Aervana #1 - Group 2 - (IC Thread)

[Flux]

Nash's was becoming very hungry from the smell of the stew Rhea was cooking. He knew she was a wonerful cook, but she surprised him every time.

"I'd like to know more about those bandits," Alleria stated to the group. "Do you think they were after anything particular or was it just an unfortunate coincidence? And are they likely to come back with reinforcements?"

Nash turned to face the elf. While he wasn't fond of elves, he held a grudging respect for them. They were among the best in swordsmanship, possibly surpassed only by the most skilled of the Vanda. After all, they had many lifetimes to hone their skills. On top of that, they could still wield magic. It certainly made them a force to be reckoned with. Nash addressed the question.

"I tend to believe that this attack a random action of a small group. They were few in number and fairly unorganized. On top of that, they had little to no skill with their blades." He looked at his shoulder. "Personally, I'm angry at myself for letting them get to me. I don't believe there are any left, but just in case, we'll be taking shifts standing watch tonight. I hadn't planned on starting this until we were in more dangerous territory, but I don't seem to have a choice now. Roland, Crag, and myself will alternate for tonight. The women can have a night to rest." He looked to Roland and the thief. "You can decide amongst yourselves who'll be taking first and second shifts. I'll take third so you two can catch a little more sleep, unless there are objections." With that, he turned to Rhea. "How's the stew coming?"

--------------------------------------------------

Rhea turned to Nash. "I'd say it's about done," she said with a light smile. She handed out bowls from her travelsack as she filled them with the stew.

"Careful, it might be hot," she warned as the aroma filled the camp. "Hopefully having something to eat will calm everyone's tension..." she thought to herself. Rhea turned to the group. "How about a story while we eat? I'd like to here the stories you all know, but if nobody else wants to, I'm sure Nash can tell a good one."

[rustytengo]

Crag looked up from his coin counting that he has been doing well the food was getting made when Rhea handed him his bowl. "Thank you My Lady Rhea the food smells wonderful, though next time feel free to ask to use some of the spices I brought from my shop. For a story i may know some but i don't think everyone would like to hear about some of the jobs I have had before. After all those type of stories are better told at the tavern with a drink in hand and well most of them don't really cast me the best light at times." Crag said with grin to Rhea well taking the bowl.

"And if you don't mind Roland i will take the second watch so you can have a longer rest? After all as long as where are in a forest your most likely going be the scouting ahead for us so your going to need it. Crag said to the ranger well he started eating.

Edited January 17, 2014 by rustytengo

[Jory]

Roland nodded in agreement with Crag's logic. After all, Roland would likely be scouting tomorrow and had spent the better part of the evening dragging two fully grown bucks back from the meadow. He stopped eating for a moment, savoring the flavor of the stew before it slid down his throat. "The presence of bandits here has me worried, especially considering the fact that we are so close to civilization. I would recommend traveling backward and warning the town guard, but we cannot afford to lose any more time," he continued, a tinge of regret in his voice. "Let us hope that we killed all of them, or at least enough to discourage the rest from approaching the town." Roland finished his stew and prepared his bedroll, then took a seat by the fire. "Crag, I shall wake you when the Moon has made a third of her journey across the sky. You are all welcome to fall asleep at your leisure."

[Flux]

Rhea sighed. It appeared that no one was interested in telling a story due to the silence, and Roland had already prepared his bedroll. She guessed that it was to be expected. They were certainly tired from the walking, as well as dealing with bandits on the first day. She had just been trying to lighten the tension.

"Well, since it appears that no one is interested, I guess I'll call it a night," Rhea said to the group, pulling out her own bedroll.

"Hold up. What happened to me telling a story?"

The gruff voice belonged to Nash. He appeared to be scraping out the last bits of the stew from his bowl.


"You said if they didn't want to, I could." He was talking through a mouthful of food. "Right?"

Rhea smiled. "Well, I suppose I did. Let's hear it then,"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nash swallowed the last of his stew. "Hmm... Which story to tell...?" he said, thinking.

