Hal
Soldier
Wings of Courage
I've got 99 problems and Elesia caused every one.
Posts: 215
Bern Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 1
Affinity: Light
Profile: Hal Kailas
OoC Alias: Kenshin
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Post by Hal on Dec 18, 2014 6:39:16 GMT -6
Hal is completely alone, in the middle of what looks like a black cloud from a distance. Upon getting closer one would hear a buzzing sound, the sound of thousands if not millions of tiny wings beating, he was stuck in the center of winged insects. It was every kind of insect that had wings and could fly, Hal wondered around aimlessly looking for an exit swatting away at this plague. He feared to open his mouth to yell for help in case he would become suffocated by them swarming his mouth. He couldn't see where he was going and he ended up tripping over something, he hit the ground and looked for whatever he tripped over, he began to cry when he saw what it was. It was a red wyvern, not just any wyvern but Sol. Sol's body had been decaying, there were maggots covering his body as well as the surrounding ground. Where Sol's eye sockets were he saw worms wiggling about, was Hal going to meet the same fate? Then he saw a man clad in red, he couldn't see what he looked like just that he wore red, then a bright flash of light which caused the insects to move away from Sol. The maggots and worms had disappeared as well as the decaying flesh on Sol had returned to living flesh as Sol stood up. Just as fast as the man in red had appeared, he was gone. Sol had let out a loud roar to prove that he was alive again, after that it had sounded like the buzzing sound had spelled out E T R U R I A.
Covered in sweat Hal jolted awake, he looked to Sol who seemed to be sleeping. Hal has been haunted by this dream for a while now, at first he would have it randomly but lately it has been an every night thing. He always got to the same point in the dream before he awoke, before he was able to dismiss it as a nightmare but now, he wasn't sure what to call it. Lately Sol looked troubled in his sleep as well, perhaps the two were sharing the same dream now? Crawling to his armor he had began to put it on looking at Sol. It had appeared he had woken up from what had been troubling him, there had been no exchange of words(or wyvern sounds) but the two both had the same idea.
There had to be something in Etruria for them despite the fact that neither had ventured out there before. Hal mounted Sol and took off. "It's okay boy, we'll figure this out some how."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 18, 2015 0:03:42 GMT -6
Etruria. Etruria. Etruria? Etruria. The word, the name, the land, it bled into his every waking thought. Every moment he dreamt of it, he obsessed over that town. The dreams. His mind constantly flashed with images both not his own but undoubtedly his. The more he tried to push it away, hide it out of the center of his mind, the harder it pulled back, snapping like an overstretched rubber band. It was overwhelming, stronger then it had any right to be. A strange primordial yearning, a desire, a lust for Etruria. To go there. To go to this city. Eastern Etruria. Etruria. The word should hold no meaning anymore, how often his mind turned it over and over, but each time he thought it, it was like it grew more insistent. Urgent. He couldn't put it off, he couldn't ignore it. His waking mind assaulted by a sirens song, drawing him across the land, and his dreams besieged by terrible vision of unholy abominations. Undead. Creatures that belonged not of this world, twisted chimeras, lumps of grotesque flesh both animated and pulled by by an unseen string. unnatural movements like that of a marionette. Unsettling, plaguing his mind and making him delirious. What was really happening? What wasn't? The line where the two met only grew more and more blurred.
He began walking one day, he wasn't sure when it happened. When this was happening, but he started to walk and never stopped.
Demon followed, good horse. Something was wrong with Elias, and the steed could sense it. Or maybe he just didn't want to be too far away from his main source of food? Or maybe.... No, that wouldn't make sense. Horses don't dream. Do they? All his research points to no, they do not.
He walked through towns, forests, cities, battles, everything alike with a sort of single minded desire. Never stopping for long, rarely sleeping. He like a man possessed. Heh. Maybe he was possessed? As he drew nearer, however, he found it easier to think. His mind wasn't quite so plagued, maybe it was the denial, and once he finally accepted it. Accepted the calling drawing him, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, that it backed off and stopped forcing itself upon him. He could breath a bit easier, move a bit more carefully. He was honestly surprised he got so far without issue, Eturia usually doesn't just let people walk in.
