Dragon Sign [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

[Chaos Sonic 443]

"Ahem, I see. I suppose if that is the case I will, uh, just have to strengthen the seals binding my dark power. And, uh, seal it away until we next get a chance to bring down this beast. So yeah I'm gonna go over here now. I-I will just be here, sealing and stuff, if you need me!"

Gene blinked a bit, watching Sabrina go off to 'seal the beast', to which now left Marshall and Abby with himself. Maybe she would be alright by herself for the time being? He wasn't 100% sure but he figured she knew what she was doing...at least he hoped she did.

“How about you? Have either of you chosen to develop your tools consciously? Or are you simply allowing your spirit to shape your growth? Given how River spoke of change, I doubt there should be any problem with either matter; but I am curious to know what your plans are.”
"The only change I was thinking about was an outfit change. Hitting stuff with a giant hammer's more fun than I thought it would be, and it seems to work, so I'll be sticking to that."

"Well..." he started, rubbing his arm slightly. "I'm technically good with the sword...it's...familiar to me." Gene paused as he realized that it probably sounded stupid when he said it. "Uh...m-m-maybe I could explain..." He was about to say something, but Abby pointed something out something. The smell in the air: rain. That wouldn't be the best thing for them in the slightest.

"But that's a different problem. I was thinking we could try busting into one of those animal burrows for the night. Anyone wanna help me give it a shot?"

"I-I'll help as best I can..." Gene volunteered, before clearing his throat. "...maybe I can explain what I was going to a bit ago afterwards..." But did he really want to explain that? To explain the reason all this about this world and weapon felt so natural to him was that he had similar dreams about himself being a sword wielding warrior in a fantasy world. To anyone else, this would sound absolutely bat-shit insane...but maybe he'd be fine in this company he found himself. He at least prayed and hoped he wasn't.

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

In truth, their responses had been about what Marshall was expecting; if she was right about how the weapons formed, they had done so as to match their personalities, their skills, what would feel the most right to them, based on how they envisioned themself fighting. Even if it wasn’t clear how, or why that’s what their mind would go to-- It was. And in a way, she could see how. She herself had always been very quick and to the point when it came to completing tasks; the sort of person who would rather face a problem head-on, and deal with it in a timely manner, no matter the time and place that it required. A mix of patience and determination, resulting in an all-out attack, with optimized range while still feeding off of speed and agility-- That was the lance, in her mind. 

But in the same fashion, any weapon could be made to fit someone. For example, the Hammer which Abby wielded, was blunt and straightforward; slow and steady, and unshakeable in its confidence. The sword with which Gene fought was straight-forward, and honest to a fault; so much so that it would become stained with blood before he knew it, just as he would. And then there was the Scythe that Sabrina used: an unconventional weapon to be sure, generally used for grain, but top-notch in the aesthetic department, and wonderful at what it did, just as she was when she set her mind to it. All of their weapons had fit them to a T, as far as Marshall was concerned, just as long as you looked at it in the right way.

“That makes sense,” Marshall sighed, bringing her left hand to her chin as a theory was, at least in her mind, proven correct. “In truth, the Lance felt natural within my hands as well; but… I have ever been willing to change myself to aid others, should that be necessary,” she explained, hand rising instinctively to adjust her cap. “And so I shall provide covering fire in our coming battles; so that we should no-longer fear that one of our number should have to die a needless death,” she let her smile, as small as it was, stay; rather than forcing it away for the instinctive, serious expression she had often wore. In truth, she had been unsure whether her shift in weapon was necessary, let alone advisable given her running theory; yet if it was possible to change her weapon, then, it would surely mean her mind could be shaped along the path of wielding it just as easily…

But that was a worry for another time, as there were more pressing matters afoot than worrying about change and whether it was truly possible; as rain soon struck both the brim of her hat, and the gloved hand which held it.

“...I concur, of course, that we must find shelter; but we must be careful,” Marshall asserted, smile fading to the perpetual frown she wore, as she herself began scanning for anything ideal as shelter. “We need to make sure that, if we are to try and… Commandeer a burrow for ourselves, we choose one that will not easily flood,” she explained. “Water is want to pool and flood, after all.”

Edited October 31, 2023 by Tiamat's Circus

[Skaia 578]

After standing around and discussing the next plan of action it was likely that the group had intended to follow through on this course of thought. They would obstacles to their plans, however. As while the animals hadn't been exactly secret as to the fact that they lived in the hills and burrows that they had created within them to shelter themselves from the coming storm they weren't exactly obvious either. As they were paying attention carefully it was still doable enough to see through the patchwork camouflage that they had set up, though the speed at which the animals had managed to set such a cover up was commendable in its own way. The second problem they had found, though, was not so easily circumvented. 

They would have noticed that a large majority of the animals that they had seen scampering about were small and their hovels were equally small as a result. With these smaller hovels in mind, there was no way that the group would be able to actually fit inside of them as they were not sized for humans to move through. Though even this was a solvable problem for they had seen animals that were quite sizeable and, even if not meant for humans, would be able to fit the party well enough. However, this came with its own measure of risk that thinking about it for a moment would solve. Animals by nature were quite protective of their territory, as such they were likely to have to come to blows with anything that lived in these hovels that would fit them. And so their options for shelter were now as follows. 

The large animal hovels. Perhaps they could reason with whatever was in there, though being animals only the more hopeful individuals would think this an option, and even in the hypothetical situation that they could communicate with the animals the likelihood of reaching a diplomatic conclusion was quite small. 

The elephant in the field. Perhaps it could provide some cover? It certainly didn't seem to mind lying down with the coming storm. 

And then there were the black spires. There was one southward, which they were getting closer to though still some distance from. One - or maybe a few? - westward which was a bit further away from them as the southern one. And the one northward that was much further away now. 

The rain had still been only a few drops at a time, though the wildlife had seemed to react almost instantly to this shift in climate so who knew how long such peaceful waters would last. 

[LordCowCow 841]

"But that's a different problem. I was thinking we could try busting into one of those animal burrows for the night. Anyone wanna help me give it a shot?"

Sabrina wasn't so sure she liked the idea of going under ground but, as the storm began she began to grow more interested in the idea. "Aha, yes, perhaps we should...go do that. After all ground does beat electric so that should be a fine place...at least until the storm passes." She really didn't want to be stuck in a hole for too long even if it was safest.

However there became a problem. They would not be able to fit in the majority of the holes. Maybe there was a way to make them wider but, if they wanted to take shelter, they'd have to look for some of the larger burrows. Which meant... "I know I talked to mr bear earlier but I think this might be a little different. I could try but...."

