rp: side story Side Story: A Quest for Kraerhil

[Neptune]

Warning: This Side Story will contain scenes of a graphic nature. This includes, but is not limited to, extreme violence and gore. If you find either of these themes distasteful, then please do not read. This thread will not contain any sex; it is an adventure thread.

On 12/10/2018 at 19:30, Akira said:

Location: Outside the city perimetre, en-route to Rosayia Forest.

I coudn't help but smile a little bit at Deadrin's statement, it was good to know that my companion was a careful man, even though I already suspected that would be the case considering that he already seemed to have experience in the forest, a careless person wouldn't survive very long in that place, mainly due to the monsters, besides, Deadrin never saw me fighting before, he had no knowledge whatsoever of my powers so it made sense that wanted to be cautious, he would understand eventually. "Alright" I simply said before gently moving Lucky's reins so she would begin to move once again, following Deagrin and it's rider.

As we continued to make our way thought the area the river had cought my attention, it was a bit different from any other that I had seen so far, it's water was dark and the flow was... a bit weird, it was almost like the river was really deep and shallow at the same time, but I refrained myself to thinking too much about it, it didn't seem to be very important anyway. *So, what type of monster do you think we will find inside the forest?* said Odium, actually sounding a bit excited for a change, then again, other than bothering me, fighting and killing monsters was his favorite thing to do and over time I ended up becaming a bit like him in that regard *I don't know, for now at least I think there will only be small ones, but later down the line...* I found myself feeling a bit excited as well, thinking about the upcoming battles *Heh let's kill them all yeah?* I nodded slightly at the statement, in what felt like forever, Odium and I were agreeing in something.

I pulled the reins a little bit, causing Lucky to slow down the pace and keep up with Deagrin. I listed to Deadrin's warnings, simply nodding in response. Once they had both crossed the river and safely made to the other side it was our turn, it was a good thing that the river wasn't as deep as I originally thought it was, otherwise we would have problems, with another gentle move of the reins, Lucky began to walk  throught the water as well, I kept an eye on the water, preparing myself for the possibility of an attack from river's criature which, thankfully, didn't happen. Soon, both Lucky and I made to the other side as well.

Participants: Daedrin and Izanagi
Description: After Izanagi found a mysterious sword in the forest, he approached Deadrin to have it repaired however lacked the funds required to repair the sword. So the two came to an agreement that if Izanagi went into the Rosayia Forest and got his hands on Kraerhil, a rare exotic metal used in sword making, Daedrin would pay him for however much he retrieved. After some discussion, Daedrin agreed to accompany him on this quest as well to be a guide through the forest as well as to get their hands on more. 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Once Izanagi joined him, Daedrin gave him a nod to show his approval before he turned back towards the forest. It seemed a little too quiet for his tastes, and he already had a gut feeling that they were going to encounter something very soon. But then he had inherited his Fathers tendency to get into trouble. He snorted a little in amusement at that though, the sound soft enough not to be overheard by Izanagi. Daegrin stirred a little restlessly, and Daedrin stroked his neck gently,

“Daegrin senses that there’s something nearby. Let’s move, and keep an eye out.” Daedrin said in warning as he kicked Daegrin’s flanks lightly causing the Aelda to move forwards slightly, heading along the river. Daedrin pulled out his sword, not wanting to be caught completely off guard. He could cut their travel time down by cutting through the forest, but it was rather dangerous due to the fact that the more dangerous monsters lived deeper inside the forest. He didn’t fear being lost, as his sense of direction was as good as any Eldyrannth, allowing him to navigate the forest with ease without being caught in never-ending circles. Daedrin cast an eye up at the sun, seeing that it was the mid-afternoon so they had at least a few hours of travelling time left in the day before they even considered settling down for the night. His eyes returned to the forest, watching it carefully as he strained his ears for anything.

In the end, he wasn’t able to see or hear anything. But he could smell something with his sharp nose. He opened his mouth slightly, inhaling sharply before snapping his mouth shut as he resisted the urge to evacuate the contents of his stomach. The stench of rotting flesh pervaded the air, getting stronger by the moment. Daegrin stirred again, snorting in a challenging manner. Daedrin looked over at Izanagi, “We have company. There are ghouls nearby…” He said, before casting his mind out around them, careful to avoid going close to Izanagi’s just in case the man could sense the touch of telepathy. He could sense at least five of the bastards that were homing in on their direction. He pulled his mind back, shifting the grip on his sword to be more comfortable. 

There was a sudden growl from the bushes as something leapt out towards Daedrin. The figure was completely naked, and was so emaciated that it would have been mistaken for a reanimated skeleton if it wasn’t for the rotting pieces of flesh that clung to its body. Its hands, although human-like, looked like claws with filthy black fingernails. Its cheeks were gaunt, as its eye sockets were sunken into its face as the eyes gave them a gormless look that was filled with an insatiable hunger. Its jaw was hanging low, only attached by a few thin threads of flesh, as its tongue dangled from its mouth. As it flew through the air, Daegrin jumped to the side as Daedrin swung his blade in an arch. The silver blade easily sunk through the flesh of its neck, chopping its head off. The body tumbled to the ground as the head sailed further through the air before rolling into some bushes.

The remaining four ghouls appeared, snarling at the two of them. Daedrin glanced at Izanagi before returning his gaze to the rotting creatures. Two of them completely ignored him and leapt towards Izanagi, leaving Daedrin dealing with the remaining two. One of them leapt forwards, but Daegrin danced out of the way before twisting around and kicking out with his powerful hint-quarters. Daedrin could hear the snapping of bones as the ghoul was kicked back at its companion, knocking them both to the ground. Daegrin turned around just as the two scrambled to their feet and lunged again. Daedrin brought down his sword, the sharp blade slicing down through its skull and into what remained on its brain causing it to become limp and drop to the floor, dead. Unfortunately, his blade seemed content to remain lodged within its skull despite how hard he tugged it. The third creature leapt up towards him, intending on pushing him out of his saddle. Daedrin tugged at his sword more, but it refused to move. He turned his head towards the creature, intending on using telekinesis to deflect it however Daegrin reared up with an angry whinny. He lashed out with his front legs, knocking the ghoul down onto the floor. Before it could even get up, Daegrin brought his polished hooves down and began to stamp the monster into the ground until it lay lifeless beneath him, as if the Aelda took the danger it posed as a personal affront. This gave Daedrin enough time to pull his foot from his stirrup and use the strength of his leg to push the ghoul off of his sword. He then turned in his saddle to see how Izanagi was fairing. 

[Akira]

23 hours ago, Neptune said:

Once Izanagi joined him, Daedrin gave him a nod to show his approval before he turned back towards the forest. It seemed a little too quiet for his tastes, and he already had a gut feeling that they were going to encounter something very soon. But then he had inherited his Fathers tendency to get into trouble. He snorted a little in amusement at that though, the sound soft enough not to be overheard by Izanagi. Daegrin stirred a little restlessly, and Daedrin stroked his neck gently,

“Daegrin senses that there’s something nearby. Let’s move, and keep an eye out.” Daedrin said in warning as he kicked Daegrin’s flanks lightly causing the Aelda to move forwards slightly, heading along the river. Daedrin pulled out his sword, not wanting to be caught completely off guard. He could cut their travel time down by cutting through the forest, but it was rather dangerous due to the fact that the more dangerous monsters lived deeper inside the forest. He didn’t fear being lost, as his sense of direction was as good as any Eldyrannth, allowing him to navigate the forest with ease without being caught in never-ending circles. Daedrin cast an eye up at the sun, seeing that it was the mid-afternoon so they had at least a few hours of travelling time left in the day before they even considered settling down for the night. His eyes returned to the forest, watching it carefully as he strained his ears for anything.

In the end, he wasn’t able to see or hear anything. But he could smell something with his sharp nose. He opened his mouth slightly, inhaling sharply before snapping his mouth shut as he resisted the urge to evacuate the contents of his stomach. The stench of rotting flesh pervaded the air, getting stronger by the moment. Daegrin stirred again, snorting in a challenging manner. Daedrin looked over at Izanagi, “We have company. There are ghouls nearby…” He said, before casting his mind out around them, careful to avoid going close to Izanagi’s just in case the man could sense the touch of telepathy. He could sense at least five of the bastards that were homing in on their direction. He pulled his mind back, shifting the grip on his sword to be more comfortable. 

There was a sudden growl from the bushes as something leapt out towards Daedrin. The figure was completely naked, and was so emaciated that it would have been mistaken for a reanimated skeleton if it wasn’t for the rotting pieces of flesh that clung to its body. Its hands, although human-like, looked like claws with filthy black fingernails. Its cheeks were gaunt, as its eye sockets were sunken into its face as the eyes gave them a gormless look that was filled with an insatiable hunger. Its jaw was hanging low, only attached by a few thin threads of flesh, as its tongue dangled from its mouth. As it flew through the air, Daegrin jumped to the side as Daedrin swung his blade in an arch. The silver blade easily sunk through the flesh of its neck, chopping its head off. The body tumbled to the ground as the head sailed further through the air before rolling into some bushes.

The remaining four ghouls appeared, snarling at the two of them. Daedrin glanced at Izanagi before returning his gaze to the rotting creatures. Two of them completely ignored him and leapt towards Izanagi, leaving Daedrin dealing with the remaining two. One of them leapt forwards, but Daegrin danced out of the way before twisting around and kicking out with his powerful hint-quarters. Daedrin could hear the snapping of bones as the ghoul was kicked back at its companion, knocking them both to the ground. Daegrin turned around just as the two scrambled to their feet and lunged again. Daedrin brought down his sword, the sharp blade slicing down through its skull and into what remained on its brain causing it to become limp and drop to the floor, dead. Unfortunately, his blade seemed content to remain lodged within its skull despite how hard he tugged it. The third creature leapt up towards him, intending on pushing him out of his saddle. Daedrin tugged at his sword more, but it refused to move. He turned his head towards the creature, intending on using telekinesis to deflect it however Daegrin reared up with an angry whinny. He lashed out with his front legs, knocking the ghoul down onto the floor. Before it could even get up, Daegrin brought his polished hooves down and began to stamp the monster into the ground until it lay lifeless beneath him, as if the Aelda took the danger it posed as a personal affront. This gave Daedrin enough time to pull his foot from his stirrup and use the strength of his leg to push the ghoul off of his sword. He then turned in his saddle to see how Izanagi was fairing. 

