Rage and Reason (Samheen 28th Early MT)

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Dray was in shock to see the smoking ruins of the town upon which the army was camped. The kind of destruction that was present here indicated that the aggressor cared little about the value of innocent lives. His face reflected few of these thoughts though, as the adhiel did not know who caused the damage. He silently hoped he was on the right side of this conflict. It would be a question to ask of his friend Gavin...

As they passed the row of bodies, Dray stopped momentarily. "Jed, I need to stop for a moment, if I may." He then drew a circle in the ground with his staff around himself, kneeled, and lifted his face and hands up towards the sky. In his native adhiel tongue, Dray offered a prayer.

"Mother Crone, this is a strange new land, but I know you are present even here. These innocents were victim of a war they probably didn't want nor understand. I pray to you to watch over these souls as they depart from this world and enter into the peaceful embrace of the afterlife. Your children return now to you, and I know they will find happiness by your side." He did not know how to perform any specific ritual for the dead, but figured his heart was in the right place. Once the prayer was finished, Draydis stood once again and dusted off his knees.

He then caught up with Jed and followed until he saw Gavin. "Thank you, Jed...for everything. If I can be of service to you, please let me know. It seems like this is a time when we can all use a friend."

The guard commander then approached the large man that he had only met in dreams before. He waited until there was a break in the conversation before he spoke.

"I have traveled from Taquar to find you. Many terrible things have happened there. I am on a quest to find a solution to our problems there." He smiled at his friend, "Besides, I believe I have a debt to repay you for saving my life from that demon last night."

He then waited for Gavin to speak...

[Syrawenn]

Funny....Syrawenn observed, still hanging back while the logical talkers were taking their turns. Funny how she is apologizing for everything that will get her sympathy and for nothing that she actually helped cause...Very funny. How is this gonna play into the damn dream? She's well on her way there already. Damn it all to the nether and back. If I start talking about that stupid stuff people might just push her where she ended up in the dream. And if I ain't tellin, she might just try to kill Gavin anyway! What the flip can I do cept keep an eye on things? Not fair!

She wanted to kick something badly, yet this was hardly the time. After all, people were trying to be civilized and all...which was not her strongest suit.

Fryin netherbats on a stick, what am I gonna do? I can't tell em...no self fulfilling prophecies here. At least there ain't no sign of dear Sean or Noir around. But this is all way too close! Yet...

For a moment her moody face cleared, showing a glimmer of hope in the grey eyes. He didn't die, did he...he didn't. She attacked but he only got wounded. There's a shot here. I mean, it's not like any of the other stupid stuff is actually happe...

The girl stopped dead in her thoughts as the dark warrior appeared. Grey eyes turned green.

Happening.
It's happening.
Oh shit, he's real too.
Demons...
They are real too. Everything is real. Something is gonna happen. We just reached critical mass. Please fasten your armor and hold on to yer weapons cause shit is gonna come down.

This was not funny anymore. This was not even remotely intriguing. It was simply horrifying beyond belief. Syrawenn could not stop herself from checking the immediate surroundings. Was the sky turning red? Were buildings broken down?

Oh DAMNIT! The sky WAS red! The buildings ARE down! The damn fire! So what's the demons gonna be? They gonna be real or are they gonna be the Red Bears? What's more demonic? Are they gonna take me? We should win this one. I dreamed we won. We all won. Just tired, but we WON! Oh Please, if it has to be real anyway, at least gimme the full blast!

The girl clasped her trembling hands, caught them in a tight fold. Eyes clouded over and jaws clamped shut. A step back was easy since she was already on the outskirts of this little gathering. Now, if Draydis -oh yes, she remembered him- could just keep Gavin's attention -and how the flip did he remember that dream? And it wasn't last night! The demon dream was nights ago!- there was a chance to escape the situation. She needed to find out who the demons were. She had to figure out a way to stop things from escalating. Aether and Tether were taking turns in creating reality and Syrawenn could not allow that to happen to the people she cared for.

