Smoke 'em Out [Perun, Bee, Don]

[Bee]

"Beautiful", spoke Bee as she saw the flames consume the man. She had never seen such a pure flame. It was her first time using the tome and the first time she saw its flames. The magical power that flowed through her now was far greater than anything she could muster before. There was a clear change inside of her. She was no longer Bee the pupil, but now Bee the Fire Mage. The spirits of fire danced in the air as if they were celebrating her ascension. Bee stretched out her hand and a river of flames flew from it. The fire flowed over the brigand like water igniting his clothing and setting his flesh ablaze. Almost in a trance Bee turned and raised her left hand once again calling upon the power of her tome and calling forth another gout of fire. Screams filled the air as Bee set the men on fire. Each one ran off into the grass and woodland trying to put the fires out. They had not know it yet, but they where already dead. Even if they some how put of the flames the resulting infection from the burns would spell there doom.

"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful", spoke Bee as she watched the fort burn. The flames song a song she could only hear and danced a dance she could only watch. Bee felt a warmth form the flames. A warmth that had nothing to do with heat. It was a feeling she once knew, but forgotten. It was so long ago, but now it returned. The feeling of safety, the feeling of belonging, the feeling of kinship. "Fire magic is the best", spoke Bee as she stared into the fire. It was then however a voice entered into her trance. It broke her concentration and pulled her back out of lala land and brought her back to reality. "Bee", the voice spoke and suddenly Mila came into view. Before Bee could respond the maiden had snatched the tome out of her hand and began flipping through the pages. "Wait what", spoke Bee as Mila began to explain that the fire was getting out of control.

"Getting out of control", spoke Bee as she looked around. The fires where spreading all around, but it was nothing she could not handle. Well nothing she could not handle for herself. She could easily get herself out, but yeah, everything else not so much. Still Mila had a point. They where not suppose to burn down the forest and it would be a real bummer if the town was burned down as well. Rather than waste time Bee moved over with Mila to try and stop the flames.

"Right fight fire with fire", spoke Bee as she took a assessment of the situation. It was a simple fix really. All they had to do was make a ring around the fort in flames and move the fire toward the center. Simple, just making that big of a ring would be difficult let alone controlling it. Still it was not something completely undoable. With the two of them Bee was sure they could handle it. As Mila attempted to use the spell Bee could see she was having problems. It was to be expected. To suddenly try and use such a large scale spell for the first time by yourself would be a difficult task. She was going to need Bee's help if she wanted to take control over it.

"Alright lets try this", spoke Bee as she touched the tome and made a connection to the magic. The young mages eyes vanished as a brilliant white light began to flow from her pupils. Taking control the spirits of fire erupting from the edge of Mila's hands Bee began to pull it along the ground creating the circle. While Mila pulled out the raw force to pull off the spell Bee directed it in the path they needed to go. Together they could control the flames. Where it was too difficult for one to handle the both of them could take it on. Though Bee preyed that they where not attacked by bandits. If they where to mess up this could go wrong very fast.

[Mila]

Bee put her hand over the tome and began to channel the flames to surround the fort. This put less of a burden on Mila's casting and soon she was able to bend the streams to help encircle the fort with fire. But the task had proven itself to be greater then she imagined. Even With Bee helping, Mila was having difficulty in reigning in the fire spirits to her whim. She felt her body tense up, her toes curled together, and she had to fight with her legs to keep them from buckling from under her.

She gave a bit of a groan as she continued to force the streams of fire to move the way she wanted them too. She felt like she was starting to become fire. Gods.. it's.. so hot. So dry.. She pushed the distraction out of her minds. Slowly the fires of both mages encircled the fort. Mila's head was burning. There was a pulsating pain in her mind that she had never felt before. But she knew she couldn't just stop, the mages needed to control the flames. The very tips of her cloak started to singe and become grey with ash. Her body gasped for air, her throat wanted to have nice cool night air go into her lungs. But what greeted her mouth was dry and smokey it made her want to cough. She forced herself not to. Coughing would cause her to loose her concentration and make the situation worse. Soon, the mages began pushing the circle of fire towards the fort.

