Field Trip!!! (Awkin, DoC, Altamira)

TDC stumbled through the nearest door, hopeful that he would find Nenet or Tokumaru on the other end. Instead he found an immense library, filled with books of various sizes and colors. A feeble old woman stood behind a counter in the far corner, shushing people when they spoke too loudly.

The hybrid wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, effectively clearing the tears that had been blurring his vision. It wasn’t where he had intended to go, but at least it was better than that Hell that he had been in moments earlier. The boy made his way to a random shelf and pulled off a book.

“Who am I kidding,” he thought to himself. “How do I even know I’ll be able to read this book? I can barely read at all.”

“You know,” a voice whispered in TDC’s ear. “The books are psychic, they spell words in ways that only your mind can understand. Anybody who reads these books can read them even if he is unable to read any other language.”

Gorin’s son spun around to find that the feeble looking old woman was right behind him. How she had gotten from one end of the library to the other, and responded to his thoughts, was a mystery. TDC quickly thanked the old woman and made his way to a table nearby.

He laid the book on it and took a seat. Surprisingly, the seat was incredibly comfortable. TDC could fall asleep in it if he wanted. The boy opened the book to a random page and found that somehow, the words were going directly from the book to his mind. Quietly, he read on…

Weapons of wealth and legend, chapter 228.

In the deepest reaches of the Altari mountain range lies a grand treasure, guarded by fierce creatures. Many have gone after the treasure and failed, although the treasure alone is enough to make people continue to search for it.

The treasure consists of several mystic items, as well as many gold coins scattered about. The items are as follows:

The Amulet of Choros: An amulet that bestows upon its wearer unlimited energy so long as they wear it, destroying the need for sleep or rest.

The Ring of Odin: A ring that alone is worth only a few gold pieces, but generates eight copies of itself every week. The copies can be sold together for about 100 gold pieces, while the original continues to create copies every week.

The Elixir of Magog: An elixir that when drunk allows the drinker to unleash a hidden quality in their blood.

Golden Elixir: A golden liquid that causes whatever it is poured upon to turn into gold.

These treasures are guarded by incredible beasts including harpies, furies, and even a wrath demon. The treasure itself however, should be worth it to anybody who makes it…

TDC stopped reading when he heard a noise behind him. Thinking it was the librarian again, he spun around. This time, a mysterious woman was standing there instead.

“Are you TDC?” she asked. The hybrid couldn’t help but wonder why she was there. After a moment of merely staring at her, the boy answered with a quiet yes.

“Well, I’m your new teacher. My name’s Cadenza Madrigal, nice to meet you.”

She noticed the book TDC was reading and smiled.

“You know, this would be a good field trip of sorts for you, me, and two other students of mine. Wait here,” she said. In an instant she was gone, probably to get the other “students”.

OOC: TDC gets dibs on the Elixir of Magog.

"It's not over 'till you're underground...It's not over before it's too late..."

"Hey. Earth to Kellson."

Kellson paused the iPod and opened his eyes. "Mm?"

Cadenza stood over his bed. "Come on. We're leaving."

"Just like that?" he asked, blinking.

"Yes. Get up."

Kellson slowly swung his legs off the bed and stretched. She tapped a foot impatiently. "Or we could just wait for winter to come. It's spring, we'll have plenty of time for you to get ready."

Ha, ha. He stuffed the iPod in his pocket, and selected three weapons: a spear, a curved short sword, and his crossbow. He slung the bow over his shoulder, with the wings folded. "I'm guessing I'll need these, right?" he asked, opening a drawer and taking out bolt cartridges and dropping them in his pouch.

"You bet. Come on." She left.

Kellson yawned. "C'mon, Norman." The hedgehog, dozing on a pillow, woke up and scuttled into his bag. They walked out, following Cadenza. Trotting down some stairs, he caught up with her, emerging into a library. The Dome had several; Kellson hadn't known about this one. He followed Cadenza to an ornate table and a strange looking child. He was dressed in ragged clothes, his hair was bleached white, and his eyes shone with different colors. This place is full of abominations, Kellson thought. Then he remembered his wings, and grinned to himself.

"This is TDC. TDC, Kellson."

Kellson nodded without offering his hand. TDC barely acknowledged his presence, engrossed in the book. Kellson cocked his head slightly, reading upside down, mouthing the words silently as he went along.

"What? We're going on a suicide run, then?" he asked incredulously.