He looked at Demon, a frown on his face. "I'm crazy, aren't I?" He asked, the horse tilted his head and made the mage chuckle. "Of course I am, I'm talking to a horse... Then again that never stops me usually." He turned his head back into the small flame that was no more then burning embers at the point, the soot and ash still slightly crackling. He sighed as he lazily waved his hand, a wave of cold snapping an snuffing out what was left of the flame. Under his eyes were dark circle, he hadn't been sleeping well lately. Or at all actually. Another night staying up and staring into a fire, eh Elias?
He stood and with a small grunt of effort, hoisted himself up upon his horse, snapping the reins lightly to tell the steed it was time to move. "Whatever's going through so much trouble to get me to come... better be pretty impressive. I have things to do."
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Hal
Soldier
Wings of Courage
I've got 99 problems and Elesia caused every one.
Posts: 215
Bern Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 1
Affinity: Light
Profile: Hal Kailas
OoC Alias: Kenshin
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Post by Hal on Apr 20, 2015 6:42:16 GMT -6
(Well, it's been too long since we started this, and for the sake of wrapping it up I'm just going to solo it and NPC elias for the ride)
It had felt like weeks, if not months since Hal been plagued by those dreams and he began to look for the source of them a few days ago. With each passing day it had seemed as if the dream's story had progressed more and more, little by little. Last night, after the man clad in red had disappeared Hal would climb on top of Sol once the buzzing of Etruria would fade, shortly after mounting Sol the two were high in the air. Hal immediately looked down towards the ground in hopes of recognizing the lands below, but it was all new to him.
Those dreams were either driving him to fulfill a destiny, or to insanity and Hal wasn't sure which one would come first, if not just insanity. He sat up digging into his pack, he was looking for his map which he found. Looking around, he didn't see Sol who was probably hunting for breakfast for himself, which might be a good idea. Hal pulled out some jerky before unfolding the map, tearing a piece off with his teeth he began to chew as he laid the map out on the ground staring at it. He stared at it for a moment before getting his compass and shifting around to be facing the direction they have been flying. Ripping off another piece of jerky he began to chew while trying to figure out how far they have traveled and how close to Etruria he was. Hal wasn't sure where they currently were but the closest thing to an educated guess he could make was they were getting close to entering Etruria, maybe a day or two if they were lucky.
It wasn't long before Sol had returned, Hal had figured that he had his fill but it didn't stop the boy from tossing the remaining jerky he had in his hand, Sol happily ate it despite it being cooked meat. Now would be a good time to get started on their journey, so Hal packed up his map and bedroll before securing them to the saddle on Sol. "Let's go put our minds to ease boy." Hal said as he patted Sol before climbing up. Sol took to the air once again when Hal was situated and stopped fidgeting on the saddle. A few hours later, the landscape down below looked familiar. Not because Hal was here before, but it was the same one he saw in his dream the night before, that meant they were on the right track but he did see something that was not in his dream. In the distance, there was a massive black cloud ahead, it wasn't exactly a cloud but that was the best thing he could describe it with.
While flying towards it was unnerving for Hal, he knew he couldn't allow that to deter him from going in that direction. He had spent countless restless nights of those nightmares and endless hours trying to figure them out to let that stop him, if they had to the two would walk. They were still ways to go before they got to the black mass now, but Hal could hear a feint hum. It would grow louder as they flew towards it, as it did get louder Hal knew why he had recognized that sound. It was the same from his dream, could that black mass be insects? He did notice a large number of things buzzing by which wasn't common at this height, in fact calling it rare was an understatement.
Hal didn't have to give Sol the command to dive, he had began to do so about the same moment Hal thought about it. Sol didn't want to fly into that swarm of winged insects as much as Hal didn't. It had also just dawned onto Hal, what if this is what had killed Sol and he was dead in the beginning of his dream? Hal's fear only grew as he saw the swarm grow as they descended towards the ground, Hal dreaded what was to happen next. He didn't want to watch his best friend be killed by the likes of insects. He was going to challenge his fate in order to save Sol if he had to, but matters had only grown worse.
