Elementals: The Black Beast (IC, Sign-ups only)

[Constaniana]

The group passed through the night peacefully. Aldraniri woke up early in the morning. The sky was well-lit by the emerging dawn, with a few birds already flying about from tree to tree or near the gravestones on the outskirts of the cemetery. As the boy looked at his surroundings he was surprised to see Richard already awake and eating his breakfast. It didn't seem to be very enticing fare; a small loaf of coarse bread, what seemed to be jerky of some indeterminable meat, and a drink from a flask. Whatever Richard's reasons for travelling were, he didn't put much consideration into travelling fancily. Aldraniri walked over to him, as his curiosity about Richard from the night before was still on his mind.

"What do you what, kid?" Richard bluntly asked, taking a sip from his flask.

"Sheesh, I was just going to say good morning, grumpy old fart," Aldraniri grumbled. Richard didn't seem to take offence, chuckling at the younger redhead's remarks.

"You sure are a fiery-tempered little tyke, aren't you?" said Richard, taking another chomp from his diminishing loaf of bread. "I had a friend a bit like you once. Perhaps a bit more naive than you, but you certainly seem to act like he did. Heh, the way you came charging up at Alselia last night...reminds of him. First time I met him was when I was getting attacked by a few angry bearhogs one night. I was still a bit experienced with travelling on my own, so I had kept some pretty-strong smelling pastries in my bag. Being the voracious scavengers they are, the bearhogs were determined to catch their prey, ignoring the thin brown sixteen-year-old with a funny voice that tried stopping them. I figured I was done for, since I couldn't climb a tree to save my skinny dark arse and all I had to fight these vicious omnivores was a thin little practice sword from when I r...left home," he paused, contemplatively looking down at the ground. "Anyway, in comes this angry Northemen lad who looked about my age, messy red hair, a big red scarf and a look of...excitement in his big orange eyes as he runs up to the three brutes, roaring at them and swinging his sword around..." Richard chuckled some. "But why am I telling you all this? You need to get breakfast, kid."

---

Rain. The rain was all that was left. Mother had been gone for months now. The pain from that still stung like a blackcloak wasp sting, but now Agya and Karl and Lief and Hans and Helga were gone too, and he couldn't see anything to take their place. All there was around him was mud and ruin and rain.

Kroisoto awoke suddenly, breathing heavily and looking around to confirm that the sky wasn't grey and sending down rain, and the trees around him weren't snapped husks. The only wetness on him now was the scant beads of sweat he must have put out in his sleep. He glanced around the camp, seeing Aldraniri and Richard chatting, but decided against going over and joining their conversation.

[Ameriganastan]

Rain. The rain was all that was left. Mother had been gone for months now. The pain from that still stung like a blackcloak wasp sting, but now Agya and Karl and Lief and Hans and Helga were gone too, and he couldn't see anything to take their place. All there was around him was mud and ruin and rain.

Kroisoto awoke suddenly, breathing heavily and looking around to confirm that the sky wasn't grey and sending down rain, and the trees around him weren't snapped husks. The only wetness on him now was the scant beads of sweat he must have put out in his sleep. He glanced around the camp, seeing Aldraniri and Richard chatting, but decided against going over and joining their conversation.

"I know that look. Someone had themselves an unpleasant dream, didn't they?"

Sitting in the tree above him was Eric, still whittling his tree branch from the night before.

"I've had my share of unpleasant dreams in my day. I always found it helpful to talk to somebody about it."

He dropped down from his perch, stuffing his whittling knife away.

"You like it? It's a good luck totem. Learned how to carve it from a blind man in Sahranjja. Nice fella. So, what's your story?"

[Kassaran]

Jonah started, the sun was rising in his eyes. Wincing against it, his mind raced as he remembered the events of last night, the people, the fire, the, no, that abomination. His stomach grumbled as he hadn't eaten in a while, and just to prove it, he felt it begin to claw at his insides. Turning his head to the side, he looked towards the two men, the two with fire,' run, run, I have to run now! I have to run before they see me awake and kick me and hit me like those others did!' As he thought, his hair brushed his face and tickled his nose. Starting to draw his hand up, a slight pinching pain wrapped around his wrists and he looked down, panic in his eyes.

