(OOC: Woohoo, Enchantment V!)

They trudged on. Well, the normal reaction would have been trudging if Artemis didn't keep the natural entropic trudginess from invading their systems, unconciously with her magic which had begun to seep into their muscles and minds, informing them to go on, sure, what was a few more miles eh?

The other un-trudginess was the fact that she had kept up a slightly annoying but focus-keeping small talk for the entire plain ride. "..And that's how I got Victor out last night. Wow, I just told like my entire life story, you guys must be glad right?" They didn't have the heart to inform her how right she was. "Because now its time for you guys turns! Like...uhmm..." Artemis dredged her mind for some non-her discussion topics. "So...Elmric?...how long have you and Avelia been close? I've always wanted to do that kind of stuff, ya know, some real substance to my little whirls and such, I just never met anybody who wanted to teach me and I always had the book close at hand...and look at that, I'm still talking about me, go on. You too Dar-Dare, don't you think I dragged you along because of your good looks...well, not just because."

(OOC: elementalism - VI)

Keeping his stride even so as not to tire himself out, Jacen saw Aieris ahead. Shifting the weight of the book at his side, he continued to follow the pull emanating from the wolf far ahead. I wonder if her and I are after the same thing. As the elven archer increased her pace, Jacen took a better look at the path he was travelling on. Aside from the few glimpses of farm houses in the distance, the way was devoid of any signs of habitation by human, elf, or dwarf.

The Midgaard River had veered further south away from the wolf and its stalkers over the course of their journey. On the high points of the plains, one could spot the river farther to the south and coming back to the north again. It was lost from view behind a forest that had been visible in the distance for hours but grew in significance with each step. The wolf had been trotting along a straight path since leaving Midgaard at dawn. It hadn't stopped to rest or drink, and hadn't even bothered to stop and look around. It was unusual behaviour for a natural hunter, but Aieris, Jacen, Artemis, Elmric, and Darren all knew in their hearts this wolf was anything but natural.

The stalkers and the wolf had been on a crash course with rather nasty-looking storm clouds headed for the Midgaard area from the east coast. The partly clouded sky in the morning became completely overcast with a dull, grey cover shortly after mid-day, and with each passing hour the darker, menacing thunderstorm drew closer.

All of them, Aieris in particular, grumbled as a chilly, steady rainfall began not an hour after the overcast. More than ever they wondered idly if following the wolf was a good idea, or even a sane idea, and if bringing supplies of any kind would have made the trek more pleasureable. Artemis did her best to enchant her clothes and hair to deflect the droplets. Darren was the first to plead for the same enchantment, as he had neglected to change out of his sleeping clothes but had remembered to bring his sword along. She enchanted both Elmric and Darren with the rain-deflecting spell and they continued on their way along the now-fading path of illuminated wolf paws.

Jacen walked in the rain for a little while, his connection to the elements gave him a certain affinity for all of nature's cycles. After a few miles the wet clothing became uncomfortable even for him, and with a careless wave of his hand all the water on his body and his clothes formed into a perfect sphere of water that began orbiting around his body, drawing in any new raindrops to come near. That was the second reason he enjoyed storms, it was common fact that elementalists gained a healthy increase in power during them.

Aieris refused to use anything but fire to try and dry herself. Water put out fire, and that made her rather angry. If a water elemental had been listening to her curses as the rainfall began, it would not have been pleased at all. Now she was torn. She could easily immerse herself in flames and keep dry, but there was the dilemma of a flaming, steaming elven woman striding across the plains of Kenshuria on a rainy afternoon. After talking to a ball of flame she conjured in her palm for several minutes, and a dozen or so "Bloody hell's" later, there was indeed a flaming, steaming elven woman striding across the plains of Kenshuria on a rainy afternoon. She reasoned that the elf named Jacen and the other three imbeciles probably weren't smart enough to figure anything out anyway. She walked on, straight after the wolf and towards the looming forest ahead.


---------------

Raenor kept his longbow as ready as was possible in a prone position as he crept cautiously towards the gargoyles. The one dabbling by the river had since rejoined two others at some small rocks that had no doubt been moved to form a seating area for the hulking beasts. They were immersed in conversation and eating what looked like raw bird meat, of what kind specifically Raenor couldn't tell. The language the gargoyles spoke would be difficult to reproduce with human vocal abilities, and every "phrase" sounded angry, not by tone but by the language's own structure.

