OOC: *blinks* oh my

As soon as Leon stood up and spoke small hut began to smell noticeably different. The old woman slapped her knees and laughed even after he fell back to the ground. "Rise up man with the breath of a rotting corpse rise up" she cackled she poked his shoulder with the the toe of her animal skin shoes tauntingly.

Violet looked at the woman, she seemed way to wild even for her. She twirled her hair with her finger while responding to Leon, she brought the flower that Lex had given her and raised it in front of her face so it was under her nose. "Well it was kind of hard lifting you to her house but it's alright now" she looked towards the front door of the little hut, "I suppose we should go help Lex or would you prefer that we stay here until you regain your strength"

Lex spied the old hut, smoke billowing from in between the cracks and folds of the old oaken walls. He hastily ran up to the door and stared at it for a moment. After this brief interlude, he commenced to rap upon the panels in a code of sorts. One tap, three shifts, a loud bang, a smack, and repeat. He did this twice in quick succession and climbed onto the low hanging roof. It was unsteady and weak, but it was able to hold him as he awaited the entrance's disclosure.

The crazy old woman stopped laughing immediately when the knocking shook the little hut. She took some of the boiling concoction from her cauldron and put it into a crudely constructed wooden bucket, with a smile she opened the door to the hut quickly and threw the boiling water out in front of her. She cackled wildly, Violet watched her with wide eyes though gladly breathed the fresh air the outside brought into the hut, her cackling soon stopped when she noticed that no one was screaming in pain. She opened her eyes and stepped out of her hut "Who goes there?!" she called out loudly.

"I knew someone would try to maim me if I just happened waltz in." Lex hopped down from the roof and bowed to the woman. He took her hand and kissed it. "My dear, I'm looking for some companions. It's seems they may have deserted me, however I seriously doubt they could have gotten too far. There was a man in excruciating pain and a woman dragging him along. The lady has elegant, deep amber hair and the most beautiful sapphire and emerald eyes. Her voice is that of an angel as she prances around in a violet scarf and azure tunic. Have you seen such a beauty? I assure you, I am no stalker." He smiled and stared into the old bag's eyes, the strongest sincerity emanating from the gaze.

The man was handsome but she knew his type, they were quick thinkers, and usually merciless murderers. She didn't trust him one bit, well in all honesty she trusted no one, she shrugged. "You mean rancid breath and lallygagger?" stated the old woman "They're inside the hut" She stepped aside from the entrance to her house, the bucket clacking against her hip as she moved and showed the man into her small hut. "Welcome to my humble abode, be wary though, you may find it hard to breath when corpse breath over there speaks again" she nodded towards Leon.

Violet's eyes widened at the sight of Lex, she was happy that he was alive though she didn't want to enquire how he managed to escape, she suspected death but she didn't let it dampen her mood. "Lex! It's great to see you" she said cheerily "Leon drank some sort of potion made by her" The old woman began to laugh and slap her knees again at the memory. "Now he's ok."

Tara brushed herself off, before staggering up to her feet. Shaking her hips side to side as if testing her body for ailments. Another brush with death leaning in her favor...Her gaze wandered a bit as she re-adjusted herself, spotting Tekun in his scuffle. "Ah s***.." She muttered to herself as she paced on over, getting there just as it was broken up and Tekun was restrained. a hand on her hip before sighing. "Always fighting arent you.. " She remarked in a scolding manner. Just then she caught a glint of shining metal at the corner of her eye. turning towards the source she found that amongst the rubble lied a thick book with a silver lining; which shined off the glow of the moon. "Hm?" She mumbled curiously as she knelt down near it, pulling it from the ruins and patting across its front. Reading over its cover, her eyes widening as she discovered the books use..Again it would seem fate favored her this day.

