The quest board had a multitude of quests, ranging from collecting simple items to hunting massive beasts, but today a rather unusual quest appeared on the mission board. It appeared that a swamp, near the local wildlife preserve, had become polluted and infested with toxins. The mission was to investigate the cause of this and if possible put a stop to it. But three students signed up for the mission. After being briefed for their mission they grabbed their teleportation sigils and went to the outskirts of the preserve around noon. It was an average spring day, with flowers blossoming and the gentle wind blowing in the air, However the trees were unusually withered this time of the year, when they are usually lush and green. With their sigils exhausted for the next twenty-four hours they set out on their quest and headed into the forest. The three students' first objective was to head through the outskirts into the local imp village to find a guide through the swamp.
Walking through the forest, she looked at her map. It was a relatively ancient map, having charred edges and wrinkles everywhere. Their location was relatively close to the entrance of the wildlife preserve. She glanced at her map while walking forward.
Erestor peered at his wooded surroundings. Hailing from icy desert lands far to the West, he was very unfamiliar with this form of terrain, save for knowing it to be extremely flammable. Dusting off the brim of his robe, he gazed over to one of his companions and asked, "Are you sure you know our exact location on that old thing? It could be extremely outdated and I am not fond of the idea of being lost." He strolled closer towards her, hoping to take a glance at the map she held.
Wraither bends the foliage infront of him as he followed the path towards the village. He could hear the leaves rustle beneath his feet as he trekked onwards. "So have either of you ever met an imp? Are they a hostile people?" He asks as a harsh wind blew by blowing the hood off of his head. Something noxious was in the air, Wraither could feel it on his skin. There was a sickening smell coming from deeper in the woods."I'm sure it will be fine. the schools supplies cant be that outdated" Wraither remarked answering the question for her.
"It should be fine..." She said, re answering Erestor's question. "I've also never met an imp. I've read about them in books, but I don't know if they're even accurate." She sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out a canteen of water and drinking from it. She rolled up the map and handed it to Erestor and continued walking. From a distance, they saw the imp village and the rather run-down nature of the houses.
Erestor scanned the map and searched for their position on it as he followed behind the two. "I've never met one of the creatures you call "imp" before; let's hope they're a peaceful people." He looked up and saw the village they were headed towards. He too sensed the revolting smell and at first he assumed it came from the denizens of the village. The closer they came the more he realized that it came from another source. "How are we going to go about communicating our mission to these people?"
Wraither continued to walk up to the entrance of the village "The briefing said they speak basic. but did not mention how friendly they are." He replied having to crouch under the gate to enter the village. Seeing the imps on their daily routines confused Wraither How can they live such simple lives knowing the rest of the world has moved so far onwards Wraither though to himself as he saw the fisher-imps bring in their catch. The fish looked bloated and partially rotten it appeared that something had corroded through their scales."Lets head to the village elder." Wraither stated as he walked through the village.
She walked through the town looking to both her sides, noticing a lot of different things. She noticed how imps were all different colors, how their houses were really run-down, how there was actually a lack of wildlife, and a lack of greenery. The very few amount of plants that actually were there were withered and dead, and the walls to the houses looked corroded. Something is definitely wrong here... she thought to herself. She continued walking through town looking at the various things the imps were doing.
Heading toward what he assumed was the village elder's hut as it was the largest and it was located in the center of the village, Erestor tried to ignore the cold stares he received from the miniature creatures he passed. "They seem to be on edge at the moment. Probably from whatever's creating that pervasive smell," mused Erestor. "The hut just ahead must be the elder's home." He gazed around the shriveled flora and hoped that he could save any that remained alive from the fate of their unlucky brethren.
Wraither walked up to the large-ish hut, bent down, and knocked on what seemed to be the small door. He looked around and there appeared to be just children and elderly in this village. "I sense much death in the place. There are no adults here." Wraither jumped back forgetting about the door when the leader stepped out of the hut."Hi we were the students sent to help you with your problem." Wraither stated as he offered his hand to the chief.
The Village Chief, A fat, short, and wart covered imp walked out of his hut wrapped in the many furs of the most furious rabbits the tribe had ever encountered. He looked at the hand extended to him in disgust."Why do you disgrace me in such manner?!" The chief proclaimed "However since you are here to save the village from this abomination, I shall look past this insult." The Village Chief then walked back into his hut and screamed "Short-Round get over here, you must guide these people to the source." A small imp wearing only a loincloth walked out of the hut "I'm Short Round, N..nice to m..meet you." He said as he hid behind The Chief."Sh..shall we get going?" Short-Round asked while stuttering.
Glancing around the shack, she noticed a lack of furniture. Everything inside was made of wood, with no technological items. She kept looking around the room, but nothing seemed interesting enough to catch her attention. "Let's go. I'd prefer if we weren't stuck in the forest for a whole night, plus, it would be dangerous to travel at night. We don't know what kind of creatures could be out there. I'll be waiting outside, so when you're ready, come talk to me." After saying that, she pushed open the door leading outside and sat down near the entrance. While on the ground she checked the condition of her katanas, which looked fine at the moment. She also smelt a really bad odor in the air. Something's wrong... There's something about this smell that's causing me uneasiness, but I don't know what... she thought to herself. The uneasiness caused her wolf ears and tail to appear momentarily, but she managed to suppress it before anyone could notice.
