack! The ghoul suddenly stepped backwards a couple of paces and his foot hit a nearby rock. Looking down upon it, he thought it was best to be prepared himself. He reached down and grabbed the hard textured surface of the single piece of granite. He felt its texture against his hand and there was a coldness to it. He decided that he liked it.

"Calm yourself down! I told you I mean you no harm. But if you insist on wanting trouble, I can certainly bring trouble to you. By Hromagh's hammer I swear I'll make you regret this decision if you go down that path. I am telling you girl, back down. I don't want to fight you."

Lorenor said. She's only doing what she thinks is right. Curse my appearance this will turn into a witch-hunt if I'm not careful. I will defend myself from her attacks if I have to. Though I don't want to kill her. I'll use my martial skills against her if I must and just leave her to the predators of the forest. Little did Lorenor know that she was a member of the Imperials, and he was making decisions that would affect his fellows in the Gol'Bron as well. Yet, Lorenor hadn't revealed any personal information to her and would not.

Holding the stone in his hand and moving his other hand to his weapon, his right hand, the ghoul kept staring at her. Almost as if to say Your move. The runes hung in the air casting their power to the wind. The ghoul was not liking his chances against the witch, but he would fight to the very death like the savage he was.

[Bewitched]

Perhaps it was a part of who she was, but even thinking of the runes seemed to have the slight effect of summoning them at their weakest form. Nothing would happen with the trivial mana her thoughts drew, but the arcane might that caressed her delicate skin must have been at least somewhat noticeable for the humanoid to start backing away. He looked… scared.

His agitated words to calm down did more than that, thankfully. She snapped out of her trance-like state at the sound of his voice before she realized that she was beginning to mumble the very words she was reciting mentally. That would have led to quite the disaster if she wasn’t careful. Even if she had a blade of her own for defense, she was far from strong enough to even dream of being a challenge for the man before her. She was a rune witch, not a brawler; there was a very big difference between the two.

“I… I’m sorry!” Her voice squeaked from embarrassment as she apologized again. What a way to meet someone. “It’s just… I’ve only been away from home for a few weeks… I’m just an ordinary girl, not a warrior. I don’t want to fight you either.”

Her shoulders slumped and she dropped down to sit on her heels with her arms wrapped around her knees. He was moving with the grace of someone who was used to fighting; used to killing without remorse. There was no way she could hope to win against someone like him. Well, maybe if she could surprise him with a close-range earthen boulder… No! That wasn’t what she wanted to be thinking about! Change the subject… change the subject!

“What were you doing out here anyway before I ran into you?”

The scared girl looked up from having her face buried in her knees. Genuine curiosity sparked the question, but it was also a good way to get her mind away from the dangerous thoughts she was having. Wiping tears of fear from her eyes with her wrists, she forced herself upright once more and walked back over to where she could see the refugee campfire. She leaned up against a sturdy oak tree not only to recover but because she was beginning to get tired. Why had she even thought she was cut out for adventuring?

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"I was clearing my head. I like to come out here to think sometimes. The air is cleaner here in the depths of the Concordia Forest than it is in a big city like Radasanth. Too many people, too much noise." Lorenor said casually keeping his grip on the rock he'd acquired. He held onto it just in case the girl had any thoughts of heroic actions. He looked in the general direction of the refugee camp. "I heard a scream coming in the wind. I thought it was from the camp I had no idea it might be from you." Came the casual response from the ghoul.

He walked over to a tree and leaned against it calmly. The oak felt sturdy against his body, it provided ample support. Lorenor looked out over the valley before him, the treetops promising their secrets to the ghoul. He could see the campfire ahead and wanted to be within the ranks of the refugees. In a lot of ways, he felt like he was one of them...fleeing his own war. The small warrior relaxed himself once he heard her responses and saw the tears flowing down her face. She's just a scared kid. Weren't you like that once, ever? I don't even remember.

The ghoul sighed into the breeze. He removed his vlince cloak and walked over to her person. "Here, you look cold." He said and handed her the heavy cloak. "I can easily buy a spare from The Bazaar." Lorenor added trying to spark a simple conversation between the two. "I'm planning on heading out to the camp. Mayhaps, you would like to accompany me?"

Acting as something of a diplomat now, the ghoul had a gut instinct that he needed to take care of this girl. If something bad happened to her, it would spark endless trouble for the ghoul and his outfit. He just knew it. The girl had a particularly strange perfume about her and it was making him exceedingly paranoid to be on his best behavior. His greed was making him like that. She can make me stronger somehow, I just know it. "Hey what are those symbols you keep conjuring up. I've never seen anything quite like them."

[Bewitched]

So he was clearing his head? Yeah, that made sense. The air was noticeably cleaner and fresher in the forest than it was in the cities. Except her home city, but Moenia had mages working day and night to keep the skies clean and fresh. As for the people and noise… she was used to being around a lot of people. Maybe for someone like him large cities would be suffocating, but that was understandable. Even she didn’t know how to act around him.

Now that she was calming down from the adrenaline-fueled high that being chased by a wolf brought on, Alexandria began to relax. When she wasn’t scared, things generally weren’t as scary, including her new acquaintance. Sure she was still apprehensive – he did still have that large rock after all – but she was more comfortable around him.

“Oh… I’m sorry if I made you change your plans…”

Wait… why was she sorry? And why did she actually mean it? Before she knew what was happening, the man took off his expensive-looking cloak and put it around her shoulders. The weave was rather high-quality and quite warm, warmer than she expected it to be. It made her realize just how chilly the night was getting… or had been for a while.

“The symbols I keep conjuring up? It’s a type of magic taught in my home town in Salvar. It’s called ‘Rune Magic’, and I’ve been trying to learn for twelve years. I can barely cast a handful of spells, though.”

Pushing away from the sturdy tree, Alex moved to a clear space where nothing would disturb her runes. She opened her dark grimoire to a page that had apparently been torn out. Tugging on the top of the page, she removed a four-inch strip of the limp paper from the page before flipping through the illustrated pages and pulling out a piece of charcoal from one. Placing the tome face-down on the ground, she smoothed the parchment and began to concentrate. Scribing a spell was much more difficult and demanding than simply casting it.