The other three gargoyles were also immersed in conversation about thirty feet behind the first three. They were all huddled close, pointing and arguing over what looked to be a large piece of parchment. Raenor assumed it was either orders or a map of some kind, and redoubled his attempts to make out what some of them were saying. As it turned out, they were switching between their exotic language and common Kenshurian. 'How did invading gargoyles know how to speak our language so fluently?' This was the first question that came to Raenor's mind, but he listened anyway.

"Venx left yesterday, one of the Lord's messenger's arrived." One of the gargoyles said in a voice so deep it was nearly inaudible, but still it spoke perfect Common.

"He was summoned by...Him?" Another said in a nearly identical voice, stuttering slightly on the last word.

The first gargoyle nodded. "In a real hurry, there has been a sudden change of plans. The Traitors seek to stop our campaign. Our Lord is investigating the matter personally, and he requested Venx be present."

The second gargoyle sat wide-eyed, staring at the first. "But...so close to..."

The third gargoyle piped up all of a sudden with a vicious hiss that silenced the second. They sat in silence for the next several minutes. In that time Raenor started moving back up the slope towards the horses. The three gargoyles arguing over the parchment had stopped and rejoined the first three as he made it back over the slope and down to Amelia and the horses.

As she trailed the quickly moving, mostly concealed wolf through the underbrush under the now raining sky, Aieris thought back to the conversation she'd had with the glowing orb of fire. No longer paying attention to the sizzle and hiss of rain evaporating as it struck the superheated which envelopped her, her mind drifted.

"You have called me, mistress" the voice in the flame said in a sibilant, almost hissing tone, but one that cracked like the whip of a fire's flame at the end of each word.

"I don't know if I bloody called you or not, I'm just tired of this rain! And who are you anyway? And why can you speak?"

"I am one of your thralls, oh my Queen. Were you not aware? Have you not heard our voices as your attatchment with us has grown? We have always been there for you, and we always will. Think back, you might remember, far back in your thoughts, your first memory of us, your first memory of fire." The flame replied, its words crackling in time with the undulations of its movement.

"I remember...I was nine...it was late, and I had been left alone while my mother and father went to tend to one of our neighbors...They...They could use magic, and they used it sometimes to heal the wounds of those nearby, and they were praised for it. I'd always wanted to do magic with them, but they always said, they always said I was too young. They were gone, and I...I tried...I tried one of their spells. I couldn't even read the lettering of it, but I somehow knew what to do...and all of a sudden there was fire everywhere. Then I fell unconsious in the middle of the flame, and when I awoke, my parents were lifting me out of the charred and blackened house. They had said that the house was like that when they arrived."

"It was us. Me and my fellows. We were with you even then. And as you grow stronger, so do we. Look, even now, at the flames that surround you, and how you are protected from the rain. It is us, and we are strong enough to manifest ourselves now, because you keep growing stronger in our use. Still, we should stop our discussion here. Follow the wolf. We have tried to tell you before, it is important. For everything. For you. For us."

With that, Aieris let go of the flame. She could call them now. They were still weak, but they were with her. And now that she had been made aware of their existence, she could hear them, in the back of her mind, giving thousands of little hints, where to step to avoid tripping, where to walk for the easiest path, everything. They were everything, they were fire, and they were hers, and hers alone.

More content than she had ever been, she moved on following the wolf, the newly created sphere of flame lighting up the planes for miles, but she didn't care. Fire was everywhere with her now, and her vision was clouded by it. And again, there was a smile on her face.

-------------------------------

OOC: +1 Elementalism

Moving slowly and deliberately, taking care to not disturb the long grass he was moving through, Raenor worked his way back to Amelia and the horses. Cresting the hill, he allowed himself to roll swiftly out of sight, stopping just below the top of the hill, keeping his body still to see if the gargoyles had noticed him. Satisfied that they were safe for the moment, Raenor hurried down to Amelia.

"They can speak Common," Raenor said as he turned and started back up the hill. "Stay there." he hissed as Amelia moved to join him. "I'm going to get as close as I can. I need you to stay concealed, and to warn Midgaard if I don't return."