Once Lucky and I had reached the other side of the river we made a quick stop, both Deadrin and I looked at each other before exchanging a little nod as a signal that we were ready to continue our journey, before we could do that however Deadrin gave me a warning that something bad might happen soon and that we should stay alert "Got it" I simply replied with another quick nod before Deagrin began to move once again, I gently moved Lucky's reins, causing her to follow the horse ahead of us at the same pace, keeping a small distance from him.

As we continued moving through the area I activated my Soul Eye to increase my chances of noticing anything hostile-looking around us, giving my right eye a light purple color, normally I wouldn't use that ability for long periods of time while someone else is around, but I was sure Deadrin wouldn't look back without a good reason, specially now that we were both focused on finding whatever creature or creatures that were causing Deagrin to get so... let's say, trouble-ready. Not much time had passed when I catched a faint glimpse of a few uncommon souls, due to how weak they were I couldn't really tell what type soul or how distant they were, but that was definitively not something normal, soon enough I also felt the rotten smell in the air, with a combination of both experience and common sense, my instincts were telling me to keep my guard up *Ugh, where is this smell coming from? did someone die near here or something?* I thought before my suspicion was confirmed by Deadrin when he suddenly turned his head back to warn me about the Ghous nearby *Shit!* I immediatly thought, not only because of the enemies, but also because I still had my Soul Eye activated when Deadrin turned at me and I was pretty sure he had noticed it.

I quickly deactivated my power and made my eye return to it's normal color when suddenly one of the Ghouls leaped out of a bush "Watch out!" I shouted as the creature made it's way towards Deadrin, thankfully the man was quick enough to chop the monster's head off, instantly killing it, but I didn't have time to feel relieved however, as four more appeared from inside the forest and attacked us, two of them focused on me and the other two on Deadrin. Both Ghouls tried to attack by jumping at me at the same time and from the right, it would be much easier to simply use my Hell's Chain to kill them, but Deadrin would see it and I didn't want that to happen unless necessary, I quickly took the still sheated sword on my back in my right hand and with a swift strike I maneged hit both Ghouls in the torso area with enough strenght to break some of their rotten ribs and send them flying back towards the trees, all the sudden motion made Lucky get a bit agitated and jumpy "whoa whoa" I said as I gave her reins a firm pull so she would calm down.

Once that was done I got down from my horse's back and took a few steps towards the monsters and away from her so I could fight my enemies at a safe distance from Lucky, the Ghouls wasted no time and quickly jumped in my direction again, ready for a second shot at killing me, needless to say, it was useless. With my left hand at the sword's sheat and my right one at the grip, I got in fighting position, ready to use one of my deadly quick-draw-style special techniques "Dimensional Slash!" I said, my hand moved faster than the eye can see, in an blink of an eye I drew out my sword and sliced both monsters multiple times before sliding the blade back into it's sheath, reducing them to pieces. I then turned my attention back at Deadrin, even though it was clear that he had taken care of his share of the enemies I wanted to make sure he was okay "Oi, Deadrin, you alright? did you get hurt?"

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by Akira

[Neptune]

“I am fine.” Daedrin responded to Izanagi’s question. He pulled out a piece of cloth from his saddlebag, using it to wipe his blade clean of blood and pieces of rotten flesh. He then sheathed the sword before turning to look back at his companion and observing him curiously. Now that the action had calmed down, it allowed him to more carefully analyse things. His eyes fixed themselves on Izanagi, as he swore he had seen something that wasn’t normal and yet in the heat of the action, he hadn’t paid it much heed. But now, now he was curious as to what it was but didn’t decide to say anything about it. He had no doubt in his mind, that Izanagi was a man of many secrets, just like he was, and he would be a hypocrite if he insisted that his companion spilled the beans and yet kept his own mouth shut about his own. The attack he had seen, the one where the man had yelled out the attack before performing it, was curious too. He had called it a ‘dimensional slash’, and wondered how it worked since at first glance it looked more like a temporal attack. Not even Daedrin’s eyes, which had a refresh rate far higher than a humans allowing him to see more, had been able to keep up with it. 

Daedrin balled up the piece of rag in his hand, now having more questions about his companion. He smiled slightly, liking the fact that he had a mystery on his hands. It had been a long time since someone had intrigued him so much. Although he made a mental note not to mention that to his wife, but then if she knew about Izanagi, no doubt she would be as curious as he was. Both he and his wife had their grandmother’s hunger for solving mysteries. It was why he was here in the first place. Taking a breath, Daedrin tucked the rag again before he turned in his saddle again, “Are you alright, Izanagi?” He asked, eyeing the man as he looked for any injuries. He couldn’t see any. He couldn’t even see a single scratch on him, which was good since Daedrin knew that often just being scratched by a ghoul was a death sentence in these times due to the infection it caused. His gaze then slid to Lucky who, other than looking quite nervous, looked to be completely fine. 

[Akira]

"Good to hear" I said calmly after hearing Deadrin's response. Due to my special attack there pretty much nothing of the Ghouls remains on my blade, there was a little bit of blood from them however, so I took a swing at the air to wipe it of before I sheathed the katana once again and placed it on my back. I quitly nodded in response to my companion's question "Yeah, don't worry about me, those bastards didn't even touch me" I said in my usual calm an collected tone, solidifying my previous ansewer as I turned my attention to Lucky. She clearly wasn't hurt but her breathing was a bit faster than normal, making crystal clear that she was still a bit nervous and agitated, and after all that sudden action, I calmly approached her, trying to be as smooth as I possibly could "Hey, its okay now, everything is fine alright?" I said slowly patting her nose and neck, giving her a few moments to calm down *Oh great, now you are talking with your horse too, I swear that being near that weirdo is not good for you, and means a lot coming from me* said Odium. Instead of answering him I began to wonder for a few moments while Lucky was calming down if Deadrin had in fact seen my Soul Eye and what would I do if he asked me about it. In the end I decided to not mention the subject unless there was no way of avoiding it.

Once I was sure Lucky had calmed down and was ready to continue, I climbed on her back again and patted her neck once again gently before moving her reins just enough to make her walk until we were side to side with Deagrin and his rider "That was... pretty interesting huh?" I said in sarcastic tone "Ready to keep going?"

[Neptune]

“It was mildly entertaining.” Daedrin said, feeling amused at Izanagi’s choice of words to describe the encounter. He then gave a nod when the man asked if he was ready to keep going. He turned his attention back in front, nudging Daegrin into a trot. It would be a good idea to get as far from the corpses as possible, as their stench could attract other nasties that would undoubtedly attack. While they might enjoy getting into a fray, one of the best ways to survive in the forest was to avoid as many encounters as possible. Only a few could truly traverse its depths without fear. Daedrin glanced behind him, checking not only on the distance away from the corpses, but also to see if Izanagi was alright. He turned back around, tilting his head slightly as he could hear a distant howl. He turned his head slightly to the right, towards the direction of the sound. He knew from its pitch and depth, that it wasn’t a wolf howl, but he wasn’t too concerned since it seemed far away. Quite likely a hunting pack that was already in pursuit of something. Unconcerned, he turned his gaze to the front once again.

As they reached deeper into the forest, the trees began to grow larger and thicker. Their branches twisted as they stretched out, competing against one another for whatever sunlight they could reach. Daedrin didn’t particularly like this forest, as it had a rather unfriendly feeling to it, as if it hated everything living and wanted to drive them from the forest. Despite the foreboding feeling, Daedrin ignored it, continuing to head deeper into the forest. By the time the sun was hovering over the horizon, Daedrin turned his head towards his companion, “We should consider stopping for the night soon. We should be reaching the Ildran River soon which will lead us deeper into the forest.” He said, raising his head slightly as he heard the sharp call of a bird, “We should keep a fire only to cook something to eat. No longer. We don’t want it attracting any nasties.” He said. In particular, he didn’t want to attract the more intelligent monsters who were tougher to fight against. They knew a small pinpoint of light in the dark meant people, and they would home in on them and attack without mercy. Daedrin pulled his Aelda to a stop beside a large tree, looking up at it. It had been damaged at some point, causing a large cavern which would be just as good as a cave to camp in. He probed it with his mind, but he wasn’t able to detect anything past the tree itself, and the insect life that lived around it.

“This would be a good place to set up camp.” He said before swinging down from Daegrin. He moved towards the tree, kicking dead leaves out of his way before he bowed slightly as he stepped into the cavern. After a moment his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around. It looked quite safe, with nothing dangerous growing inside. Nor could he see any dangerous insects. He came back out, “Yes. A very good place to set up camp.” He said, walking over to Daegrin and unsnapping his sleeping bag from the beast before asking, “Can you go look for nearby firewood? I’ll start setting things up here.”

[Akira]

Right after Deagrin and his master began to move Lucky and I did the same, following them and keeping a few inches of distance, moving at a reasonable speed as we left the decomposed Ghoul corpses behind *Finally! one minute more and I think my nose would have melted.* I tought to myself as I felt the sweet relief of not having to smell those foul corpses anymore, plus they would likely attract more creatures due to the strong and bad smell coming from them *Pffft, you complain way too much, you know that?* said Odium in a mocking tone *and why did you leave so soon? the smell would attract more monsters, which means more fun right?* *Oh shut up, even you can't deny that it would be a waste of energy, as fun as fighting more would be, and we need to save it for more possible problems ahead of us, not to mention that the monsters will come after us whether we want it or not* Odium simply eye-rolled, or whatever the equivalent is for him, before respoding in a grumpy tone *Ugh, whatever*

As we kept going deeper inside we eventually heard a howl, I immediatly turned to the direction of the sound, tempted to use my Soul Eye to try to find the source, but I decided against it for two reasons: 1) The sound was rather week, which implies that whatever made it was considerably far, hence, hardly a threat; and 2) I didn't want to risk having Deadrin seeing it again. *Do you think this could be a problem?* I asked Odium, wanting to know if he would agree *If you are talking about the howl then probably not, it didn't seem to be near anyway* I nodded in response and facused on the 'road' again. It didn't take me long to notice that was getting darked and darker as we went through the forest, not only because the trees were getting bigger and denser and kept going, but also because the sun was setting on the horizon and night would soon fall over us, before I could say anything my companion took the initiative and said that we should stop soon and set up a camp, he also warned me about the dangers of keeping the fire on for more time than necessary, which I noded in agreement "Agreed, the fire would probably get us some unwanted attention" upon noticing that Deadrin had stopped I did the same, quickly noticing the giant cavernous hole in the tree and wondering what could have caused it.