“Ventus, the Gale.”

The charcoal in her hand dissolved somewhat as a zigzagging line appeared just above the center of the page. A matching symbol burned its way into the hard-packed dirt in front of her, and thus the swirling forces of the arcane magics began to surround her.

“Antorbok, the Projection.”

Her writing utensil shrunk a bit more with the second incanted rune, the one that typically started a spoken spell. That was the biggest difference between scribing and casting, and the one that even most of the rune masters failed to understand. A very physical wind picked up now, whirling around her as she focused and channeled her power into the scrap of parchment. It looked like a random jumble of lines, but each one was placed deliberately by the force of her will. Behind her and to the right, a matching rune was quickly burned into the ground.

“Redgormor, the Area.”

A reversed ‘N’ finished the triangle on the page and her charcoal lost more of its form with the final incantation. Despite the ferocious winds, nothing natural in the forest even swayed in the maelstrom surrounding her. The final rune also appeared to complete the triangle behind her and to her left. With the appearance of the final rune, the trio pulsed with a dull white light four times; sweat was building on Alex’s face as she concentrated and poured as much of herself as she could into the page.

As quickly as it began, the chaos ended. The wind stopped swirling, the runes were nothing but meaningless shapes etched into the ground, and only the lingering residue of powerful magic said that anything had happened. Standing up steadily, the rune witch brushed the dirt off her white stockings and turned to face the man who had given her the cloak. In her hand was the piece of parchment she had torn from her book, now crystallized into a four-inch tall talisman-like charm. The triangle of symbols was surrounded by a circle broken into four segments.

“It’s not easy work, and if you don’t know the design, meaning, and use of the rune, it won’t do anything.”

Turning slightly, she narrowed her eyes and tested her magic pool. It was still filling from the near-complete of her inscribing, but it still had enough for a demonstration.

“Antorbok Redgormor Ventus.”

It was much faster and more sudden than just a few moments ago, but the result was also different. A spiraling spear of wind flew from the perimeter of the triangle that had formed again of the same symbols she had just conjured, striking and piercing four-inches into the heart of the oak she had been leaning against. She stumbled to one knee after the spell; maybe she had misjudged how much mana she had in her reserves a little too much this time. She felt empty… hollow. But still she forced her legs to stand once more. The inscribed talisman in her right hand was warm to the touch, just like her new cloak. She extended the charm to the short man in a gesture that would have offended her if he didn’t take it.

“Stand still and run your thumb down the side with the symbols. Look to your target. It has four charges, after that, it’s useless.” A smile crossed her face; not only had she added one more charge than she thought she could, but she had done it right on the first try. “I’m Alex. Some company would be very nice, especially if it's you.”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A single moment of chaos erupted from the girl. Lorenor placed an arm across his face as a sudden surge of wind blasted up from the mystical symbols she was conjuring. Immediately, the ghoul felt madness in physical incarnation touch the land of Althanas all around him. As she casted the spells, the vague thought occurred to him that she might be attacking him! Closing his eyes from the onslaught, the ghoul dropped his stone and it hit the ground. He yelled into the wind when it got at its worse. The powerful energies blasting against his sensory grid. Feeling the intense powers at hand, his very body vibrated from the energies she summoned.

The girl commanded more power, and at a skill level that she had yet fully realized. But Lorenor could see this. Her energies bounced around the air, crackling with it as he saw sparkles of residue touch the wind. There was a momentary burst of light energy that resonated a quartet of times attempting to burn the ghoul. Lorenor knew that the light was archaic light, but it hurt him none the less. Some steam began to flow from his person, and for a moment, he pondered a counter-attack.

However, he knew that any such gesture against the Rune Witch would prove to be completely useless. I have to take out her hands so she can't write those damned symbols into the pages of her book anymore. And just when the chaos reached its peak, a blast of energy flowed from the object she was enchanting and hit a tree, NOT, Lorenor. The ghoul saw that the oak tree was crushed under the weight of the mystical wind. He shivered with fear from the power she commanded. Seeing that it took a lot out of the Witch, the ghoul pondered his next move.

And then she handed the ghoul an object. Its a gift? It could be a trick of some sort? He sensed no malice coming from the girl, and knew that he had little choice but to accept the gift. Four charges. Four charges of what? Lorenor wondered as he placed the powerfully glowing object into his personal packs. The wind somehow got colder, and he was forced to close his leather jacket. Lorenor walked over to her person, and nodded to her with deep respect.

"You command great energies. Don't abuse them." The ghoul said calmly as he felt the power in the charm she'd just given him. "What does the charm actually do?" Lorenor had to ask. He was curious of her power now and wondered if he could perhaps convince her to join the Gol'Bron. "By the Thaynes you are a gifted child." He said.

[Bewitched]

He was apprehensive… understandable from how she had completely forgotten to explain what she was about to do. Back home, people “enchanted” equipment and charms all the time; if you didn’t know the right runes, or couldn’t perform the enchantment ceremony, you asked a friend. There was even a special part of the city set aside and protected by even more runes dedicated wholly to the Master Scribes. But they were different from her; she was just an amateur who couldn’t even properly scribe a ward of protection onto a warrior’s breastplate.

Embarrassment flushed across her face at the man’s words. She didn’t command great energies. Her parents reminded her of that fact daily. Besides, how could she abuse something she didn’t even have? His second question should have been expected given how she had just handed him something like he was a friend back home. Her entire head was beat red, and even her hands were starting to flush from the realization of how stupid she had just been.

“Sorry! Sorry!” This time, she really was sorry and understandably so. You don’t just give someone a weapon without explaining how to first use it. “Well, first of all, I guess you could say that the charm I gave you is a trade for your cloak… it’s only fair that I give you something in return for your generosity. That talisman is like a magic scroll, but different. To use it, you need to run your thumb or any other finger from the top of the charm to the bottom- the top is the end that the top corner of the triangle is pointing to. This is called ‘activating’ it. After you activate the charm, you need to point to your target. I aim by looking, but it might be easier for you to point with your free hand. You can use it four times, and each use will make one part of the circle surrounding the runes disappear.”