She looked around, a bit of panic setting in as it felt like the storm would come at any second. For a moment she glanced at the huge creature but Marshall's words before came to her and she shook her head. "How...about..." she said without any idea what she was going to say next. Hoping that something would come to her in the moments between words.

Sabrina looked at the spire to the south. Something about them.... "Oh, uh. Uh uh uh." Sabrina stammered, clearly trying to figure out a word of some kind. "Shoot, uh....Lightning rod!" She blurted out, then started to rush in the direction of the spire without any other explanation. She'd continue towards it unless one of the others stopped her, either physically or with a different idea.

[Skaia 578]

With Sabrina moving towards the spire in the south and the rest of the group presumably following after her, or not it was a free country after all, they would notice that the rain started to pick up. The skies had grown darker still, the thunder continued to relentlessly resound throughout the plains and there was even some wind starting to pick up. Though they hadn't quite hit the deluge phase of the rain yet were they not presently the Exalted a rain jacket would certainly be appreciated. It wasn't as if they were immune to the effects of the rain nor did having died give them the ability to dodge the rain, but instead their body's temperature had seemed remarkably stable. They could feel the temperature or the rain and they could feel the rain hitting them itself, but it didn't seem to make them any warmer or colder overall. 

As they approached the spire, or just Sabrina as once again it was a free country, they would also notice that they weren't the only ones that had had this idea. Standing by the pillar was some humanoid looking figures and next to them was...something. It was big, it was a bit of a rough shape but it also look like it was completely covered by some kind of tarp. They couldn't really make out more details then that though, both of the figures and the object next to them as the rain, darkness and wind were obscuring their vision. How they, or she if singular, would proceed a simple narrator could not know.  

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

Marshall had to admit-- The idea of using the spires as lightning rods was certainly more appealing than trying to hoping the hovels neither flooded, nor were dangerous in their own right. So, she would have done her best to keep up with the sprinting girl; though that in of itself would have been a null prospect. After all, she hadn’t the wild haste to make for the spire that Sabrina obviously had, and so she arrived just a few seconds behind the girl, cap pulled tight over her eyes as she did so, only briefly raising her gaze to take stock of their surroundings, before lowering it in the growing storm.

Of course, there were many questions she wanted to ask now; her heart beat heavily in her chest, but she felt no ill-effects from the rain. It wasn’t cold, and as uncomfortable as the water itself was, she didn’t feel as if it was… Wrong, either. It just didn’t seem to effect her, in her warmness nor coldness; it simply… Was. It was difficult to explain, and she was curious as to if any of the others might have better words for it--

But those questions would need to be asked later. In fact, as it was, only one question mattered, as Marshall took a step forwards, just in front of Sabrina, as she kept one hand planted on the brim of her cap. “...Greetings. Are you friend, or foe?” she’d ask; voice measured, calm, and without any hint of budging one way or another as she raised her cap slightly, so as to allow her a better look at the figures. It was a simple question, and either action, or words would serve as simple answers.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Tiamat's Circus

[yui 576]

“We need to make sure that, if we are to try and… Commandeer a burrow for ourselves, we choose one that will not easily flood. Water is want to pool and flood, after all.”

"You have a point..." Abby reluctantly muttered, arms crossed. "Forgot it does that for a sec."

Well, that plan was risky at best, then. Pick a bad burrow and you'd have to choose between drowning and electrocution, neither of which Abby was exactly eager to try for herself. And that was assuming whatever creature was inside felt up to sharing, otherwise mauling was also on the table. Not a moment she was proud of in the slightest, suggesting that. And she certainly wasn't about to risk it all for both herself and everyone else just on her own idea nobody else agreed to, either. Fortunately, it seemed someone else had a much wiser plan in mind.

"Oh, uh. Uh uh uh." Sabrina stammered, clearly trying to figure out a word of some kind. "Shoot, uh....Lightning rod!"

Now that was a good idea! If the lightning was the only real threat - assuming the Exalted could handle a bit of rain, which Abby had every confidence they could if death itself could only hold them for a moment - a lightning rod was just the ticket out of this predicament that didn't involve potentially drowning! Good ideas like that deserved following up, and so follow Abby did, off to the spire Sabrina had been so suddenly inspired by. The weather was picking up, making Abby thankful for the first time since dying that she died when she did. Being out in this in her normal clothes sounded miserable.

It seemed Sabrina wasn't the only one with such an idea, either. In the increasingly-hard-to-see-in-surroundings, Abby - once she caught up - could make out some figures. She wasn't sure what their intentions were, but they weren't attacking anyone yet, so hopefully they weren't hostile. Marshall asked if they were friend or foe, but another, bigger question was in Abby's head.

Once Abby had gotten herself situated and regained her bearings, not really one to take off like she had to in order to keep up, she pointed at the tarp behind the mystery figures. "Also, what's in there?"

 

[LordCowCow 841]

It seemed that they were not the only ones with the idea to use the tower. Much like with the burrows it appeared that someone else had made this their spot. The realization that they might have run right into trouble caused Sabrina to slow some but Marshall and Abby both stepped past in order to address them.

“...Greetings. Are you friend, or foe?”

"Also, what's in there?"

Sabrina thought for a moment that they were about to fling the tarp off and reveal some eldritch creature. That they had just interrupted a group of cultists who were planning to use the incoming lightning to revive a dark god....but the response was much more mundane than her imagination would have it.

The group of them didn’t respond right away, and instead looked to converse with each other for a moment. Then after that passed they answered, “we’re the hunting party. Who are all of you?” Their tone of voice being more cautious and confused then hostile.

Which meant that what was in the tarp was likely some sort of prey. Sabrina's shoulders slumped a bit and she realized a part of her was hoping it'd be something more exciting. But then she perked back up at the opportunity to introduce herself.

"Fufufu, who am I?" Sabrina stepped forward and put a hand in front of her eyepatch before stretching the other out towards the strangers. "Hark, mortals! For you stand before Dracona! She who has obtained the power of dragons, she who is destined to save this des...destitute world!" She paused for a long moment then added, "And companions."

There was another pause, though no discussion happened this time. Then the same one shouted, “what?!” A few seem to be discussing again before the first again said, “alright come over, you’re gonna get blasted by lightning if you stay there.”

Sabrina blinked a few times, hands still in position, as if she was frozen in place. That...wasn't the response she expected.

"Ah....yes, I shall...take you up on your offer! For one as mag...mag...magnamicent as me must take it upon herself to accept such...uh, things!" Sabrina would then scurry closer to them after glancing over at the others and awkwardly shrugging.

