Ryudo Lee's Legacy

[Gareeku]

Seeing Clarissa's reaction and hearing her voice, Gareeku smiled warmly at her.
"No problem at all." he replied, the warm smile still on his face as he spoke.

A while later, the two of them had arrived at the outskirts of the town.
"Now then...I'm not too familiar with this town. Do you know where the doctor lives? As I said earlier, I want to get you and the child checked over." the wolf asked.

[topher chee]

    Topher nodded and walked hurriedly to the shed, hoping not to dissapoint anyone.  He grabbed he nearest shovel and headed to where everyone was at.  He looked down at the crusty dirt and jabbed the end of the shovel into it.  He began digging hastily, to show he was being serious about this.  He turned to look at his sweat driven companions and asked, "Exactly how many have died from this?"

[Stygian]

Stygian watched and considered. There were still ways to clear up and take care of this mess. If they just didn't cause any fuss, and made sure to settle down, all would still turn out well. That went for him too. For them. He was a bit curious to some other things still, most of which he could not exactly put a finger on what they were.

   The darkness seemed to follow in Aisha's and Gareeku's wake as they made their way back to the town. It never got close or cramped under the green canopy above, the shadows always keeping just at the edge of sight. But the panthress' tail ring kept glowing a nearly steady, if faint green. As they closed with the settling, it seemed to diminish, fading away under the sun or just sinking deeper to hide somwhere else until night came again.
   "It's this way. We have a couple of clinics, so I go to another one on the other side of town, but this one's closer," Clarissa said, and walked alongside them. She seemed a lot more comfortable now that the sun was up, but still only led them, not leaving their side.
   "You people... You're adventurers, aren't you? Any particular reason you're here?" she asked after a while, still a bit shyly, when they were about halfway to the clinic. "If there's trouble, not many people here will be very glad. Lee runs a good bar, and we're used to adventurers coming through, but people tend to blame them if there is too much trouble around."

[Joat]

Sylva begins to help in digging, surprised at how many shovels there are. However, not being very strong, her digging rate is fairly poor.

[Azlan]

As there was ample help digging the graves, and in an effort to spare himself that level of manual labor, he sought out a means to convey the bodies.

Carefully he approached the ruined barn, grasping the handle, he quietly hoped to himself that he would not discover another survivor.  Their journey was already burdened with one, more would be too much of a delay and drain on resources.  He threw open the door and was immediately assaulted by a foul wind, a brief tortured howl escaped with it, something only one attuned to such things could hear.

Within the barn was the ashen remains of a large creature bat winged creature, the form quickly sublimated, leaving nothing but an outline.  The rear of the barn, facing away from the group was destroyed, though this would not be easily discernible from anywhere but the rear.  Where likely the heart may have been was embedded into the floor a quarter of a fine angelic blade, cross guard and handle.  The remnants of the sword blade were scattered near the outline, laying near a large wicked bladed sword of dark metal.  The fox picked up the bastard sized sword and growled, "baelor, foul daemonic creatures."

Wield me fox and I will give you great power.

Carran stared at the blade for a second,  "lle tela?  Antolle ulua sulrim.  Dula, uuma  ma' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle."

With that he cast it back into the barn and pulled out a cart.  He turned to face the barn with his staff out, "koron en'naur!"

A ball of roaring fire leap from the staff and smacked into the barn, blasting it to a thousand pieces and incinerating all within.  Buried under the rubble and ash, the daemonic sword and shattered angelic blade would remain.

Traveling the short distance to where the carriage had been attacked, Carran hoisted the driver into the back.  The fox regarded the driver for a second, "stay dead, I don't need anymore survivors."  The carriage driver was kind enough to oblige.  He set fire to the remains of the carriage and the dead pack animals before turning to the mage's body.  Carefully he took the sundered pieces of her staff and placed it in the cart, he regarded her body carefully, "now you be as good as your man here is... was and stay dead please."

He hoisted the body into the back and placed her next to the driver, a slight groan... possibly of pain might have escaped her.  He shrugged it off quickly, "no, no... no more survivors... I did not hear anything, that is my imagination.  Either that or she has joined the undead.  My imagination, must be... that evil sword must still be on my mind."