I watched as Deadrin analyzed the area, checking for anything dangerous, once he said it was a good place to set up the camp I got down from Lucky's back and gave her a few pats on the neck, which seemed to make her happy. "Got it" I responded at your request for fire wood, I looked around a bit and approached one of the many trees nearby , checking the ground for what I needed, it wasn't hard to find, thankfully, I soon came back with a considerable amount of dried sticks and branches on my arms, it was probably a bit more than we needed, but it was best to bring more than to bring less "By the way, I think we should take turns sleeping, we can't risk getting cought off-guard" I said placing the content from my arms on the ground near the cave's entrance.

 

 

Edited October 29, 2018 by Akira

[Neptune]

Daedrin watched Izanagi walk off from the corner of his eye before he turned back to the cavernous hole in the tree. He stepped inside, glancing behind him before using his feet to kick out various stones and twigs that would make sleeping on the ground uncomfortable. He pushed them into piles up against the tree so that he could return them back to where they had been when they left. He was good at being able to cover his tracks, and he didn’t exactly what to leave evidence of their stay. The more intelligent creatures of the forest would be able to track them down if they left even a trace of their presence behind. He then picked up a branch, stepping to the edge of the cavern before kneeling down and digging a small hole in the ground to place their fire in. He then picked up some stones and placed them around the small hole to help contain the heat of the fire. Once that was done, he picked up nearby sticks and inspected them before constructing a crude spit over the fire. He somewhat regretted not bringing a bow, since there were still some small creatures like rabbits that would compliment their meals. 

Once he had finished making the spit, he stood up, brushing dirt and leaves from his trousers when Izanagi returned. He turned his head towards his companion, watching him as he dumped the firewood down near the tree. He stepped around the firepit he had made and moved over to Daegrin, digging into the saddlebags as he looked for flint and steel. He didn’t immediately respond to Izanagi, as he had stated a rather obvious fact and Daedrin felt no need to dignify it with a response. He pulled out his flint and steel, as well as a small box of tinder, before moving back over to Izanagi and bending down to pick up several of the sticks. He snapped them down into more manageable pieces before he carried them over to the firepit and knelt down. He arranged them within the pit before putting down some of the tinder before him. He then began striking the piece of flint against the steel to cause sparks that descended down onto the tinder. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then smoke began to curl out of the tinder. Daedrin dropped the flint and steel beside him before picking up the tinder and lightly blowing on it, pushing oxygen through it and causing the small ember to develop into a flame. He placed it down in the firepit and shifted the sticks so that they caught alight. 

Daedrin picked up his firemaking items before going over to the saddlebags and putting them away. He pulled out a small stewpot, figuring a nice hot stew would be welcome after a hard days travel. He pulled out dried beef meat, along with dried peas, a couple of carrots, an onion, some dried herbs, and a small bag of flour. He also grabbed one of their water skins and carried the items back to the fire. He removed the main spit, sliding the stew pot onto it before placing it back over the fire. He emptied the water bag into the pot before adding the meat into the water so that it could soak and heat up. He also threw in the herbs, so that the meat could be flavoured slowly as it heated up. He then sat down next to the fire, pulling a flattish piece of stone closer and scraping it clean with his hand. He then peeled the onion before pulling out a knife from his waist and beginning to cut it into small pieces which he picked up and threw into the stew pot, his movements quick and well practised. He then quickly peeled and cut the carrots with the same knife, before adding the vegetables to the stew along with the flour so that the sauce could thicken. 

Once done, he covered the pot and rubbed his hands against his thigh to somewhat clean them. He looked over at his companion before finally talking, “Could you bring some sticks over?” He asked, before looking back at the fire, “The stew should be done in a bit.” He added, watching the mesmerising flames before deciding to address Izanagi’s point earlier, “By the way, I will take the first watch. You can take second.” He knew that he was more than capable with remaining awake for a few days without any problems, but he found that humans would find that kind of behaviour suspicious, especially if he just shrugged it off as if he had only been awake for a few hours after a restful sleep. 

[Akira]

"Sure, no problem" I said in response both to Deadrin's request about the sticks and about the shifts, even though I wasn't very tired at the moment I still didn't want to risk going through a dangerous place like the one we currently found ourselfs in without proper resting, it would basically be suicide after all and, needless to say, neither of us wanted that. I calmly went to the area where I had placed the rest of the sticks a brought them with me, placing them right beside my companion, at the same time however, I couldn't help but think it could not be enough, since there wasn't many of them in the first place, so I turned my attention back to the woods behind us, taking a few brief moments to ponder if I really should go after more. It wasn't long before I made my decision, silently walking towards the huge trees and keeping my eyes open for more of the sticks I wanted while also paying attention to any signs of potential danger and making sure I didn't go too far from the camp.

While I was looking around, something else cought my attention: small foot prints, due to how dry the ground in the area was I couldn't exactly what made them, but I was sure it wasn't a threat, after all, my insticts weren't warning me about anything and even if was a hostile creature that had made them, it would likely be something easy to deal with. With that in mind, I kept following the traces until I reached a rabbit hole under the roots of a tree that was relatively smaller than the others. I used my Soul Eye to check if the owner of the hole was at home, but no luck, he was probably looking for food or something. Without deactivating my ability I looked at bushes and other areas where I could possibly find the rabbit, and this time, I found him. *Well hello there* I tought to myself as I stopped using my Soul Eye. The animal was under a small bush and already aware of my presence, keeping a straight look at me, waiting for my next move. I was sure that at very moment that I took a step closer the creature would make a run for it, fortunely for me, I didn't need to make a move. With a single mental command I silently created a tiny portal just a few inches above the rabbit and fired a single chain with a blade at the tip, quickly piercing through the poor animal's head and killing it immediatly. *Heh gatch ya*

Once that was done, I calmly made my way towards my prize and removed the chain's blade from the body, but instead of dissipating it, like I would normally do, I used it to cut a small line on the dead rabbit's neck and then proceeding to pull of the skin with my hands *Sorry little guy, nothing personal* I tought as I cut off the paws and head. With another small cut, I opened the crature's belly and removed the guts, along with anything undesirable. Now that my work was done, with another mental command, I lifted the portal and the chain until it was just about my height from the ground and attached the meat to it. I used my feet to push all the remains to the rabbit's hole and then covered it with dirt before placing a few flowers on top of it all, both as a sign of respect to the now dead animal and also to cover remain's smell so it wouldn't attract more predators. 

Finally, I got a few more sticks from under the bushes around and also took the meat from the chain before dissipating it, once again returning to the camp with pleased and slightly proud expression on my face. "Hey Deadrin, I got what you asked for and a bit more" I said as I approached the man near the fire pit and placed the sticks near him before showing the rabbit carcass on my right hand, already handing it over to him "Not bad huh?"

[Neptune]

When Izanagi placed the sticks down beside him, Daedrin gave a small nod of thanks before picking up one of the sticks and breaking it down into smaller pieces before adding it to the fire. He glanced up, watching as Izanagi silently moved out of the camp area and into the forest. Daedrin wasn’t too concerned, but he did keep an eye on Izanagi’s location by use of his telepathy. It wasn’t strong enough to be detected, but enough so that if Izanagi was to get into trouble, Daedrin would be immediately alerted to it. But for now, he remained by the fire to tend the stew as he broke up more sticks and added them to the fire. At least this allowed Daedrin a few minutes of peace, something that he rather enjoyed.

Daedrin looked up and off into the forest, noting that it was slightly darker now than it was when they had first settled in the camp. He tilted his head slightly, listening carefully and found that it was eerily quiet. There were insect noises, but not as many as one would expect within an untouched woodland such as this. It put him slightly on edge, but he couldn’t sense anything outwardly hostile. He picked up a wooden spoon, using it to stir the contents of the pot before putting the spoon down. He heard the cry of a crow, and looked up to see the bird sitting on one of the branches of the tree that he was sat underneath. It was staring right at him, as if trying to figure out if he was a threat or not. Daedrin just stared back for a few moments, as the bird reminded him fondly of his Aunt, before he turned his eyes back to the fire once again. The crow wasn’t anything of interest, and thus it was a waste of his time to spend too much thinking on it. 

Daedrin looked back up when he sensed that Izanagi was returning to the camp, and thus saw the man coming back with a gutted and skinned rabbit in his right hand. One of Daedrin’s eyebrows rose when he spied the creature, before his eyes rose to meet his companions, “Not bad at all.” He said in agreement as he took the rabbit. He lay it down on the rock he had used to cut the vegetables, before saying, “I was thinking earlier that I regretted not bringing a bow because a rabbit would have been a good addition to the stew.” He pulled out his sharp knife and began to carve pieces of meat from the rabbit carcass, putting it aside on the stone in a small pile. He cut off as much meat as he could, before picking it up and lifting the lid of the pot before throwing it in. He rubbed his hands on his trousers before picking up the wooden spoon and stirring the pot, “The stew will take a little longer now but it is a good, hearty meal. Can you dispose of the remains?” He asked, since the bones of the rabbit weren’t going to be much use to them. If they were back in Selil, Daedrin would have kept it to allow his wife to make a stock from it, but out here, it wasn’t much use and would only attract things they didn’t want.

[Akira]

"Sure thing" I said as I calmly took all the bones from the ground and once again moved away from the camping area, upon reaching a satisfactory distance I made another hole on the ground with my hands that was just big enough to bury all the bones, reducing the chances of any dangerous creature track the smell and find us. I rubbed my hands on my pants to clear them once I was done and approached Lucky to take my bedroll from her. She was already laying on the ground not too far from the fire, seeming to be fairly confortable considering where we were. I calmly picked what I needed and gave her a few pats on the neck before returning to my companion's side near the fire pit, taking a seat beside him and placing the bedroll not far from my position so I could easily reach out for it later.