A single thread, twine more likely, was wrapped around his wrist and was tied in a knot around a fence post to connect to his other hand that was restrained in a similar fashion. Knowing he couldn't control the fence post, he looked over towards the treeline and looked intently for something he could use. Seeing nothing but trees, he whispered in the ancient language that even he didn't know he knew, and summoned forth a small spriggon from a piece of shrubbery. the small being looked around cautiously, and then darted towards the bound nature elemental, just barely taller than the grass it was running within, it eventually found him and made its presence known by climbing up onto his shoulder, where it perched like a small animal. Smiling at the small creature, Jonah gave it its orders, to cut his bindings and let him loose.

Suddenly another man woke up, across the small clearing they now were in. Fear began to fill Jonah's nose as his heightened pheremonal responses affected his heightened sense of smell. It also detected a twinge of meat. however, it was over by yet another person whom had just awoken, and a smaller man, one with longer hair, next to a small bag Jonah only could presume held meat. He seemed agitated however, and wasn't paying any heed towards Jonah. Straining against his bindings, he watched another person that had just dropped out of the tree over the bag revealed themselves. A tall man in armor, dressed much like those men that had burned down his forest, they've found me! he thought, angry, upset, but most of all indignant. Hearing the small sound of the spriggon chewing away at the twine, however, made him relax slightly, and waited with bated breath when all of a sudden the pressure was gone.

Turning back to thank the small being, Jonah noted it was already making best speed for its home and knowing this was his only chance, Jonah darted across the camp and charged for the bag of meat and make his straightaway run for the forest. Moving fast as the wind, he closed in on the bag, approaching the man whom had just woken from his sleep and the one in armor. Making a loud and violent call like the sound of the Severak Pit Tiger Jonah charged towards him and began to dart around him while reaching inwards towards the long-haired man's bag. Grabbing hold of it, he dove past and began to pull away with the bag, only to be quickly stopped in his tracks as he realized the bag was weighted down with something heavy. Falling back on his rear, he looked over at the three men he'd just run past, only to note that one was indeed a girl and notice there was yet another man, sleeping as well with a strange book on his chest.

Giving up, knowing he'd not be able to defeat this seemingly endless and countless group of individuals, he let go of the bag and made full tilt for the woods, his stomach growling loudly as it attempted to burn food it so obviously lacked. just when he reached the forest's edge however, he began to lose his balance and in a wave of overpowering pain, his eyesight blurred out and he fell forward, yet again hitting the ground, but this time soft needles and dead leaves rather than a gravestone. Rolling over, he gave up and awaited his fate knowing he'd been caught fair and square and that he simply lacked the ability to escape. Tears blurred up his sight as he began to silently cry and he began to remember life in the forest, thinking about how sad it would be never to return once again to its fold. By this time, Jonah's pheromones of utter fear, terror, and sadness have filled the camp, and anyone with heightened enough senses can tell that this wild man no longer is a threat as he is now broken of the will to survive and spirit to endure.

[Constaniana]

"I know that look. Someone had themselves an unpleasant dream, didn't they?"

Sitting in the tree above him was Eric, still whittling his tree branch from the night before.

"I've had my share of unpleasant dreams in my day. I always found it helpful to talk to somebody about it."

He dropped down from his perch, stuffing his whittling knife away.

"You like it? It's a good luck totem. Learned how to carve it from a blind man in Sahranjja. Nice fella. So, what's your story?"

"Yes, it's a nice little carving," the boy said. Kroisoto sat in nervous silence for a few moments, wondering whether to open up to this stranger. Eric seemed a pleasant old fellow, and there couldn't be much harm in explaining a brief dream he had.

