CRYSTALIS

Infected pork, the idea of eating something that might possible have a deadly disease made Iliana shuddered. "I think I'll pass on the meat" she said disappointed. But hey! At least her bag wasn't entirely lost right? That balances the situation right if I do not add the component that in fact, we are trapped in another 'dimension' of sort with a bunch of... weirdos. Story of my life. As Iliana was about to inquired about her bag, a voice came from a few yards away from them.

A girl. And judging by her appearance and looks she seemed to be of importance. Another stranger. She groaned mentally at the thought of more people. It was already hard enough to be near this group. But somehow the girl seemed harmless. Who knows? Maybe it's an illusion. Iliana has seen enough fantasy and sci fi movies to know not to be deceived by innocent creatures. "Hey-" her tone was friendly and soft. It was a girl after all, she needed to be nice. But before she could tell her to come and introduce herself the girl ran off. Welp, so much for being 'nice'.

"Are you nuts?" Iliana turned to the 'annoying' talkative boy in disbelief. "What if she is luring us into a trap? And you want to go after her? Unbelievable." You can't always be too careful in this kind of situations. And at the moment the least we needed to do was chase after some girl that might possibly get us kill. The idea of another sacrifice to a god passed Iliana's mind. All this thinking was making her dizzy, that or the fact that she was starving.
 
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HARRY BLACK, green
"Yes," I retort at Iliana, "two dudes decked out like Vikings watching you sleep is totally legit, but some panicked looking girl in funny clothes?" There's that grin of mine again. "Clearly a trap. She's obviously an assassin of some kind. Deadliest in the land."

I'm adjusting the strap of my messenger bag now, starting to wish I'd had some sort of premonition about spending the foreseeable future wading through snow and chosen more appropriate footwear. Vans are great for just wandering about in, after all, but I'm starting to discover just how quickly they absorb liquid. "Consider the following, however, oh ye most cautious of girls. As Man Mountain here just noted, that girlie who just ran off isn't really supposed to be kicking around these parts. Which means she may know a thing or two about what the hell just happened to us."

My eyes begin to scan the trees she's gone running off into. Thick and dark, unfamiliar, all kinds of mildly menacing. We've already established that there are fauns fucking around in forests to the south, so god knows what might be lurking in there. I chuckle nervously. "And besides, where's your adventurous spirit? We could be modern Livingstones here!"

I tilt my head to one side, considering the ultimate fate suffered by the aforementioned Scottish Explorer. "Okay, maybe not the best example. But fuck it, it beats standing around freezing your balls off."
 
FLEEING GIRL, royalblue
Fleeeeee! Was she she was being chased? She could still hear the voices, but no footprints yet. Struck by a sudden fear that she had ran in to the wrong sorts of people, she refused to stop! Picking up folds of fabric to free her feet and jump over fallen logs, through bushes, and around mounds of piled up snow.

Chancing a look behind her, she still didn't quite see anyone chasing, but she had to be sure. But her glance was a fatal mistake! Without watching where she was going, she slammed full body in to a tall pine tree. A startled yelp escape her when the force set loose lumps of snow and ice. In seconds she was buried up to her neck.

Blast the Maker! Frantically trying to dig her way out, she seemed to be trapped unable to flee any further. When - IF - her pursuers caught up, she ducked down under the snow. If they couldn't see her, surely she was invisible.
 
Auron gave up trying to explain the things he'd learned about this land to people too used to a world without magic. Handing the girl he was talking to a rope and pointing towards the tree, he bounded off after the running girl, calling to her as he gave chase.
"Hey, are you lost? Do you need any help finding your way back home?"

He suddenly stopped as she disappeared under the snow, walking far enough away from her to not be seen, while making sure he was still close enough for her to hear him, before he made a guess as to what was going on.
"Great, I'm chasing after the princess, and I'm dressed like some kind of bear. No wonder she's running from me. But she didn't even stop when I called out to her. I really don't understand people anymore. Maybe I should see if I can get her to let me help her. Or maybe it'd be easier if I just lay on my sword."
He sat down, setting his head against his blade, the gold and silver wolf-lion crest on his scabbard shimmering in the light streaming through the trees.
 
