Wyndamir: The Requiro Stone

[ScarletNova]

OOC: https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/wyndamir-the-requiro-stone-ooc-sign-ups.54528/

"Come on your so slow!" Vera said to Azura.

"Stop walking so fast then, where are you even going?" Azura replied.

"I don't know, somewhere!" Vera turned back to the demon girl behind her, walking backwards and smiling with a small chuckle.

"You're troublesome."

"Bah, that's why you love me." Vera turned back around, spreading out her hands playfully in the air, then putting them down.

Azura didn't respond back, just continued to walk behind Vera. They were on a path, heading towards Avaton. It was the next town before they went on a boat to another continent. So far their search for the stone was ending nowhere, and their clues didn't seem to lead anywhere. All they could do was try to check every possible place and hope for the best. Though, without knowing what happened to it, it was even possible that the stone was already with someone and could be traveling to places. That meant that going to each place might end up useless.

All they could do was try their best with finding it, Vera had nothing else to do anyway. Without knowing where she came from, it wasn't like she could just go home and enjoy herself. Instead, she needed to figure out where that was first, and the stone seemed to be the only way. Luckily, she was finally having help, well…if you called a sometimes insane demon girl good company.

 

[Drago]

"Hmmm…. But that's not right. Maybe I was supposed to go left, instead of right and then….but, no……" Blitz wandered through random wilderness, with a crumpled map in hand and a quizzical look on his face. Behind him stretched massive black wings that nearly shone from the brilliant sun that rested overhead. He raised a hand to his mouth, scratching his chin in deep thought. His expression of confusion changed to one almost reminiscent of disappointment, "This is why you don't trust shady men in alleys who offer you maps to mystical artifacts. I should've been able to tell with this one." He immediately turned around, tracing back his steps across the wilderness using the crumpled piece of paper as a shield against the sun that was now in his eyes.

While he picked his way back step by step straining to remember the steps he'd taken that led to him getting lost in the middle of nowhere, he also thought deeply about where his next clue would be. His thoughts quickly changed to him talking with himself, as they often did when he found himself alone in the middle of nowhere, "Three months and all I've got is a bunch of useless maps to places that don't exist. A new 'lead' here, another 'experienced artificer' there. Pfft, this place is full of cons." Complaining about the lack of sincerity from his leads, he couldn't help but to crack a smile, "But one must know a thief to tell one no?" He patted his carrying bag, a large leather sac that hung low beneath his wings off a strap slung across his shoulder. In the bag rested a library of maps of various places, as well as a large sack of money. "Nothing gained, nothing lost I guess" He thought naively to himself, remembering how he'd acquired his collection of maps, and a portion of the money. There was no chance he would pay the ridiculous price the con men asked for, so using some swift thinking and precise movements, he managed to pocket most of his collection and a healthy profit off the merchants.

Sighing he stopped and looked down to the map. The smell of ink and mildew wafted from the parchment. Whoever made the map obviously put a lot of effort into it's authenticity, which probably aided the fact that it cost an arm and a leg when he spotted it. "Avaton eh……" Blitz addressed the writing placed in a fancy font at the top of the map which , minus the large symbol that was supposed to be the location of the artifact, provided an otherwise accurate reading of the surrounding area of the town. "So, this way. Yup, definitely this way. Probably." Blitz wandered off in a direction, hoping he'd be correct.

 

[Haruka]

Melody calmly walked down the streets of Avaton, her face showing complete indifference even though all eyes were on her as she passed by.It was no surprise that she was getting a lot of attention, especially with her bright-fading-to-dark pink hair and unusual clothing that exposed 3/4 of her front body, which never failed to tease a pervert and get them to check her out from head to toe.Despite this, she always kept a calm, if not emotionless, expression as if she didn't notice what they were up to to begin with.

Faint mumbles were heard from the paused passers-by as they spotted the pink-haired stranger.Finally, a resident who seemed to be in his early 30's decided to walk up to her, though this did not really stop the mumbling."Uh, hello miss!A traveler, maybe?Welcome to our humble town!" the man welcomed, attempting to get in sync with Melody who just continued her slow-phased walking despite the man's presence.The man tried to get her attention again."Um...is there anything I may help you with...miss..?"

Melody finally paused, but she did not face the man.Instead, she just stood there silent, and at the same time the crowd's mumbling toned down.

"...I'm hungry"
"Wh-...excuse me..?"

Melody finally turned to face the man, her calm expression and soft small voice screaming "innocent" right at everyone's faces."Can you please show me the nearest restaurant here?"

The man stared at her for a moment in awe, probably stunned by how cute and innocent her voice sounded, even though she felt like a threat to the town just a few moments ago.Then finally he snapped out of it."I-uh, o-of course.Right this way.."

And just like that, Melody ended up tailing the man as he led her to a famous restaurant people like going to, and she continued on seeming oblivious from the people's stares, whether they were looking at the exposed part of her chest or her as a whole.

 

[loviebeest]

A small panicked scream could be heard in the depst of the forest before it was cut off and the silence of singing birds and rustling nature could be heard again. Eira had finally caught her breakfast semi lunch in the form of a rabbit and was now enjoying her prey. The hunts had been meager for a while now, making her eat the rabbit with much relief as it was a huge catch. She stopped eating and cautiously looked up when she heard some unknown rustling near by. Slowly she licked her maw while carefully walking closer to the sound. Whatever it was, she needed to chase it away. It was her territory, it had already been a year since she claimed one of the forests between Frolencia and Avanton. There was more rustling a bit further this time, still cautious she looked trough some bushes. Her view was mostly blocked by the leaves but she didn't push them away, knowing that it would make enough sound to betray her presence. The moment she was able to catch a glimpse she jumped back and ran a completely different direction, leaving her meal for what it was.

