Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Land of Imbrium

Dadj crashed through the trees on the wild horse, she was making a mad dash to the only place she knew was safe: Her stable. The Ranger was subjected to low branches and hordes of flies and all the while the acid rain fell and singed his flesh. He tried to stay low against the horse but her sporadic stride made it difficult. Soon the town was in sight. Dadj had been moving faster than he thought.

The horse made a b-line for her stall, nearly braining the Ranger on the entrances. Dadj slid off the beast and removed his stuff. Now that she was back to where she belonged he thought it might be difficult to take her out again. His person was tattered and torn from the biting rain drops but he had to go back out to get to the Inn. He was almost impossible to tell the time of day what with the darkness and the rain beating them until they sought cover. The Ranger sighed as he stepped outside again. He had to walk through the rain and ruin more of his stuff.

He burst through the door of the inn and shook himself off. Where the water had touched his skin little smoking tendrils hovered as the cuts and burns sealed back up. He tried to hide this process as he made his way over to the inn keep.

One of the young women working with the innkeeper saw Dadj and immediately went to his assistance. She brought him a cloth and small basin of water to wash the burning marks on his body from the rain and she even went to fetch him food. The inkeeper looked upon Dadj with a defeated sigh. "I see the rain has caught you. What can I do for you then? Need a room to stay in?"

Last door on the left. There it was. If the bartender wasn't lying, then he would find the rain woman there. Her name, he had forgotten - and shame of shames, there he was, seeking her. But the shame of letting those people die under the tainted rain would be much greater. The pure must not leave the impure for dead. That would prove him just as petty as the ones he despised.

The figure in white knocked thrice on the door.

Sitta would hear a distressed voice from the other side of the door. "Leave!" She was in no mood for company. If he knocked again she would not even dignify it with an answer. The door was locked, though it was a simple door and would most likely stand little ground against the figure in white should he choose to use force.

Dadj had indicated he wanted a room with the curtest of nods. He also swatted the girl away from him. He didn't want anyone touching him at the moment. The woman was taken aback but she showed him up the stairs and to his room despite his being so room. She handed him a key and began to walk toward the door. Dadj dismissed her once she told him the room location. She swiftly excused herself downstairs to more polite customers.

He dropped his bags by the door and slid the key into the lock. It was then he noticed the white-clothed figure addressing the last door on the left. He recognized the man and watched the proceedings.

The elf's sharp hearing noticed the ranger's presence, but only when he turned his head to see who was coming he realized he recognized that person. To say he wasn't surprised would be a lie. Such a remarkable coincidence.

However, his attention was soon drawn towards the door again. He considered using force, yes; in fact, it was the first thing he considered. But he knew very well he wasn't nearly as strong or tough as he needed to be if he wanted to bust the door down. Speed, skill and sharp weapons stand little chance against doors. So it wasn't too long before he again directed his attention towards Dadj.

"The rain woman is here." He merely said.

Celestina frowned as she heard Sitta speak and call her the rain woman. Reluctantly, the door opened. She stood there, just the same, though now her eyes held black clouds in them. "What do you want with me? I'm busy." She had a terrible headache. Indeed, many people thought she was the cause of the rain, but that certainly wasn't true. She was trying to find a way to stop it.

So far though, nothing had worked. Her eyes noticed Dadj. A coincidence indeed. "What are you two doing here?"

Dadj lifted his head to look at the elf fully. He did not have time to respond as Celestina opened the door and gingerly peeked out. The Ranger was subdued after his reluctant return to this town and he did not feel like shooting off a fiery response. He was actually not expecting a warm welcome or in fact any words from the elf. However, he didn’t dwell on it long as Celestina was now speaking to them.

Dadj gave up trying to unlock his door and instead brandished his key and remarked, “We are to be neighbors.”

The Ranger's remark earned him a glance from Sitta, who had been looking at Celestina as she spoke. There he was, fighting for their lives and well-being, and one was 'busy' while the other struggled to unlock a door. To say that that fact did not annoy Sitta would be a lie.

"Neighbors? Perhaps in the afterlife, if this strange rain does not stop." The elf's eyes returned to Celestina, his facial expression as dull and uninterested as ever. "And I believe you know something about this. Am I wrong, rain woman?"

Celestina looked at Dadj as he claimed to being her neighbor. "I see." She just gave a little nod, but her attention was taken to Sitta. She frowned slightly. "I do know something about this. But, contrary to your probable belief, I did not make this happen." She sighed and rubbed her forehead with two fingers.
"The creature, the odd bird that attacked. It is very similar to this rain, and comes from the same person. However I do not know why he would go to such lengths, or what his goal is. I only have a guess as to where he might even be. I've been trying to stop it, but all it does is drain me of energy. Any rain I make to cleanse the black poison only gets swallowed up and contaminated."