"It's...a bad memory. I try to avoid thinking about them, but sometimes fragments of them pop back up into my thoughts," the blueblood began. "I only grew up with my mother-I think my father died in the war, though mother didn't talk too much about him. Too painful, you see. She tried raising me as best she could, but it was hard on our scraggy little farm, which was honestly more of a glorified vegetable patch. I lost her when I was around 7, and got taken in by a kind peasant family. This was all in the months before Ulfrüs's uprising nine years ago, and when his army came through my adopted family got caught in the path of that traitor's soldiers," Kroisoto abruptly stopped speaking, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing the explanation. "I remember all the rain..." Jonah's antics caught the boy's attention after that, giving him an opportunity to avoid explaining the saddest part of his life any further. He stood up, cautiously walking towards Jonah.

Richard and Aldraniri both stopped talking and eating to look at the fallen nature elemental with a baffled expression on their faces.

"Is he drunk? He does seem to be falling down a lot and there's some bizarre stink coming off of him," Aldraniri inquired.

"Nah, I don't think he's drunk. He was too coordinated with trying to steal that bag, and as far as I'm aware booze only makes your breath smell funny. Maybe he got some weird foreign herbs or something..." Richard answered.

"Herbs? What, like mint or basil?" The boy asked, puzzled.

"Err....something like that, kid," the foreigner replied, deciding to let the lad keep his innocence a bit longer.

[Agritum]

"I know that look. Someone had themselves an unpleasant dream, didn't they?"

Sitting in the tree above him was Eric, still whittling his tree branch from the night before.

"I've had my share of unpleasant dreams in my day. I always found it helpful to talk to somebody about it."

He dropped down from his perch, stuffing his whittling knife away.

"You like it? It's a good luck totem. Learned how to carve it from a blind man in Sahranjja. Nice fella. So, what's your story?"

"Yes, it's a nice little carving," the boy said. Kroisoto sat in nervous silence for a few moments, wondering whether to open up to this stranger. Eric seemed a pleasant old fellow, and there couldn't be much harm in explaining a brief dream he had.

"It's...a bad memory. I try to avoid thinking about them, but sometimes fragments of them pop back up into my thoughts," the blueblood began. "I only grew up with my mother-I think my father died in the war, though mother didn't talk too much about him. Too painful, you see. She tried raising me as best she could, but it was hard on our scraggy little farm, which was honestly more of a glorified vegetable patch. I lost her when I was around 7, and got taken in by a kind peasant family. This was all in the months before Ulfrüs's uprising nine years ago, and when his army came through my adopted family got caught in the path of that traitor's soldiers," Kroisoto abruptly stopped speaking, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing the explanation. "I remember all the rain..." Jonah's antics caught the boy's attention after that, giving him an opportunity to avoid explaining the saddest part of his life any further. He stood up, cautiously walking towards Jonah.

Richard and Aldraniri both stopped talking and eating to look at the fallen nature elemental with a baffled expression on their faces.

"Is he drunk? He does seem to be falling down a lot and there's some bizarre stink coming off of him," Aldraniri inquired.

"Nah, I don't think he's drunk. He was too coordinated with trying to steal that bag, and as far as I'm aware booze only makes your breath smell funny. Maybe he got some weird foreign herbs or something..." Richard answered.

"Herbs? What, like mint or basil?" The boy asked, puzzled.

"Err....something like that, kid," the foreigner replied, deciding to let the lad keep his innocence a bit longer.

"Some foreign cultures cultivate a particular herb called hemp, Sir Kroisoto. It has various uses, but is mostly well known for its psycho-active effects. Usually, hemp is made into fine joints to be smoked, or chopped down and inserted in food, even! It is said to bring a sense of internal peace to whoever makes use of it, albeit it does have its fair share of counter-effects. That said, hemp is only one of the many exotic herbs grown in other continents." Charlie explained, emerging from her sleeping place.

"...that said, I believe we should check that boy and see if he is hurt or unconscious."

[Ameriganastan]

"Somebody say hemp? I hope he isn't objected to sharing. I'm nearly out of the supply those nice gypsies gave me."

Indeed, Eric had produced a long pipe from...somewhere. And was sitting with his back to his nighttime guard perch.

"First smoked this stuff bout 20 years ago. Does wonders for that pain in my knee that likes to crop up from time to time. Your friend over there didn't pace himself I bet. I forgot to pace myself once. Woke up naked outside the city walls with "Love, Genevieve" tattooed on my back. Still don't know who Genevieve was. But I bet she was fun."

