Road to the Grail

cool! I'm messing around with my profile. I'm going to change it again...oh, and if you'd like to post about the two day trip, I'll intro the new character.

Are you going to post, or should I?

Actually, I can't think of anything at present. Wait, never mind. I just thought of something. I do have a recomendation. For the new character, could you give an exsample of what he'll look like? It's just easier if I know who you're wanting him to look like.
And this post, is going to be fantasy at it's extreme.




Rea and Arannte put their horses in full gallop. Arannte was very persistant that they get to the town as soon as possible. On the way there, they had very few interuptions. Until they reached a river. Rea and Arannte were half-way across, when the river started to rise.
"It's flooding!" Rea shouted over the loud rumble beneath them. Gwanthi reared, obviously spooked about the sudden rise of the water. Nightmare easily and calmly walked to shore. She turrned, and nieghed at Gwanthi as if to say it was safe. But Gwanthi wouldn't budge from his spot.
"Come on Gwanthi!" Rea said. She finally dismounted and tried leading Gwanthi out of the river, he tried to follow her, but he couldn't. Rea suddenly took a deep breath and went underwater. She came back up quickly. She garbbed her knife out of her saddle, and went buck under. At this point the water was just below her neck.

The dark greenish brown water was filled with mud from Gwanthi's hooves kicking around, trying to loosen himself free of a weed that had wrapped itself around his leg. Rea grabed ahold of the weed, and tried to cut it. But it was strong, very strong. She kept at it. Seconds went by slowly feeling like minutes. Finally, the weed snapped. Gwanthi darted away from the spot where he'd been standing. Rea swam to the surface that, had once been to her waist, and was now well over her head, if her feet were to touch the bottom. Suddenly, just as Gwanthi stepped onto dry land, a current began. The current started slow, but fast enough to startle Rea. Arannte, noticed the current as well. Her face went slightly pale.
"Rea, we need to move on. And quickly."
"What is it Arannte?" Rea asked, still swimming to shore. Suddenly both Rea and Arannte noticed, she hadn't moved at all. Since the current started, Rea hadn't moved from her spot. Rea felt the current getting stronger.

Suddenly, Rea found herself surrounded by water again. She couldn't tell which way was up or down, or left or right. Everything was the same. She couldn't see the surface, and she couldn't see the bottom. It was as if she'd been pulled into a never ending pool in all directions.
Where is the surface! she thought. Finally! She saw it! She swam to the top, only to discover that she was trapped! She banged her hands against the sudden plastic covering that prevented her from air. The air that her lungs were now burning for. She had only a matter of seconds...a tree vine! Rea swam to the tree vine hanging into the water. She grabbed ahold of it and pulled herself out of the water, and onto the ground.

Breathing heavily, Rea lay on the ground, letting the air dry out her lungs.




Whoo! That took a while. And it's pretty pathetic, but oh well. It'll do.

Sure!

~~~~~

Arannte jumped off of Nightmare and slung a vine into the water, using all her strength to make a hole in the magical water to allow her friend to climb out. "Rea!" she said, running to her friend, who's pupils were so large they were covering her iris.

Arannte rested Rea's head on her knees and placed her hand on her forehead, breaking the bond that kept oxygen from her friend's lungs. "It's all right...take a deep breath. You're all right, don't worry."

Rea's pupils went back to normal and she jerked into a sitting position, sucking great gasps of air into her lungs. She groaned and held her head, glaring at Arannte. "Did you absolutely have to use that magic?"

Arannte grinned mischievously. "The side affects are strong, of course, and you won't be able to sleep for 3 days."

Rea rolled her eyes and gave Arannte a playful shove. "You've been just longing to make me miserable, haven't you?"

Arannte didn't repy, but remounted. "Gwanthi's fine, I checked. I made sure I didn't use any electric shock to get him moving."

Rea swung back up on the horse and looked back at the river. "Magic," she muttered, and Arannte corrected her,

"Dark magic."