"Well... I suppose I'll tell an old favorite. The legend of the hero, Lagerius. It's certainly suitable for the crisis we're in right now." He cleared his throat.

"Now, as you all probably know, Lagerius was around during the Demon Age. This was well before any of our modern cities were built, back when demons roamed the land. There were many battles between the allied forces (Made up of the humans, Shantii, Vanda, and elves), and the demons led by their king, Craes."

"The Dok didn't participate in this war," he said, looking towards Megaira. "I don't think the other races even knew they existed yet, honestly.... Perhaps they didn't. Anyway, back to the story. I'll tell the tale of one of the battles -- the most important battle that ended the war -- The Battle of the Blackened Plains.

"The previous battles in the war between demons and humans had weakened both sides tremendously. However, the allied forces had finally reached a point where victory was within reach. They had cornered Craes' forces on the Blackend Plains, between the allied armies and the Knotted Mountains. Despite this, the demons were fighting back stronger than ever. It appeared that the alliance might be defeated. That was when Lagerius left the main fray along with his friend and mage, Grist. They tore through the ranks of the demons, using the might of Lagerius's sword and Grist's magic, slowly approaching the plateau where the demon king rested. Eventually, they reached the bottom of the plateau, and climbed the spiral path, chiseled by magic, to the top. The sky was dark, and there was a great storm overhead. This plateau would be the deciding point of the war. A battle between the greatest of the demons, and the best warriors the alliance had to offer.

The demon king's back was turned to the two. Without turning, he laughed a dark laugh before saying: 'So this is it. You think by defeating me here, you can save this world? Ha! Look around you. It is already destroyed by war. Besides...' the demon king turned, 'You won't be leaving here alive!' With that, the battle began. As the battle between demon and man dragged on, the outlook appeared more and more hopeless. Even with the support of Grist, Lagerius's attacks seemed to have no effect on the demon. Grist's magic was the same. Meanwhile, Lagerius was wearing down and receiving injuries as his movements slowed. 'Grist,' Lagerius said, 'use it. It's the only way we can have a chance of winning this war. I'll stall him long enough... and provide the necessary cost. My power should be enough...' Grist started to protest, then solemnly nodded. He knew it was the only way. Lagerius spoke again. 'I have received a prophecy...my last one to deliver. Please here it.' Lagerius began,

When all hope seems lost, he shall arrive,
He shall come to the tiered city, ragged in appearance and with hair as bright as the full moon,
But a small boy, his power shall be great,
Train him, and he shall deliver the world from the greatest evil it has known.

When Lagerius finished, he gave a short nod to Grist before returning to battle.
Grist took out the magic scroll they had received from the elven mages prior to the battle. It was to be used only as a last resort. Grist began to chant, while Lagerius used his remaining energy to keep the demon king at bay. As Grist finished the chant, he shouted, 'Craes, daenic deth wrathi...VANESHTA!!' A rope of light reached between the scroll and Lagerius, before extending to Craes. As it connected to the demon, the rope turned startlingly black. The demon king let out a scream of agony, and Grist released the magic. A pillar of light and fire appeared around him, before exploding outward. Grist's vision went black for a long time, and when it finally returned, he found himself to be the only one remaining on the battlefield. The soldiers of both sides were nowhere to be seen. The plains had been charred black by the blast, hence the name "Battle of the Blackened Plains." Grist wept tears of happiness for the war finally having ended, and sorrow at the loss of so many lives. He returned home, and Lagerius's prophecy has been passed down through his decendents ever since."

