Welcome to Gaia! ::

Character: Raemos
Stage: Oblivionite Adept Mage
Luck: 30
Creature:
Yvhazi
Trickster x 3 (lvl 17)
Success Rate:
6-100
Win x 3
Total:
Plain Cloth x 8
Etched Coin x 1
51 exp


900 words

Raemos was a little uneasy today as he marched Westward, a pack on his back. He was setting off on his first real mission for the guardians - the thing that all of his training and education had been leading to. Missions, renown, wealth, good deeds, heroism... it all began here, with this mission.

That was not, however, why he was bothered by it. It was the other boots that crushed the sand beside him. A group -- His group.

Raemos had never been part of a group before, or at least not a large one. Maeron and Darke had made three, and Grrell had made two, and Suluksati... it was debatable whether that was one or two, but that was not the point. That had been fine - he'd understood his part in those groups. The largest group he had ever been a part of was four people, and that was his family.

This group was about twenty or so - he couldn't be sure. He had tried to count them when he was assigned to them as their second-newest recruit, but he had not gotten very far before he had been completely dazzled by them. So many people.

"How are you doing, Medrol?" the voice preceded a friendly pat on the shoulder. It was, Raemos thought, wincing briefly under the gesture, an absolutely lovely voice.

"F-fine, sir." he said, turning to Cearlan Verhaan, a corporal. Not wanting to screw up badly, Raemos had read up on rankings since he had joined the Guardians. Recruit-private-corporal-seargent-and so forth. It was very regimented and, though he liked the idea in theory and could see where organization would be useful in a battle situation, he felt more than a little out of his depth.

"Are you sure? You just got assigned to us, and now you're off traipsing through the desert with us." said Cearlan. Raemos couldn't help but notice that, somehow, through some quirk of bloodlines, Cearlan's face was perfect. It was all the right proportions, smooth and clean complexioned, and simply...

"Yes sir." He tried not to think much more about Cearlan's face.

"Well, if you have any problems, any at all, let me know." he smiled, and Raemos found that not thinking about Cearlan's face was impossible - not when he smiled so beautifully. "I know it must be rough not knowing any of the boys..."

"What was that Corporal?" said a woman's voice. She moved over to them, looming over Cearlan's shoulder as they walked, her guardian insignia marking her as one of the two Sergeants of the group. She was a hybrid, he had heard from his uncle, Dovaa and orderite and sensitive about it. She kept her wings hidden, leaving only her six recurved horns her blood. "What was that about boys?"

"I was just being general, Sarge." said Cearlan, winking at Raemos as he grinned up at the tall woman mischeviously.

"Good. But in the future, I expect you to keep the gender balance in mind. Recruit?" she nodded to Raemos, meeting his gaze with an intense one of her own, "When we make camp for the night, I want to talk to you. You are not in trouble..." she added hurriedly, before giving Cearlan a grimace, "Though if you spend too much time with Corporal Verhaan, you might be."

Cearlan laughed. "Don't worry, Sarge, I'll work on him!" some of the other's around them laughed. She gave him a look that looked as if it could crush stone.

"Just keep out of trouble, corporal." she growled, before moving away to speak to the other seargent further up the group.

They plodded along a bit further under the uniformly clear desert sky, and Raemos took the time to observe the rest of his group. It was about half or so Orderite, with Dovaa and Hybrids making up the remainder. There were only two pure oblivionites... other than myself he thought with disgust for the admission. Fortunately, they were on the other end of the group, talking animatedly to one of the hybrids as they walked, and he hoped they stayed over there. He looked away. They made him uncomfortable, they always had, but it was worse now. He no longer was allowed to cover his face and eye sockets as he once had, and thus there was nothing separating him from looking like one of them. But he was not one of them. He was not, he was not, he was not!

"Don't worry about Sergeant Miris." said Cearlan, interrupting Raemos's silence, "She's a decent Sarge, as is Sergeant Reki." he pointed to the orderite that was speaking to her, "She knows what she's doing, blah blah blah..." he rolled his eyes, "She's just such a cold fish. Aiskalan, you know..." Raemos looked nervously at the Sergent, who was giving Cearlan a look that made it clear that she had heard. Cearlan only smiled a broad, cherubic-ly innocent smile, and waved playfully towards her. She shook her head and went back to her conversation. "I'm just a trouble maker"

Oh. Great. thought Raemos, sarcastically And you seem to be taking me under your wing... I wonder how that will effect me... but he didn't say it out loud. "Yes sir." he said neutrally.