I stayed in silence there, watching the flames dancing under the pot and a little bit of vapor coming out from under the lid, waiting for our meal to be ready. I was also glad that Deadrin didn't ask how I maneged to hunt the rabbit with out a bow or any hunting tools, it would be hard to explain since I didn't want to tell him about he Hell's Chain, at the same time however, I beginning to feel like I actually could tell him if necessary, I couldn't exactly explain why, but Deadrin had proved to be a very reliable guy so far, even though he certainly has his fair share of secrets to keep, he didn't seem to be the type who would treat me like a monster or demon if he found out about my powers, or at least that is what I hoping for, since my gut was telling me something would soon happen and it probably wouldn't be anything good.

[Neptune]

Daedrin liked the quiet the pervaded the small camp. He was liking Izanagi more, the more time he spent with him. Granted, he was basing that off of the fact that Izanagi didn’t seem to feel awkward about long silences, and didn’t feel the pressing need to natter Daedrin’s ear off. That automatically raised his opinion of someone. He stared at the pot, watching it as he kept an ear out for anything that was approaching the camp. Another reason why he liked the quiet. Nattering tended to cover up the sounds of approaching enemies, and not paying attention in this forest often lead to a bad ending. He lifted the lid of the pot, watching as the white steam curled upwards. He stirred with the wooden spoon before picking up a piece of the rabbit meat and inspecting it. It was almost ready. He dropped it back in, closing the pot back up before he stood up and moved over to Daegrin who was standing near Lucky, watching the forest. He patted the Aelda on the neck before digging in the saddlebags and picking out a couple of bowls, a serving spoon and two eating spoons. He then returned to the fire and sat back down, this time on his knees as his arse had gotten pretty numb from the cold, hard ground. 

Once he was sure that the stew was ready, he lifted the lid off and spooned a generous amount into each bowl. He handed one to Izanagi, “Help yourself to more if you want it.” He said before picking up his own bowl and spooning some of the vegetables and put it into his mouth to chew. It was a hearty little stew, with the sauce just thick enough to be warming. It was seasoned well, for a firepit stew and he was rather pleased with himself that it turned out as well as it did. He glanced up when there was a cawing sound, only to see the crow from earlier. It was watching them, and one of Daedrin’s eyebrows rose before he reached forwards and put the lid back on the stew pot just in case the crow had been eyeing it up. He then returned to his stew, eating it in complete silence. Once he was finished, he dished himself out a second helping, leaving enough for Izanagi if he wanted it. But once he had finished eating, he put the bowl aside before looking back up at the crow again, not liking how it was seemingly watching them. He looked back down at the fire again, which at this point was getting close to dying out. He cast an eye to the sky, which was getting progressively faster and decided that it would be best to just let the fire die out.

[Akira]

I was a bit too lost in thought to notice Deadrin getting up and moving towards his horse to pick up two bowls and spoons so we could eat. My mind was too focused on processing the recent toughts about the possibility of someone finding out about my demonic nature, I would still prefer to avoid that scenario if at all possible but... *Geez, looks like someone has a lot to think about huh?* said Odium in a surprisingly calm tone *Look, if you are planning on mocking me just stop ok? I already have enough to in my mind at the moment* this time I was the grumpy one, ironically enough *You know that mocking you is not the only thing I do, not the way I see it at least* *Whatever, just... leave me be for now ok?* the demon didn't respond, choosing to do as I asked, I felt a bit bad for that, even though there was the risk of him possessing me I had know him for ten years now and fighting him that way wouldn't do me any good.

Thankfully my train of thought was interupted by Deadrin handing me a bowl full of soup, I calmly took if from his hands and said "Thanks for the food" before I began to eat, the taste was really good considering that we were eating in the middle of the forest, the meet was well cooked and the seasoning was just right, even though I didn't like to break the silence I felt like I should at least say how the food was "This tastes really good" I said to my companion as I got myself a second serving. I ate the second bowl of soup in silence and placed the now empty dish on the ground beside me before I got up and picked my bedroll narby and opened it, placing it a bit deeper inside the cave we were in "Alright, don't hesitate to wake me up if something happens ok?" I took the sword from my back and placed it beside me before I made myself confortable inside the bedroll and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep not much time later

[Neptune]

“I will.” Daedrin replied, giving his companion a sharp nod as he watched the man settle down to sleep. As soon as the man looked to be comfortable, he picked up the dirty bowls and pot, using the water in their waterskin to clean it before setting it aside to dry. He then stood up, moving over to one of the exposed roots and leaned his hip against it as he gazed out into the forest. He could hear the nocturnal insect life beginning to come to life, filling the forest with the sound of their songs. The light from the sky quickly faded, leaving the world in pitch darkness. Daedrin however, scanned the forest, his eyesight still sharp as he could see clearly within the dark. He glanced at the fire and was pleased that it was no longer even glowing with embers. Sure, it was cold without a fire, but not so cold that they threatened to freeze to death. Being cold was preferable to being attacked. He looked behind him, observing Izanagi and was pleased to note that he was deep asleep. His eyes then moved to where the crow had been earlier, to see that it was still there, watching him. He wondered if Izanagi had noticed it, and silently hoped that he had not. He looked around the forest again before suddenly bending down and undoing his shoes. He placed them on the forest floor beside him before carefully peeling off his gloves, having to fight a little with the nano-hairs on his fingers and palm of the hand which caused him to stick to the material of the glove. Sometimes being part Eldyrannth had a bit of a downside, especially when it came to the hands and feet but useful if he needed to keep a firm hold on something.

He shifted so that he was sitting on the root, before reaching down and peeling off his socks, having to deal the same stickiness with his toes and sole of the feet. He threw the socks and gloves down onto the shoes before he once again checked that Izanagi was asleep. He pressed a hand against the bark of the root before jumping up and bringing his hands underneath him so that it was now balanced on his toes. He then straightened and placed his hands on the bark of the tree, before using the stickiness of his hands and feet to stealthily and easily climb the trunk of the tree until he came to one of the thick branches. He shifted so that he could climb onto the branch, peeling his hands away and sitting himself down with his back against the trunk. Now that he was in the tree, he had a much better field of view. He looked down at his hands, irritated to find dirt and pieces of bark stuck to him but he decided to leave it for now. He looked over at the crow, watching it for a long moment as it stared back.

The crow then ruffled their feathers before tipping off of the branch they were standing on, swooping down before flaring their wings and landing down in front of Daedrin. He watched the bird for a moment, folding his left leg in front of him while the other hung off of the branch, swinging slightly. His lips twitched in a slight smile before he looked off into the forest as he listened to the sounds of insects. He saw movement in front of his eyes but it was only an owl that was drifting silently through the trees. He then turned his head back towards the crow only to find that it was gone. Instead, sitting beside him on the branch was a tall woman. She was at least seven and a half feet tall, her slender figure hidden behind a deep purple robe. She was looking at him through thick eyelashes, revealing metallic purple eyes. She was beautiful with delicate features. Large, angled eyes, full kissable lips and a small nose that ended with a small flick that gave him the irrational urge to kiss it. Her hair was black in colour, spilling down her shoulders like a dark waterfall, the dark colour broken up by streaks of purple. Her ears were certainly not human. They were long, and hugged to the slight curve of her head only stopping when they reached the top of her head. Along the rim of the ear were small, bony protrusions looking like small spikes. Her full lips twitched in a smile as she looked at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

“What are you doing here?” Daedrin asked, keeping his voice low. He glanced down at Izanagi to make sure that the man was asleep.

“Don’t worry. He can’t see, or hear me. Even if he was awake.” The woman assured him in a soft, musical voice, before she gave him a slight smirk, “Can’t I come and see one of my favourite nephews?” She then asked.

“I suppose you can, but that doesn’t answer my question. Usually none of you approach either of us without a reason.” Daedrin replied. She let out a soft laugh, a musical ripple of sound, “Don’t worry, I’m just dropping in to see how you were doing. You don’t often come into the forest and I was curious as to why.” She said, looking a little more serious.

“I’m after a certain mineral up near Ashaba.” Daedrin replied. 

“What of your friend down there? Certainly not human.” The woman replied, looking down at Izanagi. 

Daedrin shrugged, “I have no idea who he really is. But he’s interesting, and he needed the work. He found an interesting sword that he wanted me to repair, but he can’t afford it. Thus far, he does not seem to be any kind of threat to me.” He replied. 

The woman gave a soft hum before nodding her head, “Alright, then. I guess I will leave you to it.” She turned her head to look back at him, “As long as you take care of yourself.”

“Of course I will. My parents taught me well, and I know any of you are but a call away.” Daedrin replied. She smiled again before leaning forwards and giving him a kiss on the forehead before she blurred and turned into the crow. She gave him one last look before she swept off into the night, leaving him alone. Daedrin couldn’t stop the soft chuckle that escaped him. If she was here, then it was likely that at least one of his father’s were. He shook his head at the thought and returned to his vigil.

The rest of his watch was quiet, and it was soon time to switch with Izanagi. He sighed, before he climbed back down with as much ease as he had climbing up. He dropped down to the forest floor, his movements as silent as smoke. He picked up one his socks, lifting his foot and using telekinesis to pull the dirt and grime off before pulling on his sock. He repeated the action with the other foot before cleaning his hands and pulling his gloves on. He then pulled on his boots, tying them up as if they had never moved off of his feet. He silently moved over to Daegrin and pulled off his bedroll before he moved into the cave of the tree. He put his bedroll down, before turning and putting a hand on Izanagi’s shoulder, shaking him gently, “Izanagi. Time for your watch.” He said, hoping that it would wake the man. When he was sure that he was, Daedrin moved over to his own bedroll and rolled it out onto the floor before climbing inside. He shifted a few times to get comfortable, and ended up with his back to the wall of the tree as his face looked out into the camp. He then closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

[Akira]

While I was sleeping I had a dream, a special dream might I add, I was back home, in front of the door to my house, there were no noises around but the sound of the wind blowing gently through the area, that level of inner peace was something that I haven't felt in a while. I took a quick look around before noticing a tombstone a few meters to my right, immediatly triggering a few memories from my dead father, but I didn't have much time to think about that, because there was something written there and it wasn't my father's name, what was written instead was: "We all have inner demons. Most try to hide them, some try to face them, but very few have what it takes to actually embrace them". As I finished reading the tumbstone suddenly ignited and quickly burned, leaving a pile of ashes that formed a new question on the ground: "Now, which will you choose?". Before I could do anything else, my dream was interrupted by Deadrin shaking my shoulder lightly to wake me up.