[Constaniana]

Aldraniri and Kroisoto were both still a bit puzzled about the nature of this "hemp" substance. Aldraniri was accustomed to thinking of slabs of meat or elbows and knees and shoulders when someone said joints, and had absolutely no idea what things like "psycho-active effects" meant. And while the education Kroisoto had received as a member of House Aurenheim was primarily martial he was certain that hemp was the material the shipwrights of Auregen used for making ropes.

"You know, I'm betting it wasn't hemp, since the forest kid was going wild before he fell over and started smelling queerly. It could be cræckë..." Richard began to say, before trailing off. "Anyway, drugs are bad, kids," he stated, wagging an accusatory finger at Aldraniri, Kroisoto and Charlie in a scolding fashion. "You don't want to end up running around a forest and stealing people's bags. Anyway, I'll check if the hemphead is alright."

Richard walked over towards Jonah's prone body, checking his vital signs using the time-honoured method of tapping Jonah with his foot. "Kid, you alright? Why the hell do you keep having spasmodic panic attacks?"

"I don't get it. His head doesn't look like a plant to me at all..." Aldraniri mumbled, prompting Kroisoto to groan and facepalm.

[Kassaran]

Jonah felt the kick and drew into a small ball on the ground, his knees drawn up and he began to cry, faintly, but audibly enough for those around him to notice. They kept making strange noises, so he croaked out hoarsely in a small whimper. The clothes on him were soiled from the mud and ashes he'd intermixed with his blood. Trying to get up on his feet, he fell back over in a spasm of pain that made him cry out. The crack he had taken to the head had done some minor damage to his balancing system and he immediately he rose to his hands and knees, retching towards the ground violently. Again, nothing came out except for clearish liquid for his stomach had emptied itself already. Grabbing a nearby tuft of grass, he took it and shoved it in his mouth, but tasting ash and death on it, he spat it out and continued to heave.

His head was hammering and sitting back on his knees, he rose up and grabbed his head, moaning and crying from the sharp needles stabbing his mind. Focusing on the white-hot center however made him feel better and soon the pain from his first attempt to stand up had subsided. All this took place in a few moments yet Jonah still had given up. Allowing himself to be ridiculed by these strange folk, he simply sat and cried until tears failed to come from his eyes. He did all this oh so quietly, sniffling and whimpering, expecting to die within the next minute as he had seen so many humans dispatch other animals of the forest and wild beings.

[Constaniana]

"Bloody hell, this kid's a pansy! I've taken plenty worse blows than a light foot-tap and not whimpered," cried Richard, considering showing the feral man what his foot felt like when he tried injuring someone with it. But while Richard grew more and more cross with the stranger Aldraniri felt a sense of pity for him. He certainly must have been starving if he was desperate to consider eating grass, though maybe it was just a sign of his madness. Glancing at the chunk of beef jerky in his hand he tore a piece off and held it in his palm, extending it slowly towards the weeping man-beast.

[Kassaran]

"Bloody hell, this kid's a pansy! I've taken plenty worse blows than a light foot-tap and not whimpered," cried Richard, considering showing the feral man what his foot felt like when he tried injuring someone with it. But while Richard grew more and more cross with the stranger Aldraniri felt a sense of pity for him. He certainly must have been starving if he was desperate to consider eating grass, though maybe it was just a sign of his madness. Glancing at the chunk of beef jerky in his hand he tore a piece off and held it in his palm, extending it slowly towards the weeping man-beast.

Looking up, Jonah saw kindness in one of the stranger's eyes. The younger of the two men who were fighting the daemoness from the night before. The other one, the older one, began to harshly speak towards Jonah. Jonah couldn't of cared less though, but, looking over towards the kinder one, he caught sight of a small morsel of meat being stretched out towards him from the hands of the kinder man. Ceasing his weeping, Jonah looked back at the man, trying to convey his thanks with his eyes, lacking the words to do so, and snatched up the piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole. While it may of appeared impressive, Jonah had used to eat meat like this back in his forest across the giant waters.