On the ground he could only see a sea of those damned creatures he fought in that town with Elesia. There were more grotesque creatures with them, if it had once been alive previous there was an undead version of it with them. They had seemed to be moving towards something. Before they flew down low enough for something to reach up and grab them, they had leveled out and continued in the path they were going. Hal could see some sort of large temple far off in the distance, it had also seemed the creatures below as well as the insects above were slowly moving towards it as well. Then there was an explosion of fire up ahead.
There was a small opening in the horde, in the middle of it there seemed to be something fighting against them. To fight them was suicide, but to be surrounded them? That was just pure madness, such a madness Hal would soon join. He couldn't allow them to die like that, nobody deserved that. Sol picked up his speed as he began to slowly descend. Hal could now see the person trapped, they wore red, they had looked familiar but he wasn't sure why, on top of a horse. Sol had landed on top of a wolf, with it's bones crunching under his weight. The man in red turned, ready to fling another spell when he had noticed it was a wyvern, a live one at that, with a young man on top.
"I see I'm not the only one insane enough to get themselves caught up in this mess." Hal wasn't sure what to say in response to that, was there even anything he could say? "What's going on?" Sol had began to back up towards the man on his horse as he flung another fireball past Hal to slow their advance before shrugging. "I don't know, I was looking for something when I ran into a few of them then poof, more began to flood in. This is just crazy, and trust me, I know crazy." "You'll never find what you're searching for if you die here, I'll help clear a path for you to escape."
The man launched another fire ball towards some of the creatures towards the side, Hal gave Sol a light kick who eagerly hopped forward in the direction the fire ball flew. With a single jump Sol had cleared the empty space, landing he took one of the smaller animals in his mouth as he flung his head to the right taking some down as he threw the undead creature. The man on the horse began to move towards the opening the two started to create, both leap frogging their attacks till they were clear of the horde.
"Thanks for the help, I'm Elias by the way." Hal looked at Elias for a moment before turning his gaze towards the direction the undead were heading. "I'm Hal. There seemed to be some sort of temple in the direction they're heading in, I'm going to go ahead and warn them." "I'm pretty sure they can see them coming, but if you don't mind I'd like to come along." Hal and Sol had began to head towards the temple. "HEY! Wait for me." Elias shouted as he took off after Hal.
It had took the duo some time to reach the temple, they had done so with the horde on their heels. Demon had galloped up the stairs as Sol glided to the top step, Elias had grumbled something about Hal flying was cheating. The two had saw two large doors, with one being cracked open. "HELLOOOOOOO? ANYBODY HERE?" Elias shouted as the entered the building, only to be greeted by his echo. "Well it looks like they saw them coming and high tailed it, I think it's time for us to do so too" Hal looked around in amazement, the decor was something he would never dream of seeing, he saw in the center of the room a large platform with the bones of something that looked humanoid. It had seemed like it was human except the chest and ribs had looked much larger, the hands looked like they had claws, the jaw had seemed much larger than a humans and almost like a wyvern's. Then there were bones of a large wingspan coming from the back. "What is that?" Hal said while pointing at it.
Elias had froze for a moment, it was as if he was listening to something. He reached for his Matrona as he dismounted. "Close the door, try your best to make sure they stay closed. I have an idea, but it will require some time." Hal didn't have a clue what was going on, but he did as he was told. Hal wasted no time, he almost jumped off of Sol's back running to the door and putting all of his weight into shutting it. He had leaned back onto the doors and braced himself to push upon them when the time came. Elias walked towards what had seemed to be an alter, stopping in front of it he had seemed to be praying. Hal felt the door budge a bit as it had sounded as if something were throwing it's body against it trying to get in.
Elias lifted up the Matrona in the air as it began to emit a bright light, as Hal started to push against the force attempting to open the doors he could feel a breeze move past him. Dust on the floor had began to fly into the air showing a vortex, it had slowly began to shrink in size towards the alter. Every so often a small crackle of lighting would be spotted in the vortex and there would be rare moments it would shoot towards the remains. The pushes on the door were coming more frequent and stronger, Hal wasn't sure how much longer he could hold them shut. He had wished he grabbed his lance to buy a little more time in the event of them getting in, but hopefully Sol would be there quickly.
