Len collapsed onto the ground near their new fire pit. He closed his eyes, allowing his body to sink into the cold and hard ground. He was warm near the fire despite him wearing shorts. Soon enough, he was snoring and he fell into a deep sleep. Len fell into a deep dream. He was in a large gold room which was made out of dark sandstone bricks and illuminated with hundreds of torches. From the other side of the room, Len watched as a wave rolled in, carrying with it a small object. Riding the wave was none other than Barobarg's book. Len tried to express his surprise but he couldn't speak. He tried harder but then watched in horror as the book rose from the water and opened up. A great wind erupted from the book, sucking into the water from the floor and threatening to consume Len as well. Len fought the wind, drawing his staff and slowly backing away from the vortex. Len fell backwards as the wind ceased, but as he did his staff flew from his hand and into the book's pages, disappearing. Len tumbled in his sleep only slightly. The dream was keeping him unusually still in his sleep despite the fear Len was facing.
I'm sorry if I troubled you with such thoughts, and I also apologize for my action. "Don't worry about it, it's not a problem" Incendia replied. It looked like people were starting to go to bed, and Incendia had to do something before that happened. "Sven," she called, "Your not to leave this spot during the night." She said as she drew an intricate circle around him in the dirt with her foot. "This is a warning circle, if you should try to leave this spot during the night; you'll be set aflame immediately. Only I can undo that circle, so if you need to get out of it you'll have to have someone wake me up." She then walked back to her spot by the oak tree and drew a similar, but different circle around herself. "Deathblade, if you or someone else need me make sure you don't enter this circle, it's an opposite of Sven's. If anyone walks in it it'll set them aflame."
"Deathblade, if you or someone else need me make sure you don't enter this circle, it's an opposite of Sven's. If anyone walks in it it'll set them aflame." He gave a nod, and planted his sword on the rock he sat on, using it both as a back support and a vibration beacon. He wasn't tired though, he just stayed awake watching the flame and keeping as a watch. He looked at Sven and grinned a little, "Enjoying the hospitality, brother?"
Len's dream continued. The book burst into flames, crumbling into the rocky ground. Like a phoenix from the ashes, a figure rose from the small fire mess. It was an old man with a long curly white beard and a bald head. He was short, standing hunched over. "Barobarg," Len whispered. "You still got a lot to learn kid and if you want to be a real mage then you know what you have to do!" Barobarg shouted, his voice high and wheezy. "I know what you want from my chamber, and you can't have it without getting the book back. The black staff is too much power for you. You can't have it!" "No!" Len shouted. Just then, a long black stick appeared in his hand. It was so simple, light and almost glowing with an elegant light. Len spun the staff, wind erupted around the staff. "Charge, elemental manipulation," he whispered. Then he raised his circling staff above his head. The attack was launched, the wheel of lightning and wind spun with devastating speed and power, slicing Barobarg in half. His dream exploded. He woke up, lying by the camp fire pit, sweating and panting in a small panic.
He woke up, lying by the camp fire pit, sweating and panting in a small panic. Incendia hadn't quite fallen asleep yet when Len suddenly woke up from what would seem to have been a nightmare. "Are you okay Len?"
Deathblade saw that Len was up in a start, he had been saying some weird things, so it wasn't really unexpected, "Len you okay?"
Atrius sat down next to the fireplace, and reached for his flask, inside his vest, but as he felt for the metal container, he felt the touch of something different. The long, slender pipe was still with him, right there on his vest. It's worth doing something different, he thought. He extended his arm and lit the 'cigarette' on the other side of the pipe, and inhaled, taking in the smoke, and holding it for a few seconds. Seconds passed, and his focus passed to the pipe itself. He had a left a beautiful woman behind. What if he had stayed with her a few more days? The thought was weird, but if his so called memories were to be believed, the woman was more than enjoyable to spend time with-- as opposed with the varied team of misfits he was in right now. Was that preferable? And then there was the problem of being a hero. You don't do anything even if you survived. You just react to other things. Hmm... He watched as Ignis enclosed the newcomer into a circle, and then enclosed herself into another set of circles, supposedly to set aflame anyone who dared come near her. "Paranoid, Incendia?" He said. Not long after, an unstable Len woke up. He ignored him. Must have had a nightmare. "When this is over, do you guys think we'll return? Do you want to?" He said, and kissed the pipe once more. The dark smoke contrasted nicely with the smoke the fireplace produced. This was a good place to rest.