Alex crossing her arms and nodded contentedly, this was one thing that she knew intrinsically, and her comfort with it caused her words to flow almost as an afterthought.

“If you try moving from where you are standing while your finger is in motion over the charm, one of the charges will ‘fizzle’ or be used up without doing anything. It’s the same as when I cast a spell, but that’s beside the point. Each time you use it, it will cast the same spell that I cast on the tree over there. It’s one of my favorites… and one of the few I know well enough to imbue at all. You don’t have to worry if you can’t use mana because there’s a lot of my own inside the charm. Just do me a favor and don’t waste it on petty things, all right?”

There, that was quite the satisfactory explanation. It was also basic first-year material back home. Well, the part about standing still at least. The other stuff was fifth, sixth, and ninth-year material. Many hunters carried charms like the one she had made, though theirs were only because most game was startled too easily by spoken words. That… or the hunter didn’t have the magical strength to cast his own spells. It had happened a couple times to the shame of the family.

“I’m not gifted, though… even my younger sister is better at this stuff than I am. I was the weakest one in my family line going back at least two-hundred years.”

From utter confidence to bashful insecurity in the space of two sentences. It had to be a new record somewhere. She needed to walk around, maybe look at the trees from a different angle. Yes, that might get her mind off all her past failures. After all, the best cure for insecurity was to forget it existed.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor held the triangular object in his hand. He still didn't understand the way it worked, but he guessed he didn't need to. There was a hawk-like predatory bird in the distance that picked a small rodent from out the underbrush. Lorenor heard the far off shriek and then returned his gaze to the girl. There were many questions he had about the object, about magic in general. His curiosity was piqued. Here he'd obtained a reward just by being kind--he'd found a new outlet for his insatiable greed.

And all at once, the ghoul learned about a new facet of power. We would have to make time in his long tenure on Althanas to make studies for the archaic arts. Salvar huh? Funny she should mention Salvar. Lorenor suddenly realized that they were more kindred spirits than he initially thought. "I've been to Knife's Edge a few times. I'm a member of St. Denebriel's Church. I think perhaps you've heard of it?" The ghoul asked softly.

Wind danced around the two of them as he continued to observe her returning his gaze back to the refugee camp. Maybe there was work there? The ghoul was interested in obtaining the next mission. He had to admit to himself that he was hopelessly lost when it came to her explanation of how the mysterious charm worked. But he saw something else in the Witch-girl, he saw potential.

His quick mind hungered for something else. He envisioned swords able to launch fireballs and be recalled with a thought of the mind. He envisioned armor with the strength of mountains able to block a bullet. Slowly, his twisted lips turned into an upwards grin. Lorenor had a heavy purse, and he could obtain steady work from St. Denebriel.

"Are you employed? I'd like to put those marvelous gifts of yours to some good use." Lorenor suddenly took out his purse and removed exactly five hundred pieces of gold. He put that money into an extra pouch, tossing it towards Alex's person. "Your skills are valuable to someone like me. I can put you to work." Lorenor suddenly said. "My organization, the Gol'bron is always looking for fresh talent."

[Bewitched]

Despite all of her self-depreciation, the metaphorical glimmer in the man’s eyes unnerved the rune witch. Why was he so interested in her? Any one of her classmates could (and did) mop the floor with her spells. Cassie two seats ahead of her could walk while casting, a truly rare gift, while Josh on the other side of the classroom had already been offered a place in the Honors classes. The only thing she was good at was pulling pranks and making the teachers mad.

“St. Denebriel’s? I think I overheard a couple people in Knife’s Edge talking about it in hushed voices, but I don’t know what it’s about. My city worshipped the Rune Lord, and he didn’t appoint any saints.”

Why would she know anything about a cathedral she had only heard about when passing through a city? Was it supposed to be famous or something? Sure she overheard hushed conversations while she was recovering from hypothermia and minor frostbite, but she figured that it was just normal talk of things in the “outside world”. Wars never reached the threshold of Moenia and politics passed over the hidden city like a film of oil overtop water.

“I’m not employed, no. I’ve only been away from the city for a week or two tops… and I think I may have to go back soon. I really don’t know why you keep saying that I’m valuable and useful. If you want someone strong or useful, anyone else in Moenia would be a better choice. All I’m good for is making sure nobody else takes last in anything.”

He offered gold, which the teenager took slightly hesitantly; nobody just gave a hefty sum of money like that without a reason, and she couldn't see any reason for his charity. Leaning up against the tree with the indentation from her spell still fresh in the bark, the teenager sighed. All around, the sounds of the forest went on as they always had. Owls hooted, wolves howled, and the nocturnal rodents scurried across the undergrowth. Even in a new land starting a new life she could be ignored. Yet as she stood there leaning against the tree, she pulled her new cloak a bit tighter around her body. The wide brim of her hat obscured her face tilted down as it was, but that was all for the better in her eyes. He would probably laugh if he saw the tears forming in her eyes. It was such a precious cloak…

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor watched the Rune Witch for a long time. She'd presumably kept the money and that was a good sign. He wanted her to take it. Wind continued to howl about the valley touching the ghoul with its soft licking sensation. He felt the various wisps of the breeze floating about him. His eyes studied the now useless symbols upon the earth. He then returned his gaze back to the girl, something was clearly amiss.

"If you come with me, I can pay you more. I can help you find out about Khal'Jaren, The Sage. I'm sure studying under this Rune Lord of yours you've heard about Khal'Jaren. He is a Thayne for Magi like yourself. You can learn how to control your powers. Now this is a win/win situation for you. I've already given you 500 gold, think about what you'll gain tomorrow. I'm not asking for any sort of allegiances or betrayal of former allegiances. I'm asking you to put your skills to work. I am offering you work. And with work there will come steady pay and a chance for you to learn more about your powers in a professional setting."