[Donovan]

The green clad mercenary smiled and laughed at his friend’s comments while he lured the myrmidon into attacking so he could bash the man’s head with his shield. The attacked stunned his enemy long enough for the mercenary to run him through. There was a small group of bandits who seemed to think that Mila and Bee were trying to make the fire even bigger and were thus determined to stop them before they could.

“Oh my gods, Perun. Please tell me you haven’t learned the common tongue well enough to make puns. They really are the lowest form of comedy, my friend.” Donovan’s blade gracefully slid through the air, whilst he joked with the Giant. He was still not as skilled as his sword master, but - given the occasional slip up - he was more than a match for most of his opponents.

While the warrior and his mercenary companion intercepted the small force of bandits, Mila and Bee were trying to control the flames. They can do it. The mercenary told himself, I know they can. He intercepted an axe wielding bandit who was trying to attack an incredibly focused Mila. Donovan thrust his sword, perpendicular to the earth, at the bandit’s axe, knocking it out of the mage’s path. He grabbed the weapon’s handle with his off hand, cracking the bandit across the face with the pommel of his sword - it seemed to be a particularly useful form of attack against these bandits. He tossed the axe to the ground and plunged his sword through the man’s heart. There were too many of them left to take chances.

Donovan took a shallow cut to his back as he killed the axe wielding killer. Perun and he were totally out numbered with the mages out of commission. “Not to rush or anything, but you guys gonna be done anytime soon?”

[Perun]

Perun smiled with gritted teeth as he was struck by an axe pommel in the stomach, "Perun am no understanding Duno-ven's big words." Perun managed to sidestep a downward blow from a brigand aggressor as he made his joke. The large Ilian rammed his left shoulder into the shorter bandit, sending him flat on his back. The man was trampled by another bandit coming for the two mages. This man wielded a broadsword, and swung it with both his hands, at about Perun's throat level.

The orange giant swung his axe so that the blade of his axe struck the blade of the other man's sword. Both were hit with a certain degree of recoil, however Perun was the much larger of the two, and he recovered much quicker after the collision. The orange giant swung again, this time himself being the one aiming for the throat. The man threw his body back, and managed to avoid Perun's axe.

The man stepped in, and brought his sword in for a swipe at Perun's ribs. Perun brought his axe to block the blow, but was too slow, and Instead of completely blocking the attack, trapped the sword in between the blade of his axe, and its haft. Without thinking, Perun slid his weapon down the sword, and before reaching the hilt, lifted the axe with a flick of his wrist, unhooking it from the weapon. The Ilian turned it then, and brought it home deep in the man's stomach. When Perun dislodged the weapon, his knuckles were a deep red with blood.

Perun watched for a moment the swirling fires of the forest and fortress. He desperately hoped that the two mages could manage to keep the torrent in check, but believed that they could. Perun widened his stance as yet another brigand came towards him.

[Bee]

"It was, well how could Bee describe it, enthralling. It was the first time Bee had done such a large spell. Everything she had done beforehand was small and insignificant. But this tag team spell. Now it was something different. It required all of Bee's attention and all of her focus. Controlling the magic was difficult and she was taking the easy end of the spell. However the feeling was exhilarating. Bee felt like fire. she could feel the hear, the warmth, the dryness. Any minute now Bee felt like she could catch a blaze. The thought was frighting really, but also so exciting. Bee had never done something like this. Normally when Bee manipulated the fire spirits she did not fight them. Instead she simply directed them. She agreed with there nature and moved to match it. She would go with the flow and follow fire's natural path toward the destruction of the target. This time however, well it was different. She had to go against its desire. She had to burn, but not burn, set a blaze, but not blaze. Controlling the fire was probably the most difficult thing she figured she would do in her life.