"Yeah yeah" I responded with a sleepy voice as I sit up in my bedroll and covered my mouth with one of my hands, letting out a soft yawn. After that, I calmly got up and stretched my arms in the air a little bit to help me get out of my sleepy state, proceeding to roll my bed once again and calmly placing it back with Lucky, who was sleeping peacefully. I gently caressed her neck a little bit, making sure to not wake her up, before turning back to my sleeping companion in his bedroll *Alright, hopefully we won't have any problems...* I thought to myself as I took a seat near the now extinguished fire pit. I also activated my Soul Eye once again to make it easier to detect any possible enemies in the area. While I was there I couldn't help but think about the dream, I knew what it meant and what I had to do, but it would still be hard to do so.

*Hey, Odium* I called him simply *What?* he responded in a sort of cold tone. I took a second to bury all my pride and fear before I continued *I am sorry about yesterday ok?* my tone was a bit nervous and awkward, but I knew I should keep going *I don't want to fight you or be cold and ignorant with you, hell, after all this time you are basically another part of my, but at the same time I am afraid of how the people around me will react if they find out about you and it doesn't help that you are absolutely merciless and even brutal when it comes to dealing with others* there was a brief silence between us until Odium broke it *I see... so you were afraid of me all this time huh?* he responded chuckling a bit *I am actually a bit relieved* I was surprised to say the least *Relieved? why?* *Because I tought you hated me and... well, being afraid is not really good, but is at least better than hating me right?* I stood in silence for a second, thinking about everything that was happening *I guess so...* *You are afraid of me because of that night, isn't it?* Once again I stood in silence, Odium knew that he was right *Do you know why I killed all those guys back then? because you hatted them Izanagi. Our souls a fused together, I can fell what you feel even if you can't do the same* *I guess I was trying to restrain you too much huh?* I responded with a ironic chuckle *Look, I don't expect you to change from day to night, but... instead of trying to repel that inner wrath of yours so much, try to embrace it ok? That is the reason why you are a embodiment of sin, because you and I are compatible* I sighed and nodded a bit, still processing the conversation I just had with Odium.

A few hours had passed, and the forest was calm, the sun's light was just beginning to appear throught the trees and leafs and there I was, at the very same spot, watching over the place like a sentinel while also enjoying the relative silence of the place, however, it wouldn't last much longer. Thanks to my Soul Eye I was able to detect a aggressive looking soul approaching. I quickly got up and took a few steps towards it so I could see better, my eyes widened when I noticed what it was: a female forest troll rampaging her way towards us, she was 5 meters tall and had enormous tree trunk in one of her hands. I quickly deactivated my Soul Eye and took the sword from my back, preparing myself for the battle *Shit* I thought to myself before calling for my companion, not because I thought I couldn't handle the monster, but because it would be risky to let Deadrin unprepared for any emergency that might occur during the fight "DEADRIN, WAKE UP!!!" I shouted, not looking back to check if he had in awoken because I had to focus on the enemie that was just in front of me now.

The troll stopped running when she was just a few feet in front of me, letting out a loud roar and trying to hit me with sideways strike from the club in her hand, but I effortlessly maneged to dodge it by jumping over her weapon. She then followed up with a downward punch using her free hand, I dodged again by dashing to the side, her fist made a loud noise when it hit the ground and left a small hole in the impact area as well, I quicly drew out my sword and sliced her hand out with a single strike. She groaned loudly in pain and took a step back. What she did next however, was completely unexpected; she threw her 'club' at me, I had no problems dodging it but as I saw the enormous tree trunk flying pass me I quickly realized that it was going on the camp's direction and it would likely hit Deadrin or one of the horses. Without time to think I acted on instinct and summoned my chains to stop it "Hell's Chains!" I shouted as a total of 6 small portals appeared, shooting 3 bladed chains from one side, piercing throught the flying trunk and entering on the portals on the other side, stopping the object in mid-air.

Thanks to the sound of the shaking chains I knew that I had been sucessful in stopping the projectile, but the fact that the troll had tryed to attack my friend, even though I was reluctant to call Deadrin a friend in from of him, made me really mad "How dare you try to attack them!" it was easy to notice the anger in my voice "You'll pay for that!" normally I would try to hold all my wrath back, but in this case... I dashed towards the troll at a blinding speed and puched her in the gut with enormous strenght, so much so in fact that it lifter the creature in the air a little bit and pushed it back a few feet. The troll fell to one of it's knees, coveing the area of the impact with her remaining hand and groaning loudly in pain. It was a short lived break however, because the strong pain made her go berserk, roaring once again as she got back up and her skin became red. She tryed one last time to strike me with her hand in another downwards attack, I jumped towards her head in response, evading her fist on the way, and kicked the mosnter's head, forcing her head to move both upwards and sideways at the same time, exposing her neck completely. With a quick spin I drew my sword one more time and sliced her neck completely, behaeding the beast.

I was the first one to hit the ground, smoothly landing on my feet, followed by the troll's head, that fell right beside me, and finally the gigantic lifeless corpse, that made a thunderous noise upon falling backwards "And don't came back" I said in a calmer tone as I took another swing in the air to clean to blade of the blood in it. I didn't put it back inside the sheath however, as I was sure that the troll's chiled was nearby. I took a quick look around and found the creature running for its life, it was a lot like it's mother, but a lot skinnyer and smaller, being about 1,60 meters tall. "Oh not you don't!" I quickly kicked the troll's head that was beside me, hitting the monster child in the head with it and causing it to fall to the ground, stunned. In mere instants I reached the monster and placed my foot on it's chest to keep it from running away. The creature tryied to break free by placing it's hands on my leg and trying to push me away, but it was pointless "Die" I said in a cold tone before stabbing the creature's head with my blade, killing it instanly. I swang my sword in the air one last time to clear it and placed back into the sheath.

I calmly made my way back to the camp and noticed that Deadrin was awake, well... that wasn't exactly a surprise considering everything that just happened. I found myself in a lack of words for a few moments, but I decided to keep it casual "So uhm... do you want to sleep a bit more or go back to travelling?"

[Neptune]

Daedrin’s dreams were disturbed by fleeting dreams that moved from one to the other with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes they lingered longer on some, and only skipped lightly across others. Each dream came with an intense clarity, but the moment he moved onto the next, the memory of the previous dream had already slipped through his fingers like grains of sand. He was suddenly jerked from his sleep by the sound of Izanagi’s shouting voice. His eyes snapped open, the red turning black for a moment before returning to red once again. He sat up, quickly pulling himself out of his bedroll to look up to see what was wrong. He then saw that Izanagi was currently engaged with what appeared to be a troll. His hand shifted towards his sword, but he could see that Izanagi seemed to be handling it well so he didn’t bother to rush in. Instead, he expanded his consciousness to try and detect any other hostiles in the area. He could sense the troll and its blind anger, but he could also sense another troll but judging from how unformed its mind was, it was a child so he left it be. He looked back at Izanagi as he shouted out, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the trolls club flying towards the camp. Before he could say, or do anything he saw six small portals appeared before strange chains emerged from them, stopping the club in mid-flight.

This made Daedrin curious as to what it was, as it was clearly one of Izanagi’s abilities. But that was something that he would have to ask about later, when he wasn’t so busy. He was a little surprised when Izanagi shouted defensively towards the troll, clearly angry that it had attempted to harm those within the camp. He watched as Izanagi easily overpowered it, and beheaded it causing Daedrin to let out a soft sigh of relief. He relaxed his posture as he knew that there was no more trouble around and he could already feel the child troll retreating. He turned around to deal with his bedroll, but Izanagi’s voice made him turn back around. He watched with a slight frown as the man kicked the trolls head, only to see it hit the child and stun it. His eyes then widened when Izanagi reached the monster, pinning it in place before he raised his sword to stab it it.

“NO!” Daedrin called out, however it was too late as Izanagi stabbed the young troll through the head. Daedrin was rooted on the spot, his mouth gaping slightly as he stared at the lifeless corpse of the child. He didn’t even pay attention when Izanagi came back, acting casually as he spoke but the words didn’t even register in Daedrin’s mind. His red eyes turned black and he had to close his eyes and begin to take deep, calming breaths. He could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him, and he had to get control over himself and quickly. If he didn’t, then everyone around him was going to feel the force of his wrath and it was not going to end well if he went into a full rage. He completely blocked out Izanagi as his teeth gritted as he tried to clamp down on his anger. Daegrin, sensing that his companion was close to losing it, shifted and let out an uneasy whinny. The Aelda backed off slightly, pawing at the ground in a nervous fashion before it looked at Izanagi and let out a snort. 

Daedrin went through a list of metals and minerals in his mind, muttering them softly like a mantra. He did this as an attempt to keep control of himself and to ground himself. When he felt that he had significantly calmed down, he turned around to Izanagi once again and opened his eyes which were red once again, “What. The fuck. Was that about?” He demanded, his voice significantly lower and coming out as a growl. What didn’t help his case was the fact that his Daedra part was fueling the anger, wanting to revel in it and lash out at those that had angered him. He took a deep breath before saying, “That was a child, Izanagi. A child that was running away. A child that was fucking petrified of you! That was nothing short of murder, Izanagi! MURDER OF A CHILD!” The last part was shouted, his tone laced with fury. For a moment, the whites of his eyes turned an intense, glossy black before returning to normal. He breathed in hard through his nose to try and keep the anger at bay before he continued on. This time his voice was quiet, and calm with the fury underlying the words, “The mother, I can understand! That was self defense. The child? You have no fucking excuse for that. There is one thing I cannot stand, and that is the harming and murder of children, no matter who they are. Especially ones that are running for their life!” He then let out a snarl before turning around and walking away from Izanagi, “Don’t fucking talk to me until I get back. And you better not run off, because I will hunt you down.” He then snapped as he continued walking off. Daegrin snorted again, glancing off towards his companion before turning to look back at Izanagi once again. 