~~~~~

The werewolf's crimson eyes glittered darkly from among the shadows as he circled the six men still standing, from a group of twenty. Three of the men's former fellows now followed him as new werewolves...wholly evil.

Eleven men lay in various grotesque positions, and several werewolves in their half-man, half-wolf shape, curled into stiff balls that trickled acidic blood over the pavement.

Surrender! The werewolf commanded the men, who replied only with a shower of arrows from powerful longbows. Only two horses still remained--the others had either fled or been slain.

Surrender...or die.

"Not a chance!" Shouted one, who stood slightly in front of the others. The werewolf replied with a leap and a bound and locking his forepaws around the soft throat.

The man gagged and was still, but the werewolf felt a thousand red-hot blades piercing his flesh, and he cried in agony, the other werewolves cowering back in fear as a man, taller than the others, rose above their leader and thrust a spear deep into the black heart, which gushed blood until there seemed no end to it.

The grey eyes locked with red, and the man stared unblinkingly into the other's eyes without flinching, until the werewolf breathed his last and wrapped around the barbed spear so tight it shattered.

Lanzemor "Lanz" Cisco turned back to his men. "The others won't be too eager to attack again today. Let's try to get to Eldani as soon as possible. Something tells me there's more than four of these--" he gestured at the remaining werewolves slinking away "--lunking somewhere nearby." his sharp grey eyes surveyed his group. "Franc, you and Tarril ride the horses. Mine went off as soon as the werewolves appeared, so I'll get one of the Nistrian horses as soon as we reach Eldani."

"They have Nistra's here? In this little town?" asked one of the riders incredulously. Another one upbraided him quickly.

"Of course! Didn't you know that the Nistra were discovered near here? Although I thought they were mostly dead."

Lanz stared off into the trees. "Keep an eye out for danger. Six men out of fifty is not a good result."

Somewhere out there are the Hunters....

OOO wow! That sent shivers up my spine. I g2g sadly. I WILLL be back on later.

The soothing rythem of Nightmare's hooves on the turf seemed from another world as the night closed in on the two riders.

Wordlessly, Arannte looked over at Rea and they exchanged worried looks.

We should be seeing the lights of Eldani by now. They both were thinking, and they urged their mounts still faster as they galloped through a stand of pine.

Unconsciously they both drew up, startled by the ominous red glow on the horizon. "Fire!" Rea said softly, and Arannte's eyes widened perceptably.

"Let's go!" She said, and urged Nightmare into a flat streak of black, followed instantly by a silver gleam.

Eldani...on fire? Arannte didn't have time to think before they were amid the charred outskirts of the ravaged town. They could see dark shapes slinking here and there, but there may have been only ten in the entire town.

"Werewolves!" Came the sudden cry as four men were attacked. In an instant, the werewolf and three of the men were dead, the other man staggaring from his wounds, and put out of his misery by a lucky arrow.

Standing in her stirrups, Arannte rode through the town, and came to the untouched sector, where houses were boarded up and doors barred. She looked over at Rea and she nodded.

Arannte knocked on the door of an inn. "Hello?"

"Go away! No spare rooms!" Shouted a gruff voice. Rea rolled her eyes at the thick accent. "Come on...you haven't had any business until today and suddenly you're sold out?"

The voice was silent, then--

"Let them have a room, sir." The two ladies swung around and found themselves facing five tall men, bruised and battered.  Yet they all were wearing clothes that had once been grand--before they were assailed by werewolves, Rea thought--and the tallest wore a thin circlet. The authority in his voice cowed the innkeeper and he opened the door, after taking a careful look-over at everyone.

"Come in," he said, keys jangling. "The ladies get the tower room; you men get the last two rooms on the right."

The men murmured their thanks and vanished down the hallway, and Lanz smiled tiredly as he passed Rea + Arannte. "Sleep well."

"You too, sir," they said in unison.

