Oblivion Phantasy ~ The Obstinate Odyssey 【RP Thread】

"Hah!" A single frosty but relieved sigh escaped Rein's lips. The mark of the end of the battle - Ikane's slashing down on the last apparition - was not as climactic as he imagined them to be, but this was more than enough. Now, the battle being over...

"Thanks, but I don't think so - I was knocked out which was enitrely my fault as I kind of got carried away and I allowed myself to be frozen, too, and-" Just in time, he caught himself about to ramble on. "You did better than me." He said instead, meekly. By that time, Ikane's attention was directed to resheathing her sword. Now she turned to the other crew.

"On the other hand, we may probably need to address them..." Rein made his way toward the Shapeshifter's party and stood. When Ikane shot him a glance, he shuddered, but stood his ground. When Ikane was done speaking, something occured to him. He piped up, "What my, er, new acquaintance -meant- to say was, 'Thank you for saving our to-be-frozen heinies from that unforgiving situation and you don't seem to be lost individuals?' and we are both truly grateful for the way you helped us, and I'd like to apologise for my being a dead weight in the battle. Thank you."

 

Henry entered the village, making his way towards the group, as he began to hear the sound of talking amongst them. He wondered how long it would take for them to notice him. He let out a deep breath, the cold air making it visible, before the breath faded away.

 

Silence fell upon the empty shell of a town as the last creation of Heilleo - the remaining Living Ice that had caused so much trouble for the group - was finally stricken down, meeting its end, as Eileen witnessed, at the hands of the strange woman, who Eileen had lent their only Soul Tonic to in order to revitalize her youthful companion. From a distance, the tundra phantom had realized that her search for something to aid them in the fight had been in vain... though she had found a bow, perhaps one more useful than the one the elder Shaver carried with him now. Quietly, she stood away from the group as they caught their breath. They had not needed her assistance in this fight, and so she had not forced it upon them... after all, things had turned out for the best. For the moment... Eileen added mentally, a solemn look marring her otherwise-pristine face.

As moments passed, she recognized the need to continue moving forward. She rejoined the small conjunction of two parties, each travelling for their own means... or so she thought. Whatever had brought the strange woman and her young tagalong to the ruined village, Eileen feared they would not last on their own. The woman had an air of quiet confidence about her, which was certainly reassuring, but her apprentice - or so it seemed to Eileen, at the very least - was not quite as combat-ready. Answering on behalf of David, she addressed the woman, "No, we are not responsible for the ruination of the village," she spoke curtly, but with no ill intent towards the woman. After all, she had succeeded in fending off the threat on her, with the assistance of the shifter. "This is the work of a far greater power, and one that has struck seemingly unprovoked." The thought of the deity crossed her mind - Heilleo's creations had come only to hunt the remains of the village. Looters. Scavengers. It sickened Eileen that He would let His creations starve so... but perhaps He had some ulterior motive. One that Eileen would not be able to comprehend... This I hope... I must speak with Heilleo. I shall accompany Shaver. She thought to herself. Though her intent to lead them would end as they encountered the nearest village, it seemed that her... duty, as she assumed it were, was not quite finished.

Turning now to the elder Shaver, she nodded and bowed slightly, as though appreciating his skill in battle. "You fought well, Jason Shaver. An admirable sense of loyalty..." she smirked, in a half-hearted sort of joking way, before adding, "But before you reprimand your brother for his concern of you, recall that I did ask that you stay outside of the village." Her remark was in good nature, though she sensed that it would not be taken well by the shapeshifter. He seemed to have a stark preference for working alone. However, this did not stop Eileen from removing the bow from her pack, and passing it to the boy. "I would assume that you will find greater use in this than I." She shrugged, relatively impassive throughout the exchange. Nothing further was added to the conversation by her, as she waited for the boy's response.