Lex's nose wrinkled as he entered. The rotting stench consumed the atmosphere, causing him to stagger a bit. He spied the man and woman together and exclaimed in a happy tone "Milady, you're alright!" He grinned as well as he could with the smell all around him. "Ahem... I'm glad you were able to help my cadaverous partner. Time and time again, you prove to be of great use to us. You see, Leon? You have to learn to trust me." Leon's mouth opened as a greenish plume escaped from between his teeth. "Lovely... I trust you'll be safe in here, for the time being. Milady, would you kindly accompany me outside for some fresh air? I feel that if I stay inside any longer, I may catch my death... literally." He grumbled as he poked a tiny skull adorning the wall opposite him. "And it seems as though this gaseous substance may be staining my garb.. this is wyvern skin, you know." He rubbed his chestplate, a very thin filmy gunk leaving with his hand. "Wha- is this a solid, or what?! Come on!" He grabbed Violet's hand lightly and dragged her from the cabin.

Lex began to crawl after them.

"Don't you leave me alone with her!" Leon said catching up rather quickly, then he noticed the blood on Lex and came to the conclusion that perhaps he was more intent on killing then he was. It was clear to him he had killed Barbas. He was becoming more concerned for his well being and for the first time, someone elses.

(FAST FORWARDING A LITTLE BIT)

The group was on their way out of the village now and well on their way towards another building. From the looks of things, an inn, a well used and popular resting spot. Tekun walked with Tara and Tania's steed, on her back rested a unconscience Nechis and a fairly weakened Rana. In Tekun's hand, he held what remained of Tania's ponytail. Tara had told Tekun of what the book was and wondered silently to himself it was truly possible, despite the ancient tales he had heard of. Eton walked next to Serene as Blackking trailed behind them slighty, the two walked together silently. Zesper walked more towards the front of the group, making sure to keep his distance from Tekun, who occassionally kept his eye on Zesper.

OOC: eww Tekun kept the hair?! lol

Violet let herself be dragged away from the stench while the old woman cackled loudly in the background. Once Leon climbed out of the hut asking not to be left behind, she was pretty sure the violet she kept in her had probably wilted and died. "Are you sure there's nothing we can use to freshen his breath?" she called to the woman. The old woman walked towards the door with a broom and pushed out Leon with it. While cackling all the while, she shut the door in their faces, her laughing continued to echo from inside the hut leaving them outside alone. She noticed that the sun had begun to shoot its rays from over the mountain, and the sky had grown very light while they were inside the hut. "Hmm where to next?" she asked no one in particular.

----
Windy walked alongside Tekun protectively, with her head low. She was still troubled by the loss of her mistress but her new master would be the boy, she nodded to herself approvingly thinking that her mistress would be pleased. She noticed the inn and realized that everyone would probably be tired but she knew she had no means of telling them directly that the inn would be a good place to rest.

----

Anna sat underneath a tree with a book in her hand that belonged to the inn's library. Her nose twitched with a sudden stench of sweat and blood, she looked up and over the hill she saw a large party of people that looked like they had run a marathon through hell. She stood up immediately, and alerted the kindly innkeeper. The innkeeper ran out of the building with a bowl of steaming water and ran to the side of the road with Anna alongside him. "You people look like you need help, come in!" he offered.

As the group trudged on, Zesper had noticed that he had slowly made his way from the back of the group to the front. Realizing this, Zesper immediately slowed his steps so that everyone passed him and he was at the back. "That's more like it... I just can't stand people behind by back..." He thought to himself as he pulled the neck of his cape more tightly around his face.

OOC: And by the way; happy 100th page, DH.

"Where to, indeed... well, Leon here was so intent on controlling the adventure, before so why not ask him? Sir, may you be so kind as to guide us in the direction of the next checkpoint?" Lex jokingly scratched his head and ran in circles. "I can't seem to find my way... perhaps Leon could help! Oh, darling!" He bounded to the recovering man and put his arm around him. He then commenced to marching in place while whistling "Danny Boy" loudly.