HARRY BLACK, green
Auren's off in a flurry of snow and fur-clad feet, sprinting off after the fleeing girl whilst shouting. I'm betting if she wasn't freaked out before, the sight of some armed and hairy red-head chap hollering promises to help her get home is probably going to do the trick.

Seriously, not even a word goodbye. Terribly rude.

But you certainly can't fault the man's good intentions, I guess. He seems keen to help pretty much anyone who wanders by.

Blinking a couple times in confusion, I turn to look up at Eindre. "Does, uh... does he do this sort of thing a lot?"
 
Eindre, #0098FF
"Yes. He does. I am increasingly convinced that he's soft in the head," Eindre sighs, resigned. "At least his racket is likely to buy us some time from the wolves. We can catch up to the noble girl without having to worry too much about the rest of your comrades being eaten...though, in this weather, if they're going to wake, they'd best do it soon."

He hefts his spear, resting the shaft over one shoulder as he begins to trudge at a more sedate pace in the direction the noble girl ran off in, his booted feet crunching out an arrhythmic tattoo as he walks. "In the interest of avoiding a repeat of my delusional...friend...please, call me Eindre. Though I suppose I should be insulted. 'Terrifying?' And here I was trying to be friendly."
 
THE BURIED PRINCESS OF BRAEL, royalblue
Oh no. He knew she was the princess! that meant she was in trouble and surrounded by pirates or bandits for sure. All because she got a little bit too curious.

The girl said nothing in reply. Waiting silently, hoping maybe he had wandered off without her and his threats were nothing more than a wicked trick trying to lure her out. When she popped her head up from the pile of snow she was trapped in, she didn't see him anywhere. But she could see a glimmer of light reflecting off of something and leaving patterns on the nearby trees.

"I do not need any assistance! And I will not come out. You and your bandits stay away, I have a very large weapon in my satchel and it is quite powerful." She didn't actually have a weapon on her. She didn't even have a satchel! But he didn't know that.
 
HARRY BLACK, green
"That what passes for friendly in these parts?" I ask, "fair enough then, guess we can chalk it up to some kinda cultural misunderstanding and leave it at that. I'm Harry, by the by," I add, recalling now that I can think straight that I still haven't introduced myself, "and even if you did it in a slightly... unorthodox way and I've got a terrible means of expressing it, cheers for stopping us from getting eaten by wolves. I like not getting eaten by wolves, as it turns out."

Well there's a phrase I didn't think I'd be uttering this morning.

Isn't today full of surprises?

As I move alongside Eindre towards the trees Auron and the strange figure went sprinting off into, I turn back to look at Iliana and the kid. "So what's it to be, friends? Fancy joining us on the most realistic game of Dungeons and Dragons that you'll ever experience?" I grin stupidly for a moment, before the fact that no really Harry, you actually just uttered those words sets in. "Jesus Christ that was a terrible reference."
 
Caramon smiled as he set his large hand on topof her head, gently stroking her hair as he knelt down to her.
"Milady, I doubt you'd be able to to carry a weapon as large as mine without using your magic, and a satchel required to hold such an item would have slown you down as I gave chase.
The only reason I was even able to figure out where you were is because of this tree having less snow on its branches than the others around it.
And I'm not a bandit or a pirate, I'm Monikaros Aurolein Feldman, the son of Sir Auron Feldman, and Lady Morganna of Brael.
My mother told me about her homeland through stories and the like, but I never thought I'd be able to be here in person."
 
"Please... shoulda stuck with Narnia, it fits the scenario better" Iliana replied without thinking. A dungeon was needed for the reference he gave and thankfully that wasn't the situation. Now she was unsure what to do. What were her options really? Stay and get eaten by wolves or follow those people and pray, really pray, nothing will happen. "Come on, we should go after them" she turned to the kid and tried to smile. If the kid started to cry then that would be a big problem for them since noises kind of equal wolves. "But first-" her hands grabbed the bag from the tree Auron said it was located. Iliana sighed in relief.

