The Mist!

It was still dark - the sky the dull, dark grey of very early morning, the sun not yet risen – when Ceri crept silently out of her house, closing the door as quietly as she could behind her. There was enough light to see by outside, but the house had been all but pitch black as she’d tiptoed about, dressing and readying her pack and writing a note to her parents and siblings apologising and explaining her disappearance. Ceri hated having to deceive her family, but if she’d told them she wanted to go on this expedition into the mist her father would have bolted the door and her mother would have tied her up in her room to stop her going.

So, for the past three weeks Ceri had secretly filled a pack ready for travelling, hiding it under a loose floorboard in her room until this morning. Now she gave her family’s farm one last look, filled with mixed guilt, sadness and excitement, then started the long walk out of Harmony Village to Capital, and The Last Meal INN.

At first, striding along the open road, watching the sky very slowly lighten from dark grey to light grey, Ceri found the exercise, coupled with her new-found sense of freedom, invigorating. Her pack was slung over her shoulder, her staff in hand, and she was confident that she had made the right decision to come. However, when she reached Capital a couple of hours later, anxiety had come bubbling to the surface. She clutched the noticed Eryk had brought her in her hand, looking around for the Last Meal.

She found it near the edge of the village, and, pushing the door open, saw that there were only two people inside apart from the woman that apparently owned the place; a boy maybe a couple of years younger than Ceri herself, and an older man dressed in a black mage’s robe.

“H-hello,” Ceri greeted them stutteringly, not quite so confident now that she was actually here. “I’m here for, ah … this,” she held out the expedition notice. “Did one of you write it?”

 

I looked up and smiled. I recognized her as someone from Harmony village but I had never actually met her before. I stood up, my bronze armor glistening in the candle light of the INN. She was smaller than me, but obviously older. "I wrote it." I said loud enough for her to hear, and then I heard Drake's chair move, and looked to see him standing up.

He walked up to her, his eyes cold and inspecting, wise but judging. He had his bag in his hand. He leaned down to inspect her closer, his 6ft tall frame making her seem even smaller. Then he smiled, patted her on the head kindly. "I've got just the thing." He commented and produced a pair of what first appeared to be bonoculars but their was a switch on the side. He was about to present it when the the woman walked behind him and with a quick motion thwaked him in the back of the head. "Ouch."

"Stop trying to be so intimidating all the time you foolish mage." She commented to my shock. Drake smirked at this and shook his head before returning his attention to the girl.

"This is my gift to you, if you ever need to see anything in the dark, put this to your eyes as you would a pair of bonoculars and flip the switch, the world seen through these will be lit with a greenish glow but you should be able to see anything fine." He said, handing it to her, and he motioned for her to join us at the table we sat at, it had four chairs after all. "Come join us, I'm sure you'll find the food edible." The final comment getting him a glare from the woman. I had to wonder what their relationship was that she would be so forward with the head of the mage's giuld.

 

Drake caught a glimpse of Skraal heading down in his polished Matt Scarlett and black armour. He wore a pair of shades given to him as a gift from the guild for his eyes. Skraal was a tall warrior and well built. His prowess with the blade was second to none. Drake stopped Skraal pressing a hand on the warriors black shoulder pad.

“This day I feel confident now I’ve seen you on this excursion. Others have gone to never return nor be heard from again. But none of them carried the warriors heart that beats within you.” Drake said.

Skraal looked into the magicians eyes. “What do you know of my heart.” He snarled.

Drake smiled. “I know this Skraal you carry something different in your blood the bird I see accompanies you everywhere giving you sight higher than the ground. Your heart beats in a fierce pattern and you move like a ghost. If you where my enemy I would fear one such as you. Be safe I have no gift for you but these words of advice.” Drake smiled.

Skraal looked up at the blackbird hovering above with the soft wind. “I need no gift.” Skraal snarled raising his upper lip.

“Speak your words Drake.” Skraal added.

Drake nodded.

“Skraal you will see things out there that you may not understand. I will give you this advice. You are different. Your soul works differently For what you will see you must believe only what is in your heart.” Drake said. He patted Skraal once more on the shoulder.

Drake felt a small shimmer of hope that he could see these warriors once again. None had ever ventured out with one such as Skraal.

Skraal stood next to Dameon Char and Ceri Armend. Both were younger than him. They smiled as they saw him approach. Skraal merely snarled raising his upper lip in return.

 

The boy stood up when Ceri addressed them, and she realised with surprise that she’d seen him before – in Harmony Village. She couldn’t remember his name, but she could see that he was obviously better prepared for then expedition than she was, garbed in bronze armour that caught and reflected the light from the candles than lit the in.