"But..." Raenor cut Amelia's protest off as he pulled her close and kissed her.

"No buts this time, lady priestess," Raenor grinned and moved off quickly and quietly as Amelia stared after him in shock and bewilderment.

As he moved calmly and deliberately through the plains towards the edge of the river, angling his stride to keep out of sight of the gargoyles lounging next to the river. Gargoyles which could speak common Kenshurian. Fluently. Shaking his head clear of all thoughts, Raenor concentrated on getting as close to the gargoyles as he could. Moving up the river bank towards the old lonely willow, Raenor took his time to note the contours of the earth from just outside the hanging curtain of greenery which shaded the trunk of the great tree. After a few moments crouching concealed in that emerald curtain, Raenor stepped into the shade and moved to his intended lookout. Moving quickly and silently, the ranger soon had himself comfortably ensconced in a hollow demi-cave which had been worn around one of the great roots of the willow. Pulling himself as near to the shimmering curtain as he dared, the ranger found himself watching the gargoyles from an alarming distance.

"Avelia protect," Raenor silently prayed as he kept an arrow resting loosely on the string of his bow, just in case he was seen. Glancing up the tree, he noted, with some satisfaction, that he could likely clamber up the tree were he truly pressed. Then, he took his time to scan the gargoyles.

He could see the company little changed from when he had left minutes earlier. They were all lounging by the riverbank now, and Raenor could see that one of the gargoyles still had the parchment still in its hand. Whatever it was, it seemed to be important. Still, since there was no easy way of retrieving the sheet, Raenor decided to settle in to watch, wait and listen.

Elmric trodded onward, the rain falling upon his heavy armor, and sheeting off like it had never touched the shining steel. Darren and Artemis, the odd woman that seemed to know Darren, were next to him, watching for the glowing tracks of the wolf. It was almost 11 a.m. by Elmric's reckoning, but without sunlight piercing the sky, he could not be certain. A light grumble eminated from his stomach, and he asked, though he already knew the answer. "Are you both as hungry as I am?" Darren and Artemis nodded. "Give me just a moment then. I'll continue following the tracks with you, but I need to concentrate a bit for this. It's not often this prayer is answered without being near death." Elmric unfocused his eyes slightly, still able to see, but attuning himself to Avelia's graceful song, not a sonata today, but a dirge, signifying the sorrow associated with storms. "Avelia, graceful diety and holy sympathizer, deliver a few morsels of food to your humble servant and his companions. We are on a quest, following that which seems unnatural, and we need sustainance upon this journey. Thine humble servant requests whatever food thou art willing to give." Elmric refocused his eyes, and a particularly strong lighting bolt struck right in front of Elmric, and when his sight was restored, he saw 4 small glowing orbs in front of him.

"By the gods! This...this is the divine mana!" Elmric smiled greatly from under his helmet. "But...why are there 4 orbs of it? There are only three of us." Elmric humbly took the four orbs and gave one to Darren and Artemis. "This gift is very rare. Savor it's flavor. It will erase all weariness...as for this fourth orb...perhaps it is to fill the wolf with purity." Elmric just shrugged slightly and slipped his small gel-like orb into his mouth, and chewed upon it slowly, letting the flavor sink in, a myriad of flavors all blending pleasantly into a feeling of content.

OOC: Ranged 1, though it won't be able to be used yet, obviously. (Putting me at Melee 3, Healing 2, Ranged 1.

The raining intensified for over an hour and by the time the individual trees of the forest were in sight, the full power of a raging thunderstorm struck the plains of Kenshuria with the might of a hundred tempests. In less than a minute the forest before them disappeared behind a veil of gray as rain came down in sheets.

The wolf was impossible to see now, even for Aieris, and it had become increasingly frantic as the thunderstorm drew nearer. In the last moments before the blinding downpour, it started sprinting.

-------

Raenor watched the gargoyles for over five minutes, but they had gone back to speaking in their foreign language of half-grunts and mean undertones. He waited for an opportunity to try and acquire the parchment one of the gargoyles had been holding and showing to the others. The opportunity did not come, and the gargoyles packed up their few belongings and set off at a surprisingly fast pace along the river bank, due east.

