Aeterna - IC

[Major Mario]

Everbloom Forest, Near T.Mines

Darkness clouded Eric's vision. What had started off as a simple look at a strange group had turned into the worst for the merchant. The small girl with fire in her eyes had formed some kind of energy so destructive even her allies were afraid. But if they were so afraid, why didn't they stop her? Why didn't they condense the magic into a more efficient form for their purposes? What were they doing, anyway? Sending a message? Eric figured it didn't matter to him at the moment. What did, however, was staying alive.

After the blast which scorched the area and left a crater behind, Eric was thrown back with the shockwave and hit his back on the sharp bark of a tree. His pack had absorbed most of the damage, but the shockwave and the searing heat from the inferno explosion in front of him was not hampered by his clothing. The merchant stirred from his mangled position, too hurt and bloodied to do much else. Blood from a shrapnel wound above his brow blinded him. He wanted to wipe the red life away and see, but two problems arose. He could not feel his hands at his sides, and he didn't want to see his condition.

Perhaps it was for the best. His legs were in no shape for him to walk away from the site. His denim hosen smoldered at the knees, revealing the burned flesh beneath it. Wounds coated his arms, leaving blood and shrapnel as calling cards. A long gash ran across his face from his nose to his left ear. Suffice to say, the merchant was crippled, wounded, and near death. He sputtered to life only to cough up a bit of blood. The will to live burned brightly within him, but if his body could not fan its flame, his will would die out with him.

After his fit of coughing and sputtering, he began to groan. Loudly. If a tree fell in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Possibly. If a merchant is near death and cries for help, will someone come? Unlikely... Yet Eric wished this was the case. Hissing through the pain, he lifted his head and tried to purse his lips to whistle for his mule. No luck; his lips hurt to high hell. All he could do was groan.

Perhaps Bob had been cut down in the blast...

[wonderweiss]

The assassins were almost there. All of a sudden, they see a man nearby.

"Go on, I'll take care of him."

One of the soldiers dropped down to a merchant.

"Excuse me, who are you and what do you know of the recent explosion? Answer correctly and I'll take you back to civilization for nursing and further questioning."

[S121]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

"Hey, Jason, mind if I test out some of these capsules?", Otori said, taking Jason's attention away from packing food and water.

"Sure. Just be careful with some of them. Some of them aren't finished yet, so there's a chance that they'll explode under too much pressure.", Jason said as he entered the kitchen.

The kitchen was somewhat small. Of course, even though it was small, it still had the luxury of a faucet, something that was uncommon in Aeterna. Jason's father had built the plumbing himself, using Titanium as his metal of choice. There was a spacious pantry in the corner with various long-lasting foods and a primitive refrigerator next to it. the refrigerator was one that always had to be supplied ice, but luckily Jason could make some by simply using his speed magic to freeze water.

Jason waked over to the pantry with his bag and began to place various non-perishable items inside.

(Okay, we have crackers, jerky, bread, apples, dried fruits, potatoes, nuts, seeds, and grains. That should be enough for all of us. Kris is a ranger, so we don't really need to worry too much about meats and berries. Now for the water...)

Jason put his backpack down and walked over to one of the cupboards, where he pulled out two large jugs. Jason walked over to their homemade sink and turned on the faucet. Jason knew that the bulk of the weight he would be carrying would be water, but it would be worth it's weight in gold if they ever needed it. once he was done filling the jugs, Jason sealed the tops and placed them into his backpack.

(There. Now we can travel without worrying about our next meal.), Jason happily thought as he returned to the living room.

"Okay. I got some food and water, as well as my dad's blueprints. We can look them over later for something useful. Shall we go?", Jason asked his house guests.

[Kilelicus]

Everbloom Forest - 9:03 AM

Phenom returned to his comrades after the explosion had subsided. He noticed that the young fire mage who created the explosion was now unconscious.

If that little girl can do something that destructive, I wonder what a more mature fire mage is capable of...

His thoughts drifted to General Vohr and what he would be capable of. He quickly shook the thought out of his head and looked to his comrades.

"Listen. I'm heading up a rebellion against Tyruss. Right now I'm headed to Adhibe, east of here. I expect reinforcements are on their way here right now. If you want to come with me, you're welcome to. But you need to choose now."

[Kristia]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

Kris was dealing with some supplies for the trip to the mines when she heard a man coming saying he was from a rebel group, yet the huntress instinct kicked in. Quickly drawing her bow and arrow ready to shoot, she aimed to the strange man "Who are you and how can we know you aren´t one of Tyrus men?" she said in a serious tone

The huntress had her body between the strange man and Seki and she noticed he was eyeing the fire magician "Whatever you are planning with her, you would have to deal with me, we just survived a heavy assault and can´t just trust you immediately, you better have a good reason so I can trust you" she warned

[S121]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

Jason saw Kris pull out an arrow and aim her bow at Phenom, ready to fire if he didn't prove himself to be an ally.

Using his speed magic, Jason quickly got in between Phenom and Kris and spoke.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This guy is okay. He helped us at the quarry. He's on our side. I can vouch for him.", Jason quickly said to Kris, not worried about her accidentally shooting him.

[Kristia]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

Kris lowered her bow, yet the arrow still in position to shoot just in case "Alright, yet Seki needs some rest and I know there may be an ambush on the forest, I can feel it coming"

The huntress looked at the man "I hope your methods of rebellion aren´t going on killing sprees without giving the people to choose their side" she warned to phenom

[wonderweiss]

There Otori was in the backyard, testing the good capsules. He had only one left to test.