"At least, that's how the story goes," Nash said to the group. "I don't hold any belief in the truth of it, but hey, you never know. Anyway, I'm pretty tired now, and I have 3rd watch, so I' like to get some rest. 'Night everyone."
---------------------------------------------------
Rhea smiled as she walked over to her bedroll. That story was one of her favorites. A sad twist at the end, but a victory overall. It was a bittersweet story, and a good one, even though Nash wasn't the best of storytellers. She thought of how she would like to be as strong as the heroes as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

[Nico Nico Nii~]

After listening to Nash's story Megaira felt rather sleepy, and seeing as how no one else was telling stories they all agree to sleep and take night shifts. As Megiara watched everyone but Roland who had the first shift fall asleep she told Roland, "I'll be out for a bit but I'll return very soon," as she walked a distance where she can't see the camp. She then cast an illusion of a hideous beast that was not from these woods and began to talk to herself, "As safe as the group may be, I still don't like sleeping without a little protection, and as long as no one from there comes here they shouldn't see a thing. Should I explain to Roland at least and past it down to the others... No, I think they wouldn't come this far, or at least hope so." She returned to camp where she fell right to sleep after saying good night to Roland.

[Jory]

Roland grinned slightly as Nash finished his story. He'd heard many different variations of it in his travels, but Nash had managed to put a certain warrior's charm into it. While he was musing, Megaira passed by him on her way out of camp. Roland nodded in acknowledgement, taking a knife off of his leg and beginning to whittle at a small log he'd taken from the wood pile. The ranger figured that Megaira was probably going out to the woods in order to perform a necromantic ritual that she didn't feel comfortable sharing with the others just yet. A sudden quieting of the owls and other night creatures confirmed that something had changed. When the necromancer walked past him again, he bid her good night and continued his whittling.

[Marissa]

"Well, since it appears that no one is interested, I guess I'll call it a night," Rhea said to the group, pulling out her own bedroll.

Alleria was dismayed to hear this. Stories of any sort were a large part of the elvish culture and she always enjoyed hearing them. Stories from different people of different races were almost more interesting as there was the chance it'd be one she hadn't heard before.

"Hold up. What happened to me telling a story?" Nash interjected before launching into the legend of the hero, Lagerius. Although Alleria had heard the story before, it was always nice to get a fresh perspective on things. It certainly was an appropriate story for the group as it took place back when all the races banded together to fight a common evil, just as they were now banding together to solve a common problem.

Perhaps traveling with them all is not so bad. Alleria thought to herself.

After the story was finished everyone began getting comfortable for the night. Megaira left for a short period, which Alleria assumed had something to do with the deer bones she had asked for earlier, but she returned a short while later and settled down for the night like everyone else. Roland had the first watch, and he seemed content enough to spend it whittling something out of wood. And having nothing else to do, Alleria let herself drift off to sleep.

[Jory]

((Short post, but I'd like to keep this moving))

Roland sighed, putting down the small figurine that he had managed to carve over the past three hours. It was a small effigy of Cre, the human god of balance. Even as a child, Roland had never been religious. He had always relied on his intuition and survival skills to get him past the obstacles he faced in his life. His opinion was still the same; he would rely on himself in the coming journey, not on some apathetic deity who viewed Roland in the same way that Roland might view an ant. The figurine was not for him, though. He finally snapped out of his reverie and took out his smaller dagger, rotating it slowly as he pressed into the small piece of wood he'd left on top of the figure's head. When the blade poked through, Roland took a leather strip from his bag and looped it through, tying a knot. He held the amulet up to the light from the moon, grinning lightly in pride. He stuffed it into a pocket on his leather armor, then stood up and crossed the campsite. He poked Crag in the midsection with the tip of his boot. "It's your turn to keep watch, Crag. Uneventful night so far."

[rustytengo]

Crag stretched as he stood up after Roland had awaken him from his light sleep. After all a good thief never fully falls asleep in a unfamiliar place. For if one did then most likely one would end up with a knife in their back, which Crag has always thought to be very unprofitable. Nodding to Roland and wishing a good rest, Crag looked around for a place to sit well on watch. He decided on a stump a little out of the way of the fire. So he would be able to seen into the dark without having to wait until his eyes adjusted every time he needed to.

