Tales of the Betrothed (closed)

[XSenkoX]

The blonde's sudden hug certainly caught Reriic by surprise, but he didn't react to it as poorly as most in the company would have expected him to. Instead, he watched her fly back and look about as surprised as he did, only offering a silent nod to her thanks. Their moment of awkwardness was soon interrupted by the ever-furious Chandar and for once the elf was pleased to see him. The other's arrival would focus their attention on something else: primarily the Gradian's bitching about his blackening eye. Since their altercation in the courtyard the two males had been careful to avoid one another, but Reriic was certainly not as afraid of the swordsman as the swordsman seemed to be of him. As the pair of guards bickered back and forth, Reriic fell a few paces back and watched with an amused expression darting across sharp features. Perhaps everyone in this group wasn't all bad... Adele certainly had redeeming qualities, and if she could stand Chandar maybe there was a bit more to him than the obnoxious Supreme.

Those thoughts evaporated when the trio came to a sudden halt at the foot of Jean-Baptiste looking very much like he had stepped in something unpleasant and then licked his boot just to be certain. Like his thoughts of hating members of this group less, Reriic's amused expression returned to stony bitterness as he watched Jean cow his guard for no apparent reason before them. When the blonde was dragged away physically, the elf finally turned his gaze back to Chandar. "I think I figured out where your charges' usual temperaments went... perhaps you should free it for them by killing the fish."

Reriic looked back at the retreating figures in enough time to watch the afore-mentioned fish grab Sonya by her wrist and wrench her from horseback, then drag her after him towards the portal. Despite the fact that the prince was keenly aware that Sonya could take care of herself in normal circumstances, the glowing was new and she had been anything but well during the ride. And the site of another prince running off with the woman that still held secrets Reriic desired was enough to sour even his best mood. His body stiffened and slowly a gloved hand rose from his side, miming how one would hold a small fruit they desired to crush. From his vantage, Jean was perfectly within the circle. All it would take was an exceptional amount of energy to combat the sunlight and squish. Instead, he stood frozen a moment without acting. Jean never screamed, so it was obvious that he wasn't exercising his magic either. He was just standing, glowering at the other royal's back.

When finally he moved, he left Chandar without further word and stalked after Jean. He didn't care to answer the Bashira's question about the horses, knowing that even if there were predators they would be smart enough to leave. Or his would, at least. Someone else could deal with the others and their questions, he was done with all of them.

[Watervoir]

xx

■ □ ■ - - Jing


There was another faerie in their wake. Unfeeling jade hues had trained themselves on her glamour shedding back as she darted through the wastes of conflict, and then once more when she stood before the Yingyumun and divulged the secrets of the gloom ridden land beyond. And following that, offered to be the aliens' salvation throughout the forbidden grounds. Aggravation tugged at a corner of terse lips. He knew what the loudmouth was. Calamity has struck the the Faerie Kingdom, but border control was not a meat shield's duty. She had no say in the matter. A guard's chore was to be beside her charge, which she was not. There was a soul, a yet to be seen soul, that had ought to be in charge of the approval of the entry of blemishes into utopia besides the beatific ruler herself. It would have to be the child of the divine Queen. His eyes pressed through the crowd in search of her. Around emptied huts. Through the thicket of trees beyond the forest clearing. Towards the canopied heavens for a glimmer that would give way to wings. No success. Attention returned to the only native in the vicinity. Slowly, steadily, displeasure sunk into his features. The faerie sentinel proliferated carelessness. Mistakes. Neglect. This idiocy required a swift and painless remedy. But, no comments stemmed. He would not seek to draw unnecessary blood from his kinsmen. No. If there was any slaughter to be dealt, it would be unto the bodies of the very foreigners that step out of line.

Jing's eyes flew to a passing sight. The crown fish and his ward. The young prince pulled behind him a green lantern. Together the three were headed for the silver shimmer that severed paradise from this hell, ready to tarnish it with their rust. He moved to begin pursuit. The hunter's focus was on the fish's guard. On her strong neck. Expert hands twitched, craving to clasp fingers around its muscles. p***k cold metal at the beating pulse. Draw a lush pool from the sea flesh's interior crimson maze. The ends was to tear down the last pillar to the crown fish's palace, but it was no reason for Jing to not enjoy the gorging on the means while he was at it. But first the palace's support had to be weakened. Attempting to recklessly demolish before nothing else was a fool's errand. He needed to lick at her with her fears. Unreal fears. Horrors that could not be realized but could consume the mind's eye. Illusions. Only once fully crippled could he deal the finishing blow. A hand began to lift, its aim to find purchase on the Zuleidian's shoulder and commence the spread of the freezing terror. His arm would creep. Closer. Closer.