"Alright, these all work! Now then, let's finish the job..."

He filled the capsule with super pressurized air, but this one had a tiny hole in it.

"Oh, no no no no crap crap crap crap cra-"

The capsule let out a miniature wind bomb.

"... Ouch...."

[Kilelicus]

Everbloom Forest - 9:04 AM

Phenom shook his head slightly with Kris's assumption of his rebel tactics. That sure seemed to be the typical approach for rebellions, after all. No, what he did was much more methodical than random killing sprees. He put his hands up in front of him slightly.

"No, no, no. That's not how I operate at all. Well... I guess I can't say at all, but you get the point, I hope. No. What I do is intercept supply caravans for the most part. I was originally based in Spera, down south, but.... well... it was raided last night, and there's not much left. In any case, it looks like our young friend here needs medical attention, and I know a doctor in Adhibe who owes me a favor. Don't get me wrong, if it means crippling Tyruss's armies, I will gladly slaughter a battalion, but I am not a mindless killer."

He lowered his hands and placed them in his pockets, leaning back slightly. He wanted to seem as laid back as possible, which wasn't hard considering how lazy he was until provoked.

"You're not the only one who senses the ambush, but we are not yet in range of it. We're safe for the moment. So here's the deal. You can either stay here and fight, protecting our little friend here, or you come with me to Adhibe, maybe risk a bandit attack, and get her some medical attention. It's your call."

[S121]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

Jason carefully considered Phenom's words and spoke.

"Kris, I think we should go. We have nothing to fear from bandits. We need to save Seki.", Jason said to Kris as he strapped his bag to his back.

Jason may have been weirded out and slightly disturbed by Seki's behavior, but she was still an ally, a friend. He was not the type to simply abandon someone when things got bad and he wasn't going to do it now. If Kris decided not to go, Jason was more than ready to carry Seki all the way to Adhibe.

[Kristia]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

Kris looked at the sleeping girl on her back and sighed "Then lead the way, I will protect this girl, I got your backs covered" she said gesturing her bow

Preparing to leave, the huntress looked at the forest "I suggest that we go through the bush filled area, if a soldier appears, we got the advantage of hiding below their sights" she suggested to the group

[S121]

Everbloom Forest: Jason's Home

As the group began to leave, Jason leaned over the backyard fence and spoke to Otori.

"Otori, we're leaving. You can go on and take those capsules, too.", Jason said in a calm tone.

Jason then went to do one final thing before he left. Jason walked over to the far edge of the yard, near the trees and knelt down beside a makeshift tombstone.

(Goodbye..Dad. I'm sorry I couldn't revive you in time... I'm going to miss all the times we had... You teaching me how to fish, us camping in the forest, you being there for me when I actually needed you...)

Jason closed his eyes and forced himself not to cry. What would the others think if he just lost his composure and started to cry, if he broke down? They would probably consider him a liability. The last thing he wanted was to be left behind.

Jason quickly stood up and walked away from the grave, towards his new acquaintances.

"Well, let's go wherever Kris says. She is the ranger after all.", Jason said in a positive tone.

[Kilelicus]

Phenom put his hand to his chin for a moment. This Jason kid was clearly a speed mage, though it was apparent his level of skill was lacking.

"I wonder... If we have two speed mages, why not just carry you two on our backs to Adhibe? It'd be considerably faster. Or is that wind fella coming with us? If not, homie here and i can probably carry you guys to Perditus Plains before we need to let you off"

[Pandre]

Adhibe, Central Market

In the darkness of the alley, the girl stood there, unnoticed by any. She was waiting, waiting for the perfect opportunity.The man opposite her was distracted...for now. She noticed the man yesterday when he accidentally bumped into her. The man dropped a few coins but continued straight on. After some stalking, he was now opposite her. Pandre eyed the man's pouch, filled with rare herbs and roots, and the glint of silver and gold, but she couldn't take it now, there were too much people. Somehow, there was an increase of guards nowadays, things about rebels. Hyo sat by her leg, waiting for his mistress. Finally, the coast was peaceful, rid of the hustle and bustle of trade. She slowly approached the man, drawing out her dagger just in case. She reached the middle of the road when suddenly, a flash of light exploded in front of her, blinding her temporarily. When the light faded the man had disappeared. Instead, an unconscious boy was lying where the light was. Pandre presumed that he was the cause of the light, and debated whether to rob him to replace the man. She noticed the huthvirn and the grimoire first noting it's value, before noticing blood leaking out his leg. I should kill him now and run, but I've heard strange things in Regius. I should probably take him home and heal him, get the information, then kill and dispose of him Pandre smiled, and lifted the boy up. Half dragging, half carrying him, Pandre trudged home, Hyo at her heels. The boy muttered something Taboo... Everbloom.... Die...

[Major Mario]

Everbloom Forest, Near T.Mines (@Wonder)

Either the strange voice in front of him was accustomed to this sort of situation, or he didn't give a damn. It unnerved the mangled merchant, but in his condition he really didn't have room to complain. He twitched his fingers and squirmed to get into a more comfortable position, even though it poured salt on his wounds. This was his chance to survive, and while he could not see through the blood, he would take it regardless of who was offering it. He sputtered blood once again before finding the strength to speak.

"...Eric R-Reynard... Mer... M-merchant..." He coughed, feeling the shrapnel in his torso. "N-near explo... explosion..."