"An illusion apparently. Powerful one at that." She reached down and would help him up looking around trying to look for the caster that cast it.
I don't know magic very well...
"Illusion indeed," Takeshi says pondering while he squats down in the dirt, trying to determine the properties of the spell.
"Well, I guess someone didn't try to hurt us, but try to dissuade us of going any further. The question is, was this part of the test, or something our 'quarry' set up so we would lose time?"
He starts walking, not thinking too much about it after a few minutes.
"Whatever it was, we can't linger on it too long. Nobody is hurt, so let's keep going."
Essa stands there for a bit examining the area. Noting the peculiar magic and how it fooled their brains. She would have to be more attentive. Everything was riled up inside, with the latest events, and finding the body, and now the fake fight.
Taking a deep breath, she checks around. "Roguk, find it! find it!" Hoping Roguk will sniff something or someone out.
Roguk searchs the area for a few minutes, but he seems to find nothing.
Maybe the wind turned, or other odors interest him more.
Whatever the reason,the ape climbs quickly at a tree, and seem to enjoy it, frightening a bird and trying to snatch some eggs from the nest.
"Silly ape..." Takeshi quietly says, while continueing to walk.
"Come on!" he gestures to those not following.
After this "practise fight" against the illusionary orcs, Essa follows what seems to be the only track after the fallen tree. The first group has surely followed it too, a few hours ago.
Absently scratching some crusted mud off her arm, Essa tries to make sense of any trails leading from the battle. "Roguk, get DOWN here, stop fooling around now!", she says trying to hide a smile.
Roguk and Essa attempt to follow the trail. As before, he can use scent to follow if applicable.
Unfortunatly, Essa finds no particuliar tracks this time...Maybe the traces are too old, or too faint.
Your only hopes to find back the first group is to suppose they followed the main trail, and didn't wander into the woods themselves.
And surely, they will have to rest a few hours. Hami said they spend their night drinking at the tavern, then went right to the woods as soon as they got the map.
They'll have to sleep, and eat, while you got nearly a whole night sleep, and food in your bellies.
"How about this branch here?"
"Ummm, Essa, will my brother's ax help any? For finding a scent?"
"It might, we can have Roguk smell it. We can also follow the main trail and hope to pick them up later. It will also speed us up."
Rogurk sniff the metal blade, then the handle of the ax. Takeshi finds a footprint that Essa overlooked, and some ripped cloth on a branch.
After a few minutes, the young druidess is back on the track.
You follow the main trail for a mile. Your progression is slower than before, probably because Essa don't want to lose her quarry again.
Finally, you come to a crossing of trail. One continues towards the South, and to the Crypt if you believe the map you possess. The other is more to the southwest.
Which direction to the tracks lead?
Unfortunatly, the tracks seem to lead to the southwestern part of the forest, taking you away from the crypt.
"Umm, so which way we go?" Enev ask Essa as he sits down, removes one of his boots and cleans some mud and stones that got inside it.
Follow the tracks. We need to find the others. The crypt can wait.
"I concur, though we might want to hear everyone's opinion, Selene." Takeshi says, while checking out both paths slowly, his fingers in the dirt.
"Tracks will go away, the crypt probably won't." he says smilingly.
"Let's follow the tracks, this way we can found everyone and stop worrying about it, this way the quest to the Crypt will be easier."
"I'm going after my brother so of course follow the tracks." She said decisively and would follow Essa down the other trail.
Essa nods to the group and keeps on the trail, pointing Roguk towards it to keep his nose on the scent.
Despite the urgency of the situation and all that they have been through, even the faux battle, Essa starts to feel more at ease, out in nature, even though danger could lurk behind any bush. She keeps her wits about her, but is content, able to be useful to the group, rather than stumbling over her words with all too much talk.
Takeshi will guard the rear, his bow and arrow in his hand, and remarkably perceptive about his surroundings. The battle must have shook him up some.
I like walking behind the ladies. Nice view!
Should ride a song about it..
Nearly an hour pass. Fortunately, there is only one old trail, quite unused, and Essa has little difficulty following the track, as there is only one set of human footprints. Three men have walked here some hours ago.
You come to a small clearing, which have seen some recent activity. A small fire has been built and put off.