[Skaia 578]

"Yeah, sure, who - " The man started stammering out as Sabrina and the others started to come over. His tone of voice was confused to a degree that he clearly had no idea what Sabrina was talking about at all, and even more so that he had no idea who they were. It would turn out that clarity of who they were dealing with was only given to one side of this equation as the group could see who the hunting party was. 

There were six of them and they were humanoid in shape, as their silhouette had told them. They also seemed to be similar to those of the people of Aersinn, baring animalistic features such as more fur, clawed hands, hoofed feet, etc. depending on the animals. There were two that bore the stripes, ears claws and eyes of the tiger. One who had hoofed feet and long curved horns or antlers like that of a gazelle. One who had enormous floppy ears and tusks coming from their cheeks. One with the ears and nose of a pig. And finally two that didn't have anything too strange about them outside of the enormous bushy tail of a lemur. Each of them had some manner of weapon, between bows, spears, daggers and hatchets adorned to their persons. Next to them was something they still couldn't make out but that was because it was entirely covered by a tarp, though it was reasonable to assume due to how the tarp covered it there were boxes of some sort underneath it. 

The elephant stepped forward, his confusion and that of the others still readily apparent if not even more so. "Who- who are you all?" 

One of the Lemur's spoke up saying, "they don't look like Drengr. And they can speak like us too." 

The gazelle, "but I've never heard of a Dracona in our village. And they don't," the gazelle humanoid walked closer to inspect them saying, "they don't got anything on them." 

The other Lemur, "the girl said they're blessed by dragons. Plural. You don't think," the man shifted his gaze from side to side until he spoke in a loudly hushed tone, "they're those Exalted Luca's always going on about." He raised his eyebrows several times as if this were a big scoop. 

The elephant spoke again, "yeah right, that's just a tale the chiefs pass down. But it's true, I've never heard or seen any of you before. And I hear a lot. Where are all of you from?" 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Skaia

[Chaos Sonic 443]

While he did follow the others as they talked and did their conversing, Gene was truly having an internal struggle with wanting to explain himself to the group...to explain his dreams before his death...to explain who he was within those dreams and that it honestly felt like that it was his true self. And how best to explain that...without sounding like a complete crackpot...but then again, the group had one that was...well...Sabrina. It wasn't the point though. Maybe if he explained it to them, he wouldn't be looked at so weirdly...or maybe he could just remain there and not say anything...which the silence was almost as bad as death itself.

Regardless, Gene finally came back to his senses as he heard the others speaking up after getting near the tower...to where an apparent hunting party was...that's what he gathered for the most part anyway...of course, then there was Sabrina.

"Fufufu, who am I? Hark, mortals! For you stand before Dracona! She who has obtained the power of dragons, she who is destined to save this des...destitute world! And companions."

...suddenly "just" companions? Gene thought, thinking that Sabrina was sort of selling them short by just calling the rest companions and not teammates or the like. But he figured it'd be fine, he could let it slide this time.

Once they were invited to come closer...Gene noticed that these weren't like normal hunters. Or, perhaps a better way of saying was...they weren't like normal hunters the four of them might've been used to. It seemed to be perfectly normal here on Aerstroff. Humanoid in shape, animalistic features, so they had to be similar to the ones from Aersinn, least it was a good assumption anyway.

"Who- who are you all?"
"they don't look like Drengr. And they can speak like us too."
"but I've never heard of a Sabrina in our village. And they don't. they don't got anything on them."
"the girl said they're blessed by dragons. Plural. You don't think, they're those Exalted Luca's always going on about."
"yeah right, that's just a tale the chiefs pass down. But it's true, I've never heard or seen any of you before. And I hear a lot. Where are all of you from?"

"O-Oh, you know Luca?" Gene spoke up, before clearing his throat a bit, rubbing the back of his neck some. "Well...um...I'm Gene, that's M-Marshall, Abby...annnnd Sab-...er...Dracona..." he glanced over at Sabrina, thinking it would be better to just let her keep her introduction going. "We're not...we're not from Aerstroff...we're from...if you can believe it...another world. But we are actually the Exalted, we even fought a bunch of Drengr back with Luca and Rumian. ...though we had a few more back then..."

He shook his head a bit, trying his best to not think about the others that left them, but instead, just trying his best to bridge this gap here. "So, who are you all?"

[Skaia 578]

"Know Luca? Of course we know Luca," the apparent leader of the group said as Gene questioned them, before going on to tell them of their situation further. 

One of the Lemur's let out a small snort as he finished his explanation saying, "yeah, Rumian fighting, that's a good one." His snort was cut short by an elbow to the gut from the second lemur. 

The apparent leader of the group continued looking at the Exalted, a skeptical look on his face before saying, "well, no. I can't really believe that you're from another world. That's pretty out there, even if you are the Exalted as you claim. But..."

The elephant spoke, "but they seem to know Luca and Rumian so they've at least been to town." 

"Yeah..." The man looked at the group again before mumbling, "maybe they're from another town? No but there isn't another town? Maybe they're from beyond the Thunderhead?" His brow furrowed as he was trying to make sense of all of this before finally relaxing with a sigh. "Well, if nothing else none of you are from town and none of you look like any Storm-blooded I've ever seen. So, I can believe you're not from around here at least. As for who we are, we're a hunting and gathering party sent from Aersinn to, well, hunt and gather. Town doesn't get fed by itself after all." He pointed to the tarp as if to indicate that it was what they had been gathering, or rather what was under it, before saying, "and unfortunately we got caught up in a storm which is why we're here." 

As if on que, the rain began to pick up in intensity as the thunder grew louder, the delay between the flash of lightning and the clap of the thunder becoming nigh instant they were able to see the spire they were standing near begin to get hammered by lightning. 

The man started speaking louder, practically shouting, to talk over the storm saying, "so, what were all of you doing out here? It's pretty dangerous to just be wandering out here." 

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

Marshall adjusted her cap slightly, so as to get a better view of the others. She had relaxed a bit when the new people, a hunting party, didn’t seem immediately hostile. They were threats, to be sure, but there was a lot of interesting information to glean from this hunting party, and her companions had been quite quick to get to the heart of it. Gene, for example, attempted to convince them that the group was, in fact, exalted; but they didn’t seem to believe or understand at first. Their faith in the goddess was certainly more tenuous than those of the people in the initial town. Still, there were some names to catch. 

Storm-Blooded.

Thunder-Head.

Marshall would need to find out more about these… Though, it could be prudent to get more trust from them, before she attempted to push too hard on these points. “...First,” she began, removing her cap and speaking loudly. “Notice the lack of Animalistic qualities in our form,” she called out, shouting over the thundering spires. “One such quality of the exalted; that they do not possess mixed spirits or forms,” she explained, doing her best to recall what Luca and Rumian had both said. “Another such quality,” she began, closing her eyes as she readjusted her cap, and then, removed the glove from her right hand, revealing the faint rune that they all shared. 