Rana rested on Windy's back, his eyes shut and his body limp. He was entirely lucid, but he wasn't sure moving was a good idea. Instead, he observed the group around him. There was anger in everyone, or at least a level of unrest. Everyone but the insane one, that is, who was following the group from a distance. His mind was so twisted and knotty Rana could still not recognize him as a human without his eyes.
Rana turned his attention to the book Tara was holding. The magic surrounding it was strange; it was almost alive, like a heartbeat, but it never pulsed. When he reached out and touched it with his soul, he felt nothing; but when he pushed it was like a wall that forced him away. The same medium between realities that he felt in many mages or druids or priests. Each sector of magic reached to a different place. Priests, to burning light, which Rana knew nothing about. Mages, who created and destroyed with nature. Then himself, and the druids and shamans, who could reach into the void and bring cold, sizzling shadows back. The tome, however, was each all three magics. Many people believed that magic was the creation or manipulation of the world they lived in, but this was wrong. Magic was simply tearing open existence and letting what was on the other side do its work. And the tome in Tara's hand was similar to every magic...
Rana shut himself away to meditate, rather than repeat mindless, useless words to himself and speculate towards the meanings of things he would soo learn anyways.


Gabriel crouched low to the ground, watching. He would wait until they fell asleep, then sneak up. He didn't know what he would do after this, of course, but he didn't care either. Every so often he would look over his shoulder and nod at Lucifer, who would not back and promptly stop existing as soon as Gabriel set his sights back on the great big bird that reminded him of a horse.

Windy trotted towards the shade of the inn, tired from walking such a long distance without any recuperating time after their battle with the dragons and her loss of Tania. She snorted, the body on her back was the reason Tania was no longer with her. She folded her legs underneath her and lay herself on the ground.

----

Anna was stunned by the two majestic pegasi, each with their completely opposite coats, she had never met a pegasus knight before, she couldn't wait to meet these people. Her mind clicked and she was returned to the reality of the situation, these people were in dire need of help. She walked over to the man who was slung over the white pegasus's back, she looked over to the others with a questioning and worried expression, she would have poked him as well to check if he was alive, she asked shyly "Is this man....alive?"

-----

Violet watched Lex dance Leon around the area in front of the old woman's hut. She could imagine the crazy old woman laughing from within, she grinned to herself remembering the crazy old woman laughing and slapping her knee. She would write a song about it one day she thought to herself. "So" she said melodically "We show go set up a camp for Leon to rest in" she said, her eyes glanced at the wet stain left in the ground by the boiling water from the old woman "One preferably away from her hut" she added while twirling a strand of her hair.

The Day Ends

Tekun stood awake most of the night, waiting for a chance to strike, however, none were available, morning drew upon the group. Fatigue over came him as he cursed to himself, falling alseep against the wall outside the room he was in, his sword sheathed and clutched tight around his hand. Eton awoke in his room with a yawn tired as anyone would be after what had happened. He rubbed the back of his head, he was glad he didn't have to keep watch this time.

Julius awoke, a ray of light shining on his face. He got up slowly, they made it through the night, he looked around and noticed that Charisma wasn't around. Odd, but he thought nothing of it yet.


Leon awoke to the sound of foot steps nearby, he jumped up, immedietly, though still aching from the day before. Nearby was an angry Minotaur with an axe, looking around. It snorted. It was looking for someone. He looked to Violet and Lex, Lex was already getting up, and Violet was still asleep. He rushed over to Violet.

"We need to go. Now." he mumbled to her tugging on her arm. "Minotaur is nearby. Looks angry."

Violet was dreaming peacefully about music and dancing in a world of songs with glowing people who also had instruments. She was yanked out of the world by Leon's voice, warning her of the minotaur. She whispered to Lex and Leon "What do we do?" she asked making sure to keep her voice quiet, she was again cursing herself for not knowing any lullaby spells that would help them in their predicament.