“Hello!”

A squeak. It halted his movements. The sea prey's demise ended before it had the chance to begin. The emerald gaze flickered to the source of the noise. It was a Shastian female. Memory banks whirled. He owned text about this one. The pest was an entertainer. It came in a pair. Clones. Catalina and Danika. Of the two insects, before him was the more innocuous specimen. He fixed it with a critical, unmoving stare. His evil had been harassed, inconvenienced by this worthless aphid. It had wanted to spin a web of fear, begin digging a trench of horrors, but this insect had brought its course to a standstill. Now, the evil's purpose was revised. Now, it only wanted to remove the bug. Do Yardis a favour and propagate the land's cleansing of this weak and pathetic existence. The Faerie Kingdom was the model of perfection. It was needless of this stuttering, nervous splotch on its picturesque grounds. How he longed to carry out the chore himself, but sadly he could not touch this blemish currently. Little deterred his evisceration by the jaws of the aphid's insect friends if he killed in their presence. Jing could snarl, but his face remained placid. It was too risky to deal carnage while under the watch of the other bees in the nest. This creature would be spared for the time being. “What do you want?” The voice was disinterested, but clipped. Deliberative. The aphid had one chance to prove its worth before it was to be mysteriously erased during the next fog.

xx

[SheIsCursedTea]

Elya || Meister
|| Royal Guard to the Princes of Dradecυѕ ||

__________________________________

Elya observed quietly what happened. First of all, many people realised that Chandar, was the cause of the Earthquake. She was about to march over and give him a piece of her mind, however Adele sorted it out for her. Though a little disgruntled at being beaten to it, Elya did not miss the humour behind Adele hitting him with a rock. After all, had they not been competing with rocks when Elya had first met them? Then, Adele and Reriic continued their sweep of the area. Elya did not like it, especially when they entered the final house and out of her sight. She waited for a moment, observing. It wasn't that she didn't trust Adele, but it was Elya's job, and not Adele's, to look after Prince Reriic. If anything happened to him, she would be blamed. However, she calmed down when the emerged a few moment later.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips. Then, she took the time to examine everything else around her. She observed the end of the conversation between the dancer that clung to Jean, Cat she thought her name was, and Chandar. Conversations with Kiya had told her this much. Then, Chandar stormed off towards Adele, whom she also noted he'd been avoiding this entire trip. With a shake of her head, her focus returned to Reriic and the people he was with as Adele said something to Chandar, then was spoken to by Jean. It was only then that she noted Sonya, who was being dragged by Jean, was glowing. The woman whom she had seen with the Prince that morning before they had left. She still did not know what to make of her. She had spent the night in Reriic's company, and yet they'd barely spoken to each other all week. Most peculiar.

Another soft sigh escaped her lips, then her concerned face melted away as if it had never been there, her usual smile replacing it. She wandered closer to the scene, feeling just a little out of the loop. Ensuring her horse was tied securely to a tree, she walked forwards towards the true gate, following others as the moved towards it. Something about the gate made her extremely nervous. Her eyes flicked around quickly. Once they went through that gate ... there was no going back. Danger lied beyond it. It was all rather terrifying. Her heart raced at the thought, but not from fear. She was excited, almost. Elya's eyes sparkled as she fell into line with the others.

__________________________________

"To serve the Princes of Dradecus
Is the highest of honours
I shall do my bed to serve them well
Or die trying."

[Rada Han]

a t r i p i n t i m e

↘ all is lost again



Angaemeiro, the Maze




Unbeknownst to most, the path behind the faeries' gate was a transition point. It was a mysterious place in a realm that did not seem familiar to anyone in the outside world, like the place one went when they died, but are still awaiting judgment. The maze, Angaemeiro, was a limbo setting, located nowhere in particular. It was a magical place where one entered in their regular size, but exited on the other end just as tiny as a faerie. When one trekked through the maze, they were shrinking and never even felt it.

The instant someone steps into the maze, they are engulfed in a dense fog and cannot see more than a foot in front of them clearly. The area is overgrown with magnificent, winding trees with orange and purple flowers, and branches that reach out like hands offering to save you from the maze. Only faeries can navigate this part of the journey. Anyone who breaks away from the group would surely become lost in the labyrinth...