Lorenor was tempting the girl. The ghoul knew that he could play on her desires of success and other parts of the weaker side to her personality. He was playing the devil's advocate on that night. And he knew it. I will get her to agree to help us out. She is too valuable to pass up. The ghoul had changed a lot in the past few months.

Or had he really? Wasn't his greed always there? Lorenor moved over to the edge of the cliff for a moment and sat down upon it. He let his legs hang over the side of the ravine's edge looking over the nearest tree top. It was several hundred yards down, a nasty fall. He was thinking about how best to use Alex's skills in the services of the Thaynes. Perhaps that's what she was missing.

"Maybe you need the help of the Thaynes. The Thaynes are more willing to share power than perhaps this fellow you mention, the Rune Lordis willing to share." Lorenor talked in a friendly, matter of fact sort of way the entire time. He was trying to coax her into making a deal. And this was where the true battle began. For Alex's living atma.

[Bewitched]

It was wrong. She shouldn’t have kept the money, but she couldn’t just give it back now. Of course unfounded gifts always had strings attached. That was how the world outside of Moenia worked, after all. People didn’t just give things away without asking something in return. Everything was engineered to put you in someone else’s debt. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Words flowed like honey laced with poison from his mouth, but they fell on deaf ears. She wasn’t like him. She didn’t act for profit.

“I ran away from my home… I broke the law in leaving our haven in the ice. My Lord, in His benevolence, has seen fit to allow me to continue using the runes. I do not understand why; I do not wish to understand. The sharpest disgrace for anyone is to have the Lord turn his back on you.”

Work? Why would she want work? If she had even wanted an inkling of her life back home, she would have stayed. Even a failed rune witch like her was worth something if she could inscribe even basic runes. They couldn’t charge as much for the wares when the merchants traded on their monthly voyages, but a little more coin to buy necessities was always welcome. That’s all she would have been… just another few gold pieces in the ledger.

“I have never heard of your ‘Thaynes’, nor have I learned of Khel-whatever his name is. If I wanted a professional setting, I would have stayed in the isolation of my home with the Rune Masters to guide my failure.” There was an edge to her words now and rightly so. Not only had this man offended her Lord, but he had tried to offer another as a replacement! “The only reason I do not have more runes, for your information, is because the Lord knows that I am not ready for them.”

Alex sighed. This was going nowhere fast. Her mouth opened to yawn, and she fought the reflex to the best of her natural ability, but even as her hand went to politely cover her mouth, her will faded. She was getting really tired.

“Why don’t we just drop this for now? It’s late and I haven’t slept all day. Do you think that refugee camp you showed me would be willing to take one or two more? I mean- are you tired, too?”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Her words stung like a hornet. But they didn't phase the ghoul. He was patient, he knew he'd at least partially baited her. Her feelings are stemming from something and it is NOT loyalty to this Rune Lord of hers. She fancies herself a failure, a reject. I can work with that. Looking up at the night sky, he'd studied the position where he knew N'Jal rested. He then turned his gaze, in an arch, from Alex's position back towards the refugee's camp. His arms folded themselves by instinct across his chest to try to stay warm from the cold night.

Oak trees all around him. They danced subtly in the breeze giving off their own noise into the night. Creatures continued their song in the distance catching the ghoul's non-existing ears. The sounds brushed against his sensory array like a natural symphony. He let her words hang in the air between them for a moment as he pondered this Rune Lord. There was a promise of power there. Changing the subject, Lorenor spoke again after a long time passed.

"I did not mean to insult you if you feel hurt. My apologies. It was not my intentions to speak ill of the Rune Lord. I forget to hold my tongue sometimes when I speak of the Thaynes. Not everybody knows who they are. Either way it goes, I am certain you can find some knowledge from Khal'Jaren." Lorenor said casually speaking the Thaynes' name. He thought about that for a moment and smiled in his strange, twisted smile.

"I am certain they will take kindly to more refugees fleeing the war."

He finally said, keeping his smile on his face. After all, there was nothing quite like manipulating those around him. The young Immortal was truly enjoying his place in the world. The more he learned about himself, the more he accepted what he was; a god. Or at least a demi-god for the time being. He thought highly of himself, that was for sure. Greed was a breeding ground for vanity and narcissism. Even though the ghoul was disgusting on the outside, that was not the image he had of himself on the inside. He felt the wind caress his flesh and he knew it was time to keep going.

"Let's go see what's at that camp shall we?"

[Bewitched]

When her companion turned to study the stars, a twinge of regret for her sharp words rang through Alex’s conscience. Of course he wouldn’t know about her Lord. Only her people knew of Him, and since their merchants weren’t preachers, He stayed a secret from most people. The elders condones and even promoted the idea that Moenians were the only ones capable of understanding the Rune Lord’s workings; looking back from the outside, it was probably the same reason that nobody was allowed to leave the city. It was just so much easier to believe something didn’t exist if you never had to look at it yourself. And for the elders, the outside only existed when it was convenient.

“It’s fine. You wouldn’t know about Him anyway. It’s not like I’m only the second person to run away from Moenia. Oh, wait. I am. In any case, let’s start walking. I don’t like the forest at night.”

Sarcastic undertones permeated her voice, an indicator that she was getting more comfortable being around her companion. She still didn’t even know his name. It was a strange feeling traveling with someone again, or at all. The natural noises of the dark forest weren’t as frightening when there was someone else walking beside you. There was a hard-packed dirt trail meandering down and around the cliff; apparently the deer and other wildlife used this path often themselves.

The farther down the trail Alex walked, the more uncomfortable she became. It felt like she was being watched or leered at. Looking over her shoulder to the man behind her, she dismissed the thought. Wildlife didn’t leer and he wasn’t staring at her back like some boys did. She had watched one boy’s eyes from a pocket mirror as she walked once. Well, she watched his eyes until she figured out why he was watching her. He didn’t watch her, or any other girl, for three days while he recovered from the concussion she gave him.

“Is it just me, or does this trail give you the feeling that something is watching us? Something that doesn’t like us…”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"The name is Lorenor."