Marshall would hold the back of her hand aloft for a moment, before placing the glove which seemed to only dim the light slightly back upon it, as she took a moment to inspect their reactions. “...Of course, this is not the full extent of our blessings; merely the mark of it. I could give you a demonstration, if that would be required to earn your trust?” she would ask, gaze lingering over the one she, at least suspected, to be the leader.

The man looks curiously at the mark and seems still pretty relaxed, if not more intrigued before saying, "like I said, you guys are definitely not from around here that much is for sure. And if you really did help out Luca and Rumian that's good enough for me for now."

“A man of character, who values actions over station; I respect that,” Marshall smiled, or, did the closest thing she ever got to it, as she adjusted her cap. “Then, to answer your question, we just finished Lady Ocean’s trial, and were scouting as much of this land as we could…” she trailed off. “...Is what I would like to say. But in truth, we were looking for the first Accursed so that we could carry out our duty, and rather than return to town for directions, my Companions chose to look for it themselves; thus, we are here,” she explained with a gesture towards the rest of the group.

"That place?" The man grimaced at the thought, before saying, "I'd show you a map but well," he pointed to the sky. "But if you're looking to go there it's to the west of here. Normally you couldn't miss it but visibilities a bit low here." After a pause he said, "and well, I get you guys saying you're the Exalted and all but even then I can't recommend going there. I've never been there before myself but just looking at it from a distance gives me all kinds of bad feelings and the stories that go with it aren't great either."

Marshall thought, for a moment, she thought about reassuring him that they would be fine; explaining that she had already been gored by a lance and come out fine, just peachy, however... Well, that wasn't likely to inspire confidence. "If that is the case, do you have other suggestions for what we may do to increase our strength, before we travel to that place?" she would ask, tucking one hand behind her back as she spoke, in a practiced manner. "I know I'm unlikely to be able to dissuade Lady Draconis for too terribly long, but I should be able to do so if we have suitable alternatives for the time being.”

He raised an eyebrow saying, "I don't know if there's a 'quick fix' for getting strong enough to fight the Accursed. At least not for us regular folks. Can't say anything about the Exalted."

Marshall simply... Nodded, in response. "...Ah, then let me rephrase that question," she let her tone shift for a moment, losing any emotional inflection as she spoke. "Are there any hot-spots of Drengr on the way there that we could... Happen to encounter, that may have been plaguing the town recently? It seems we learn more about our gifts after a battle, and..." she trailed off, adjusting her cap. "Well, it would be helpful for everyone if we were able to assist the town with some of the more troublesome pests."

He thought about it for a moment before saying, "they're probably all in hiding right now. Storm and all. But you're likely to find them around that area or on the road from town to the castle. Seem drawn to it for some reason." 

One of the tiger's spoke up. "If it's a big fight you're looking for too you could always take on some of the favorite beasts of Storm." The tiger nodded northwest and though Marshall couldn't make anything out specifically they could see that, despite the lack of a spire, lightning seemed to be striking some of the same areas spots consistently. 

The gazelle spoke. "Ah but they're pretty dangerous and not bothering anyone. At least, if you don't bother them or anything."

Marshall thought for a moment, before pulling her cap down slightly, and doing her best to smile. “...We’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your assistance; that’s all I have for questions,” she explained, giving a slight bow, and then looking to Gene, Sabrina, and Abby expectantly, as she expected them to have questions of their own.

[LordCowCow 841]

Sabrina felt somewhat down at the lackluster response the group had given. Was that really the proper way to react to learning that they had just met heroes? Maybe she hadn't been clear enough about that point but even when Gene said it in a more mundane way they didn't really react much.

Maybe it wasn't actually something that most people believed then? Were Luca and Rumian just....odd in that way? But, no, the other villagers seemed to believe it too...

She glanced over at the tarp again. "To be absolutely positively super duper certain....that's not actually hiding some sort of elder god which you intend to revive using the dark power of this storm?"

"No, it's...just our food and findings." Baffled at the girl's question he'll look to the others and ask, "what is...is she alright?" Then after a moment thinking about the situation he'll ask, "are these things you actually deal with?"

Was that a hint of awe she detected? Sabrina felt herself swell as she puffed up her chest and stand taller. "Of course! Totally! For sure!" she declared. "Well, I mean, I haven't dealt with any of those here yet....and maybe not in so many words back home...but it's absolutely something that I, that we, are equipped to take down! We've already faced off against truly mighty foes and we'll be facing even more in the future! Just you wait and see this place is gonna become suuuuper cool and not scary before long!"

[yui 576]

So they were a hunting party. They certainly seemed like decent folks, if only because they were willing to allow the gang to hang out with them here as an alternative to getting fried by lightning out there. As Abby got closer, she could make out details, and saw that they were more animal-people hybrids, much like the ones she and the others back in town. Two lemurs, two tigers, a gazelle, a pig, and most curiously to Abby, an elephant as well! The hunting party seemed to have some trouble with the idea that the very non-animal-trait-having group that had chanced upon them were the Exalted, but Abby wasn't really the type to try and convince them otherwise. She'd leave that to the others. Marshall in particular had the bright idea of showing the mark to the hunting party, which was definitely a good call. Picking up some information even more so. It seemed there were Drengr and beasts to be hunted, once the storm had passed.

"To be absolutely positively super duper certain....that's not actually hiding some sort of elder god which you intend to revive using the dark power of this storm?"

"No, it's...just our food and findings. What is...is she alright? Are these things you actually deal with?"

"She's alright," Abby confirmed with a hesitant nod of her head. Alright enough, at least. A little overeager, but who could blame her, really? Quite frankly, Abby felt that her own taking to this situation was rather lackluster, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was her own issue or if it was because there was Sabrina to compare to. "Just really eager to get back to hero work."

Abby then turned her attention to the tiger that had mentioned favorite beasts of the Storm. "You mentioned something about beasts, right? What kind of creatures would we be dealing with, if we went to hunt those down?"

The tiger that initially brought them up had a grin come on his face. "If it's those you're looking for they come in two kinds! The first being Donnerphant, they're massive creatures with large tusks and a trunk.  Their hides are nigh impenetrable, the storm sundering stones growing out of them and shielding them from the wrath of Storm. And their mere howls can shatter bones!"