[Amber Kynterle]

Amber stood quickly, her face quickly turning bright red. She wasn't just sullen or irritated now, she was angry. "Sarcasm!" she yelled at Gavin. "Sarcasm!? You haven't seen shit yet from me, Gavin Tylvan! I'm not being sarcastic, I'm being serious! I bloody well know I made a mistake and I am sorry for that, but I did what I thought I had to do!" She was practically in his face now, and his obvious size advantage didn't seem to faze the redhead a bit. "So you can just drop your fucking holier-than-thou attitude with me! Just because you knew better doesn't mean I should have! I'm new to this whole 'let's fight a war' thing, remember!?" She stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath before she passed out. "And wipe that fucking grin off your face, or I'll do it for you!" she finished vehemently, before throwing up in her hands in exasperation and turning away. Even as she did, she just realized she'd cussed so many times in one breath that her mother would have grounded her from now until eternity if she had heard it...

"And what the hell is wrong with her??" she fumed, nodding at Syrawenn. "She looks like she's just seen a fucking ghost or something!"

[Gavin Tylvan]

Amber was obviously angry and for once Gavin did not care. She could be as angry as she wanted, her anger only fueling his own. Just cause she was standing so close their toes touched, did not cause his own gaze to waver. A low growl spilled from the large man's throat as the red-head yelled, her words managing to wipe away his grin quite fine. His rage caused his breath to grow short, as Gavin leaned forward, on instinct trying to loom over the shorter girl. His hand went up to grab Amber's shoulder, the Dortman wanting to turn her back and yell at her for a bit, when the voice came from the side.

"Wha....." His shout died on his lips suddenly as the tall man recognized the man who approached, turning to face him, and simply blinking as Dray spoke. For several long flickers he could not reply, rage, confusion and joy fighting in his mind. A sharp pain pierced the tall man's chest, but a wince was all he managed before it was gone. Twice his lips moved to reply, Amber's words waking him from a trance-like state he was in. "Huh, oh yeah, a ghost....." He turned towards Syra a smile upon his lips, and then the confusion struck again as the girl was backing off.

"Um, Syra?" His eyes flicked between her and the adhiel guard commander. "Look, it's Draydis. Remember...." Weird images flicked through his mind, that desolate plain where they kissed back in his mind. "Hi, Dray. Syra's there. And that's, Amber. And.... Doran, right?" His mind was utterly shattered for a moment, jumping from subject to subject seemingly without any order. His head turned back to Amber a shadow of his former rage back. "We'll talk later. You and I. And I'd like to see you wipe anything from my face." It was totally uncalled for, but he was not thinking straight.

The look of rage was replaced by a smile as he looked at the adhiel before him. He realized what he was doing and took a few calming breaths to gather his wits. Slowly the storm of thoughts in his head subsided, once more a clear path visible before him. "I'm sorry Dray, but this is a bit of a shock. I am glad to see you." The smile returned. "And you have nothing to repay me. And what demons? What are you talking about?" Amber was not forgotten still, a cauldron of anger still boiling under the surface ready to burst open as soon as they were alone.

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Dray recognized that right away his sudden appearance caused confusion in Gavin and the others present. He looked to Syra and a hint of recognition crossed his mind. "Do I know you?" The question was directed towards Syra. "We've met before...someplace..."

He shrugged and turned towards Doran and Amber. "Well met, both of you. I am Draydis." He gave them a bow and then focused back on Gavin.

"I am talking about last night. We were in...Islay?...there was a large demon with swords for arms...I was fighting it alone, and then you appeared. You took a terrible wound...one that I would have likely taken myself if you had not assisted." The commander looked puzzled for a moment. "Funny...I then remember falling and hitting solid earth and seeing a soldier...somewhere around here. I woke in Jed's tent...the wound I received from the demon was treated...though my armor is still quite damaged from the battle."