It took a while for her to calm down and think about what happened. She had seen them, the black feathers. Did he find me? That can't be, he promised. It took her a few more moments to think rationally again. No, it probably wasn't him. There are more people passing by than normal, it could have been anyone. After sitting down she realized what she had done, she regretted leaving the rabbit behind. It was getting troublesome and annoying to Always leave behind her meals because of the many travellers. Maybe it's time for me to find a new spot. Maybe the mountains near Miston are a good idea. I haven't heard about any territory battles near there. Her hunger slowly grew again as she was thinking and making a decision. The birds were singing and Eira got distracted by the many voices around her, the delicious voices of fat birds made her even more hungry.

After a while of thinking and being distracted she stood up and shook herself free from the dirt and leaves that were still sticking to her. Let's just head to Avanton for now. I can make further travel decisions when I get closer. Once she smelled the air for obvious city smells and then quickly picked up her pace to Avanton. Only one thing really bothered her about the plan. She had to bother to be in her human form if she wanted to travel across big waters. Wich was just a pain in the neck for her.

 

[Bullshovic Donkeykick]

Brilliant shafts of sunlight cascaded through the canopy overhead, casting a beautiful array of sunspots upon the leaf-strewn path. The sound of sandals treading over scattered rocks and twigs crackled softly throughout the wooded trail that lead to Avaton, masked slightly by the sound of the wind and the occasional high-pitched giggles of a water fairy. This beautiful creature of the fae was currently accompanying a young man named Maxwell along this path. For the past few hours, the two had journeyed together, playing with one another as if they were old friends. And why is this? Why would a water fairy choose to follow some unimportant human? Simply put, he was much more than a human. He was a fae friend, as the magical stick in his hand spoke plainly. When the fairy had seen the boy wandering through Silverca on his way to the crossing, she immediately sensed the power of the fae rested with him. Ever since, Brook had pledged her cause to his. What cause might this be? Well, what else? To find the Requiro stone!

As the miles stretched on ahead of them, Brook had taken to entertaining Max with various displays of fairy magic. Fantastic fun it was, and it helped to pass the time. At times she would cause it to rain flavored raindrops over their heads. Occasionally, she made clones of them, formed out of the purest water that only a water fairy could conjure. Their watery likenesses would then look at them briefly, laugh with great joy and then disperse into a shower of sparkling water drops. At the moment, however, she was simply giggling and floating around Max's head, tugging his hair playfully. Looking up at her and smiling, Max held out his free hand, the other occupied by his magical heirloom. "Come Brook, and rest awhile! You've been hovering for an awfully long time. We still have a bit of plodding to do and I wouldn't want you to go and tucker yourself out too badly." She smiled a glowing smile and took his hand gracefully, blue wings slightly ruffling his face as he drew her near. Pulling her in, Max set her on his shoulders. Giggling as she settled into the crook of his neck, she held her tiny hand up to her mouth, blowing a flurry of multicolored bubbles into the air. As the bubbles floated ahead, they each magically changed into little bubble animals that then proceeded to run alongside them on the path.

Laughing and sticking out his walking stick, Max gathered all of the little bubble animals up. Making tiny animal noises, the bubble creatures leapt towards Brook, absorbing into her pale skin with a flurry of magic. Brook sighed contentedly as the magic returned to her, resting her head onto the back of Max's neck. Grinning at the fairy and her adorable antics, Max looked out a ways ahead of them, surveying their location. They seemed to be drawing near to the town now, as bits of cobblestone began to appear amidst the dirt trail they walked. "Not far now!" Max said excitedly. Increasing his pace and taking a deep breath, Max closed his eyes briefly. The sound of his lost loved ones speaking words of encouragement to him cut through the stillness of his mind, causing his heart to leap a bit. Sighing softly, his eyes opened again. A small voice then whispered in his ear.

"Mr Max sir!" Brook said in a tiny, yet melodic voice. "I can smell the magic from the stone. It wafts through the air, whispering secrets. Yup! Yup! Mmhmm! I sense it sir. Not close by, but softly. Yes, softly like the touch of the first raindrops during a storm. Yes! I do believe we are heading in the right direction Mr Max!"

 

[WhiteBane]

It was a peaceful day in Sia, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everyone was out and about the town going on with their business. It seemed peaceful as usual while people went about their rounds, either buying or selling goods, talking with friends, children playing in the streets, bachelors and bachelorettes flirting, and it was just around all a good place to be during this time. That was until a dust cloud and the thundering sound of metal greaves made their way towards the town square with a peculiar man with brown hair, amber eyes, and dressed in unusual attire looked to be leading the dust cloud which seemed to be a massive group of guards and officers following him. Getting a better look at the man many fled into their homes or hid behind crates or another person nearby, it was Jiro Blackwing the notorious criminal and number one on the most wanted list in all the regions combined.

"Stop you scoundrel!"

"Stop in the name of the law, pay up for your crimes and sins, Jiro!"