He found himself finally saying. I haven't had a chance to introduce myself to her yet. No wonder she was a bit hostile towards me, she was walking with a complete stranger who was offering work. I have to be more careful about how I use my money in the future. I am saving up for something awe inspiring after all. Lorenor's hand went to the hilt of his sword. It was an instinctive reaction, one performed after many battles and training as a warrior. The ghoul kept up an even pace with Alex. His eyes darted from side to side as he looked upon the various sections of the long road ahead.

Forest surrounded them in every direction. Lorenor kept hearing the sounds of various creatures until a few started to sound familiar. They felt like they were far off in the distance. Only a few sounded relatively close by. Judging by the noises that some of them made, the ghoul guessed that these were predatory monsters lurking just beyond the veil of darkness. The ghoul was not scared or nervous in anyway whatsoever, he was perfectly calm.

Listening to Alex's softly spoken words, the ghoul put himself on high alert. He listened very carefully to every sound and every strange calling that he heard. None of them tipped the ghoul off for any particular threat. He focused on his heat vision for a time and saw various creatures moving through the shrubbery. But these were non-hostiles, at least so far anyway. But the ghoul would admit to himself that his own range was still quite limited for him to be a skilled hunter.

The ghoul knew better than to dismiss the thought that something much more dangerous could be pursuing them. She didn't have the limitations that he had, after all. Keeping his hand gripped tightly on his sword, Lorenor felt ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Now I have someone to protect, I'll have to be careful.

*********

A few feet away, well out of Lorenor's sensory array, a small group of goblins observed the duo with hunger in their eyes. The girl had succulent legs and the man seemed to possess valuable treasure. Moving his hands in a strange way to command his men, the goblin boss looked at his gathered troops. There were ten in all. They moved around the two companions in order to flank them. They were armed with various implements of goblin death. The creatures prepared their trap...

[Bewitched]

“Alex. It’s nice to meet you.”

Unlike her stoic companion, Alex did not have the confidence of a lifetime or two of fighting to fall back on. A rapid mental inventory told her bad news about her mana… at most she had enough for one spell. It was almost habit that brought her to remove her broomstick from the magical tome, but it took a conscious effort to twist the top portion of the handle. Seamless craftsmanship came apart and a greater portion of her broom went back into the grimoire. What she was left holding was a short, but very sharp, sword with no guard and a hilt that doubled as the last six inches of her broomstick. She’d only have one shot with magic, and then it would be up to her pathetic skills with the toy in her hand.

“But is this really the best time for introductions? I’ve got this really creepy feeling, and it’s not going away.”

One spell… that was all she had. Should I make a shield? Attack? What with? What is going to attack back? Why am I thinking about this stuff anyway? Clutching her forehead from combined frustration and nerves, she noted that a rather sharp headache was forming. Great. A migraine. Just what a spell caster didn’t need.

The bushes in front of and behind the couple rustled violently and issued forth from their green depths… equally green things. Short, barely breaking three feet tall, they looked underfed and singularly nasty. Her head throbbed. Why now? They all brandished some sort of jagged, unpleasant weapon from the bent scraps of a failed blacksmith’s creation to a large club with metal shards sticking out at every odd angle. They also lined up two by two to create a block of four on either end of the trail.

“Antorbok…” What are these things? “Redgormor…” They’re ugly… and nasty. “Terra.” And shouldn’t I be screaming right about now?

The witch couldn't decide whether it was because she was too scared to be afraid or if the shock hadn't hit her yet, but an unconscious force seemed to guide her lips and picked the spell for her. Before the goblins even managed two steps, black runes burned the familiar triangle around their caster and a fifteen-pound sphere of polished rock was flying much faster than she could ever hope to throw something toward the right-most goblin rank in front of her. The force from projecting so heavy so fast, however, was something she wasn’t expecting. It was her first time using that combination, even if she knew how to use it, so the kickback launched her three feet back and onto the ground. At least she managed to keep hold of her sword and not stab her own body.

To give the nasty beast some credit, the thought to get out of the way crossed its peanut brain. It just didn’t have the time to fully relay the command to its feet. The projectile struck the creature’s right shoulder and most of its torso, and the sickening crunch of bones snapping in more places than could be deemed healthy almost made her vomit once more. Good thing her stomach was empty already. Continuing through to the second goblin with its momentum, the crunch of ribs collapsing into every internal organ its wasted chest held.

When the shock of actually killing something caught up with her, she would probably be useless for weeks as she grieved, but right now her life was in danger… and she wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A battle suddenly began. The duo was waylaid by a group of something out of one of the ancient history books Lorenor often saw back in the town of Ithermoss. The ghoul remembered reading about a group of people called goblins and was actually surprised when he saw them standing before him in the flesh. "Goblins.." Lorenor whispered the crude term. In reality the little green buggers were something else. Something far more sinister.

Feeling a burst of archaic energy, Lorenor shot a gaze towards Alex's person as he saw the next moment in time. His memory froze and the world seemed to slow down as she shot the rock attack towards a group of the goblins immediately in front of her. The mystically conjured boulder slammed straight away into one of the goblins and completely crushed it. Lorenor flinched when he saw such a powerful display of magics. Once again he saw the potential of dollar signs for keeping the girl around. She would be very useful to his personal monetary gains even if Alex didn't quite see it yet. Lorenor saw the potential there. He saw that she'd been slammed back as a result of some invisible recoil that afflicted her body.

Lorenor moved immediately in between her fallen person and the goblins, leaping forward with his weapon drawn. Lorenor expertly drew John Mattis' sword from its scabbard and prepared to fend off the group of goblins that were before him. They were short, that would be a problem considering his own height. Lorenor only stood two heads above the little guys and was built small like they were. Lorenor's own muscle structure was that of a lean physique rather than a muscle-bound freak of nature.