The second tiger continued on with the over dramatic speech of the first. "The Lupardis is the second! For all that the Donner is wide they are tall! The mane of a lion, with the tusks of a hog, none match it in grace and dignity!  It too can survive the wrath of Storm and channel that wrath to decimate its foes! Those two beasts are,"

"The pinnacle of Storm's blessings!" They smiled, shouting loud as they could over the rain and thunder, uncaring how ridiculous they looked with wetted fur doing this clearly rehearsed performance.

The gazelle spoke up, "but uh, once again, they're dangerous to be around but don't seek conflict unless they're hungry."

The elephant looked back saying, "and they don't cause us much trouble but when they do stray near the village it is a huge mess. They're not as invincible as those two jokers would have you believe but it's best not to go fight them half heartedly."

Massive creature with large tusks and a trunk, with stones growing out of it? Well, well, well.

For the time being, Abby decided it best not to let the hunting party know that she may have seen this Donnerphant not too long ago. "We'll keep our eyes peeled. And we'll be careful not to engage with those beasts unless we're ready to throw down with them. Isn't that right, team?"

[Skaia 578]

With the group making their case clear about who they were and where they were going the conversation had hit something of a lull, silence only filled by the heavy rain and wind. They would also find any more talking to be virtually impossible as the lightning that was previously only seen in the distance was now much closer. Any darkness that the cloud cover had provided was cut away in almost an instant as the world around them was flashing with near blinding white light. Lightning relentlessly struck the spire, bolt after bolt, creating a deafening explosion of instantaneous thunder.  The hunting party, aside from keeping their ears covered, seemed completely unfazed by this event, acting as if it were more a minor annoyance then anything else. Though perhaps the barrage of lightning lasted for only ten or so minutes, those ten or so minutes were filled with nothing but the thunder's sound, and the sight of lightning striking in almost a ring around the spire, threatening the Exalted's lives if they dared to step away from its safety. 

Eventually the lightning passed. And then the rain started to grow lighter. The winds calmed. Until finally the same overcast skies, albeit darker from the time of day, and the same ambient noise of Thunder were all that remained of such a thing. The leader of the hunting party sighed and said, "a short one at least. Alright everyone, dry off." The group began to make way for the tarp, pulling it off to reveal several crates, large wooden dowels coming out from either side of each one. Going over to one of them they lifted off the top, pulling out an assortment of towels, each of them taking the time to dry off, with the leader addressing the Exalted again. "Oh, feel free to use one. If you don't the rain's likely to get you sick." The Exalted, of course, would suffer no ill effects from this passing storm. 

Once the group was ready once again, the leader said, "we're going to be heading off now. Faster we get back to town the better, and I don't want to get caught up in another storm. Much less safety between here and there. I still don't really know if I believe the whole Exalted business but I can just ask Luca anyway. If you guys are telling the truth then, well, good luck. Be careful about what fights you pick and be even more careful around the Accursed's lair. I can't say I know much about him but if he's nasty enough to cause all of that lightning then he's probably someone you want to steer clear of." If none of them had any more to say the hunting party would leave the Exalted to their own devices. 

[LordCowCow 841]

Sabrina was disappointed to say the least with how stubbornly these hunters didn't believe what she was saying. It didn't make sense to her. Wasn't the whole point of being here that they were special heroes? Shouldn't people...believe that?

She had had enough of disbelief back home. She didn't need it here too. If she had come here only to be doubted, and perhaps even made fun of, then what would the point have been?

It was a chilling thought and she didn't even think to dry off as the towels were offered to her. In fact she seemed somewhat out of it, thoughts elsewhere, until the hunters began to depart. As they did she suddenly spoke up with, "You'll see! Everything's gonna go great! You won't...have anything to worry about soon!"

Talk seemed to be going towards what they were going to do next. There had been mention of going off to fight other things to get stronger first but... "I say we just charge straight on to the enemy's lair! After all, " the sooner they took out this Accursed thing the sooner everyone would believe that she was someone important "the sooner we win the sooner things will start getting better around here! There's no way we'll lose to some generic bad guy we can kick their butts just how we are!"

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

The conversation progressed from there in, what was in all honesty, a predictable fashion; as far as Marshall could tell. The hunting party wasn’t completely convinced of who they were, but in all honesty - why would they be? And did it truly matter if they were convinced? It would dishearten some of the others for sure; but at the end of the day, they were who they were. Whether they were recognized as heroes, whether they were known to be ‘the exalted’, or thought truly to be special or not-- 

That didn’t matter, as long as they carried out their goals. 

Still, she held her tongue as Sabrina replied, and as Abby questioned the hunting party. In truth, they were questions Marshall should have thought of herself, but she was glad someone had asked them regardless. She let her hand rest upon the brim of her cap, pulling it down slightly as she did her best to focus on the conversation through the rain. Between the pouring rain’s noise, feel, and the thunder above, it was hard to focus… But she was able to make out enough from what they had said.

It was only after the hunting party had begun to talk about leaving, and the skies had begun to clear, that she turned towards the hunting group and gave a curt nod. “...Travel swiftly and safely unto your destination,” she called out after them in an even voice; in what she herself thought to be an encouraging fashion, at least. It was then, of course, that Sabrina raised the next matter of import, and Marshall turned to address the young girl, in her habitual pose of partial attention. “...As for that matter, though I think we should be a bit more cautious than charging in at full-steam…” she trailed off, adjusting her cap.

“I agree wholeheartedly, in that we should make for the Accursed’s abode,” Marshall smiled as she raised her cap to actually be able to see the rest of the party. “Though the other quarries we could deal with seem interesting in their own rights, there’s no guarantee that we will find ways to strengthen ourselves before we fight the accursed; and there’s no telling what will happen if we waste too much of our time fighting anything too much stronger than us,” she explained, her voice moving on to a more expositional, and more neutral tone. “Without that concern, there’s still the worry about how attacking the local wildlife could affect those living in the nearby villages, who need to hunt many of the creatures to survive; disrupting their ecosystem is not in our best interest, after all, thus…” she trailed off, adjusting her cap downwards once again, with both hands this time. “It seems only natural that we should head to the Accursed’s lair, gather our strength, and steel ourselves for the battle within.”

[Skaia 578]

With the course having been set the group was now ready to make way to their destination proper; the ruined castle of Aerstroff. There wasn't so much of a road that lead them there but as they continued further they would begin to see the clear signs over the horizon of where their destination was. While the clouds overhead were always overcast and the world always had some shade of gray to it, the area where the castle had been was a different story. The clouds over it had always been black, as though they were threatening to pour at a moment's notice, and flashes of lightning could be seen quite frequently. Though this would be worrisome on its own, the castle as well seemed to be adorned with several of the lightning rod spires that they had seen up to this point in their journey. Though no matter how long they walked for the clouds and lightning never seemed to calm into what one might consider a more natural state. 