"Someone block his path, there is a huge reward for that bastard's head!"

"Sheesh, you kill the mayor of the town who was in league with a bunch of baddies planning on ransacking the town and this is the thanks you get? Talk about ungrateful buggers." The man ,Jiro, sighed to himself while running down street after street and taking several alleys in hopes of losing his pursuers. "Though I guess it wasn't really a smart idea on my part to openly kill him in front of so many witnesses, oh well, once they go through his office I'm sure they'll see what he's been up to. At least I managed to get my payment and swiped an extra bonus off the now deceased mayor." Chuckling, he jumped through an open window, tore through the home and then arrived at another street where he turned left. "Now, just need to get out of here and off to Frolencia I'll go."

"There you are you fiend, everyone he's over here! We have him trapped now!" An officer appeared out of now where and shouted, waving his sword in the air. Looking around Jiro realized in fact he had not picked the smartest place to appear, there were only two waves out and now they were both blocked as the guards and officers closed in on him. Then he looked up and smirked seeing he could always go with his third option; up and out. Suddenly, he could feel his bones grow and change as he gained height, mass, and a lot of hair too which changed from its usual brown to a light blue with white fur going overtop his shoulders. Minutes later after his body had fully changed he was now in the form of his old nemesis, Ashran; The Great Werewolf. With an amused look and a flick of his tail the new Jiro jumped into the air and using his claws he easily scaled the wall until he was now running and jumping around the roof tops.

"I knew taking this form would have its use someday." His voice, completely changed by the transformation, said to the wind as he reached the other side of the town and hurtled himself off the last house and into the forest. From there he changed back into a man continued to make his way through the dense vegetation until he was a good number of miles away from Sia and stepped out onto the road while pulling out a cloak and wrapping it around himself to conceal his clothing. "Next stop, Frolencia." Pulling the hood of his face, the 'criminal' started on his way down the path and to his next destination.

 

[Viceroy]

The two brothers walked down the streets of Avaton with calm demeanors, though Holt was only being like this because his older brother Hugh had threatened to punch his lights out if he didn't obey. The hyperactive personality of his was overwhelming and he constantly tapped his foot and biting his lip, barely keeping himself from running around or talking to people. They soon found a tavern by the name of ''The Three-Headed Dog'', which they entered and rent out a room for the night. But until then, they sat down at a table and helped themselves to some drinks. Hugh had a cup of mead and Holt had.. orange juice. Even though they were brothers, they rarely ever talked and often spent most days with little talk.

After finishing his mead, he rolled his eyes. Scanning the room for anyone interesting or ''unique'' in appearance. It was a game he played, judging people by how they looked and making jokes about them behind their backs.

 

[loviebeest]

Eira her forest was a bit close to Avanton, she was never really happy with that despite the good hunting ground. With her pace she was now already close enough to see the many roads making their path trough the forest to the city. Those roads she never walked on, preferring the soft forestground under her paws. Instead she ran alonside them, keeping them in sight to easier get to the city without really having to use her instincts. As soon as there appeared more stones in the road she slowed down and smelled the air again. It should be here somewhere... Hmmm... this way. She turned away from the road and went a bit deeper in the forest. She went farther away from the road but closer to the city, in the end she stopped near an unmarked tree, at least it was unmarked for anyone but her. Relaxed with no haste she walked around the tree and started digging. She didn't have to dig deep down to find a dirt encrusted pouch. with a human hand she picked it up, loosened the leather lace and counted the money inside the pouch. Eira quickly checked if everything was still in there and if it was enough. Hmmm... one boat, trip four nights in a cheap tavern and I will hunt for my meals. Should be alright. She tightened the lace again and put the pouch in her mouth before turning back into a fox and ran to the city. Her change was swift and painless, as it should be for every healthy shifter.

At the edge of the forest she halted and looked at the city for a moment. Oh, how she hated cities. There were to many people to really smell anything or be able to flee if neccesary, no food was ever fresh and than she was ignoring the sleeping places that came with it. She sighed before she shifted in her human form. Whenever she shifted it went fluently and it just looked like she was shedding hair. With one hand she grabbed the pouch from her mouth while with the other she tugged a bit on her pants. The pants felt uncomfortable for her even tough it was her own fur, she was a bit glad that her fur didn't change into a skirt like with the most female shifters. After making the pants a bit comfortable she started walking and attached her pouch to her belt. She tried to ignore the bother of her human form as much as possible while she entered the city.

The left behind rabbit started to take it's toll on her body while she was walking around in the city. Something to eat would be nice. Eira looked around and saw a few tavers spread out over the street. One looked really expensive while some looked like you would get ill from just entering. Without hurry she looked at the names that were hanging from the side of the taverns. The three headed dog, this one looks alright. She entered the tavern and went straight to the bar where she sat on one of the stools. "Cider, mead and a meal." Was the only thing she said while she placed a silver on the counter, she didn't have anything smaller. After she had placed the silver she kept a watchfull eye on her pouch. She was soon given cider and mead but no meal, it was not ready yet said the bartender with a grumpy face. The service is as good as the counter is clean. Ignoring the manners soon after she reached for the cider and mead, taking a swallow from both of them. A smile spread on her face after tasting them both. This I did miss about my human form, the delicious drinks. Thank god I can handle drinks. And she took another swallow from both of them.