Rea and Arnnte rode for another few hours, without any encounters with anyone. They stopped once to rest thier horses and to eat, and then they were back on the road. Two day's passed.
"We should be there soon." Arannte said.
"I'm not worried about how long it takes us to get there. I'm just gald that we're not on the Island again." Rea said. Arannte laughed, Rea smiled and laughed also.
"I would have to agree with you." Arannte said.
"That was terrible! I don't every get sea sick, but I was close to getting there." Rea said. Arannte stopped Nightmare. Rea stopped Gwanthi and faced Arannte.
"What?" she asked. Arannte held up her hand. "Sh." she whispered. She gently nudged Nightmare and the two horses went on silenlty through the forest, Arannte not saying a thing. Rea watched her all the while, waiting for her to speak. Almost an hour flew by, without a word spoken between them.
What is she thinking? Rea asked herself. Rea decided to let her mind wander. And that it did. Soon, she was daydreaming.

Rea walked over to her sister, who was sweating like mad.
"We only have thirteen silver florens. Not enough for a surgen." she said.
"Doesn't matter. Even if we could afford one, I do not think he would be able to help." Sara said, her voice cracking.
"Sara, please do not talk that way. You'll reacover. I know you will." Rea said, trying to hide back her tears. Sara smiled.
"You're so persistant. You never did listen to me. I am afraid that I have no optomism left in me to even wish to live."
"But Sara-"
"Rea, can I tell you something? As I watched mother bring you into the world, I remember asking her if she felt any pain. She replied, 'Yes, but bringing a child into the world is always worth the pain. No matter how much it hurts, you know that you are giving a young baby life.'"
Rea let a single tear escape and roll the length of her cheek.
"What did she look like?" Rea asked.
"You. I look more like Father. But you look almost exsactly like mother did. When you're older, you'll like her, I'm sure of it. I wish I could see that day."
"You will, Sara." Rea said, taking ahold of her sisters hand.
"You have to. You're all the family I have left."
"Rea, you've always been strong. You've done things without me your entire life. I'm sure you can do it again." Rea watched, crying silenlty, as the color left Sara's skin.
"But who will I look to when I'm in trouble?"
"Look to God, Rea. Always put your trust in God. Always." Sara said in a small whisper. Tears streamed down Rea's face as Sara faded.
"Sara, you can't do this. You have to at least try. Please Sara! Sara I beg of you!" Rea pleaded. Sara's hand went limp, and all the color left her skin.
"Please, Sara." Rea whispered.

Rea shook her head, and took a deep breath.
I haven't thought about that in five years! she thoguht to herself.
"There it is." Arannte said. Rea looked in the direction she was pointing. A small villiage was just ahead.

I must have been posting while you were. Cancel my post. We'll say it was before yours then.

Bump,
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I'm listening to I don't care by Kutless.

NAME: Prince Lanzemor "Lanz" Cisco
AGE: 22
HEIGHT: 6'2
APPEARANCE: tall, with grey eyes and dark brown hair and dark skin.
HISTORY: Second son of the King of Ireland, he goes on many missions, sent by his father because he is most trusted of all his sons. The eldest son was irresponsible and resents Lanz.
STATUS: at Eldani

I have JUST the pic for him! I know I've used this pic alot, but it toatally fits him! Sweet. Anyways, if you don't like the pic, then tell me. We don't have to use it at all.

that's ok...Is there a higher quality pic, though?

No problem Josh.

No, there's not a better quality pic. It looked fine on the website but when I posted it it kinda fuzzed out.

hm, that's ok...what's the actor's name?

I think his name is Jack Parker. It's either Jack or Jake.

The group moved a slow, but steady pace for about three day's, stopping every night for a rest. No one really knew where they were headed, but they're trust in Even kept them going. Rebecca found herself daydreaming about what Arannte might be doing. She missed her terribly, but the message sge got from her helped her alot. Rebecca often caught Edward looking at her.

Robin walked next to Rebecca, comforting her when she needed it. He could tell that Arannte's departure had caused her to be silent most of the time. Robin knew she was fine, and that she was only trying to get used to not having Arannte around. He didn't know what kind of connection she had with Edward, but that didn't seem to help either. Robin made sure that he was there for her when she needed him.