Time to see what awaits ahead for the group and the vikings look alike. "Here grab hold of me" she whispered to the kid as they began to walk behind Eindre and Harry. Iliana had a younger sister back home and already felt protective of this kid. If someone was going to look after her the best it was Iliana. Boys...specially strangers, don't know anything about caring for a female, much less a small defenseless girl.
 
HARRY BLACK, green
Goddamn. Iliana is quipping with me.

PEOPLE WITH SENSES OF HUMOUR. I'M SAVED.

Chuckling as we walk, I decide to keep the dialogue going.
"True, but I'd kinda already done the Narnia line... wait, you were unconscious for that part actually." I gesture with my thumb to the man mountain beside me. "Eindre is my witness. Totally made that joke. Calling dibs, right now."

We trudge through the snow, Eindre's far more appropriate choice of footwear meaning he's easily moving ahead of us. The pace is brisk (or as brisk as you can be when moving through snow that's up to your ankles in shoes that weren't even all that great for paved surfaces), and all we really have to do is follow the two trails of footprints left by the fleeing girl and by Auron.

Once we're into the trees, the snow thins out somewhat. That doesn't make the pace any quicker, though. The minute I step amidst those thick branches I start to feel uneasy. Like there's something you can't see that's watching you, lurking just outside of eyesight. I can feel that nervous tingle in the back of my neck, and suddenly the idea of storming off into the unknown isn't nearly so appealing.

Fuck playing at being David Livingstone. I really wanna just be at home right now, playing the goddamn PS3.

As the four of us push on, I hear Auron's voice through the trees. Guess he found the running girl, then. More fool her for stopping. He's explaining that he's totally not a pirate or a bandit (legit assertions, both of them), and that... I blink a few times, trying to follow the last part. Failing miserably at this attempt, I figure we should maybe intervene.

"Hey!" I call, stomping through the snow towards the pair, "Just us lot! Totally not bandits, either. Or pirates, for that matter, though I'm wondering what the hell pirates would be doing amongst all this snow and ice in the first place." That's when I notice that Rein/Auron/Monikaros/Idon'tevenfuckingknowanymore is stroking the girl's hair, which... seems a little odd, even with my fish-outta-water syndrome. "Now I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly up to scratch on my Braelian social etiquette, given that I've been here all of ten minutes or so," I say with a perplexed grimace, "but I'm pretty sure that's... not cool."

I look down at the girl in the snow and grin apologetically. Last thing I want is the person who potentially has answers to be scared shitless of us as well. "Like, seriously. We just met this guy. I swear we don't know him. I'm not sure if he's a pathological liar or if he has some sort of multiple personality disorder. Honestly, I'm swaying between both right now."
 
Iliana could argued that just because he 'awoke' first, it didn't mean she was unconscious. Well she was for a while but it was exactly why she heard voices that she was able to wake up as well. And one of the words she have heard was Narnia not to mention the boy carried himself 'well' and was a bit too loud. But she remained quiet mostly because striving a conversation with him was not on her priority list. The less he knew about her, the less risk she had. Plus the more knowledge she could have the more she can use it to her advantage. So for the meantime playing the quiet girl was her role unless something where to happen.

Something in the air felt wrong and she stopped and gripped the hands of the kid as she looked around her surroundings. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary... well ordinary as it can be in here. As her eyes rested in front of her she also notice Harry's tense shoulders. I am not the only one. "We should...make camp somewhere" she inquired, trying to sound normal but her voice quivered a bit. Iliana had a lot of courage in her for the most part but now, that was a role she was trying hard to maintain. Fear struck her and she hurried forward and made a circle by Eindre as he stood by Auron.

They were all facing the girl now and Auron was stroking her head. Harry was right that just seemed wrong. Maybe it was a custom who knows. All Iliana wanted was to get out of this icy forest and go back to home sweet home. But to do that they all had to figure out how to. Time machine? A portal? The possibilities were endless. But what if we can't go back, what if I can't go back? Oh mother... she would be devastated. No! There is no way I am going to stay here for another day or week or month. The sooner we can take care of this the better it is for...everyone.
 