---------------

The Betrothed and their companions would wander through Laelie's gate and into the maze without much hesitation, for it was where their journey was forced to take them. With the help of their faerie guides, they would wander in and be met with yet another chilling sight. Barely ten paces from the gate was another corpse, in plain view. It was another of Shizuka's guardians, with a wound pierced through the neck, laying in a pool of aging blood, about a day old. Again, there was no weapon left behind.

Not far along the path, there would be yet three more bodies to be found. All dead, all from Shizuka, as if they had been chasing the intruder and failed to stop them. There were foot prints, but only one set of them were human.

---------------
If one listened closely, there was a baby wailing in the distance.

[[NEW MAP UP!]]

[Angst Werewolf]

xxxxxx ♨ Chαndαr Hαrí
{{ The Gradian Smith Mercenary }}
"I am a superstar and I don't care who you are!"

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Location: Laelie- The Gates

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Adele didn't seem the least bit apologetic for the rock, and Chandar was hardly surprised. He snorted and glowered at the nearest tree. "It may have been a nice throw, but it didn't have to be directed at me," he growled. Couldn't she hit someone else in the eye next time? Like maybe Jean? Or that elf guard? Maybe that annoying, stuttering dancing girl? Any one would make his day.

And then Jean himself showed up, looking for all the world like someone had just thrown mashed potatoes in his face. Chandar made a mental note to start keeping easily-thrown projectiles on his person, should the opportunity arise to give the prince a taste of his own medicine. He promptly dragged Adele off, leaving Chandar and Reriic alone. The two stood in silence before the elf spoke up. "Trust me, elf, I would if I could," he said, glaring at Jean as the fish prince took it upon himself to drag Sonya (who was glowing for some reason) along with him as well. The smith shot a quick glance at Reriic as the prince stiffened and made to smash Jean with his powers.

It was then Chandar realized that he and Reriic may have found common ground- their hatred for Jean-Baptiste was clearly mutual and very, very strong. It seemed a good a thing as any to bond over, he supposed.

Much to his disappointment, Reriic did not turn Jean into a fish patty. Another time, maybe, and Chandar hoped that he would be there to witness it. Surely, it would be glorious and a cause for celebration. Or at least drinking. Lots of drinking. And then maybe they could also sit down and have fried fish for dinner. Where am I going with this train of thought? Chandar wondered, cutting himself off before his musings could get any stranger.

Reriic left, and Chandar slowly made his way back to Kunal and Bashirah. They had ignored him for most of the trip, and he was fine with that. What was he supposed to say to them, anyway? Bashirah was trying to figure out what to do with the horses, and the general consensus seemed that it would be best to leave them behind. This was fine, Chandar decided- one less thing trying to kill him in the fog.

"I do believe it would be best to leave the creatures behind and go forth on foot," he said as he approached the siblings. "It will be one less thing to keep an eye on in that fog." Chandar shot a quick glance over his shoulder as Jean and his captives crossed through the gate's opening. For a moment, he considered going right after them, but no- Wandering off after another royal would hardly be considered guard-like. He bit down on the urge and decided to wait. When Kunal and Bashirah moved, he would follow.

Found my secret message, eh? You paranoid person, you.

[jadeshaw88]

۪D۫۰۪a۫۰۪n۫۰۪i۫۰۪k۫۰۪a۫۰ "۪D۫۰۪a۫۰۪n۫۰۪i۫۰" M۫۰۪a۫۰۪r۫۰۪t۫۰۪i۫۰۪z۫۰xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Mischief Makerxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"It’s too late to change your mind
xxxxxxxxxxxxEven though this fragile world is tearing apart at the seams
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWe can’t wash these sins away"



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Danika lifted her head from her hands and did her best wounded expression at the man's tone, forcing herself not to snap back at him. She hadn't expected him to be kind to her, no one was whether she was Danika or Cat besides the simple dancer, but she expected more than that. The only thing that seemed to be intriguing about this man at all was the fact that he had been a stowaway. That and she had seen the look he was giving Jean on her approach. She wondered briefly if he had anything to do with the damage done out here but she was sure that he was just as shocked as the rest of them were.

She made herself stop looking at him and turned her attention to her feet. She wished that she didn't have to keep stuttering with him. She didn't stutter with Jean anymore and most of the time, she didn't stutter with the others but this guy was new. How tiring. "I...I just wanted....to..." She took a deep breath and made it look like she was struggling to calm down....not too difficult. "I just wanted to introduce myself." She swallowed roughly. "I...um...I figured since you were new that maybe we could be friends. Sort of anyway. I mean, you wouldn't have the same opinion of me as the others do." Maybe if he thought he could use her, he would let her get closer to him. She didn't know what it was about this man but she liked him.