Dadj had only been half listening. He tuned out when the elf started to speak again. He had his door open now and he shuffled his things inside the door. As Celestina was speaking he was out of sight riffling through the room presumably making himself at home. He returned to the door as Celestina was finishing her explanation; sans a shirt and chewing on a strip of dried meat. The amount of scar tissue present on his chest made his lack of caring evident.

He leaned his hip against the frame of the door and watched Celestina. He swallowed the food in his mouth and frowned. With this kind of rain happening he could never leave this town and that frustrated him. “So…We have to find the dolt who thinks it’s a good idea to burn out his surroundings and beat that idea out of him.”

He inspected the meat in his hand and then his eyes slid to Celestina to take in her reaction. “I’m assuming you know how we can find the one who is doing this?”

Celestina listened to Dadj and nodded. "Well...yes, in essence." She sighed at his question and rubbed her cheek. "Er...Sort of. I'm sorry. I don't know specifically. I don't know for sure if he's there, but he might be."

She thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't know if it's worth it to go all that way and find he is not there. But there is no way to know if he is truly there or not."

Sitta knew very well it wasn't Celestina who was causing the strange rain. Why would she? Part of a race who values their lives more than any ideal - such was the understanding he had of humans - she would never do something that would put her own life in peril, no matter the reason.

"If he is not, we will all perish. Rain woman, I expect you to lead the way. Be swift. We will seek and slay the one who is causing this."

Dadj, who had no information on the location of that person, did not deserve his attention any more.

Celestina frowned at Sitta. "Thank you," she said coldly, "For those words of wisdom. I am well aware of what my failure may lead to. It is impossible to travel through the rain. We are stuck here and have no way of transportation to him. Unless one of you can carry a solid sheet of rock over your head to offer temporary shelter while we walk, none of us are going anywhere."

She sighed in despair. She could think of no way to get to the castle. It was raining always this black, burning rain. They were stuck. However, her attitude had already changed greatly from the scared being she used to be. She was more bold and open now. Usually.

Dadj watched in silence as he finished his meal and the two conversed. He could feel that he was being snubbed by the snooty one and Celestina was wallowing back into her own despair about their transportation. He alone could probably do it, but he would show up naked and smoking with burns. He could not get his horse to do what he asked in this rain, no matter the amount of his skill in animal handling. The beast was too hurt and too frightened by the onslaught. He frowned in annoyance.

"Would a carriage..." he trailed off. He was not looking at either of them, but rather staring at an uneven floor board. He cut his thought short as he realized something was going to have to pull the carriage. His honey ears looked up and caught Celestina's. He was at a loss.

At first, he felt like scolding Celestina for he lack of will to sacrifice herself for a greater good. Then he realize that departing under that rain would not be a sacrifice, it would be mindless suicide. So he said to her the kindest thing he had said to a human in a long time.

"Understandable."

So, they were pretty much doomed. And Sitta's initial plan of flying above the clouds and seek the source of the darkness had many flaws, being one of them the possibility of him melting completely before he reached such heights. He'd have to think of another way. Much like Dadj, he was at a loss. He did not look like he was at a loss, but he most certainly was.

"To stay and die slowly, or to go and die quickly. Is there not a third option?" He asked himself, aloud.

Celestina listened to both as they tried to come up with a plan. She rubbed her head and looked at them both. "I would prefer the option that allowed me to keep my life." She watched them both for a moment and then ventured a few words. "What other modes of transportation are there? Do either of you have any...ways of moving, that might be helpful?" Anything speedy would be best. But she doubted that would work well.

"Do either of you have magic? I only have a few limited spells, none of which are any help." He thought back to the plethora of people he knew throughout his many years. What he wouldn't give to have some of them back here today. "Anything like a shielding spell?"

Sitta was quick to reply. "I am no magician." In fact, there were probably few people less magically inclined than him. His people trusted in segregation and overspecialization - a fencer would never learn anything about magic, same as a clothier would never learn anything about smithing. Each would invest all their skill and effort in one activity, perfecting it at the cost of everything else.

"I see no other solution to this problem. Give me the directions to whoever is causing this, rain woman, and I will handle the issue."

While he did not abhor the fact that the snooty elf would probably die in this rain, Dadj was annoyed that the man thought he was capable of doing the job by himself. He also did not like leaving his fate to this man who was clearly only concerned with himself. He wanted to get out of this town. He though of the few spells he knew and a bramble of thorns or a animal companion were not going to be any help.

"You may got out there and burn to death, but I still say we push for a mage. We should go downstairs and ask around."