As the moon continued its journey across the night sky and the unnatural silence that has persisted since Megaira had gone into the forest. Crag thought on the events of why he joined this journey. Well many would think that it he decided to join it because the potential profit that could be gained for the journey, and from the prestige he could gain if they where successful which in part was the on of the reasons why but not the main one to Crag. For Crag as much as he enjoyed making a profit and having fun he knew in is heart that no matter how much he made how well he protected it, it would not last. For him the reason why he decided to join this endeavor was so he could make something that lasted. Just like the heroes in the story Nash told he wanted his name to be has known like theirs even after his death. "And that is one thing no matter how good at thieving I am i can not steal" He said as moon finished its second third of the night.

Crag stood up from his place wand walked over to Nash's bed roll and nudged him with his foot well saying to him."Master Nash its your turn for the watch. Its seems like this night will be gratefully uneventful."

[Flux]

Nash rubbed his eyes again to stay awake. The last hours of the night had been uneventful so far, but that didn't mean he could take a break. He decided to walk a short ways around the campsite to keep himself awake - close enough that he could still see if anyone or anything tried to enter, but far enough to get some fresh air, untouched by the fading smoke of the campfire. As he was making his round, something a short ways off drew his attention. As he tried to get a closer look, a shiver went down his spine. It was some sort of beast, a demon perhaps. He slowly reached to draw his sword from his back, trying not to make any sudden movements that might draw its attention. Its glowing red eyes remained trained on him the whole time. Just as he was about to alert the group, he noticed something off about the beast. No matter where he moved, it always seemed to be directly facing him. Also, if he looked closely, he could see through the beast. It didn't appear to make any movements at all, not even the steady motion of breathing. He decided to get a little closer. Sure enough, as he approached, the beast made no movements to attack. As he was right next to it, Nash lowered his sword, just in case. Still, the beast made no movements, but still had the illusion of facing him as he circled it, the same angry snarl on its face. Nash decided to give it a final test. He swung his sword at it, and sure enough it passed through. The beast was naught but an illusion, probably hastily set up by the necromancer before she went to sleep. They would have to have a talk about that. After Nash had returned to the camp, he spent the rest of his uneventful watch planning their journey; taking note of remaining food and water, determining rations, keeping the fire going, and confirming their route. In the early hours of morning he began to cook some bacon he had brought along as a breakfast of sorts for the rest of the group when they woke. He smiled as the smell filled the air. Nash assumed that the group would enjoy waking up to that scent.

Rhea was the first to wake, taking in the smell of bacon before returning to the stream to tidy up. While it was not deep enough for bathing, she could still wash her hair and scrub at some dirt on her arms. When she returned to camp, she began to pack up her things, complimenting Nash on the cooking. She took a place around the campfire as the bacon was finishing cooking and waited for the rest of the group to wake.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Flux

[Nico Nico Nii~]

After a quiet nights rest Megiara awoke to the smell of food she's unfamiliar with. As she awoke she spoke to herself while rubbing her eyes to wake up, "Huh, what's that smell?" She looked at Nash and Rhea around the fire while cooking food. She then looked around and saw that everyone's still asleep. Before she could join Nash and Rhea for breakfast, Megiara is reminded of the illusion she used for the night. She got up and told the two, "I'll be back I must take care of a few things." She walked out to the woods and walked towards her illusion, speaking to it. "You've done a great job scaring anyone if anyone, but since we're moving you don't have to stay anymore," were the words she spoke to the illusion before it vanished.

Walking back she saw and remembered of the bones from the deers laying near a tree just behind the camp. "I don't think we'll stay long so I can't make something out of all these right now. I will just take the better bones then." Megiara then reached into the pile of bones to fetch a few bones when a spider the size of her hand crawled up her arm with its hairy legs. "Oh hello there," she spoke to the spider, "is something the matter?" The spider then crawled backed as Megiara removed a few bones before seeing a large egg sac before her eyes. It seemed to her that the bones was the new home for the spider. Now taking a second look at the spider she noticed it's unusually coloring of purple and gray, and remembering from a book from her childhood the spider was a rare species whose poison was enough for a normal man to be taken down by just one injection of its venom. But on the contrary the poison could be used as one of the best medicine her kind has discovered. The species was also smarter than an average spider, which is probably why the spider understood Megiara, or at least enough to give her a warning. "Perhaps I should discuss this with the others at breakfast and see what we should do about this," she said to herself as she walked back to camp near the smell of food.