Cearlan kept talking to him periodically, and it was clear that he found Raemos's stiff politeness amusing. He was a friendly guy and Raemos felt that, despite the mischevious nature barely hidden behind those sparkling eyes, he was a decent man.

The shore was soon in sight - a streak of pale sand and dark-oceaned horizon beyond - and the group stopped their march.

"All right." Said Sergeant Miris, moving to the front of the group and cupping her hands to her mouth, "We make camp here. You all..." she gestured to about two thirds of the group, "Set up camp. The rest come with me and Sergent Reki. We're going to see just how bad this Yvhazi infestation is."

Raemos began to move towards the camp, but Cearlan stopped him. "You're coming with me."

"But..."

"Thats an order, Medrol." Cearlan said, smirking.

"Yes sir." said Raemos, though he felt he'd be more useful at the campsite. He joined the group heading towards the beach. They seemed cautious, their weapons drawn, and he followed suit.

"Do you know what a Yvhazi is, Recruit?" asked Cearlan. Raemos shook his head. "They're demons."

"Demons, sir?"

"Well not quite, Corporal Verhaan..." said one of the oblivionites, "They're monsters of darkness and fire, annoying little tricksters. I wouldn't say they're demons though. Just... Obnoxious." Raemos edged away slightly from the oblivionite - a woman - as she joined them. "There used to be a bunch around my grandma's house in Soldul. Horrible bastards - always nicking her laundry, sometimes a little worse. They aren't so much dangerous as filthy." She smiled at Raemos, holding out her hand, "I'm Selza Sterben, by the way, a Private."

Raemos shook her hand politely, if stiffly. "Raemos Medrol. A pleasure to make your acquaintance..." he said neutrally, though he didn't mean it at all. She looked nice enough, but she was an Oblivionite, so how could he really tell? He kept his gaze away from her own empty eyes.

Cearlan gave her a shrug at her questioning look. "Anyway. Someone brought them to Eowyn, and they've been multiplying here on the coast like vermin ever since. Thats why we're here."

"Oh." said Raemos.

"What you want to keep a lookout for, Medrol, is shadows. They like to sneak up on you and..." she yelped, falling over as a small shape, unseen until that moment, tripped her up. It was a disgusting, squat, dark creature that stank of long lack of cleanliness.

Suddenly, from Raemos's shadow, two more of the little creatures appeared, grabbing for his and Cearlan's legs as well, cackling dis as they did so. Raemos kicked out, knocking his would be tormentor down as he drew his sword and wand. The creature stuck its slimy tongue out at him again and melted into his shadow again, laughing. Raemos turned to Cearlan, who was shaking his leg. The little monster, its arms wrapped around his calf, held on tightly, digging filthy fingernails -- and teeth- into Cearlan's flesh before its head was cut off with a slice of Cearlan's sword. The orderite kicked the body away as Rae watched, impressed.

Selza screamed, and suddenly Raemos could smell burning hair. Raemos turned to see her hair beginning to catch on fire, and he lashed at the Yvhazi with a spell, hoping to push it back. The monster only laughed as the dark magic shimmered and scattered around it.

He was tired of it's laughter. He cast levitate on it, dragging it into the air before cleaving it in two with his sword, wondering at how smoothly a well-made sword worked. He began to put out the fire in the Oblivionite's hair with his cape, trying to beat it out, when suddenly he felt sharp points on his neck. He reached back, his hands meeting a fleshy and disgusting body as it clung to his neck, its nimble arms wrapping around him, digging their claws into his sensitive skin.

"Medrol!" said Cearlan as he struggled with the monster. He wasn't being strangled, not yet anyway, but he could feel himself being scratched and bitten and he wanted no part of it. Suddenly, he felt the creature gouge him as it was yanked away, shrieking. "I got it!" said Cerlan. Raemos turned just in time to see him throw the monster on the ground and stomp on it until it stopped squirming and lay deathly still, its murky, stinking blood pooling around it.

Politely, Raemos helped the Oblivionite up as Sergeant Miris came up to them. "I see you found some." she said, "Must be bad if they're out in daylight. You three - and especially you -" she pointed at Raemos, "Get back to camp and have those scratches taken care of right away. Those beasts are filthy, and we want you all healthy tomorrow so we can really get them."

"Yes Ma'am" said Cearlan, gesturing to the others to come with him...