So, she would make her exit then and let him think about it for a while. "I-I could understand if...if you would rather not. I know I'm kind of strange..." She hugged herself to try and make herself look more pathetic than she already did. "I-I..." She shook her head and got a determined look on her face. "I don't know why I even asked. I'm sorry. I keep bothering people. I'm sorry."

Finally she scurried off to catch up to Jean and the others. For the most part, she tried to keep contact with the prince to a minimum during the day to keep the others from freaking out. However, Cat would most definitely be frightened going into the fog. At the sight of yet another dead body, she slipped her hand into his free hand. "Forgive me, your highness." She said in a voice barely above a whisper. "But please don't let go."

[Sierra The Captor]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx【 We can иєνєя вє ѕυяє where ℓιfє тαкєѕ υѕ.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sometimes you just have to тяυѕт уσυя ιиѕтιи¢т, thrust away whatever doubt you have left and тαкє α ℓєαρ σf fαιтн.】

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx| Annabel Crowbers | Twenty-One Years old | Laelie Guard |

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The Laelie guard carved a look of distaste at Chandar’s answer, and how Annabel had even resorted to asking for a Gradian’s help was even beyond her understanding when she was given a harsh rebuttal. She made no comment, and whatever snarky remark Anna planned to give anyway was interrupted by that elf they met before arriving at Dradecus. A look of disapproval passed over for a moment followed by shock at when her body surfaced a faint glow. Annabel backed away a little, suddenly regretting her action into letting them all into the faerie’s territory. She could feel a sort of evil emitting from her body, wafting from the inside, inviting danger upon the forest.

But then an act of withdrawing her words was already too late. Anna scanned the group in search for an approval, and so when her eyes found the princess, she nodded slowly, heaving a small sigh, knowing that a possible effect could await them by letting the outsiders in. But then another familiar gaze was locked. She froze, the backs of where she would sprout wings was sent a precarious shiver at another brethren within her sight. Another faerie had joined them, but Anna was not in the least bit pleased; he will be witness to her action of the penalty worst than death. Descending saliva forcefully down her throat into a nervous gulp, the antics that she had pulled out before on their journey was far away from her memory, now focusing gingerly on the task at hand.

Slowly, Anna turned to the gate, ignoring the judgmental green-eyed gaze that bore into her insecurity. Her hand caught on to Jean on impulse before he could enter the gate with the two suspicious women in tow “Don’t just enter the fog like that,” she said irritably, ushering everyone to huddle together as Annabel made the first step towards the maze.

“Everyone, hold hands,” she said to no one in particular, but mindlessly held on to whoever was closer to her in distance. While walking, Annabel turned back to the others, realizing that she was holding hands with the Salorite advisor, Dalena. Carving a pleasant smile, Annabel continued moving forward, but finding her movements halted just a few steps from the gate. Her gaze lowered, Anna paid no heed to the bodies that were sprawled across the path. She felt her nerves grating, however, very subtly, and soon the more she continued, the more she felt it deafening.

Once they were inside the maze, the fog pranced away at her presence when the branches reached out and guided her from one direction to another, and the green glow that was ebbed from the elf’s body illuminated the darkened maze. Annabel had not uttered a word to the others, but merely walking, silently feeling a tensed beat pulsing on her chest. It was hard for the others to take a note at her uneasy expression considering her walking at the front, but her grab on Dalena’s hand compacted even more as the pulsate on her breast became stronger. Her face had hardened at the sight of more bodies they found along the path.

She halted again. Frozen in place at the footprints, one set of them belonged to that of human. Anger swelled at the thought that there were others who dared to harm the sacred forest, but they calmed once more when she herself had brought upon strangers into the forest. She could feel the magical entities of the maze turning them into smaller forms, a faerie form, and when that gradual transformation came, her whitish transparent wings spread wide from behind. They retracted quickly side by side when she realized she had probably hit Dalena’s face with her wings. Nodding apologetically, Anna turned to the others “Is everyone here?”



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L o c a t i o n |- The Maze-|
M o o d |- Uneasy -|
0 0 C |- I poast. -|

[Rada Han]

There was an inhuman screech and out of the fog jumped a terrible creature. It was a giant insect—although it wasn’t actually giant, but the humans were simply smaller now—with many twisted, wicked legs, and ten crooked eyes. It screamed its saliva-dripping jaws at them. Its exoskeleton was black and dangerously spiked. Every sharp edge of its pulsing body looked as if it could slice and tear through humanoid flesh easily.