The first group of goblins immediately made their way to attack the ghoul. They cackled and called to one another in a strange language consisting of gutterral calls and clicks from the stomach. Lorenor found it at once disgusting and beautiful. The ghoul swung out powerfully with his sword and managed to catch the first two goblins completely off guard. Quick incisions to the gut were made as entrails fell to the ground. The little creatures screamed in agony cursing the ghoul's existence. The others observed the small warrior's attack and prepared their weapons. Danger was in their eyes as they hungered for Lorenor and Alex's blood. Lorenor was all that stood between them and Alex. One of the tiny warriors swung towards the ghoul and he swung with a counter attempt. Their two swords met comically at the center of an arched movement. The ghoul heard the clang of steel and frowned at the level of skill the goblin had with his weapon. The other goblins prepared to swarm Lorenor. I'm not having this... They'd already taken down three of the goblins but many more remained...it was impossible to know their numbers. Something about them prevented Lorenor from getting a fix on the exact numbers of the goblin ambush party. There could be hundreds out there and they would never know it until it was too late...

And so the battle began.

[Bewitched]

To be fair, the ground was more comfortable than it looked. There was a nice soft covering of moss along the sides of the hard-packed dirt path. Then there was the large brim of her hat that was so neatly folded between her neck and the ground. It almost went without saying that there had to be something that had Alex worked up enough to get up off the perfectly nice ground and start waving a sharp metal stick around. That something was the fact that there were two more miserable cretins already barreling down on her as she tried to get back up.

Their loincloths were flapping as they ran, and somewhere between a partial mental-scarring sight and the thought of what they were going to do to her, she was standing back up at what could only have been record speed. Lacing her fingers around the small hilt of the short sword, Alex swung down and struck with all her strength to split open one goblin’s head. There was more resistance than she was expecting as her blade sliced into its brain, but that was where her luck ran out. It was stuck.

Pulling with her two-handed grip, the relatively light monster rose into the air, still attached to her blade. Swinging the encumbered weapon around, she managed to knock two more beasties aside before over-swinging and falling to the ground once more. At least the goblin thing released its dead grip on her sword.

“Votes for running away, Lorenor?”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"No running away. They'll chase us, these things know the forest better than we do. We take our stand, and we win. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Fighting as he talked, the ghoul danced his sword around and managed to pick off three more of the little devils. Their ranks were wearing thing as the ghoul fought against them. His longsword served a secondary advantage of keeping them at a good distance from his body. Swinging downward was a chore, but he quickly adapted to the chore.

Rising to the occasion was a matter that became a credit to the ghoul.

Suddenly, one of the goblins leaped from a nearby tree and attempted to swing downwards upon Alex's person. Lorenor saw this quickly, decapitated another goblin and swung his body completely around bringing his sword in a wide arch around his person. He looked at the goblin attacking the girl for a split second and simply reacted.

Calling up the power of the aegis device, Lorenor felt the familiar throbbing of energy flow across his artificial arm. He raised his forearm and placed his real arm upon his metallic wrist, quickly opening his palm. Extending his digits to the widest he could extend them, Lorenor released the power of the Aegis.

Rippling energy flowed across the air. Some of the goblins stared at the energy as it passed overhead. Low branches of trees moved subtly with the energy as it flowed across the space between Lorenor and Alex.

Commanding the Aegis, Lorenor controlled the shield so it manifested right above Alex's fallen person. Instantly, the goblin fell upon the shield and there was a burst of archaic energies that suddenly filled the clearing providing a secondary advantage. Sparks of the residue touched the goblins and the grass lighting things on fire. The goblins immediately became scared of the archaic forces, pausing their attack and giving Lorenor a serious advantage. A few more Goblins showed up in the interval between their initial attack and the present moment.

There numbers totaled six. Lorenor was preparing to do something extremely drastic to take them down. As for the goblin attacking Alex? His body careened against the magical shield. Force erupting from the impact point propelled the little guy's body towards a nearby tree. A sharp branch intercepted the goblin and impaled him completely. The aegis barrier shattered instantly from the impact with the goblin. Lorenor had a couple more bursts left.

Taking up his sword once again, he went back to fighting and was trying to clear the area around Alex. He now moved his position so that he covered her back side...he was playing the role of bodyguard now. In a matter of moments, Lorenor took down two more.

[Bewitched]

From her nice vantage point on the ground, Alexandria was able to see just how outclassed she was when it came to actually fighting and using her spells in the field. Here were goblins, primitive as anything she had ever seen, and she could barely hold her own against one without her spells. She cringed as one of the little beasts leapt at her, saved only by a very impressive shield created by her partner. It made her pathetic attempt at protection seem completely worthless. But she couldn’t give up now; it just didn’t feel right to let him do all the work.

Lorenor was picking up her slack and more with what looked like an effortless ease. Each swing of his great sword left a swath of destruction that only one of her spells could match, but he didn’t have to expend much energy at all two cleave the things in half. The young witch stood to her feet as the man-like thing pressed his back to hers. Her broom was forgotten for the moment and the only thoughts that crossed her mind were those of how she was going to survive this whole charade. A two-handed thrust that probably only needed one to be effective stopped the latest vile creature to come too close to her, piercing it just above the sternum.

It was about this time that something inevitably dawned on her. She had just killed a living creature. Bloodshot eyes too big for its head pleaded for life in their dying moment, and like falling off a cliff the weight of what she had done in her adrenaline-fueled frenzy hit her. Sure it wasn’t much death at all compared to what her friend had done, but she had still taken lives. The more she tried to think about it, the she wanted to stop thinking about it, and the more she tried to stop, the more useless she became. Crouching down on her heels, she buried her face in her knees and fell forward, crying. The short blade of her sword was buried slightly into the ground under its own weight.

“What… have I done?”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

With every mighty swing of his weapon, more goblins were felled in battle. He was quickly dwindling down their numbers. Soon, they would all be destroyed and the killer could return to his previous duties. Investigation of that camp he found earlier. With another swing of his weapon in a wide arch, several more goblins fell. A particularly dangerous looking pint sized predator caught the ghoul's eyes. It seemed to be the chieftain of the lot.

Lorenor suddenly decided to plead his case with the chieftain to spare any more blood shed. The goblin lot was regathering their forces and pulling the injured that could be saved away from the site of the battle. A moment of pause occurred and this was Lorenor's chance to end the battle in an agreeable sort of way. He'd taken his eyes off Alex for a moment but heard her whimpering cries signaling that she'd given up and proved useless to the ghoul. He needed a mage who was prepared to battle alongside him.