Though small, hard, and strange in texture, lacking the blood of the animal it had come from, Jonah enjoyed the feeling of something being in his stomach, and looking back towards the young man, he tried to speak, thinking back on the words he had once heard a young boy speak when Jonah had guided him back to civilization he spoke.

"Gy du'rech var kutran, silosyf toora byn carven. I know not much, but even in despair I see this, that you are a kind being and blessings of those above be upon your shoulders."

Though having no idea of the meaning of the words, it was a phrase he had heard often enough when hunters had stopped for directions in the smaller villages and Jonah had been able to sneak close enough to listen. The voice of himself actually startled him, and his face expressed this honestly and openly, it was the first time he'd ever truly spoken with someone, in any real language spoken by those within the settlements. Tipping his head to a side to reflect on what he had uttered, he paused, noting the expressions on the faces of the rest in the group who was looked intently at him in return. His voice had been deep, surprisingly so, and the sound reminded him of when the large serpents on the large rocks above his forest would crash together and create light in the darkest of nights.

[Constaniana]

Aldraniri, Richard and Kroisoto were all surprised by the feral young man's ability to speak. His voice seemed deeper than you would expect of someone who looked that young, but perhaps growing up wild had made his body develop quicker out of necessity to help fend off dangerous beasts of the forests.

"Err....you're welcome? Don't eat me?" Aldraniri replied, not knowing what the feral man meant really with his reply, putting his hands in his pockets. Richard had decided he had spent enough time dealing with the Nature Elemental, walking off into the centre of the graveyard, quickly passing by the smaller, humbler tombstones and looking at the ornate memorials. Weathered white statues of heavenly warriors and great beasts stood watch here. The feathered, avian angels had their wings outstretched and their beaks open as if they were letting loose a great cry, often standing alongside the more human-like Angelles, who had great swords and lances held aloft. Here and there was a phoenix statue, two heads upon them, spreading their full wingspan as intricate engravings of flames burned at their feet, and a few of the memorials had bear statues. And in the centre of the cemetery was a burial vault that seemed more aged than the statues surrounding it. Many vines had grown over it, making it very difficult to tell there was even a building there. But as one would approach the sepulchre they could discern the vines seemed to have been cut away from the door, and quite recently.

Kroisoto looked on curiously as Richard walked deeper into the graveyard, wondering what he was doing. Perhaps the little hut he noticed was the stranger's reason for coming here? The blueblood began to follow Richard to see if that was the case.

[Ameriganastan]

"I sure hope these tykes aren't grave-robbers. I don't think I could abide by that."

While they followed Jonah, Eric was following behind them at a mild distance.

"Graveyards. A testament to the ego of dead men. I bet these small gravestones honor men twice as brave and honorable as those who need some ornate memorial statue. I doubt I'll even need a gravestone. Just a nice bit of dirt, and Belle Lame buried with me. Let this old hunk of metal rust with me under the earth."

Managing to break from his opining on death, Eric continued to follow them from the shadows.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Tristan, who the group hadn't seen for about a week, happened to be near the graveyard the group was in, and headed towards it, blissfully unaware that the people he was traveling with up until the moment he caught the Bäurnkrees were right around the corner, figuratively speaking. At the moment, he was merrily skating forward, gliding over a thin layer of ice that covered the earth when his feet went over it, which was a useful ability he learned to perform when he left the northern islands and arrived in a land where most places weren't frozen lakes and the like. He enjoyed doing this when he was alone, although he didn't really enjoy being alone. And anyhow, he wasn't entirely alone.

"Where do you think we are?" He asked what can only be described as an ice replica of a slime ball with eyes and a smile. It was even filled with water for the effect and all. Evidenty, Tristan got no response from the figurine, not that he was expecting to get one, he merely kept it with him not to feel lonely.

Eventually he found himself in a place that had lots and lots of stones with inscriptions in the Gallian language and some statues here and there, along with other rocks that had odder shapes. He didn't understand their purpose, but he had seen places like these before. People always looked sad when they were in those places, though, again, he didn't understand why, and there was no one around to ask, which was a shame. He would've enjoyed to diminish his ignorance.