A boar is searching the ground with his tusks, and rises its head when it sees you, grunting threateningly
"Back away everyone, and let's circle around.. Boars are deadly, with their tusks. They can impale you, and are a lot faster than you would give them credit for."
Takeshi tries to stay low, and walk away backwards, slowly and unthreatening.
Essa sees the wild boar, keeping her club at the ready she issues comforting tones and adjusts her body language in a non threatening manner. She was never all that great at wild empathy, but she will try to calm the boar.
If the boar seems bent on aggression, she will attempt to scare it off with her 'flaming' club.
"Friends if this doesn't work, we should leave it alone for a little bit, I would hate to have to injure or kill it. Hopefully I don't anger it any more."
"..." is all Takeshi can utter, when Essa actually moves forward towards the wild boar.
Ah'Mera nudges Takeshi in the ribs.
"Kill it if it charges her, I don't think we should chance it changing it's mind before it drags her all over this clearing."
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The boar isn't calmed by Essa's words, and it's trampling the ground, lowering its head.
Rogurk steps besides the druidess, baring its teeth and thumping its chest
But that only seems to enrage the boar a little more
"Let us just back away and go around. I am sure we can pick up the trail afterwords. You haven't told us what you have found on the trail yet either." Mayla starts to back away from the boar cautiously.
Essa will just let the boar be, we can circle around and pick up the trail on the other side. Essa will throw some food to the boar to distract it.
"Malya I am following a set of footprints, it appears to be three humanoids."
"Let the boar leave and we can follow the footprints easier, if we fight him it will get messy and we could erase the tracks"
Sound enough plan, let's get to it.
After Takeshi is don backing away, he turns to Essa.
"Do you reckon fifteen minutes is enough to let it do its thing, before we can continue? Or should we circle around now, to not lose more time than that?"
Essa climbs at a tree, to keep an eye on the boar while keeping your distances
After some long minutes, the boar goes away, leaving the small clearing.
Essa has no trouble climbing down the tree, and you're all free to check on the clearing now.
Essa will start investigating the clearing.
The clearing is, well, clear.
Essa quickly spots it was used recently as a camp base, but it will take more than a lucky glance to get more information
Her eyes scanned around looking or any sign of her brother as she tried to remember how many people had gone out. She remembered, Steve, her brother, and the half-orc. Was there another?
Frowning as she mused over that.
Enev starts looking around for signs of the people who camped here, maybe they made a mistake and left something behind...
Kesten is cleaning a bit of filth out from under his boot.
Looking around, checking for the type of food eaten, or any scraps as well as areas where people bedded down.
I'll keep an eye out for trouble while you all look around.
Essa and Enev quickly found clues that three people were there until a few hours ago. There are traces of a small fire, which has been taken care of so as to not endanger the forest. Every scrap has been buried in a small hole, and a little stone put on it, so that scavengers won't get at the remains of the meal easily ( a rabbit was cooked and eaten).
Someone really knows how to treat nature respectfully. But they didn't seem to care being followed, as the tracks are quite clear.
Someone know how to camp out in the forest but there's no sign of blood or nothing...mmmmm...weird
"Found something...they were here a few hours ago eating. They left some tracks we can follow" He tells the group as he points towards the tracks.
Malya finally placed the third. Nabu, she had forgotten Nabu was with them. He was a wizard. They should be careful. Thinking back on it she remembered the illusions and wondered if he planted them. Chewing her lip as she thought it over.
Her head jerked around as she heard Enev speak up.
"Thank you Enev. I wonder why they are heading....away from the crypt. Could it be because of what happened with Steve?"
She worried more about her brother than the others but the axe on her side made her wonder. Why would he leave it. That was very unlike him.
"Very interesting, the mystery here continues."
Essa pondered the situation, scraping some mud that had dried caked on to her leg.
"Lets keep up the pursuit, cautiously."
Great job, we know we are gaining ground on them. Let's move quickly and perhaps we can catch them before their plans come to fruition.
Selene follows not far behind Essa as the pursuit continues...
Essa kneels down examines the tracks, and calls Roguk over to also get a scent.
Essa follows the track, but you are progressing slowly into the forest.
You know that those you are following have only a few hours advance on you, but they probably walk at a steadier pace.
Fortunatly for you, there is so far only one major trail in this part of the forest.
Unfortunaltly for you, this part of the forest is wilder, and more dangerous, and each mile you are walking get you farther from the Crypt too.