The second unsettling indicator of them getting closer to their destination was the sudden influx in Drengr. While they weren't an uncommon sight the sheer quantity of packs would be a bit unnerving. Those further from the castle seemed to be fairly normal in their demeanor, which is to say on the prowl and hunting for whatever they could. Were the group to get close enough to them they would find them attacked by the Drengr though the threat they posed was minimal and their near immortal bodies made any injuries they could supposedly sustain a non-issue. As they got closer however, there seemed to be a clear shift in their demeanor. They were less preoccupied with the Exalted and more looking towards the castle itself. It was difficult to tell if it was some kind of fear or reverence that they had towards the location but after distance had passed it was clear that they weren't getting any closer. 

Once they got close enough to the structure proper they were able to now full appreciate the height and scale of the building. Or perhaps complex would be a better word for it. The spires, from a distance, had looked to be taller then the average ones they had seen thus far but upon closer inspection it was not because the spires themselves were larger so much that the foundation with which they were built on was more elevated. The entire castle had rested atop a large hill, starting at a gradual slope that got steep as it went until it presumably flattened out where the castle started properly. In addition to this natural fortification there was the large stone wall that surrounded the entirety of the castle, which seemed to stretch as wide as the entire village of Aersinn had. 

There was one, obvious, entrance to this building that the group could see immediately; the main gate. Though in the time of its prime the gate would have actually done its job in barring off intruders the remnants of its were on the hill leading into the entrance as well as the archway that would've supported it being long gone, a clear sign of break and ruin in the castle walls. This was not to say they would be able to just waltz right in, though, as at the top of the entrance was several Drengr. Seven in total, made of various animals between hogs and hyenas. Though there was one that they'd have difficulty making out just what kind of animal it was, but it was notably much larger and menacing looking then the others, quite like the lion had been in their first engagement. Most notable about these Drengr, however, was that their weapons were not nearly as crude as the others they had seen thus far and they actually wore metal armor - the large one being difficult to discern its identity as its entire body was covered in this steel armor. 

The Drengr were not immediately aggressive, and in fact upon seeing the Exalted on the hill opted more to watch then just charge blindly. It was clear, though, that their duty was to guard and it would likely result in a brawl to get through them.

If they took the time to look however, they would be able to see that the walls of this castle area were old, weathered, and cracking at some points. While they didn't have the fire power to break this stone, if they walked around and examined the perimeter of the area they would find that they didn't need to. Towards the back of the castle area was a large break in the castle's wall, exposing a hole into the interior of it. It was far enough off the ground that they would need to do some climbing, and perhaps use some degree of magic to reach it but it would spare them the first encounter with the Drengr, assuming none other were waiting for them on the other side of this hole. 

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

Having said her piece, and with none of the others disagreeing, Marshall let herself fall to the back of the group as she adjusted her cap one-last-time, and then clasped her hands idly behind her back while they walked. It didn’t take long for them to begin seeing the signs of their destination, and she took that moment to think about what it could all mean. The lightning grew stronger here, but there were also more of the spires. Had they been set up merely as defensive measures? Or are they gathering power, like some sort of sci-fi film? The thought seemed almost too strange or out-there to allow for, but given the fact that she no longer feared death in a true capacity, the former conductor felt little reason for implausibility to be the sole reason for the erasure of an idea.

There was, of course, also the concerning fact that the Drengr they had run into were getting more numerous, but they were easy enough to avoid - or, kill, she assumed - though her thoughts were honestly not on the Drengr. They were more locked onto trying to parse everything, as they got closer. After all, the Drengr had - for the most part - shown themselves to be mindless beasts in the best cases, blithering idiots in the worst cases. Yet here, rather than hunting and attacking for food, they seemed to be… Revering the castle; as if bound to it. As if worshiping it, as a god.

That was an uncomfortable thought, Marshall had to admit to herself.

 For in that way, what made them different from the Exalted, who worship Lady River?

She shook her head, and cleared that thought from it. There was no need to entertain any such ideas, as they crested the hill, and became able to see the structure. She frowned almost immediately, slowly raising her hand to the side, so as to summon her weapon… Only to lower it, as she noticed the Drengr at the gate having been yet to move themselves. “...Don’t attack yet,” she advised; her tone louder, and more forceful than it normally was. 

“Every other enemy has attacked us on sight, or made themselves out to be aggressive in some manner. They have not, which suggests one of two things,” Marshall explained, crossing her arms. “Either they know something we do not, and have some sort of defensive measure set-up-- or worse: know themselves to be strong enough to not need to come after us,” she raised one hand, to adjust her cap at this remark; a natural pause. “...Regardless, charging through and attacking will do nothing but give them the upper-hand, which leaves us with some options."

Marshall paused then, for a moment, deliberately surveying their reactions before she continued. “But which one we take depends entirely upon a basic principle: do we want to fight and potentially get stronger, at the cost of either wearing ourselves down, and getting hurt before future battles within the castle, or do we want to avoid them entirely?” she asked, plainly, holding both hands out as she spoke. “Should we choose to fight, I suggest we make them come to us; after our last combat, I have reconfigured myself to be a ranged combatant. Similarly, I believe you attempted some ranged strikes as well during our trial, yes?” Marshall glanced towards Sabrina, and nodded slightly. “We should use those to weather them, and force them to us should we fight. Should we choose otherwise, however…” she trailed off, gesturing lightly towards the walls with her hand. “...The rain has not been kind to this place. I would wager that we may be able to find an unexpected hole in their defenses through which we might be able to enter the castle, and avoid this first taste of combat, should that be desirable.”

Edited January 23 by Tiamat's Circus

[Chaos Sonic 443]

The castle, Gene had to admit, was pulled straight from the shows and games he always played…least in his mind. If one had to guess, he figured it also seemed like something that came from his dreams, then again…everything at this point had that feel to it. But even that feeling had a bit of a worry to it. And rightfully so, considering the Drengr that were at this castle specifically. It made Gene's stomach queasy just seeing the Drengr standing at attention at the gate.

Nevertheless, Gene only sat there with the others, watching the scene before them. He was abnormally quiet, not really saying much up till this point, until he heard Marshall speak up to the group.

“...Don’t attack yet,”

“N-No arguments there…” he muttered.

“Every other enemy has attacked us on sight, or made themselves out to be aggressive in some manner. They have not, which suggests one of two things. Either they know something we do not, and have some sort of defensive measure set-up-- or worse: know themselves to be strong enough to not need to come after us. ...Regardless, charging through and attacking will do nothing but give them the upper-hand, which leaves us with some options.”