When this is over, do you guys think we'll return? Do you want to? Incendia had never really thought about it. "I don't know, I've never thought about what I would do after all this is over. I have no home nor family or friends to go back to."
Sven really didn't like being mistrusted to the extent that he was placed in a circle. It just wasn't very hospitable. "What if I have to go to the bathroom?" he asked Incendia, smirking. If he wanted to, he could counteract the enchantment and escape his prison, but that would only raise further suspisions. Luke was just about to fall asleep when Len woke up, panting and sweating, and Incendia and Deathblade both instantly reacted, checking to see if he was alright. "He must've had a bad dream," suggested Lucas, leaning against the tree again. "When this is over, do you guys think we'll return? Do you want to?" "Heroes make sacrifices. Whether we live or die, at least we'll have saved the world. I'm not saying I don't want to return. I do. But I'm ready to die. I've prepared myself for it." "If the gods will for me to die, then I will die," Annaleigh piped in. "I wouldn't enjoy it, nor would I necessarily want to die, but I do whatever is asked of me. I suppose I shouldn't always, but I've gotten used to such things. Being a priestess isn't all what it's made out to be."
Agnorth, who had now been awake two days in a row, immideately plopped onto the ground and fell asleep.
"I don't know, I've never thought about what I would do after all this is over. I have no home nor family or friends to go back to." He looked over at Incendia, "that's not true," he thought. "Heroes make sacrifices. Whether we live or die, at least we'll have saved the world. I'm not saying I don't want to return. I do. But I'm ready to die. I've prepared myself for it." Deathblade nodded approvingly, "at first Luke, you didn't seem like the leader type, I believe that's changing itself at a rapid pace."
What if I have to go to the bathroom? if you have to go to the bathroom yell and wake me up, i'll turn of the circle. Oh, and by the way, don't try to disenchant that circle, its rigged to explode rather than just burn if you do that, and i'll wake up as soon as either happen. Don't think of it as something bad though, think of it this way; if something tries to eat you and drag you away you'll burn before it gets to."
Atrius heard all of the responses for his question. He identified with all of them. The fire was a good focusing spot for thinking. "Suicidal..." He took another puff of the pipe. "...madmen." Incendia was unsure, but Luke and Anna were prepared to die. A little part of Anna's speech got his attention. I suppose I shouldn't always, but I've gotten used to such things. "What's that?" He exhaled the smoke. "Miss. The-Gods-Willed-Me-Here is having doubts? How loyal are you to your Gods, after knowing what they will put us through?" He laughed at Incendia's response to Sven protests. The pipe, and whatever was in it, was excellent. If he survived, he made a mental note to find that opium dealer again.
"I'm fine," Len said softly. "Lucas is right, just a really bad dream." He didn't know what to do next. He didn't want to go back to sleep. He would just have another bad dream, he'd kill Barobarg again. He couldn't sleep again.
"at first Luke, you didn't seem like the leader type, I believe that's changing itself at a rapid pace." Deathblade was right. Luke was changing. Maybe not for the better in all aspects, but he was becoming more of a leader than he had been in the beginning. Sure, yesterday he'd done some things that he'd regretted, but in the end would all of that really matter? He liked to think it wouldn't. "Thanks. You've more than proven your worth, Deathblade." "Miss. The-Gods-Willed-Me-Here is having doubts? How loyal are you to your Gods, after knowing what they will put us through?" Annaleigh looked down, avoiding Atrius' gaze, and said nothing. He was right, of course. They'd already been through a lot. Could she really take it all before the end? She sighed, laying her head on her knees, and closed her eyes. Hopefully he wouldn't say anything more.
Incendia leaned back against the tree she was sitting by and drifted into sleep. She didn't dream of her family's darkest day, nor of the days to come, but of her brother, the man who's soul didn't burn a pure white, but a majestic gold.