The thing hissed and screamed at them, and attacked!

[Overlord Gizmo]

x x x x x x x x x ✗ K o r a x Z h a d d a g h

Kora walked in with the others through the Jade Gate and into the Labyrinth. As everyone clasped each others hands as they made their way through the treacherous fog behind the faeries and the distinct glow coming from Sonya, her eyes tried to make out what they could of her surroundings. Ghostly shapes of trees could be seen high above, and the air was chill and moist, causing a slight shiver to radiate up the Shastan’s spine. The beautiful orange and purple blossoms that sometimes peaked out through the fog were warm and inviting, which stood out from the general atmosphere of the labyrinth. However, she stayed as close to the rest of the group as possible, her hand tightening on the one that held hers without her knowing that she was doing so. When the group came upon the corpse of yet another faery, Kora felt as though she were about to be sick. A cold sweat broke out across her brow, and her throat tightened with momentary nausea. She only looked upon the body for a moment, before tearing her gaze away in revulsion. While there had been many deaths since their flight from the flames of Bhegin, Kora hadn’t had to actually stare down at the cold remains that were left behind. It was more unsettling than she cared to admit, and she hoped that none of the others would notice.

There were more corpses on the path ahead, and Kora did her best not to look at them for very long, instead letting their images slip away into the fog behind her. Her revulsion was slowly being replaced by feelings of anger. Whoever or whatever had done this did not deserve to get away. She began to look more closely at the group’s surroundings, as she began to wonder if there was anything for them to fear in this labyrinth aside from the enchanted mist that swallowed up everything around them. Her head perked up slightly, when she could have sworn she heard something like a cry off in the distance. Listening more carefully, it began to sound more and more like the wailing of an infant. “Does anyone else hear that?” she asked. Listening again, she was absolutely sure that it sounded like a baby. “There’s a baby crying in the distance. Could it be a survivor from Shizuka?” she guessed. It would be wrong to leave a helpless infant in the forest like this, and although she desperately wanted to, she knew that to break away from the group alone to search for the child would only get her lost in the maze, and she doubted that anyone would be able to find her.

Before any further action could be taken, a monstrous screech ripped through the heavy silence of the forest, stopping Kora in her tracks. Out of the swirling fog, came a creature unlike anything Kora had ever seen. It bore a resemblance to some kind of insect like creature, but there was no way an insect could be so massive. She remembered something about the fog causing humans to shrink down to the size of a faery, and cursed it silently as she stared up at the giant insect. Her heart pounding against her ribcage, she took several steps back away from the creature, letting go of whoever’s hand she had held. Kora braced her feet against the ground, and craned her arms in a fashion that looked as though she were pulling up some incredibly heavy object in front of her. The ground beneath the giant hissing insect rumbled slightly, before the moist earth of the forest snaked up its legs and then hardened, effectually holding it in place. Sweat gathered on the nape of her neck and along her brow, as she felt the beast struggling against its earthen bonds. It thrashed violently, spewing streams of saliva in several directions, which Kora momentarily feared to be poisonous.

Bringing her right hand down before her and forming a fist, she thrust it into the air with all of her strength, as a solid spike of earth shot through what she believed to be the creature’s torso. It screeched in pain, as a sick smelling slime bubbled up from the wound. Thrashing momentarily, it soon fell silent. Whether or not that would last, Kora did not know. She collapsed to one knee, breathing hard. Although she had spent a great deal of her childhood training, she was till unused to using her powers in battle such as this, and it strained her to do so. “Did I kill it?” she asked between gasped breaths, as she shakily stood back up to her feet.


Out of Character: This is Gizmo on an alternate account.

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“Why do you think the old stories tell of men who set out on great journeys to impress the gods?
Because trying to impress people just isn't worth the time and effort.”

[K33LA]

『 кυиαℓ ѕα'ιя мαнαραтяα 』
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx▶ ▷ Prince of gяα∂ιυѕ

After convening with Bashirah, the Gradian twins entered the mist behind the others, Rohan and Chandar flanking their sides. The trip through the swirling fog was nothing short of uncomfortable, though hauntingly beautiful in its own eerie way. Bathed in the muted forest light, the trees and flowers appeared as artfully crafted as Gradian statues. Even in the fog the colors were amazing. And as the party continued their way through, the forest almost seemed to grow around them (and later Kunal would come to realize that this was, in fact, literally the case). It was fascinating.