The younger boy, perhaps a little on the high-strung side, had contributed his piece. The tundra phantom chuckled slightly at his ramblings, "'New acquaintance'? I had thought the two of you to be... long companions." She bowed her head and shook it slightly, as though she knew how foolish an assumption that would have been. "Do not fret over the past, young one. The battle is over, and that is what is important." Returning his gaze, she suddenly turned slightly more grim, "However, I must ask... what is it that brings you to this ruined town?" It seemed peculiar that two unlinked humans would simultaneously end up in the town, especially at the same time that she herself had been attempting to lead two equally-lost boys from the Blizzard Veil to safety - to a place where they could replenish their energies and be on their ways. Would Eileen be expected to guide this new duo to the Ice Citadel - the nearest town she could imagine? It seemed a lofty goal, at best. One far away... It seemed they had more travelling to do yet. And she did not expect anyone to enjoy it.

 

Henry smiled, as it seemed that one of them finally noticed his presence, but it didn't seem lie any of the others noticed as well. He continued to approach them, but showed no sign of hostility, his bow strapped to his back, and his hands down to his side.

He soon came to a stop, still a bit's away from the group, before speaking up. "Greetings, I take it you all know what has happened here?"

 

"Brrr... It's cold. Well, I was travelling to the Ice Citadel for the library there - I mean, after all, it is a huge city and has a great magic tome resource too. I'm still a student of natural magic from less frigid areas... I stopped by here because I felt a presence, and learning to feel presences is a skill I recently learnt." Rein's body stopped shivering and stood still, his ears pricked up. "Strange coincidence my skill should work when I am talking about it! Not for the last time today, we will be having company, it seems."

Rein heard the Shapeshifter - Jason - shift and move off. He flipped around and called out, "Well, Mr Shifter, sir, you have a good nose. Who's there?!"

 

Eileen allowed her face to betray a slight display of contentedness; she had finally gotten through to the elder Shaver boy, breaking through his walls and shields of indifference to finally find a common ground on which they could both see eye-to-eye. Though it had been brief, it was welcome to see him portray something other than irritation. Quickly, though, his mood changed as she commented lightheartedly. He shot back a dry retort, to which Eileen herself smiled ambiguously, ominously, "The creations of Heilleo do not exactly require much 'handling,' as it were." The answer was open-ended, likely enough to frustrate Jason even more, though Eileen welcomed his assistance nonetheless. "However, I would not have been alone," she stated after a brief pause spanning a mere second, "for these two would still have fought alongside me." She nodded her head in the direction of the two travelling companions, whose names she had not yet acquired.

She was about to respond to his quip about him not having 'asked' her to accompany him, but as he abruptly seemed to pick up some noise from afar, she let him go unchecked. "Quite a sharp tongue on that boy," she mused, aloud, to the remaining companions, "he has a spark. The livelihood of an adventurer." The statement hung in the air, punctuated only by the frosty winds and the chattering of the teeth of the younger boy, ill-dressed considering the bitter chill that would surely shock his human flesh. He then spoke about being on the road to the Ice Citadel, "It would seem you are a tad off-course, if you do not mind my saying, should you plan to find your way to the Citadel..."

It seemed that the younger boy had good enough senses to follow Jason's quick - if a tad brief - departure from the group. He certainly has the mouth to match... Eileen chuckled to herself, realizing just how disdainful Jason would be if they were to combine the two small groups into one greater travelling party. It made no sense to travel separately, especially with all the chaos that had taken part in this day thus far. Eileen did not want to be held accountable for any more humans perishing in the midst of Boreana. If she were to guide Jason and David, it only made sense that the newcomers tag along. As Jason introduced her, she bowed in acknowledgement. "A pleasure to meet you," she stated, with a light smile. "We can get moving, certainly..." she trailed off, "However, we will be bringing company along, for we have a common destination. The Ice Citadel is the nearest town. It should do well in both a resting point for you, and a step in the right direction for your journey, Jason Shaver."

She then turned to finally allow the newest presence to their group a word in edgewise, "One final question, before we move along... who is your new friend?" A question, posed for Jason, or perhaps the newest boy - an archer, much like Shaver himself - to answer. Was he a friend, or was he a foe? The fact that he stood with his quiver and bow still strung to his back suggested that he meant no ill upon the group, but still, Eileen met him with an icy stare, ready to defend those who she had been placed in charge of by the Chains of Fate... It is simple. If he attacks, he shall meet a bitter end not dissimilar to so many civilians of this once-fair town.