"It's not suicide," Cadenza said.

"Ah, I sense some hesitation. Someone knows when to stand and when to run like a striped ape, then." Ignoring her, he turned to the kid. "So it's me, a gypsy, and...a thing. I'd say child but you aren't one, are you?"

TDC said nothing, just sat there. Kellson turned to Cadenza.

"Can either of you two fight?" Cadenza arched an eyebrow. "Fine. Can he fight, and is anyone else coming with us?"

"Of course he can fight. He wouldn't be here otherwise. We also have a large bear in armor coming to our aid."

Kellson stared at her. "You mean it. You really, really mean it. Great."

He stuck his earphones back in his ears and flicked the switch on the iPod, turning it up and standing back into shadow, letting Cadenza and TDC talk. God only knew when the proverbial bear would be here. Hopefully he'd be getting off an a better foot with the bear than with the gypsy or freak child, because both those advances into comradery had ended up in flames. Kellson closed his eyes and remembered the room. Ended up in flames, for real.

It was the kid's own fault. Evidently, he was the one that picked up this suicide mission. Harpies and demons and all sorts of monsters. Stick with human prey, if you know what's good for you, Kellson thought. He mentally shrugged. Although, if they did make it through...or rather, if he, himself made it through to the treasure, that amulet sounded like a fine prize. He'd always wanted to get better with swords, and if he didn't have to rest, he could get his training done in a fraction of the original time. Plus, once he started fighting...he grinned, eyes closed, still savoring the thought.

OoC: Don't take anything personally. Kellson pretty much thinks all human beings suck, and that it's his job to point that out to them. Someone has to.

“He should be more punctual,” Cadenza spat, her voice sour. Her student Jhans was twenty minutes late, and her patience was wearing rather thin. There wasn’t even much to speak of initially. “He has to be more punctual,” she groaned again as she leaned on the library door. One would have to assume navigating crowded hallways was somewhat of a daunting, difficult task for a polar bear with bulky armor, but at this point, Cadenza didn’t have the courtesy to make those kinds of empathetic assumptions.

“I’ll give him fifteen more minutes, and if he doesn’t show I’ll…I’ll…” …I’ll do what? As a teacher, it’s not like I can really smack my students or anything. At least not without starting some huge scene. Cadenza sighed to herself and stood upright again. Stupid polar bear.

The bored gypsy turned back around and peered into the library window. So there’s the sickly-looking child and Captain Hero with his music player. I was sure given the cream of the crop. Inside, her students Kellson and TDC were looking each other over. And making superficial judgments about each other, Cadenza figured. She was doing that herself. Both of the students appeared to be teenagers who had never experienced a real battle. One of them looked like he just carried weapons around for fun. The gypsy hoped Jhans would be less unimpressive.

After five more minutes had passed, Cadenza became tired of watching the stare-down in the room behind her. Her thoughts wandered to more interesting topics—namely the Ring of Odin and the Golden Elixir said to be in the treasure TDC had described to her. Both artifacts could make her incredibly rich. She pondered over whether or not she would report to her sisters about those two items after their little quest. They would want them for themselves, after all, and she wasn’t exactly sure if she would be willing to part with them.

There also was the matter of how her and her students would divide up the treasure. She was the teacher, and therefore if she needed to, she could probably lord her status over the students and call dibs on whatever she wanted. But that was only if they could obtain the treasure. A very small if, Cadenza said to herself. I may not have full confidence in those guys… but I have yet to encounter a heist I couldn’t pull off.

The surreptitious teacher smiled to herself and cast her gaze back out into the hallway. Treasure made everything better.

OoC: Just to let you guys know: there's no minimum word requirement for any of your posts here. This should more or less function just like any other Crossroads. The objective of this is to have fun and get some real experience roleplaying. If you want any of your posts in here evaluated like a lesson, you can send me a PM with a link to it, and I'll PM you the evaluation back. But otherwise, just enjoy yourself, and post when you want to.

A short while later, Jhans arrives at the Library entrance. The rest of the doorways he'd had to go through had been too small, so he and Hashem had been wandering around trying to find bigger entrances. They are aware of being nearly an hour late, and so holding up the expedition.

He crawled through the doorway after Hashem. He sniffs. Books, hedgehog, human, sulphur .

"Who are we here to meet?" He asks of Hashem.
Hashem looks up.

"Your new teacher and fellow students."

