As Colin sprinted at full speed with the combined weight of all their gear on his back he felt none of it. He gave hardly a thought to what damage he might be doing to his body. After all, he wasn't worried about himself, but if something happened to Emalia... Colin willed his legs to move even faster as he kept his eye on Nephesh and Hellstrom flying overhead. He would not be able to catch them, but he was determined not to lose sight of them. It would have been so much easier to just be up there too, but Colin was fairly sure the potion would have had no effect for him, and that would have raised questions that Colin did not want to face, not with the prospect of meeting up with Emalia present. At least Colin was grateful that they had accepted his refusal without question.
When he first saw the two flying figures descending Colin didn't know why, but then he saw it, a thin wisp of smoke snaking its way towards the heavens. Colin immediately veered his course towards its source, his thick legs thrashing the sparse undergrowth before him as he left the path. It took only minutes for Colin to reach the small fire and he dropped the packs at the sight of its creator standing there talking to Nephesh and Hellstrom. Emalia looked every bit like an angel to Colin, her white robes peeking out beneath a brown traveling cloak and her hair shimmering with the rain that still clung to it. He rushed over to her, oblivious to her look of disbelief still directed towards Hellstrom.
Colin wanted nothing more than to take Emalia in his arms yet he resisted. After all, she had decided to leave on her own. He would have to take comfort instead in the fact that she appeared unharmed. As the four of them spoke it wasn't long before Colin came to the realization that Emalia knew their woodsman companion and it was then Colin learned the name he had missed the first time around: Hellstrom. To Colin, it felt like he had just been clubbed in the gut. Not only did they know each other, but here was Emalia's recent love, and they had led him right to her.
"I have to get rid of him." was Colin's first thought, yet he paused. It was true that Hellstrom had been invaluable in finding Emalia, which Colin voiced aloud, and if he said or did the wrong thing he only risked pushing Emalia away. However the sight of Emalia's hand resting on Hellstrom's arm as she spoke to him urged Colin to do something.
"Where do you think you will go from here?" Colin inquired of Hellstrom, hoping to prompt him along his way. However, the move quickly backfired on him as both Nephesh and Emalia requested for Hellstrom to join them.
It seemed that Hellstrom was the only one who understood the suggestion in Colin's inquiry and he attempted to refuse, "As much as I would enjoy company after so long alone my presence here will only serve to cause problems."
Things still didn't go as Colin had hoped when it dawned on Emalia what Hellstrom was referring to. "Oh no..." she whispered and looked to the ground."Why can't she let him go!?" Colin thought to himself with an unseen scowl, "He has caused her such pain and I have been there with her every step of the way. He doesn't deserve her! I should just spare her the trouble and eliminate..." his thoughts were redirected with the speed of a sword parry, "I have to talk to him. I will show Emalia that I have changed."
As Emalia pulled Nephesh aside to speak to him Colin took the opportunity to offer his own invitation to Hellstrom. Colin was dismayed at how quickly Hellstrom accepted, but the words had already been said.
Hellstrom went off into the woods with his bow and Colin was left with only his thoughts. Had he really made the right decision? He wanted to show Emalia a different side of him, and Hellstrom could be a true asset in the journey ahead, but he had just invited the competition for Emalia's love to travel with them further.
Colin was broken from his thoughts when Emalia came up from behind to speak to him. Unfortunately, the first thing she asked wasn't his first choice of subjects. "Where did Hellstrom go?"
Colin sighed to himself and kept his gaze on the grass at his feet. "I think he's hunting."
When his response was met with silence Colin realized he wasn't going to bring Emalia closer to him with his current attitude. He stood up, brushed himself off, and turned to face Emalia with a smile forced upon his face.
Emalia gave him a look of gratitude and spoke quietly, "Thank you Colin. I'm very sorry I've been so spiteful."
Colin shrugged off the words but within his spirits immediately lifted. "No, you've been under a lot of pressure, that's all." "I'm going to try to do better. I know you want what is best for me."
The words moved Colin deeply, an encouraging breeze for the flame of hope within him which moments ago felt in danger of being snuffed out. Colin knew not what to say, instead simply offering a friendly hug. Colin was elated when she accepted the hug with a smile. As he held her close he was very aware of her slender body pressed against him, the softness of her still damp hair against his cheek. He never wanted this moment to end, yet he knew if it lingered too long in silence it wouldn't be right. Still close to her, Colin brought up how worried he had been and they spoke briefly about Emalia's scuffles. They finally parted when Nephesh came over to pester Colin about where their supplies were and Emalia was drawn over to Hellstrom's offer of cooked venison.
Colin forced himself to eat with the rest, dismayed as he was watching Emalia sitting beside Hellstrom as they did so. However, Emalia's words and her touch still lingered in his mind, granting him patience and hope. He would hold onto those thoughts throughout his sleepless night by the fire, long after laying Emalia down to rest.
Silent Reflection
Hellstrom slipped silently into the woods and found a tree close to the edge of the camp. He quickly climbed to a spot where he could look at the camp without being seen and pondered the odd circumstances that had brought all 4 of them together. Colin and Emalia at least Hellstrom knew even if he only knew Colin's name from Emalia. The child halfling Nephesh was a rather odd addition to their crew. Not to mention his incredible grasp of the use of magic.