 

[Bullshovic Donkeykick]

The rhythmic sound of his own footsteps began to lull Max into somewhat of a stupor. The woodlands had fallen far behind them now. Max and Brook currently traversed a cobblestone road, bordered by short and tough grassland. It was obviously one of the trade routes leading into Avaton, judging by all the horse droppings scattered about, yet they had seen not a soul on the road for a few miles. Stifling a yawn, Max tried to shake off his weariness. To no avail. Walking stick clicking hypnotically alongside him as he barreled ahead, with Brook fast asleep on his shoulders, Max began to daydream. The road ahead of him melted away in his dream state, making way for a solitary tunnel of light. Stars wheeled at speed overhead, not caring for the limits of time. An object at the end of the tunnel began to drift slowly toward him. Blinking furiously, Max tried to make it out. It seemed to grow hazy as he did. The harder he tried to identify it, the dimmer it became. Suddenly, a voice erupted through his self-made illusion.

"Mr Max sir! Wake up! Now isn't the best time for a nap, you know."

Shaking violently at the sound of Brook's voice, Max opened his eyes. He seemed to have fallen to the ground from exhaustion. Reaching his hand up to his head, he felt a bit of gravel that had embedded itself upon impact. Wincing, Max pulled the rocks out gingerly. Looking to Brook, he noticed the fairy had sustained a bruise on her arm from the little tumble. Recomposing himself quickly, Max stood up and brushed himself off.

"I'm sorry Brook!" Max said genuinely. "I couldn't seem to catch my head before it escaped into the clouds."

Picking up his walking stick from where it fell, Max smiled. As soon as it came into his hands, the wound on his head shrank to nothing. Closing his eyes, Max willed the healing that coursed through his arm to extend towards Brook. A small giggle popped out of her mouth. White light flowed gently from Max's arm, walking stick glowing all the while, and proceeded to mend the fairy. Opening his eyes, Max saw that Brook had been healed as well.

"No need to trouble yourself, silly!" Brook said lightly, wings sparkling in the sunlight. "I love naps too!" Brook bit her lip as she said this. "Only, cobblestone roads aren't my favorite place to take them."

Chuckling, Max set off in stride once more towards the town with Brook fluttering close behind. Only one more hour had passed when they finally reached their destination. The town of Avaton loomed ahead of them, smoke and sounds rising into the air above it. A town crier shouted loudly of events Max had heard nothing about as they entered the city. Blacksmiths, traders, common folk and guards roved the streets, each going about their daily business. Feeling slightly claustrophobic, Max's eyes darted about for a place where they could purchase a meal and sleep for the night. Looking back to the crowd, Max noticed that many heads had turned to look at Brook. It was rare for people to see one of the fae, especially in the towns of men. All around children gaped in wonder, women looked on enviously and men gawked lustfully. Brook was oblivious to all this of course, seeing as how she was just as fascinated with all of the people as they were with her.

On the edge of town, a friendly looking tavern caught Max's eye. With a wooden sign that read "The Three-Headed Dog" and depicted a canine with three heads, foaming at the mouths, it seemed as good a place as any. Without hesitation, Max strode towards the tavern and entered. Giving a sheepish smile to the patrons as many eyes turned towards him, Max made quickly for the taverns stained oak bar. Brook was standing on his shoulders, staring at a woman who had fairly animal-like features, a gleeful expression on her luminous face.

"I can sense you, shifter." Brook said innocently to the woman. "What brings you out of the wild? I left the forest to follow fae friend: Max. He's looking for the Requiro stone you know!" Brook said loudly, unaware of the attention she was gathering. "I sense it is near; but I cannot feel if near is really far." Eyes brightening, the fairy smiled sweetly. "Do you know where it is?"

Max panicked as he heard what Brook was saying. Hurriedly, Max paid for the meals and room, quickly lifting his hand up to shush Brook.

Maintaining a calm composure, Max looked to the wild-looking woman and spoke a little too fast for his liking.

"I am so sorry about that miss! Beggin' your pardon plenty. My woodland friend here is a little delirious from our journey and tends to tell fantastic tales when she's sleepy. As such, she could do with a bit of food and a nice, long NAP."

The last word he spoke sharply. Brook winced and smiled like a child caught in the act of pilfering cookies.

 

[GreatSalmon]

And just like that, Melody ended up tailing the man as he led her to a famous restaurant people like going to,

**Fitting music**

A single swift kick slamming the door open was enough to get the customers' attention. In the doorway stood a short, stout woman. Her eyes narrowed on the taverns people, her arms flinging outward as to relay a message. "EVERYONE! Make some noise! For your problems are at an end," Some of the audience looked at each other in question before returning their gazes back to the intruder. "the Blinded Loveblade is lookin' for ladies,"

Silence filled the room, save for the neigh of a horse outside.

"...in Avaton too, as in, THIS Avatonian town!" Bard kept her expression of excitement, trying to sell the hero to the crowd. From behind her a taller figure approached, embarrassment once again plastered on his face as he brushed past her. Bard posed her body to point at the man in a dramatic fashion. "Do you not see that sexy stride?! That sexy man? Sure he's as red as a ripe tomato on farmer's market day, but witness his stunning ... prowess! Bask in his amazing, blinded, lovebladed, Valened glory! And also mine, because he's my side-gah!" Valen at this point grabbed her pointing arm, pulling her away from the doorway and out of her speech. It took awhile, about four seconds, for the restaurant to liven up with chatter once more.