[Flux]

Nash turned as he saw Megaira approach from the forest. He hadn't even noticed her wake up. Still, he decided that now was as good a time as any to get matters cleared up. "Did you happen to do any of your... magic last night? I encountered quite the strange beast while scouting during my watch, but it made no moves to attack me." He crossed his arms, awaiting her answer. He wasn't exactly comfortable dealing with the Shadowed, but he made no move to show it to Megaira.

[Nico Nico Nii~]

Looking at Nash's arms cross Megaira thought that Nash wasn't too happy seeing the illusion she set up last night, but still she gave no hesitation to give a straight forward answer since it seems like nothing went wrong. "Yes I did use some magic as you put it, and the strange beast was just a lifeless illusion. I see no problem with this as it was a bit of more security for us. From my travels before this I learned to never go without laying a few traps in case of bandits or even just a riot coming to kill you. Oh, and after we all eat I'd like to discuss something, or would you rather talk about it now?"

[Flux]

Nash grunted. "It's not so much the fact that you made the illusion, but more the fact that you didn't tell anyone." He waved his hand, brushing off the subject. "Just make sure you do next time. As for your other topic, if you'd rather wait until after we eat, that's fine. We're still waiting for those three to wake up anyway." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Jory, Crag, and Marissa. with that, he turned back towards the nearly finished bacon.

[Marissa]

Alleria woke up to the sound of conversation. As she was stil half-asleep she didn't catch much of what what said, but a glance in the general direction of voices revealed Nash and Megaria were talking about something. It seemed everyone else other than Rhea was still asleep. Alleria forced herself up and walked over towards the trio.

"Morning," she mumbled tiredly. "Breakfast smells good." She still didn't feel entirely awake, and was pretty sure she looked like a mess. While sleeping outdoors did have the benefits of being close to the stars and the plants and just nature in general, it also had its downsides. Namely you were more vunerable to attacks (which thankfully hadn't happened again after the incident with the bandits) you were exposed to the weather (luckily it hadn't rained or stormed) and that it wasn't as comfortable and left you looking a little disheveled (her current predicament).

"I'm going to go freshen up a bit if you don't mind," she said. She thought the nearby spring would work well, and headed off in that direction.

Upon arriving she splashed some of the cool water on her face, which did wonders for her alertness. She diecided to use the oppurtunity to scrub at some of the dirt that had accumaleted on her skin as a result of sleeping on the ground. Taking a look at her reflection, she found that her hair was indeed a mess. After unsuccessfully trying to straighten it out for a breif while, she eventually decided to just wash it as she wasn't sure when the next oppurtunity would present itself. Deciding to just get it over with, she dunked her head under the water. It was COLD. "Worst idea ever," Allerai bemoaned after surfacing. After getting her hair back into a much more manageable state, she headed back towards the others.

[rustytengo]

Crag yawned a little as sat up from his bed roll slipping a knife that he keep out well he slept back into its hidden sheath. Noticing Alleira coming back form the woods with her hair wet and disheveled he reached into one of the sacks that he brought with him that held some of the smaller items from his shop(the rest of the stuff was either traded in for gems, coins or letters of credit from the most well know trading companies so he didn't have to worry about his shop getting robbed well he was away and so he was not caring a lot of money with him at a time) and pulled out a ivory comb with golden leaves upon the handle. He silently walked over to the elf lass and handed her the comb.

"Here My Lady Alleria this may help with your hair problem you seem to be having. Don't worry about returning it. Think of it as a gift form one companion to another. After all we can't have your lovely hair becoming a mess well we travel now can we?" he said to her with a wink

"Now Master Nash that bacon smells delicious but we can't have a proper breakfast with out some juice." Crag said with a smile as he flourished and produced a bottle of dark juice with some silver drinking cups from his cloak. "And I just happen to have a bottle of elderberry juice with me, none alcoholic of course. After all alcohol and traveling don't usually mix well... this early in the morn." He said with a matter of fact look upon his face.