As they ventured further and further, the faint sound of a child reached Kunal's ear. When he was about to raise his voice to question the noise, Kora spoke up instead. Hearing her voice made him shiver, more than the child's. Ever since he had found Kora with Bashirah at the palace, Kunal could not bear to look the Shastan. Her voice re-induced the feeling of helplessness he had experienced all those nights ago.

His stream of thoughts were abruptly interrupted, stanched by a noise more disturbing than the sound of the child and Kora combined. A massive insect ripped through the trees, expelling the swirling mist from the forest path. It writhed wrathfully, charging forward and causing their train of people to jump in all directions to avoid it. Before long, it was ensnared in an earthen trap, constructed by none other than the youngest Shastan princess herself. As it fought to escape, the creature spewed a potent saliva against the surrounding trees. One such glob found its way into the prince's eyes. The moment it hit his face, Kunal was screaming in agony. Never before had he experienced a pain as searing as this. He collapsed to the ground and could do little but thrash and scream, much as the creature had done before him. Every curse imaginable poured from his lips, though much of it was unintelligible.

[Rada Han]

The creature was dead, but their troubles weren't over.

The dead insect's colour sunk from a deep purple, to a blood red, to black. Its figure melted down the earthen spire, revealing the fairy body hidden inside of it.

Her wings fell lifeless at her sides. Fairy blood was spilled by accident because a calamity had befallen the nation of Laelie, just as Dradecus before it. This time, however, the citizens' fates were much graver.

At least now they knew why the forest was littered with corpses.

[Angst Werewolf]

xxxxxx ♨ Chαndαr Hαrí
{{ The Gradian Smith Mercenary }}
"I am a superstar and I don't care who you are!"

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Location: Laelie- The Maze

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Chandar wasn't sure if he was pleased or not at the current situation. He did not want to be anywhere near the Faerie's lands, especially when said land was enveloped in a fog so dense he felt like he was going to be smothered. On the other hand, the Mahapatras seemed to have accepted his presence, and he'd walk right into the middle of the ocean if it pleased them.

He had taken up the position next to Kunal, standing between the prince and forest. Holding hands seemed to be an unspoken taboo, so the smith settled for brushing against Kunal's elbow every hundred or so steps. Even then, it was only a touch to the prince's shirt, and probably too light for Kunal to even notice. While it hardly seemed like a big deal, Chandar was practically doing backflips in his head. He, a smith, was touching the clothing of Prince Kunal! My family will be so jealous, he thought with smug satisfaction. Oh, he could just see the looks on his brothers' faces...

Crashing caught his attention and Chandar looked to the side to see a giant bug crashing its way towards the group. He let out a shout of alarm and drew his sword, planting himself firmly between Kunal and the beast. It seemed that Kora had the situation all under control. Before she could kill it, though, it unleashed a stream of saliva, and Chandar ducked out of the way, momentarily forgetting that he was guarding. Kunal's resulting screams and curses quickly reminded him.

Chandar whirled around, ignoring the unfolding drama with the dying worm, eyes wide with horror. Oh no. Oh no. NonononononoI'msofired- he thought, mind racing a mile a minute as he tried to figure out what to do. He dropped to his knees, sword clattering from his hands. For a moment, he didn't move, unsure of what exactly he was permitted to do as a guard, but then Kunal let out a curse that would have shocked an elf and Chandar figured that now was not the time to worry about such things.

He grabbed Kunal's hands in an attempt to make him sit still so he could get a look at the damage. It didn't do much to stop the thrashing, but he could see the creature's saliva. It was, much to Chandar's horror, starting to dry and harden over the prince's eyes. If it stayed on there much longer, he'd go blind.

That was all the motivation Chandar needed. He glanced around, looking for something he could use to moisten the goo, but there was nothing to be had with reaching distance. The smith cursed, then steeled himself. This was either going to work very well or very badly. He licked his lips once then leaned over Kunal's face and spit into his eyes. The creature's saliva hissed as the two liquids mixed and Chandar hoped he hadn't gone and made it worse. But it did keep everything moist. Chandar pulled the glove off his right hand with his teeth, balled it up with his free hand, and began to wipe at the saliva.

"Please come out, please come out," he muttered, pausing for a moment to check his progress. His glove was soaked and his fingers were starting to burn from the contact, but he ignored it. "Prince Kunal! Are you alright?" he asked, staring into the prince's eyes. Had he gotten it all out? Was it too late?