"Is one of them a hedgehog?"

Hashem shoots him a funny look.
"No."

They come around a bookcase and find three humans waiting.

Hashem is the first to speak;
"Cadenza, meet Jhans. He's the last, try no to get anyone killed, alright?"

"Yes, boss."

Jhans is aware of being stared at. First he stares at the little... demon... thing, then at the female, and then at the sword and crossbow explosion.

The female speaks first.

"I'd like to introduce everyone to Jhans Frenn. He's the last member of our little expedition. Jhans, i'm Cadenza Madrigal. This is The Dark child, and that's Kellson."
TDC notices how scared the other two are, but Jhans, being a Bear, doesn't.

"We're going to the Altari range of Hajn in search of some ancient and powerful artifacts. Dark child, show him the book."
Jhans read on. If he alone had to do the task, he would have considered it suicide. But he had three intrepid, noble, dangerous fighters who seem to know what they're doing to do it with him. My fate rests on the competence of my fellows.

"Alright crew, it's time to go."

They got up, and made for the exit.

"The Atari Mountains’ door is just along the corridor."

Jhans groaned silently. More doors. He was interested in infinite energy, but turning threats into gold would be the same as turning them into rock. He contemplates this.

As TDC was moving for the exit, a scrawny librarian hand shot out and grabbed the book from his hands.

"Reference books do not leave the library, thank you."

Cadenza counted out the doors as they passed.

"What's up with the... armour, then?" Kellson asks nervously. Jhans looks at him.

"A bear's armour is part of it. It is important for him. He gets it when he first goes to war." Jhans grunts.
"It is our skin. It protects our greatest weakness."

"Well. You ain't like any bear i've ever seen."

"My kin were the Panserbjørn. I was exiled when Fritjof overthrew the Monarch. I am no longer a Panserbjørn. I am but a bear."

Cadenza suddenly turned sharply left and pulled a large door open. Kellson gasped.

The companions marveled as they walked through onto the ice-bound ground of The Atari basin, the greatest mountain range of the northern world.

OoC: He's got one sword, one spear, and one crossbow. A short sword, at that. Why's everyone like "Dear God, he's a walking porcupine of weaponry!" And did you really mean noble? Kellson? Ah ha. Ha ha.

IC: "That was random," Kellson said. The bear's presence was slowly growing more comfortable. A bear that thought it needed armor was slightly less strong than it thought it was. A bear without armor could tear your arms off. Plus, however big it was, the mountains were a whole lot bigger.

"I smell..." Jhans sniffed. "A hedgehog."

"Eat him and I'll kill you," Kellson said.

"Shut up back there," Cadenza said without turning. She and TDC were already starting towards the mountains.

They continued for a time, walking towards the mountains. Kellson threw up his hood to protect from the biting northern winds. It didn't help much, but every little bit would help some. The mountains steadily drew nearer, but it didn’t seem that way. Their size deceptively gave the appearance of being closer than they actually were. Day lasted a long time in the northern countries. When they reached the mountains, it was still daylight. They stopped for a short break at the foothills.

Kellson asked if they could light a fire. Cadenza shook her head. “It alerts the enemies.”

Kellson stared at her. “Enemies in the deepest region of the mountains? Besides, it’s freezing.”

“Fine. If you know where to find some firewood, do it.”

“Either of you two want a fire, or is it only me?” Kellson asked.

“I am fine. Polar bears like the cold,” Jhans said.

“No thanks,” TDC said softly.

Kellson shrugged and whistled. Spiny Norman poked his head out of the bag.

“Firewood, okay?” Norman squeaked and dashed off in a blur. Kellson leaned back against a rock and grinned. “He’ll be back.”

Er...we here?

The lack of Norman worried Kellson but amused Jhans. The hedgehog could never carry more than a twig at a time. They sat in their alcove and chewed on the salted meat that was to become a staple of their diet.

Kellson became increasingly anxious.

"Jhans, you couldn't use that 'ol nose of yours to find Norman, could you?"

"Indeed I can."

Jhans got up and sniffed the ground.

"Climb onto my back."

"You serious?" Said Kellson, astounded.

"Yes. Don't get used to it." Jhans dislikes being seen as a human's servant. He always dictates the terms in dealings with humans.

Jhans lies down so Kellson can mount. Jhans's armour is not built with a saddle, so Kellson rides almost standing up, with one foot on a lip of the breastplate on either side. Silently, TDC laughs.

