[Open] Through the Valley and into the Mountains

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Open. Just PM me or tell me first, I'm not gonna say no, but wait for me to give you some extra details first (like notes and stuff). Player characters can come along it they want, although I'm writing Original Secondary Characters. This is sort of a side project, somewhere for me to write when everywhere else slows down, dunno how long it'll get. I'll make an OOC thread if needed. My posts will be whenever, but I don't mind if someone completely hijacks the thread and double or triple posts (nor do I care about post size). Just let me know if you're joining and when you're posting (so I don't start writing at the same time).

In general...

Characters:
I haven't thought about much. For mine, just try to follow of my lead. As long as you don't contradict what they've done, I really don't mind. You can't write them out of character since they don't have a character yet. Just don't kill them off or start and violence without consulting me.

Terrain and area stuff:
Generic medival village stuff, mostly surrounded my unscalable mountains, has a cave that got turned into a mine. There's one clear exit, and that's following through a valley (a river is at the bottom, and to the side of it there's a raised path) for some distance. The valley curves and zig-zags so it's hard to see far. There's a lake at the end of the river on the town side. The town is on fairly low ground, so you have to go up hill when leaving, even through the valley.

Use your imagination for fascilities. It's probably a self sufficient area. There's room for some farms and livestock. Fishing. Starvation usually wouldn't be a problem. Probably a blacksmith, but for mining tools. They likely used to export metals and stuff for rarer materials.

People:
About 200 or so. Possibly more. About as large as it can be where most people will know each other, at least by name. I reckon that since everyone is able to know each other personally (so ignorance of others is very lacking), the few elves or dwarves and such that live there won't be discriminated against in most cases.

TL;DR: Basically, as long as you don't contradict any former posts, I don't mind. Consider this like improv. Which it kind of is because unlike my usual writing I don't know where this'll end up until I write it. That said, I do have some "canon" I want to happen over the next few posts, so PM for stuff on that and joining advice.

James sat on the front of his trading wagon, idly reading a book while his horse did the work. This was a quiet road, hidden along a valley. It would reach nightfall by the time he arrived at his destination, but he wasn't worried about being ambushed. No bandits had deemed this a worthwhile road to patrol - James was the only person that tended to trade here, it was profitable, but even then he only came once a month. Camelot was usually fairly safe in terms of monsters as well, so in his assumed safety, his eyes rarely flickered to the road.

The valley basin was reasonably wide and flat, in this time of summer the river tended to recline on the left side (the right if leaving) allowing him the luxury of simple and easy travel - even if it curved, the general path was still simple. Occasionally in spring, he had to make two trips with a smaller cart. That was hell, but he liked trading with the people. He brought many things to the town, such as books, furs, clothes, potions, medical supplies, occasionally even jewellery if asked for. In return, he took refined metals, coal, tools, and sometimes weapons and armour - this was what he sold later down the line. It was worth much more than the supplies he brought in, yet he was the only person the exploited the route. He didn't particularly see it as unfair, after all, the supplies he gave in were worth much more to the village than what he left with. When he thought back to previous conversations, he realised both he and the villagers felt they were getting an unevenly good side of the deal.

On this particular trip, he had a very small selection of books on farming, mining, and smithing techniques in addition to the large stack of animal furs and writing supplies. As a token of good will, he threw in a few fictional additions. One was a thick, large book - he'd heard good things about it. Another was a smaller book designed to help teach people to read and write, yet accompanied with a small story. And the last one, the one he was ever so close to finishing, was a fun lighthearted adventure novel. It had seemed childish at first, but to him in his uniform normal life, it felt exciting. He was sure some of the town children would love it - if only more of them had got into reading for fun. It was a shame, he thought. A shame how children were beginning to grow up there without seeing the world.

The Omniverse hadn't changed James much. He'd always been a trader, and that continued here. Although he did recognise that one well meaning prime could easily drive him out of business. But he supposed he could always provide transport instead. He'd done that in the past.

Clip. Clop. Crack. Swoosh. Crack. Splash.

A stray rock collided with the stream, ripples hidden by its current. He'd considered trading using the river, but it was only suitable for one-way transport. And was perhaps too shallow. Maybe in spring, but not right now.

In near perfect sync, James closed the book, reaching the ending with a smile on his bearded face while a voice echoed out. 

"Hey, look. James is here!"

James looked up reactively at the sound, his short black hair shifting slightly. The voice was young, and a tad deeper than one might expect. It was hard for him to remember everyone's names, so to the annoyance of James, he didn't recognise the child. He did, however, manage to identify some of the other faces in the crowd. David, a stern looking middle aged bloke. Much gruffer than James, and with rugged black hair and a beard to fit the image. He was the formal mayor of the town. Lyra, David's daughter, a growing girl soon to be on the verge of adulthood, probably in her mid teens. She was easily recognisable by her overly long mess of blond hair, always asking if James brought books for her. Garreth, an old balding man with wisps of grey hair was the last key face James's eyes met. He had a bent back and walked with a cane, generally being respected by most due to his knowledge, enough to warrant the unofficial position of Village Elder.

Upon travelling through the wooden arch, signifying entrance to the town's boundaries, it was early than he expected. Yet the mountains shielded the location from light. The sky was turning orange, yet the ground was mostly dark with the exception of the illuminating torches. Pleasantries were exchanged between the adults while Lyra impatiently waited for a gap in conversation. Seeing this, James smiled. "Perhaps we should finalise the details of trade tomorrow when we're all rested. For now, I could do with something warm to fill my belly and a good night's rest," he hinted. Continuing, he raised the bonus selection of books between his hands. Lyra perked up, anticipating what was going to happen. "Also, Lyra, I've got a little something for the section of the library you seem to dominate." Garreth chuckled at this while Lyra jumped forwards snatching the stack out of James's hands, looking at them with beaming eyes.

David sighed slightly, shaking his head and lightly pushing the girl's shoulder. "Don't you have something to say first?"