Elias continued to hold the Matrona in the air as the vortex shrunk in size and picked up speed. The sparks of lighting were becoming more common, as well as the stray bolt striking the bones. It stopped shrinking and became faster when it had reached the bones, Hal could see brighter flashes coming from the dusty vortex. The light from the Matrona was almost blinding now, then suddenly it disappeared as well as the vortex. Hal couldn't see what was in the dust caused by the vortex, but he could tell it was alive, whatever it was.
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Apr 22, 2015 11:59:37 GMT -6
No one truly knows what happens when you die. Whether the world simply fades to black or you arrive in some golden city with all of your ancestors waiting to greet you. Some preach about a fiery pit of pain and torture where all the terrible people of the world are sent to pay for their crimes, but few ever return from beyond the veil of death and none have ever stayed long enough to put their experience to paper. For Marchamut Odintongue, it involved a lot of pain. There was no white light, no ominous voice at the end of a tunnel. Just pain, in varying intensities, ceaseless and unrelenting. He couldn’t tell when it had began, nor how long it had gone on. However, he could tell when it stopped. For a few, blissful moments he had felt nothing. No pain. No aches. No sensation of any kind. Then he felt the tug, as if something had grabbed hold of his very existence and was now dragging it toward some unknown point. At first, Marcus resisted. His pain had only just relented and he longed to stay in the comforting void he had found himself in. But the pull was relentless and no matter how much he struggled, it would not let him go. Curiosity got the better of him, and Marcus gave in, wondering where this would take him. As he was dragged along sensation slowly returned to him. It started in his chest growing slowly, but steadily outward. It was a bizarre sensation, tingling and rippling, as if his body was rebuilding itself outward from his chest. After what seemed like an eternity, it ended and all he could feel was a cool wind blowing gently over his skin.
Skin. That was new. He couldn’t recall the last time he had skin. Come to think of it, the feeling of cold stone against his feet was foreign as well. Where was he? Why had the pain stopped? And what mysterious force had brought him here? His vision was slowly returning to him and- vision. It was a concept he scarcely remembered and yet, as it returned, it was instantly familiar. At first it was blurry, and he rapidly blinked his eye- His hand shot up to his face, an extremity he had only just recalled he had, and he graced the spot where his damaged eye had once been. A sunken pit was all that remained. Memories flooded back to him. Pain. Fear. Screaming. Men and women running towards him. Wyverns in the sky. Arrows. So many arrows. A roar that shook the foundations of the earth. Silence. It was all clear to him again. Who he was. What he was. And what had happened. He had died, cut down in the pit of a Bernese arena, and yet, he know felt distinctly alive. Where was he and how had he- weight, his own, returned to him and he found himself ill prepared to support it. His legs crumbled beneath him as he made a poor attempt to catch himself. Marcus tumbled forward off of the platform below him. He hit the floor hard. Coughing and sputtering, he pulled in fresh breaths as he lifted his head, trying to gather where he was. There were two figures in the room, staring up at him in what looked like either shock or awe. He let out his breath and drew in a new one, the subconscious ritual of breathing slowly returning.
“Where... where am I,” he asked slowly.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on May 13, 2015 10:36:13 GMT -6
Elias was assailed by images, both benign and bizarre, as he trotted ever forward atop his steed. Demon seemed completely unphased, dumb horse. Actually maybe his horse was the smart one, and Elias was the dumb one. That seemed more likely now that he thought about it, after all if he was smart why was he heading towards what is assuredly a 'Bad Place' with little reason outside because he feels like it? Of course when 'feeling like it' loosely means 'becoming a mindless zombie in pursuit of it' you can't hardly blame him for following it. Or well you could, but seriously that'd be a jerk move. The buzzing in his mind seemed to dull to only a mildly annoying whir as he followed what was probably the closest thing to 'destiny' he had ever experienced. It made it difficult to concentrate, feeling like the overlapping chatter of a crowd full of people in the background of his head, but at least thinking was possible. Before it was fool's errand, trying to shout into a rioting crowd to drown them out with the power of your own voice. Don't really get far, just a sore throat.