Jhans picks the scent up once more. It was like passing your hand through direct sunlight and then into shadow. Even with your eyes closed, one was so obviously sunlight while the other was so obviously not.
Jhans padded away silently. Cadenza watched with TDC, before talking about the treasures and monsters they may find.

Jhans walked for some half hour, cantering whenever he became sure of the path the scent was taking. He stopped for a moment, atop a peak looking down into a basin of snow.

"Why did you send your hedgehog away? There are no trees anywhere this high. For all we know, he could be on his way to the lowlands right now."

"He's good at this. He knows how to find firewood, he..."

Jhans turned suddenly and ran. Far faster than he had done on the way here. Kellson, shocked couldn't figure out what was going on. A screech came from behind. Kellson spun around. He saw a huge, grey-feathered object. He saw it lunge at the bear and himself claw-first. Then he got a faceful of snow. Jhans kept on running. He hadn't noticed.

Jhans noticed the lack of Harpie before anything else. He then notices the lack of human, and then abundance of hedgehog, dragging a branch along behind it. Jhans turned back, to see the human fending the harpie off with his spear. It was really no match; this was a strong harpie, of the kind cursed with immortality. Jhans drew his Maul, and ran into the fray.

"Son of Kell, run and get the others! Even together, this harpie is no game for us."

"Well, where are they?"

"Follow the hedgehog."

The harpie landed away from Jhans, eyeing him. Jhans was at the advantage, even though he was overpowered. He only had to stay alive a few minutes. The will to live is far stronger than the will to eat. He rises onto his hind legs, holding the hammer against his right shoulder. He and the bird-woman eye each other, clicking her filthy talons.
Jhans charges, his first blow missing by inches. The harpie launches itself into the air. Jhans rolls sideways in defence as the harpie's claws plunge into the snow beside him. he swipes with his claws, piercing the beast's wing, it flies back up again, unhindered.
Jhans picks up his maul, and is just about to attack it again, when an arrow shoots through the air and impales itself in the Harpie's leg.

00C: S0rry f0r sh0rtness and any spe111ng /\/\1stakes. Ha1f 0f /\/\y keyb0ard 1s br0ken; 1 had t0 type 1t a11 1n 1337 speak and then change 1t.

1C: Kellson had drawn his crossbow and was firing bolts off rapidly. Norman , inflated to the size of a large dog already, leapt from behind and bore the harpy to the ground, sinking his teeth into a leg.

"I told you to run!" Jhans shouted.

"They're half an hour away and that was on bearback," he roared, leaping at the harpy. He dropped the crossbow and drew his short sword, flailing madly. The Harpy did not bleed. Jhans ran up and flew in with his club thing. The Harpy was soon dead. As they turned away, something picked Jhans up and bore him into the sky.

"No! It should be dead!" Kellson cried. No choice left, he let his wings erupt from his back and shot into the sky.

Before the harpy was forty feet, Kellson had attacked. Slamming into the feathered beast, he stabbed it hard in the head, causing it to drop Jhans. With a thump, the bear hit the ground. He’s ok ay, Kellson thought. He returned his attention to the Harpy and stabbed it again and again. He drew a set of brass knuckles and, furious, smashed them into the side of the monster’s head. They spiraled to the ground.

In a plume of snow, they hit the ground. Norman charged over and pinned the Harpy.

“Jhans,” Kellson cried. Jhans looked around, grabbed a boulder, and crushed the Harpy under it. They stood around it.

“You can fly,” the bear said.

Kellson was silent. “Please...don’t tell anyone.”

“Why?”

“Just don’t.”

Slowly, the bear nodded. They turned to head back to the camp. Norman , now the size of Jhans, plucked half of a tree from the ground and carried it in his front paws behind them.

OOC: Yay for good music and strange dreams! My writer’s block is not entirely gone, but it’s starting to go away.

BIC: “So, which treasure do you want?” TDC asked. He was careful to partially whisper, as he didn’t want to let anything nearby know their position. The boy was partially sure about which treasure he wanted.

“What one do you want?” answered Cadenza. It looked as though she were still undecided on which one she wanted. Of course, the boy was after the Elixir of Magog. A little info from the treasure hunter Zygoth had interested him in something.

He was about to answer when the distinct sound of something rather large waltzing through the snow disturbed the partial silence. The gypsy and abomination quickly leapt up, drawing their weapons. Much to their surprise, nothing could be seen for miles except for the very faint outlines of Jhans, Kellson, and the hedgehog as they returned.