Valen dragged her to the back of the tavern as to avoid anymore attention, and the two sat down. With a glare and hushed voice he spoke to her, "Request; Stop doing that every time we go somewhere," Bard's grin widened, her ears flopped down in content. "Just doing my job boss,"
"Making me look,"

"Majestic? Stunning? Heroic?"

"like some jackass?" Bard retrieved the lute from her back, tuning it absentmindedly as they talked. "I just think people should know the awesomeness of the great Blinded Love,"
"That's another thing, stop calling me that. You make me sound like some helpless, love obsessed, love deprived child!" She snicked from his comment. Her attention changed to that of the waitress when she arrived. Before she could even speak, Bard had already barked out her order in excitement: "Everything~" She blinked in confusion. "Did you even look at the menu-"
"Don't care. No questions. Hungry warriors," She nodded happily, her dog-like ears flopping up and down. "Um... alright," When the waitress scampered off, Bard turned back to Valen. She could sense his frustration, and felt bad for her sidekick. "I don't mean to embarrass ya boss, you know we're in this together!" Valen sighed the last of his anger away, his fingers tapped in boredom against the surface of the table. They quietly waited for their food; the only sounds from their table being the soft strumming of Bard's lute.

Then the thought crept into Valen's mind. "Wait... how the hell am I going to pay for that?"

 

[100 % Snek]

Darkness Falls upon the land of Wyndamir. A seemingly normal night, or at least as normal as it can be. On this night, Nocturne prowls, hidden in the shadows and searching for a meal. He searches for a dreamer, someone who is asleep and having a wonderful dream.

"I sense a dream. Where are you?" Nocturne finds a small house out in a field. The nearest city was Avaton. It sat right along the road which travelers would use to get there. Nocturne did not care for this though, no one could know who would have killed this man when he was done. He goes around the house, circling it until he finds an opening. He sees a window on the second floor open, and slowly floats up to it to see if anyone is inside. It was exactly what he was hoping for. The bedroom, a couple lay in bed together, in a deep sleep. "So, you dream of each other, how cute....How, easy." He comes next to the bed and grabs the mans head, entering his mind. Nocturne takes the mans dream, turning all the good things the man thought up into a horrible nightmare. The first to go was the man's vision of his wife, turning her into a hideous monster that attacks the man, the next to go, the surroundings. The light-filled, sunny field is turned into a dreary swamp with mangled trees whose branches seem like claws. Finally, the man loses his very consciousness, for as he screams out for help in the dream, Nocturne himself enters. "Thank you, for your.....Donation. Sweet Dreams." Impaling him on his arm blades, Nocturne leaves the dream. Satisfied with his feast. He decides to wait a few days before taking the wife. "Your time will come, but I must wait, for I am full. And it will take time before you can dream of anything sweet now."

Nocturne flies into the attic, seeping through the wood like mist. There he waits, until he feels the wife is ready to be taken... Or until something else of interest happens.

 

[Drago]

"Ok, so that's the tree marked here with the squiggly line, so just over here should be the city. Definitely." He reassured himself. He flapped his wings, a pleasant whoosh sounding through the air. The rush of wind cooled his warming body helping to battle the sun. Over the whoosh he heard a rustle, one that stood out among the others that was caused by his gust of wind. He turned his head glaring at a bush which, although all those around it had stopped, still shook. Immediately he retracted his wings into his back, an interesting sight. The wings first grew smaller, before the lines distinguishing each individual jet black feather started to blur together, and an eerie dark glow began to emanate from them. Then Poof, the wings vanished, leaving but a single feather that fell slowly to the ground.

He crouched low and made his way carefully over to the bush, picking his way slowly across the landscape of the forest floor. He raised his hand, ready to intercept any beast or creature that he suspected to burst from the bush and attack him. He made it to the bush without this happening and slowly stopped, a foot or so from it. It had stopped shaking. He glared at it, then without hesitation, jumped through it expecting to find an ambush of some sorts behind, perhaps paid for by one of the angry con men he'd nicked his maps from. He brought his foot down hard, nearly tripping as his foot hit something, uneven ground he assumed, before quickly positioning himself into a battle stance. A sickening crunch could be heard, and he felt a warm fluid squirt up on to his pant leg. He lowered his hands realizing all was safe.

He took a deep breath and nearly retched in disgust from the strange smell of blood and fur mixed with earth that wafted from his foot. He slowly looked down to see a rather disturbing sight. All he could see was the body of a rabbit extending to the right from his shoe, as well as a bit of rather grotesque facial features strewn across the floor from the crushed skull under his shoe. Slowly, he moved his shoe a little, and heard a revolting squishing sound come from underneath. His facial expression displayed one of curiosity. "A rabbit?" Confused he took a couple steps forwards, deciding it was best not to turn around and look at it, "Did I just kill a rabbit…. by crushing its skull?" The idea of it seemed odd, though likely to him. Slowly he began to walk away and shook his head, "No surely not…"