 

"My name is Henry Flamedraw." The teen said introducing himself, as he examined the group. While most seemed well dressed for the area, a few seemed out of place in this snowy climate, but he made no comment about that. Whatever that had attacked this village before, might not have been the only ones. "I was passing through this are, when I heard the sound of fighting nearby, so I came to investigate." He explained to the group. He suspected that there might be more in the area. And if he was attacked, he probably wouldn't be able to make it on his own if there was enough of them. Might be a good idea to stick with these people, for now.

 

It seemed that the commotion of the destroyed town had affected more of the world than Eileen had initially thought. Perhaps the Chains of Fate had truly drawn them all together for some other purpose... a binding cause, connecting them all. Perhaps this was a sign from Heilleo - had she been mistaken in rescuing David and Jason from the Arctic Wolves? Was she now to repent for her actions, through leading these strange newcomers, all gathering in the same place without an evident common thread to their stories...? She was not sure of what the intentions of the God were, but she was but a mere servant of the deity. She would not dare defy Him, and would lead the group to the Ice Citadel, in order to save them from the blistering cold, and allowing them a place to rest.

However, the latest appearance caused her to puzzle for a moment.

Eileen regarded the newcomer, Henry, with a slightly perplexed look. Had they really made so much noise that they could attract someone from a distance to the centre of the ruined town? "Henry Flamedraw. Was there something that drew you to this town outside of the commotion we have seemingly caused?" she asked, hinting at her thoughts of a lacking common thread, "Did you have family here? This is not a region often traversed by humans for pleasure." It made little sense to her, the boy's appearance. Perhaps he and the elder Shaver were in the same boat - searching for the Aurora Vortex like so many sparkle-eyed men before them. Perhaps this was why Heilleo had caused her to stumble upon the group; to lead them away from the course of the Aurora Vortex... but nonetheless, she had an admiration, at the very least, for the concern of Jason for his younger brother. Understated as it was, it was clear to Eileen that Jason Shaver had more about him than immediately met the eye - hostility was lined with consternation. Indifference was subtly layered over top of the fear of letting others in. He is definitely a character of much intrigue... the Tundra Phantom thought in passing.

She returned her attention to Henry, continuing to be baffled over his sudden decision to approach a group that had just slain some of Heilleo's creations. She pursed her pale, blue lips and furrowed her brow. She would not let her guard down, and if he chose to follow them to the Ice Citadel... well, she decided that he was one who was not her problem. Not until he revealed his true intent of being present in a ruined town, instead of steering well clear of it as one would expect. The others, as well, had not truly stated their intentions, but the younger boy seemed far too innocent to be up to any evil against Heilleo, and that was good enough for Eileen... for the time being. She would lead him and the woman - who introduced herself as Ikane - to the Citadel, should they be interested. At present, however, Ikane addressed Henry's earlier question of what had occurred.

"'Literally ice' indeed. The creations and servants of Heilleo often are associated with His domain - the ice and snow itself." she smiled, weakly, knowing that she had gone against His will in attacking His creations. However, as a protector of the humans and the Shifter before her, she knew that it was equally terrible to leave them to a fate of death - alone in the Blizzard Veil, or hunted down in the abandoned town. She mentally noted to herself, and to her deity if He was listening, I shall atone for my sins... In response to Ikane's second question, regarding her decision to travel to the Ice Citadel, she spoke plainly, "It is the nearest settled encampment to here. It would only be sensible to travel there. For Jason's journey, he must restock and prepare himself. Especially if he intends to face it alone." She turned, shooting the shapeshifter with a hard look not dissimilar to a grimace. "Though, it would be... unwise, to say the least, for him to do so."

Shaver himself, at this point, gave off an exasperated remark of how they picked up more 'strays,' as he referred to them. Eileen could understand his frustration; she had lived in solitude for so long, wandering the continent of Boreana as a servant of Heilleo. She gave a lightly concerned look in his direction at his following comments, before speaking up. "So you say you would prefer to end your life bitterly, alone, and without even your brother for company as you attempt - like so many before you - to find the Vortex?" It was an honest, but rhetorical, question. She knew he did not appreciate her presence, and moreso that she had kept him chained down to a group that he had no desire to be in. But for now, at the very least, she knew that he understood what she aimed to do for him. "It is, perhaps, not my place to say as much. I apologize, Jason Shaver." she bowed her head in sincere repentance. In following, she responded to Jason's final question, voicing to the entire group:

"Indeed. Lingering any longer would yield nothing but increased risk, should other Arctic Wolves sense our disarray from the previous battle. Let us continue. If you would accompany us to the Ice Citadel..."
...then we may part our ways upon arrival.