It then hit Draydis. Perhaps this was a dream and the demon fight had been real. It certainly felt real. He chuckled. "Things have been rough lately...I really don't understand it all. I do know for certain that a demoness has taken over Taquar and the forest has been destroyed by fire. I managed to escape by way of a portal that a sea elf helped me with. I have orders from the Avatar to find a weapon capable of destroying demons and banishing them from our world. It is my duty to challenge the demoness and eliminate her from our world."

A flicker of a memory then hit the guardsman. "Syra...we've fought demons together before....right?" It was more of a question than a statement.

From those watching the adhiel, it was quite clear that he was confused and having obvious problems with his memory.

[Syrawenn]

The dark warrior.
Demons.

It's a dream. It's another damn dream and I fell for it. This ain't real. It can't be real. Too many dreampeople in one place. Weird stuff happening.

A quick look at Gavin. Her heart jumped. If only he had been real! It made all the difference in the world to have someone believe her, just accept the fact that perhaps she actually contributed something. More than that: he cared. They had kissed. There was something between them, something she did not dare name.

A strange buzz went up from her stomach to her throat as she watched the man.

Nuts...I need him...is that why I'm being so damn defensive towards Amber? No, that's cause of...okay, true, it's partly that. But the dreams! But this is a dream! Who is real? Who isn't? Maybe I don't wanna wake up.

Draydis is here. It's gotta be a dream. Where's Asht? Syrawenn looked around again, expecting the powerful mage to pop up any flicker now. Amber's words reached her ears and annoyed her beyond belief. If there was anything she hated it was being talked about while she was there.

A glare at Amber. "HER is quite fine, thank you. There is nothing wrong with HER ears either, but maybe there is something wrong with YOUR eyes. I am here, thank you very much and yes, I can actually talk. So next time you wanna know about me, ask ME."

It's a goddamn dream. Of course people are gonna annoy you. All part of the game. Come, Noir, where are you hiding. Demons? All in a night's work.

An intense gaze tried to make out the faces of the people around them. Another step back and she turned around. "Go ahead, have yer talk. I'll...be right back. Gotta check somethin."

Asht is gonna be here somewhere. He can help. It's a dream. It's all a stupid dream. Gavin ain't real. I shoulda known. They're not real. SHIT, it's another dream. Who's gonna die this time?

Where am I gonna be when I wake up?
Who's gonna be there?
Nice trick. Very, very nice trick. I almost believed it all. But it was too convenient, wasn't it?

It hurt.

The girl was going to move away in search for Ashtallion. Perhaps that the big warrior was going to be around as well, maybe that weird girl too. Maybe it was going to shift into the dream where Abeo and Sevti were happy. That would be something at least. Maybe nothing was going to happen. Maybe she'd never wake up again.

Another look at Gavin.

It was almost preferable.

[Doran]

Doran stood there listening to Gavin talk. He was talking about dreams and demons. Most would scoff and think that Gavin was lieing, but the whole story seemed to have to much truth in it to be a lie. Besides he could casually told me to me take a hike he wanted to talk to Amber. Doran looked at Gavin and said " I'aye that's Ymir only we have his sword." Thats all Doran managed to say before see the new comer. His right hand instincly going down wear his dagger use to be. Feeling an empty holder he remembered he had thrown it at one of the red bears in the woods. The realization he had just reacted before thinking once more caused him to force his hand down to his side. Looking at the others they all seemed fine with the newcomer except Syra she seemed in shock.

He watched the Adhiel bow toward him and acknowledged Draydis by bowing himself and saying in Elven "I am Doran Norwec son Duran and we are well met indeed". Listening to Draydis talk more about Demons wishing he had more time in sharpen his fighting skills. The Adhiel seemed to be on quest to find a weapon of banishing demons. He seemed confused not sure of his recent events.