The crooked trees seemed to reach down with their branches in a vain attempt to grab at the combatants on the makeshift battlefield. Lorenor opted to knock out a goblin that came too close to Alex and then he moved towards the Chieftain. The tiny warrior had a wicked looking curved sword that was green with plynt. The chieftain was a particularly hideous goblin, hid long nose was crooked and equipped with many warts. Beady red eyes shone from beneath a thickly defined eye socket. But what impressed Lorenor the most about the chieftain was the demi human's height. The goblin leader was taller than the rest of the goblins standing at approximately four heads in stature. He was also very broad. The creature wore thick hides obtained from the beasts of the wilderness, and a helmet with horns on either side pointed skyward. The chieftain addressed Lorenor. "Give us your gold and we'll let you pass." Hearing those words, the ghoul laughed as the business man within the heart of the goblin revealed itself.

"You'll let me pass? That's funny coming from someone like you my friend. You seem to forget that I've single-handedly trashed your lot of goblins by myself. I could easily do the same to you. However, I do not underestimate your skill." Lorenor looked to the side. His familiar, a creature named Figment, was feasting upon the corpses of one of the goblins with wild abandon. Lorenor could hear the sounds of the meal and it made the ghoul grin casually. So far, Figment hadn't made an attempt at capturing one of the goblins yet. The small creature was a black amorphous entity the resembled a sentient slime. The creature had a thickly defined head that resembled two pieces of thick oil forcibly slammed together with the purpose of creating a single, powerful maw. Teeth made of the same substance tore through the flesh of the goblin upon the floor beneath him. Sensing Lorenor's thoughts, the creature slid across the ground with supernatural agility and moved over to Alex's position. It proceeded to ward off any goblins that came too close.

"Nevertheless, this is goblin territory. Relieve yourselves of your wallets and we shall let you pass."

"I have a better idea."

Lorenor said suddenly. Taking up his weapon, he pointed the thing in the general direction of the chieftain's throat. He let it linger there for a few moments observing the cold reaction of the chieftain's gaze. "How about, I let you live and you let us pass." There was an ultimatum for you. I wonder if he'll buy it? Either way it goes I can just kill him. No way, I'm giving my hard earned cash to this creep. I should just take him down and spare the world of more goblin antics...Lorenor thought to himself as he stared down the creature awaiting for a response.

"You leave me no choice then." The chieftain said with a sudden sadness in his voice. "Kill them." He commanded. And as that order was given, an entirely new contingent of goblins arose from the wilderness, hidden in the underbrush. Lorenor sighed. "It's your life." And proceeded to engage the goblin chieftain in combat. Figment reacted to the battle at hand and proceeded to hunt for a body to claim. For a moment, Figment pondered taking over Alex temporarily but decided against it, she would do him no good anyway. The creature slithered off to find the nearest goblin to overtake, the dead weren't as valuable to Figment as the living were.

[Bewitched]

Blood. The viscous red liquid coated most of the hard-packed ground now, still shimmering as more and more fluid spilled with each swing of Lorenor’s blade. Red. Alex stared at her hands, now stained crimson by her own actions. She rubbed them together, picked up clumps of dirt, and even pulled fresh grass to try wiping her hands off with. Nothing removed the taint she had willingly placed there.

They’re dead… and it’s my fault.

Her tears started to dry up, but an overwhelming sadness settled on her shoulders, pinning her to the ground more solidly than a spell of Burden. Every one of the lives she had ended, even if there had only been three or four, had been cut short. The beasts were sentient enough to speak, and that meant they might have had families. How was she supposed to deal with that sort of pressure?

I’m just a teenage girl… I shouldn’t have to deal with this type of thing… I’m not a killer…

Something black and very fast flashed for a moment across her eyes. It seemed to be keeping the things that wanted to attack her at bay, so she paid little heed to it. Was this why Lorenor gave her his cloak? So she wouldn’t feel as bad when she had to attack something? Something to say “Hey, look at me. I kill things all the time and don’t even blink.” He wasn’t human; why should he even feel things humans felt in the first place like regret, sadness, or confusion?

I can’t do this any more!

Reaching into her tome, her enchanted broomstick almost flew out as she stood up. She didn’t want to pick her small sword out of the ground, but a portion of the broom’s enchantment was on it, so she had no choice otherwise. She slid the two sections together and ran her index finger down the trio of runes etched into the wooden shaft, activating the spell and causing the broom to float up off the ground.

I can’t!

Through tear-blurred eyes, Alex mounted her broom and leaned forward, shooting off like a sprinter down the path and bowling over anything that got in her way. Her body was still wracked with sobs, but she somehow managed to avoid running into anything. Trees flew past like stoic monoliths and every bush that so much as rustled in her passing only served to drive her farther and farther away from the gruesome battleground. She would never enter that forest again… not willingly at least.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Figment rushed passed Alex's form and leaped towards a goblin's open, snarling mouth. In a matter of moments; the endless began to overtake the goblin and use it as a possessed vessel in the service of N'Jal. The goblin's skin became much darker than normal and a hideous red glow flowed from the creature's eyes. Muscles knotted to the point that they seemed to saturate with strength and the goblin knew the strength of the endless. Turning its back to protect the girl, the goblin endless began to turn on its brother.

The tiny fiend wielded a long, six inch dagger that was made of simple iron. It was clearly made by the goblin blacksmiths. The weapon was wicked and curved. Charging towards his brothers blindly, the warrior allowed his superior skill to overwhelm the attackers in an attempt to protect the girl from harm.

Figment never noticed it when the girl suddenly took off and ran away from the battle; abandoning her would be savior. The clashing of blades resonated through the clearing and the battle intensified. Meanwhile, the chieftain was engaging Lorenor in battle. The two short warriors stood about the same height; five feet all together. Swords made of potent materials clashed in the dark as the sparks lit the darkness. "Your friend has abandoned you!"