Rea couldn't get to sleep. The bed she had was to comfortable, for one, and she was to tired to sleep. She got up, quietly, so not to disturb Arannte. Rea opened the window next to her bed, grabbed a chair and sat next to the window looking out at the quiet night sky, filled with glittering stars. Again, she wished she could reach up inot the sky and grab one. But alas, they were still billions of miles away. Rea's mind drifted to her sister once again, and a wave of emotion swept over her. A single tear slid down the side of her cheak. She closed her eyes, and thought of her smile. She missed Sara terribly. Uncontrolable tears filled her eyes.
Why did she have to die? Why? Was the thought that pounded around in her mind. She couldn't figure out the answer. Quietly, she wept. Years of keeping her hurt inside, was finally comming out.

Arannte awoke about 2 am to the sound of weeping, and she lifted onto her elbow and saw Rea with her head rested in her hands, staring up at the stars through her laced fingertips.

Arannte was curious and concerned, but she sensed Rea wanted to be alone, so she lay down again and slept again, and in the torrent of her own emotions, she forgot that starlit hour when the stars seemed so near....

~~~~~

"Arannte!" Came the cry, and Arannte jumped from the cot and ran to the window to join her friend. It was almost dawn, but an ominous red glow permeated the building.

"The stable's on fire!" Arannte breathed, and grabbed her cloak. She fastened it quickly and strung her bow, Rea already halfway out the door. "We must save the horses!"

They jumped the last few steps and leapt the distance between the inn and the stable.

Rea immediately plunged into the smoke, holding a cloth to her nose, and Arannte looked around before following. As soon as they were inside, the red glare and crackling flames sprung up around them.

Nightmare had torn loose and knocked a few stall doors down, but was tangled on a pole. Rea sent Gwanthi out of the blazing building and set about freeing the other horses.

Arannte ran to her horse and began fumbling with the knotted ropes. She could hear shouting outside, and she thought Rea left the stable, not seeing her. Arannte's fingertips were worn raw and finally she used her throwing knife to hack through the rope.

She finally freed Nightmare and they ran out of the building just as a section of roof collapsed. "Rea!" She called, but her friend didn't answer. Gawnthi's reins were loose, and he was riderless.

Sudden panic gripped Arannte, but Lanz had already vanished amid the licking tongues of fire. It seemed an interminable wait before he appeared again, but it had only been four minutes.

He emerged, cinders in his hair and his face smudged with soot and blood. He ran the last few steps and set Rea down gently next to Arannte, who knelt over her and managed to heal her mostly.

A group of men were pouring water on the blaze, but the stable was too far gone to be rescued. The inn was slightly damaged, but good enough.

Arannte half-supported, half-carried her friend up the stairs to their room, and gave Lanz a proper thank-you before he vanished again. It was only then she realized that he had been out most of all the night fighting werewolves.

She lay Rea gently on her cot and began to sponge-wash her face and arms.

*Breath, Darrions, Breath.*

Whoo! That was amazing!

Rea opened her eyes, and found herself in her room.
But the stable was on fire. she thought, and suddenly said it allowed. "Yes, the stable was on fire." came Arannte's slightly worried, but releived voice. Rea forced herself to sit up, and proceeded to do a series of coughs in the process. Arannte got her a glass of water. Rea took it thankfull to have something to get rid of the smoke taste in her throat.
"Is Gwanthi okay?" Rea asked. Arannte smiled.
"Yes. He's fine. They lost one horse, but the others got out safe, with a few burns, but that's it. You're lucky to be out of there."
"The last thing I remember seeing, is the roof caving in, and the walls colapsing." Rea said, trying to remember more, but failing. Arannte paused, waiting for Rea to continue. When she didn't, Arannte said, "Yes, the barn colapsed."
"The how did I get out?"


I'll let you finish Kookaburra.