Doran looked at Draydis and spoke " I'aye rough is understatemet to say in the least." Doran thought about his part in this war and wondered exactly what his part truly was. Was it Hero, dead soldier or Merc following orders only time will tell he thought.

[Gavin Tylvan]

There was only one demon Gavin fought till that day and that encounter left him scarred, as much of the skin on his chest and arms was burned away by acid. But, Dray was not present in that day. Amber was, along with Abner and Count Johann. He turned to look at Syra speak, but only snippets detected on the big man's mind. He knew she was angry at Amber and that they were starting a fight, and that he should make them stop. He did no such thing though, staring blankly at the emerald eyed girl his vision blurring rapidly.

Suddenly he was no longer there, as the bells rang around him, as he sat in a barracks of sorts. Rushing out, he ran with his men towards the monastery where a great pillar of smoke rose towards the sky. My men? Monastery? There was no monastery in Hafne..... The screams filled the air as people moved away from the ruins of the one proud building. He rushed to their aid, helping move the innocents away. There was one girl whose head was cut off quite savagely and he knelt by her corpse, holding her hair and letting it fall between his fingers and.....

And then he was in the forest, emerald leaves covering the tree all about him. A blonde girl was bundled before him, screaming still, as he twisted the knife in her neck, unable to stop doing so. he knew she lied and that she knew where the shard was. He knew that eventually her resolve would break and she would tell him who took it. A shard? What shard? He only needed to push the blade into her shoulder and twist.... WHAT? No way.... Then his hand moved towards her naked shoulder, a dagger held tight, and.....

It touched an olive skinned shoulder as he danced, a pink clad lady in his arms. Rosalie. The name sprung to his mind of its own accord. A tension of sorts was between them two, as the music seemed to pick up the pace, and she grew into a........Dragon? A dragon stood before him, devouring a girl, and he........Laughed? The dragon's tail swung towards his chest and......

He was on his knees, on some desolate plain, his guard shattered by the demon's powerful blow. A blade cam whistling towards his chest where just moments before the dragon's tail came to crush his bones. Then there was pain as the blade struck, sending him hurtling through the air, his life at its end, the tall man quite content with his fate.

With a loud grunt, he clutched his chest and went down on his knees, a sharp pain piercing pain almost unbearable. Even that stance was impossible as the Dortman's hand went down to steady him, the other one still clutching the spot where the demon struck him. He could see no blood on his shirt, but knew that there should be some, only sheer stubbornness keeping him conscious. He refused to pass out from pain, gritting teeth together, eyes fixed on the ground, as sweat began to form on his forehead, entire body shaking from the effort. Won't give up. Screw you death. Ain't done yet.

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Dray had seen many conflicts with Gavin in the past, and he knew that the big man could take a lot of punishment before he went down...but he had never seen the man fall to his knees from apparently nothing.

Within a flicker, the bladed staff Draydis held in his hands was used to trace a circle around Gavin. It then clattered to the ground and he was at his friend's side within the circle. He quickly removed one of the dagger sheathes from his belt and told his friend to bite down on it. Then, one of his hands found the forehead of his friend and the other was on Gavin's chest. The adhiel's common language was not as fluent as his native tongue, but he figured that Gavin did not speak adhiel. "Relax, my friend. The Mother will aid you. Trust Her, and you will be healed." From this distance, Gavin could easily see that the bright blue spark that was once present in the guardsman's eyes was now quite dark and almost as if shadows were about to consume the color.

Since time was seemingly critical, Dray then spoke his prayer in his native adhiel, as it was much easier for him. The prayer sounded more like a dark melody than chanting, but the guard commander only focused on attempting to make a connection with the Crone.

"Mother Crone...I have called to you on many occasions to help those in need. My friend Gavin is not well right now, and it is beyond me to know how to help him. I know you have helped him in the past, and I know he is not a follower of you as am I, but you also know that he will always stand by my side and protect me as best he can. I ask of you to aid him and rid him of his pain. I ask this in your name and in your glory."