At the moment, he couldn’t stand looking at the man. He needed to let his anger simmer and calm down properly before he could even listen to his reasons. Despite his anger, Daedrin wasn’t stupid. He knew there could be a reason for such behaviour, such as that Izanagi had simply gone berserk in his rage. But right now, his anger wouldn’t allow him to listen. He walked directly up to the fallen child, coming to a stop. He then knelt down beside them, reaching out and tenderly touching their head, “May the Divines guide you to a restful slumber.” He murmured softly. He then stood up and walked off again, disappearing into the forest. He looked up when there was a crooning sound, only to see a white dove sitting on a branch nearby. His lips twisted slightly before he turned and continued off, working his frustrations off. 

Daedrin was at a little loss to what to do. He had been so angry he had almost lost control, and he was sure he had let slip a few things. But unfortunately he, like any Eldyrannth, could not stand the harming of children. It brought forth a deep, instinctual rage within him. Despite how old he was, and how well he had a hold of his emotions, sometimes they got away from him. Anger especially, thanks to his Daedric heritage. And anger was the most dangerous emotion to get out of control. He could do so much damage if he let himself go, and he couldn’t stomach the thought of hurting Daegrin, or Izanagi. Despite his anger with the man, Daedrin was honest enough with himself that he liked the man as a friend. He made a good companion, and Daedrin enjoyed his company. He stopped when he came near the edge of the river, and he gazed across its dark surface watching the water move sluggishly. He watched as a river vole emerged from the long grass beside the river before slipping into the water and swimming along the shoreline. The scene was so peaceful it allowed Daedrin to relax, his tense muscles loosening as he allowed it to drain away the last of his anger. Finally feeling more like himself, Daedrin turned and headed back towards the camp. He paused however when he heard a howl in the distance and he turned his head towards the sound, his eyes narrowing. It was distant, but still too close for comfort. He turned back towards the camp and continued on his way. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by Neptune
Formatting corrections

[Akira]

Deadrin's reaction was... surprising to say the very least. I had literally just killed a enormous troll and her child to protect us, but instead of a 'hey, nice job handling that problem' or something like that he simply got angry at me, and I had noticed that for a few brief moments his eyes had turned dark before returning to their normal color, solidifying my theory about him not being human. I didn't have much time to think about it however, because Deadrin was clearly not happy whit the fact that I had killed a child despite the fact that it was a monster child, not a human one.

Seeing my companion's reaction made me feel a lot of things at the same time... confusion, sadness, but mostly, rage. Once again I found myself fighting to keep all that burning wrath to myself, after all, even if Deadrin and I were desagreeing with each other at the moment I didn't want to fight and/or hurt him. However, while I was capable of keeping my body to act as my feeling were telling me to, my mind was a whole different story, and even though the man was probably not even listening to what I was saying, I couldn't help but to talk back at him "Murder of a monster child in case you don't know the difference" the anger and revolt in my voice were clear as a crystal "What the fuck do wanted me to do? Bring the creature home? Call it Steve, put a damn collar on it's neck and rise it like a goddamn puppy? Eh mister 'child protector'?!" I was also beginning to huff at that point, I felt like my blood was beginning to boil under my skin when Deadrin left and told me to not run from him "Oh don't worry, I have no intention of running from you, trust me".

 Once he had dissapeared inside the woods I focused on how to let all that anger out without hurting any of the horses. After a few brief moments looking around I walked towards a considerably big tree that was near our camp and at the same time at a safe distance from our horses and items , stopping when I just a feet away from it. Once there, I allowed all the anger to flow through me, in mere instants it took over both my body and mind as I shouted angrily  "AAAAARRGGHH!!!" I punched the tree in front of me with so much power that the sheer force broke the trunk completely and caused the tree to fall down, thankfully in the opposite direction of the camp. What I noticed only after I had taken a few breaths to calm down was that trunk was also slightly burned on the area of impact, apparently I was so mad at the moment that my arm momentarily merged with Odium and manifested the Wrathful Flames before the impact, not enought to set it ablaze, bit it still burned. 

After I had calmed down a bit I took a few steps away from the now destroyed tree to have a look at the damage *Well... shit* I tought to myself before I turned back to the camp area, noticing that the trunk that I had stopped with my Hell's Chain was still in the air, with a quick mental comand the chanis dissipated and the enormous object fell to the ground just a few feet away from the fire pit. As I took a seat near it I heard a snort coming Deagin, it was as if he was trying to tell me something, but at that moment I couldn't care less, I turned to him with a calmer yet still pretty angry look "Hey, mind your own business iron shoes" my voice tone was more serious than angry at that point. I then turned my head back to the direction that Deadrin had walked to and activated my Soul Eye, this time I was not giving a damn if he would notice or not, I just wanted to know when he was approaching. I also pulled the hoody from my jacket over my head, hiding my eyes and nose under it's shadow, apart from the slight glow from right eye due my active power. I already knew what I was going to tell him: the truth. I was going to explain my actions, despite how much I hated doing so, and would wait or his reaction. If he understands that it was necessary, good, if not... well, I really wanted him to understand.

By the time the man came back I was patiently waiting for him, I probably looking a little scary or manecing at that state and the giant broken tree nearby probably wasn't going to help me much, but there was nothing to be done about it now, other than talk to him that is. "So, I take you maneged to cool down that pretty little head of yours huh?" I began before Deadrin could have said anything, my voice was a bit cold and calm, bit really firm and serious at the same time "As you can see, so did I, even though my methods were a bit more... well..." I pointed at the burned tree, as a sign that I meant business "But thats not important right now" I got up and walked towards Deadrin, stopping when we were about 1 meter away from each other, looking him straight in the eyes and paying attention to his soul as well, if it gets too agitated then it would be a signal that things were about to get ugly "If you are specting me to apologize you'll be really dissapointed. I will however, explain to you why I killed the troll child." I took a deep breath and then began to speak with considerably softer voice "You see, while trolls are by no means intelligent, they are also not completely irrational. Their actions are based around two things:" I lifted a hand and two fingers, one for each thing "Instict and emotion" I said putting down one finger for each thing named and then putting down my hand as well once they both had been mentioned "Was that troll afraid of me when I killed it? yes, but if I hadn't killed it, that fear would inevitably transform into anger, which would later became a never ending thirst for revenge on humans. I there aren't many trolls like that because there are not many humans capable of actually killing one, but the ones that do became like that begin to actively hunt down and kill people for fun and revenge. Sure, if a monster like that tryed to attack Selil it would likely be stopped, but how many people would have to die before that huh?" my voice was a lot calmer now, it was possible to note a certain sadness behind it

I sighed and pulled of my hoody, showing my face once again "Now, if even after hearing that, you think I did the wrong thing..." I turned my face slightly to the side, exposing my cheeck and pointing at it with my finger "Go on then, hit me with your best punch" 

[Neptune]

As Daedrin neared the camp, he paused for a moment, surveying it and seeing that Izanagi was still there, his hood drawn up and watching him. Daedrin’s eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the slight glow from the right eye, wondering if it was related to what he had seen the previous day when they had been attacked by the ghouls. He started walking again, silently entering the confines of the camp, his eyes fixed upon Izanagi. As the man stood and walked closer, Daedrin’s back straightened slightly as his eyes remained fixed on his companions, unwilling to look away or back down and show weakness. One of his slender eyebrows shot up at Izanagi’s first question, before his eyes glanced to the side to see the damage that Izanagi had caused to the unoffending tree. Daedrin looked back at the man, his face unreadable and his eyes guarded as he stood silently as Izanagi explained his reasons for killing the troll child. He was, yet again, reminded of how humans in this century thought. It certainly was nothing like how he did. His thinking was more along the lines of what the Eldyrannth, even of this century, thought. At Izanagi’s suggestion of punching him in the face, Daedrin couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. He then shook his head, his eyes remaining fixed on Izanagi,

“No. I’m not a tavern brawler, Izanagi. Just because I disagree with you, doesn’t mean I’m going to resort to hitting you. Besides, I’ll likely accidentally snap your neck. I’m stronger than I look.” Daedrin said, knowing that he didn’t look particularly strong with his deceptively slender muscles. He knew that he could easily lift Daegrin and use him as a weight-lift. He then took a deep breath as he tried to mentally sort out his thoughts before he could voice them. With a grimace, he knew that he was likely going to end up talking more than he usually liked doing. But now that he had calmed down, he was keeping a better control of his emotions. Finally, after several silent moments, Daedrin said, “All creatures, no matter their level of sentience, are ruled by instinct and emotion, Izanagi. Even you and I. We both displayed that in spades today. We both allowed anger to overwhelm us. Trolls are, no doubt, monsters to humans. But I imagine to the trolls, humans are just as much of a monster. There are humans, that even other humans consider monsters. Would it make it right to kill those humans, and then their children? Just because of the chance that they might cause chaos and mayhem? Every creature on this land is capable of such acts, but that doesn’t mean that we should cull them. It is all well and good to act for the safety of others, but you must be careful not to step into the territory of tyranny in doing so. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Good intentions gives you a justification, an excuse to commit atrocities. You become no better than what you are fighting. At least, that is what I believe and it is something I have witnessed a thousand times before.” He broke off, turning his eyes up to see the same dove from earlier sitting in the nearby tree, “It is very easy to go from walking along that edge, to falling deep into the pit. For you to become the monster to everyone else.” He turned his eyes back to Izanagi, “I have an inherit respect for all life, my friend. Whether it is you, a village of humans, or indeed a little village of what you call monsters. I do not go out and attack them because they could do me, or others harm, especially when I do not know for absolute sure. I only kill in self defense, when my life is directly threatened.” Daedrin snapped his mouth closed, not even sure if he was explaining himself correctly. He certainly doubted that Izanagi would even understand what he was trying to say. It was a difficult concept for humans of this era to understand.