If he wasn’t wondering what the noise was he would have noticed that Spiny Norman was now as large as Jhans. He turned Gorin’s spirit orbs into twin serrated blades, a weapon type he had become accustomed to. The boy spun around, surveying the nearby area.

The noise was repeated just as TDC finished his 360-degree turn. Something very large was coming. Cadenza readied her bow, making sure to keep her dagger close by in the unfortunate event that she was disarmed.

“Get off of our mountain foul creatures,” said a voice, no louder than a whisper. Despite the lightness of the voice, both Cadenza and TDC were able to decipher the direction it came from. Teacher and student spun around, facing the thing.

A large yeti stood before them. Nearly twelve feet tall, its bulging muscles nearly as big as TDC’s entire body. Its face was utterly horrible. A tangled mess of tusks and fangs, it looked as though something had rearranged a dog’s face and slapped it onto a slab of meat.

“I’m telling you again, go away.” The beast’s voice was louder this time, and the yeti even managed to throw a light growl to the end. Despite the fact that it was speaking, its face remained exactly the same.

The creature suddenly let out a massive roar, calling to its comrade yetis. Large white masses began to stir, many rising out from under the snow. TDC rolled to the side as one of the gigantic beasts popped out right under where he had been standing.

“I think firewood and treasure are the least of our worries right now,” said Cadenza. The beasts began to advance on the two of them…

OOC: Sorry for the bad quality of this post. I promise my other ones will be much better, as my writer's block is finally showing signs of leaving. YAYYY!!! *Hugs the next person to post*

OoC: Here's to hoping there ain't an order.

IC: Kellson squinted. "What are they doing? Your eyes good?"

Jhans shook his head. "I can't see them. No. There they are."

Kellson kept walking, shading his eyes from the sun glaring off of the snowy ground. "It looks like they have a snowman..."

"A what?" Jhans asked incredolously.

A tremendous roar shook the ground.

"Ye gods, now it's a whole herd of abomin-ubble snowmen. Run."

"We have to help them," Jhans said, charging.

"That's what I said. Run!"

They bounded forward.

---

The yetis surrounded the camp. TDC and Cadenza stood back to back, slowly revolving.

"Do you have a plan?" TDC whispered.

"Other than run like Hell? No."

"Get off our mountain, scum," the universal yeti said. They slowly began to close in, clenching their paw-hands, unsheathing wicked claws.

Cadenza slightly raised her bow at the nearest beast. "We will, if you would leave us alone. And tell us where the cave is."

"Cave?" the yeti whispered with its icy voice. None of them had moved a mouth.

"The treasure. I warn you," she said, bluffing desperately. "We're powerful warriors."

"A she-human and a little cub," the voice of the yeti chuckled coldly. "We are amused." They began to close in once more.

---

Kellson, Jhans, and the still-giant Norman arrived, panting.

"Hey! Brownjobs!" Kellson yelled. The yetis turned. Kellson whistled.

With a bear-like roar, Norman attacked, knocking yeti left and right with his tree as if it were a club. While the yeti fell back slightly at the sight of a monster hedgehog, Kellson and Jhans leapt on to the log.

"Come!" Jhans bellowed. Cadenza and TDC quickly mounted the log. Norman shoved the log, grabbed it as it began to speed down the slope, and shrunk to his normal size.

"How the ---------------do we--------------steer?" Kellson yelled, voice lost in the wind.

"We don't! What a good--------------planning you did!" Cadenza shouted back.

"All right! Turn-----------! We'll give you---------------the nice hungry yeti!"

Jhans grunted and threw his weight precariously to one side. The log swerved gently to the right, narrowly avoiding a sharp rock.

OoC: All right, guys. The Jamaican bobsled team ain't got NOTHING on us.

OoC: I'm still grounded as of now, guys. I only just managed to get online for a moment to read your posts here. I expect to be back online regularly in a couple of weeks, maybe sooner. I apologize for my absence.

According to Newton's first law of motion, an object will either stand still or continue in a straight line at a steady pace until an unbalanced force acts upon it. If you're a thousand-and-a-half pound bear riding half a tree at 60mph down a mountain, there are lots of unbalanced forces, and steering opposes every single one of them.