“I wrote it,” he said in answer to Ceri’s question. She nodded, then was distracted by the scraping sound of a chair against the wooden floor as the mage stood up.

Ceri’s eyes widened in surprise as the mage walked right up to her; he towered over her, filling her vision so all she could see were his cold, appraising green eyes and his long black robe. Without warning he bent down and peered straight into her eyes, startling Ceri into leaning backwards to increase the space between them. Her stomach tensed into a knot, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her staff.

Ceri could hear her blood pulsing in her ears while the mage stared at her intensely for a few moments – and then he smiled, his face radiating sudden warmth, and gently patted her on the head. The change in his expression was rapid and surprising, and it took a moment for Ceri to relax again.

“I’ve got just the thing,” the man said, producing what appeared to be a modified set of binoculars. The tension in the room was eased further when the inn’s owner cuffed the mage round the head and scolded him for trying to be frightening. Ceri felt her lips twitch into a smile.

The mage merely grinned, then explained to Ceri how the night-vision binoculars worked before inviting her to sit and eat with them, making a joke about the edibility of the food, presumably to irritate the inn’s owner, who scowled at him.

Ceri flicked an amused glance at the boy in the armour as she sat down and introduced herself properly. “I’m Ceri Armend, from Harmony.”

The words were barely out of her lips when the inn door opened and a tall, fierce looking man in blood red and black armour entered. A cold shiver of fear ran down Ceri's spine, and she thought that if this man was part of their group she'd both safe - he exuded the confidence of strong fighter - and scared - he did not seemed overly friendly. The mage stepped up and spoke quietly to him as he had to her, but the man was apparently more inclined to snarl than talk. The mage did not seem intimidated though, patting the man on the shoulder; he was not small, like Ceri, and she doubted that he would appreciate a pat on the head.

The man walked towards her and the other boy. Ceri attemped a smile, but the man snarled again in reply. She glanced nervously at the others, feeling another shiver of fear run through her.

 

Skraal took a seat at the table the inn keeper stepped back from him and asked.

“Can I get you anything.”

Skraal snarled looking around the establishment. “Meat. I need red meat raw in the centre. And a beverage of alcohol.”

Skraal turned to the others. Ceri seemed pleasant yet he wondered if she understood the journey at hand. While he turned to Dameon Char. He looked through the pair as though the wall was more interesting to him. The inn keeper returned with a plate of meat raw and still dripping red blood from the centre. Skraal took the alcohol from the inn keepers hand and took big gulps until the tinkered was empty. He ate the meat with his bare hands leaving a trail of blood dripping onto the plate. His chin and lips drenched in the blood from the raw centre. Skraal noted the others watching and wiped his chin.

“Another beer inn keeper.” He said allowed.

 

I nodded to the girl and spoke up. "I'm Dameon, also from Harmony. I think I've seen you around a few times." I said and motioned for her to sit next to me when the new man arrived. I smiled and he snarled. I almost took a step back but resisted. "W-welcome to the group, I hope we all manage to come back ok." i said as bravly as I could manage. The man looked about ready to kill me for being here. At least the girl seemed frindly enough.

The woman walked back to us after serving the man and set a plate for Ceri and smiled. "Don't worry he won't eat you unless he's really hungry." She teased and patted me on the head.

 

Soujiro entered Capital in a good mood as always, thinking about the type of things he might see beyond the wall and whether the people he was going with were going to able to handle it. He had imagined a group full of powerful and wise mages and mighty warriors ready to bring the mystery of the Mist back to the people/

As Soujiro entered the Inn he saw a group of people together, a real mix of people. They were seated at a table. Two people caught his eye, a large man and a small girl with a wooden staff. He chuckled to himself before approaching the group, so much for wise mages and mighty warriors.

"I presume this is the party wishing to venture beyond the wall? I am Soujiro Seta and i have answered your call."

 

Drake came up from behind the new boy. He spoke softly, but everyone could hear him. "I have seen you around, you are good with those swords but you should learn that a smile has a place and time, it should not be worn as a mask." He said and then looked down at his bag. "I have nothing to give you, but that advice." He commented. I wondered what he meant by mask, but figured it was beyond me.

"Thank you for coming, I'm Dameon." I said and offered him the only other seat left as Drake took his seat, and I took mine. The girl standing by the other.

 

Ceri smiled weakly at the innkeep’s joke, but felt even more unnerved about their new companion. Her appetite faded to barely nothing as she watched the man practically devour his raw, bloody meat. She looked down at her own, steaming, delicious looking meal, and only felt her stomach writhe in protest. Still, she didn’t want to offend the innkeeper, so she reluctantly picked at it. It was as delicious as it looked.