"Hey, if it isn't Little Bleeper, thought you went home already. I was just trying to get her to understand that I'm not here to hurt her, and this always helped when my sisters were upset and I had to calm them down.
My mother's a Braelian, and my father was knighted here, so I do know a fair share of Braelian customs, I just tend to not use them towards you because you give me a bad feeling, which still won't go away."
As he removed his hand, he leaned against the tree, shaking his head as he noticed how close Iliana seemed to that guy, before hearing a sound behind them that made his muscles tense and his hand instinctively go for his blade.
"Everyone stop moving for a minute. I think we've got company."

Not sooner had he said that, a wolf jumped at him from behind a nearby tree, grabbing hold of his left arm as he did what he could to shield the princess from its fangs and claws, finally being able to reach his sword and smack the beast with its rounded, edgeless sides, sending it flying before more began to circle the group, a frothy, white oozing down their chops, their pale eyes glowering at them from the trees all around them.

With a humorous, yet slightly spiteful, tone, Auron turned to his mentor and friend for advice on what to do next, already thinking of what should be done, but deciding it best to make sure before he ran into the fray.
"Well, Eindre, do we get the rest to safety while Bleep holds them off?"

After motioning towards a path in the wood, his tone became more mature and decisive, and his face became more serious, alluding that he may be more than he lets any of them think him to be.
"I have an idea. It's pretty stupid, but it'll make sure everyone has time to get away, so you protect the princess and the kids from any stragglers, and head for the castle when you can. I'll mwet you there later. I'm counting on you my friend. Good Luck."

As he stepped forward, he picked up a rock and threw it at the largest wolf he saw, which must've been the Alpha, as the rest of the pack seemed to follow it as it gave chase, causing Auron to run off, in the opposite direction of where the rest of the kids were, until he was out of sight, nearly the entire pack hot on his tail, the few that stayed behind slowly pacing around the others as if awaiting orders, not wanting to allow the group to leave without a fight.
 
Eindre, #0098FF
Eindre can't help but stare at Rein's antics. Proclaiming himself the son of dead nobility - dead, not missing, regardless of rumors to the contrary (he'd seen the body) - and now attacking invisible wolves?

"Clearly," the hunter observes as his (despite considerable protest) companion runs off into the woods, waving his weapon about, "he's been sampling his own attempts at alchemy again. Still," he continues, reaching out to heft the noble girl out of her snowbank, "He's right about one thing. You four aren't likely to stay warm very long in those clothes. There's an old Border Guard fort nearby, from the days when nomads still roamed the Iskani - it's a little run down nowadays, but it'll make for a decent shelter."

Eindre turns - in the opposite direction as Rein ran - and waves the four to follow him. "It's a bit of a walk, but there's firewood laid in, and it's better than freezing." he comments as he starts off, using his spear as a walking staff.
 
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SNOW COVERED SILLY GIRL, royalblue
She was surrounded! She most certainly did not believe the one man wasn't a pirate or a vagabond, especially when he patted her on the head. Or when he wanted to head them back towards the castle. The castle was the LAST place she wanted to go back to. That was a very bad place to be right now. When he ran off growling and shouting about wolves, she was near terrified to death. She didn't see or hear any wolves, but he was very serious about them.

...and of course, she was still surrounded by the others. Once she was helped out of the snowbank, she almost took off running alone in the woods. In fact, the only reason she hadn't was because the foreigners looked about her age and she was curious. Curiosity was kind of hard to turn off, that was why she was there in the first place.

Since the one guard was not leading them towards the castle, she caught up to his heels, giving the foreigners a leery stare now and then. HE hadn't recognized her yet, which was good. Maybe he assumed the other man was completely mad. She sort of thought so too. "Do you have drinks too? I would like hot drinks."
 
HARRY BLACK, green
Seems I may have struck a nerve or six with my light-hearted and extremely witty banter, going by ReAuMoId's reaction to my arrival. But then I did just call the man mental, and even if the shoe is indeed a most snug fit on that metaphorical foot I may wish to be slightly more careful. After all, dude's got a fucking sword at his side.

Of course, this is before he starts hollering about wolves and waving his sword around.