From then his thoughts of the rabbit slowly drifted from his mind and were replaced once more with questions. Finally after quite some time of wandering about the forest he emerged from the trees, witnessing what represented to him salvation for his aching feet and his grumbling stomach. He walked towards the city of Avaton, with some stained blood on his leg and a little bit of entrails making squishing noises beneath his feet. As he walked through the town he gave a friendly smile and a small nod to any he passed, who in turn stared at him with shocked looks on their face as he made his way through the city step by step. As he walked along the side of the roads observing the shops around him he sighed, "The Stone can wait I need to rest." Squish squish squish, the noise coming from under his feet slowly faded away as the source began to fall from the bottom of his shoe. He'd given up trying not to look like a murderer to those he passed and instead was looking up at the signs that lined the side of the street, "The Three Headed Dog eh?" He smirked observing the unimpressive state of the building before him, "It'll do"

He swung open the door and searched for a seat, finding one beside a woman who was being talked to by a floating….He squinted closer. Fairy? Fairy. He sat down on the other side of the woman placing his arms on the bar and resting face down in them. Shortly after he rose one of his arms, leaving the other as a pillow for his head, "Great sticky counters. This day has gone splendid." The bartender who had his eye on him since he'd entered the tavern with blood stained jeans approached, "D'you want somethin'?" He asked, clearly not pleased about having to serve him. " Get me whatever. Food. Drink. Just make sure it's not tap water and manure." He reached his free hand which was still sticky from the counter down into his pack, grabbing a random coin and throwing it on the table. The bartender's eyes sparkled and he greedily took the coin off the counter, "I expect change." Blitz lifted his head from his arms, glaring towards the barkeep, "And if you rip me off," He smiled, deciding to take advantage of an unfortunate situation, "Well, you saw my pants didn't you?" The bartender hurried away, fear in his eyes. Blitz chuckled a little before resuming his relaxed state.

 

[ScarletNova]

"Finally!" Vera let out a shout when the road was beginning to stone over. She had thought that she had picked the wrong way to go and might end up getting lost. It wasn't fun either that Azura never helped with navigation. Anyway, after some time and with the night starting in the sky too, Azura and Vera ended up in Avaton. Feeling her stomach growl telling her it was in need of food, she decided to drag Azura over to the neared place for food. Without even a sigh or remark Azura followed Vera.

Vera pushed open the door, hearing the chattering of people while they ate. Vera surveyed the area around them, trying to decide where the best place would be for them to sit. Moving past others, she brought Azura over to a table and took a seat. "I am so tired of walking everywhere." She complained once she sat down.

"Then stop running around when were trying to head to each place, you would use less energy." Azura said almost in a whisper.

"But that's no fun." Vera responded, calling the waiter over. She ordered her food, and also for Azura knowing that the demon girl wouldn't answer the waiter's question on what she wanted. If he kept going, Azura just might go and curse the guy. "Do you think there's actually a three headed dog here?"

"No." Azura replied.

"Geez, I was just joking." Vera stuck out her tongue at Azura. Meanwhile, Azura just didn't care.

 

[Haruka]

"Well miss,here we are" The man gestured to the tavern obviously trying to sound as natural as possible.It was probably nerve-wracking for him to be around Melody who kept quiet and expressionless the whole time he walked her through the town."Thank you" she simply said,examining the outside of the place as she listened to the chattering of the people inside.She probably didn't even notice the man leave...or rather sprint away.

She casually went inside and stopped for a moment,letting the door close by itself as she scanned the place for an empty table.Finally spotting one in a corner,she walked towards it.The lively conversations of the people in the restaurant slowly started to fade into murmurs as they looked at Melody like some kind of rare creature people don't usually see,and in this case she sort of is since she didn't seem to really blend in with her bright colors.

When she turned around and sat down,a waiter quickly walked up to her,and at the same time the silence was replaced by the same jolly talks she heard before she came in."Greetings,young miss.What would you wish to have this fine evening?" the waiter asked,holding out a menu to her.Melody leaned over,putting a finger over her lip as she skimmed through it."These" She pointed to what seemed like curry first,and then she ran her finger to something else,and then to a peach-colored beverage.The waiter,who seemed to be staring at her, did not pull the menu away until she looked up at him."O-of course!Thank you.Your order will come in a moment" Melody tilted her head a bit as she watched the waiter walk back to the counter,seeming to try and recollect himself.Then she just sighed and set both her hands on the table,fixing her gaze outside the window.Why was she there in Avaton again...?

 

[loviebeest]

Eira was still waiting for her meal that just didn't seem to exist. The smile that she had for a while had dissapeared together with the discovery of having no mead left. It made her impatient for her meal, nothing was left to still the hunger and she wanted to safe the cider in case the food tasted bad. She decided to wait patiently and listen to the conversations in the tavern, instead of assaulting the bartender. She opened her ears and blocked the other senses, listening to the many rumours and conversations to be heard. There were many rumours, some old, some new and some ridiculous. Her ears were sensitive and picked up every little detail while she, regretfully, relaxed on the sticky counter. One of the murmers sounded interesting and she started listening intently.
Suddenly, the nice stories were replaced by a loud ringing in her ears. Quickly in reaction she covered her ears to block the painfull sound and turned to look at the source. A small fairy appeared in her view who was talking gleefully, asking questions and talking about her reasons. With contained anger Eira talked to the fairy who was shut up by her travel partner. "If you know that I'm a shifter then you should have know not to talk so close to me." Slowly she took her hands of her ears to test if everything was still ringing. "As to why I'm here. I'm moving, there is not enough to hunt and eat anymore." When she spoke about the hunt she remembered about her own meal. "Speaking about food, where is the meal I ordered?" She calmly asked to the bartender who just shrugged at her question and asked a guy who had come to sit next to her what he wanted. Asshole, give me back my money. She turned to the guy and the fairy who where still there. "Anything else besides hurting my ears? Maybe information on a stone? Because I don't have it."