Len sighed softly, there was nothing to do really. He almost didn't want to go to Dyan now after seeing Barobarg's face again. Len felt guilty that he was about to take money and other things from his supply of treasure. It was inherently Len's, but it still brought a load of guilt down on his heart.
The voices of his companions soon lulled Luke to sleep; it was a dreamless, peaceful sleep. But that sleep didn't last long. Something woke him, and it took Lucas more than 10 minutes to figure out what that something was. He was thirsty, and not just for water. Why couldn't these urges just leave him alone? Why couldn't he be normal? Groaning, Luke sat up, looking at the sky to try and see what time it was. They probably still had half and hour until dawn. He might as well get ready for the day ahead. Stretching, Lucas went about searching the darkness for Atrius. "Atrius!" he whispered sharply, trying his best not to wake the others. "Atrius, I need you!" The urges just wouldn't stop. They wouldn't leave him alone. Atrius could help him. "Hello! What do you think you're doing?" Lucas cursed. He'd tripped over someone's foot in his haste, and now the whole camp would wake up. "Whoever you are, shut up before you wake the whole forest!" he snarled, kicking whoever it was again in the leg. "Fine, fine, I was only asking a question. Are we leaving?" Luke recognized the voice of Sven, the man they'd picked up on the road yesterday. Great. Just what he needed. "No, not yet. Atrius! Where are you? I need your help," he whispered again, turning away from Sven. Lucas found Atrius lying a ways away, the remains of a pipe still in his hand from the previous night. Giving him a rough shake, Luke whispered in his ear, "Hey, wake up. I need you real quick."
Atrius was having a pleasant, probably drug induced dream about that opium dealer. What was it about her that made her so-- "Hey, wake up. I need you real quick." "Huh?" Atrius said, grogily, as Luke woke him up. "What is it, mate?"
Heiser rolled up to the crowd with a large bark. He was such a big baby at times and when he wasn't the center of attention he would make sure that huge body of his was the center. Lye just watched the group from afar. She really felt no connection with such sniveling snobs. Who spun tales of woe? Like Luke and his drinking problems. Everyone in the whole entire world, on this piece of land had drinking problems. The dwarves back on the high lands, the elves that hid in the woods, everywhere. Lye just watched Heiser carefully though, Heiser liked pulling fast trips towards Lye and back to people. Lye didn't trust them, for all she knew they would sooner or later try to get into her pants.
Deathblade had sleeped little that night, and watched Lucas when he got up. He was looking for Atrius, probably for another drink, he'd have to stop him if he decided to take a sip, but for now, he waited.
Lye got up from the log she was sitting on, so far for the most part of this journey she could not sleep. The anxiety of having a group wait till she laid down annoyed her. So she stayed up, which she was real good at. But now sitting was beginning to irritate her. It reminded her a bit like the elven meetings where they would just sit there listening to silence for ever. Lye got up and decided to walk around, but she had to steer clear of people. Lorel and Heiser now both were asleep. Heiser must have worn himself out, Lorel must have just went to sleep when the time gave him a chance.
Deathblade was getting into the conversation between Atrius and Luke, but then all of a sudden he felt a vibration, it was not too far off, he felt it behind him. This was the perfect chance to test it out, he got up and took his blade, and using magicks he activated the device. The realm he entered was different than he expected, the shadows had interesting features, each vibrated with a motion from the material world. He found the source of the disturbances and ran over there. He found someone with two dogs, her name was... Lye he believed. He deactivated the device materializing back into the material realm. "Why stay way over here, when you can be with us?"
"Why stay way over here, when you can be with us?" Lye stared at the person talking. "So, what?" Lye asked, "You can pull up my skirt and have a boogie, or you can talk about hypocritical moral ethics?"
"So, what?" Lye asked, "You can pull up my skirt and have a boogie, or you can talk about hypocritical moral ethics?" "I am going to admit, what we are doing is the morally right thing, you may think we're crazy and hypocritical, but in all honesty, its right. This world has suffered too much darkness, and we're going to set that straight, if its hypocritical, at least we're getting the job done. The other thing though, I'm not sure why you'd think that. Over the past time we've spent together, its only us that's changed, and because you've been in the darkness, paranoia is striking you down. Overpower it, its not your master."