“So …” she looked at Dameon as she ate, trying to think of a subject other than the tension caused by Snarly. Seeing the original notice lying on the table, she remembered all the questions that had clamoured for attention when she first read it.

“Why --” she began, as the inn door opened again. She looked down, pleased to see the young man framed in the doorway looked more friendly than Snarly in the corner, if somewhat bemused at the so-far less-than-impressive group.

“I presume this is the party wishing to venture beyond the wall? I am Soujiro Seta and I have answered your call.”

Drake spoke to him as he had the others, mentioning something about a mask. Dameon introduced himself, then sat down again, leaving one open for Soujiro.

“I’m Ceri Armend,” Ceri introduced herself, then added to the group in general. “So, why are you all doing this?” she asked curiously. “I mean … why do you want to … go ‘outside’?”

 

I smiled at Ceri. "Well I just have to know whats out their. I don't really know why, I just got to." I said and shrugged. "How about you?" I asked and took a swig of the cup the woman had given me. It was apple cider, good apple cider but still, I was about to leave the wall and felt foolish at drinking juice.

Drake noticed me look at the drink and smirked. He sipped his solomly. "This place has the best cider around." He commented loud enough for the woman to hear him. She smirked now, enjoying the praise more than she had the teasing.

 

"I have nothing to give you, but that advice." Soujiro let the man assess him, it was expected. There was someone bound to be of far greater knowledge and intelligence than the others.

"Thank you for coming, I'm Dameon." Soujiro took a seat, shifting the position of his swords so they sat comfortably in his lap. On the table he saw the notice and then the small girl introduced herself,

“I’m Ceri Armend,” Soujiro bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"So, why are you all doing this? I mean...why do you want to...go 'outside'?" Soujiro had anticipated this question from the group long before he had arrived, only because he had started to doubt his decision slightly. He had 'his' reason and then there was the reason he would tell the others.

"I am here to see for myself the legends which have been told. I wish to know what is it that is so feared that no one dares to venture beyond our borders."

 

Skraal looked up and watched Soujiro enter and take his seat. He watched the other say hello to the others. Kraal grunted and called the innkeeper for another beer beverage in a tinkered.

Skraal then took out his jagged edged swords from their scabbards and began to clean them with a cloth he produced from his waist belt. Skraal looked at his three large scars from his forehead to his chin in a diagonal across his face in the reflection of the swords.

 

Meet Dora Lee (Ty, Raven and Chad for letting me join)

Name: Adora (Dora) Lee

Age: 17

Sex: Female

Equipment: A glass kitchen knife, a bow and arrows, a pair of bronze scissors, and a tinderbox. Also shallots, carrots, garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, assorted other herbs, and some potatoes.

Magic Artifacts: A magic 8-ball which supplies answers to questions put to it. They may not be the right answers but they're answers all right!

Description: Dora is 5-foot-nothing and carries a little extra weight. Her hair is a mass of wiry brown curls that she normally ties up in a mop-like ponytail on top of her head. Her eyes are brown, nose a bit on the long side and almost always wears a smile. Dora wears loose-fitting bluejean-type pants with a few extra pockets. She generally wears a t-shirt in blue, pink, or green and her shoes are sensible, tough, and comfortable.

Personality: Dora doesn't walk so much as bounce from place to place. She's optimistic and gives the impression that gravity is only an option rather than a law and that she goes along with it out of sheer good humor.

Background: Dora is from Harmony. Being raised in the farming community has taught her to be self-sufficient in many ways. She enjoys cooking, having a flair for creating beautiful tasty meals from the plentiful produce of Harmony.

 

This was it, this was his shot. Chaize had no idea what lay beyond Wall, all he knew was that those who dared to venture beyond it's borders never returned. If he was to survive the unknown he'd have a better chance of doing it if he were a part of a group. He'd discovered the letter on the wall of an inn on the outskirts of town.

"Attention; Expedition planned for the mist, travel companions needed.
All welcome to join, bring your own gear, and rations.
If interested meet at the Last Meal INN on the third day of March, prepared to leave."

He repeated the words over and over in his head as he paced in front of the steps to the Last Meal Inn. He stopped and ran his fingers through his hair.

People... he thought to himself as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, something he did when he was nervous, people made him uneasy...