Carran dragged the cart over towards the house and gravesite.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had been spending quite a few minutes, after Gareeku had gone with the injured child, to help everyone else with cleaning up.  She had already dug one hole of her own for one of the dead.  She couldn't engrave a headstone...but once she took care of one body she stood over the site and closed her eyes shortly.  "Descanse en paz (rest in peace)," she muttered and brushed the dirt from her clothes.  "I really hate when I have to say that."

The morning sun had finally started peeking over the east, bathing everything in a soft orange light.  The panther leaned on the shovel and watched it for a moment, for now at least, the forlorn night was past and everything was starting to wind down.  Her concentration was broken only when Topher inquired about the number of dead.  Aisha dropped her shovel and shrugged.  "There couldn't have been that many.  A family or two."  Then, facing the head of the group, the panther pointed back towards the town.  "I'll see you all back at the inn."

Staying to help would be the right thing to do, she thought while hopping down from the slight hill made by the crater and walking back into the still-dark shadows of the forest.  But I've had enough of seeing innocents face their fates too early.

It wasn't too much longer before she caught up with Gareeku, finding his outline as well as that of Clarissa's in the strange snaking shadows that made slow and changing patterns with the ever-rising sun.  She called to them and waved, not wanting to catch them by surprise, with a wounded child in their hold.  "How is he?" she inquired and looked at him, still holding up.

Upon hearing Clarissa's inquiry, Aisha smirked.  "Yeah, we're adventurers...but you needn't worry, as we weren't originally looking for trouble.  I've been to town once before when something similar occured," she gestured back to the forest, and the crater.  "But, it seems rest and reminiscence comes too far and inbetween now," she laughed.

[Stygian]

Clarissa smiled at Aisha, but didn't answer her. She just walked along, close to the other wolf, and led them on until they came up to an inviting building with white-painted walls and black corners. She stepped in through the front door into the hall and then the waiting room, sitting down with them. They were almost alone, a nurse or assistant of some kind following an older male ferret to the door. She asked their business when he left, and then went back and out of sight around a corner.
   Then, after perhaps two or three minutes, a stern-faced yet friendly-looking man, a golden retriever or closely bred mongrel canine, stepped in and took a look at them.
   "Ah, you were here for an examination?" he asked. "No, wait..." He looked at the boy. "This one was hurt, wasn't he? Follow me, please..." he said, and then walked back down a corridor, opening a door for them.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Winger grumbled a bit as he dug. "Too many vistors, not enough work..." He put his spade in the gound and breathed. "this is going to take all day!"

He really was starting to consider just leaving the bodies in the crater.

[topher chee]

    As Topher was digging he heard a bit of commotion to his left.  Topher looked up to find Carran approaching the group with a cart beside him.  He turned to see where he had come from and saw a raging fire swallowing what seemed to have been a barn.  An idea just popped into his head.  "Why don't we just cremate the bodies?"  Noticing how curt he must have sounded, Topher looked helplessly at the other's.

[Cogidubnus]

Cogidubnus thought about the priest's statement. It largely lined up with the suspicions he had started having about him, ever since Clarissa had woken up...after the shades that had taken her and Sebastian's place...and this, now. "There are indeed many paths to tread, yes. Through shadows, to the edge of night..." He said, finally perhaps understanding a little about Sebastian. "But, boatman and river, behold - only until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all that shall fade, all shall fade..." He said, to nothing, for he did indeed feel that whatever it was had stopped listening. He turned his attention to more mundane matters.
Staring at the sun overhead, and at the bodies littering the yard he realized Winger was right...this might take all day. He looked at Toper and looked down to the ground. "One option, I suppose." He had suggested something similar earlier, after all. "Where did that mage go, anyway?" He said. Looking, he found him hauling a cart of yet more dead. Cog caught himself before he cursed. "Looks like yet more bodies, gentlemen."

[Snuggles]

Rei stood there looking at everyone... she was a little absentminded at the time. Snaping back into real life. "So do you want me to take him back into town now, later, or someother time?"