Draydis remembered how he was once able to channel the Mother's energy through him so he could wound the image of the demoness in Taquar with his arrow. He focused again on that feeling as he attempted to grant Gavin some of his own energy if needed to heal his pain...

As the physical connection with his friend continued, Draydis suddenly remembered more of the prior night's encounters in the land with red soil. Gavin had stated that they were in Islay....if that were true, was this really in fact a dream? This seemed more real than a dream though...he felt more alive.

Syra.

She seemed to be afraid of something. Was the aether and tether mixing somehow? Draydis shook the thoughts from his head. It was time to focus on healing Gavin first. The other questions would come later.

[Syrawenn]

Dreams were bad. They always ended with someone getting hurt or dying. Right then Gavin went down.

Yup, always the same thing.

Syrawenn gritted her teeth. "Ah shit..." She mumbled and jumped forward, only to find Dray in the way. He was mumbling about mothers and crones. It sounded like a prayer, yet it did not.
Flashes of red skies.
A tower.
Demon.

Right, I can't do shit here. Let em pray an do stupid stuff. Something really bad is gonna happen anyway. An maybe we'll get out, get lucky. Maybe we won't. If this is a dream, it won't matter...cept that if this is a dream, people will die for real too.

The girl looked at the scene, head slightly tilted. Okay, so it really REALLY does not matter...real or dream....bad stuff will happen anyway.
So why am I worried?
Cause I lo....nah, that's nuts. Can't be.

Oh shuddup, you whino. Enough contemplation. Screw them all. Never been the thinking type, so don't start now.

Whew...he better be okay..or I am gonna be soooo pissed....he's gotta be okay, right? Oh man, I need a good run.

"Yea...keep him alive, Dray. Give a holler if any de....err...if stuff happens. Be RIGHT back."

A last quick look at Gavin. It did not seem lethal. The look turned into a stare. It still did not seem lethal.

So why ain't I runnin yet?

Not done here.
Gods be damned.
It's about him.
An me.

"Move it buster. He don't need no friggin gods." Syrawenn's hoarse voice sounded as she more or less tried to shove Draydis aside to give her some room. Her hands lifted the bearded man's face and before the girl realized what she was doing, her lips found his in a strange echo of the Aether.

It worked before. Let it work now.

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Draydis gave Syra room to do what she wanted, but maintained his contact with Gavin. In his mind, it was fortunate that the contact was not broken. The adhiel firly believed in the Mother's power, and knew that if he lost his grasp on Gavin that his ability to help would also cease.

A look was briefly given to Syra that heavily indicated he did not appreciate her attempt to shove him at all. Instead of shoving back...or worse...he only briefly snarled. "Faith." There would be time for a lesson on manners and understanding later.

His focus then returned to concentrating on the Mother's presence. Unfortunately, Draydis had no training in how to channel divine power or even basic healing. He had felt the power of the Mother on several occasions before, but definitely did not know what to do to call upon it.

It was when Syra kissed Gavin that the guardsman understood her seemingly rude action. Something about grizzly bears and their cubs was muttered under his breath unconsciously. Though the reason made sense now, he would still speak with her about manners. After all, Syra wasn't the only one that cared about Gavin. Dray had traveled a long way just to seek the aid of this man...

[Gavin Tylvan]

Even before Draydis moved, Gavin attempted to get up, sheer stubbornness overcoming the pain. He could feel no blood on his hand, could see no red blossom upon his shirt. There was simply pain, but it was unlike any simple cramp he ever felt. The big man's eyes closed, Gavin drawing a deep breath in through his nose, his mind shutting everything else, but his body. Focus. Relax. Feel the pain. Nothing else.