Lyra wobbled, her focus was entirely on the books. After steadying herself, she sheepishly looked up. "Umm... oh. Sorry... Wait! I meant to thank you!" She paused and mumbled something about being unsure whether she needed to apologise. "Thanks for the books! And sorry for umm... grabbing them. But thanks, and-"

"It's OK Lyra, I appreciate the enthusiasm. Just remember to share." James grinned, cutting off her erratic array of comment. In truth, he didn't know if she would even need to share, but he hoped she would. Not to take books away from her, but he wanted reading to become more common place. It was a good pastime.

From there, the usual routine continued. They ate together at the Inn. While it was more often used as an informal town hall, on select days, and those where James was due, it tended to open. People ate slightly more than usual, some had ale to drink but James usually refused. Today, however, he accepted. He had no plans to leave in the following morning, and business could always be done in the afternoon. The Inn was fairly full, with perhaps a few dozen people filling the tables. It was a rare occasion, as the cost made it unaffordable on a regular basis. The town used standard copper coins for currency instead of bartering with goods as they had in the past. While they acted more like tokens due to the roughly equal pay most people received, James had to spend some time explaining basic economic concepts to David to insure the system stayed stable. Garreth already knew much of what James had said, so he'd felt assured at the time that it would work out.

Amidst the chatter, banter, and friendly telling of stories, Lyra interjected a comment into the conversations. "Take me with you."

James blinked, turning his head. He'd expected her to have already retired for the night. Although, before he could reply or even consider what she was likely asking, David snapped a response. "No. That's out of the question. We've already talked about this. You are safe here. You can be happy here. And I need you to be my heir." He sighed. "I know you want to explore the world, but it's dangerous. You're a smart girl, and it would make me happy to know I have someone to rely on."

"But you have Garreth!"

"Garreth is old. He may be wise, but he's old. And I want to be able to join him with no regrets, eventually."

Lyra crossed her arms. "But Dad, you're not even that old, so you don't need me yet."

David smiled at the first comment, before adopting a more serious expression for his response. "What if I get injured? What if I get sick? What if there are two issues at once, and I can only attend one of them? I need you here, Lyra. Even if you're not a leader yet, I need you to learn." 

James stayed silent, people were beginning to visibly listen in on the conversation, staring at the argument.

"Then you can get someone else to do it! Come on. Just one month. I'll be back with James next time. Please."

In truth, James agreed with Lyra somewhat. David could be a very controlling individual, so even if she agreed with him, she was likely disagreeing or arguing out of principle, just to see if she could. She was at that awkward age after all. Although, he didn't know how interesting she'd find it. Travel wasn't always as fun as in the books. Still, he planned to head back to Minas Tirith and perhaps even Dalaran before his next visit here, so if she stayed near him and didn't get lost, everything should be fine. James wasn't usually very good at dealing with children though, especially teenagers. It was only due to Lyra's intellect and respect for him that he was able to work with her.

"No. That doesn't change that fact that it's dangerous out there, isn't it James?"

James blinked, briefly meeting eyes with David. "It can be, yes. You never know what kind of person you'll meet. Especially here in the Omniverse. But, Camelot is one of the safest places there is right now, I haven't met any monsters since coming here, and the only time I was almost robbed, guards stopped it. People are after the cargo, not the person. So, really, I wouldn't mind taking here. I can't assure her safety fully, I'm not a fighter, but I'd do my best." James stopped, seeing Lyra grinning at him. "The decision doesn't lie with me, however."

"No. It doesn't." David frowned, not getting the answer he wanted, nor expected. "The fact is, I need you here. And outside is more dangerous than being in our village. You're staying, and that's final."

Lyra huffed, turning around and leaving. The mood was broken shortly but soon repaired itself as the chatter continued.

The following day, business went about as usual for the town. People farming, mining, fishing, tending to livestock. There wasn't really much battering with James's trade here. It was simply an "I'll give you everything I brought and you give me everything you have to offer." If he wished, James could definitely have exploited the village more, but he didn't want that. He was good at heart, and both sides were happy with it. By the evening, James's wagon was filled mostly with tools and other pieces of metal. He'd spent much of the day walking around the town and catching up with some of the other locals, but Lyra was nowhere to be found. David had commented she was likely sulking somewhere, probably in her room.

The day after, thick clouds filled the sky, shading the landscape. It was grim and grey, but it was time for James to leave. After attaching his horse to the covered wagon, he waved and said he goodbyes as he rode out of the arc. He was a bit disheartened Lyra never got to say goodbye to him, but he figured he would still see the girl next time. A month didn't feel long to him anymore, but it probably would for her. He just hoped David wasn't too hard on the girl, the man was well meaning - just overly protective. 

As before, James paid little attention to the path ahead of him, only glancing idly. Sadly for him, he didn't have a book to read. He'd only just passed the first of many bends, blocking his vision from the few people that remained at the arch to wave, yet he was already bored.

Crash.

---

Lyra had a plan. It was a good plan, but one her father wouldn't approve of. James would though. He'd even said he would take her with him, he just couldn't because David wouldn't let him. It was a fairly simple idea, she just had to sneak under the covering of the trading wagon until James had left the village. The day prior she prepared a bag full of her supplies and belongings, and then very early on the day of the event she set up some snacks and food for herself to last some days. She didn't think James would have much extra food with him. 

It worked reasonably well at the start, although the hard metal tools pushing against her were sure to leave bruises, she was certain it would be worth it. She wanted to see the world, at least some of it. She was responsible enough to leave a written message that she knew Garreth would probably be reading within the next half hour. The man always checked on her at the library at that time, so would surely find the letter the left.

Crash.

Lyra shuffled, hearing the sound of rock colliding with rock. Whatever it was shattered and sprayed into the river, evident by the following scatter of plops and scraping sounds.

"What the..." She heard James's voice speak in confusion, although it was muffled by the thick fabric cover.

The cart jolted forwards, the horse attempting to run as fast as it could, yet slowed by the heavy metal it had to drag behind it.