I stare after the shouting man who's disappearing into the thick, ominous trees once again, an utterly dumbfounded look upon my face. I turn this look towards Eindre. Then back to the rapidly vanishing shape of ReAuMoId. The gears in my head are turning; the jokes are there, waiting to spew forth like a broken dam, but confusion seems to be holding my tongue. Finally, I just sigh and throw my hands up.
"I got nothing. I literally haven't even the foggiest idea as to what the hell even to say to that. This is a new one for me, I will admit."

Eindre's at least got a good idea of what to do, it seems, pointing out that there's a potential place of shelter not too far from where we're at. But there's one thing we seem to be forgetting. "I gotta say, warm fires and everything do sound really goddamn tempting. But there is that whole gaggle of students, teachers and tour guides lying outside that cave we appeared outside. We should probably help them too, y'know, before they freeze to death." I pull my thinking face for a second. "Except that one guide who kept saying stalactite like it was the greatest word in the English language. We can totally leave her behind if you wanna.

"And whilst I'm remembering?" I peer round Eindre's massive frame to look at the girl we seem to have inadvertently rescued with our timely arrival. "I'm Harry, by the way. Nice to meet you and stuff. See? We can do normal human being greetings and everything. Now with 100% less creepy hair-stroking."
 
As he went deeper into the forest, the wolves gave up the chase, leaving him standing in a small clearing, thinking back to the odd looks he was given as he lured the wolves away. Realizing what had happened, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes.
"Great, I was the only one that saw them. This is happening way too often for my liking. Ever since I got here, my magic's been going out of control, producing all sorts of creatures and things that only I can see, so people are starting to think I'm crazy. That 'healing salve' was just water and magic, but I doubt anyone'd believe me, since magic seems to have been forgotten by most here for some reason. The look on Eindre's face when I mentioned my father was odd as well, but my dad gave me this sword when he told me about how he ended up on Brael and how he and mom met, so I should see if anyone knows about this crest, or if anyone knows the truth of why so many people can't see magic. The royal family might know, but they'll probably think that I'm crazy too, won't they? I guess there's only one way to find out."

As he sheathed his sword, he began walking towards the large structure in the distance, the magical energies around him pushing down on him as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Upon reaching the castle, he saw guards standing watch ouside the gates, their weapons at the ready as he approached.
When he went to draw his blade, there seemed to be an odd look on the soldiers' faces when they saw the crest on the scabbard, lowering their weapons and lettting him pass.
"Well, that was weird, where the heck am I?"

Unexpectedly, a voice rang out from what felt like the back of his mind, as the great castle walls faded to reveal himself standing in the middle of the ruins of a once great castle, vines and moss now covering most of its interior.
'You're at the ruins of a palace that should have been your own.'

He didn't want to believe the voice, but he decided to keep listening, wondering what the strange voice would say next.

'You are the child of the former rulers of this land, when magic was seen by all, and where life was much easier. After your mother went to your world with your father, they unwittingly shut off the source of magic in this kingdom. The beasts still have meat that needs not be cooked, and the rivers still flow from the ever freezing mountains, but no one is able to control magic like they were once able to. The reason for the others being so skeptical of you is because, despite the people here being long lived, their memories of you and your parents were altered when they left for the other world. You weren't born on Earth, but here in Brael, and the crest on your blade is proof of that. The wisdom of a wolf and the courage of a lion, that is what earned your father that crest, that is what became the symbol that this world has forgotten. I can teach you how to do more than just make simple spells using water, I can make you into a true mage, my son.'

As he took in the words of the voice, the last words rang in his ears. "Mother? But how?"

'All in due time, my child, all in due time.'
Upon hearing those words, his eyes fell shut and he fell onto the cold floor, lifeless, yet somehow still alive.
 
Odd. Everything that was happening around her was odd. Auron chasing invisible wolves was enough to put her on edge about strangers. If he was acting like that what made her think Eindre and this girl wouldn't? Iliana had to keep a close eye on them and expect the unexpected. Once again, and she hated to admit, Harry was right. Their counselor, tour guide, and some other kids where still covered in snow, probably dying of hypothermia or real wolves. "Eindre, we have to help them" she said as she caught up to him and tugged on his arm for attention. "Don't you have any ropes or plywood that we could use to put their bodies in and dragged them with us?"

