As they began walking, Fable lost themself in thought. They were only roused, when they heard their name spoken. Their head snapped towards the noise, honing in on Akello. Staying silent, they waited to hear what he had to say, before replying. They supposed he had a point. โAright, I will admit that I agree somewhat. Not all stories have their truth, but yes, some do. You just have to find the truth from the lies. Unfortunately, that can be easier said than done. I have rarely had an issue, though. The truth is like string. Sometimes, you must detangle it from the lies.โ Fable occasionally had their moments of philosophical sprach, and this was one of those times. Unfortunately, they rarely even realized what they were saying had any weight. When Sithral spoke up, Fable nodded. They knew not to believe everything, of course. It would be unwise if they did.
@Tina.G - Sithral
@LunaticLeviTheSecond - Akello
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Kirara stood in the open spot, the light of the campfire flickering in the distance. She began her training, each movement deliberate and focused. But as she moved, she couldnโt shake the feeling of being watched, of something lurking just beyond the edge of her vision. Kiraraโs senses tingled with awareness as she moved through the darkened forest, a primal instinct warning her of a powerful presence lurking in the shadows. The air crackled with magic, an overwhelming aura that seemed to permeate the very fabric of the night. Yet, despite the raw potency of this unseen force, there was no hint of hostility in its midst. It was a paradox, a delicate balance between strength and restraint. Whatever dwelled in the depths of the forest possessed the power to vanquish her with a single gesture, yet it chose instead to remain hidden, observing from the safety of the shadows.
Suddenly, the forest around her seemed to spring to life, vines and roots twisting and turning in response to her movements. They surged forward, wrapping around her with surprising strength, tossing her across the clearing like a ragdoll. Yet, each time she was thrown, she landed in a soft bed of moss and leaves, cushioning her fall and preventing any harm.
With each attack, Kiraraโs senses sharpened, her instincts guiding her movements as she dodged, parried, and countered the onslaught of vegetation. But just as she thought she had gained the upper hand, a branch lashed out, knocking her onto her stomach with a force that stole her breath.
As she struggled to regain her footing, she felt the vines wrap around her once more, but this time, there was a difference. A gentle warmth spread through her body, easing the ache of her fall and soothing the pain of the branchโs impact. It was as if the forest itself was healing her wounds, restoring her strength with each passing moment.
This continued on for a while.
@OhSumana
(Itโs up to you/Kirara how she will respond. Use the information given to see if she wants to attack, flee or investigate, provoke, etc. The intentions and the information is given that should help you make the choice)
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Akello knew this feeling too well. Although these two recruits followed him, neither of them believed him, and Akello knew, from experence, that in this case continuing to talk isnโt the way to go. It doesnโt matter what heโs seen, witnessed or felt, both of them are like the rest of the people in his town โฆ Quick to think whatever he says isnโt true unless itโs also witnessed, seen or felt by somebody else to confirm his words. Although whatever he said he witnessed was never disproven or proven to be a lie, everybody still took each thing he said with a grain of salt ever since he came home with a wounded eye. He didnโt feel half as maimed when coming back as he felt when the way others viewed him when he came back with an eye patch.
When Siltral and Fable kept saying they didnโt believe him, despite him saying heโs seen and witnessed it, he felt no emotion, because hope to be heard died in him a little, when he realized even people who have never met him do not trust him. He took a deep breath and allowed for his eyes to tear up, although no tears went down. Since he was in front of them, he could do this withouth them seeing, and in truth all Fable and Siltral would be able to see is the back of his head.
For the remainder of the trip he remained silent, decided on keeping it that way even if the recruits pose questions for fear of being doubted when telling the truth again cosnidering how he hates the feeling of exasperation and heโs tired of being treated only with incredulity. At one point Akello stopped in his tracks and turned to the recruits.
โBeyond this point we no longer take the road, this is where we โderailโ.โ He turned towards and empty field full with overgrown weeds and he said. โTread carefully, Aardal is like a deer, easily startled and will flee if he knows somebody is there. I know which areas heโs already been in, and Iโve never seen him in the same spot twice, which means the longer we wait the more narrow our options of where he could be are, which means weโll find him easier. Just donโt let him use his necklace on you, Iโve seen him swinging it around and chanting something and the next day the dark magic influence could be felt stronger than before, so I would be wary of that.โ He said before slowly and carefully entering the overgrown weeds, waiting for them to join him.
ORP: Finally! Youโre gonna meet my character!!!
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โBeyond this point we no longer take the road, this is where we โderailโ.โ Siltral suppressed an eye roll as long as anyones head was remotely looking his direction. *โTread carefully, Aardal is like a deer, easily startled and will flee if he knows somebody is there. I know which areas heโs already been in, andโ blah blah blah bla-blah a more maddening voice whispered. Sing-songed. It sincerely made Siltral tired. Need any help, bud? It asked.