The Crimson Mage had always prided himself on his good sense of direction, which was a bald faced lie because he got lost often, but the force of direction guiding him now was something else. The direction was something unreal, ethereal perhaps, that seemed to tug at an invisible chain anchored to his soul or whatever quasi-magical spark that animated beings is. He knew where to go like it was embedded into his body without any regard to the rest of him, as an instinct that was born within him once this all began. All what began? He wasn't sure just yet, but he was sure that if he kept treading this path he was on he'd be at least one step closer to finding out. It felt connected, it all felt connected. Like a spider's web of countless threads and events that entangle all those near within it, but make a shape when all put together. The monsters, the events in Sacae, the dreams, Matrona, Hargus, whatever this thing he was doing was.
In the distance there was a cloud that fogged over the horizon. Inky and black, a shroud of darkness that hid something underneath. Odd, Elias would have seen it a while ago with how close he was. Was it always there? Did the shroud suddenly appear? Or did Elias just never notice it before? He wasn't sure which answer would be less disturbing. It filled his mind with an unnerved feeling of dread, but it filled his heart with a sense of accomplishment. He should know better, he KNEW better, but it didn't change the truth of the situation. That was where he should go, and that is where he would go. In truth it wasn't a cloud, or a shroud, or anything of the sort. That buzzing in his mind became real and audible as a chattering in the air. It was a swarm. Insect clouded the skies above like they swarmed amidst the putrid flesh in his dreams.
The ground was swarmed itself, but the creatures swarming were something else entirely. While the sky was awash with blow flies and locust, the earth below was drowning in a sea of undead and monsters. Creatures that could barely be recognized they were so far removed and rotten. From doomwolves to bonewalkers to revenants, he could have sworn he saw some hooves somewhere. It was hard to tell them apart, as the creatures blended together in what could only be described as a wall of flesh. He couldn't tell if they were coming at him, or ignoring him. Really it didn't matter either way as they they barred Elias' path forward, well now that won't do. Luckily in his studies he learned one important little tidbit. Kill'em with fire. "So you drag me aaaaalllll the way out here to, what? Show me gross stuff? C'mon." Elias grumbled loudly as he held a hand back as flames began to dance in his palm. It gathered into a sphere of flame, surprisingly contained as he hadn't set himself on fire yet. He clenched his hand around the fires, gripping it like a ball. The flames squeeze and compressed and squeezed through the cracks of his finger, yet still did not burn him. The fire knew better then that. "If you think this is gonna stop me, you clearly never met me." He laughed as he tossed the fires forward, sparking through the air and colliding with a shambling sack of flesh and bone. The creature let out no noise as it ignited, and even less noise as it was burnt beyond recognition and falling to the ground as a pile of burnt flesh and cinder. Eugh. The non-reaction of the creature as you kill (unkill? Rekill? Double kill?) them was the worst part. Elias scrunched up his nose and cringed, alright the smell was the worst part, the non-reaction was a close second though.
Elias took in a deep breath through the mouth, and he could taste the fetid air. The taste made him feel sick to his stomach, but he persevered as he gathered another blast of flames within his hand. Fire was the best option here, it could catch other creatures upon it's flame and kill many in a single spell. With the mass of monstrosities before him, conserving his strength was a very real concern. He fought more and more of the monsters, tossing plume after plume of flame. The fires of his magic being quenched by an ever expanding sea of monsters, drowning his magic out. Now would be a good time to escape, so of course he didn't. Elias wasn't known for being a ration man after all. He carved out a path as he moved forward, but the way back was quickly closed in by these creatures. Well at least he could answer the question he had before. They were clearly after him. Well isn't that special.