In the camp Colin sat outside his tent looking off into the woods obviously absorbed in his own thoughts. Emalia slept like the dead in Hellstrom's tent, and Nephesh was sleeping in his own tent not far from the others.
Hellstrom, satisfied that everything would be safe in the camp decided to take the opportunity to scout the area a little bit. He nimbly leapt from branch to branch from tree to tree so as not to leave any trace on the ground as to where he had gone. After traveling this way for a short time, Hellstrom dropped to the ground and found a suitable small tree that he could use to make a staff out of. Offering a small prayer to Ehlonna, Hellstrom cut the young tree down and removed the small branches from its young trunk. It was a perfect weight and slightly taller than he was.
Hellstrom walked for a bit and found the clearing that he had killed the deer in earlier that evening, which reminded him that he needed to wrap that meat in something so that he could dry it properly later. So many things were swirling through his thoughts. Hellstrom knew that he would be unable to concentrate on the important things if he did not calm down and still the swirl of unimportant thoughts.
Hellstrom stripped off his shirt in the rain and walked out into the center of the clearing. With the rain falling and the lightning flashing overhead, Hellstrom spent a short while meditating, consciousness floating in the void devoid of thought.
Standing, Hellstrom held his newfound staff out in front of him. The staff spun as Hellstrom flowed into the forms he had learned in his training, the movements ingrained in his flesh from countless hours practicing in the elven woods.
After two hours of this, Hellstrom stopped in the middle of the clearing again, his thoughts collected and calm despite the situation at hand. The solution was simple really. They were going north and he was as well. Even if he wanted to avoid the others, it was likely they would run across each other again before long. Not to mention that regardless of Colin's strength and courage the woods was not a place for someone who knew nothing of it to be alone. Emalia would be safer with someone who knew what to watch for helping them.
Hellstrom sat down in the field watching the edge of the horizon lighten slightly as the new day approached. He had promised the others he would return before the sun came up over the horizon, and he was not one to break a promise. He gathered his shirt not bothering to put it back on, it was wet after all. New staff in one hand and soaked shirt in the other Hellstrom jogged back toward the camp to help the others break camp and gain some ground on their travels.
In the camp Colin sat outside his tent looking off into the woods obviously absorbed in his own thoughts. Emalia slept like the dead in Hellstrom's tent, and Nephesh was sleeping in his own tent not far from the others.
Hellstrom, satisfied that everything would be safe in the camp decided to take the opportunity to scout the area a little bit. He nimbly leapt from branch to branch from tree to tree so as not to leave any trace on the ground as to where he had gone. After traveling this way for a short time, Hellstrom dropped to the ground and found a suitable small tree that he could use to make a staff out of. Offering a small prayer to Ehlonna, Hellstrom cut the young tree down and removed the small branches from its young trunk. It was a perfect weight and slightly taller than he was.
Hellstrom walked for a bit and found the clearing that he had killed the deer in earlier that evening, which reminded him that he needed to wrap that meat in something so that he could dry it properly later. So many things were swirling through his thoughts. Hellstrom knew that he would be unable to concentrate on the important things if he did not calm down and still the swirl of unimportant thoughts.
Hellstrom stripped off his shirt in the rain and walked out into the center of the clearing. With the rain falling and the lightning flashing overhead, Hellstrom spent a short while meditating, consciousness floating in the void devoid of thought.
Standing, Hellstrom held his newfound staff out in front of him. The staff spun as Hellstrom flowed into the forms he had learned in his training, the movements ingrained in his flesh from countless hours practicing in the elven woods.
After two hours of this, Hellstrom stopped in the middle of the clearing again, his thoughts collected and calm despite the situation at hand. The solution was simple really. They were going north and he was as well. Even if he wanted to avoid the others, it was likely they would run across each other again before long. Not to mention that regardless of Colin's strength and courage the woods was not a place for someone who knew nothing of it to be alone. Emalia would be safer with someone who knew what to watch for helping them.
Hellstrom sat down in the field watching the edge of the horizon lighten slightly as the new day approached. He had promised the others he would return before the sun came up over the horizon, and he was not one to break a promise. He gathered his shirt not bothering to put it back on, it was wet after all. New staff in one hand and soaked shirt in the other Hellstrom jogged back toward the camp to help the others break camp and gain some ground on their travels.
Found
Emalia sped through the air, groaning. Not two moments before the weather was fine, then one by one the cold droplets of rain began to pelt her like little stinging barbs on her forehead. Everything on her body was getting saturated, and it was apparent that she would either need to land and make camp, or suffer the consequences of biting cold air on a freezing wet body.
The trees weren't welcoming as Emalia drifted down between the branches. Evergreen needles pricked at her ankles and nabbed at her cloak before she finally alighted at their trunks with a soft thud. Beneath the thick mantle of living needles the rain had barely touched the ground. Shivering, she made a small fire - carefully clearing away any of the brush that might turn the small flame into a rolling inferno.
Emalia let out a deep sigh and wiped her damp hair back from her face. She hadn't the time to even wring it out when the sound of soft footfalls reached her ears. She spun about quickly to see the form of Nephesh, complacently walking into her camp. It was much like seeing an apparition though she knew it was no trick. "How by the Gods did you get here..." Before she could finish, the man who landed behind the halfling tore the very breath from her chest. Her vision began to swim and only the frigid water that ran down her hair kept her from dropping to the ground. "Hellstrom..."