Siltral froze in place, temporarily stunned by the voice. He cleared his throat. โSo carefully and quietly so we donโt scare him? Like a deer, watch your step?โ He said it more of a checklists to himself, but also hearing his own voiceโreal voices helped him. He was ready to march into a forest filled a an evil fairytales than face his own problems. โLead the way, Iโll be silent.โ He affirmed. Then turned to Fable. โAre you readyโฆ partner?โ he asked, more of a โtake thatโ moment to his lover.
@Ouijaloveletters - Fable 
@LunaticLeviTheSecond - Akello 
sorry the post was mid guys 
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Told they were going to have to go off the beaten path, Fable shrugged, quietly stepping into the long grass. They were used to being quiet, so it would be no issue. Tread like a deer. Yeah, Fable was way ahead of him. They already figured that they had to be quiet. It really seemed like a no brainer. They walked in silence for a while, until Sithral started muttering. Fable raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent. It was none of their business. It was weird, though. Still, they had to be quiet, so Fable gently poked him, raising a finger to their lips.
@Tina.G - Sithral
@LunaticLeviTheSecond - Akello
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Akello got on his knees and sunk low into the big grass. While he walked, or rather, crawled in the field it looked more like a small animal approaching and not a human walking, which he wanted in order to get closer to Aardal. Thankfully, Akello has been following Aardal for a while and knew there are only few places in the enitre place where he could be at the moment. He didnโt want to disclose any decision or anything to the recruits because at this point he feared speaking to anybody, he just silently waited to be able to show rather than tell and overexplain.
He kept silent the whole time while making his way through the grass, only looking back to see if the recruits are following them. Them being silent and knowing from before that any questions they pose might not get answered or acknowledged meant they could sneak up on Aardal.
Akello visited most of the places he knew where to find his evidence, and they were already in the field for half an hour at the least. Finally, there was a sound heard that didnโt come from any of them.
A clackering sound. Scribbling on paper, footsteps and then a clackering sound again. Akello knew the recruits wanted to say something about the sound so before they had a chance to utter anything, he swiftly turned around and put his finger on his mouth to indicate silence.
Turning back around he decided to finally confront Aardal, which he could not do before because despite black magic being not so powerful against light magic, Akello would still be weaker in said match becuase he posses no magical abillity. Now, however, Akello had not one, but two recruits who are able to do magic who can easily outdo any dark magic Aardal has plaqued the place with. Knowing his position from hearing the osunds he made, Akello jumped towards the origin of the noise, startling everybody, even the birds that were around who shot up in the sky and continued flying indefinetly.
โAAARGH!โ Akello shouted in surprise. Maybe becuase he was surprised he is going to be able to prove something for once, but maybe becuase he himself has started believing people when they said heโs gone mad and talking nonsense and seeing things nobody else has seen.
โAAARGH!โ Exclaimed Aardal in both surprise and fear. He was surprised by Akelloโs sudden jump, and he recognized Akello from the stories, but he was afraid that he was caught doing something hard to explain and that this would be the begining of his demise. Aardal wasnโt able to get Akello away from him, since Akello has gotten training Aardal never had the opportunity to get, and while looking up at Akello he was silent and didnโt show anything in his expression, but his eyes gave away the fear he felt, and he could not hide it no matter how hard he wanted to. Lying on the floor, he knew his book would reveal unpleasant secrets that could only harm him, so using magic from his fingertips he closed it and put a spell on it, but other than that he could not move because Akello was on top of him and held him in a locked position from which he could not move. Next to the two of them were the notebook and the pen Aardal used and his necklace made of bones. He also had a packed lunch with him just in case his business today took longer than planned.
ORP: Absolute jobby post, but hey Iโve had worse!
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Akello got on his knees and sunk low into the big grass, and Siltral watched. Then looked at Fable. Then back to Akello, who looked more animal through the pattern of the swaying grass. It look immense will powerโmore than keeping a literal demon in oneselfโto not sigh. Luckily, Siltral had taught himself the will power of a god over the centuries. So, he took his old bones and followed suit. Creeping like the critters in the grass.
โAAARGH!โ Siltrals ears rattled as both men screamed. He immediately shot up as well, but froze, still as a statue as the other elf was absolutely still. Siltralโs eyes narrowed as he gazed at Aardal, his annoyance growing with each passing moment. How could this be? Aardal, the ancient being, the demon in the stories, was standing right in front of him, looking every bit as real as Akello. And what was he doing with a packed lunch? A demonโs lunch? The absurdity of it all made Siltralโs head spin. But in the blink of an eye Akello was on top, Aardals book was slamming shut, and Siltral found his face in its perpetual scowl. Looked like Akello was handling this, so he went to crouch and inspect the bone necklaceโnot before briefly peeking at the lunch.