"Man if only we could just let it flow", spoke Bee as the duo began to make the fire burn inward. Bee understood that they did not have to push the flames all the way back, but back far enough that the other fire could not touch the grass. It was simple when you thought about it, but Bee was not a god. Neither she, nor Mila could see the entire field. They had to struggle with the fire and try to guess how far they needed to pull it in. For all Bee knew the loop they crated could be a oval shape rather than a circle shape. The far side could be pulling in at a slower rate than the side she was on. The only way to completely insure that they had burned away enough grass was to push the flames inward far more than the bare minimum. This is what made the job difficult. That and the sudden task of trying to control a new spell.

[Mila]

The ring of fire around the fort made it's way to the base of the fort. Mila could feel the shift in the flames as the ring made contact with the already burning wood. The fire spirits of the spell tried to push themselves out. Back out towards the fresh grass out towards fresh kindling. Mila continued to channel the power of the spirits to her bidding she would not let the ring of fire back out towards the grass. She was determined to see the job through to the end. She kept working with bee until the flames in the fort started to condense together. With no where to go and little oxygen to feed it the fire started to smother itself until there was nothing more then smoldering pile of logs.

The job of the mages was done. The fires of the surrounding area were pulled into the fort and slowly died. Only when Mila was absolutely certain that the surrounding area and forest were safe, then did she finally stop channeling the power of the spirits. The orbs of flame that were hovering over her hands vanished. The sparks that threatened to light her on fire dissipated. The Volcanion tome slipped from her grip and fell to the ground. Her body buckled over and she hit the ground. Darkness greeted her dry eyes. Mila's body was very warm despite her feeling it to be numb. At this point Mila had no idea how Bee was taking all of this. If she were awake she would comment that she could not feel the tips of her fingers or her legs. Her throat and nose felt very dry. Her head was a swirling mess of pain and pulsating heat. Mila had drained too much of her energy in controlling the fire. She could only hope that the companions she traveled with would continue to protect them. Possibly pick them up and take them to safety.
--

OOC- Mila is unconscious for the rest of the tread.

[Donovan]

The green clad mercenary spun around and caught his enemy in the ribcage with his sword. The bandits had started to become more and more hesitant of attacking, as they didn’t seem to be able to make any real headway against the Giant and his smooth talking friend. Donovan took a moment to breath, the bandits cautiously holding their weapons ready to attack but non willing to be the vanguard any longer. Donovan laughed wildly at his friend’s sarcasm. “You know, Big Guy, you can’t be the funny one and the cuddly one. That’s just not fair to me.”

One brave fool rushed at the mercenary with a lance. Donovan raised his shield and batted it away. The head of the lance hit his shield arm’s pauldron, which still hurt from before, but the morale of his enemies was fleeting. He just wanted the fight to be over. A sword through the thin leather armor of the lancer ended his courage. Donovan looked up at the rest of the criminals, their weapons slowly lowering. “Who’s next, huh?”

Behind him, he heard the telltale clapping of horse hooves. “Why don’t you lay down your arms? I think we’re done here.” The mercenary asked with a smirk on his face. He knew that they had won. And so did the bandits. Hubbs road up with the rest of the mercenary band behind him, about ten bandits had already been chained. Slowly the bandits facing down Don and Perun laid down their arms. Just as Mila collapsed.

Donovan dropped his sword and grabbed the mage before she could hit the floor. “Mila. Mila, can you hear me?” He touched her forehead and pulled his hand back. She felt like she had just been engulfed in flame. Yanking out his water container, her carefully opened her mouth and gently poured some water down her throat, trying to get her hydrated. Then he poured some of the water on her head to try and cool her down.

“You did a good job here, Donovan. When we are back at camp, I need you and your… large friend to come talk to me about a potential opportunity.”