"Dammit." The voice was much more frantic this time, panic filling the tone. It scared Lyra, she didn't know what was happening, but the shunt had buried her under some of the metal, making it hard for her to move. She'd tried to speak but the pressure against her lungs starved her of breath.

"Oof." A few tearing sounds followed James exhale as a weight shifted off the cart. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy." Lyra faintly heard the man's rugged mumbling as the cart began to slow down.

"No! Stay back! Leav-" Two screams followed James's final cry.

That of a horse, and that of its rider.

Lyra froze in the still moving cart, crying of fear.

Slam.

The cart stopped abruptly, Lyra's head slamming into the wooden side - dazing her. It tipped, rolling onto its side after crashing into the uneven rocky valley wall. The covering fell, yet under the crushing mass of tools the girl could barely see anything besides an inhuman shape. Her breath caught in her throat as she froze, staring at the monster. Red liquid dripped from its body.

It swung a limb at her. She could see little, and couldn't even make out the colour of its body from the shaded early light, yet through the newly formed gaps, she saw what she perceived as its head turn back along the valley, towards her home.

As more of a token gesture, it swung again, this time causing a hard piece of metal to crash into Lyra's head. Her body fell limp as the pile slowly fell out. Should anyone have been looking, mere seconds after her loss of consciousness the monster was gone.

Long post because I'm setting the setting. Later ones will probably be shorter.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Moral of the story, hiding in a cart full of hammers is a bad idea. Also, from this post onwards I have like no plans. So if you want to drop in, just send me a PM and do whatever.

Lyra's unconscious body spilt out of the cart, carried by the unstable mass of tools. Blood dripped from the bludgeoning wound on her forehead. Her body continued to shift from the movement of the metal, eventually reaching equilibrium; her upper torso hung out of the pile, yet inside legs were twisted at odd angles. Long blond hair was tangled and knotted throughout the erratic composition of handles and tool heads, it flowed little in the cool valley breeze. Oddly draped about frame was a plain yellow dress, her arms were left mostly exposed and while the fabric was stretched and rumpled - reaching most of the way down her thighs at best - orange leggings had protected her legs from most contact with the cold iron and steel. Yet, despite this, they did little to stop the sharper side of one of the hammers from clawing into her shin.

Some of the cargo had fallen into the river, and Lyra's balanced body was in danger of doing the same, should anything shift. Watery reddish drool dripped out of her mouth, creating a faint irregular sound from its impacts on the metal and stone, yet it was shortly hidden by the shuffling of footsteps. Sound tended to echo in the valley, and while that meant noises could be heard from much further distances, the interference tended to result in most detail being lost. This left it hard to estimate the number of people based on footsteps, and sometimes even impossible to tell laughter from screams. Most information from speech would quickly be lost as it ricocheted around the winding valley.

"John, I'm telling you, I definitely heard something."

His anxiety was met with John's exasperation. "It was probably just a rock falling into the water. All kinds strange echoes come from this place, Jake." Many villagers had simply learned to ignore the sounds. Occasionally, one seemed more real than others but searching rarely yielded a supporting result.

However, despite this, the man acted convinced that the cry he heard wasn't a false alarm. "And I'm saying I definitely heard a scream. Hurry up and take this seriously for once." 

He received a sigh in response. "Fine. But this is the last corner I'm looking around. After that, I'm heading home and you're buying me a drink."

The collection of footsteps increased in volume, becoming louder and more frequent as they unknowingly approached Lyra.

One pair stopped abruptly, the cart, tools, and then Lyra, coming into his field of view. "How did this..." Briefly, he continued to stare in shock and confusion. In actuality, once he'd started walking his doubts had grown. He'd only been pursuing the noise out of stubbornness to prove his condescending friend was wrong. Not exactly a heroic motive. Nonetheless, Jake ran forwards aiming to do something. He wasn't sure what that something was, but it would hopefully help the limp bleeding girl. "John, get over here."

Shortly after Jake spoke, his friend half-heartedly pushed on around the corner, expecting Jake to be playing a joke. Upon actually making his way round the bend, however, his face dropped into a frown - actually feeling a twinge of guilt. If he hadn't insisted the was nothing there, maybe the pair could have reached the girl sooner. He just hoped it wasn't too late. "I'm on it."

Jake naturally reached the wagon first, quickly inspecting Lyra. "She's still breathing at least. I don't think we can know how bad it is 'til she wakes up. And I'm not a doctor." For a short time, he considered trying to pull her out but realised that risked more injuries from some of the tools. It looked to him like they were wrapped up together, but whatever kept them packaged must have been weak considering the current situation.

John, however, looked onwards, further ahead of the wagon. He bent over, one hand covering his mouth and the other placed on his chest before recomposing himself. A mangled horse and human lay sprawled on the rocky ground, face and body unrecognisable. It has hard to tell what specifically hurt him. There were no distinct claw, sword, or bite marks. It was just a grotesque blur of red. Despite this, due to the cart, John had a good idea who the person was. What confused him was the presence of the girl, which he knew he recognised from somewhere. He was never the best with names and faces, and tended to spend most of his time in the mines or at home, rarely going to any social gathering. He had very little memories of his prior life, and the small parts he did remember made him feel empty. Working was a good way to ignore that.

Moving closer to Jake, John carefly began to remove the tools pinning the girls legs, working as quickly as he could without causing any risks. His friend followed his lead, still blissfully unaware of the bodies. It took some time, but eventually, Lyra was free, besides for the metal clawing into one of her shins. It wasn't deep, but removing it would allow the bleeding to continue even faster. John looked down at his shirt briefly, about to tear off a section of fabric, before remembering the cart coverings. Instead, he ripped off strips to use to cover the wound. He had no medical experience, but he figured that was something he should probably do. And if not, then at least it would stop blood getting on him should he carry her. Jake was weaker than him, after all.