Emalia walked over to him, noting the fact that he looked more rugged than before, but still his black hair shone (many thanks to the wet weather that created an even more powerful vision). She wanted more than anything to throw her arms around his neck, perhaps even to kiss him, but a quick reminder of her situation - their - situation, stopped her from making a fool of herself... and more the better. "Emalia! Are you alright?"
In her heart she knew that out of these three people, two should not be together - yet here they were. "You know each other?" "Of course," Emalia answered, "this is Hellstrom."
How many times had Emalia cried on Colin's shoulder, or sat with him as he listened to her breaking heart over Hellstrom? She easily could have counted, as they were written plainly on Colin's face. Even though his countenance was grim, Colin kept silent, much to Emalia's relief.
She couldn't be sure how it all came about, but Emalia immediately wanted to know about the other Guardians. She spoke with Hellstrom, amidst Nephesh's noted questions and eventually had to explain to everyone why she had run off. There wasn't really a way to say it without simply saying it - she honestly felt that the mission she was on was no longer her own.
As Colin reassured her, Emalia sat wondering what she should do. A question which was answered as Hellstrom began to excuse himself. "Oh please... don't... don't go." 'Gods there must be something wrong with me... what am I doing?!' Emalia quickly thought, but the words were out before she could think anything over. The truth was she wanted him near, even if the tension had suddenly become unbearable.
Emalia stared between Colin and Hellstrom as they spoke until interrupted by a note. "Are they enemies?" it read.
She looked down at the small boy and gently lead him a few paces from the camp. "They are not enemies but, I believe, if I may be so bold to say it, they are both in love, or something much like it, with me." "Both parents may love a child and love one another. What is wrong with that?"
She could only smile, as here was a child - no matter how much he knew about The Apprentice, nor what kind of guide he might be to her, still unknowing of the intimacies of the heart. "Nothing at all."
Emalia told Nephesh a bit about the problems between she and Hellstrom, and could barely hold herself silent as the boy looked at her incredulously. "Why would Hellstrom be mad at you for joining the Church?"
"He does not believe as the church does... and it is why I, too, make this trip. To be certain
I am ready. It's complicated, but please, say nothing."
"If he does not know of the Truth, shouldn't I tell him?"
"I, after everything, am glad to see his face look on me with something better than anger."
"He must listen! The voice will make him understand."
"Please, Nephesh, I'm begging you not to put me in such torment again." Her heart beat miles a minute as she sunk down into the bed of needles, memories of Hellstrom's enraged face as they argued before, assailing her. She looked up, almost ready to cry, when the boy reached over and gave her a hug. It was one of the most welcome things in the world.
The venison was delicious compared to the half-hearted spells and mysterious food Emalia had found in her pack. As she chewed, Hellstrom spoke in a whisper: "In all my wandering lately in all the random choices and directions I've taken I never dreamed I would ever see you again." "Nor did I."
Emalia watched in silence as Hellstrom handed Colin a piece of the venison, letting the conversation drop there. Famished, Emalia inhaled the rest of her deer, then walked to the nearest tree. With hunger out of the way, the only thing left to dwell upon was where she would be going, and how to keep everything calm.
She curled within the cloak given her by the traveler, and put her head on her knees. At the sound of the pan flute, courtesy of Nephesh's skilled playing, Emalia drifted off into a dreamless sleep - her thoughts of what was to come dissipating like her breath in the chill Hammer air.
The trees weren't welcoming as Emalia drifted down between the branches. Evergreen needles pricked at her ankles and nabbed at her cloak before she finally alighted at their trunks with a soft thud. Beneath the thick mantle of living needles the rain had barely touched the ground. Shivering, she made a small fire - carefully clearing away any of the brush that might turn the small flame into a rolling inferno.
Emalia let out a deep sigh and wiped her damp hair back from her face. She hadn't the time to even wring it out when the sound of soft footfalls reached her ears. She spun about quickly to see the form of Nephesh, complacently walking into her camp. It was much like seeing an apparition though she knew it was no trick. "How by the Gods did you get here..." Before she could finish, the man who landed behind the halfling tore the very breath from her chest. Her vision began to swim and only the frigid water that ran down her hair kept her from dropping to the ground. "Hellstrom..."
Emalia walked over to him, noting the fact that he looked more rugged than before, but still his black hair shone (many thanks to the wet weather that created an even more powerful vision). She wanted more than anything to throw her arms around his neck, perhaps even to kiss him, but a quick reminder of her situation - their - situation, stopped her from making a fool of herself... and more the better. "Emalia! Are you alright?"
In her heart she knew that out of these three people, two should not be together - yet here they were. "You know each other?" "Of course," Emalia answered, "this is Hellstrom."
How many times had Emalia cried on Colin's shoulder, or sat with him as he listened to her breaking heart over Hellstrom? She easily could have counted, as they were written plainly on Colin's face. Even though his countenance was grim, Colin kept silent, much to Emalia's relief.
She couldn't be sure how it all came about, but Emalia immediately wanted to know about the other Guardians. She spoke with Hellstrom, amidst Nephesh's noted questions and eventually had to explain to everyone why she had run off. There wasn't really a way to say it without simply saying it - she honestly felt that the mission she was on was no longer her own.
