K'tzhang lies on the ground, the wind blown out of his tiny lungs, he splutters, "What the @*%@$, what happened? did you see that? Don't go near or touch Emerys, there's something strange about him. If only I knew what it was." K'Tzhang lifts hius head and looks towards Emerys, his eyes rolling in circles, chasing imaginary stars in his head. He slumps back with a groan. He feels his body, his bones, all in one piece, Lucky escape!
He chants a prayer, a suddenly water appears above him, cascading down onto his face, refreshing him and bringing his senses back to life.
Something scared ya little friend? as he approaches K'zhang.
I will go and examine the body just not touch it yet
As K'tzhang is checking over the boys body, Emerys' arches up and unleashes an otherworldly scream. As his body crashes back to the ground, K'tzhang flies back 20 ft, but lands uninjured. Emerys continues to lay there unconscious.
(O_o)
"Whut th'..." Sunny stands and gapes at the prone form of Emerys, then scoots over and makes sure K'tzhan is okay.
"Pickle me Grandmother!" Sunny swears, even as she helps K'tzhang up, she looks to where her gear is lying.
"Um, guys, there be somat very weird goin' on."
As Belros is examining Emerys, Nerik begins chuckling to himself and muttering in a strange language as he makes his way to the unconscious boy.
Still muttering, Nerik kneels beside Emerys and begins to sniff him, while still muttering. "Fire inside...darkness...shell game...nesting doll..." Nerik then opens one of Emerys' eyes and he goes flying back 15 ft., landing flat on his back, laughing as a madman would.
Nerik!? Care to share the joke? as he looks perplexed at what could be so funny.
Polson is growing increasingly concerned and begins loosening his sword in it's scabbard.
After far too many minutes, Nerik stops laughing and says, "Smell the boy."
Sulna looks over to Nerik and then walks over to Emerys. He then leans over and smells him. Not looking sure what he is doing.
Sulna smells only the natural terrain and odor of someone who hasn't had a bath recently.
Sulna looks to Nerik, He smells like I do.
After helping K'tzhang up Sunny quickly gets over to her gear and dons it.
"I in't Emery's whut be causin' th' trouble. Things be happenin' afore ye get to him." She looks at the 'space' around Emerys intently.
"Now I know why fairy spark;es be such a handy thing t' have..." She mutters to herself.
Polson rummages through his rations trying to find something fitting the bill, maybe some dried fruit, and lays it down on the ground in front of him. His fingers have loosened on his blade as he scans the area for the source of the voice.
Perception
Polson appears to be listening to something before shrugging his shoulders. "The old sycamore tree?"
Sunny begins to edge over towards her gear...
"This better not have nothin' t'do with a Yellow Ribbon..." She mutters.
K'Tzang watches Sunny and Polson from his position on the ground, not knowing whether to start laughing at their strange behavior, or be worried that they are going mad. Scratching his head he says "What? What, do you two know what you're doing?"
Sulna looks around.
Sulna asks Nerik, "What does he smell like to you?"
Shocked at what's happening and hearing someone speak in his own language, K'Tzhang reverts to his first way.
"Do I smell something? what sort of question is that? I get thrown back with a jolt, I get totally winded. You guys start doing weird things and now you ask me to smell!!"
He starts sniffing the air, in loud over exaggerated breaths.
"I don't know Sulna, not sure I want to get that close again. Let the Nerik try, he seems to know more than we do!"
Getting to her gear Sunny crouches down and slowly begins to get her x-bow ready.
"Uh...guys? Whut're we dealin' with here...?" She whispers.
Getting to her gear Sunny crouches down and slowly begins to get her x-bow ready.
"Uh...guys? Whut're we dealin' with here...?" She whispers.
I dont know if I want to know...
Sulna looks around to see if he notices anything else.
Looking to Nerik, So what does he smell like then?
Sunny glances at Belros,
"Yah, but I dun't like not knowin' whut I dun't know...y'know?"
Emerys continues to lay there, barely breathing. Nerik chuckles while muttering to himself.
Polson appears to be listening and then speaks. "We need to take him to the wall of dead trees. Lift him up, but be careful..."
"No stupid elf. Leave boy here. We fix. We take to angry man in deadtree wall."
Sunny just raises an eyebrow,
"Whut be happenin'..."
Nerik says, "A being without form and therefore unable to be destroyed spoke."
"There's a ghost out here? In the daylight?!?"
Polson sighs. "Whatever it is wants us to leave him here. It says it will heal him."
Sunny shudders,
"Of ghoulies and ghosties, an' long leggedy beasties, but dayum they's only s'posed to go bump in'a night!" She mutters, sounding slightly troubled.
"If that is what you want Polson, then I'll do it. Though I am worried for him." say K'Tzhang scratching hos head at the whole episode. "Never knew that outside our homelands there were such strange thongs, hmmm!"
As the group is standing there talking about what is happening, the wind picks up a little and leaves begin to swirl around Emerys, eventually blocking him from everyone's sight. When the wind dies down, the boy is gone.
The rest of the day goes by without incident. At nightfall, a light rain begins, but nothing worrisome.
28 Pharast - night
Aside from Nerik's muttering waking people a few times in the night, nothing abnormal happens in the night.
The light rain continues throughout the night and shows no signs of stopping the next morning.
29 Pharast - morning
K'Tzhang wakes early and stretches, Wonder what we'll do today, its a day later for following the tracks, but with Aspu's help the way may be clear. We should really rescue those children, poor innocents that they are.
K'Tzhang gets his writing materials and does his best to draw a map with their current location and where they've been.
Suny stands and waits for the others as every one partake of their breakfast and cleaning up of camp. She quickly and methodically gets dressed and kitted up for the day ahead.
K'Tzhang calls everyone round, "Let us pray to Aspu to cure the ills that affect us.." A white light shines out from K'Tzang and his holy symbol.
After the waves of healing from K'tzhang, the group finishes breaking camp, and makes their way into the Narlmarches, following what you believe to be the route the bandits took.
Polson hangs back while the others plot the trail, scratching at the scars from his freshly healed wound.
"Well let's see what we can find around here" as he joins up in the search.
K'Tzhang gets off his horse looking at the ground, muddy and wet from the rain that pours down. "These tracks are nearly washed away, hard and difficult to follow. I'll have to follow them on foot, you're pleased to do the same, it will be slow progress to follow them forward." He moves on slowly, carefully and methodically following the signs he sees on the ground, hidden in the mud. The odd freshly broken twig in a bush, a freshly dropped half eaten fruit stone and any other indications he finds. Doggedly he continues to track and follow....
Suny does as K'tzhang requests.
"How much is this gon'a slow us down an' how much father are th' one's we's followin' gon'a be gettin' ahead?" She asks. "I mean, do we have an idea where they be goin'? Maybe cut across their headin' an' get their quicker?" She offers as a suggestion.
Traveling slowly, the group is able to follows the barely still there trail. It becomes a little easier as you get deeper into the woods.
Perception