Slowly, the metal was removed from Lyra's leg, twisted out the same way it went in as an effort to avoid further tissue damage. Soon enough, Lyra lay limp against John's back with him trying to carry her. He could easily lift someone much heavier than she was, but the lack of resistance in her muscles meant it was near impossible to carry her easily. In the current position, he felt at ease knowing he could feel and hear faint steady breaths. "Jake, run ahead and get someone to tell them what happened. I'll carry her and catch up with you. There better be a doctor waiting for me."

[Dust]

Even secondaries were capable of picking up a weapon and becoming a badass. It took a lot of practice and a large amount of risk, but while those with natural abilities could not improve dramatically as Prime's did, people like Odessa were able to achieve greatness among the little people in the world.

Camelot came with its own struggles, and since it was the only part of the Omniverse that she knew she adapted. She adapted well. If it weren't for the racist figures of the world she might even be held with higher regard. Or maybe it was her attitude that held her back.

Odessa was a secondary to a prime who could have been dead for good for all she knew, much less cared. The point was this arrogant man summoned her in an attempt to fill his castle with gorgeous women that waited on him hand and foot. Then she came along. She was not impressed with his status, nor his unsatisfactory tasteless words. She rejected him, and he didn’t like that.

So she was ordered to roam the lands of Camelot in his name.

She wore leathers that were plated in vital places but left her body open to attacks in other areas. She learned to compensate. The armor was a frosty blue and gray, she looked more accustomed to the frost covered Frozen Fields. Perhaps that was where she was meant for originally, and his displeasure with her made him discard her in this verse.

Where there was no armor her delicate body was draped in lilac fabric that was neither heavy enough to protect her from even the sun’s rays nor the eyes of men. Her Prime obviously didn’t care what other people thought of her. She had done some modification with the money she earned and has commissioned a tailor to make it more modest in places. But the long tail of cloth still hung from her hips down to the between of her knees and brandished an intricate insignia that her Prime might be recognized for. Purely out of spite.

If she did good things she wanted him to hear about it, and if she did bad things, she wanted him to be blamed for it.

Odessa stood taller than most females, but it was mostly because of the long rabbit ears that peeked through her helmet. They were mostly white with gray splotches at the tips, they were also completely functional and twisted towards sounds that most humans couldn’t hear. Her stone gray hair tumbled down her left shoulder like a rock slide down a mountain, boulder looking curls bounced with any abrupt or extravagant movement. The other side was shaved short, but the helm made it impossible to see the sides of her head leaving the curious without answers to whether she had both kinds of ears or not.

On her back, she carried a pole-arm blade. The same one she was summoned with. The tip was adorned with an icy blue blade which had a permanent cloud of fog around its extreme cold crystal-like metal. It and her natural talent with the item she was literally born with were all that has managed to carry her this far. Omni knows it’s not her charm and good looks.

She was currently sitting with her companion, if only temporarily so, at the local tavern. This place didn’t get many travelers, so the towns folk were mesmerized by both strange characters. She ignored them, leaving the pleasantries to her momentary friend. They barely knew each other, but the person beside her has already become brutally aware of Odessa’s cold attitude towards basic interaction. But they seemed to mesh well together.

The crackling fire filled what silence the rag-tag bards didn’t with the ambient mood that could have used better musicians in Odessa’s opinion. She said nothing.

She was busy nursing a soul-soothing brew of the town’s best whiskey. She has already purchased enough for her flask that is back upon her person somewhere and was finishing what didn’t fit in the container while trying to tune out the rest of the bar. The two just needed a room for the night before they headed back out to do quests for coin. She was just a bodyguard for the moment.

As she was taking a long swig, enjoying the much more mild burn than she was used to, the door was smashed through and slammed hard against the opposite wall. She was already on her full-plate covered feet, the shoe specially made for her clawed feet and support her heels with three-inch spikes, grabbing her weapon. “Please! Is there a doctor?” The nameless man said, his voice thick with concern as his eyes pan through the crowd.

“I’m a healer.” Odessa’s companion offered with a gentle voice and a smile, this made the Viera hiss through her teeth, but she was waved away by her traveling buddy. “What seems to be the problem?”

Jake didn’t need a lot of prodding to explain the situation, apparently, him and a friend have found a girl who has been injured. Being good men, they wanted to help, but couldn’t leave her there. She was on the way. “He will be here any minute.”

The healer nodded, then turned to Odessa who seemed annoyed with their kindness. “Patience, Odessa. Help me clear this off.” Before anyone could grab the cups from the table that was pointed out, Odessa dropped her spear onto the edge of the table and in one sweep cleared the clutter off. This brought a worried look on her companion’s face. “Th-Thank you.” The healer managed, before turning to the rest of the people. “My apologies.” This eased the tension in the room, but not entirely.

Odessa grunted before sheathing her weapon once more and moving back to the bar.

[Desman Black]

The healer couldn't say that she was upset with her traveling companion's attitude toward the men, just disappointed, but in the brief time that they had been together, the young woman knew not to expect anything more of them.

It was no sooner then when Odessa's travel companion had finished mentally preparing, that the door was pushed, or more likely kicked, open to reavel the man and the teenage package that was resting on his back.
The healer was quick to instruct where and what position to place the injured girl in, if it wasn't for Jake's helpful words, she highly doubted the new man would have listened to her.

"Could everbody stand back?" The healer's soft voice went though the now formed crowd, being ignored by only one or two wispers, it looked like something special was happening form where to group ended. 
Taking a deep breath the healer started on the magic. "Wounds and scars of a day gone by, lay down in in peace by my mind's eye." The crimson red dust exiting from the fingers of the healer, which moved and twisted around the injured teen's leg. Everone was absolutely mesmerized by it, and also how fast it seemed to heal the injuries.
"Take her carefully to a room in the inn, i'll pay any expenses."

As John left with the girl bridal carried in his arms, there was still one questions on everyone's lips, but Jake was the one ask. "Miss, what is your name?"

"Crysiss," The healer said, giving a innocent smile as her bangs framed perfectly around it. "And you don't have to be quite so formal."