--------

OOC: Sorry for the very short post, I'm low on time but I've decided to move on with the story despite Durin. He can catch up. And so it begins, good luck.

Raenor grumbled silently to himself as the gargoyles moved off. There hadn't been an opportunity to retrieve that piece of paper, and now his quarry were headed away from him. Judging by their weapons and armour, he had no hope of surprising and killing all of them. On top of that, they could very well lead him to what he and Amelia had been searching for over the past four days.

Raenor considered going back for Amelia, but the pace at which the gargoyles were moving was disconcerting. Even if he started after them now, they would still gain a significant lead, and if they were even remotely concerned with not being followed, at least one of them would be obscuring their trail. Swearing and glancing worriedly back towards the hill, Raenor made up his mind. Crouching in his protective cave, he moved out of cover and began moving as deliberately and carefully as he could, while keeping as near to the gargoyles' as he could.

As he moved along the riverbank, Raenor privately hoped that the gargoyles weren't going far. Keeping as close to the riverbank as he could, the ranger stilled his mind and concentrated solely on keeping on the trail these Venurians had left him.

"Avelia protects," he murmured to himself as he tightened his grip on his bow.

Raenor soon gained some insight into the swiftness of the Venurian invasion as he pursued the party of gargoyles. They were exceedingly fast when they wanted to be. Within ten minutes Raenor had started wondering if following them on horseback would have been a better idea, because he was forced to jog constantly just to keep up with the lumbering strides of the Venurian hunters.

They moved in a close pack along the riverbank as it curved slowly southeast. Occasionally one gargoyle would trail behind and move in a speedy, large circle around the party's flank, each time forcing Raenor to forfeit his line of sight and mutter prayers of luck. But the gargoyles moved on in this fashion and Raenor was never spotted.

The dull grey-white clouds overhead blocked any view of the sun, so Raenor could not accurately estimate the time of day, and soon a light drizzle began. The gargoyles picked up speed and a heavy-breathing Raenor struggled to keep pace, stay concealed, and conserve some energy at the same time. Far ahead, following the river for miles and surveying the empty plains of Kenshuria, his vision ended with what seemed to be a thick fog.

-------

OOC: Party two, time to start moving. :) The most obvious choices are not mentioned specifically, but that are utterly blatant. To clarify any confusion, the thunderstorm is pretty much blocking visibility beyond 200 feet. The forest is perhaps a mile distant from Elmric/Artemis/Darren, and perhaps half a mile from the flaming elf.

Midgaard is about 20 miles in the other direction.

With the tremendous downpour, even the orb of water that Jacen had created was hard pressed to keep him dry. As sheet upon sheet of rain pounded the ground Jacen knew that he had to make a decision on what to do. With a cry of frustration, he broke into a run and began heading in the direction of where he knew the forest lay. At least if I get under the trees, it will be a little drier. Praying to whatever god might be listening at the moment, he hoped he wouldn't trip and injure himself. The last thing he wanted was to be lying down on the ground, badly injured, wet, and cold.

Elmric trudged forward, his armor no longer sheeting the water off so swiftly as the thunderstorm continued to viciously downpour. "I hope like hell that I don't get shocked...." Elmric thought to himself. The visibility was worsening, so Elmric decided to try another prayer to Avelia, hoping that he was not making a nuisance of himself. "Oh Avelia, please grant thine servant enchanted vision so that he may serve your purpose more fully." After completely his prayer, Elmric noticed that he could see a few more feet ahead, which was about all he could hope for under the circumstances. Elmric took point and sped up his walk, making haste toward the forest. A blinding bolt hit the ground next to Elmric, leaving behind a waterproof note that glowed in a white light. Elmric knelt down, and picked it up. "Ask for no more favors, Elmric, servant of Avelia. Thine favors have run out for now. I have not forsaken ye, for if ye truely need my assistance, it will come without beckon." Elmric read to himself and sent a mental prayer, "Understood, thine humble servant has asked thou too much." Elmric shouted to the other two he knew were following him, "I won't be able to do any healing, so should this come to a fight, we must fight powerfully."