Erestor had no clue where they should be going, other than that it was probably deep within the forest behind the village. "Lead the way, Short-Round. I'm sure you know your way around these woods. Your village elder seems to think so-"
"You call him Village Chief Tamthalak, doll!" Short-Round said. Erestor was taken aback by the imp's sudden brashness. "Of course. My apologies." Short-Round seemed to contemplate the apology for a moment before turning and trotting down a dirt road leading away from the elder's hut. He turned and looked back at the group of three and motioned for them to follow him.
"You call him Village Chief Tamthalak, doll!" Short-Round said. Erestor was taken aback by the imp's sudden brashness. "Of course. My apologies." Short-Round seemed to contemplate the apology for a moment before turning and trotting down a dirt road leading away from the elder's hut. He turned and looked back at the group of three and motioned for them to follow him.
Wraither followed little short round down the dirt path. "So what exactly is this abomination, Short-Round."He asked while following the imp. "Village Chief Tamthalak Tell Me All My Parents And All My Friends Parents Go Fight Big Smog Maker. They No Come Back I Miss Them But Village Chief Tamthalak Tell Me They Better Place Now." Short round stated almost yelling every word. Wraither saw the sudden change in scenery as they left the village and returned to the woods.
Looking at the clouds, waiting for the time to pass by, she noticed a while later Erestor, Wraither, and Short-Round exiting the hut. "Ready to go?" She asked as she sheathed her katanas. She stood up and brushed off the dirt from her skirt. She followed the group out of the village and into the so-called wildlife preserve. She noticed near the entrance that the scent that she smelled near the chief's hut got stronger as they walked closer to the preserve. She pinched her nose at the foul smell. I can't wait until we're done with this mission... This smell is so bad... she thought to herself while pinching her nose. Her enhanced nose made the smell much worse at this distance than it did for Erestor and Wraither, and she somewhat envied them at this moment.
Erestor nodded to Amano and the three were on their way. Short-Round moved surprisingly quick for one of his stature and led them on a long, winding path deeper into the forest. The stench emanating from within only got worse as they drew closer to whatever had created it. They eventually reached a fork in the path; both with their own sign indicating what lied ahead. The left sign indicated its respective path led to an exit out of the woods while the right sign had a skull carved on it. Short-Round pointed to the sign on the right and said, "This way we go." Erestor tightened his grip around his staff as they proceeded onward onto what he could only assume was a path covered in the bones of aspiring adventurers.
Wraither started on the right path hearing howls and cries of the local fauna. Walking down the path he always felt as if he was being watched. "So Erestor, what exactly do you specialize in? I mean i know your a mage, but do you have a niche? And you too Amano, we should probably plan to have some synergy if things turn for the worst." Wraither asked as he continued to walk down the path. The sword on Wraither's back began to glow. There must have been a massacre near here Wraither thought as he looked to the ground to the side of him him seeing what appeared to be the remains of some imps. "Quick Short-Round run ahead tell em if you see anything familiar." Wraither insisted as he pointed ahead I mustn't let him see the remains Wraither thought as he tried to get the imp past them.
Feeling thirsty again, she reached into her bag again, drinking from her canteen of water. She continued walking down the path with Wraither, Erestor and Short-Round until Wraither asked about her abilities. "I specialize in swordsmanship as you can tell. I also have a bit of light magic, so I'll be able to help on the supporting end too." She replied with a grin. "To be more precise though, I gain strength when the sun shines on this magatama," she answered, pointing to the magatama around her neck. "What about yours Wraither? It's only fair that you know about mine for us to know about yours."
Wraither unsheathed his blade. it was long, almost four feet in length and jagged on one end,it was incredibly sharp on the other edge of the blade however. It let off a feint blue hue and chilled the area around it. "This is my blade, Styx Regalia, it contains the souls of all those who have perished around it. I can project them into battle to aid my cause. My blade however causes whoever wields it to become more demonic the longer they hold it, granting them some rather Unique abilities." Wraither sheathed his blades as small nubs that were on his head disappeared. His skin which had started to darken to a reddish tint returned to normal. "Other that that I'm just an adept sword user. Here hold it, see what happens" Wraither stated as he continued moving on.
Erestor listened intently as the two described their respective strengths and specializations. When they had finished, he said "I am a mage, yes, but I do not meddle in most of the many branches of sorcery. I focus on only one: fire. For you to truly understand why, I must tell you a little about my home and its history. Where I come from, fire is the difference between life and death. While you might assume the deserts far to the West are dry and desolate from the scorching rays of Sun, this is not true for my desert. We call it a desert simply because it is barren, not because it is hot. On a good day, the cold would only freeze your toes off without the warmth of a fire. That's during the time the Sun is shining in the sky. When the Sun drops below the horizon, so too does the temperature. Without fire, the cold would kill you in mere minutes, if you're lucky. If you're not, the beasts that come out during the night would. For centuries my people have mastered the element of fire out of necessity. So to answer your original question, yes, I have a niche." Erestor noticed his companions staring at him with confusion and he added, "Who knows how much farther we have to go? I figured we might as well share stories along the way."
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