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Jake blinked, looking at the healer. Silence lingered for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. While doing so, the innkeeper waved over one of the other people from the near empty tavern, speaking to them. It wasn't intentionally secretive, but Jake didn't notice it over his own voice. "Well, erm, nice to meet you Crysiss." He turned his head, looking at the other woman briefly, who gave him a flat stare. "You too Odessa." After turning slightly, his eyes lingered on the door to the rooms while he continued talking. "I'm Jake. My friend is called John. And, I, erm... don't know the girl's name. I think I recognise her from somewhere though."

The innkeeper's conversation partner left, swiftly leaving the Inn. The oak door slammed behind him with a loud thud. Crysiss and Odessa's eyes followed the movement although Jake seemed unphased or uncaring, whether or not they planned to react to it further in any way was left unknown; the innkeeper himself began walking towards the trio. 

"Jake." The man had a gruff voice. Straight and to the point. "I sent for David. He should be here soon."

The two women looked at the men, questioningly. Both were short-term visitors of the town and unlike the residents, they were unfamiliar with the aforementioned name. Jake didn't notice their looks, and instead chose to direct a reply back at the innkeeper before either could ask their questions. Nonetheless, they assumed the man was important in some way.

"Oh, yeah. What about Garreth? Is he coming as well?"

"He's managing the mines. Some sort of problem with operations. This is more a matter for David, given our patient." Looking at the questioning looks from the women, he elaborated. "David is Lyra's father, Lyra being the girl Jake's friend brought here. You and John best have your stories ready for when he arrives."

Sorry it's short. I figured I'd better get it moving. You can write David turning up if you want. John will come back in in a minute. If you have any edit suggestions for dialogue or anything else, tell me (I'll PM it to you if/when I edit so you still have a copy).

[Dust]

Odessa’s ears flickered, catching the smallest of noises in such an enclosed area. She tried to ignore them as best she could. Mostly because she could care less about what the room was talking about, but also because she has been accused of listening into conversations more than once despite the former. She had found her seat at the bar, back to the rest of the room and unphased by the chorus of gasps, ooh’s, and ahh’s. She’s seen Crysiss’ ability to heal, she’s been a witness and a patient multiple times. The only thing that was more obnoxious than her insistence to help anyone they came across, was her generosity.

It, however, was her generosity that saved the strange creature that was Odessa. Or rather gave her direction and purpose. Instead of traveling around and stabbing at monsters when she crossed them, they now traveled as a group to aid the countryside. Odessa sure liked to complain, but Crysiss knew she secretly enjoyed it or otherwise the long eared worrier would not have stuck it out for this long. Maybe ‘enjoy’ was a bit of a strong adjective, but Odessa certainly did not hate it as much as she acted like she did.

After the ritual, the two outsiders were regarded with slight unimportance while two other NPC’s had a conversation with each other. Crysiss moved just a little closer to her companion without pulling from her ‘patient’s’ side completely. She held her hands together in the same innocent fashion she tended to while other people were making plans around her, Odessa wasn’t sure it was a habit or just a way to rest her wrist with those interesting accessories on them.

One human male talked to another human male, something about yet another human male who was apparently a guardian or at least important to the human female that laid on the table. Lyra - according to the glimpses of conversation - was better off now, less bleeding out and more breathing. Odessa half-heartedly wondered what the girl had been doing to get injured like that. Crysiss still struggled to listen in and follow what was happening.

Apparently, Jack and Gosh saved this girl, and now someone had to go find someone else. Odessa simply rolled her eyes and kneeled her head back down to stare at the amber colored liquid in her cup. It was whiskey. That’s all the Viera drank while in a bar. It wasn’t to forget, so much to keep her sedated while her memories flooded her mind without her consent. It was like when you have nothing left to do at the end of the day, so your brain brought up all the bad memories. If she didn’t make herself lazy enough she could be dangerous.

Crysiss asked her about her drinking once, after noticing she took a swig when something came up that she didn’t want to talk about. Odessa explained that it was discipline. What of that the Elven woman believed or could swallow has never come up in conversation, but it was technically true. The burning sensation across her tongue always kept it at bay when she had a lot more to say than a grunted ‘yeah’ or just a grunt.

Moments later, someone came running through the door with the look of pure horror on their face. He was paler than when he came back, and his eyes were wide and on the Inn keeper. He was speechless, unable to comprehend words through his fear. He stuttered in some attempt to display the urgency, but then it was the woman with the weapon at the bar that gathered his attention. He half dragged, half fell into Odessa grabbing her desperately and almost dragging her to the floor with him. Odessa pulled back, her scowl breaking the spell or terror had on him. “P-Please! The mines..” He grabbed her with more force, his hands trembling. He gave her a shake. “THE MINES!!” The woman could see past the cling, even with a drink in her, and saw the man’s needs.

Sucking her teeth she pushed him off with more force. The man is pushed into the stool next to her while Odessa stood, leaving her drink behind. “Let’s go.” She demanded of Crysiss who stiffened in her spot and looked back towards Lyra one last time before racing after her companion as best she could in flats. Worried about being left behind. She worried for nothing because as soon as she broke through the doors she smacked into the back of her friend.

Exiting the Inn it occurs to Crysiss that they may need help finding, but turning around she could see the billowing smoke rising. Without a word, Odessa leads the two person party towards their next objective. The blond haired woman watched before following just the same, praying that they could do something to help these people.

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Tavern post. Since Josh, Jake, and Lyra are still there. Odessa and Crysiss are heading off with the unnamed scarred guy to go to the mines and deal with that mess.

Josh returned to the chaos after leaving Lyra on one of the beds. The girl looked to be fine, but only time would tell. She was still sleeping after all. Nonetheless, when Josh reentered the body of the tavern, he again spotted someone he didn't recognise - although he didn't tend to get out much, or really remember people very well, so that wasn't saying much. This new person had a very panicked expression warping his face and was frantically shaking while rambling something about the mines. Josh briefly wondered if there was an accident or something, but heading to the tavern was hardly protocol in those cases. 