She heard the guy next to her treathen the bartender, it gave her a small smile as she saw him frightfully go away. That's what you get for your behaviour jerk. But she didn't really know what that guy meant with his treath untill she actually saw his pants and smelled the blood in the air. The blood filled air that was hanging around the guy filled her nose, and she could swear that she had smelled it before "You treathen him with killing more rabbits?" Eira asked and kept looking at the bloodspatters on his pants. "Didn't know that was the way to do it." She didn't really care, except that she would do it next time she met an annoying bartender. This still doesn't still my hunger tough. And the rabbit blood doesn't help either. Her stomach growled softly and she waited on the bartender to get back so she could get her meal, meanwhile she had to do with the cider.

 

[GreatSalmon]

Melody tilted her head a bit as she watched the waiter walk back to the counter,seeming to try and recollect himself.

Bard watched the flustered waiter when he passed their table, she turned around to investigate what he was walking away from. "Poor guy," Valen noticed Bard's concentration, and questioned it. "The power of cutesy seduction is strong in this one, I mean look at her," Valen's eyes suddenly grew dark, as did his vision. The sudden case of blindness made him jump "One sec," The warrior began to rub his eyes softly, muttering silently. "I mean look at her; flaunting her stuff like a coconut tree in the middle of the Wolfbora sand dunes!" Valen, still performing the enchantment, looked around himself in blind confusion. "I don't get it, coconuts? did you just make that place up?"

"No I did NOT, the sand dunes of Wolfenbaria exist," Bard crossed her arms and glared away. Valen's vision came to, and he was able to see the woman sitting a few tables away from them. "Oh, I see what you mean,"
"Yeah I know right?! I mean, I could do just what she's doing and get like, ten times the publicity!"

"Please don't,"

"Why not?" Bard grinned proudly upon thinking up an answer. "Oh! That's right, you need the spotlight more than me, my bad." She let out a tiny laugh, slid out of her seat and started to walk away. "What are you doing?"

"My job~"

Valen, with a groan, slammed his head against the table, resting it there as the waitress began to place their order down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Excuse me, miss? I was hoping to speak with you about something." Without being invited, Bard slid into seat in front of Melody. She began to strum her lute again, a large grin spread on her face. "I see you're in desperation of a true romantic. Tell me your thoughts," Bard casually pointed behind her to her partner. "The famed Blinded Loveblade is right back there... just sayin'."

 

[Haruka]

"Excuse me, miss? I was hoping to speak with you about something."

Melody looked at the source of the voice from the corner of her eyes before she completely faced the woman who was now sitting in front of her."'Desperation of a true romantic'...?" she repeated, obviously lost with what Bard meant by that judging by the tone of her voice since her calm expression remained the same from the moment she first set her foot on Avaton's streets, and it seemed like nobody would be able to figure what she's really feeling nor thinking about at this rate.But I'm just here for food... She was about to open her mouth to question her about it, but the woman went on.

Her eyes followed the direction where Bard pointed and examined the other individual for a moment...not like she could see his face though."Blinded Loveblade?" The title sounded pretty cool, she had to admit to herself...but at the same time it sounded weird in a way."...never heard of him before" she responded, bringing her attention back to the woman.Even if the most famous warrior talked to her, she would have no idea who they are and would look at them just like a regular citizen since she never really paid attention to those stuff, and she never felt like she should.But in this case, no matter how rude it might sound, the man didn't really seem like a famous guy to her.

 

[Bullshovic Donkeykick]

"If you know that I'm a shifter, then you should have known not to talk so close to me." replied the woman gruffly, looking at Brook with eyes that spoke of a wild lifestyle with little tolerance for fairies and their questions.

Brook smiled another sweet smile, oblivious to any annoyance she might be causing. Flourishing her hand, Brook conjured a few water droplets, eyes ever filled with playfulness. The drops immediately began orbiting around her, resembling little planets and slowly changing colors.

"Oh come now sweetie!", Brook said encouragingly, "Don't you go and be ashamed of yourself, darting into the shadows like a trout beneath the shadow of a boat!" Floating into the air, water droplets still orbiting slowly around her, Brook flew off of Max's shoulders. With a brief flurry of wings, Brook proceeded to alight next to the shape-shifter. Looking up at her, white hair flowing like seaweed caught in a gentle wave, Brook conjured a glob of water on the bar. It shifted into the form of a fox, prowling about the surface hungrily. "Be proud of who and what you are!" Brook laughed, floating back into the air with a twirl. The fox then dissolved into a glob once again, flowing down the bar and absorbing into the fairies extended fingers.

"As to why I'm here. I'm moving, there is not enough to hunt and eat anymore."

Brooks eyes filled with sadness at this, seeing how hungry the poor shifter was. Looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular, Brook pondered quietly. "The life of the hunter can be just as hard as the life of the hunted." she said suddenly, speaking in a simple and empathetic tone.

"Anything else besides hurting my ears? Maybe information on a stone? Because I don't have it."

