Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jack stood at the edge of a towering forest. In front of him stood miles and miles of the tallest trees he had ever seen. Taller than the buildings of his compound, taller even than the grand temples in the city that he had heard about. Each tree stretched at least a half a mile high and together they stood like sentinels in some massive army. Jack turned and surveyed his surroundings. Behind him the sun shone brightly over an endless plain of rolling hills. But before him the shadows from the trees lay upon the ground as a massive blanket of darkness.

Jack shivered. He knew this place he'd been here many times before in his dreams, in his nightmares. Never before had the sensation been so real. He felt the sun upon on his back felt the ground beneath him, the wind blowing through his hair. Then in the distance he heard it, the sound. It began small, a pop here, a snap there, and then began to grow. The pops became louder turning into great concussions. The Earth shook at each sound. Jack turned to face the trees, as he had done countless times before. Jack could see in the distance trees beginning to topple hitting the ground with tremendous force. The trees continue to fall as whatever it is approached Jack could feel the care welling up within him. Whatever it was was upon him.

Jack awoke with a jolt. He was covered with cold sweat and his hands were trembling. He quickly took stock of his surroundings. He was in his compound's blacksmith shop bent over his workbench. Sweat continued to pour down his face. He slowly stood trying to get his bearings and shake off his nightmare.

"Jack are you done with those hinges yet?" Came a voice from behind him.
Jack let out a small yell as he spun around picking up a hammer as he did so.
"Put that down child, are you trying to scare me?" came the reply from the old leather faced woman. "I'm sorry, Bellea I didn't mean to scare you." he said putting down the hammer. "Scare me child? It looks like I scared you. What happened?"
"Nothing, nothing really. Are you ready for your trip to the city?"
"Yes everything I am taking to sell is packed except for the hinges you were told to make."
Jack turned around to his worktable and picked up the hinges that walked over and handed them to Bellea. " Sorry ma'm didn't mean to make you wait. I figured out a new pen mechanism. They should be stronger than the last ones they shouldn't grind at all now." Bellea took the hinges and placed them in her satchel. "You're becoming a fine craftsman child. Now watch after the shop while I am gone, make whatever the headmistress asks, and for gods sake this time try to keep your mouth shut when you feel the need to 'comment' on any of the other mistresses shortcomings." She turned and headed for the door. "I will ma'm. Good luck." He said is she left. Jack turned back to the fire and began to pump the bellows.

Jack lifted his head as he heard the sound of the muzzle hitting wood. He quickly put the piece of metal he was working back into the fire and turned to face the newcomer. He quickly bowed his head as he walked over to her and answered in a small but steady voice. "I'm here m'lady. You require something of me?" Jack's eyes fell upon the mangled muzzle. It was made of several steel bands bolted together to form a small cage. To the back was fixed several straps of leather all of which had been torn. From what he could see it looked as if it had been dropped onto the ground and run over several times with a fully loaded wagon, a wagon with teeth on its wheels. "Umm... m'lady, this piece seems extensively damaged but I believe that I may be able to use it as a pattern to make another." Jack held up the crushed piece of metal examining it more closely. "Provided I can find what I need I can have it done within the week."Jack set the muzzle back down and turned back to the fire. Using a long pair tongs he removed the piece of metal he placed in there to heat and dropped it into the nearby tank of water.

Jack flinched at the sound of her raised voice. He slowly turned back to her bowing his head as respectfully as he could. "M'am I'm very sorry that is the best can be done. Most of our raw material have already been used for shipment to the markets. If I were able to find what I need I just may be able to complete it. But m'am what you ask is nearly impossible." Jack raised his head slightly to look at her. He knew that this was not someone to be trifled with.

Jack gave a barely audible sigh. There was something different in her tone this time something Jack did not recognize immediately, desperation. He'd never heard this from any other women at the compound it was as if she truly needed this and instead of demanding it, as the others would have, she had requested. This seemed to touch something in Jack. He leveled his head out and met her gaze. "M'am I will do what I can," he said taking up the muzzle. "I will send someone to fetch you once it is completed. Try not to worry." Jack turned away and walked over to the furnace then began to pump the bellows going over in his mind the design of the piece and began to make a list him of what he would need.

The Alberon Breeder was available, having just finished a meal and chatting with other females. When Katrina asked for her attention, she gave it with a wide-eyed look of 'what do you want from me?'

At a place like Alberon, Elric Estates was like a bigger city that might invade at any time. Marean was friendly to their head mistress, but their family and their business was dying out, and Marean's family might just swallow them whole when they did. "Can I help you?" she asked Katrina.

It was for that same reason that other slaves filtered into the blacksmith shop to help him and gossip about the other compound. "Isn't that the estate with all them wild men?" one of the other slaves asked Jack as a few others offered to help him with his important business. They didn't know how to help, but if Jack would tell them, they would do what he said.

"I hear their head mistress is seven feet tall," one of the men laughed.

"I hear their gardens stretch as far as the eye can see."

Nobody really believed these tales, but then the oldest man there spoke up. "You've got it all wrong, lads. That's the place where the wild man escaped." That stopped the jovial conversation. "Now leave this poor fellow alone. He doesn't need all of us helpin' him."

The lady bowed briefly. "I must ask the Mistress if she will allow some of our slaves to accompany you. But the answer will probably be yes." The truth was, with their withering population, the compound didn't need as many slaves as it had. "After your excursion she will want to talk to you," the lady added pleasantly. "You'll have time, of course."

Without waiting for an answer, she left to inform-- er, to ask-- the Head Mistress if Katrina could make use of her slaves. She was back very promptly with the message, 'Do with them what you will; my offers are gracious.' "We hardly need them as it is," she added in confidence.

[er, PMs aren't working, sorry xd I wanted to say that you should go ahead and describe the hunt however you want, right? Do whatever you want with it; but get us to where you are taking Jack to Eldic Estates.]