The chieftain taunted. Lorenor suddenly felt that his companion left and this made him extremely angry; betrayal. Keeping his eyes locked upon the warrior he was fighting, his back was eventually to Figment's back as they kept the goblins at bay. With the angry thoughts in his mind, Lorenor continued to fight until either all the goblins fell, or something else gave.

Lorenor moved his weapon against the weapon of the chieftain with great skill. The two warriors keeping the other at bay. Then, the ghoul remembered his many artifacts. As he fought with John Mattis' longsword, the green plynt shined with a potent light. The Chieftain's steel sword flashed with the starlight. It had a particularly intense glow about it that wasn't normal for a steel sword; even of Masterwork quality. Lorenor decided that he wanted that sword as a trophy. With the sounds of clashing material, the chieftain wore a visage of imminent victory.

But the ghoul wasn't ready to meet his true death. Instead, the warrior prepared the potent powers of his Ring of All Shadows. Feeling the power charge through his body, the darkness responded to his call. A moment later, the ghoul released the powers of darkness putting the archaic forces into play. Bursting forward, the blast of darkness pushed the Chieftain back causing burns to materialize upon the goblin's thick hides. Lorenor saw his opening and moved forward with his sword. Seconds later, the plynt punctured the goblin's heart. Looking up at Lorenor with a sad expression on his face, the goblin fell down to the ground; dead. Seeing their leader fall; the other goblins took note of Lorenor's dirty tricks and decided to retreat into the wild. Lorenor removed his weapon from the goblin and cleaned it off with the fellow's body. Blood was spilling onto the already well saturated ground. Lorenor sheathed his weapon and took the goblin's sword. Nothing else interested him. He completed his theft by taking the chieftain's scabbard as well. He looked towards Figment who now wore the body of a goblin.

"She's gone." Lorenor said. "We tried to protect her with the best of our skills." The ghoul shook his head. "Perhaps we'll come across her at a later date." Figment shrugged. "You need to develop your own skills in the name of the Dark Mother." Lorenor listened carefully and sighed. "It will happen in due time my friend. Now lets go see whats in that camp."

And so; Lorenor made his way to the camp alongside his goblin companion.

He placed the scabbard of the short sword around his waist.

The End.

***Spoils***

001--One Vlince cloak given over to Alex.

002--500 gold deducted from my account and given to Alex. Thank you.

003--A Masterwork Steel short sword enchanted with an ability to give off a cold aura. The cold aura adds ice elemental damage to the basic sword attack but does nothing else. The weapon is dangerous to fire elemental creatures. Eventually; the enchantment will grow stronger. Masterwork matching scabbard.

004--Alex's Wind Charm. Counts as a wand. A charm blessed with the elemental powers of Wind. Can summon three small bursts of wind lances a day. Power is equivalent to an iron sword.

[Cyrus the virus]

Sorry this wasn’t as quick as I’d originally promised!

Story
Continuity – 5/10 It was clear that there were ten goblins at first, but that wasn’t kept consistent. Otherwise, this was fine.
Setting – 5/10 Not bad, Lorenor, but you should only mention the wind so many times. Don’t put an obligatory sentence or two of setting description if it feels forced.
Pacing – 4/10 The quest was pretty slow when it came to the dialogue and character building, but that was the positive part. The goblin attack went by quickly and fizzled at the end, feeling very anticlimactic to me. Why was this goblin boss such a pushover? There’s nothing gripping about an easy fight.

Character
Dialogue – 8/10 Don’t make Lorenor too omniscient. He introduced himself literally immediately after Alex thought about not knowing his name. You could have used this problem a little bit instead of repairing it so quickly. Solid dialogue except for the goblin leader’s speaking about as eloquently as a university professor. What’s up with that?
Action – 5/10 Bewitched, your action is pretty intriguing and well described. The advantage of writing a mage character is that your abilities are more dynamic, and you handle this well. Lorenor, you sort of made the action seem like an afterthought, downing goblins with hardly any description of the action. Instead of being a fun fight to read, I found myself trudging through the sequences where Lorenor killed two goblins in a flash. I couldn’t envision the fight. Put more description into how these goblins battle, how they struggled with the pain, the way your sword cuts through the air, anything. Just don’t make it seem to bland. Here’s a good example of what I’m complaining about: “Fighting as he talked, the ghoul danced his sword around and managed to pick off three more of the little devils.” He’s a deadly fighter, so make him fight well – here, his opponents were just incompetent.
Persona – 7/10 Lorenor’s personality is hard to grasp, but he’s got a good mix of curiosity, trust, distrust and strength. Alex is a fantastic character

Writing Style
Technique – 4/10
Mechanics – 6/10 Sometimes, Lorenor, you have repetitive tendencies in your writing that are difficult if not impossible to ignore. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, so I’ll provide you with a quote: “…the ghoul carefully considered his personal gains versus potential losses. The gains outweighed the potential losses…” Your writing could benefit from a certain ‘neatness’ that comes from rereading your posts and being critical of the way you use language. I’d suggest, for starters, rereading each paragraph as soon as they’re completed in order to catch these little repetitions. Also, be mindful of your descriptions. There was a stretch where you described the wind in about 4 consecutive posts.
Clarity - 7/10 I like your writing, Bewitched. It’s very, very clear and easy to follow, which makes it more than enjoyable for me to read. Lorenor, you make a lot of simple errors that would be caught if you took more care, but I generally know what’s going on.

Miscellaneous
Wild Card - 6/10 Why is this in the Citadel?

Total: 57

Lorenor receives 1,805 EXP (reduced due to spoil requests) and loses 500 gold, gains his wind charm as requested.
Bewitched receives 642 EXP and 500 gold, gains a Vlince cloak.

Lorenor’s new sword is of Awful quality and is badly damaged, chipped in several places due to the goblin boss’s heavy use of it over the years. It must be repaired in the bazaar, as any use of the item in its current state would likely cause it to break and lose its enchantment permanently. After repairs, it will be a Below Average quality short sword with the ice enchantment.

Alex’s broom has gross bloodstains in the bristles that need to be cleaned. Ew. Find a river or stream!

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP was indeed added!