CHESTOOOO!!! (Open)

[Bee]

Bee and Lysander had left the capital in search of the shaman Dawson. Bee had started this journey in a effort to find a comrade in arms against the evil that was Draco Guro. Lysander followed the Maiden Of Flames out of curiosity and the ability to see advance magic up close. Only time will tell if this union of friends was crafted by the divines or simply a pure happenstance. Either way the duo's travels took them by mount Naraku, a tainted and beautiful place. At the base of the mountain they found a humble little village wrapped in both grief and anger.

"What is going on here", spoke Bee as the duo approached the village. The maiden was hoping to find some information in the next village. The road was strangely empty and the people they did pass were not up for talking. Something was clearly going on. Bee could see the fear and desperation in there faces. Nowv that they reached the village there was a commotion in the center of the town. To add more fuel to the fire the gate to the village was wide open. No guards, no watch, and not even blood. Something strange indeed was going on.

"Hey I am about to go check out what going on in the center of town. If you want to play it safe and sit on the outskirts that is fine." With that Bee took the main road to the center of the town. She half expected Brigands and some sick game of life and death. What she got instead was a horde of armored men and women rallying around a stand. The guy on stage was a priest, Bee could tell from his clothing. He was ranting on and on about the light, but the thing that caught Bee's eye was the strange corpse strung up next to him. It was almost a combination between a man and a bat, but far uglier. It had a acidic smell coming off of it that Bee could smell even as far away as she was. The smell gave the creature away to her. She had seen and smelled the abominations of the neither. It was a monster and a flying one at that.

[Lysander]

With all due literalness, Lysander could confidently think to himself, what in the flying hell was that thing?

To recap, him and Bee had been walking without incident up to Mount Naraku, the mountain the most closely overlooked the capital. By now, dusk was emerging over the horizon. Lysander never fashioned himself a stealthy mage, but he exercised some caution when negotiating some of the more difficult foothills. In due time, they reached a tiny village on the bluffs on Mount Naraku. Both him and Bee remained silent for the duration of the trip, though Lysander opted to follow Bee as she followed the main road into the village.

Upon entering its open, oddly unguarded gates, the duo was greeted with a peculiar visage. There was a stereotypical soapbox preacher flanking the wooden stage, no doubt attempting to proselytize the laymen encircling it. But something else was amiss about the scene: the smell. The acrid odor strongly reminiscent of putrefaction wafted around, making Lysander's nostrils nearly burn. Of all times to have a keen sense of smell, this was clearly not one of those times.

The source of the smell was a familiar sight to Lysander. Not in the flesh, of course, but it had made appearances throughout numerous books and bestiaries he had read.

"That... appears to be a gargoyle," Lysander observed with some restraint.

[Dawson]

Dawson traveled along the path with a smile on his face. He finally reached town to restock on his personal supplies and hopefully find some way to obtain more money and supplies for the resistance in Illia. Lets hope that things won't end up like last time where I accidentally hit innocents with a flux blast Dawson thought. He still felt bad about hiting Ito back there, but he was certain that they forgave him at that point. He could only push further up the mountain path as he took in his sights. Nothing like back in Lycia or even in Illia where all I saw in Illia was snow, more snow, and ice...

He then paused as he came across the village gate. "Huh...thats odd, for sure I'd thought the village at least have a guard or two at the gate, which for some reason is open..." Dawson said as he slowly moved in to the village. He then stopped suddenly when he spotted a familiar face. Is that...no way...it CAN'T be...can it? Dawson thought. It looked like his friend, Bee and what looked to be another mage by her side. His attention then turned to what looked to be a stage of some sort surrounded by a mob of sorts. He light out a silent gasp as he saw what he thought he'd never see. No...WAY! It can't be...a Gargoyle of all things? This can't be good... he thought as he slowly reached into his satchel and pulled out his flux tome.

[Bee]

"Gargoyle", spoke the maiden with a bit of confusion. "Sorry but I am not big on magical studies on creatures of the neither. I am more of a practical application kind of girl. You know finding uses for magic in normal everyday life. So if you know anything about them then please share it."