Logically, the only reason he would come to the tavern would be for the two visitors of the town - rumours spread quickly so it was likely he thought the women were mercenaries of sorts. Or adventurers. It followed that, should he require their help, something very bad had happened. Or, alternatively, they simply needed a neutral opinion on something. Since everyone in the town typically knew each other, it was hard to find someone with no opinion on an individual should an incident need to be resolved. But barring murder, where such effort to find a neutral party wouldn't even be taken in the first place, Josh couldn't figure out why the man would be so panicked.

As Josh had returned to the table to meet both the Innkeeper and Jake, both the women left with the panicked man, working their way out of the door. Josh shrugged, that wasn't his problem.

Moments later, before any member of the trio could say anything, a man Josh did actually recognise entered the tavern with a stern expression on his face. Josh knew him as David, and if his reputation was anything to go by, he was likely seething in rage behind the facade. Josh tried to maintain a neutral expression, although Jake looked slightly guilty. Lyra getting hurt wasn't his fault, but the man probably blamed himself.

"Take me to Lyra. I expect an explanation of what happened." He spoke bluntly, simply commanding whoever would listen to obey, although it didn't take much intuition to notice that he expected the order to be carried out by Josh or Jake.

Josh stood, acting on David's words like a soldier. "She's in room number 3."

David followed, grunting, while Jake trailed behind, picking up a chair and bringing it with him. As they left, the Innkeeper returned to his position behind the bar table.

Josh wasn't the best at reading other people, but he felt that David seemed to relax slightly upon seeing the girl. The imposing man muttered slightly, sitting down on the chair closest to the bed. Josh sat on another and Jake sat on the one he brought with him.

"What happened?"

Jake and Josh looked at each other briefly, before Josh spoke. He might not have been the most sociable one, but Jake tended to mess up his words. "The short story: 'we don't know'. The longer version: Jake heard a scream and a crash. I didn't but I followed him down the mountain road anyway. After about a 5 minute walk, we found James's cart toppled over with Lyra lying inside a pile of hammers - I don't know how she got there, but I have a guess. Anyway..." Josh looked at Jake, wondering if he should censor exactly what he was saying. He figured it was best not to. "James died. So did the horses. I don't know what killed them, but whatever did left quite the impact - so much so that I couldn't actually recognise James, I just had to assume it was him."

Jake flinched while David spoke. "So you're saying a monster did it?"

"I'm saying I don't know what did it. But it sure as hell wasn't your average killer. And a bandit wouldn't have left the loot. Although... All our exports are still out there in the open."

David stood up, frowning. "Jake, stay here and keep an eye on her, if she wakes up, keep her here. If anything changes, call for a doctor. John, you're coming with me."

"Sorry?" Josh looked up in surprise, questioning David's use of authority.

"I'm getting you sent off with some others to reclaim the cart and verify your story."

"And what will you do?" Josh asked, grabbing the additional chair Jake had vacated.

"Whatever this monster thing is, it'll have to wait. Something is happening at the mines. I don't know what, but it can't be good. So I'm needed over there. And once you're back from the mountain pass, you're joining me."

Jake is with Lyra in the tavern. David is heading off towards the mines as well as Odessa and Crysiss (but will be there ~10 minutes later, give or take). Josh is heading off to the mountain pass area with a few other unnamed NPCs. Probably all with weapons, since there's likely some militia in the town who could be called up by Aragorn at some point if Camelot needs them.

[Dust]

Crysiss let out an audible gasp as they cleared most of the town and saw the smoke's sources of fire, ashes, and cinders hovered in the air like leaves in fall. Smoke climbed high and higher into the sky like a ballerina whose's dance partner was the swollen full moon. It was spreading to the edges of the town and licked the forest perversely. She moved to help the many humans that were trying to douse the fire, only to be snagged by her more serious companion. "Let them deal with the trivial things."

"If the fire gets out of ha-"

"We have more important things to deal with than some flames," Odessa said sternly. She pointed to the human who'd retrieved the fey creatures in his humble town. "You, get the people handling those, we'll take care of what's coming out of those mines."

The man had no reason to argue with her, so he nodded and went to work on his new task.

"Odessa.."

"Don't give me that look, Crysiss. We need to take care of the task at hand. I'll need you in there." She pointed to the mines, inside were flames still flickering on the wall, and then they could see the erratic movement of one trying to hold back something. Crysiss' worries were turned finally to this site, and she silently nodded in agreement. Odessa unsheathed her weapon once more. It glowed against the darkness that has become predominant.

Odessa was first, always first in battle, last in social situations but first to draw blood. The lanterns flickered across the cold metal of her pole and parts of her leathers. In the large cuffs of her companion, they were shooting stars across the curved surface. No amount of wishing on them would effect anything ahead, but it didn't stop the Elf woman from doing so. She had her hands together and was hoping for the best with her face and her fidgeting hands.

When they found the first opening, they found a terrible site. The number was only in the single digits, but there were bodies - or rather what's left of them - lying across the mine's flat surfaced floor. They were all missing some part of the body, one's arms had been ripped off, another's leg, one's chest had been cracked open at the ribs and the insides presumable scooped out. The collection was a small mound between them all.

"Gah!! Sto-!!"

Odessa's foot slide across the floor, rocks skittering across the ground as her focus quickly found the shadowed hulking figure that had a man pinned. Or.. What used to be a man. The broken oil lamp bleeds its insides out, the oil catching fire and lighting the scene up enough to show off the gruesome image.

The figure that had just silenced the man with death now turned to look over its shoulder. Hunched back, quadruped, and the withering locks of a cephalopod. Or.. Several of them as it looked at them with dozens of eyes. Like a frog or a clownfish had laid their eggs straight on the face of this creature. Dark things that were presumed to be its pupils dilate even further to see the hidden figures that lurk in the dark. They narrow in on the glowing tip of a blade, travel down the shaft to the welder.

Odessa was prepared, Crysiss alarmed. "Shh.." Odessa hushed her companion, then began to circle the creature as loudly as she could as to not let them seek out her healer. It worked, the creature was more focused on the one that it had in his sites instead of the one dressed in red and black. Despite Crysiss flawless pale skin the shadows hugged her gorgeous body and hid her from the dangerous thing.