Brook glanced over, noticing that Max had gone. Looking back to the shifter, Brook shrugged. "All that I know is what the stone has whispered on the wind; that it wants to be found. The magic within is old and it yearns for release." Her tone had become strangely serious as she said this. Then, all of a sudden, her playful voice returned. "I sure hope that we find it! Max really wants his family back."

While Brook had been talking, Max took the opportunity to step away, looking for a table that looked clean enough for them to consider sitting at. Most of the tables here were chipped, bloodied and just downright filthy. However, a vacant table that sat adjacent to an innocent looking pink-haired girl seemed to be the cleanest of the bunch. It sported only a couple blood-stains, along with a yellow blotch that looked like the traces of some spilled beer. Max shivered. He hoped it was beer.

Taking note of the table, Max spun around, weaving his way back to the bar. The fairy was still talking of course, seemingly filled with an endless amount of words. Max looked politely at the wild woman as he approached them.

"I'll take her off your hands now." Max flicked a lock of black hair out of his eye as he spoke, grinning apologetically. Grasping Brook gently by the arm and tugging her away, Max turned to leave. Without knowing why, Max turned back to the woman. He extended his hand in friendship, nervousness playing across his features. "Names Max. Max Hilltop. And my lovely little partner here is named Brook." Looking into those wild eyes, Max's heart fluttered for a moment. Clearing his throat, Max quickly inquired, "What's your name, if I might be so bold as to ask?"

 

[100 % Snek]

"It has been a week since I lost John. When the doctor came to see what killed him, he told me that he simply died in his sleep. Like one would die of old age. I told that that wasn't possible, since he had no medical conditions and he was only 36! The doctor said I should take a few days to grieve him, but otherwise there was nothing he could do. I still miss him, but I did take the doctor's advice to move on, we buried him two days ago. So life is beginning to return to normal, our son is till mad at the world however, since John died. I've let him stay in his room to think, but I think he's getting worse. He keeps talking of voices in the walls at night. he seems extremely paranoid every time I see him, and I think I'm starting to get it too." -Wife's Diary

"Tonight is the night. Tonight I feed again, but now, the question is, who from? If I devour the boy, the mother could begin searching for my presence. However, if I devour the mother, the boy already has indications of my presence. ... It is decided then. The boy shall be my banquet tonight." Nocturne goes to the boys room at midnight and finds him asleep. Strangely however, he does not sense a dream when he approaches..."But that means..." "HA!" The boy had been awake the whole time. He was waiting for Nocturne to appear, because he KNEW he heard something at night. He swings a bat at Nocturne and misses. Not that a bat would have been very effective against a mist-like creature. The only truly "solid" part of Nocturne is his head and his arm blades. Which are now out and pointing at the boy. The boy was about to scream for help, when Nocturne ended the use of his throat....permanently. "Well, that was.... unexpected. At least I still have the mother to devour." Nocturne seeps through the walls and enters the mother's room. She truly is asleep, and he can sense a wonderful dream happening. She is dreaming of her husband, that he never died. She also has dreams of grandeur, that they live in a wonderful house by the lake, rather than the shack they have now. This all begins melting away, as Nocturne turns the husband into a rotting corpse and the house into a horrible haunting. The ceiling caves in and from the rubble, the woman looks out over a blank, white, foggy area. There, Nocturne appears. "Thank you for the meal. Now, about the bill...." Nocturne ends her the same way he ended her husband. Impalement.

It wasn't long before their friends noticed they weren't leaving the house. When they decided to enter, and found the corpses. They immediately contacted authorities, who found that the wife had died the same as the husband, and their son had died of a gruesome wound. Nocturne hid in the mind of an authority until they reached Avaton. Upon reaching there, he left his mind, which at that point was a paranoid wreck from carrying Nocturne. Nocturne now travels the streets...or rather the rooftops of Avaton, looking for his next meal.

 

[loviebeest]

The guy from before came back to take way the fairy who was still flooding out words like it was nothing. Thank mother, my ears almost started to ring again. Eira felt blessed with quetness when the guy and the fairy turned away. She decided to celebrate the relative silence with the last swallow of her cider when she heard the same footsteps from a moment ago turn back. With the glass at her mouth she was now looking at the guy who had returned and stood in front of her, hand reached out. "Names Max. Max Hilltop. And my lovely little partner here is named Brook." This was unexpected, she hadn't been exactly nice to him and now he was introducing himself, some people. She put the cider down and despite her hestitiation she grabbed his hand and smiled slightly at him, trying not to blame Max for Brook's earlier behaviour. "Eira, shifter of the seventh pack." Eira left out the fact that she was a shifter of the fox kind, she didn't expect them to know the hierarchy of the shifters and the packs anyway. After releasing the hand she looked for a moment at it like handshaking had been some kind of ritual that only humans knew the true meaning behind. Tough she had to admit that it did feel like that for her since she almost never introduced herself.
There was something bothering her a bit aside from her empty stomach. "Any reason why you introduced yourself to a stranger?" She was curious why he did that, humans acted sometimes so strange compared to shifters. The more she talked the more her smile was slowly turning into that of a predetor who had targetted it's prey. Eira had been a bit left behind on human habits and customs and this was a nice oppertunity to know more because a prey had appeared for her hungry questions, even if they would be simple ones. "I don't think any human would blatently tell his name to anyone, or am I wrong?" Her hunger had been driven back in the corner of her mind. she would demand a meal as soon as she retrieved the information about the right way to do so from Max, or Brook if neccesary.