Bee did not like not knowing. She was not a dumb person, but at the same time she was not that smart. She knew how to use fire magic, how to control her flames, but she did not know anything about magical theories or lore outside her own element. she did not know how Gaia worked, or how light magic functioned. even elder magic the vile darkness that dominated her life, she knew very little about it. This fact ate at Bee every time she meet another mage. They knew so much about the world, while she knew so little. It was outright embarrassing sometimes.

As the duo talked the priest raised his voice. "That is why we are going to finish what the soldiers started! We are going to climb that mountain and finish off the last two of these beast! So who is with me!"

"Yeah", roared the crowd as they raised there spears, swords, axes, and pitch forks. It was in that moment that the priest noticed the three new faces.

"Ah good travelers have you come to aid us in our hour of need?" It was then that all the locals turned around and looked at the group. A shiver ran down Bee's spine as they did so. There was just something weird about the way they did so in unison. It seemed so unnatural. "You three have come to assist in the extermination of the flying demons yes?"

Three thought Bee to herself. The maiden looked at Lysander and then turned around. She was not expecting to see anyone, but there he was, "Dawson!?"

[Lysander]

The priest rambled on for what seemed like an eternity. Did he truly think he could take on two gargoyles with those numbers? Soldiers and villagers alike could hardly expect a favorable outcome. Even a practiced team of veterans, Lysander had noted in his bestiary, had to prepare sufficiently to fight gargoyles. The winged abominations were unpredictable in their assaults; their flight patterns did not in any way resemble those of pegasi or wyverns, and they possessed enough intelligence to used the wildly sloped terrain of their habitat to their advantage. Additionally, they had a tendency to travel in packs, so it was highly probable that the priest was mistaken in his initial report of two remaining. A more reliable estimate would be four, perhaps five. The prospect of facing even one fully-grown gargoyle was scary enough to turn Lysander's stomach juices into curds.

There was hope, though: Gargoyles had a pronounced weakness to magic, particularly magic that disrupted their flight patterns or injured their wings. Because the bulk of their muscles were found in their shoulders (aiding movement to their wings), they did not fight as well on foot. However, Lysander's magic likely would not be sufficient enough to actually down a gargoyle. Scratch one, sure, perhaps even mortally wound a younger one. Should him and Bee be forced to confront one, the latter's more sophisticated grasp of fire magic would be a necessity.

Lysander turned on the spot as Bee shouted unexpectedly. He whirled around, instinctively placing a hand on his trinity tome, half-expecting to see one of the horrible beasts swooping low for the kill. However, "Dawson" didn't sound like a name one might give a gargoyle. Sure enough, she was addressing a newcomer. He was clad in dark garments and a gray headband, underneath which housed an untidy mass of black hair. In one of his hands was what Lysander recognized as a flux tome.

This... this could be bad, he admitted to himself. If the shaman was a threat, then his magic would be virtually useless; elemental spells were quelled by the darkness. Moreover, it took one hell of a mind to master such an ancient, volatile, and dangerous kind of magic. However... Bee appeared to know him, at the very least. He had garnered Bee's trust and vice-versa, so he saw no cause for alarm. He'd have to save his resignation for the gargoyles.

[Dawson]

Dawson was still confused as to why there was a Gargoyle here of all places. From what he know about them, though quite rare to encounter, Gargoyles are very powerful. Gargoyle hunts here? This can't end well- Dawsons thoughts were then interrupted when he saw Bee turn around. "Bee?! What are you doing here?
Last I heard, you were heading to Vinland" he said with a slight smile on his face. He was just relieved that none of Dracos minions managed to get to her yet. He is curious about the other mage that is with her though, but he figured he'll get answers soon enough.