[Stygian]

Once inside the receiving room, the doctor wasted no time. He asked them to take off the boy's shirt, inspected the half-healed skin underneath the bandages, skin that hid a wound that was much smaller than it had been from the start but still seemed so grievous that it was a miracle it had healed up the way it had. The doctor, whose name was Gregory it was revealed, seemed familiar enough with such magical cases and just pulled on the skin a bit, pushed the boy's stomach to check for internal damage, and then made sure that he seemed otherwise regular.
   "His heart rate's still up. You're a bit scared, aren't you...?" he said, waiting for an answer.
   "Mikey," the boy said, shyly and fearfully. The doctor smiled.
   "Well, Mikey, I think you'll be just fine, if only you avoid stretching that wound too much for a couple of weeks. You seem perfectly fine otherwise too, which is always good to know." He sat down a bit, looking at the cat. "You go out and tell miss Allen that you can have some of these," he said, and pushed a paper slip into the boy's hand, "and then see if she can find you something good to eat." He ushered the boy out through the door to the waiting nurse, and then turned to the other three.
   "He really will be fine. He seems a strong boy," he said to them. "How about you then?" His eyes wandered between the panthress and the two wolves, but finally settled on Clarissa as she clearly seemed the most overwrought of them. "Step up and take off your shirt, please," he said, and went to look through a drawer. Clarissa blushed a bit, but did as she was told.
   The doctor, Gregory, checked her over quite thoroughly, but didn't seem to find much more than enough to mutter in that way that doctors always seem to do when making a checkup.
   "Heart's a bit slow... but it sounds strong..." he said. He looked into her eyes, and then used a candle to test her pupil dilation.
   "I... exercise..." Clarissa said, following the light with her gaze.
   "Aaa-haaa... tell me, have you taken some sort of medication or other drug the latest few hours?"
   "No. I don't take medication," she said, a bit quicker. She squinted a bit.
   "Well, I guess..." Gregory responded, then turned around and went through another drawer. "I'd take a bloodsample, but I don't think that will be neccessary, since you seem well enough. I'm just going to test one more thing..." He brought out a little glass pipette or tube with a little marble inside, and brought it to Clarissa's skin. "I'll just - gah!" He jumped when the little thing whirred and then exploded into a load of tiny glass shards. Clarissa cried out, and held her hand where her arm had started bleeding.
   "Sorry! Miss! Hold still!" Gregory exclaimed, getting some cotton wool and alcohol to tend the wound.
   "Ouch! What was that for?!" Clarissa whined, but let her arm be tended. Dr. Gregory muttered.
   "You've had some powerful dark magic or curse dealt to you, miss. I can't help you, other than give some ward or prescription. I suggest you see a Healer about this, or a minister." He patched the wound, and looked at Gareeku and Aisha.

   When they left the clinic, they had Mikey with them, who now had a great deal more sweet juice and cookies in his system than before, and practically clung to Aisha's tail. Clarissa looked a bit glum and afraid again.

[Gareeku]

Nodding his head at the doctor's words, Gareeku followed him to his room. Looking on as he examined the boy, who's named turned out to be "Mikey", the wolf gave him a reassuring smile as the boy walked past him with the note.

It was then, however, that a look of concern appeared on the wolf's face as the doctor explained to her about the powerful dark magic or curse that was dealt to her.
"It appears that our friend Sebastian wasn't all he seemed, if that is even his real name..." the wolf muttered.

Hearing the doctor's words, Gareeku nodded his head in acknowledgment and smiled.
"Thank you very much, Doctor. We appreciate all your help." the wolf said to the doctor with a grateful smile, before saying his goodbyes and leaving with the others.

As they walked, Gareeku noticed the boy holding on to Aisha's tail, a sad expression on his face as he observed him.
Poor kid...he's lost all his family... the wolf thought to himself sadly. It was then, however, that Gareeku noticed the mixture of sadness and slight fear on Clarissa's face.
"We will get you seen to. I will make sure of that." the wolf said to her, a gentle reassuring smile on his face. "Aisha and myself will be heading back to the inn, along with the boy. You are very welcome to join us if you wish."