 

Henry stared back at Eileen, his face completely blank except for a very faint scowl he had, and thus unreadable to anyone. "It is like I said, I was just drawn here by the noise." The young man replied to the Tundra Phantom. "And I assure you, I am not traversing this region for pleasure, I was hired to investigate this area, and the strange things that have been happening here lately, along with another person." Henry explained to the group. "We were both actually on our way to this Ice Citadel when were attacked by wolves, and were separated."

"The plan in case of separation is to continue on towards the target area, and hopefully regroup there." Henry said to the group. "I'll join you guys on the way to the Ice Citadel, seeing as the appearance of creations of Heilleo has just made this journey a lot more dangerous, what happens afterwards, depends on what we find there."

Henry's mind wandered to thoughts of how his previous companion was doing. There was no doubt in Henry's mind that he was still alive. In pure combat and survival skills, he was his superior, and had always been his superior, even after Henry had graduate from being his apprentice. Yet something in the back of his head, a thought of something that there might be something out there, especially with the recent reveal of these creatures, made Henry worry about him.

 

David let the others talk to the point of almost beginning to squabble before he finally spoke up. Clearing his throat slightly awkwardly, he started, "Even if some of us don't particularly want to group together-" here he grinned at Jason, "there is safety in numbers. If we're all headed in the same general direction, there's no reason not to form a group and combine forces." He walked away from the ice spike he'd been leaning on to regain his energy, and stopped beside his brother.

"Jase, even if I wanted to go home, at this point, that's more likely to get me killed than coming along with you," David stated plainly, his grin widening as he knew his older brother would realize the Rainmaker was right. "'Sides, Eileen's right. You can't make this journey alone- the two of us together even had trouble keeping our footing against those wolves before she showed up." He shrugged and looked around, seeing if there was anything of interest left in the ruined town.

 

As usual, Rein's behindside was freezing while the rest of the group were talking. Happy that he was not alone anymore now that the others seemed to be wanting to go to the Ice Citadel as well, the petit Runekeeper started trailing behind the entourage as they walked to the Scheque Range. In front of them lay a gaping hole downwards into the caverns of the Scheque, while a huge, frozen path ascended to the top of the mountains. Sighing, Rein figured there would probably be a heated discussion about it. "Um, people, if we're going to have to choose between paths - and I'm just saying - I'd much rather take the caverns." He shivered at the sight of the snowcapped peaks, phantom pains of the flash freeze not long ago still visiting his body every now and then. "But I can definitely respect your opinions. I'll wait for you to decide."

 

Henry frowned as he stared at the cavern with mistrust. He didn't really like caves mostly on the pretense that your sight was dampened by the darkness, he did not like confined spaces, you could at least see enemies coming or up ahead if you were outside, unlike a cavern where you could wander into a whole nest of them, and there would be more likely to be things in the way of his arrows, inside a cavern. Not to mention the fact that his separated companion would have certainly thought the same if he came this way, so there was a more likely chance they'd run into him going that way. All of this made him a bit more biased towards taking the ascending path but so far it seemed that the majority was in for going into the cavern, one of whom was actually shivering from the cold. "I would actually rather take the ascending path, personally, but I will go with whatever the rest of you decide, without complaint." He said to his current companions.

 

David shifted position uncomfortably, not really knowing which path he wanted to take. Jase was making the most sense with his reasoning for going through instead of over, but it was the more dangerous path, as visibility would be limited for most of the ragtag group. But then there was the cold... David sighed, his breath visible as he did som. "I don't know. Going up might be safer, but... Jase is right about the cold." He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "If a blizzard starts while we're up there, half of us are at risk of frostbite as well as whatever monsters are out there. If we go in, we might not be able to navigate easily, but at least two of us have decent lowlight vision." Here he looked at Jase before falling silent.