Aeryn nodded, one hand moving to cover hers as she let her hand drop, his fingers undoing the knots.

"Camping here is a good idea, I have a bedroll you can use." he said softly, removing parts of her form-fitting armor and placing them carefully to the side, smiling as he saw that she was now breathing more easily. He unstrapped her cuirass, being careful not to jostle her, and placed it with the rest or her armor.

"Thank you." Za'rel smiled slightly, slipping one of her sword scabbards off her belt, and clutching it over her chest. "I'll keep this for now. Forests are notoriously dangerous." she said, relaxing on the smooth forest floor, eyes scanning the treetops for whatever aerial or tree-dwelling predators that may be looking for an easy meal.

"Not dead yet." She said to a vulture which had just landed on a tree branch nearby. Za'rel groaned however, "My injuries must be more extensive than I am led to believe." she thought, while examining at her bloodstained undershirt. "Urgh." she moaned, moving wrong, apparrently dislodging a broken rib that was mending itself with the potion's aid. "This is intolerable." she said, recalling her clan training in pain tolerance. Self-mutiliation was not the kind of thing the elders appreciated of their warriors, but it was seen as a nessecary precaution to prevent those from succumbing to pain in battle. The perfered way was in a trance, where the user could perform the rite in a dreamlike state, not actually harming their physical body. The fact Za'rel's pain even bothered her was a testament to it's severity. She called up the litany of pain in her mind, and began reciting it in a whisper. "I am not pained. I am pain incarnate. My pain will not affect me. Pain is weakness, Dominance of pain is strength. I will allow my pain to leave, and afflict those I seek to destroy, for where my pain goes, none will stand alive." She chanted, eyes closed, concentrating on dismissing the pain.

"You're welcome...and it's not just the animals you need to watch out for..." he smiled, running his fingers through her hair. He found he rather enjoyed her company, and he could relate to the philosophy expressed in the chant.

I bring down my pain upon those I destroy, and none of them stand alive where it passes. he smiled wryly, noticing the way her breathing changed as she slipped into a trance.

He noticed that she had stopped asking if she could leave his lap, and his smile broadened slightly. For an arrogant, honor-bound Reaver, she did tend to grow on you...

He looked at her undershirt, mottled and splotched deep red in places, crimson in patches where the blood hadn't dried yet, and winced. Apparently, he really hadn't known his own strength. Seeing a vulture on a treebranch overhead, he glared and blasted the branch it sat on with a bolt of lightning, "She's not going to die, bird...you'll have to go elsewhere." he said quietly, as the vulture took off, squawking, into the trees....its feathers singed and smoking.

((Insight! Rawr!))


Za'rel slipped into a trancelike state. Reality blurred, ((/Afterthought: Really, how the does blackness of having your eyes closed blur. /Afterthought)) and she felt a gentle mist weave around her.

She was sitting in a garden, her swords at either side, planted in the ground, Za'rel in an indian-sitting position, inhaling insence. It was a cerimony done to commune with the souls of the ones killed, to absorb their pain and suffering, and forge it into a weapon the warrior could use. The reaver slipped a cerimonial knife from an ornate sheath, the gold hilt glittering with rare jewels, the serrated blade ending in a wickedly forked tip. Za'rel placed this knife on the small altar mat before her, and began to commune. She saw warriors from many clans and tribes, wildmen, all those she had killed. they were countless, their wispy spirit forms flickering in the darkness. Za'rel spoke, in draconic, her vow. "I, Za'rel, Reaver of the Blood Eagle clan, hereby vow to preserve the honor of those before me, till my honorable death in battle." Za'rel picked up the Cerimonial knife, opening her eyes, Inspecting it's vile blade. She held it in her right hand at first, and cut a slit in her left palm. She proceeded to do the same with the other hand, to the other palm. Then, Clasping the knife in both hands, let her blood drip upon its blade. Sheathing the knife, she then took each hand, and clutched the respective sword's bladed end. The pain was exquisite. The souls of the dead howled in approval, seemingly being sucked into the respective sword which had inflicted their mortal wounds. Za'rel smiled, surveying her garden. It was small, the edges blurring into blackness. It was a trance state, after all. Ending her commune, Za'rel took the cerimonial knife from its sheath, and, after whispering a small oath, drove it into her chest.

"Ahhargh!" Za'rel yelled, eyes opening in the real world again. The pain of the trance state overtook the pain of her wounds, but either way, being stabbed in the chest was certainly not pleasant. She quickly recovered, and went back to attempting to rest.

((Insight? Where?))

Aeryn started, hearing her scream, and looked down as her eyes flashed open. He saw that she recovered quickly, and he smiled at her, "I'll assume that whatever form of meditation that was, it isn't pleasant. You looked like you had just received a deathblow when you woke up." he saw her chest rise and fall with her breath, her eyes opening as they looked up at him...her emerald irises a shade darker than his, though that might have been an optical illusion caused by the paleness of her skin.

"You're feeling better?" he asked, still stroking her hair.

((You remind me of the medic from flashplayer's "Decline of videogaming 2." "Those are some pretty baaad bloodstains on your shirt. I'm going to walk away now, and let you bleed to death."))


"I am." Za'rel replies, not even bothering to sit up. She rather liked it sitting in his lap right about now. "Perhaps I should act a bit more feminine and let him take care of me." she thought, and then dismissed it, "No. That just would not be my style."

Za'rel sat up, finally. and looked at Aeryn. "Thank you, but I believe I must get some rest now." she stated, slipping into the bedroll. "Good night." she whispered, clutching her sword over her chest, and closing her eyes, letting fatiuge take over.

((LMAO! "I'm a level 60 black mage!" I loved that particular animation:D))

Aeryn smiled, bent down, and kissed her on the cheek, whispering, "good night...". She does look rather pretty, in a strong sort of way... he thought to himself,

He searched through his Bag of Holding until he found a blanket, spreading it over her carefully, gently tucking her in. He then took off the long cloak he wore, wrapping himself in it as he cast a spell of Warding on their campsite. Lying down next to her, he closed his eyes...falling swiftly asleep....

OOC: BLAAAAARGH! what the hell caused you guys to post for near two whole pages?! I nearly died reading the first page. if somebody wouldplease summarise what's happening right now... i'll kinda hop in again?
btw, what's a trace gem?

BIC: Myrra sighed inwardly (whether it was from relief or boredom, nobody would know) and accepted the trace gem. She resisted patting the now feral dragon and tried a civilized smile, before indicating that they should follow the other two. What ARE they doing? Romancing?!

Will Wallking over to Myrra. He whispered to her so the Aeryn and Za'rel woulden't hear . "Look at that." He said pointing slightly to Aeryn and Za'rel. "I always thoght that you had love affairs where people couldent see you." He said snickering slightly. "But we better help Mercury now, he's a danger to himself, soo any ideas on how to help him.

OOC: hey, interactions between a few characters are one of the most important parts of character-building!

Will is about to taste some severe vengeance...Aeryn is planning on feeding him to Mercury. Or he will when he wakes up.


IC: Aeryn opened one eye, gestured over one shoulder, and cast a "Toad" spell on Will...reducing the thief to a small, green, warty amphibian in the space of a few seconds.

"Get a life, rivvil..." he muttered, his eyes closing as he went back to sleep.