Its movements were even creepy.

Its upper body twisted around as if it were at least partly mechanical or rubber, so that the frontward hind legs were facing the opposite way as its nightmarish face and bulky misshapen front legs - which find the floor of the cave so that it can lower like it would pounce. One 'paw' was very clearly a hand and dug its ruined fingers into the hardened rocky dirty, the other looked something between paw and fingers.

However, Odessa was waiting for its attack, not looking at its toes. She took a few steps to the left more and found her sandal-like shoes in the hollowed out chest cavity of the dude she'd seen before. It was slick and still warm. A face of disgust twisted her features, but she remained with her eyes on the monster. You didn't live this long without being able to ignore distractions such as this...

There was a sound of laughter that gurgled out of the body of this being, then a sound of bones cracking. Its back legs break then realine in the most unpleasant way. Visually it was abhorring and even Odessa's stomach lurched once. Then when it was done, its legs have twisted to face her, properly in the direction that it aimed to attach. She readied her spear and did her best to respectfully step out of the body she'd stepped in. "Bring it, big guy.."

From her standing point, Crysiss was able to make out the differnet colors of the creatuers skin, all differnet shades of green, grey, or purple. She recognized them as all different kinds of stages of decay. Even parts of its body looked bloated and deformed. That's when she saw the large stitches across various parts. Like someone had ripped pieces off cotton dolls and stitched them together to make a new one. She had to hold her mouth with both small hands to keep from making any noise. When Odessa told her to be quiet she would do so. As not to repeat the last time she hadn't..

[Desman Black]

1 month earlier

The duo had just entered one of the larger secluded towns of camelot (not that that said much) hungry and exhausted, Crysis regretting not getting any bacon on that tree that they passed a couple of days ago, of course it was probably best as she didn’t know how to tell if bacon was ripe or off, but still.

“Do you see any place to get food?” Crysis asked Ordessa as she finally spoke up.

"I wasn't looking. So, no." She offered.

“Well then what does someone who hasn’t eaten in days look for when they first enter a town?” The white mage replied sarcastically as she kicked a rock across the path. She knew she would be kicking herself later for being so rude, but she didn’t have time for manners or their consequence when starving.

"Rooms." Odessa offered, a woman of few words. "Preferably an Inn with a bar that cooks." She pointed in the direction of that.

“I guess that slightly is more important…” The normally more cheery of the two mumbled as she naturally moved in the direction her partner was pointing.

No one battered an eye as the two women stepped in the door. Despite how long she had been here it still surprised her, back where she came from it would’ve been a disgrace to go outside without a male escort, and it had only been since coming to the omniverse that she had realized how backwards that view was.

“Two adjacent rooms please.” Crysis said as she got to the counter.

“I’m sorry miss but we only have one room left. It does have a queen size bed though.” The bartender replied. He was a relatively short man with a bit of a belly on him. His yellow vest, red tie and white undershirt with his easily seen grey hairs would allow him to pass anyone’s grandpa.

Crysis looked back at her companion, asking her with a look only if it would be good enough accommodations for the night. Ordessa nodded her agreement.

“Could I offer you ladies in any food or beverages?” The barkeep questioned as he gave the key if the room to Crysis.

“Yes please.” She responded, her stomach growling in anticipation. “We’ll take one glass of whiskey, one bottle of red wine, and one cooked boar.”

The man raised an inquisitive eyebrow, obviously not knowing how much the small woman could eat and drink, but gave her the drinks from under the counter anyway. “Your meal will be prepared shortly.”

“Thanks.” The white mage looked around until she saw a small vacant table in the corner, motioning her companion in that direction.

It was about half an hour afterwards that the incident happened. It started when a man walked in. He had a closely shaven beard and mustache, no hair on his head but the mullet that ran straight down the middle of his back, clothes his clothes were ripped into threads. It didn’t take long for him to notice the two women dining together at the back, his hungry smile showing of his sharp yellow teeth, if you dared to look closely enough you could just make out the fly he had in putrid yellow teeth.

“Hey there.” The man said as he got into talking distance of the two. “What are two fine ‘lil ladies such as yourselfs doing in a town like this?”

Ordessa was the first to reply, quick to turn down anything he was offering. "Drinking. What else do you do at a place like this?"

“That and -*hic*- looking for treasure.” Crysis added, most of her bottle already empty.

The man’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “Treasure?”

Odessa gave her a mean look, then looked away from it all. "Don't mind her, she's a bit mad from the drink." She reaches over to steal away the bottle.

Crysis pulled the bottle closer and hissed at her companion.

“I see what you mean…” If anyone looked closely enough, you could see that his eyes were focusing on Crysis.

Odessa wouldn't bother trying very much after that. She did glare at the girl, as if to warn her about what she said and did right now.

“Why is everyone -*hic*- staring at me?” The white mage started before taking another gulp of her wine. “I’m not -*hic*- crazy. We discussed it before we got here, they know where it is and we are here to meet them.”

Odessa narrows her eyes on the drunk mage before getting up and slapping coin down on the table. She then grabs the woman by the long ear and began to drag her away, bottle or not. "Excuse us, good night." It was the most polite the bunny-eared woman could manage.

“Sleep does sound good…” and soon, the darkness pulled over the mage's eyes...

When she woke up, she found herself sleeping in a bed, her companion on the other side. She thought about waking her but decided against it as she rolled over and placed her feet on the ground, maybe she could find what the woman did with her bottle last night. It didn’t that long for the noise of the searching to wake Ordessa up. Truth be told she probably woke up when Crysis got out of bed but was to busy trying to wake up to notice her.

“What are you looking for?” Despite a yawn, Ordessa still somehow managed to keep her cold mostly monotone voice.

“Nothing.” the mage said as like a child planning to play a prank on someone and pretending to be innocent before proceeding to open the curtain. What she found was something much worse than a missing bottle of wine. "Umm, Ordessa… please tell me this is from the wine last night..."