[Flux]

"Now Master Nash that bacon smells delicious but we can't have a proper breakfast with out some juice."

--------------------------------------------

Nash turned to see Crag reveal a bottle of what appeared to be Elderberry juice from his cloak.

"Aye," he said, giving a small chuckle, "I suppose we can't, can we? It will be nice to have a drink other than water." He was a bit dismayed at the lack of alcohol, but he supposed the thief had a point. Perhaps traveling with the vandal wouldn't be so bad after all.

[Jory]

Roland brushed past Rhea and Megaira on his way into the camp, stopping immediately in front of Crag. "Did you bring enough for the rest of the class?' Roland asked, raising an eyebrow at the thief before chuckling lightly. He turned to the rest of the group. "While we are on the road today, I think I shall forge a bit ahead to sweep for more bandits. The last thing we want is to get caught off guard again." The ranger paused as he picked up his travel pack, which was already packed and ready to go. He retrieved a strip of venison jerky from the side pocket, chewing on the salted meat and taking a drink from his water skin. "There should be more than enough salted meat in each person's bag for the remainder of the trip to the Shaanti lands, although I think I will be going hunting again tonight for fresh meat. I would like to request that someone join me in sweeping ahead to ensure at least one of us can make it back to the group should we come under attack."

[Nico Nico Nii~]

As there was a bit of silence with the group Megaira stood up and said, "If no one is willing I would not mind accompanying you on sweeping ahead, of course if you don't mind me tagging along."

[Jory]

Roland smiled at Megaira and nodded, gesturing for her to come with him. "Follow me, then, Megaira. And do take care not to lag behind too much. We have to get out ahead of the group, so we shall be moving a bit more quickly than you may be used to," he said with a sly grin. He strapped his bow, still in its leather wrapping, to his back next to his traveling sack and took care to fasten his daggers so they would be accessible in combat. "Let us begin," he said, turning toward the path in the forest and striding purposefully toward it.

[Flux]

"Aye lad. What about breakfast though..." Nash murmured, removing the sizzling bacon from where it hung over the fire. But Roland and Megaira were already too far away to hear him. He put on a thoughtful face as he considered what to do about that.

"I guess we'll just eat on the move," he said to the group. "It'll give them some time to get ahead of us at least."

Nash passed out the bacon to the remaining members before moving to gather his things. As he passed Crag and saw the bottle again, he gave a small sigh.

"Guess we'll have time for that later.." he grumbled as he latched up his armor.

* * * * *

The sun shone down on the group as they moved down the path. The scent of wildflowers was in the air, the birds were chirping, and a cool breeze blew past every now and then. Rhea smiled as she walked along looking at the life surrounding her. The grass and foliage were a vibrant green, and scattered pools of water shone a brilliant blue. The breeze was refreshing as it blew on her light robes. She let out a sigh. "It really is a perfect day," she thought to herself. They were making good distance already -- their pace was brisk, but not uncomfortable. Better yet, there didn't appear to be any danger ahead, seeing as Roland and Megaira hadn't returned yet. Either that, or they'd already run into it. She didn't want to think about that, though. Such thoughts are how you ruin an otherwise wonderful day. Looking ahead, she could see that Nash wasn't exactly sharing her sentiment. He was slightly hunched and had an annoyed frown on his face. She switched to a light trot as she ran up to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a smile. "Lighten up. The sun's out, and it's a beautiful day."

Nash grunted. "It's hard to enjoy the scenery when you're dragging around heaving armor and carrying two people's travelsacks..." he said, giving her a deliberate look.

Rhea shrugged and gave a light chuckle. "Oh Nash, I'm sure you can handle it. Besides, you're the one who volunteered to carry it."

"Only after you complained for an hour.." Nash grumbled. He turned to the others. "Oi! You're awfully quite back there. Have either of you been to Sakiiri before? I've been through a few times with Rhea and Gillem, and it's a fairly bustling place. Traders and shops are set up everywhere. I'd advise not getting caught up in the back alleyways, though. Like any place, it has its share of shady businesses, but Sakiiri even moreso than most."