Iliana's eyes met the girls and she couldn't help but stare. It was like she was looking at an exotic bird, strange and beautiful. "H-hello..." she said smiling friendly. Every one was introducing themselves out of respect and politeness so she thought it was a good idea to do the same "I'm Iliana, no worries...I don't bite" she chuckled then gave a stern look at Harry and Eindre. But maybe they do... who knows? A shivered came through her body and she sighed. It was getting colder by the second and they were still in the middle of the forest. They needed to think of something and move fast before night time.
 
The company of soldiers move towards the slumped figures that surround the mouth of the cave, immaculate and expansive blue uniforms hidden beneath armour and furs to ward off the cold.

Their movement is professional, practised, that of career soldiers and experienced veterans at that. But there's an uneasiness to their steps amidst the snow; this is not a climate that they are used to, even if they have received training for it. Armed with heavy-set and beautifully-crafted pikes, they wear swords on their sides and shields across their backs.

This is an honour guard. The elite of a well-funded, well-trained army.

Behind them, watching the manoeuvre, is a duo on horseback. The first rides a jet-black mount, an immaculately bred creature that must have taken years of work and no small investment. He himself is a small man, swathed in cloak and furs, beautiful blue clothes peeking out amidst all the means to ward off the cold. He looks uncomfortable in this weather, ill-at-ease, constantly stroking his goatee or else rubbing his hands together.

By his side, also mounted but on not quite so prestigious a horse, is a completely bald woman draped in thin purple shawls. In contrast to her companion, if this woman is experiencing any discomfort from the snow she refuses to show it; she sits atop her horse, watching the soldiers move forwards with an utterly deadpan face. The only thing that seems to snap her from her stare is the screech of an eagle, promptly followed by the arrival of such a bird itself.

Snapping up an arm absent-mindedly, the predator bird lands on it and offers up a leg: a note has been carefully tied to it. The bald woman removes the note and scans it as the eagle takes off.
"News from the castle, my lord," she reports, a bored and dispassionate voice, like your least favourite school teacher combined with a DMV worker. Her companion's voice, by contrast, is animated and lively, heavily accented.
"Excellent, is most good. Have they succeeded?"

There is a pause.

"They have everything that is needed." Another pause. "But the girl has slipped the net." At this, the immaculately-dressed man blazes.
"Radi boga! They had one job!" One look from the woman at his side, however, and he quietens suddenly. "What is to be done, then?"
"What is already being done," the woman reminds him dismissively, "it is my belief that this region is where she is most likely to have wound up. And on these matters, I am never wrong. She cannot be far, we just need to keep looking. And I believe we may have stumbled across some answers." She spurs her horse forwards. "Shall we, my lord?" There's a strange tone to the last two words, an almost sneering quality. But the man does not seem to notice, following along in the robed woman's wake without complaint as the soldiers finish encircling the unconscious recent arrivals at the mouth of the cave.




HARRY BLACK, green
I return Iliana's glare with a grin.
"What? Of course I don't bite, stupid! I'm the charming and friendly sort, me. I dunno if we even need planks of wood or any of that shit. Just get them on their feet and then get the fuck outta there, before wolves or the cold or whatever the hell decides to come down and ruin our lovely day out in the goddamn snow."

I stare around at the white, powdery substance at our feet with a frown.

"I mean, I used to like snow. But I gotta say, I'm quickly going off the stuff right now."
 
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STRANGE CONFUSED NOBLE GIRL, royalblue
That boy talked so strangely. The girl did too, but not nearly with such an odd accent and peculiar choice of words. Since everyone had paused, she paused too, tilting her head a bit to ponder the predicament of the apparently still unconscious people back at the caves. Going back for them would be the right thing to do... but then she was not so sure it was the SAFE thing to do.

Really, she should not be talking to any of these people. But now that she was aware that a madman was running around in the icy forests, she felt it might have been safer stay with these people than wandering off on her own.

"My name is Amberosa. Amber will do. Perhaps once we have reached a warm place, word could be sent to someone about the other people...?" She was looking up at Eindre for confirmation, assuming he would know all the right things to do. And hoping his idea did not involve going somewhere she could be recognized or spotted.
 
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