As Colin reassured her, Emalia sat wondering what she should do. A question which was answered as Hellstrom began to excuse himself. "Oh please... don't... don't go." 'Gods there must be something wrong with me... what am I doing?!' Emalia quickly thought, but the words were out before she could think anything over. The truth was she wanted him near, even if the tension had suddenly become unbearable.
Emalia stared between Colin and Hellstrom as they spoke until interrupted by a note. "Are they enemies?" it read.
She looked down at the small boy and gently lead him a few paces from the camp. "They are not enemies but, I believe, if I may be so bold to say it, they are both in love, or something much like it, with me." "Both parents may love a child and love one another. What is wrong with that?"
She could only smile, as here was a child - no matter how much he knew about The Apprentice, nor what kind of guide he might be to her, still unknowing of the intimacies of the heart. "Nothing at all."
Emalia told Nephesh a bit about the problems between she and Hellstrom, and could barely hold herself silent as the boy looked at her incredulously. "Why would Hellstrom be mad at you for joining the Church?"
"He does not believe as the church does... and it is why I, too, make this trip. To be certain
I am ready. It's complicated, but please, say nothing."
"If he does not know of the Truth, shouldn't I tell him?"
"I, after everything, am glad to see his face look on me with something better than anger."
"He must listen! The voice will make him understand."
"Please, Nephesh, I'm begging you not to put me in such torment again." Her heart beat miles a minute as she sunk down into the bed of needles, memories of Hellstrom's enraged face as they argued before, assailing her. She looked up, almost ready to cry, when the boy reached over and gave her a hug. It was one of the most welcome things in the world.
The venison was delicious compared to the half-hearted spells and mysterious food Emalia had found in her pack. As she chewed, Hellstrom spoke in a whisper: "In all my wandering lately in all the random choices and directions I've taken I never dreamed I would ever see you again." "Nor did I."
Emalia watched in silence as Hellstrom handed Colin a piece of the venison, letting the conversation drop there. Famished, Emalia inhaled the rest of her deer, then walked to the nearest tree. With hunger out of the way, the only thing left to dwell upon was where she would be going, and how to keep everything calm.
She curled within the cloak given her by the traveler, and put her head on her knees. At the sound of the pan flute, courtesy of Nephesh's skilled playing, Emalia drifted off into a dreamless sleep - her thoughts of what was to come dissipating like her breath in the chill Hammer air.
New Companions
After the odd meeting with the child Nephesh and his impatient companion Colin, Hellstrom quickly made his way back through the city to collect his belongings and secure a horse to cart supplies to allow for faster travel. If he was right then his new companions would need all the haste that could be afforded.
As he approached the others at the gate he made a hasty apology for the time it took and strapped the other two travelers bags to the horses back. After a few seconds to make sure he had everything they headed out of the north gate. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Hellstrom started asking questions. "I need a general physical description of who I’m tracking" Hellstrom begins casually.
"She's a beautiful girl.. Brown wavy hair..." Colin replied dreamily. After some explanation that quality of character an beauty do not show in a footprint, Hellstrom finally got what he needed. Not that it mattered at that particular moment. The trail was well beaten and there was no picking an individual footprint out of it. Besides it was more than likely that the target was moving in a cart or some such vehicle.
Hellstrom tried not to pay too much attention to what the other two said. After all this was not his trek they were looking for a friend they believed to be in danger. These were not his friends and as soon as the job was done he would be on his way. Hellstrom thought about the payment that had been promised and he knew that in the end he would accept no payment, He had been headed north anyways and he had no need of the money.
After a short time they picked up the pace and started moving at a quick jog. Nephesh not able to keep the pace pulled himself up on the back of the horse and smiled happily at himself. Hellstrom chuckled politely and pulled off his traveling cloak stuffing it in a pocket of his backpack. Running felt good, it had been quite some time since he had gotten the chance to really stretch out and cover some ground. After a couple hours of running Hellstrom sees something on the ground and halts. "There was a struggle here," Hellstrom says evenly as he looks at the marks on the ground where two bodies had thrashed around."Can you tell what happened?" Colin asks worriedly."Two sets of footprints enter the path from this side,” Hellstrom says hesitantly. "Orc footprints."
"What else can you tell?" Colin asks as Nephesh falls off of the horses back obviously sleeping. Hellstrom walks around the area in a circle looking at the ground some more before saying, "One set of human footsteps. Human...Female by the shape, though she’s running so I cant tell weight." The other two look at Hellstrom as if asking what to do. Hellstrom adds "Followed by two sets of Orc footprints." Hellstrom points northward and says, "They are headed in that direction, I suggest we hurry." Hellstrom says as he grabs the lead ropes of the horse and sprints off to the north.
Colin is not far behind and to Hellstrom's surprise He is carrying Nephesh on his shoulders with little strain. Not too much further down the trail the trio run into another area of struggle and once again Hellstrom sets about figuring out what happened.
"Something was dragged off the trail here." Hellstrom says as he follows something into the woods a short ways. "A body of an Orc. It’s still warm." Hellstrom yells back to the other two. Hellstrom continues to search the area for more sign of what took place as Nephesh happily bounced up to the body of the orc and pulled out a small blue stone that he starts making symbols in the air with. "What type of weapon does your friend carry?" Hellstrom asks cryptically. "I ask because I found one more burnt corpse and two that were bludgeoned to death."