[XSenkoX]

Needless to say, Reriic was one of the first people to fly out of the way when the group was set upon by the exceedingly large and angry bug that had charged them from the mists. Not very heroic, but he was no hero, especially not with his powers as weakened as they were. That didn't stop the elf's wife-to-be from leaping to the offensive and launching an altogether very impressive attack that finished off the critter in no time flat. Reriic had managed to go through the entire trip without actually being introduced to the girl, so seeing her in action was nothing short of impressive. Sadly, his admiring the Shastan was cut short by sudden wailing from nearby.

Reriic spun on his heel to locate the source of the awful cries only to have his gaze fall upon the Gradian prince that had very nearly burnt his home down with his fighting. Albeit Reriic didn't try to stop the fight, but his annoyance over the issue still dominated his being. The boy's eyes hardened as he watched the 'supreme' writhe around on the ground while Chandar panicked and eventually just spat in his charge's eyes to try and wipe away the bug's solidifying spit. A smirk flashed across Reriic's face and he turned away from the scene with the intention to make sure than Sonya was still fine and that Jean hadn't used her as an elfin shield or something stupid, only to have the distinct feeling that somehow his mother knew he was ignoring someone in pain drift over him. It was impossible for her to know anything of the sort, he knew, but still Reriic flinched.

Mumbling oaths about his mother's ingrained training and guilting him into helping even those that didn't deserve it, the elf stalked over to the two panicked Gradians and crouched down next to Chandar. "Just... shut up, Chandar. And get out of my way." Not quite shoving but certainly not leaving enough room for the other man to try and butt back in, Reriic snatched Kunal's chin in a gloved hand and stared at the damage done. In truth, the guard had prevented the worst of the damage from taking root, but if the prince's writhing was anything to go by, something was still trying to eat out his eyes. It was an interesting, but allowing it to go on further would probably be a bad idea.

"You shut up too," Reriic demanded tersely, laying his free hand across Kunal's eyes and applying a moderate amount of pressure. He stayed that way without doing anything for a moment, trying to get a grip on his power and grimacing at just how weak he really was during the day. No matter how boldly he spoke, if something were to come after him now, he would be completely up a creek. Reriic did have enough energy to stop the insect's poison, though, and he finally released the energies to do just that.

[V I V L I O N]

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ADELE MARIE VANADIS

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xxxxxAdele followed closely after Jean and Sonya, not wanting to give her charge any more reason to get further angry with her. However, when his newest bed warmer cut in front of her and slipped her hand into his, her eyes narrowed. Her hand itched to reach out and unsheathe her sword once more. Oh how easy it would be to just slide the blade right through her back. With just enough force, the tip would be able to pierce through her clothing, and sink into her flesh, digging into layers of muscle and sinew as the metal continued to slip effortlessly forward. And then, to end the suffering, she could just turn the blade ninety degrees to slice the lining of a lung. But no, that ending was too good for this whore. Maybe she'd go for puncturing the stomach. The acid would slowly leak into her system and gradually eat away at her other organs... Yeah that sounded about good.

Luckily, just imagining the act was enough to satisfy her temporary blood lust. But this 'dancer' was on the right path to getting her a** delivered to her on a silver platter as she took her final breath. Hoping to not be tempted any further, the blonde hooked her fingers underneath the straps of her leather bag, her nails beginning to scratch at the stitching. At the suggestion of everyone in the group holding hands, Adele rolled her eyes in disgust. Like hell did she want to actually have physical interaction with anyone at that point in time. She didn't make a move to reach out for anyone's hand and no one reached out for hers. And that was perfectly fine with her. Whatever Laelie had to offer, the blonde believed she could protect herself.

Stepping through the gate, the Zuleidian immediately blinked in shock. Though they had been given a warning, she had hardly expected for the actual intensity of the fog. If they weren't being led by natives, they would have been done the second they had crossed into this plane. They all continued forward in tense silence, most of them all trying to figure out how to deal with the current situation. Most of them were so reliant on all of their senses and now they had basically been robbed of a major one. Adele felt confident in guessing that she wasn't the only one wanting to get out of the maze as soon as possible.

And then it happened all too fast. There was a sound of a baby crying in the distance. How far away? She couldn't even say. It was as if the sound were constantly moving. Her brows furrowed in confusion. What type of magic was this? But her thoughts were cut short as a giant insect appeared in front of them. With wide eyes, she put her hand on the hilt of her sword but her brain caught up with the situation. Adele was worried about having an exposed sword in a situation where they could hardly see around them. The last thing they needed was for someone to get injured accidentally (even if it was Jean's bedwarmer. No doubt someone would actually want to try and save her. What a shame.). Even more surprising than a giant bug was when Kora stepped up to the challenge in front of them. With one motion, she had entrapped it within earthen bonds. Though, apparently it didn't like being caged too much. It began to thrash around wildly, spitting streams of thick saliva from its mouth. And, of course, she was right in its target range.