Ordessa didn’t even have time to ask what that meant before her concentration was drawn towards a knocking on the door, the punk from last night stepping in after them. “Good morning ladies, how was your sleep?”

The grumpy rabbit glared at the intruder and automatically took up a defensive position between Crysis and the man, wearing almost nothing she stomps the pole arm so that it spins into her hands and points the sharp end at him. “What are you doing here?” Despite there being no evidence of ill intentions from the man, her tone was almost threatening.

“Yeah! We all need to get out of here! The village outside has been completely destroyed!” Crysis added in, her tone more one of concern.

“Oh!” The man said, a twinkle in his eye as he pulled his hand out from behind his back. His smile growing to near inhuman levels as the knife was revealed, trusting and turning the the psychopath’s grip. “So you’ve seen my handywork then.”

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Dealing with stuff in the Valley. My assumption is that no real information has spread about the mines yet.

"Lead the way." Gruff. Commanding.

Josh frowned. He didn't know the man's name, but he recognised him as being important where it came to the militia's hierarchy. "There's only one exit - the valley path. You hardly need my navigation skills." He was a tad frustrated about his treatment here. He could have forced Jake to ignore the distorted scream, to turn back while unknowingly leaving Lyre to bleed to death, crushed by metal. Yet he didn't, and now he was being interrogated for it. Wanting more information was one thing, but suspecting him of something simply because he usually didn't get out much was another. At least, he assumed it was because of his antisocial behaviour - even David hadn't abused his authority over him, yet these men seemed to grip hold of any leash they were given. 

A grunt was given in response, and shortly after more shouts echoed from the distant mines, focused across the village by the open valley basin.

"Shouldn't we deal with that?" Josh commented.

"David will handle it. We have orders, and you're going to assist us."

Despite the leader's claim, some of the other men looked nervous. All Josh knew was that something had happened, but it seemed that very few people even knew the details. He doubted David did when he left him with these men. But, whatever it was, it seemed serious. This town was quiet, visited by few, plagued by little. Most probably felt that everything would work out fine, yet a scenario like this was still unknown to them. Ignorance naturally led to a slight fear.

"Whatever." The was no point arguing, and Josh supposed the cart did need to be reclaimed. Some part of him wanted to push back, rebel against authority simply for the sake of doing so. He suppressed it.

The group moved on, stones crunching beneath boots in the rocky path. Josh felt naked without a sword, even though he was less skilled than the militia, being surrounded by other armed men made him self-conscious and wary. Not that he expected them to attack him, if anything the presence of weapons made him feel something was more likely to hurt them - like the unseen monster the slew James. Realistically, he should have felt safer given that without them he'd have no protection, and while it was just a formality (with the ten men being here to assist with regards to manpower), it drew his attention to the dangerous possibilities.

"How much further?"

"About three more bends, maybe four." Josh shrugged, maintaining his pace. He'd know it when he saw it.

"You sound unsure."

"I was carrying an unconscious girl, I was more focused on getting back than observing the surroundings. This place looks the same, but I reckon it's about that distance based on the timings." He answered dully, attempting to purge his voice from the tone of his annoyance. He just wanted to go about his day. Helping with the job was one thing, the inquisition was another.

He was met with no reply; the militia plus one continued in silence.

As they rounded another bend, the pitter-patter of rocks echoed. It was hard to tell where it came from, given the nature of the valley, yet Josh chose to attribute it to the wind. They kept up the pace, yet there was a clear tension in the air. Wariness. Few of the militia had ever left the village or walked further away from town than Josh intended to lead them.

Crunch. Crunch.

Still air.

A faint scream seemed to come from behind them, yet again it was chalked up to the wind. It was a howling sound, distorted and airy. The valley commonly made that noise, and it didn't seem fearful - just eerie.

More falling rocks echoed, and as they rounded the forth bend since Josh's claim, the militia leader brought them to a halt. "You said the cart was here."

"I did, and it seems I was wrong. It will be within the next two. I remember passing those rocks." Waving his arm, he gestured towards a collapsed pile, narrowing the river and causing the current to rush faster for a short distance.

"It better be."

Trickle.

Swoosh.

Did he just feel a slight rush of air behind him, heading from left to right?

Maybe, but the militia either didn't notice it through their thicker clothing, or chose to ignore it.

Josh put it up to his imagination, yet he could have sworn there was another man behind him. Pushing on, he figured they probably repositioned when the group had stopped.

Crunch.

They curved around another bend, still walking, yet the leader's steps became heavier, driving into the brittle floor, occasionally leaving marks or shattering fragments.

"Hey!"

Josh's head jerked up, his legs pushed off, as he half shuffled, half ran, the last few paces to close the distance with the leader. Upon rounding the corner, he was met with the sight of an empty cart, fixed, upright, with no others besides those who came with him in sight.

"You said the tools and goods were still here, and that the cart was damaged."

Looking around, Josh ignored the man, trying to examine what happened. The cart was the same one James used - it had the same sigil and rough spots - yet the slash marks were gone and the wheels seemed as good as new. The scene was clean of the residue of blood and the stench of mangled bodies. It made no sense. He could understand that someone might steal the tools, perhaps a group of bandits or traders who got lucky, yet even that was unlikely.

"It was," he muttered, still thinking.

"Then you better start thinking of an explanation."

"I know no more about what happened than you do, James and the horses lay slain, and Lyra was half buried in a pile of tools."

"Or, maybe you're lying."

"And why would I, what I have to gain?"

The ground rumbled, small pieces of stone flaking off the valley walls, some hitting the rocky floor, others crashing into the water with a splash. It took almost half a minute for the waves of echoes to cease.

"I don't know - but I don't trust you."

Josh grunted in response, storming ahead to examine the scene closer.

There had to be something, some clue he could use. He wasn't the smartest person out there, but there had to be an indication of what happened. It confounded him why anyone would go to such trouble to murder someone and steal his supplies. If he thought it was some sort of monster before, he concluded it was definitely more than that now.