Colin looks at Hellstrom for a moment thinking and finally says "You know... I haven't seen any on her.", then with another moments thought he adds "I don't think she could inflict wounds like these."
At this time Nephesh grabs Colin by the wrist pointing out the ephemeral spirit of the orc hovering over the burned corpse it recently had been liberated from. Hellstrom makes a comment about the human Male footprints interspersed with the orc and female prints before wandering off to figure out where they went.
Nephesh jots a quick note on his notepad and hands it to Colin to which he replies "Gladly." Turning to the orcish spirit Colin says bluntly, "You are dead, creature. What happened here?" The orc growls and struggles against the magic holding his essence in place over his corpse before settling and saying, "Brown man, white woman... no give me food or weapons. Brown man bring out stick." A look of hatred crosses the orc's face as Colin asks, "The white woman. Was she small and thin?""Me break her in half if let. So small. Ho'ktar crush her. But dead now." The orc responds in kind looking down again at his ruined body."The better question you should be asking is how many were in his raiding party." Hellstrom says over his shoulder to Colin before standing up and walking over to where Nephesh was concentrating over the body of the orc. "How many were in your Party Orc?" Hellstrom demands of the orc.
"We four... plus two. She burn us. She whip us. She need die, suffer for Ho'ktar and comrades." the orc hissed hatefully. With this last reply Nephesh's energy is spent and the apparition blinks out of existence. After some argument about whether or not they should depart, Hellstrom points out that the only way that the woman could have left the area with no trace as she had appeared to do, was to use magic. Hellstrom utters a few words under his breath, a small spell the elves had taught him years ago to improve vision over distance. With the spell complete he leapt into the branches of a nearby tree quickly climbing out of sight to the top.
As he searched the horizon he picked out a figure flying quickly to the north at an incredible altitude. It was wearing a dark cloak and getting smaller by the second. Hellstrom climbed back down the tree hastily to inform his companions of what he had learned.
After some discussion and a quick argument about the intelligence of chasing a flying woman on foot, Nephesh pulls out two small vials from his bag and quickly jots down a note that says "Drink."
Hellstrom with a little hesitation drinks the fluid. Colin refused his so Nephesh shrugged and downed the fluid himself. As Nephesh quickly ascended to the tops of the trees Hellstrom realized what the vial was, a potion containing a flight spell. Hellstrom raised to the treetops himself to follow Nephesh as Colin gathered the supplies, shouldering the entire weight of the combined bags himself left the horse speeding off after the two on foot at full sprint.
As Nephesh descended into the woods just outside the perimeter of the camp Hellstrom stayed a few paces behind. After all this was their friend not his they were chasing. It would be better for her to see one of them first. As he walked into the camp and caught sight of the person he had been chasing for the whole day the breath in his throat caught and he could not breathe. He could only stand dumbfounded and speechless at the edge of the camp as Emalia's eyes fell on Nephesh first.
"How by the Gods did you get here..." Emalia says more than a little surprised to see the child. Then she notices Hellstrom standing behind Nephesh with his mouth hanging open in shock. Nephesh hastily scribbles a note and holds it out to Emalia who doesn’t even seem to notice as she slowly walks over to Hellstrom and whispers, "Hellstrom..." To which he replies in a shaky whisper of his own "Emalia...". Hellstrom looks over at Nephesh who looks as though he is confused by the events taking place before him before looking back to Emalia.
As the two looked at each other Colin came racing into the camp after seeing the small fire off in the distance. He threw down the packs and looked at Emalia and said, "Emalia! Are you alright?" Emalia looked at Colin shocked yet again to see another familiar face in this already unlikely group.
"I had no idea... I should have asked for a name..." Hellstrom mumbles more to himself than anything. "I was so worried for you." Colin says affectionately. "Why? I was in no danger... and had no idea you two of all people would have come together." Emalia replies. "I never thought I would see another guardian again much less you...." Hellstrom quietly says, still obviously quite shocked at what he is seeing. The others are too absorbed to notice Nephesh turn toward the edge of the camp and release a bolt of Pink lightning into the wood.
"You know each other?" Colin asks hesitantly. "Of course... this is Hellstrom." Emalia says as Hellstrom grabs something out of his bag and holds it up for the group to see. It is a different cloak than the one he wore. One with the emblem of the Crimson Guardians sewn to the breast.
A grim look crosses Colin's face as he hears the name again and finally understands who Hellstrom was. "I... didn’t know." Colin stutters.
Nephesh looked at Hellstrom with a new appreciation of who he was and scribbled a hasty thank you note to which Hellstrom replied, "No payment is necessary Nephesh... I had no idea...""How is everyone back home?" Emalia asked Hellstrom."I don’t know Emalia, I have not been to the clan hall in what seems like ages." Hellstrom replied still not quite sure what to think."But, why?" Emalia asks with a sound of concern tinting her voice."Remember that last time we saw eachother?" Hellstrom asks. Emalia nods and Hellstrom adds, "I left that day.""Hellstrom... they're probably worried sick about you..." Emalia responds."I couldn’t bear the problems i was causing with everyone I spoke to." Hellstrom said flatly. Emalia attempted to assure him that he had not caused problems, but Hellstrom was not so sure. After all what was Emalia doing in the middle of a distant continent being tracked by a mute child with a gift for magic and Colin.