Either way, after a bit, he spotted some figures in the distance. Curious, he continued approaching, and the figures became clearer and clearer until, finally, Tristan saw among them some familiar faces. Excited because he thought he had found his friends, Tristan quickly skated towards Aldraniri and the others, forgetting to notice the several strangers that were around. He caught up to them rather quickly, and hug-tackled as many of them as he could in one go.

"Hey! I missed you all. Bäurnkrees is no fun." He said cheerily, before standing up. "What are you all doing here? Oh, and have any of you seen a tall woman with pale skin and white hair?" He asked, remembering what he had seen a week ago, in the castle.

[Constaniana]

Aldraniri was very surprised to see Tristan again, so soon after catching an illness that left most people bedridden for weeks. All the other children had complained about constant irritating bouts of coughing and tiredness for ages when they were afflicted with Bäurnkrees, and yet here was the ice artist, as energetic and cheerful as ever.

"Well, we were just travelling along when we came upon this graveyard and saw this man Richard fighting a Daemoness," the young redhead answered, before explaining the rest of the events from the previous night and the morning involving Richard and Alselia, the wild man and the old knight. He racked his memory to recall if he had seen a woman matching Tristan's description but nothing. "And sorry Tristan, but I haven't seen your mystery woman. And speaking of mystery people, where did Richard wander off to?"

The words were hardly out of Aldraniri's mouth when a frothing stream of foreign swears could be heard from the tomb in the middle of the cemetery. Kroisoto peered into the building from the doorway, as the rusting metal door had been flung open by Richard. The man was pacing the dusty room, stopping near a curious pile of dark grey ash, kneeling down to inspect it further.

"What are you up to?" Kroisoto asked, warily stepping into the room. His arms were crossed defensively over his chest, his left eyebrow was raised up, and his black cloak was pushed back far enough by his elbows to give a clear view of the scabbard holding the blade that hung from his belt, indicating the young man had no issue in displaying his current distrust of the foreign Elemental.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Tristan sat up and then listened to Aldraniri as he explained to him what they had been up to while he was sick. Apparently they had done than he expected, not that he had expected them to do much in the first place. He simply assumed they would be... Further away, or something. But he was glad they weren't.

He wasn't as glad when Aldraniri explained that he hadn't seen the woman anywhere. The ice elemental had wanted to thank her, but since she was only near him momentarily, he hadn't been able to. But he cheered himself up thinking that surely he would get the chance to do that soon enough.

However his thoughts derailed when he heard the long string of profanities that were shouted from within the stone structure in the middle of the place. Understandably confused, he turned to the tomb, then to Aldraniri. "What does all of that mean?" He asked.

[Constaniana]

"Well, um...let's see...fringdingleka is some word from Garamiccia that means 'A pox and a curse upon your mother-in-law's homestead' or something like that, I think, and Wisykibe is just Halvefori for 'die painfully'. I heard 'Grasfingyasterkhes Veg Hisjihinderbbinif Qva Osykrenkedoolemisnche doen foshkramp' once from an angry drunken clown with an actor's troop that passed through Haventown a few years ago, but when I asked Master Jarnsmon he slapped me in the face with a wet wash-cloth wrapped around a cucumber to 'clean the words from my mouth' before telling me that phrase means things involving a goose no decent thirteen-year-old should know, so I never learnt what that one means," Aldraniri replied. "But I think the person who's saying all that found something they don't like in that old hut there."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Tristan listened to Aldraniri explain what all those funny words meant. By the end, his conviction that Gallians had a thing for inventing ridiculous words with terrible meanings had been strengthened quite a bit. But far from focusing on this, Tristan instead focused on where the words had come from. Hearing Aldraniri, Tristan nodded. "All of that sounds terrible, so I guess you must be right. I think we should probably go and see what they found in there." He said, standing up and dusting himself off. Then, he began skating towards the tomb where Richard and Kroisoto were, wondering what they had found inside.