The lurching movement of the ride battered Jhans. He was third in line, Cadenza and Kellson were clinging onto the tree in front, and TDC had climbed up and had his arms round Jhans's neck.

"Oy! We’re heading for a bare patch!"

Jhans saw this before any of his companions. The rock was to big to get across and continue on the other side, yet smooth enough to safely stop on.

"Hey, Jhans?"

"We are going across, but we won't make it to the snow again on the other side. I need you to jump when I spin the log."

Then they run onto the rock. Chips of wood splinter off and the adventurers are bucked about on the uneven surface.
Norman notices something is wrong, moving nervously in Kellson's bag. Cadenza notices something odd.

"Hey!"

Looking behind, she sees a trail of blue flame being left by the makeshift sleigh. The same effect is happening in front of the log too, and where ever the chips of wood land.

"What is that?" Shouts TDC over the rising crackling noise.

"St. Telmo's fire†." Jhans had seen this on the great western ocean. He had been on a ship, the only upright thing in a sea of flat, in a lightning storm. Blue flames had engulfed the deck, dancing over him and his companions before blowing a hole in the side and nearly sinking them.

Then that itself happened.

With a 'Crack!' the log was sent flying sideways, onto the snow-bound banking, sending the questors flying with it. Jhans crashed into a tree, his pendant catching on a branch and half-choking him. He struggled to unhook it, and looked round for the others. Cadenza had landed further up the hill than him, next to Kellson. One of TDC's orbs lay by his foot, the child itself by the cremated log.

"What the hell just happened?"
Kellson shouted in fury, no-one answered him. No one knew.

The blue flame ripped across the bare stone in streaks of colour, and burned constantly where the log ran. It was as though infinite energy lived inside the rock, and sparked by the smallest friction. Infinite energy?

"I believe that we have just found the entrance," Said Jhans, the height from the banking showing him, for the first time, the pattern carved into the burning rock.

(OoC)


Sorry I took so long, folks.

† St Telmo's fire is a phenomenon associated with lightning. More commonly known as St. Elmo's fire.Clicky, Clicky.

Hey Altamira, Who says it has to be a cave?

Edit; Is that a challenge? *Ponders*

OoC: I'm having a horrible case of Writer's Block, so I will wait until one other person posts before I do. If I post, we'll probably end up with a sub-par description of the cave.

Edit: In answer to that Awkin, either I thought I saw someone specify it was a cave somewhere or... I just assumed cave because Mikey's intro stated the treasure was in the deepest reaches of the mountains. If you or someone else has something more original, then by all means....

OoC: I apologize for all of my OoC posts (and double posts...) but I just wanted to announce that if there isn't a new reply by this weekend, I'll try mustering something up so this group assignment can progress.

Oh and...

Originally Posted by Duke of Clubs

OoC: Here's to hoping there ain't an order.

Nope, there isn't one. Whoever posts, posts. It's a free-for-all really, but I'm hoping all of you will get a good amount of posts in before it's done.

Mikey said he'd take this one, since I'm lazy, but I'll do something if he says nothing today. It's all good. Zomfg hax double post I'll eat your children lawlz.

Edit: All right then. I'll take it o.0

IC: Kellson lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at the steely-grey sky. Don’t wanna get up.

“I believe we have just found the entrance,” Jhans said matter-of-factly.

Believe you may be correct, furball, Kellson thought. He hauled himself up off the snow ridden ground and dusted himself off. An apoplectic squeak from his pouch said Norman was fine, but bruised and angry.

“So...now what?” he asked.

TDC shrugged. “I don’t know how far in the treasure is. We’ll just have to go in.”

Kellson drew his short sword and began chopping off some of the stronger branches that weren’t in flames or already burnt. “We need some torches. Unless one of you can magically light the cave up.”

Jhans ripped off a limb from the tree with a great paw. Cadenza and TDC examined the scorched rock. It still smoked, hissed, and bubbled from the impact of St. Elmo’s fire. A large, gaping hole had been melted into the rock.

“We’ll need to find our way back, as well,” Cadenza said.

“Depending on how far we go, I will be able to smell the fresh air*,” Jhans said.

Kellson rummaged in his sack and extricated Norman from the rations he had stored there. “Gimme that. That’s my bread. Norman can probably do that, too. When he gets big.” Norman hissed and started growing larger. “Not now, pinhead.”

“We should rest before going in,” TDC said. “We’ve been going all day.”