 

After cleaning his blades he re-sheathed them in their scabbards and finished his tinkered. The others looked at him but he paid no attention to their watching eyes. Drake’s advice was beginning to plague on him. Skraal wasn’t one for sharing the company of strangers But Drake had often visited him and he’d noticed the mage had also often watched him.

Skraal rose to his feet and called the innkeeper again.

“Keeper of the Inn. I require a stronger beverage.” Skraal called out his face set in a grimace. He flexed his arms out and creaked his fingers together.

The Inn keeper hurriedly approached with another tankered of Beer. Skraal took the tinkered and went to the window. He stopped dead bang and looked on through the glass at the surroundings.

Who Am I? Again the questioned plagued his mind. The visions of his dream remained almost as if to taunt him. He turned to watch the others engage in small talk. He wondered why they had decided to leave the confines of their safe haven. And then he wondered what Drake meant.

He returned his gaze to the window starring through his reflection at the land outside and took another swig from the tankered.

The door opened taking Skraals attention and a great big blackbird flew through into the etablishment and perched on Skraals shoulder. The bird squawked then bowed its head to sip the beer in the tankered. Skraal returned his gaze again to the window.

 

Attention; Expedition planned for the mist, travel companions needed.
All welcome to join, bring your own gear, and rations.
If interested meet at the Last Meal INN on the third day of March, prepared to leave.

A week earlier the magic 8-ball shook seven times exactly before Dora turned it over as she whispered her question.

"Should I go on this adventure?"

'Definitely.' it said.

It was a long walk from Harmony to Capital city but Dora was hardy and enjoyed the trip, hitchhiking for a short time on a cart going her way that was loaded with wool fleeces going to market.

Her mother and father had been unhappy at her choice to go on an adventure.

"But isn't life enough of an adventure?" her mother asked her.

"Don't you want to know what causes the Mist?" Dora asked her parents as she checked her pack for the sixth time and added the shallots to a side compartment. "Besides," Dora looked out the window and saw cabbages. Lots of cabbages, "this place is nice but it's not exactly rife with adventure.

"Rife?" her father asked, "What do you need anything rife for? And where did you even learn the word?"

Dora gave him a sweet smile and her mother sighed.

"If you have to do this," she said, "then take this. I meant to give it to you someday."

Dora's mother handed her a very old notebook. The pages were yellowed parchment and it had written 'Simples, recipes, and stories." There were fresh untouched pages at the back. She also handed her ink and a quill.

"Write down things you discover," she told her daughter, "so that no more knowledge is lost."

"Oh Mother," Dora said, but she took them anyway.

Her pack was getting heavy as she approached the inn. She was glad to enter the cool of the inn and her eyes swept the common room, looking for familiar faces.

Suddenly she felt small and unsure. Who were all of these people? Was this really the right thing to do?

There was the blacksmith's son, Dameon! She was relieved to see a familiar face and waved to him from across the room.

 

I saw Dora wave and stood up to great her, a smile on my face when Drake beat me to her. He looked down at her for a moment, and then said simply. "I know you. You look just like your mother." He commented and reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of pens, rare and valiable objects due to their small components, one red, one blue, one green, and five black pens. He held the handed her the bundle quickly. "If you're anything like your mother you'll put these to good use." He said and then stepped aside so I could get through.

"Well, I didn't expect you to show up when I wrote that notice." I said but smiled. "Glad to have you along, come on and meet some of the others." I said and waved her over to the table, she could have my seat, i'd need to greet any new commers anyways. The inn keeper was already bringing over a plate for her. "This is Dora." I said to the group.

 

Drake looked around at the children that felt a need to leave the safty of their homes in search of something, different things. He watched them with sad eyes and then spoke up to the group, excluding Skraal from his comments. "You all realize that once you leave the wall you will probably never return right?" He asked and looked around. "You," He said pointing at Dameon. "are going just to see whats their. Is that really a good reason to risk your life?" He asked, and he looked around the group. "All of you, so young, so foolish, why risk this? I have watched generation after generation pass through that gate, you will not return, no one does." He said and then stopped, took a deep breath and frowned at the group. "But my pleeding will not change your minds wil it." He said though it was not really a question.

 

Madeline retreated into a shadow and smoothed out the crumpled poster she had snatched from a wall earlier that day.

Attention; Expedition planned for the mist, travel companions needed.
All welcome to join, bring your own gear, and rations.
If interested meet at the Last Meal INN on the third day of March, prepared to leave.

She shifted from foot to foot, grimacing at the feel of new leather chewing her feet. I could have at least nicked a comfortable pair of boots, she thought with a small smile.