Daegrin trotted over, letting out a happy snort as he nuzzled at Daedrin’s shoulder. The man absently reached up and stroked along the Aelda’s muzzle, before he said, “I don’t expect you to understand, and that’s alright. We can agree to disagree on this matter. But honestly, I don’t view trolls as monsters. Not really. They, like us, are just trying to survive in the world. Granted, they aren’t as intelligent or have the same societal rules as we do, but they try their best. It might not even have been hatred that drew the mother to try and hurt us. She could have been doing it to try and feed her child. I can no more hold that against her, than I can a wolf that is hunting down a rabbit. It is certainly not in her best interests, emotionally or instinctually to kill people on a whim when she has a child that she needs to nurture and protect.” The corner of his lip twitched before he said, “The world is a complicated place. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Even those that seem like monsters, have very relatable reasons for their actions. Sometimes, all it takes is a little understanding. Granted, that doesn’t work in all cases, but sometimes it works. I always try that option first, rather than skip straight to violence. Which is why I’m still not going to hit you. Because now we understand each other a little more.” He then let out a soft chuckle, “I should give you a medal or something. It’s been a while since someone’s made me talk that much in one go.” He said, finding himself amused by that fact.

[Akira]

Just as I expected, Deadrin's soul did not show any sigh of unusual agitation during or conversation, he kept his self controll and that made happy, since I didn't really want to fight him, that said I did feel a little underestimated when said that he would probably break my neck in single punch, I mean came on man, I literally killed a enormous troll just a few minutes ago. While I knew that challenging him to a fight wouldn't do us any good it was still tempting after that blow against my warrior pride that probably went by unoticed by him. "Heh, that sounded like a challenge, if you ever want to try it out let me know" I said chuckling playfully "But I should also warn you that I am not as fragile as you may think due to my... let's say, not really muscly appearence" at that point I was mainly trying to improve our moods, I simply felt like I should at least try even though that wasn't my strong suit.

It would take me a lot of time to process everything that Deadrin had just told me, it was almost the exact opposite of the way I thought, worst of all, he had som pretty damn good points there, even though I would never admit it in front of him. Despite not agreeing wit him at had to at the very least recognize and respect his point of view. One thing cought my attention however: the way he was talking. He was refering to humans as if he himself wasn't one of them and it was tempting to ask if he was in fact something different, but I decided against. I also noticed that he actually called me 'my friend', but I couldn't really tell if he actually meant that, time will tell I guess...

I deactivated my Soul Eye since I didn't think it was necessary to keep my guard up anymore. "Heh, tempting, but I don't really the point in getting a medal. How about you cook for us again when the time comes? you are pretty good at it you know." I sighed a bit, thinking on what I should say next, I felt like my mind was going to explode from trying to process all that conversation, hell I don't even like talking this much with people. "Look, I know that there are a few friendly monster out there. I even met a friendly harpy once, but these monsters are rational and troll aren't, giving me no reason to belive that the child was going to be any different, plus... what makes you think that way? was it like... a specific event in your life or something of the sort?"

Edited November 13, 2018 by Akira

[Neptune]

Daedrin let out a soft sound of amusement when Izanagi took what he had said about the punch as a challenge. He glanced at the mans arms, measuring them up before his eyes moved back up to the man's eyes, keeping their gazes locked, “Maybe we could.” He said, accepting a possible spar at some point. Granted, it would have to wait until they were back in Selil, as the forest wasn’t exactly an ideal place to be having a fight, especially when they could be attacked at any given moment. But Daedrin was confident in his abilities, he had been trained by very talented individuals in all manner of fighting, from a Grand-Master swordsmen to a Black-Ops agents hand to hand combat and other weapons, including one that was a born and breed warrior. Daedrin was no pushover when it came to fighting and he had been practising for far longer than most humans could even conceptualise. He shifted, putting his weight on his left foot as he put a hand on his hip, watching Izanagi digesting what he had said. The fact that the man didn’t immediately scoff and reject him was a good sign that he had been at least willing to actually listen and to actually consider his words. 

Daedrin watched as Izanagi’s eye return to normal, and curiosity itched at him. When looked at by that eye, it gave him a very familiar feeling of whenever his father would gaze at him. As if the man could see his soul, although from Izanagi it wasn’t as intense. It still made Daedrin feel a little uncomfortable, not liking to be so exposed, but he kept his mouth closed on the matter. He would ask about that eye ability later, perhaps when they were certainly more calmer and not so sore about what had just happened. His eyebrows then twitched up a little when Izanagi told him that he should just cook for them again since he was pretty good, “Fair enough. I’m more than happy to cook again. In fact I will be on this trip, but maybe when we return I can make something a little more exciting than a campfire stew.” Daedrin then said in response. At Izanagi’s question, Daedrin let out a breath through his nose. He decided not to comment on Izanagi’s somewhat concession that not all monsters were bad. The man understood better than Daedrin thought he might so he wasn’t going to press his luck. The question presented a problem, though. Quite obviously, Daedrin couldn’t tell him the entire truth but at the same time, he would never lie. He had never lied in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now. 

Daedrin sighed and run his free hand through his dark hair, “That’s rather… complicated, Izanagi. There’s no specific event that makes me hold those views. It was how I was raised. I won’t pretend that I’m the most virtuous fuck about, but I try. Honestly, at heart I can be pretty bloodthirsty and I revel in fights. I revel in spilling blood and defeating my enemies. I even enjoy making them suffer. But I keep myself firmly in check with my beliefs.” He paused for a moment before he then said, “That, and I’ve been with the Eldyrannth before, one of the native species of this land. They’ve been here far longer than humans and honestly, by right it’s their land. But they’re content to remain where they are, hidden in the Therarr Mountains. I trained with their best Blacksmiths, which is why I am the only person in Selil that can fix that sword of yours. Because they don’t deal just in normal swords, but magical ones as well. They have an ultimate law. The Bill of Universal Rights. It states that every living thing, even animals like Lucky and Daegrin, have an inherent right to life. It’s not flawless, but it’s a good law that I live my life by and it shows that the Eldyrannth are far more enlightened than most people in this land. It also ensures I do not harm anyone, or take advantage of people. I will only kill in self defence, and I will defend anyone that needs it. If something isn’t an active thread, like that troll child, I wouldn’t bother with it.”

[Akira]

I smiled and nodded slightly at Deadrin's response. "Alright, we think more about it after we get back yeah?" I was actually happy to hear my companion accepting my challenge, not only because I was curious about his power, but also because it would be my best chance to get more evidence that he is in fact not human, after all, no human would be able to keep up with for long, mainly due to my superhuman speed, strength, stamina and resistance, not to mention all my weapons training and years of experience fighting both people and monsters. Plus it is a lot easier for me to 'read' a person while in combat.

"Looking forward to it" I simply replied with a small smile "I think it will also be nice to be able to cook without having to worry with monsters showing up and wanting us for dinner huh?" I said playfully. Truth to be told, I was a lot calmer already and that was pretty easy to notice, even without my Soul Eye, I could tell that the same was true for Deadrin. That little misunderstanding between us wasn't exactly fun, but we could surely understand each other a bit better now, as ironic as that might be.

I paid close attention to Deadrin's explanation. Getting too excited while fighting enemies and even enjoy to make them suffer was certainly something I could relate with, but by the time he was done talking I had more questions than before. A elder race of living beings that lived here even before humans? Bill of Universal Rights? And more importantly, he had been with them before? I was suspicious about that specific part, not because I didn't believe in Deadrin, but because I began to wonder how did he meet them in the first place. That was however, something I could worry about later. "I... see..." I said, clearly confused. "Look, I think we should get back on track, we still have to find that mineral right?" I calmly turned to Lucky and walked in her direction, she was surprisingly calm, considering everything that happened. I gave her a few pats on the neck before letting out a soft sigh and speaking again, without turning back to Deadrin, since it would be easier for me say the next sentence that way "Look, I see where that logic of yours points to and I do agree with it to some extent, but I still think it is better to cut the roots of the problem when possible, if you know what I mean. And uh... you probably noticed, but rage is something that is particularly hard for me to keep under control... for reasons that I prefer to not talk about right now..." I turned my face in your direction slightly "I just... thought I should tell you that"

 

[Neptune]

Daedrin watched the other man as he moved over to Lucky, stroking her on the neck in an almost affectionate gesture. His eyebrows twitched slightly upwards as he listened to what the man said, before he turned his head to look at Daegrin who was nibbling on a piece of grass. Daedrin then looked back at Izanagi, “I understand what you’re talking about, in both instances. I always think the root of a problem should be addressed, it’s just that you and I disagree on how it should be done, or even where that root is. As for the anger issues, I understand because anger is a hard emotion for me to keep under control as well. Believe it or not, I have a storm of emotions. But I have learnt over the years how to keep myself calm, and how to better control myself.” He said before he tore his gaze away from his companion and strode over to the tree.

He picked up his bedroll, rolling it up before carrying it over to Daegrin before hooking it onto him. He then moved back over to the campfire, picking up the clean pots and bowls before tucking them away again. They had not had breakfast yet, but Daedrin didn’t want to linger with the dead troll but it wasn’t all lost since they could merely eat dried meat strips. It would hold them over until the midday meal at least. Once the utensils were packed away, Daedrin returned to the fire, kicking the stones away and dismantling it. He spread the ashes around, scattering the leaves around the place to hide any evidence that they were even there. Some creatures in the forest were intelligent enough to track through evidence of their passage, such as campfires. He repeated this action with the cave inside of the tree, before he was satisfied that he had hidden their tracks pretty well. 

Nodding to himself, Daedrin turned and moved over to Daegrin, digging through their food pack and pulling out some strips of meat before he turned and gave it to Izanagi, “Here. Your breakfast.” He said, before he turned around and mounted onto Daegrin, settling himself comfortably in the saddle. He gripped the reins before turning Daegrin and nudging him forwards at a walk which would allow them to eat. He glanced behind him at Izanagi, before pulling Daegrin so that he was riding beside the man. He reached back, pulling out some strips of meat for himself before he turned and looked at Izanagi once again, “I have some burning questions about you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like it, but I’m too curious not to ask. What were those chains that you used to stop the trolls club? And what is the deal with your eye? It feels quite… familiar. The only person that makes me feel that kind of gaze is a what we call a Soul Seer. Someone that is able to see souls.” He said, watching Izanagi carefully, making sure to keep his expression neutral. After all, the last thing he wanted was to make it seem as if Daedrin was judging the man.