@Ouijaloveletters โข Fable
@LunaticLeviTheSecond โข da boys
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Fable and the two men were creeping along in the grass. Fable was completely calm, moving quietly, when two screams ripped through the air. Fable jerked in surprise, shockingly not making any noise. Their ears rung, and they shook their head, trying to regain their bearings. Well, sh*t. Was the fairytale guy actually real? Fable rubbed their eyes, blinking. Ok then. This was happening. The weirdest part of all of this? The freaking fairytale demon had a packed lunch. Fableโs head was spinning. For the first time in their life, Fable didnโt have an answer for what was going on. This bothered them greatly. Also, if this packed lunch carrying, screaming man was a serial killerโฆhe mustโve been a pretty bad one. At the thought, Fable had to resist letting out a snort.
@Tina.G - Sithral
@LunaticLeviTheSecond - boyz
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Aardal was left speechless. Mostly because he wasnโt caught in the last century until now, but also because he hasnโt really talked and been in company with people to know what to say in any situation after a 100 years with almost no real conversations. Thankfully, in time he remebered the danger at hand and decided to instead warn them. โI am warning you, soldiers, there is a danger lurking here and Iโm triyng to find out what it is before it grows. You have bested me, but there is darkness here that I doubt soldiers like you can best.โ Realizing that Akello was a soldier from the stories he assumed the other two men were also soldiers. When Akello didnโt relent his grip on him, Aardal turned only to him. โAkello, is that you?โ He asked, making sure he didnโt make a mistake.
Akello almost lost his grip on the man when he used his name. That monster from the stories knows his name. That frightened Akello, but even though he was shook up now, he answered truthfully. โYes, Iโm Akello โฆ But how did you?โ Akello started the questions but Aardal never let him finish.
โIโve heard the wshipers about you and your days as a soldier. Knowing which war you served in I believe you must have felt that feeling of darkness looming around you. The type of feeling that lets you know something is wrong although nothing seems bad or the like you still have that anxiousness inside โฆ You can feel it here as well, canโt you? I know becuase I can feel it too โฆ The source of that feeling isnโt here, Iโm not the man youโre looking for โฆ But somebody is and Iโve got to find him.โ Aardal tried to tune into Akello. He knew what he was looking for, but he also knew that he and the feeling of dark magic in this place arenโt connected and he had to let the group know. Aardal noticed how one of them reached for his chicken bone runes, but said nothing. He had nothing to hide but himself from the world, and now these people found him and him having nowhere to hide, he didnโt know what to do. "Those I use to find the source of the dark magic. Iโm getting closer every day. I assume youโre looking for the same? If you are maybe we can work together and weed out the darkness that grows here.
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with a sigh, Dux rested his head on his hands as Calisa left his office. The weight of his thoughts pressing down on him, troubled by the sight of Midnight, tormented by guilt, unable to find peace. He pondered how he could offer solace and guidance when a messenger entered, bowing slightly as he handed over a sealed parchment.
The seal was unmistakable: the royal crest of the king. Dux broke the seal and unfolded the letter, his eyes scanning the neat, familiar script. The letter was written in a tone that spoke of long-standing friendship rather than the formality expected between a king and his commander.
๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ,
๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ.
๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฆโ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐.
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐๐.
๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐จ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ,
๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐
Dux smiled faintly as he finished reading. The kingโs warm and personal tone brought back memories of their days together, filled with camaraderie and shared struggles. The task ahead sounded daunting, but he knew exactly who to turn to.
He carefully folded the letter and placed it on his desk, happy that the king just offered him a possible solution to his current struggle. Dux stood and walked to the window, looking out over the training grounds where soldiers sparred and honed their skills, spotting Midnight and Saoirse.
Dux got up and walked outside. The night air was crisp, but it did little to clear the fog of regret clouding his mind. He hadnโt meant to hurt Midnight, but the urgency of their situation had left him without time to fix his treatment. Now, he had to face both Midnight and Saoirse, not just to ask for their help but to mend the rift heโd created.
Whatever was going on, wasnโt meant for fresh eyes of new recruits, and there was no time to waste. He knew Midnight could understand the harsh realities they faced; she had been shaped by them. Saoirseโs unwavering loyalty would be crucial, too. But he doubt they would follow him, knowing the damage heโd caused?
As he approached where Midnight and Saoirse were resting, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. The sun cast shadows on their faces, highlighting the weariness etched in their features. Midnightโs eyes met his, a storm of emotions swirling within them.
โDux,โ she said, her voice cold. โWhat do you want now?โ
Dux swallowed hard. โWe have a mission,โ he began, his voice steady despite the tension. โThe king has summoned us. Itโs urgent.โ
Saoirse looked between them, sensing the undercurrent of unresolved tension. โWhatโs going on?โ she asked.
Dux took a step closer, feeling the weight of their gazes. โI donโt know the details yet, but this mission seems to be better for those who have been harden by the reality of the world. Midnight, you know how cruel it can be. We need your strength, your experience. And Saoirse, your loyalty is something I canโt do without.โ
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