Hellstrom could feel the tension in the air from Colin, he knew that Colin was looking at them now, stewing about the hand Emalia had placed on Hellstrom's arm as they spoke.
Nephesh hands Hellstrom a note reading "I am honored by your presence, and hope that this day dawns on a new friendship, Hellstrom."
Hellstrom responds with a noncommittal "Thank you Nephesh and You have been a good traveling companion indeed." before returning his attention to Colin.
"We appreciate your help Hellstrom. Where do you think you will go from here?" Colin says hastily, making it quite obvious he wished it to be other than with their party.
"I was headed northward. It was the only reason I accepted this job to begin with." Hellstrom explained. Nephesh quickly wrote a note asking him to join them on their journey and Emalia requested the same. Hellstrom could not help but look at Colin and see the distaste in his eyes for the idea.
After a hushed conversation between Emalia and Hellstrom, Emalia finally understood why Hellstrom was hesitant to join the party on the northward journey. Colin looked up at the group from his place on the ground and added. "Hellstrom... Your help has been invaluable in getting us this far... If you can help us to get Emalia where she is going in safety, then your presence will be welcomed."
Hellstrom could see sincerity on Colin's face but Hellstrom knew eventually his presence was going to cause problems. Colin approached Hellstrom and added quietly so that the others could not hear "We both know I care for Emalia... as more than a friend. Despite my greatest hopes, though, she doesn't seem to share my feelings... Don't leave on my account."
Hellstrom looks at Colin for a moment before nodding and the two part directions. Colin to pick blades of grass while sitting on the ground, and Hellstrom to stare into the woods contemplating the events of the day.
As Hellstrom strung his bow with a quick motion and silently slipped into the woods so as not to alert his prey his thoughts slipped away from thoughts of Emalia and the others back at the camp site. He stalked the sound further into the woods until he came to a small clearing and in the clearing was a deer feeding on the grass. Hellstrom crept up to the edge of the clearing and silently drew his arrow back to his ear and took aim.
He waited for the perfect moment and let the arrow fly. His aim was true and the arrow punctured the deer’s heart felling it within moments. Hellstrom walked to the corpse of the deer and knelt next to it saying a small prayer for the animal thanking it for its sacrifice before pulling out his knife and removing the internal organs for the wolves to eat.
A short time later Hellstrom re-entered the clearing with deer carcass in tow. He flopped it at the edge of the clearing and proceeded to hastily skin one hind quarter to get enough meat to make a meal for the 4 person group. With a few adjustments the small fire was perfect for coking and Hellstrom grabbed a small pan from his pack and proceeded to cook some of the Venison.
Nephesh came up beside Hellstrom and looking at the meat on the pan and then over at the carcass wrote a note and handed it to Hellstrom reading, "Teach me?" Hellstrom looked at the child with a look of surprise.
"You want to learn to skin an animal?" Hellstrom asked skeptically. Nephesh nodded his head and leaving the meat to cook a bit longer walked to the corpse of the deer and showing Nephesh how to hold the knife showed him by cutting away a few inches of the hide from the deer. Hellstrom handed the razor sharp knife to Nephesh and watched as he tried to duplicate the task.
Hellstrom satisfied that he would not completely ruin the hide then said. "Don’t make too many holes in the hide and I shall show you how to make a good warm shirt out of the hide," before turning back to the fire to check on the meat, which was done. Hellstrom divided the meat into 4 pieces and sharpening 4 sticks, placed a generous helping of the meat on each one.
After everyone had eaten Nephesh finished skinning the deer, he had made a few holes but nothing that could not be repaired. Hellstrom made a mental note to cure the hide on the next nights stop. Emalia fell asleep against a tree before she could even move to the tent that Hellstrom had offered her. Hellstrom would have no need of it this night. There was no sleep to be had for him.
After giving assurance that he would be back before the sun rose, Hellstrom slipped back into the forest to contemplate the day and decide for certain whether or not he wanted to be included in this group.
As he approached the others at the gate he made a hasty apology for the time it took and strapped the other two travelers bags to the horses back. After a few seconds to make sure he had everything they headed out of the north gate. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Hellstrom started asking questions. "I need a general physical description of who I’m tracking" Hellstrom begins casually.
"She's a beautiful girl.. Brown wavy hair..." Colin replied dreamily. After some explanation that quality of character an beauty do not show in a footprint, Hellstrom finally got what he needed. Not that it mattered at that particular moment. The trail was well beaten and there was no picking an individual footprint out of it. Besides it was more than likely that the target was moving in a cart or some such vehicle.
Hellstrom tried not to pay too much attention to what the other two said. After all this was not his trek they were looking for a friend they believed to be in danger. These were not his friends and as soon as the job was done he would be on his way. Hellstrom thought about the payment that had been promised and he knew that in the end he would accept no payment, He had been headed north anyways and he had no need of the money.
After a short time they picked up the pace and started moving at a quick jog. Nephesh not able to keep the pace pulled himself up on the back of the horse and smiled happily at himself. Hellstrom chuckled politely and pulled off his traveling cloak stuffing it in a pocket of his backpack. Running felt good, it had been quite some time since he had gotten the chance to really stretch out and cover some ground. After a couple hours of running Hellstrom sees something on the ground and halts. "There was a struggle here," Hellstrom says evenly as he looks at the marks on the ground where two bodies had thrashed around."Can you tell what happened?" Colin asks worriedly."Two sets of footprints enter the path from this side,” Hellstrom says hesitantly. "Orc footprints."