No longer able to see more than a few hundred feet in front of her, and with the torrential downpour battering down the fire surrounding her, Aieris was annoyed. The dissapearance of the wolf and the forest only spurred her to further anger.

Still, she hitched up her skirts and began a light jog towards the place she had last seen the forest, in the hopes that maybe the cover of trees would lessen the pounding rain, and provide some hint as to the location of the wolf.

The benefits to having little more than his nightshirt on, while not immediately apparent to most, were worth mentioning. In Darren's view this meant that his sexy dinner outfit was safe and dry and that was good, right? Darr sighed, despite spending the better part of an hour trying, he was still unable to convince himself that the situation was anything less then offensive, miserable and torrential.

Though they were moving quicker, thanks to Elmric, Darren found his impatience mounting. He decided quietly to himself that there better be a damn good fight awaiting them in that forest. The young man was itching to do something with himself other than walk.

OOC: Melee Freakin' VI!

Jacen was the first to reach the forest and free himself from most of the downpour. The forest was densely packed and had a thick canopy, which blocked the majority of the rain. It was extremely dark for evening, Avelia's Beacon had no hope of penetrating storm clouds so thick and black. Jacen evoked a small amount of his fire magic to dry his robes fully and unchill his body, but a sense of warding was telling him to conserve his strength. The same projection of emotion he had felt on his way to Midgaard was present here, and deep down he knew it must be that wolf. The wolf was special, he told himself, and right now that emotional projection was cautious, and frightened. He scanned the forest around him, and saw nothing. He looked back out onto the plains and watched his vision end at two hundred feet, veiled by torrential sheets of rain. As slowly and silently as a robed elf could move on forest ground, Jacen proceeded towards the emotion, towards the wolf.

------

Aieris was the second to reach the forest, and immediately she became slightly less annoyed. She too evoked her fire magic, but decided a measure of control wasn't really needed. In effect, she warmed herself from the rain, dried her dress completely, and caused everything in a ten foot radius to singe and smoke. She scanned the forest around her, and even through her elven eyes the darkness stopped her vision after fifty feet. She started looking for signs of the wolf, or of anything interesting related to the wolf.

Aieris found nothing, and soon she was annoyed again. Cursing, and hurling a fireball at a nearby fern, she figured she hadn't quite jogged straight. The thought passed and she stared at the small fire she had generated. Now was as good a time as ever to test her powers. She reached deep into her consciousness and conjured a small fireball. She threw it and focused her mind on fire, feeling the fireball as it moved through the air, even as it was separated from her. She opened her eyes and watched the fireball travel further into the forest, now just a small orb of light. Abruptly, it hit a distant tree and with a momentary burst, was gone. Aieris judged the distance as roughly two hundred feet. "Not too bloody bad, but not good enough!"

She started walking forward, quite annoyed, and even a little bored and tired. She had walked all day, part of it through the rain, and with no wolf in sight she was ready to give up and sleep for a while. Sirens blared inside her mind, overriding even thoughts of a cozy, flaming bed and she ducked out of reflex.

The throwing spear imbedded itself cleanly into a tree trunk six inches above her head and her combat senses came to full alertness. She made a cursory glance at the throwing spear as she side-stepped and rose to full height again, noticing it was the kind carried by the Venurian Hunters.

She looked northwards, the direction the spear had come from, and saw the dancing torchlight of her attackers approaching.

------

Artemis, Elmric, and Darren were the last ones to step into the forest, and Artemis pouted as the glowing wolf tracks stopped abruptly. She pouted even further as the enchantment refused to refresh itself.

"I don't like this." Elmric said flatly.

"This place seems quite dangerous, I like this!" Darren said, grinning. The mood of the forest was abyssmal, and the storm made it extremely dark. "Anyway, where's this dog gone to?"

"It's a wolf, and I don't know...Artemis?" Elmric said sternly, looking to Artemis for some magic trick of some kind.

She shrugged again. "The darn enchantment won't work, mister paladin. I wish I could tell ya why..."

Elmric unsheathed his spear and took it in hand, at partial-readiness now. He scanned the forest around him and, confident he saw nothing dangerous in the near vicinity, moved forward at a quick pace. Darren unsheathed his sword and followed, a grin plastered across his face. Artemis took up the flank.