[Aisha deCabre]

Following the others into the room, Aisha kept her eyes on the child, who had seemed to recover well since they first found him.  She was slightly surprised when he managed to even say his own name...but then again, the magic went a long way when it came to healing.

But when Clarissa was diagnosed, the panther watched with concern, her tail ring having flashed a little at the same exact moment that the doctor's instrument shattered.  Hearing Gareeku mutter about Sebastian, she thought hard...he was the only "priest" they knew, but he was shadow or voice right now if anything...the best Healer she knew was her mentor and guardian, Rynkura...but last Aisha had heard of her she was quite a few miles away on a trek of her own.  Who knew if they'd even run into her?

The panther thought all of this through as they left the doctor's office and were headed back towards the inn.  Aisha was carrying her blood-drenched cape, which she figured she could have washed somewhere later, and she had her bracer back as well.  Along the way, she smiled while Mikey hung onto her tail.  "Haha, you're feeling better, huh?  Careful, that doesn't come off."  Poor kid...I wonder what we're going to do with him.

"Yeah, you can join us," the panther smiled to Clarissa in agreement with Gareeku.  "That is unless you have had something better to do.  More than likely though, a skilled Healer in this town is a long way in coming."

[Stygian]

Clarissa looked at them both with a spark of happiness, and also content it seemed, at their invitation. She smiled a bit at them both.
   "I'd love to," she said. "I'm not going to work today, and I'm feeling like sitting down or having a nap after this anyway..." She smiled a bit more, and then joined them as they began to walk back.

[Gareeku]

"Good to hear." The wolf said with a warm smile upon hearing that Clarissa had accepted their invitation to the inn.
I wonder when the others will get back...I hope the burials are going ok... Gareeku thought to himself with some concern as they walked. A few minutes later, the inn came into view.

Opening the front door, holding it open and allowing the others to step inside, the wolf looked around and found that it was very quiet in the humble building.
"Would anybody like anything to drink?" Gareeku asked the others, removed a pouch containing money from the inside of his top.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha stretched as she walked in behind the others, allowing Mikey to walk in before her as well.  The day seemed to be starting off very quietly for the inn...any patrons who had been there the previous night probably had gone home a long time ago.

"I wouldn't mind a drink, thank you," the panther replied with a smile.  "Just don't keep reminding me that I owe you money for the last one too," she said jokingly and went up to take a seat at the bar, leaning her arms on it and her head down on the folded limbs while keeping the kid in the corner of her vision.

[Stygian]

"I... I think I'll just have a glass of milk. Could I get a sandwich with that?" Clarissa answered. "I'm feeling sort of empty." She walked up to the counter past a table strangely full of books and miscellaneous papers and trinkets, behind which one could see a reddish figure skritching on some drawing and chewing on a frugal lunch. The boy, Mikey, walked behind her and up, and peered over a large telescope at whoever it was curiously, but warily.

   Stygian caught a scent. There really wasn't much energy around in the air, but there was a tension. And a chill, also, he realized. However well hidden, the "taste" and "scent" of something like that could never escape his attention. And this one he knew. It was old in his memory, one he hadn't felt for some time and had almost forgotten, but he could still remember it clearly now that it was present.
   Instinctively, he checked himself and made an effort to hide himself. Even she should not have been able to detect him at all now, unless she would suddenly go casting some powerful spell. The only other sign he might let off would be the light, and the bar was a bit dark anyhow.

[Gareeku]

Walking up to the bar, Gareeku odered ales for him and Aisha, and glasses of milk for Clarissa and Mikey in case he wanted one. He also ordered sandwiches for all of them too. He wasn't sure about the others, but it had been quite a while since he had eaten.

"I'll hold you to that ale sometime." Gareeku replied to the panthress next to him with a playful grin, before paying the bartender the money. Out of the corner of his eye, the wolf could see Mikey looking at another table. It seemed the boy's curiosity was getting the better of him. However, the wolf was still concerned about the young feline's state of mind, and how the attack and deaths would affect him.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked up from her papers and saw a dark colored feline at the bar. Just whom she had been waiting for.