Instinctively, she jumped out of the way to dodge the toxic substance. But her first foot that landed back on the ground fell on a raised tree root, causing her to lose her balance. From there, gravity took over. She fell backwards but ended up rolling down a small slope in the terrain. The blonde hissed as she finally came to a stop on her stomach, small rocks eating into her exposed arms. But, what had her more worried was the fact that as she lift her head, she couldn't see anyone in their traveling party. Her heart stopped for a second. Hastily pushing herself up onto her feet, she cringed as weight was placed on her right ankle. Reaching out with her hands, she blindly found a trunk of a tree. Her eyes looked around desperately for a hint of what direction she had to go in. Though she had been turned around in the fall, the Zuleidian felt like she could figure it out. After all, she still had her hearing right?

She forced her breathing to slow, so that she could focus on listening to any familiar voices. And that's when she heard Chandar's voice. All his words were so clear. Surely everyone wasn't too far away. This would be easy. No harm done. Pushing away from the tree, she walked with a slight limp in the direction of the voices. But after a minute, she came to a stop. One of her brows quirked as she heard Reriic pipe up. His voice was exactly at the same level as Chandar's had been but now it seemed like it was coming from behind her. She turned on her good heel in disbelief. Grimm had been talking to Chandar, had even told him to get out of the way. They should have been right next to each other. Her breathing began to quicken. Could this be another trick of the faeries'? This maze wasn't just to test one's ability to cope without sight. It was supposed to disorient you in every way possible. Adele didn't know what to do. Even if she called out, would it even be possible for one of the faeries to find her? But it couldn't hurt to try, right? "I tripped down a hill dodging that creature's venom. I can't see anyone!" She called out, a tone of desperation ringing in her words.

Her eyes urgently looked around, trying to find some landmark to help the others. But all there was was foliage and rocks. She didn't dare move a single step more, afraid to get lost further within this odd oblivion the faeries had created...

I want to go back.
To when I knew who I was.
To when I knew who you were.
And where we stood amongst this wreck.

[turkoizdog]

ząąяą zą∂∂ągн

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Zaara was pretty silent through the whole trip. Jean did not address her, so she did not speak to him either. He spent his time instead chatting away at Dalena -- whom she felt bad for, and would have made some attempt to speak to had she not been expertly deflecting Jean's stupidity. She guessed that as a Rite of Salor, Dalena was just more used to guys like him than most. Given what she saw of the two other Rites, she wouldn't be surprised.

Instead, Zaara spent much of the five day journey conversing with her sister. She could feel their bond growing stronger, though at the same time she could tell Kora was preoccupied with something. With what, Zaara wasn't sure, though with all that had gone on in the past few days, it could be anything.

Finally, they reached the gate, which nobody quite knew how to open. Figuring one of the faeries would deal with it, she stood by her horse, watching those around her. Of course, Chandar was going to try to handle things himself, but how much harm could that do? Zaara looked around the abandoned village. It partly shocked her, but at the same time, she wasn't sure what she expected from their arrival to Laelie. Not a happy little town of faeries, that's for sure.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking severely. Zaara shut her eyes and tried to focus on calming it down a bit, but whatever magic the Gradian guard had uttered had put the earth out of her control for that moment. "That is a powerful magic." she muttered to herself.

Apparently, that magic had somehow opened the gate. Zaara stood back and listened, as the fog beyond the gate was discussed. She had only heard of it, read of it in books. As they passed through it, she remained silent. There were bodies, she noticed, but she did not pay much attention. They would investigate bodies after they made their way through. Her mind remained focused on the sound of the baby in the distance. That is, until she heard a monstrous screech. Before she could do anything, her sister had decided to act. A spike of earth pierced through the creature. It was dead.

Kunal had been hit by the monster's saliva. There was a sudden sense of panic, as Chandar tried frantically to help aid the Gradian prince. Then, one of the princes of darkness stepped forward to help. Zaara stood back a little, but then inched forward, curious as to how Kunal would react. He didn't come across as someone who would like requiring someone's aid.



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Location: somewhere between Adele and the group
OOC: Sorry for the absence guys, school is time-consuming >.<