------

Raenor slowed down and allowed himself to catch his breath. He knew where the gargoyles were going, so there was no need in wasting more energy trying to keep up.

He kept on their tails for what must have been hours, for the distant fog he had seen earlier was now drifting here and there not hundreds of feet away. A bad feeling had been mounting in his gut. The Venurians were close, he knew it. He just needed proof. But his conscience nagged him: "And what will you do when you find them? When you stumble upon twelve thousand battle-ready trolls and gargoyles?" Raenor tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, now wasn't the time to lose focus. But they persisted, and he answered: "I could find out what they're up to, perhaps why they're here. Most importantly, I could warn Midgaard, and my father." His conscience continued, "And when Midgaard learns the Venurians are at its doorstep, what then will it do?"

Raenor shrugged to himself. "Avelia knows."

He walked on, a sense of caution creeping into his stomach, nestling beside the bad feeling. He had passed most of the fog now...He stopped and looked back. A solid wall of fog was blocking any view beyond a half mile, back the way he had come and anywhere to the north or south. Looking up, even the clouds seemed to be blocked out by a white barrier. He looked forward again, and there was no fog anymore, visibility persisted for miles until the drizzling rain finally blotted it out. Why is there a barrier of fog sitting in the middle of the plains, in the middle of a rain storm?

He gripped his bow ever tighter, his right hand itching to draw an arrow and kill whatever would make him feel at ease. Raenor spotted little figures some ways ahead by the river bank and recognized them as the gargoyles. He dropped like a rock onto his stomach when he noticed some were looking in his general direction. The same hunting party he had been trailing for a good part of the day, six...five gargoyles. Five. Raenor looked around in every direction, the sixth gargoyle was gone...somewhere. The other five had stopped and were scanning around not a quarter mile from his position.

------

OOC: Okay, try to make some nice posts here so we can maximize the few we have left in this chapter. As you may or may not guess, none of you are capable of walking perfectly straight in a thunderstorm, and you've all entered the forest (thankfully?) at different points.

This is a medium-sized forest, so you probably won't run into each other just yet, but for those of you not dragged into combat, you've got some options still. Nathano, Jacen can sense some pretty powerful magic in the same direction as the wolf, you're probably the best off so do what you would. Artemis/Elmric/Darren, you're walking blind! Good luck with that!

DD, careful what you use your Healing magic for. Healing magic != God magic, and while I have no problem with some holy intervention, PLEASE run it by me via PM first and wait for the O.K. I did say there are certain "protective" spells in all schools, but keep in mind you are a mere Healing II, you aren't capable of much healing of any kind, let alone the more powerful protective kinds. And Ecgtheow, shave those sideburns.

Aieris's Assailants:

(1) Gargoyle Hunter, Melee II/Ranged III
(1) Gargoyle Warrior, Melee II
(3) Troll Warrior, Melee I

You're outmatched in a direct confrontation, so this will call for some ingenuity on your part.

A quick glance told Darren that neither the wolf, nor any other viable foe could be found in time to fulfill his temporal requirements. His clever mind developed a plan with lighting precision and at once the air was filled with wild howls and barks.

"Come on wolf-boy! Show yourself! Don't make me insult your heritage!" Before Darr could let out another howl, ideally louder then the first, Artemis interrupted.

"Dar-dare? Don't you think that mustache is just a teensy bit passe? Maybe you should think of a new look or something. Would you like me to help? I've all sorts of ideas, you know curlers and nose-hair trimmers; I'm thinking FuManchu instead of that silly old handlebar..." Darren paused to check each of his features manually. Were they really that bad? Did he have a nose-hair problem? And what was a FuManchu anyways?

"Hey guys! What's wrong with my face? Wai- Wait up already!" Llewellyn tore after his friends through the brush, yelling all the while. Artemis looked back and allowed Darr to catch up, whist Elmric just sighed and trudged further into the forest.

***
Elsewhere the hunter's ears twitched, it heard a wolf cry, then another followed by a short pause and a stunty human's pleas for aid. Knowing that if word got out of the Venurian prescence in the region, he would be demoted in the worst possible way, he motioned for the warrior to investigate.