"What else can you tell?" Colin asks as Nephesh falls off of the horses back obviously sleeping. Hellstrom walks around the area in a circle looking at the ground some more before saying, "One set of human footsteps. Human...Female by the shape, though she’s running so I cant tell weight." The other two look at Hellstrom as if asking what to do. Hellstrom adds "Followed by two sets of Orc footprints." Hellstrom points northward and says, "They are headed in that direction, I suggest we hurry." Hellstrom says as he grabs the lead ropes of the horse and sprints off to the north.
Colin is not far behind and to Hellstrom's surprise He is carrying Nephesh on his shoulders with little strain. Not too much further down the trail the trio run into another area of struggle and once again Hellstrom sets about figuring out what happened.
"Something was dragged off the trail here." Hellstrom says as he follows something into the woods a short ways. "A body of an Orc. It’s still warm." Hellstrom yells back to the other two. Hellstrom continues to search the area for more sign of what took place as Nephesh happily bounced up to the body of the orc and pulled out a small blue stone that he starts making symbols in the air with. "What type of weapon does your friend carry?" Hellstrom asks cryptically. "I ask because I found one more burnt corpse and two that were bludgeoned to death."
Colin looks at Hellstrom for a moment thinking and finally says "You know... I haven't seen any on her.", then with another moments thought he adds "I don't think she could inflict wounds like these."
At this time Nephesh grabs Colin by the wrist pointing out the ephemeral spirit of the orc hovering over the burned corpse it recently had been liberated from. Hellstrom makes a comment about the human Male footprints interspersed with the orc and female prints before wandering off to figure out where they went.
Nephesh jots a quick note on his notepad and hands it to Colin to which he replies "Gladly." Turning to the orcish spirit Colin says bluntly, "You are dead, creature. What happened here?" The orc growls and struggles against the magic holding his essence in place over his corpse before settling and saying, "Brown man, white woman... no give me food or weapons. Brown man bring out stick." A look of hatred crosses the orc's face as Colin asks, "The white woman. Was she small and thin?""Me break her in half if let. So small. Ho'ktar crush her. But dead now." The orc responds in kind looking down again at his ruined body."The better question you should be asking is how many were in his raiding party." Hellstrom says over his shoulder to Colin before standing up and walking over to where Nephesh was concentrating over the body of the orc. "How many were in your Party Orc?" Hellstrom demands of the orc.
"We four... plus two. She burn us. She whip us. She need die, suffer for Ho'ktar and comrades." the orc hissed hatefully. With this last reply Nephesh's energy is spent and the apparition blinks out of existence. After some argument about whether or not they should depart, Hellstrom points out that the only way that the woman could have left the area with no trace as she had appeared to do, was to use magic. Hellstrom utters a few words under his breath, a small spell the elves had taught him years ago to improve vision over distance. With the spell complete he leapt into the branches of a nearby tree quickly climbing out of sight to the top.
As he searched the horizon he picked out a figure flying quickly to the north at an incredible altitude. It was wearing a dark cloak and getting smaller by the second. Hellstrom climbed back down the tree hastily to inform his companions of what he had learned.
After some discussion and a quick argument about the intelligence of chasing a flying woman on foot, Nephesh pulls out two small vials from his bag and quickly jots down a note that says "Drink."
Hellstrom with a little hesitation drinks the fluid. Colin refused his so Nephesh shrugged and downed the fluid himself. As Nephesh quickly ascended to the tops of the trees Hellstrom realized what the vial was, a potion containing a flight spell. Hellstrom raised to the treetops himself to follow Nephesh as Colin gathered the supplies, shouldering the entire weight of the combined bags himself left the horse speeding off after the two on foot at full sprint.
As Nephesh descended into the woods just outside the perimeter of the camp Hellstrom stayed a few paces behind. After all this was their friend not his they were chasing. It would be better for her to see one of them first. As he walked into the camp and caught sight of the person he had been chasing for the whole day the breath in his throat caught and he could not breathe. He could only stand dumbfounded and speechless at the edge of the camp as Emalia's eyes fell on Nephesh first.
"How by the Gods did you get here..." Emalia says more than a little surprised to see the child. Then she notices Hellstrom standing behind Nephesh with his mouth hanging open in shock. Nephesh hastily scribbles a note and holds it out to Emalia who doesn’t even seem to notice as she slowly walks over to Hellstrom and whispers, "Hellstrom..." To which he replies in a shaky whisper of his own "Emalia...". Hellstrom looks over at Nephesh who looks as though he is confused by the events taking place before him before looking back to Emalia.
As the two looked at each other Colin came racing into the camp after seeing the small fire off in the distance. He threw down the packs and looked at Emalia and said, "Emalia! Are you alright?" Emalia looked at Colin shocked yet again to see another familiar face in this already unlikely group.
"I had no idea... I should have asked for a name..." Hellstrom mumbles more to himself than anything. "I was so worried for you." Colin says affectionately. "Why? I was in no danger... and had no idea you two of all people would have come together." Emalia replies. "I never thought I would see another guardian again much less you...." Hellstrom quietly says, still obviously quite shocked at what he is seeing. The others are too absorbed to notice Nephesh turn toward the edge of the camp and release a bolt of Pink lightning into the wood.