The pain did not go away, intensifying with each passing flicker, as everything else faded away. His eyes were still open, glazing over as he stared unseeing before him, He never saw Dray's dagger, nor did he bite down on it. Holding his breath the Dortman, felt strangely relaxed and calm, letting the pain wash everything else away. Feel the pain. Test it. Find the source. It was a weird attempt, the tall man, extending his mind, trying to test the boundaries of the physical pain with something akin to mental fingers. Slowly, he grew bolder, letting his mind isolate the pain, pushing it back, focusing it upon one point in his chest, It grew stronger, but Gavin felt the rest of his muscles relaxing, as the pain retreated under the onslaught of the tall man's mind.

In the end it was bordering on unbearable, all the pain he felt focused into a small lump of torment, no larger than a nut. Gavin's hand closed upon his chest, clutching the pain, as he tried to mentally push it away. It took no longer than few flickers, though to the big man it seemed like burns have passed, his eyes opening, a smile upon his lips..... Just in time to see emerald green eyes before his, coming closer, not realizing what was happening until Syra's lips touched his.

Instantly and instinctively, he kissed back, shifting his weight slightly forward, pressing his lips to hers. Gavin's hand let go of his chest and slowly moved to the auburn-haired girl's cheek, cradling it softly, as his lips shifted just slightly under hers. Gavin did not know how long it lasted, but the kiss ended eventually, his lips pulling away only slightly, hand still holding Syra's cheek. His confused mind fought to grasp what happened, and failed utterly. "You kissed me." Yep, she did. Again. "Is this a dream?" Stupid. Hope it ain't. "Tell me it isn't." Do it better. "Please?"

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

At the touch of Syra's lips to Gavin's, the large man seemed to be better. With his hands still touching his friend, Dray suddenly realized he was probably no longer necessary there.

He sheepishly grinned at them both. "My friend, I doubt a kiss from me is what you desire, so I'll just leave you two to your own devices....though I'm curious myself about this being a dream. I hate to break up the mood, but I was wounded last night by a demon that you and I both fought, Gavin." He pulled the tunic to the side to show his friend the large cut in the shoulder plate of his armor. "See?"

He shook his head and stepped away from the pair. "My head is a mess...I don't even know where I'm at or what day it is anymore. What is real...what is a dream..."

After walking a short distance away from the others to a place where the ground was clear, Dray kneeled and closed his eyes. He attempted to focus his thoughts to determine if he was dreaming or if the encounter the night before with the demons had been the dream....or were they both real? ~Mother, please help us all.~

[Amber Kynterle]

For a long, long time, Amber was lost in her own thoughts. She was so angry right then that she couldn't pay much attention to what the others were doing. The full import of Draydis' arrival was completely lost on her, and although she caught some of Gavin's... difficulties... out of the corner of her eye, she dismissed it as his usual overdramatization of things. She didn't really care what was going on, although if she'd known better, she would have.

She waited until they were all talking to each other again, and then slipped quietly out of the tent. She needed to wander, needed to regain control of her temper. She needed to sort some feelings out and figure out exactly what they were. And what she was going to do if Gavin came back to her with that smirk again...

[Syrawenn]

The situation was completely insane. Here they were trying to figure things out while Amber was just about to explode and Draydis tried to call down the heavens themselves -as far as Syrawenn could make out the mumbles- and all the solution she could think up was kiss the big man.

Insane.
Yup.
Gotta be. Blimmin netherbats on a stick, this is not how things were supposed to be!

It was very hard to think once Gavin's hand touched her cheek. The girl flushed, much to her chagrin.

First one making a stupid remark is gonna get kicked! She promised herself. It made her feel marginally better.

"You kissed me." He said.

Syrawenn lifted one eyebrow. "No, really..." Her dry comment sounded.

"Is this a dream? Tell me it isn't. Please?"

The youngster opened her mouth, but Draydis butted in. Only fair, she gathered, after she had quite forcefully put herself between the strange Adhiel and Gavin just moments before. He too seemed to doubt the scene. Everyone doubted the scene.

Might as well join in, then.