His attention then turned back toward the priest. "Are you sure that's a good idea though? I mean,
don't you know how powerful just a single gargoyle can be? Nonetheless two of them?" Dawson said. These people are going to walk right to their deaths if they try to fight a Gargoyle...I just hope they know what their getting themselves into...Besides, the best my flux tome can do on monsters is maybe distract them since their supposedly highly resistant to elder magic... Dawson thought. Though to be honest, he himself wasn't going to back down either. First of all, it would make great training for when the time came to face and defeat Draco. Second of all, if the villagers had a reward in for defeating the gargoyles, he could bring it back to the resistance in Illia, maybe even bring back a weapon along with supplies to help aid the resistance.

[Bee]

"Of course we will fight the monsters", spoke a burly man as he stepped out the crowd. His arms were covered with scars and his body was as chiseled as a sculpture. In his hand was a massive iron axe that was usually used for poping oprn armored knights. He wore a thick set of heavy mail with his arms conveniently unprotected. His pants were made from thick fur and the holes in the leather revealed lines of chain mail as well. Most impressively was his orange mustache which was at least three inches long and twisted like a spiral tower. The wax on the ends were clearly high class and on the back of his arm was a tattoo with a snake eating a man.

"Me entire team of hunters were whipped out by that monster. we know how powerful they are, but we can't live like this. Before me team died the beast came down and began to gobble up the villagers children. When we arrived to cut the lumber for this season the beast swooped down and took two of me brothers. The other four just died trying to kill the beast on stage."

"That is right", spoke one man in the crowd. "No way we can let them fight the monsters alone."

"Aye! the men in this village have coward enough!"

"So are you lads coming or are you going to sit back and watch", growled the big man as he made his way toward the path leading up to the mountain.

"Hold on a second', murmered Bee as something poped into her mind. The maiden could not place it, but there was something off about the man and his story. There was a important fact about monsters, or a very specific monster that she had forgotten. It was something about Sacae, but she could not put her finger on it.

[Lysander]

The burly armored man's mustache curled comically, and it bristled merrily as he spoke. Lysander had a brief flicker of how his daily grooming routine might go and how he'd likely have to pay a separate, probably levied tax on combs alone. In any case, the man was gung ho about immediately trotting up the mountain to dispatch the remaining flock of gargoyles, which Lysander knew only boded ill.

"Yes, I agree. Let's think rationally here. Should we truly take on a full-grown duo of gargoyles with these numbers?" Lysander posed thoughtfully. "If we're to track them, I would propose a less obvious approach. Simply gallivanting up the mountain will get us all killed."

He then turned on the spot, gesturing at the black-haired newcomer in robes. He wasn't part of the common rabble, and that was for certain. The flux tome he was clutching gave even more away. Lysander was curious to know more about him, as shamans were potentially potent magic wielders if they didn't allow their spells to overrule their thoughts and physical being.

"And your name is...?" Lysander began curiously.

[Dawson]

Dawson could only nod as the mage beside Bee pointed out more facts that needed to be addressed. "Look,
like the mage said, we should formulate a plan of some sort before we just start going up and fighting a gargoyle of all things. That way, we can at least reduce, if not, completely eliminate the amount of casualties that we'd potentially face.
I'm not suggesting that we don't do anything, what I suggest however is that whatever we do, we should at least try and think something out" he said. Dawson then got a slight puzzled look on his face. Something about his story still doesn't seem to add up...Is this what really happened?" Dawson thought.

He turned his attention toward the mage that appeared to be addressing him. "You can call me Dawson,
I'm a friend of Bee's you could say" Dawson said to the mage. He didn't look to be with Draco, he was thankful for that. What he is more concerned about however is the threat that is up ahead, being the gargoyles that he and Bee very likely will have to fight. Granted, it might be an easier fight compared to Black Dog or even Black Wolf, but he still knows that a Gargoyle possesses tremendous strength, and to boast with it, maneuverability thanks to their ability to fly. One is deadly enough to hold it's own against a small well trained squadron at most. Dawson couldn't help but shudder slightly at what TWO or maybe even a pack of them could do to just three spell castors and a small mob...