The mercenary didn’t care. He didn’t hear anything. He just wanted to make sure his friend was alright. He’d brought Mila into this mess, he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

OOC: Feel free to bring us back to camp if you want, Buto or Sel.

[Perun]

Perun grabbed the fist of the brigand that had lifted his axe against him. Perun brought his own axe up with his right hand, and dug the moon blade into the man's collar bone. He ears pierced by the man's dying shriek, Perun let the man fall, pointing his bloodied axe at the remaining brigands and drew in his breath to let out an earth shaking yell but was stopped by Donovan. The thinner man offered the bandits a chance to surrender, and the bandits managed to accept with no resistance. It was shocking that none of them would make a run, but Perun doubted they wanted to add themselves to the count of the dead. Then Donovan darted behind him, and began to look after someone who had collapsed. When Perun turned, he realized who it was.

Immediately after Donovan had finished watering Mila, the orange giant slid his axe into its loop, and scooped Mila up, folding her thin arms over each other, so that they did not dangled over his right arm which was now wrapped across her upper body. His left arm was just under her knees, and Perun held her at such an angle that her head did not wiggle around and risk hurting her neck.

Her body was incredibly warm, worse than any type of fever Perun had ever felt through a person's skin. Shooting one glance at the Cavalier, Perun turned and walked back towards the camp.

------

Perun had lightly sat her body down on a bedroll in the camp. When she touched the ground, a few locks of her green hair fell on her face. Perun's giant fingers brushed the hair from her skin, then coiled away from the small woman. The orange haired Ilian turned then, and went to find Donovan. Whatever it was the man wanted to speak with them about, Perun was sure there was money involved. After spying his thinner friend, Perun rushed toward him.

[Bee]

As they finished the spell Bee felt a warm feeling rush over her entire body. It was just like working in the forge. Bee was use to the heat and for once she was glad she had not had the opportunity to set her hair. Sweet dropped from her brow, but the maiden was alright. As she looked up she saw that Mila had passed out. It was not much of a surprise. She was the center of the spell. Bee was mainly providing support, thought she was surprised that they received such a backlash. That meant that the two of them needed more training, or that just Bee needed more training. She was suppose to help carry the load of the spell. Instead Mila seemed to take the brunt of it. To her great anguish though Mila had dropped her tome into the dirt. That was a brand new tome and one dedicated to fire itself. Such a action was practically a sin, but Bee kept that to herself. She was in no position to get angry at Mila.

As Bee followed the duo back to camp she passed by the brigands who had been rounded up. "Serves you all right", she spoke as she looked at her arm. The wound from the arrow was still there. Bee was going to have to have it looked at once she got back.

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

"Man that was awesome", shouted Bee as she came back from the medical tent. The maiden was in a really good mood. "Hey is Mila up yet", asked Bee as she walked up to Don. The maiden did not think much of it. It was just a heat stroke. All she needed to do was get some water in her system and stay out of the sun. Well that was how Bee thought about it. Hot for most people was not hot for her. Bee was born in the desert and worked in a forge. She could take the heat. Mila she was not sure.

[Mila]

Mila started to wake up. By the time she opened her eye she noticed that there was sunlight being filtered in through the camp tents. Her body still felt weak but she could not keep her eyes closed any more. Her head was still pulsating with pain. The mage grabbed the water canteen and began to drink from it. She felt like she hadn't had a thing to drink for days. Hadn't been this thirsty since Nabata. She pulled the canteen away from her lips. She panted softly. It seemed the the operation was a success. Beside her was a fox kit. Ah Kitchi. She gently ran her finger tips through it's ears. The little creature cooed in delight. That bright a small smile to her face.

She looked around hoping to spy any of her companions. But it seemed that at the moment she was the only one in the medical tent. She held her hand to her head. Then she stared at her hands, bits of them were covered in ash. She then turned to look at her self. Some bits of her clothes were charred. She brought a sleeve to her nose and took a whiff. Gah everything smells burnt. She then grabbed a cloth and wet it. She started to wipe the rag over her face and her hands. Getting rid of the remains of the black soot that covered parts of her.