"Dunno..." She scraped her throat, unhappy with the crack she heard in her words. Rebellion kicked in. "Who cares anyway." The girl stubbornly insisted. "Either it's a dream or not. We're still screwed. But at least yer conscious enough now to do somethin about it."

Amber walked out of the tent. Syrawenn followed her shortly with her eyes. The virtual steam blowing off that woman told her quite enough. How many times had she not stormed out to regain a measure of rational thought?

It reminded her of the onlookers during her impromptu kiss and a strong blush crept up from her neck. A low growl escaped from her throat. She had not wanted to seperate from that simple touch, yet they had. She had not wanted to just jump in and kiss him in the middle of a crisis, yet she had.

Quickly she got up. "Not a word!" She glared. "Not one joke or there is gonna be some serious hurtin!" She promised before turning back to Gavin.

"An you, since you can talk again, you can get up again too. We got stuff to do, people, an I don't care whether we are awake or not. Live with it."

[Gavin Tylvan]

It could have been the kiss. It could have been the Crone. It could have been Gavin's own stubborness. And it could have been none of those, but something completely diferent. Either way, the pain was there no more, though the confusion still reigned. Dray thought his head was a mess, but Gavin begged to difer, his own mind feeling like a rather large crossroad of dreams, events, and illusions, all coming together with a sole purpose to confuse him. Well, he refused to be confused, forgetting the past and the future, and focusing on the present.

It was Syra's jump that brought him back to the present and allowed him to make a simple decision. There was no wya to know which dreams were real and which were simply dreams. No way to be sure what was real and what was not from all the things that happened in the past. What he did know was that Syra was there before him, seemingly angry and ready to kick, and that she had just kissed him. Amber was around as well, alos angry, and also ready to kick. He sure knew how to choose them, didn't he? Still, witl Amber leaving as she did, she would have to wait, the big man's attention turning to the young girl before him.

So, he got up, groaning only slightly and smiling. "You're right. We got stuff to do and little time to waste. Like going to se ethe Count and see what is real and what is not. I refuse to believe this is a dream And if anyone else claims diferently, he...." He grinned at Syra. "....or she is gonna get kicked. Hard. So, that bein' said, whatcha think about going to see the Count and see what he has to say. We got to set this right. Or rather we don't have to. I want to. Yeah, I want to set this right, cause it will make me feel better. Do you want to help?" The question was directed at all those gathered.

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Dray nodded at Gavin's question. "Aye, my friend. I will give all the help I can. I would like to know about what happened to this place at some point. The tactics used seem to indicate that innocents were slaughtered along with any military units." He gave Gavin a serious look. "We are on the right side of this conflict, are we not?"

Something about Gavin's certainty of this being real and not a dream pulled at Dray. A spark of memory flashed for but an instant. They had been in another place...Gavin and Draydis. Gavin had told him of a place being burned...and a conflict between a count and bears of some sort. The name was spoken by Gavin, but it escaped Dray's memory.

Pain lanced through his shoulder as he shifted his torso to let the leather armor find a more comfortable place. It was then that Draydis realized that Gavin's mention of the conflict had been the night before...the same night when the demon had attacked him and Gavin had saved his life.

Was that just a dream? Was it real? His memory was still quite clouded, but it made sense. From the brief image he had in his mind, the destroyed villiage certainly fit in with the land that surrounded him the night before. It was possible that demons were here as well.

It wasn't enough to fully put his finger on it, but it gave Draydis something to question his friend about. "What is this place called?...well, what it was before the conflict..." The way the adhiel asked the question made it clear that he had a train of thought developing and the answer would help lead him to a resolution of that thought. Upon receiving an answer, he followed it up with, "Were there demons that attacked this place?"

[Syrawenn]

Syrawenn rolled her eyes. "Oh sheesh, steal my thunder, sure I wanna help...didn't I just rally you guys before you tried to rally us?" She glared at Gavin.