He waited as the trolls surrounded the elf, glancing impatiently in the direction of the departed warrior. Cursing he sprinted after his subordinate, the elf was no longer a risk and this further threat worried him.

***

Quietly Darren cursed his short-sightedness; some pants would really help his self esteem right around now.

As soon as she had seen the torchlight flickering in the distance, indicating a small scouting party coming her way, she was on the move. Darting from tree to tree, she tried to keep out of sight, but she could hear behind her the sound of swift persuit. The scouting party knew where she was, and they were after her. Throwing caution and reason to the winds, she broke out into a full run, heading deeper still into the forest.

As she ran, however, she began building up the rage inside her, and a plan formed in her head. Stopping suddenly in the middle of what seemed to be an ancient game trail, probably once used by deer and other pitiful forest animals, she pivoted, shut her eyes, and, when she judged she was midway through the spin, fired two fireballs directly towards where she felt the Venurians should be.

Keeping her eyes shut, she gave the flames a five second count, then she reached to them in her mind, and caused them both to explode, bathing the forest in light, and showering tiny flames for dozens of yards in every direction.

Flinging her eyes open to what was now a dimly lit scene, she could see her persuers, two Gargoyles and a troll, some distance away, all three grasping at their eyes in pain. The eyes that had been so attuned to the darkness of the forest had been bathed in light, and the pupils of the beasts had not had time to recover.

Crouching low to the ground, she reached the fingers of her right hand towards the ground as she sprung forward towards the Venurians. Screaming bloody murder, her hand now glowing red with heat, she quickly swung the hand up. Specks of dirt flew in the air towards the hunters, and were quickly joined by a line of fire, tiny explosions one after another moving quickly towards the group, like a wall flying lengthwise along the ground, growing in height and ferocity the closer it came to the Venurians.

As she skidded to a stop, and the line of fire grew near the hunters, she spun around, still sliding forward on the loose earth of the forest. Throwing herself to the side at the end of her spin, she threw another two fireballs at the Venurians, one to each side of the party, before she landed on the ground, skidding several feet before friction stopped her movement.

Watching the two shrinking balls fly towards their target, she silently hoped that this would be enough to defeat the Venurians. That wall had taken quite a bit of energy out of her, and her practice prior to this fight, combined with the complete wreath of fire she had affected to sheild herself from the rain, made it so that, though she could continue, she desperately felt the need for a warm bed and food.

Still, she could not give up yet, so, with the fireballs and the wall almost upon the still stunned Venurians, she began to lift herself out of the soft forest soil.

"I should have stayed in bloody bed. Bloody curiosity."


---------------------------

OOC: The explanation of the attacks may be a bit strange, but basically there's a growing wall of fire and two fireballs heading towards the Venurians. I suck at description though, so...go figure.

: P

Moving with a slow and unearthly grace, Jacen made his way deeper into the forest. over the patter of rain on the leaves, he easily heard several explosions. Must be that bloody archer, firing at anything that moves. Amateur. Skirting around a large tree, easily wider then the gates of Midgaard, Jacen dropped low to the ground and pressed himself flat to the trunk. There was a rustling sound coming from just around the tree.

Easing himself forward, he peaked around the last bit of tree blocking his view. Several feet from the tree, a family of deer were resting. Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding, he moved out from behind the trees bulk. Their heads snapping up and towards him, the deer tensed their bodies and prepared to flee. Calling up a magic more ancient then the powers he wielded, the affinity of his race and nature, he reached out his hand slowly, and spoke in a calm and even tone, "Easy friends, I mean you no harm." Staring at him, Jacen thought he could see the decision to flee or stay dance through their minds. Apparently deciding on the latter, they settled them selves down. No need to make them find another place to rest. They seem very comfortable here anyway. "Rest easy tonight." With a small smile upon his face, he turned back toward the direction of the emotion that led him on.

Elmric spoke to Artemis and Darren, "Our chances of finding our furred friend have substancially dropped now, but we must press on." Artemis and Darren nodded, following Elmric as he resumed his trek forward, all three of them changing direction and keeping track of it in their minds on occassion. East, North, West, North...the directions kept changing every few feet, scouring the forest for any sign of the wolf. The storm was worsening, lightning illuminating the sky so often that it was almost like being in daylight. Elmric heard a slight crackle of leaves in front of him and readied his lance, bringing it off of his shoulder where it had been resting for most of an hour now....but the noise was no more than a squirrel. He figured they were all on edge, but he just rested the spear back upon his shoulder and said to no one in particular, "Either of you care to take over leading for a bit? My vision has dimmed to normal quality...and I dare not ask again after the sign I recieved from Avelia."