The mage started to shake her arms and legs a bit in an attempt to get the blood flowing. Okay.. time.. to get up. Up. She tried to motivate herself to move. Slowly Mila pulled herself out of the bed roll and started to stand. Almost instantly there was a dizziness to her head. She crouched down to her knees to regain her balance. Oooh.. still not back to normal. At least.. there isn't numbness.

After a few more moments of establishing herself Mila stepped out of the medical tent to meet the others. Plans were discussed and pay was received. For now though Mila decided to spend the rest of the day recovering. And using the money she earned to have her things repaired.
[exit thread]

[Donovan]

The silver tongued mercenary was relieved that all of his friends had come out of the fight with only injuries that would easily mend. He’d been very worried about the green haired mage, but when he saw that Kitchi was using her as a pillow, he knew that she would be okay. Bee was weakened greatly, but it seemed that whatever they had done to save the forest had been mostly on Mila’s shoulders.

Evnetually, after making sure all of the wounds had been healed and the prisoners had been totally secured, Donovan and Perun went back to talk to Hubbs and found that the man had been patiently waiting for them. “I’m glad you two made it through today. You were pretty handy to have out here. I’ve been asked by a certain organization to recruit people with talent to fight against the greatest threat to our country; the reign of the Prophet. You and Perun seem to have a knack for fighting together. I’ve never seen a warrior with such ferocity. And you, Donovan, seem to have a knack for finding the right people for the right job. You did well tonight. and we at the Lycian Counter Offensive would be happy to be on board.”

The mercenary stared at the cavalier, surprised that this had been more than just some newly promoted captain trying to show off his skill. This had been a test. And apparently the Liar and the Giant had passed. “Look. We’re on a job right now that’s taking us farther through Lycia, into Laus. We only did this job to help pay for the trip’s expenses. But… if, when we get back from that, things make sense for us. We’ll do it. Given that the pay is good.”

The cavalier smiled and nodded, expecting nothing left of a pair of mercenaries. “You let us know when you’re ready to change the world. We could use some people like you two.” The mercenary looked up at the man and gave him a half grin. He had no desire to change the world. He wanted to survive. A group that took on Etruria was likely a death sentence. His entire world would have to change for him to ever take the offer seriously. Donovan left the tent knowing that worlds couldn’t just collapse like that. Or, at least, he thought that was the case.

[Exit thread]

[Bee]

Mila was back up, that was all Bee was really worried about. she had passed out due to Bee's lack of experiences, or that was how Bee saw it. Mila had taken the brunt of the magic for that attack. If Bee was a better mage she could have taken on more of the load and prevented Mila from taking so much damage. Still it was all in the past and Mila was back up again. Bee went and visited her and apologized for her weakness. She kept her persona feelings about her new tome being dropped into the dirt to herself. After collecting her payment and saying good bye to Don she returned back to her masters shop, thought she knew she would not be staying there for long. Bee was going to leave soon. She could feel it in her bones. She firstly needed to practice her fire magic and second she needed to go on her smiting adventure. Bee swore to herself that one day she would forge a blade with magic alone and she was not going to back out of that promise. That meant traveling the world and understanding the elements more and getting in tune with them. If she could do that then she was sure she could forge a steel blade without hitting a single hammer.

Returning back to the workshop Bee took the time to tell Mr. Johnson everything that happened even the little details about her nearly burning up from the heat of the flames. He did not seem to like that part and even less by her enthusiasm about it, but he told her it was a good experiences. He also told her about a little rumor he heard. Eturia was on the war path and he was sure that things in Lyica where going to heat up. His steel was going to be needed. Bee could tell he wanted to keep her in the shop and not in the war, but... well Bee was not one to sit around when stuff was happening. She wanted to engrave her name in history after all.
[Bee exit thread]