[Akira]

I listened to my companion's comment and nodded slightly once he was done talking. It sure was a good think that both Deadrin and I were so calm about most things, specially each other's opinions, despite the fact that we didn't agree on everything, then again, this is to be expected, no one can have the exact same point of view on every single thing. I also took note when he mentioned the 'storm of emotions'. That is certainly something I can relate with. *Well would you look at that. Seems like you two a more alike than expected huh?* said Odium in slightly sarcastic way *Yeah, I was thinking about that myself* I replied while checking on my seddlebag to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

When I was certain that everything was in place, I climbed over Lucky's back again, right before Deadrin approach me give me my breakfast "Thanks" I simply replied as I picked the pieces of dry meat from his hand and began to eat while waiting for my companion to ride Deagrin again so we could continue our quest.

Soon, we were once again making our way towards our destination. After a few moments riding in silence like we usually do, Deadrin turned his attention to me and asked about the powers that I used not long ago. "Well, I uh... hmm, how can I explain...?" I said as I placed my right hand on my chin and closed my eyes, thinking about what to say next *So, what do you think? will you tell him about your powers?* *Well, I do thrust him, and he already saw me using them anyway, so...* I opened my eyes again and turned my gaze to Deadrin "I... honestly don't know how to explain that to you" I said chuckling a bit and rubbing the back of my head with my right hand "I sort of discovered them by accident a couple of years back and I don't know exactly how they work but..." I took my hand away from my head and grabbed Lucky's reins again with it "You might have heard me shout it during my fight against the troll, but I call them Hell's Chain..." I created a single small portal between both horses and made a single chain with a blade on the tip came out just enough so Deadrin could see it clearly "...I don't know how or why it happened, but they are bound to my very soul, hence why I can control them. I can make them in different sizes and fire them like projectiles if I want. You would be surprised by how versatile they can be, even though it took me a few years to learn how to control them properly and... well, while I can use them using only my mind, voice commands help me use them more efficiently, specially under tense circumstances." With a single mental command I made the chain dissipate "I actually used them to hunt the bunny we ate for dinner yesterday" I chuckled a bit "And as for my eye... well... you actually got it right. I might not know anything about Soul Seers, but that is exactly what my Soul Eye does. It allows me to see the soul of every living being within a certain distance from me" I decided not to tell Deadrin about how I could read a person's soul to tell their emotional state and if they were telling the truth or lying, since that would likely make things tense between us again, and I didn't want that.

While I was feeling a bit bad for talking so much, since that wasn't something I would normally do, I also decided to take the opportunity that we were talking about that subject to as Deadrin about his eyes as well. I waited a few moments, so my companion could process everything and/or ask any other questions that he might have. A little later I took a deep breath and made my move "So uhm... you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want but... your eyes are special too aren't they? Back when we were uh... 'arguing', I could swear I saw them turn black for a few moments" I said in my usual calm tone, making extra sure to don't sound like I was accusing him or demanding anything.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Akira

[Neptune]

As Izanagi continued talking, Daedrin tilted his head to the side slightly, listening intently. While his head was tilted to the side towards his companion, his eyes were fixed in front of them. He felt that it was a good thing he was able to multitask, as he was able to listen to Izanagi while also remaining on alert for anything to jump out. The howls he had heard earlier had put him on edge, and he didn’t want to be surprised. He was sincerely hoping not to encounter any Hounds this early on, and hoped that it was just a pack of wolves that were out hunting for the morning. Even so, he found Izanagi’s explanation fascinating. He had never heard of that ability before, and he was sure that his father would be interested in it. As Izanagi demonstrated his Hell Chain, Daedrin’s red eyes were fixed upon it, studying it. He was glad that his eyesight was so sharp, as it allowed him to see detail that perhaps even Izanagi missed. He could see why the man used it as a weapon, it even appeared versatile. Then Izanagi went on to talk about his eye, causing him to simply nod in return as he wondered just how far that sight went and how detailed it was, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he nodded before saying, “Impressive. I’ve never seen anyone with that chain ability before, and I’ve seen a lot of people with a wide range of abilities.” 

He turned his head out towards the forest once again, gazing into its depths as he heard another distant howl. He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he gently probed around them telepathically while remaining clear of Izanagi’s mind to prevent alerting the man to what he was doing and to prevent the normal paranoia that came with telepaths, but he couldn’t feel anything close by. He then snapped his head back to Izanagi once again at his question. He frowned slightly, almost about to ask if it was his iris or the whites of his eyes he was talking about, but he kept his mouth shut as he probed his memory. After a few moments, he realised what Izanagi had seen and winced slightly, “That was my anger getting out of control.” He said, trying to think of what to actually say to cover his tracks. There was no way he was going to come out and admit that he was partly Daedric, as most people in Craethiel would pick up weapons against him and try and attack. He breathed out of his nose before saying, “It’s an ability I picked up from my father. You were quite lucky in that what you saw was only a glimpse of what it can do. It’s basically a type of psychological attack, of intense Killing Intent. It can cause hallucinations, and even death from fright. Not even the most battle hardened person can handle it. The only ones that can, are perhaps beings like demons, or those with strong telepathic abilities like the Eldyrannth.” He explained, before adding, “I usually use it as a way to avoid conflict when I need, or want to although it usually leaves the victim psychologically scarred for the rest of their lives.” He then gave a slight shrug, glad that this was the ability he had to explain, and not the other.

[Akira]

I kept my eyes fixed on the 'road' ahead of us while Deadrin was speaking, but I was still paying attention to what he was saying. "Thank you, that is  really nice of you to say" I responded to his first affirmation in a sort of shy way. True to be told that was the first time I had ever heard someone praising my Hell's Chain ability, mainly because I don't usually show this to people in the first place, but it was still a very good surprise. Even better, that meant that I wouldn't have to hesitate in using my chains again, as long as it is just the two of us again at least.

 I mindfully heard his explanation about his eyes going black for a few brief moments back when we were still arguing. While I wasn't exactly new to the whole 'psycological attack' part, since I had dealt with this sort of problem before, it still surprised me. I was sure that Deadrin wasn't a completely normal person, but sure as hell was not what I was expecting. Most important of all, that solidified even more my theory about him not being human, or not completely human at least. The part when talked about the few types of beings capable or resisting his psycological powers also cought my attention, while my knowledge regarding the Eldyrannth is pretty much null, the demon part... well, that was interesting to say the least *Heh, convenient exception is convenient* I joked to myself. Deadrin sure did ansewer my question, but I had even more questions now... they would have to wait, though. I didn't want to bombard him with questions after all. "I see... very interesting..."

After a few more minutes riding our horses in silence, as usual, I head once again a howl coming from a deeper area in the forest. It didn't seem to be close enough to be considered a problem, but we've been hearing the for a while now and it was really starting to worry me, even if I didn't want to admit it. Fortunally, now that Deadrin knew about my Soul Eye, I didn't have to think twice before using it and so I did. As we kept going towards our destination I kept scanning the area, but nothing worth noticing showed up "I don't know about you, but these howls are really starting to bother me... its almost like... they are following us...? Hmmm" I said while still focusing on looking around the area "What do you think?"

 

[Neptune]

Daedrin glanced at his companion before he looked on ahead again as he considered Izanagi’s question. His directional hearing wasn’t as good as he wished it could be, but the howls seemed to be coming from the same general direction from where he had first heard them. He tilted his head slightly in the direction that the sounds were coming from, a slight frown creasing between his well formed eyebrows. After a few moments he said, “I don’t think they’re following us, no… but they’re a little too close for comfort. Which is unfortunate, since they sound like Hounds. It is unusual to see them this close to the forest edge. Usually they are deeper within.” Daegrin let out a nervous snort and he stroked the bowed neck in a reassuring gesture, “Stay on your guard.” He then ordered Izanagi.

He felt something flare up on his telepathic sensors however after a moment he identified it as a deer which was running past them, a few metres to their right. He turned his head in the direction of the animal and sure enough, saw a flash of brown as the animal darted past. He turned his attention forwards again as the two of them continued riding forwards, Daedrin’s every sense alert. He heard another howl, this time slightly away from where they had heard the previous howl. After a moment he said, “Okay, that one was closer. I think it’s possible that we’ll have an encounter.” 

He gripped his sword and drew it slowly, before there was another baying howl, this time even closer. He recognised that howl. It was definitely a Hound and it was the kind of howl they used when hunting. He then felt four minds enter his telepathic field, darting in their direction. With their minds so open to him, he could feel the malicious cruelness that exuded. The four Hounds wanted nothing more than to tear into their flesh and scatter their remains across the forest floor. They hunted not to fill their belly, but to inflict pain and suffering. A loud snarl ripped through the air causing Daedrin to call out, “PREPARE YOURSELF!”

As he shouted that, a black hound burst from the bushes to his right, jumping straight for him. He turned his head to stare at the creature, his sharp eyesight seeing every detail. Its manged and matted coat, the smear of dirt across its shoulder and the dried, blackened blood around its muzzle. Its red eyes glowed with hatred and malice towards him, with a deep sense of hunger for his pain. Its gaze and appearance did not phase him however, and he flickered up his sword. Daegrin let out a whinney, dancing to the side, allowing the arch of Daedrin’s sword to slice through the neck of the Hound. There was a spray of blood and the snarl of the Hound turned into a whine of pain that lasted only for a moment before it was cut short. The body of the hound fell to the floor of the forest, its limbs twitching. 

Daedrin turned his attention to the remaining Hounds. A second Hound darted towards him, the other two heading to attack Izanagi and Lucky. This Hound was more cautious in its approach after seeing its packmate killed with such efficiency. Daedrin glared down at the creature before saying, “I advise you leave, now. Otherwise you will die.” The hound ignored him, darting to the side to try and flank him. Daegrin was quick and intelligent though, and easily turned to keep the hound visible. This caused the hound to freeze for a moment before darting in and snarling as it snapped at Daegrin’s throat. The Aelda jumped back, raising up as he let out a loud whinney before kicking out with his front legs. The Hound let out a whine of pain as he hooves struck, pinning the creature to the forest floor. Daegrin let out an angry snort before stamping down on the hound and crushing it beneath his huge hooves. Once Daegrin was sure that it was dead, he stepped to the side and Daedrin turned to see how Izanagi was fairing although from what he had seen this far, he did not need to worry much about him.