[Jory]

Roland continued at his brisk pace, impressed by Megaira's ability to keep up with him. The pair had been walking off to the side of the path, making sure to keep to the trees to lessen their chances of being ambushed. Although Roland had seen human and elven tracks, he had not yet seen anything to indicate that the group was in any danger. "You know, Megaira, most of the magical types I meet find it very difficult to keep a pace like this while carrying a full travelsack. I'm impressed," he said sincerely, still making good progress. "Although I am not happy that we left before the bacon was done. That was shortsighted on my part." He glanced over his shoulder. "So, Megaira, what made someone of your... position... decide to come on this journey?"

[Marissa]

Alleria took the comb Crag had handed her. It was beautifully decorated, and Alleria was touched by the gesture. "Why thank you Crag, I'm sure this will get much use during our journey," she said with a smile. She put it to use while the others discussed breakfast arrangements. Eventually it was decided they would eat on the move while Roland and Megaira would scout ahead while the the remainder of the party followed behind. Alleria was a bit disappointed at this as she had looked forward to a relaxing breakfast before they set off for the day, but she supposed it couldn't be helped.

They walked a bit before Nash decided to break the silence by asking if anyone had been to Sakiiri before. Alleria hadn't been, but the shops sounded interesting. The alleyways, not so much.

"What's Sakiiri like?" Alleria asked. "What kinds of shops do they have? How's the food there? Can we stay at an inn before moving on?" Alleria didn't necessarily want to complain about their journey as restoring the mana did take priority, but she did hope they could take the time to enjoy civilization when they passed it by. Although she supposed shopping would have to be limited to necessities as she didn't want to have to lug around more than she needed to. Ah, the burdens of being a traveler. Well, she supposed she'd get used to it soon enough. Or be forced to adapt, if nothing else.

[Flux]

"What's Sakiiri like? What kinds of shops do they have? How's the food there? Can we stay at an inn before moving on?"

Nash was surprised by the barrage of questions from the so-far quite elf. He took a moment to collect himself.

"Well, as you can probably guess, it's a desert town. Well... more like an oasis, but it's still sandy and hot. It's a fairly large place, especially for being in the middle of the desert, mostly due to the fact that it's the capital city of the Shantii and a major trading center. Because of this, you can expect to see a lot of their people there. However, it's also home to many people from other races as well." He took a breath. "As for shops, there are merchants set up in stalls around almost every corner. Traveling caravans regularly stop through to trade their wares. You can find almost anything you want to buy in Sakiiri, if you're willing to search hard enough." Her next question was his favorite part of Sakiiri. "The food is amazing. There are restaurants and taverns ranging anywhere from the lowest of the low to five-star places I can only dream about eating at. The aromas that come from those places..." He trailed off, his stomach beginning to growl. "There are many types of food available as well. You can find a restaurant that serves the native food of almost any race. And as for your final question, I do believe Gillem has sent a messenger to book us an inn. We'll be spending a night or two there before continuing north."

They walked for a while more before Nash turned back to the group again. "We should be reaching the desert by the end of tomorrow. If we continue at this pace, we should be able to reach Sakiiri in 4 days from there, leaving us with an extra day if no conflicts arise. Based on our lack of scouts, I'm going to assume they haven't found anything problematic."

[rustytengo]

Crag was disappointed that he was unable to share the juice with every one it was one of his favorites non-alcoholic drink. Well listening to Nash explain about Sakiiri he and telling them to avoid the back allies he almost laughed out loud. After all the back allies where someplace he was very comfortable with.

After Nash answered Alleria's question and told them his estimation of how long it would take to get there He asked

"Master Nash would it not be a bit more practical to see if we could find a group to trade for mounts with? At least for the desert anyway, it would save us some time. Also it would not be wise to travel through the desert in the heat of the day. Its best traveled in early morning and the evening. Oh and one more thing the aromas may be good and the food is delicious in those five star restaurants but unfortunately the amount of food you get for the price is very not profitable." he said with a smile on his face.