"You know each other?" Colin asks hesitantly. "Of course... this is Hellstrom." Emalia says as Hellstrom grabs something out of his bag and holds it up for the group to see. It is a different cloak than the one he wore. One with the emblem of the Crimson Guardians sewn to the breast.
A grim look crosses Colin's face as he hears the name again and finally understands who Hellstrom was. "I... didn’t know." Colin stutters.
Nephesh looked at Hellstrom with a new appreciation of who he was and scribbled a hasty thank you note to which Hellstrom replied, "No payment is necessary Nephesh... I had no idea...""How is everyone back home?" Emalia asked Hellstrom."I don’t know Emalia, I have not been to the clan hall in what seems like ages." Hellstrom replied still not quite sure what to think."But, why?" Emalia asks with a sound of concern tinting her voice."Remember that last time we saw eachother?" Hellstrom asks. Emalia nods and Hellstrom adds, "I left that day.""Hellstrom... they're probably worried sick about you..." Emalia responds."I couldn’t bear the problems i was causing with everyone I spoke to." Hellstrom said flatly. Emalia attempted to assure him that he had not caused problems, but Hellstrom was not so sure. After all what was Emalia doing in the middle of a distant continent being tracked by a mute child with a gift for magic and Colin.
Hellstrom could feel the tension in the air from Colin, he knew that Colin was looking at them now, stewing about the hand Emalia had placed on Hellstrom's arm as they spoke.
Nephesh hands Hellstrom a note reading "I am honored by your presence, and hope that this day dawns on a new friendship, Hellstrom."
Hellstrom responds with a noncommittal "Thank you Nephesh and You have been a good traveling companion indeed." before returning his attention to Colin.
"We appreciate your help Hellstrom. Where do you think you will go from here?" Colin says hastily, making it quite obvious he wished it to be other than with their party.
"I was headed northward. It was the only reason I accepted this job to begin with." Hellstrom explained. Nephesh quickly wrote a note asking him to join them on their journey and Emalia requested the same. Hellstrom could not help but look at Colin and see the distaste in his eyes for the idea.
After a hushed conversation between Emalia and Hellstrom, Emalia finally understood why Hellstrom was hesitant to join the party on the northward journey. Colin looked up at the group from his place on the ground and added. "Hellstrom... Your help has been invaluable in getting us this far... If you can help us to get Emalia where she is going in safety, then your presence will be welcomed."
Hellstrom could see sincerity on Colin's face but Hellstrom knew eventually his presence was going to cause problems. Colin approached Hellstrom and added quietly so that the others could not hear "We both know I care for Emalia... as more than a friend. Despite my greatest hopes, though, she doesn't seem to share my feelings... Don't leave on my account."
Hellstrom looks at Colin for a moment before nodding and the two part directions. Colin to pick blades of grass while sitting on the ground, and Hellstrom to stare into the woods contemplating the events of the day.
As Hellstrom strung his bow with a quick motion and silently slipped into the woods so as not to alert his prey his thoughts slipped away from thoughts of Emalia and the others back at the camp site. He stalked the sound further into the woods until he came to a small clearing and in the clearing was a deer feeding on the grass. Hellstrom crept up to the edge of the clearing and silently drew his arrow back to his ear and took aim.
He waited for the perfect moment and let the arrow fly. His aim was true and the arrow punctured the deer’s heart felling it within moments. Hellstrom walked to the corpse of the deer and knelt next to it saying a small prayer for the animal thanking it for its sacrifice before pulling out his knife and removing the internal organs for the wolves to eat.
A short time later Hellstrom re-entered the clearing with deer carcass in tow. He flopped it at the edge of the clearing and proceeded to hastily skin one hind quarter to get enough meat to make a meal for the 4 person group. With a few adjustments the small fire was perfect for coking and Hellstrom grabbed a small pan from his pack and proceeded to cook some of the Venison.
Nephesh came up beside Hellstrom and looking at the meat on the pan and then over at the carcass wrote a note and handed it to Hellstrom reading, "Teach me?" Hellstrom looked at the child with a look of surprise.
"You want to learn to skin an animal?" Hellstrom asked skeptically. Nephesh nodded his head and leaving the meat to cook a bit longer walked to the corpse of the deer and showing Nephesh how to hold the knife showed him by cutting away a few inches of the hide from the deer. Hellstrom handed the razor sharp knife to Nephesh and watched as he tried to duplicate the task.
Hellstrom satisfied that he would not completely ruin the hide then said. "Don’t make too many holes in the hide and I shall show you how to make a good warm shirt out of the hide," before turning back to the fire to check on the meat, which was done. Hellstrom divided the meat into 4 pieces and sharpening 4 sticks, placed a generous helping of the meat on each one.
After everyone had eaten Nephesh finished skinning the deer, he had made a few holes but nothing that could not be repaired. Hellstrom made a mental note to cure the hide on the next nights stop. Emalia fell asleep against a tree before she could even move to the tent that Hellstrom had offered her. Hellstrom would have no need of it this night. There was no sleep to be had for him.
After giving assurance that he would be back before the sun rose, Hellstrom slipped back into the forest to contemplate the day and decide for certain whether or not he wanted to be included in this group.
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