Grayell wasn't trusting the elder. Old sure, but he had something to do with what haunted this town. Grayell was raised a superstitious man, but that hint of paranoia had saved him from being the victim of many a myth in his day. He knew not if there gods, but he knew full well of the monsters that roamed the wilds. A frightful, nightmarish brood but mortal all the same.
His senses fired and were on overtime as he leaned in to listen to the elder - slowly. He was hard wired for caution and this was one of those moments.
The old latched unto the collar of Grayell and tried to pull him in close to whisper into his ear only.
His voice was raspy, weak, but he did his best to make sure his words were heard, "Y.o..u..must..find him..you..can find..him.. HE..wants..you..to..find..him..."
He turned the other way and coughed up a little, then painfully turned his head back to Grayell, "When...you..see..him, you must..speak..his..name....don't..give..it.....a..way."
The elder then leaned as close as he can and spoke the name into Grayell's ear, almost inaudibly, before collapsing back into his bed.
His breathing became shallow, Dean saw this and rushed back inside the room to apply a little healing magic.
"I fear he does not have long to live..." Dean was applying healing as best as he could, doing what he could with his magic and going through his medicines at the same time.
Serenity walked after Grayell, "What is wrong? What did he say?"
Not much, but apparently the beast we seek isn't hiding from us. Time we track him down.
Grayell turned to face the elder and doctor as he had just exited the door.
Go with the spirits old man.
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Alec looks at the withered form laying on the bed, takes his oroborous pendant in one hand, and raises it to his lips. He murmurs a short prayer, then turns to Grayell. "This spirit......it's looking for us? Us....in particular? Or outsiders?" Alec rubs a gloved knuckle across his forehead. "I.....I don't much like the sound of that."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Gwiyn was just standing in the middle of the hall, hand covering her mouth as she looked through the door way,
"I can try and get you what you need. We don't have a lot of anything left in our village, but we want you all to succeed."
The doctor left the room, "Gwiyn you should see to your grandfather,"
She did and left the group, Dean stayed behind.
"I can offer some of my medical supplies, it won't be much as I used what was left for the villagers here, but they may serve you well."
He looked back through the doorway for a moment, seeing Gwiyn with the elder, then back at Grayell.
"There is something else...about the woods I mean. There are ruins of an old temple deep within, a place long taken by the forest but most of it still stands...or so I'm told. I didn't mention it before simply because no one has ever left this village on a journey or could even make it as they always seem to be turned back from the deeper forest."
"Why would you think it important to mention it now?" asked Serenity.
"Because its the only reason left. Again it seemed wrong to assume it would be the case as the temple is hidden very well. The only reason anyone knows about it is because the Elder spoke of it once or twice before and has since been a bit of a legend. But if there is something there, something that could of caused this, disturbed by someone, it would probably be there."
Dean began to walk past them and turned before walking down the steps,
"I will fetch some of my goods for you. I wouldn't be so concerned about the temple, as there are other far worse things in those trees. But if you can find an answer to all this, I'm sure the people here would greatly appreciate it."
With that he left to his office, to obtain some basic medical things.
The temple it is. We'd be smarter to figure out what turned the beast than to simply kill it. If we cannot fix the cause then killing the guardian would do us little good in the long run.
We may also find the means to weaken it, make it vulnerable. Agreed?
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"I find no reason to not go," Alec says. "There might something there - carvings, scrolls, anything." His eyes seem to lighten just a bit. "This spirit - god, whatever you wish to call it.....intrigues me."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Serenity brightened up a little, "Its settled then, let's meet the doctor outside."
The group left the building and immediately could see Dean rushing back with a bag of things,
"Right," he huffed, "Here are..bandages, a little alcohol for disinfection, a little alcohol," he took out a long necked bottle, "In..case you need it, and a special mixture here, to apply to any wounds to go with the bandages."
Dean handed over the bag to Serenity, "Oh, thank you doctor."
"You're very welcome young lady, though I pray you won't need them at all, and that they will be enough. There should be enough there to work with for minor injuries at least. Though should anyone here get seriously hurt, gods forbid, they may need the whole bag."
Dean stepped away from them for a moment and looked to the forest, "You see there, that space in the trees? Its a little road the people here made, though it won't go far. The forest will over take the road again soon enough after traveling along it, yet the elder never gets lost."
He looked back at the group, "Will there be anything else you need?"
Grayell looks at the supplies and then shakes his head. His eyes search the trees, ears pricked to listen for anything that should slip through the wind. This place seemed peaceful and to another it might not garner any concern... but there was a subtle difference that Grayell knew well.
It wasn't peace that the silence bloomed from. No, it was instead a malice, no longer dormant in the undergrowth; scowling like a tethered wolf. A malice that whipped through the trees with the wind and found no birds at roost.
He didn't like it. All the same, he headed for the path ahead, eyes locked on the treeline.
That will be all, thank you.
That voice was not pleasant. It was instead resolute and prepared for what he felt in his gut was going to be one hell of a mess.
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"I've not known you long, Grayell," Alec begins, in a nearly placating tone. "But that tone.....you seem tense. Worried - perhaps - about something." Placing a hand to his chest, Alec sighs. "I've felt the same about this entire escapade." He chuckles, affecting himself to be ingratiating. "I really only took the job as my tab at the tavern was growing quite monstrous, you see." His face falls a moment. "Perhaps a poor choice of words, given the predicament. But, I digress. What is it that worries you?"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Grayell continues walking and doesn't look back as he responds. His shoulders are low as he enters the trail, his hands loose, ready at his sides. He walks without slowing down but makes little noise and his voice follows suit, quietening to what is almost a murmur.
Ever seen a corrupted animal?
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Following Grayell's lead - both into the forest and in lowering his voice - Alec nods. Then, seeing the man isn't looking back, says "Once, where I'm from. It was a mere squirrel, but the transformations were.....well, drastic, to say the very least." He shrugs, then, and continues "I've seen countless drawings, as well, but when I saw the real thing......not a comparison at all."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Serenity smiled, "Don't worry yourself Alec, Grayell is stronger than a werewolf..."
That whole ordeal that happened the other night still tugged at her a bit, but she had mostly accepted the circumstances and refused to allow it to cloud her judgement for a future encounter, or so she hoped. Being a little more open about it helped her cope. Though Alec may not know the hidden meaning, Grayell, of course would.
"Of course you must be a capable man yourself, Alec? You wouldn't join this expedition otherwise?"
The group continued through the trees and on the path. The forest was indeed a quiet place, noise making insects didn't seem to be present. The air became a little hollow, or dense. Serenity's sense began to muddle a little as she continued, and the effect would be about the same for Alec.
Grayell on the other hand, something else would start clawing at his attention as they traveled down the small road. A sort of noise, a call even, was ringing quietly in his ears. It wasn't painful nor did it seem to want to curse him, it just was little hollow voice with meaningless words.
The road ended soon just like Dean had said, and a few trees were going to get in the way. Tree stumps, however, were present behind the ones that were now blocking their path, as if the road had continued on farther before.
"I didn't think it would be this soon, and I feel a little light headed."
Serenity moved her right hand in a rotating motion, trying to feel for the wind, "I can't seem to summon the wind that strongly here either...what is this place?"
Last Edit: Aug 12, 2011 19:17:48 GMT -5 by Serenity