Aisha heard a slight sound and saw a female red squirrel standing beside her. Medium height, about thirtyish, hair that looked as if fingers were constantly run through it, but friendly and smiling. She wore a university professor's robe over a neat but mismatched outfit. "Miss deCabre?" the squirrel questioned. "My name is Melissa Madison, Professor Melissa Madison. I'd like to speak to you about the angel."

She smiled and seemed to warm up to her topic, her black eyes sparkling. "It's for my paper, "A Theory of the Coordination of Trajectory of Expelled Heavenly Bodies with Centers of Population and Conjunction of Constellations." It's really..." Then she let out a screech and dove for the table she had just left. She barely managed to catch the slowly teetering telescope before it hit the floor. Books and papers fluttered over her and to the floor. Mikey was standing in the middle of the chaos looking frightened.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Winger looked up from his work.  "Where the hell did every body go now?!"  He spun around and saw that many of the party members had left.  "To hell with this! Let the bodies rot where they lay. " He said spiking his shovel into the ground.  "We must be, by far the least organized group in the history of adventuring..."

[Cogidubnus]

Hearing Winger's words, Cogidubnus nodded darkly. "It would appear that gravedigger was an unpopular occupation among the group. No respect for the dead, anymore." He called after Winger. "They won't rot! Undead, remember?" His voice faded as he realized his words likely feel of deaf ears.
  He didn't believe much of them himself. He bit back yet another curse and threw his shovel to the group. "Da-....in the absence of the rest of out members, it would appear it is time for all good members to come to the aid of the party. Namely, to the aid myself, Carran, and Topher there. Very well then." He cracked his knuckles and inhaled deeply. He stood there for a long moment, rigid, and exhaled slowly. He allowed his fists to drop, and the air vibrated around him. His eyes once more took on that strange gleam. "We need a hole...I'll give you a damn hole." He said, one foot sweeping behind him, leaving a trail in the dirt. He did not scream, but merely thrust his hand downwards, angled towards the dirt in front of him. A loud crack was heard, and he almost stumbled forwards. He gasped, kept his footing, and raised his arm like he was hoisting a fish. The ground broke, and exploded outwards, small pellets of dirt and mud raining into the sky. This time, Cog did stumble foward, barely catching himself from falling in the newmade crater. He did not straighten for a long moment, letting the fall of dirt dust him and his companions brown before he managed to lurch back to his feet, albeit weakly. He hobbled back towards the shed where his jacket and hat lay. "Gentlemen, there is your hole." He gathered his belongings, leaning against the shed for some time, before stiffly walking back towards the path, towards town and the Inn. "And today, I can do no more for the dead."

[Azlan]

Carran looked to Winger and sighed, "the child needed tending to, so the popular kids... the self-appointed stars of this tale took off to take him to the doctor... all of them... for one child... leaving the unimportant supporting cast of players behind to do the grunt work.  They will not be making my Wintersday card list."

The fox looked to the remaining bodies and the hole dug by his fellow laborers with a dejected expression.  Seeing how most had left, he considered some options.  He considered using elemental magic to excavate a mass grave, but his spells in this area were not especially good for this.

Seeing that everyone was to the point where a fire or just leaving them to rot was a choice, the fox smiled, with the others gone he decided to take the easy way out of this situation.

Drawing a bit of the darkness from the unseelie aspect of his nature, he raised his hands in the air and chanted words in a black dark speech, "Gû kîbum kelkum-ishi, burzum-ishi. Akha - gûm-ishi ashi gurum."

A cold wind begins to blow and the fox waves his hand in a sweeping arc, encompassing where all the dead lay and in a quiet, harsh voice the fox simply said, "dig your own graves."

From where they were slain, the bodies rose upon their own power and each took up a spade.  Methodically each dug into the ground until a suitable hole was made, when completed each one laid respectfully down in their final resting place.  The darkness dissipated and the fox looked as if he had just tasted something foul.

From the cart, the only remaining unburied "dead" person groaned and feebly sat up from the cart, "I... I'm not quite dead... yet..." 