“No shortage of firewood,” Cadenza said, stepping around a thick, flaming stick.

***

They lay around the campfire in silence. The daylight, enhanced in the far north, had finally dropped into darkness. Kellson sat, back against a rock, and stared at the multitude of stars. Up there is the goal. Except you have to die to get there, moron. Shut up. It’s worth dying for. But not yet.

“Kellson.”

“What? Oh. Sorry.” He turned. TDC was crouching beside him.

“You have first watch.”

Kellson nodded. He turned his attention back to the sky. TDC sat beside him, and then asked, “So. What do you want out of this?”

“Hm? The treasure?” TDC nodded. Kellson grinned. “Going for the amulet. That thing sounds like the ultimate weapon. No rest, ever. Imagine the possibilities. A man wearing that amulet could be twice as strong and fast as someone normally his equal, because he would be able to work at night as well. If I ever do want to sleep, I can just take it off. Sounds great...what are you going for?”

TDC shrugged. “The elixir. I want to see what it brings out of my blood.”

Kellson shifted comfortably against the boulder. “Mm. I don’t put my trust in blood. It gets spilled to easily and people use it for a basis of legitimacy to rule peasants and serfs.”

TDC shrugged again. “Good night. I’ll come get you when your shift is up.”

“G’night.” He stared back up at the starlit sky. Someday...

Cadenza lay awake on a frozen mound of snow, watching a brood of crows with their mother in a withering tree. Even with the frost and cool night air, the gypsy didn’t feel the slightest twinge of coldness. She felt exhilarated, being on an expedition for treasure, and being in charge. That excitement, however, seemed to ignite less pleasant thoughts from time to time.

She had listened intently during TDC and Kellson’s conversation. It was strange to her that neither of them wanted the items she desired. Kellson wanted the object that would endow him with the gift of limitless stamina. He apparently wanted to gain more strength. TDC wanted the item Cadenza deemed the most useless of the treasure, and… well, she wasn’t quite sure what his motive was, but it obviously wasn’t getting rich.

…So that’s what makes me happy now, is it? Just say “gold” to me, and I jump. I wasn’t always like this… The gypsy sighed to herself and turned over to watch the campfire. …I suppose there’s no changing that now though.

“Hey,” someone called out to her. It was Kellson.

“What?” she snapped, a little angry that someone had caught her during an introspective moment.

“Why the heck are you up? I’ve got first watch.”

“I’ll relieve you from your position, if my being awake bothers you so much.”

“No, but you didn’t answer my question.”

Cadenza groaned and shifted towards the fire once more. The frigid air was getting to her now. Near the flames, she could almost imagine the mountain snow was the warm sand of Rubato if she tried.

Kellson chuckled quietly. His teacher obviously wasn’t as tough as she led on. “Seriously, why are you awake?” he asked again.

“Now you’re just being persistent to bother me.” Cadenza rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. “I’m going back to sleep now. ‘Night,” she said sourly. Pesky boy. That habit of picking on people has got to stop.
-----------------------------------------------------
It was silent. Cadenza hadn’t snatched a single minute of blessed sleep all night. It was early morning now, very early, and Jhans was just finishing up his shift. The gypsy herself had the last one before it became light enough to travel again. She had planned out the shifts so that all of her students would get a fairly equal amount of sleep, giving herself the most time for rest, but she had whittled that away with restless thinking.

She stood up and stretched, and kicked some snow onto the fire to extinguish it. Fire would be a beacon for enemies in the daylight. She thought of how fortunate they were to not be attacked by a nocturnal creature whilst the majority of their party slept. She didn’t particularly have any sort of attachment to her students, and may not have worried too much for their safety, but the Dome would certainly have frowned upon a teacher who allowed her pupils to be killed when it was preventable.

Cadenza trudged over to Jhans and prodded the animal with her forefinger. “My turn, bear.”

TDC tossed and turned in his sleep. He was remembering that day yet again, and he hated that memory…

Gorin fighting with the Heavenflame Samurai, exchanging incredible blows. The same Gorin that had sheltered TDC for a short while, the first person to ever be nice to him, now fighting a losing battle. As Tokumaru’s blade slashed across the man’s frame, TDC burst into tears at the sight.

That was fairly ironic, as the memory always caused the boy to repeat what he had done when he saw Gorin slain. Despite his eyes being tightly shut, streams of tears were still dripping out from between him. He awoke with a gasp and quickly dried his tears.