He heard the beating of wings behind him, and instantly his mind jumped to 'gargoyles'. He gathered a spire of ice withing his hand, aiming to pierce the flying creature from the sky but stopped mid-murder. This gargoyle looked awfully like a wyvern. Also a person. Oh hey that wasn't a monster. Well a physical monster. Elias couldn't speak about how the man dealt with interpersonal relations. He breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly turned his attention back to the actual monsters. "I see I'm not the only one insane enough to get themselves caught up in this mess."
The man introduced himself as Hal and together the two managed to cleave through the creatures well enough to reach wherever it was he was being dragged to. It was a structure of stone and clay, probably some place of worship in the past. Not surprising with how Etrurian loved those churches. He was surprised he didn't trip over like five on the way over here. Was this really it? A dusty old church in Etruria? THIS was where he was headed? All that drama, all that self-doubt and worry about his sanity, and it was all over Elias not going to church enough? If Elmine really was some all powerful figure looking down and judging them (or whatever the Etrurians believe, it's confusing) then she had a really weird way to get her message across.
"HELLOOOOOOO? ANYBODY HERE?" Elias cupped a hand over his mouth and belted out a crimson shout. Maybe there was someone here he was supposed to meet? No? Drat. So all of this was for nothing? Elias grumbled quietly to his self, shaking his head with a sigh. "Well it looks like they saw them coming and high tailed it, I think it's time for us to do so too." He quickly abandoned whatever this journey he was on was, he reached the place he was heading and NOTHING. It was beyond disappointing. All there was is a big dumb skeleton. Wait, that skeleton seemed to jog something in his memory. Connections started to make themselves in his mind as Elias took some tentative steps forward. Hal asked what the creature was, and that was an excellent question. What WAS it? Too large to be human, too large to be a monster, it was even larger then a cyclopes. Could it be a...
Elias held out his hand without even looking away. His gaze was fixed upon the garden of bone. "Close the door, try your best to make sure they stay closed. I have an idea, but it will require some time." He spoke, paying his own words little mind as he took Matrona in hand and dismounted demon. He had an idea, if it could be called that. Perhaps it would be better described as a feeling, or an instinct. Something he felt he should do, but he wasn't sure what it was. He did not know it in his mind, but he knew it deeper inside. It was as if someone or something was whispering to him and reacted in kind, never truly processing what it was he heard. It was less like he was wielding Matrona and more like Matrona was guiding him. Like he was a tool for it to do its bidding. He stood at the altar before the monstrous mass. Not a religious man, he still prayed but the words he spoke were not his own.
Matrona rose into the air of it's own accord, commandeering his body like a vessel for its desires. A slow wind began to pick up around him, whirling about him. A dervish, a spinning dance of wind and magic, began to surround him. The air around was dragged into this show as it was filled with sparks of magic and lightning. The thunder crackled and snapped through the air as the lightning it was bonded with bolted into the mass of bones. The remains of some sort of inhuman creature began to shift, move, twitch as the lightning blasted it time after time. Matrona filled the air with a hallowed light, the winds growing fiercer and more violent. The mage holding the staff couldn't even register what it was that was happening, what he was doing. Elias did what felt right, and what felt natural. What it was he needed to do. The veil between life and death wore thin and weak. So Elias reached through the void of existence and pulled.
Elias pulled and something pulled back. A sudden bolt raced across his mind as if something very thin, very fragile had just snapped. The light vanished, and the vortex died. Elias fell to his knees as if he had just been hit by a heavy blow. He was out of breath, exhausted, and thoroughly confused. What did he just do? He sort of checked out a while back. They entered the building, Elias saw the bones and then he was on the ground? Speaking of the bones, where were they? They vanished. Instead there was a... naked man. He felt a heat in he face as he quickly turned his gaze. Coughing a bit nervously, but quickly getting over it. "I... I was hoping you could tell us. Also who are you?" Elias said to the man behind him as he turned away and began to go through his bag. He rifled through it a bit. Elias was surprised, but probably not as much as he should be. He felt like this was supposed to happen, so while it surprised his ration mind, it didn't surprise his irrational gut. Honestly he followed his gut more often then his mind anyways. "I mean I think we're in Etruria. Somewhere at least. That part was pretty clear. Everything else is just kinda I dunno."
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