Carran swiveled, staff out, ready to face a revived daemon if necessary, "I asked you to be kind enough to be dead like your driver, sorceress.  Could you perhaps just pass on?  We really do not need anymore survivors."

Carran looked around to see if the others had noticed the female mage having revived somewhat.

Her injury did not appear to be as bad as the child's but she had been subjected to a few hours of environmental exposure.

[Snuggles]

Rei blinks back to where everyone should be but no one is here expect Winger and the others that stayed behind. "Well, i just... got... damn... where did everyone go?" She looks toward winger for her answer.

[Cheese Foxlee]

Jumped at the sound of the earth giving way below him, and then he marveled at the dead getting up to dig they're own graves.  The bird was startled to say the least. "You couldn't have done that any sooner?" He asked with a liittle chuckle Carran and Gog.  He was glad that the hard physical laber was over.  "Better late than never I suppose.  Thanks Boy-os, though you see to have missed one of the bodies" Winger said refering to the mage in the cart.

Tired from all the running, fighting, and all together pointles digging.  Winger collapsed in the dirt. "Don't ask me where everybody went, Rei.  People in our little band seem to come and go with the wind." He said shading  his face with one wing. "Wake me up when we're ready to get going again."

[topher chee]

   Topher exhaled as Cog worked his magic.  "Well now that that's taken care of...It seems we are the only a few of us left."
   Topher looked at the others.  They all seemed exhausted.  Where was the rest of the group?  That wasn't to smart of them, they could have gotten in some danger and we wouldn't have any form of communication except for that Pan guy.
    Topher shrugged and looked out towards the forest.  "Whatya say we all make camp in the outer edge of the forest and continue in the morning.  We've all had a rough day, I think it's safe to say we take a rest."

[Cogidubnus]

Cog paused from his walk and rested for a moment, hands on his hips. Topher was right, and he really was exhausted. He stood shakily and called back to him. "It can't be much past noon, sir. There's time yet for a soft bed and cool drink."

As he stood, he decided that it would be safer to wait for the others to come with him to the inn. He could have been knocked over by a strong breeze. A slightly disturbed badger could likely eat his ankles out from under him before he could retaliate. He lurched towards the others. He was going to find a place to sit when he saw Carran talking to one of the bodies. He thought it odd until the body responded to him. He sighed and sat on a stump. He hoped that she could walk.

[Stygian]

"I... I'm sorry!" Mikey exclaimed. "I just looked at the papers! I didn't touch it!" He looked almost ready to cry, big green eyes tearing a bit. Clarissa looked a bit at him and walked over, putting her hand on his shoulder and trying to calm him.
   "Shhh... It's okay... no one said you were..." She rubbed her temple a bit, and then turned with a bit of a weary look to Aisha and Gareeku.

[Joat]

“Hey Carran, quit taking over my job,” Sylva chuckles. She is, in truth, quite happy that the labor has ended. She probably couldn’t have cast such a spell with her low magical reserves, at any rate. “Well, at least I can do this part of my job.” She begins to chant a spell.

“Bed sounds good. I’m still aching from being thrown to the ground,” Pan says.

Sylva finishes casting Cure Moderate Wounds on the unknown mage woman and says to Pan, “Thrown to the ground? When?”

[Aisha deCabre]

While waiting for her drink, and deciding she was indeed hungry enough for a sandwich, Aisha glanced over curiously when she heard someone approaching.  The panther didn't give more than a sidelong glance at the squirrel, until she happened to say her name.  Then she turned her head fully with a surprised look.

A stranger who knows my name?  Heh, I guess the effort to not be famous can be a little hard to keep up with.

"Yes, that's me..." Aisha replied with a tilt of her head, only giving a slight smile when she heard what the angel question was for.  "Ah, of course, I might be able to tell you a few things...what do you need to know?"

But at that moment, the squirrel had ducked away to catch her falling telescope, and when the panther saw the cause of it, she only gave a light chuckle with a smile back to Clarissa and Mikey.  "Don't worry about it, niño, there was no harm done."  Then she looked questioningly back to Melissa, wondering just how much information she needed.