“I can’t let them see me cry like that,” TDC thought. “I need to be tougher than that. I need that elixir…” The hybrid turned slightly, seeing the gypsy woman poking the bear.

“My turn, bear.” Jhans wordlessly stalked off so that he could sleep, taking a quick glance at Kellson and TDC. Gorin’s son silently watched Cadenza as she sat by the fire, keeping watch in case something happened.

“She looks kind of like Nenet,” TDC silently said to himself. He couldn’t help but feel that his teacher would turn out to be just as kind as Tokumaru, Gorin, and Nenet were. The hybrid severely hoped that he was right about that.

With that, he went back to sleep.

OOC: Gah, sorry for the short post. I really don’t have an excuse.

OoC: It's okay, not all of your posts have to be long. This is mostly for practice and fun.

BiC:
A blurry figure appeared over the horizon. In her sleepless daze, Cadenza could almost make out a frame similar to that of a human, only with wings, like Kellson. As it neared closer, she could discern it was female, and its feet resembled the talons of a hawk. The creature opened its mouth once it was within mere meters of the campsite, and Cadenza, anticipating a squawking sound, was shocked to hear a melodious singing voice. The music danced on the gentle morning winds, caressed the gypsy’s ear, and beckoned her to follow the bird-woman.

Cadenza couldn't resist the strange, compelling urge. She rose up to her full height, and took off. The creature ahead of her picked up velocity, singing still, and the gypsy sprinted after her over the uneven, frozen terrain.

“This way, gypsy,” the chorus of the bird-woman’s song went. Something in Cadenza’s gut told her those lyrics sounded suspicious, but those impulses were quickly drown out by the music. Her legs moved on their own, the desire to hear the beautiful melody her adrenaline. Somewhere far behind her she could hear one of her students inquire as to her whereabouts, but it didn’t register in her mind.

Cadenza was led around a hill, and through a sparse wood. From the fleeting panorama of nature she could pick out a frozen river, and numerous other bird-like creatures.

A nest came into view several minutes later. A flock of the bird-women lounged about the structure, and a fire was going only inches away. Once Cadenza was in earshot, the group of creatures joined in on the song.

“Into the fire,” the sirens' new chorus went. “Don’t resist.”

So Cadenza knows that Kellson has wings, but Kellson doesn't know that she knows?

(IC)

"What do you mean she's gone? People don't just vanish!"

"Well she's done a pretty good of doing so."

"Maybe she's buried under the snow..."

"Yeah, she's buried but the fire isn't?"

"Maybe the yetis came back,"

"And Just took the one?"

At that point, Jhans butted in.

"Feathers,"
Kellson shot him a dangerous glance.

"There are feathers here on the snow, and footprints."
Kellson looked at where Cadenza lay, her elegant outline imprinted into the snow by the fire.

"Where do they lead, then?" said TDC unsertainly. He could smell smoke.

"This way." Said Jhans, loping off at, what he thought was, a human jogging pace. It wans't, as it happens, and the two humanshapes were soon out of breath.

'This is a dead-end' Jhans thinks as he runs back through the wood. 'So much trouble and we haven't even reached the cave yet.' He falls over on the stream he has ridden the log down only hours before. Her scent goes towards the... What's that?

"Harpies!" TDC shouts to Jhans... but he's wrong.
Jhans turns around, and lets the humans catch up with him.

"Our mentor has been captures by winged beasts. These Sirens don't play around. Find moss, and plug your ears. The Siren's song will kill you if they care to sing a high note. Now, the child and I will try to go round whatever back there is, and Kellson can go up the front. These beasts outnumber us, so we're going to have to act like we have wings,"

He glanced at Kellson, fleetingly.

"And fly low. Cadenza may already be dead. If that happens, go into the cave's mouth and wait there. We will regroup at the cave at nightfall, no matter who lives. If someone dies, leave them behind."

TDC throws Kellson some moss.

"At best, I... we can only distract the beasts you need to really fly in there, grab Cadenza and run."

The bear gave Kellson a look, which he interpreted as a cold stare, and then he was gone, the child running after him, a large knife in each hand... leaving the bewinged human alone in the snow.

(Ooc)

It's Duke's call, but I assumed he wouldn't want anyone to know... even the Dome. It's none of my business, anyway.

OoC: I figured the Dome would give his teacher some basic information on him, but if Duke rather not have her know, I'll take out that little piece.