Welcome to Gaia! ::

Xalcorsh paused and nodded, looking around and only now realizing just how quiet it had been. "You're right, we should have. . .this is odd, not even birds or insects." He stood and turned slowly, then a slight breeze came up and he spun in the direction they had been traveling. "I smell smoke, and I feel that there is something dangerous ahead."

Xalcorsh paused, thinking for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, but carefully, we don't know what has happened, I suggest you stay hidden, I've met other people before, and I won't attract quite so much attention, even though I am far larger than normal." He grinned slightly and then shrugged, starting to move toward the smoke.

Xalcorsh seemed to blend into the forest, he moved both silently, and left no marks of his passage despite his large size and the reported clumsiness of most humans. He frowned as they got closer, and a look of concern could be discerned on his expression. Soon they came to the edge of the forest, and about a half mile out, was a medium sized town, or what was left of it. Smoldering ruins lay scattered where the town had been, and smoke trailed up from the charred rubble. Xalcorsh motioned for her to stay hidden, and slowly made his way towards the town, his hand on his sword, his eyes darting every which way, looking for anything that might hint as to what had caused it, but he saw nothing as he approached. Soon he reached the edge of the town and paused, looking closely before turning and motioning to Helki that she could approach, there were no survivors, whoever, or whatever, had done this, had been very thorough.

"Not even corpses left, and tracks of creatures that I do not know." Xalcorsh said softly when she was close and shook his head, staring at the destroyed town. "I feel as if I knew these people. . .that they were important to me for some reason. . .but I don't remember why, or how. I also feel strange energies that linger in the air, and something that feels. . .dark. . .but the traces are faint, this was recent, but whatever did this is already gone." He scratched his head with his left hand, his right still resting on the hilt of the sword on his back as he looked at Helki, then turned to head in the direction they had been traveling. "We should move, it would not be good to linger long here I think."

Xalcorsh moved ahead towards the forests edge on the other side of the town, still moving cautiously, but not feeling threatened for now. As they approached the trees though, he suddenly froze, hands on both hilts and his eyes widened slightly as he sensed the opening of the rift behind him. In a flash something lept out of the rift and at Xalcorsh, though it was difficult to see anything but a black blur as the creature moved faster than anything from this current world.

The creature, larger than Xalcorsh, bowled him over, putting a large gash in his back and causing him to grunt loudly. Xalcorsh rolled to the side, but was very slow trying to get up. The creature which had stopped in the shadows under the trees, was large, but hunched and looked to have an insect like black carapace covering it. It's hands were clawed, and it's mandibles clacked together as it chittered some vile language only it seemed to know.

The creature was unexpectedly agile, and dodged most of what seemed to be light that she shot at it, one though hit it and it hissed and chitered wildly, moving deeper into the shadows and away from her. Xalcorsh was now standing, and he carefully moved towards her, though clearly he was in pain, he ignored it and stood his ground, looking towards Helki and nodding, not trusting himself to try and speak at the moment. The creature didn't move out of site, clearly thinking it could still get Xalcorsh, and possibly Helki as well.

The creature hissed and twisted from the attacks, unable to attack her in return, it's carapace was extremely hard, and could take quite a beating. As it was slammed into the ground it began to get up, but Xalcorsh was already there, his swords seeming to glow of their own accord as he promptly split the creature in two and pierced it twice, once on each side of the cut he had just made. He then turned, sheathing his weapons and nodded to Helki before collapsing onto the ground, breathing heavily and slightly feverish.