[Agritum]

Tristan listened to Aldraniri explain what all those funny words meant. By the end, his conviction that Gallians had a thing for inventing ridiculous words with terrible meanings had been strengthened quite a bit. But far from focusing on this, Tristan instead focused on where the words had come from. Hearing Aldraniri, Tristan nodded. "All of that sounds terrible, so I guess you must be right. I think we should probably go and see what they found in there." He said, standing up and dusting himself off. Then, he began skating towards the tomb where Richard and Kroisoto were, wondering what they had found inside.

"Oh, hey, Tristan! Stop, please! I'd like to ask you a few questions!" Charlie yelled, sprinting next to the Ice Elemental with the aid of a gust of wind. Her hat nearly fell, while her cloak flapped around wildly for a few seconds.

"Could you tell me more about the malady you just experienced? Did it impact hard on your elemental powers? Did you instantly recover them when the illness ended, or was your recovering process much more gradual?"

Charlie opened her notebook on a blank page, ready to take notes.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Hearing a familiar voice and then seeing Charlie running next to him, Tristan stopped moving to see what was up. He slid a few feet further, of course, but hey, inertia. Anyway, hearing Charlie's questions, the ice artist thought for a moment, scratching his head. "Well, I... Um... At first it was just coughing and then a rash, like I was told, but it didn't last very long anyway. And I don't think it impacted my powers, but I didn't really use them while I was sick, so I don't know. Sorry. But I know that when I tried to use them again after I recovered, they were fine." The Elemental answered, scratching his head again. "Why? Oh, and hi." He said.

[Agritum]

Hearing a familiar voice and then seeing Charlie running next to him, Tristan stopped moving to see what was up. He slid a few feet further, of course, but hey, inertia. Anyway, hearing Charlie's questions, the ice artist thought for a moment, scratching his head. "Well, I... Um... At first it was just coughing and then a rash, like I was told, but it didn't last very long anyway. And I don't think it impacted my powers, but I didn't really use them while I was sick, so I don't know. Sorry. But I know that when I tried to use them again after I recovered, they were fine." The Elemental answered, scratching his head again. "Why? Oh, and hi." He said.

"Oh, well, I'd like to add a few conjectures in my book about the effects of illnesses on Elementals, and I thought you would have been a perfect source for such a thing. Anyways, welcome back, Tristan. Do you mind if I follow you on the ice trail? I'd like to catch up with Kroie." Charlie replied, with a smile.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Sure! No problem." Tristan answered, and then motioned for Charlie to follow him while he continued skating towards the tomb in which Kroie and Richard were, leaving a thin trail of ice behind him for her to follow on while heading towards the tomb. He hoped she wouldn't slip, though. He hadn't seen a whole lot of ice for Gallians to practice this kind of thing on in his travels, after all. "Be careful." He shouted back just to be sure.

[Ameriganastan]

"What the hell are those kids saying?"

Barely covered by the tombstone he was hiding behind, Eric dug in his ear a little.

"I must be going deaf or something...wait, what now? For the love of...HEY!"

Eric stood up, yelling in their general direction.

"Talk louder so I can secretly listen in on your better! Maybe go back back a sentence or two!"

He ducked back down.

"Like a shadow."

[Constaniana]

Aldraniri followed Tristan and Charlie on the plain grass, envious of their speed-enhancing Elemental powers. He thought about trying to use the trail of ice to catch up, but he wasn't too skilled with that mode of transport. Whenever the River Albras had frozen over enough to safely skate upon he usually spent the first few minutes falling flat on his bum until Heilaga stopped laughing with that angelic voice of hers and helped him up. She was always a lot better at skating than him, gracefully dancing around on the frozen river, her golden hair and the white ice and snow shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. And Heilaga had looked adorable with her rosy cheeks and nose from the cold air.

Aldraniri realized he had been standing still for a few moments as he took his chilly stroll down memory lane. Shaking his head briefly he started running again to catch up with Tristan and Charlie when the old codger began shouting at them.