[Bee]

"That would be Dawson, the shaman I was looking for", spoke Bee as she looked at Lynsander. "This is kind of funny how we prepared for this epic level quest to find you and the moment we walk into a random village you just pop up. Am I the only one here who feels like we have been cheated", spoke Bee as she looked at Lynsander. Before the maiden could joke around more the burly man chimed back in.

"I don't have time for the cowardness of you.."

"Mo", shouted the priest! "The man hopped down from the stage and began to walk toward the group. "The fire that rages blindly consumes all of its fuel and eventually dies. Our passions have blazed with the deaths of our kinsmen, let us seek wise council."

"But priest", begged a villager.

"Be at peace my son. Our love ones will be avenged. However the quicker we do it will not bring them back from the dead. If we ..."

"THE DEAD, THAT WAS IT!" Shattering the speech and the moment that the holy man had going on Bee remembered what she had forgotten. Her excitement was still high so she was not lowering her voice for anyone. "DAWSON AND LYSANDER! DON'T YOU BOTH REMEMBER THAT WAR THAT TOOK PLACE IN SACAE!V YOU KNOW THE ONE WITH THE BANDIT ARMY AND THE REVIVED BANDIT KING HARGUS! THE MAIN REASON THESE FLYING BEAST EVEN EXIST. DURING THAT BATTLE MEN AND WOMEN DIED TO THE SPEARS OF THESE ABOMINATIONS. AS A RESULT THERE CORPSES CAME BACK UP AS WALKING UNDEAD ATTACKING THERE FRIENDS!"

With that Bee turned toward the burly man with the axe. "I THOUGHT SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR STORY WAS OFF. YOU SAID THAT YOUR FRIENDS WERE SLAIN BY THE CREATURES, BUT YOU NEVER MENTIONED THAT THEY CAME BACK TO LIFE. WHY IS THAT!"

"Wait what", spoke the priest and the entire crowd went into a murmur, Bee was proud oh herself.

[Lysander]

Bee had started shrieking with the fervor of ten thousand hyenas. How did this woman manage to muster such gusto? Lysander was truly puzzled in this regard. Was the team dealing with the art of necromancy, which concerned the transience of the dead back to the living? Necromantic thralls tended to be mere shells of their former selves; a disturbing and scary thought in and of itself.

"Well then," Lysander began plainly. "I suppose we ought to listen to what Bee had to say, hm?" The crowd murmured, some of its members frantically. Lysander recalled the war in Sacae as well, though because he was Bernese, he had no knowledge of what actually took place in Sacae itself. In fact, the only time he came to Sacae was while he was touring with his circus troupe. Gorman had remarked that it was extremely flat and somewhat unpredictable in seasons. Lysander remembered it fondly as a landscape where one could gaze upon miles upon miles of uninterrupted horizon at a time with gently sloping hills in the far distance. On clear days, it was often stated that one could see all the way into Bern.

"Well, priest?" Lysander asked bracingly. "Can you confirm or refute this story?"

[Dawson]

Dawson paused as he thought of what Bee said. He then lifted his gaze at the burly man. "That is true...I thought something was suspicious. I for one wouldn't miss mentioning critical information like that. Is there a real reason that part was left out? Or is there something else going on entirely?" Dawson said. He remembered it all to well. Now granted, he for one didn't partake in the war and it never reached him, but he knew abominations like that could happen from what he learned during his dreadful time with Draco.

"I'll say it again, is there a true reason behind this? I for one have trouble believing your story.
Perhaps you should tell us what your REALLY doing." Dawson said. He was not sure what the people really wanted or even why the people missed mentioning critical information like that. Something fishy is going on here alright...we just might be able to uncover something here that could be bad... Dawson thought. He wasn't sure just what exactly was going on, but he intended to find out. Besides, if there truly were Gargoyles that needed to be taken out, then it would provide perfect training to steel himself for when he and Bee fought Draco or when he went back to the resistance to fight Etruria. But if it was a trap of some sort, who would it be and why? It looked too disorganized to be a trap set up by Draco or his minions, but Dawson was not going to let his guard down.