Raenor swore as he pressed himself hard against the earth, emptying his mind and stilling his body. After what seemed an eternity, there were no excited shouts from the hunters, and Raenor's stretched senses detected no nearby movements. Relaxing slightly, the ranger allowed himself to slip back from the gargoyles' line of sight, coming to rest behind a slight rise which offered him some cover from their keen eyes. The fog lay thick and swirling at his back and sides and Raenor knew for a certainty that somewhere in the swirling mists issuing from the fog wall was the sixth and final member of the Venurian hunting party.

Moving cautiously, Raenor began crawling across the damp grass, listening, his bow in hand. Within minutes he had reached the first wispy, grasping fingers of the fog bank and allowed himself to come to his feet. Moving deeper through these inconstant banks, the ranger finally allowed himself to come to his feet. Quieting his growing worry, the ranger pushed deeper into the fog, looking for any sign of the sixth Venurian. In the past, the sixth gargoyle had never gone more than a mile and a half from the others. In this fog though, Raenor doubted the creature could have gone much further than the thick wall which sprawled across the plains less than a quarter of a mile away.

Raenor slowed as his disquiet deepened. There should be some sign of the creature. Some sound, no matter how faint. Yet there was nothing. Raenor steeled himself and plunged deeper into the ever thickening banks of fog. Visibility was rapidly worsening, so Raenor slung his bow across his back and drew his sword with the quiet rasp of steel against leather.

He could not have been more than 300 feet from the fog-wall by now. Thick, boiling waves of fog rolled off from it, down the slight incline of the plain, only to dissipate near where he had gone to ground not ten minutes earlier. As he moved, Raenor felt as though he had entered a twilight world, a place of limbo, suspended somewhere between reality and dreams. "Or nightmares," Raenor muttered as a drifting sound, seemingly warped by the fog, made its way to his ears. He knew it well by now: it was the sound of battle.

Reorienting himself in the misty twilight, Raenor plunged in the direction he thought the sound had originated from, his sword held at guard, ready to ward off any attack from the deepening mist. As he continued, the sound of conflict grew louder and more certain, and Raenor knew he was almost atop it. Then, as he broke through a bank of fog into a small patch of clear air, he caught a glimpse of the sixth gargoyle hunter, standing in the path of a drifting fog bank. There was the sharp report of a crashing blade, and then the fog wrapped like a protective blanket around the gargoyle and its unseen foe.

As Raenor stopped in surprise at this turn of events, the twilight world grew quiet again. An instant later, Raenor jumped as the gargoyle screamed from somewhere in the fog bank, a howl of pain, anger and terror which seemed to roll down the fog banks towards the open plains. The scream cut off abruptly as the fog bank which had engulfed the gargoyle and his opponent rolled towards the ranger.

Swearing, Raenor began backing away from the wall of fog and then, abandoning all caution, turned and ran back in the direction he thought lead to clear air. Behind him, he thought he could hear the muffled sound of pursuit, but the fog seemed to distort and dampen all noise. Sprinting now, the ranger tore through the banks of fog, slashing with his sword as he struggled to escape this nightmarish realm. Fear had him now, and would not relinquish its hold on his heart. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the ranger broke through the thickest of the fog banks into clearer air.

With a great effort the ranger stopped and composed himself, reorienting his eye. He had emerged about a hundred feet from where he had entered the mist, and he realized that he had come out in a fortuante place. Looking behind him, he noted that the wall of fog itself had not moved, but he realized that the swirling banks issuing from it were perhaps greater than before. The ranger knew that somewhere in those fog banks lay the sixth Venurian hunter and its killer. Having ripped himself from that nightmarish landscape, the ranger composed himself and settled down in a small patch of bushes to catch his breath. Breathing deeply, he calmed his shaking hands and stared grimly about, waiting.

This is the end of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 will begin very shortly (within 24 hours).