The hilt of her bronze knife peeked out of the top of her boot. The hilt rubbed against her calf when she walked but Madeline had decided that blisters were worth it for quick access. The pain was probably mild in comparison to what would happen if they caught her unarmed.
Am I fleeing from one danger, into a worse one? She thought. What choice do I have? A quieter voice said.

She hoisted her hastily packed bag of rations onto her shoulder and entered the Last Meal Inn.

 

Si looks over the poster in the library. "I remember Cassie talking about this. I think I should go too. They may need my help." She got all of the supplies she had, ready for the trip.

She enters the inn, and takes down the hood of her cloak. She moves it back, revealing her all white outfit. The only exeptions were the bronze chainmail over her chest and shoulders, and the quiver of arrows on her back. Her left hand holds a cloth bag, and she waves with her right hand at the people. "Well met. I take it that all of you are the people that plan to go outside the wall, correct?"

 

Ben strode into the room in time to hear Drake say "...you will not return, no one does." His short brown hair was combed back. He waited for Drake to finish speaking. Then he smiled as he said, "Just because no one has returned that you know of doesn't mean that we won't. I am Ben, and have come to join this expedition."

Ben wore a white tunic with the emblem of a medic on his left sleeve. He carried a short sword at his waist and a bow and quiver on his back, one on each side of his full pack. On his right index finger he wore a silver colored ring with a large deep blue sapphire in its center.

His brown eyes scanned the room as he looked at the others who he guessed would be going.

"Well, who's in charge? And am I too late to eat?"

 

Cassandra arrived only a few moments after Si, and she saw Drake watching them sadly. And then she heard him voice his sadness. Why were they leaving the security of the Wall to venture into the unknown, where nobody had ever returned. Cassie knew her own reason, and clung to it.

"Master Drake, we all know the risks. We all know that those who venture beyond do not return. Is that a promise of doom? Or maybe of something so wonderful and exciting and profound, that no one who goes can even think of coming back?" She caught herself as she realized that several eyes were on her. She blushed, and went and sat next to Si.

"I'm so glad you decided to come!" She said to her friend. "If you had wanted to stay back...I don't know if I'd still want to go."

 

Si turns to Cassandra "Well, I didn't want to stay back if you were going." She turns to Drake and says "I know its dangerous, but there could be some amazing artifacts out there that could really help people. Also, there could be other groups that built their own civilization, like the people here did. Wouldn't it be amazing to contact others?"

 

Ceri had just opened her mouth to answer her own question and tell Dameon and the others why she was going Outside, when the inn door opened several times in quick succession to admit others coming to join the group. Quickly their numbers turned from a few, to several. Bemused, Ceri shook her head. It seemed every time she tried to talk, someone new came in. She watched the newcomers curiously, recognising only one face – other girl, about her own age, with a mass of wild brown curls. She was from Harmony, Ceri knew, she’d seen her about, but, as with Dameon, couldn’t remember a name. Dodie, Dolly … Dana?

“This is Dora,” said Dameon.

Oh. That was it.

“Hi Dora,” she smiled. “I’m Ceri.”

The others she didn’t know; two more young men, and three girls, two of whom were apparently mages. They were all of them in their teens or early twenties it seemed. Snarly in his red-and-black armour appeared to be the oldest, and the most anti-social, keeping his distance from the group and demanding another beer.

Drake repeated Ceri’s question to the enlarged group – why? Why were they foolishly risking their lives to explore the Outside?

The reaction was mixed. Some seemed to have accepted that they would never return, others believed, or were at least hopeful, that they would. There was a first time for everything, Ceri mused, but she didn’t think they would come back. Not because she thought they would die, but because she hoped they would find somewhere worth staying beyond the mist.

But maybe that was naïve.

One of the mage girls seemed to agree with her, however. “…there could be other groups that built their own civilization, like the people here did. Wouldn't it be amazing to contact others?”

“Yes, it would,” Ceri murmured to herself.

That was why she was here. Her books and stories had filled her head with ideas of adventure, discovery and new, amazing places, until her life and her home had felt restricted and dull.

Maybe they were foolish, but it was a chance they all had to take.

 

Madeline had observed the grouping of adventurers. They were such a strange gathering of people, that she knew that these must be her new comrades.
As they exchanged pleasant greetings, she stood by the small window, peering around the curtain and gnawing her way through several bread rolls.

Behind her, the conversation had turned to reasons for venturing into the Mist.

Already, the group appeared to be well acquainted except for a tall warrior who also stood apart. He had a permanent snarl, and an aura of malice around him. Bread stuck in her throat, but she wrestled it down. Madeline turned back to the window, out of bread and chewing her ragged nails instead.