"Ain't too sure about them demons, mister." She turned to Draydis. "Might be, might not be. Right now it doesn't seem to...but I got a funny feeling we're not done yet an somehow whenever I don't want my funny feelings to be correct, they are, of course." There was a hint of bitterness in the undertone, but it was quickly overshadowed by her usual hyperactivity.

Turning around quickly Syrawenn tried to catch a glimpse from Amber, but she seemed gone alright. Suits herself. We'll find her back once she's done steaming. I should know, heh.

"Right, so, first things first, eh? An the first thing is what the FLIP were ya doin on the FLOOR, Gavin?"

[Doran]

Doran watched the commotion going on around him. Noting there action's and there words. Not quite sure how to take some of it. Seems the female's were fuming at Gavin and the elf pledging to help to him. Well Doran I think you got handle on the situation as such he thought. No need for anymore details you came here to make sure Amber kept her head attached to her neck and Gavin's asking for your help. So either give it to him or forget her and let her play the hand she was dealt.

Doran stood there a moment and then looked up at Gavin.
" I'll help ya if I can. We are all dealt bad hands from time to time."

[Gavin Tylvan]

They were willing to help, but his smile was short lived, as Syra had to be right on the spot again and ask the worst possible question. Still, the answer came quite easily, as the big man found he only needed to tell the truth. "I dunno what happened. My chest started to hurt bad and I could not stand. Felt like something struck me there and crushed my chest to bits." He shrugged. "Then I tried to push pain away cause I did not want to fall down and then you kissed me and it was gone. Just like that."

He did not want to linger upon it, his face quickly turning towards Dray as Gavin spoke without pause, seeking to distract Syra before she could ask more questions. "This here is Hafne. I was born here. We are in Islay on the Isle of Dort. The town was held by Clansmen of the Highlands, and the Count was camped just outside last night. That's Count of Islay. We'll go to him in a bit." He sighed. "I was not here when the town was set to fire, but Liana, that's my mum, said that a unit called Red Bears came and attacked the Clansmen. But, it makes no sense since they should be working for the Count and he did not want to attack. Then they attacked the Count himself when he came to intervene. It's a mess. A real firkin' mess and I need a few more answers before I get any sort of picture."

He sighed, as the other part of Dray's question was not so easily answered. "The demons..... Well, it ain't that simple. Men did this. But, the demons could be behind all this. I think they are at least. Demons and a woman named Vaga Hex. She's a witch living near the city of Dort to the north of here. Though I don't think we'll be going there any time soon. But, who knows." He shrugged. "It ain't that easy. To many people fighting on too many sides. And not enough those who want peace. Quite annoying actually."

[Syrawenn]

"...and then you kissed me and it was gone." The girl turned even more scarlet than before, unable to contain the flash of heat coursing through her veins at the memories of another kiss and another rumble.

Instead of lingering on it Syrawenn decided to go for the practical approach. She scraped her throat to get rid of the weird obstruction that grew with every time the man looked at her and piped in. Luckily Gavin seemed to have the same idea of avoiding the subject.

A small sigh of relief. It suited her just fine.

"Basically we only see the results. There's no tellin who is doin what an why." She shrugged. "So we're gonna go on good ol' gut instinct an do what at least feels right...right?"

[Draydis Quinn D`Anorre]

Dray listened carefully to the answers given by both Gavin and Syra. "Last night, Gavin, I fought demons with you in a place with red soil and you said it was Islay. I arrived here seemingly by falling from the sky, and soon afterwards found my way to this camp. If this is in fact not Islay, and there are no demons here, then could we assume that I'm actually here, that Taquar has been destroyed by fire, and that the demons of last night were but a dream?"

He shook his head. "No...not possible. My shoulder has a wound from the fight last night, and my armor is still damaged. That wouldn't happen from a dream. Would it?"

It was apparent that Draydis was quite confused by it all and none of it really made sense. Perhaps in time the others could help him to sort it all out...

[Vanadius]

Locked, skilled, archived.