This was some sound logic from the conductor for sure. And she only kept making sense, bringing up basically the choice of either fighting to get stronger and more experience OR avoid the conflict completely. It made Gene rub his chin slightly. “S-Sounds like basic gaming logic.” he nodded, looking at the Drengr then back to Marshall. “A choice between conflict and avoiding it. …part of me, at least the gamer in me, wouldn't mind getting more experience.” he said with a slight sigh. “H-However…considering the fact that, like Marshall said, we'd just be wearing ourselves out before we even get inside, I thiiiiink we may need to side with the side of caution and just not fight yet.”

He didn't want to make it sound like he was chickening out on this, but Gene was thinking he was. He had to immediately rectify this. “T-That is to say…well…in most fantasy based games…and even anime…they normally want you to waste your energy to brute force it. N-N-Not that that's a bad thing! It's just…m-maybe we should go the optional stealth route. M-Maybe there could be bonuses to a stealthier strike against them?” Gene was fairly sure he was probably talking himself into a corner at this point, but hey, he had to at least try and persuade them to Marshall's non-combat side of things.

[LordCowCow 841]

Sabrina saw the castle and grew even more excited. It really felt like an evil villain lair. One that was set up specifically for a true hero to come and conquer. This was it. This was the real test. Overtaking this would surely prove to everyone, herself included, that she was really meant to be a hero.

And the first order of business was to charge in and take on the lord of the castle's goons. What better way to show their stuff than facing head on with some elite guards? She was just about ready to go on the attack when...

“...Regardless, charging through and attacking will do nothing but give them the upper-hand, which leaves us with some options."

she stopped herself abruptly. But....but charging in was great! However it didn't seem that Marshall was fully against fighting them and Sabrina nodded. "Yeah, we can take them I'm sure. We've won every fight so far!"

And then Gene weighed in...sort of. He sounded not too sure of himself, and Sabrina wondered what it was that he wanted to do. There was one thing that even Sabrina could tell though. He seemed to be afraid. Which meant...

Sabrina's shoulders slumped as she realized what they had to do. "I guess...we can look around a bit..." she said, dejectedly.

As they made their way around Sabrina couldn't help but let out a sigh now and then, her eye wandering back towards the front. This felt so....unheroic. But if Gene was really that shaken up about it then she had to suck it up for now.

They ended up after some searching finding a spot in the wall that was broken. It was quite high up but it still was clearly visible.

Sabrina immediately perked up as she thought of a way to get in that, to her, would be extra cool. Perhaps this could make up for losing out on the fight from before. "Ahem, step back, I shall now summon upon all of my power to overcome this obstacle. Wings of the dragon, let me take flight!" Upon saying this she used wind magic to launch herself into the air....and she didn't even reach the halfway point.

In her mind she panicked a moment but, thankfully, she stopped herself from flailing wildly. Summoning her scythe she stuck it into a crack in the wall to stop herself from falling. Then she focused her magic to make the next jump higher and soared her way up to the hole and inside of the castle.

Everything seemed old and weathered inside. The banners on the wall were in tatters. The carpet as well. A couple of chairs and a small table to the side were decayed and broken. There was no torch light inside and everything was somewhat dim. It was almost as though the place was abandoned. The hall stretched to the left and right to an unknown destination.

There didn't seem to be anything nearby that could pose a threat and Sabrina let out another sigh of relief at having succeeded. However she was still worked up and couldn't keep still so the girl went off to the right. The hall continued for quite some time but Sabrina stopped as she saw the entrance to a spiral staircase that went upward off to the right-hand wall.

Without a moment's hesitation, certain that their goal must be somewhere up "Higher level for the higher level enemy", Sabrina began to move up the staircase.

[yui 576]

The meeting with the hunting party had gone fairly well. Near the end of it, when the storm had well and truly arrived at the tower, Abby had elected to simply squat down and cover her legs with the hem of her raincoat. It wasn't an entirely perfect method, but to say she had fared better than most was a foregone coclusion. Once again, she was oddly thankjful for the unenviable circumstances she died in. Once that had bpassed, however, and the other party ohad offered up towels for the Exalted to dry off with, Abby was thankfully not terribly in need of one. Most of what she had to do simply boiled down to wiping the water off her coat, and wishing the hunting party safe travels as they and the Exalted went their separate ways.

In the latter's case, it was a way that led straight to what was the ruined castle of Aerstoff. The lightning rod spires protruding from it in the numbers that they did really gave the place a whole "this is absolutely where the bad guy is doing bad guy things, ad the heroes are gonna storm the castle in the final chapter" vibes. Of course, this was far from a final chapter; no, it was merely the beginning. The first things Abby noticed other than the spires were the amout of Drengr in the area, not just on the castle grounds, but some she'd spotted along the way as well. And after that, she noticed the sky here was much darker, making it that much clearer that this was indeed their destination. Just in case, Abby got her hood up and ready to keep her head dry.

In the end, the group had settled on not attacking directly in a reckless head-on assault. A decision Abby wholeheartedly agreed with. While she had no doubts that the combined might of the Exalted would make such a course of action fully feasible, it was more a matter of she didn't want to expend the energy it would take to do so. In the end, a more secretive way in was found, but it looked like getting up there would also be a bit of a climb. Sabrina, for one, only seemed to have a littl ebit of trouble getting up there. But she was also rather mobile, so that was hardly a surprise. But, perhaps, with a big enough slam of the hammer, and a bit of magic herself...?

"Never enjoyed climbing, but here goes nothing."

Course, that doesn't mean I was ever bad at it.

Abby raised her hands, calling forth her trusty hammer, and holding it up over her head. As Abby took in a deep breath, the air nearby began gathering around the head of the hammer, swirling and compressing, winding up and waiting to be unleashed. After a moment of build-up, Abby slammed the hammer down, smashing it into the ground beneath her feet. The air gathered around her hammer, in that moment, unleashed, spewing forth from the head as a high-pressure blast of wind that set the weapon's diminutive wielder shooting upward. It wasn't a large enough leap to make it all the way up, but it was enough that Abby was able to spot and grab hold of a brick that stuck out a bit more than the others. From there, it was simply a matter of figuring out where to climb up to next, until she was up at the edge and able to lift herself up and into the castle at last. Could she have just climbed up the whole way normally? Perhaps. But it would have taken a lot longer, so she didn't.

Once she was comfortably situated inside the castle, Abby turned back around, lying belly-down on the floor. She called forth her hammer once more. Then, she hung it down over the edge, giving the other Exalted something to grab onto on their way up, as a helpful boost up.