"Now, I'm just a blacksmith, and an apprentice one at that, but I don't think you're being that sneaky, Sir Old Fart," Aldraniri called out in the direction that he saw someone poking out from behind a tombstone, before catching up to the others at the tomb. Poking his head in the doorway he saw Richard stomping the floor next to a strange ash pile a few times before pacing around the room again, examining the mosaics on the walls and the coffin at the far end of the room. Kroisoto noticed the arrival of the others and walked over to them.

"Don't waste your time asking the mad foreigner what he's up to. He refuses to give any useful information," the blue-blood stated, leaning against the side of the doorway with his arms crossed.

"None of this concerns you blasted kids! Go back to group hiking trip or whatever inane thing you were doing before you started harassing me!" Richard yelled out from the back of the tomb, before blasting a section of the mosaic with fire, trying to get some sort of reaction.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen yet," Kroie replied. "You obviously knew that Daemoness from last night. Something about a Fire Elemental with a history with a certain creature not of this world, hanging about in a graveyard and stomping the floor in a sepulchre, shooting flames from his hands at old mosaics of soldiers slaying Daemons seems a bit baffling, and sometimes I get curious about strange things like this."

"Believe me, kids like you have no business getting mixed up in my sort of trouble. Dark cults, politics...not fun things for kids your age," the older redhead explained, his voice losing some of its abrasiveness.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Aldraniri followed Tristan and Charlie on the plain grass, envious of their speed-enhancing Elemental powers. He thought about trying to use the trail of ice to catch up, but he wasn't too skilled with that mode of transport. Whenever the River Albras had frozen over enough to safely skate upon he usually spent the first few minutes falling flat on his bum until Heilaga stopped laughing with that angelic voice of hers and helped him up. She was always a lot better at skating than him, gracefully dancing around on the frozen river, her golden hair and the white ice and snow shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. And Heilaga had looked adorable with her rosy cheeks and nose from the cold air.

Aldraniri realized he had been standing still for a few moments as he took his chilly stroll down memory lane. Shaking his head briefly he started running again to catch up with Tristan and Charlie when the old codger began shouting at them.

"Now, I'm just a blacksmith, and an apprentice one at that, but I don't think you're being that sneaky, Sir Old Fart," Aldraniri called out in the direction that he saw someone poking out from behind a tombstone, before catching up to the others at the tomb. Poking his head in the doorway he saw Richard stomping the floor next to a strange ash pile a few times before pacing around the room again, examining the mosaics on the walls and the coffin at the far end of the room. Kroisoto noticed the arrival of the others and walked over to them.

"Don't waste your time asking the mad foreigner what he's up to. He refuses to give any useful information," the blue-blood stated, leaning against the side of the doorway with his arms crossed.

"None of this concerns you blasted kids! Go back to group hiking trip or whatever inane thing you were doing before you started harassing me!" Richard yelled out from the back of the tomb, before blasting a section of the mosaic with fire, trying to get some sort of reaction.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen yet," Kroie replied. "You obviously knew that Daemoness from last night. Something about a Fire Elemental with a history with a certain creature not of this world, hanging about in a graveyard and stomping the floor in a sepulchre, shooting flames from his hands at old mosaics of soldiers slaying Daemons seems a bit baffling, and sometimes I get curious about strange things like this."

"Believe me, kids like you have no business getting mixed up in my sort of trouble. Dark cults, politics...not fun things for kids your age," the older redhead explained, his voice losing some of its abrasiveness.

A bit confused (As always), Tristan walked up to the stranger. "WHAT ARE POLITICS?" He shouted (Politely, of course). He asked because he hadn't heard that word before, and he shouted so that the strange guy hiding behind the carved piece of rock could hear, since he'd asked them to speak louder.

[Ameriganastan]

"Wait, did he say fire elemental?"

Eric gave up on "hiding" and simply strolled up to where the younger ones were talking.

"Oh, hey kids! I was...uh...just out for a nice stroll. I happened to stumble upon you guys by chance. Weird, huh?"

He scratched his chin, and sighed.

"Oh, forget it. I thought you bunch were grave-robbers. So I followed behind you to make sure. Anyway...did you mention something about a fire elemental?"