[Tiamat's Circus 117]

To be completely honest, Marshall had fully resigned herself to the fact that Sabrina would… Completely disregard her warnings that they could, in fact, likely avoid getting into combat quite this early. That had been the modus-operandi of their group so far, and so it was as Marshall was sizing their foe up, and doing her best to calculate the distance between them… That Sabrina listened to reason. The good Conductor did little to show her surprise, save glance at the group’s most vocal member, before nodding, lightly. “...Don’t get too discouraged, Lady Draconis. There will be plenty more to fight,” she chuckled lightly, bringing her hand up to her cap, as she set about to follow the group.

It was always good to have someone keeping an eye out to see if they were being followed, after all; though nothing came of it. In fact, by the time they had gotten around the side and to the back of the castle, they had already found their entrance… Provided everyone could get up. For a moment, Marshall had a brief flashback to the dungeon with the puzzle of water; a deep worry setting in that, given the fact that she had (hopefully) changed weapons, she might be unable to invoke the same tricks she had used before to climb the vertical wall…

Only for those despairing thoughts to disappear in a flash, as she watched Abby ascend through her own means, and lower her hammer for the others to use. Without a second thought, Marshall bounded forwards towards the wall at full speed; using her momentum to help her first begin to ascend the wall, and then using a mixture of strength and fading momentum to kick off of it, so as to reach the hammer. For a second, she felt as if her hands might slip, or that she might go careening downwards… But with great effort, as she kicked her legs back towards the wall, she found she could climb the rest of the way using the Hammer as an anchor-point. 

“Many thanks, and good thinking,” Marshall gave the closest thing she could to a smile to Abby, as she adjusted her cap, and rose to her full feet atop the ledge. Marshall frowned slightly as she walked into the castle, eyes darting across the carpet and tatters; it was a quintessential evil fortress, that was for sure. She had hoped to explore a bit, to perhaps gain some insight into their foe… But as she realized the first among them was conspicuously missing, she realized… That wasn’t going to happen.

“Note to self: abating the dragon’s hunger for battle only seems to stoke the impatience. Perhaps more combat would have been suitable to tire her out…?”

Marshall made a few quick mental notes to herself as she glanced behind herself, adjusting her cap. “...Sabrina’s gone,” she advised Abby in a raised voice. “I’m going to go look for her,” Marshall explained, assessing her position. The hall went left and right both; and she had… No good way to tell which one Sabrina had gone down. Both were dimly lit, and well traveled. “...I’m going left,” she added, dutifully, before setting off in that direction; using one of her gloved hands to scrape a trail of dust from one of the walls. It was always best to leave a sign, after all.

The hall, of course, stretched on for much longer than she’d have liked; it seemed to wind a bit as well, until… Leading to a dead-end. Or at least, a dead-end as far as this floor was concerned. There was rubble blocking the path completely; having fallen in from the ceiling. The ceiling, thankfully, had another ceiling above it, which… Likely meant there was a hallway above it, as well as on the other side of the rubble. And it just so happened that the rubble had fallen in such a way, that she’d be able to climb it as if it was a staircase, and thus…

She made the soundest of executive decisions, and began to walk up the rubble-staircase.
 

[Skaia 578]

Sabrina had entered first and far before any of the others. From there came Abby, and afterwards Marshall and Gene had soon followed. With Sabrina no where to be found and Marshall having gone off the opposite way as her, it was up to Gene and Abby's own good sense if they wanted to split their already divided party further in an attempt to both scout out the area and find Sabrina, or simply follow Marshall along. With no true king to this land it was, once again, a free country with which they could decide however they pleased. 

As Sabrina made her way up the stairs she would notice that not too long after walking she would find a doorway, presumably to somewhere that was not where she had entered from. The girl could leave through this door or she could continue her quest of higher means better, as the winding spiral staircase continued upward past this door. And were she to go all the way up to the very end she would find...yet another door. 

Marshall would eventually be able to scale the pile of rubble finding that there was in fact another poorly lit hallway. It stretched in both ways as the previous floors had, though she would be hard pressed to go the direction opposite that she climbed as there was a clear lack of floor. However, she could press forward easily enough in the winding castle wall. Eventually though she would hear armored footsteps from further down the hall, though it was difficult to make out how many there actually were. But at least they seemed to be moving the direction opposite of her. 

[LordCowCow 841]

Sabrina started up the steps but a nagging thought gave her pause. Should she wait for the others? What if they had gone the other way should she return back and find them? Sabrina had gone off on instinct without giving it much thought but as she took a few steps up she started to question herself.

However just the idea of going back sheepishly after having run off like that was embarrassing enough. She would have to explain why she had just left and, worse, explain that she had gotten nervous and turned back around. That was NOT something a true chosen one would do.

And so she continued up the stairs. After some time she noticed a door on the side leading off to the next floor but, shaking her head, she continued past it. "There is still more up to go and so up it is." she muttered to herself.

Once she reached the top and found another door she decided to open it up and step inside.

It looked like she was at the top of some sort of tower, perhaps of the watching variety. It was somewhat disappointing to the girl as she had expected some sort of treasure or throne room or perhaps she would find the room of a kidnapped princess, ignoring what she had been told of the lack of such things, but instead it was a fairly small tower that didn't have much in it.

Well, besides the hog-like Drengr that was standing in the middle of it and looking at her. The beast-man was holding a halberd and appeared to have been alerted by her having opened the door.

For a brief moment she considered just backing away and closing the door but then she realized that this creature might alert the rest. Which could cause problems for the others still inside the castle.

"Hear me, foul creature! You have the misfortune of running afoul of the legendary Draconis! Face my vast power and tremble!" Channeling her magic before her Sabrina dramatically thrust her hand forward and let loose a stream of fire at the beast.

The boar, having expected her to approach it, was caught by surprise as the fire engulfed it. It snorted angrily at her as it flailed about and dropped its weapon. The creature looked enraged, much like a feral hog, as it charged right for her with its tusks lowered.

Sabrina took a few steps inside as it approached and summoned her scythe. She held it low and met the boar partway, slashing upwards and to the right. Unfortunately the attack did not work as it did in the games as the scythe couldn't get past its metallic armor so easily.

Thankfully she avoided being gored but the boar did push her into the wall. Close enough that she could feel the heat from the beast's metal armor. Struggling, Sabrina managed to raise up a leg and place a foot on the Drengr. With a grunt and a "Get....off!" she used her wind magic. Instead of 'jumping' she pushed herself into the wall, which hurt but nothing debilitating, and she blasted the Drengr backwards where it fell, unmoving, to the ground.