((Hey pals, I'm going on a weekend trip! I might not post much while I'm gone but I'll at least read the RP on my phone. Feel free to do a few posts without me to keep the story going.))

Ariel was leaning towards asking Whitelock to stay home (or possibly inviting him out of spite) when he heard what Abeni said. Hers was clearly the most sensible point of the entire discussion. So far, all of them knew that there were monsters and some of them could do magic, and that was about it. Whitelock was the one who had summoned them here; he was clearly a seasoned sorcerer and he almost certainly knew his way around. Besides, if anyone would be able to discover the hidden talents that had nominated them to be heroes, it would be the one who had brought them all here.

It was a little disappointing that Maddy disagreed, but he supposed that was life. He just hoped the king hadn't caught Abeni's possibly unintentional jab. Hoping that her word settled the matter, he made his way over to Whitelock. It was probably time for him to speak up. "Don't worry," he said lightly, clapping the wizard on the shoulder. "It's not necessarily a death sentence. Not if we do our job." Turning to the king, he offered a nervous smile and bowed low, hesitating as he tried to figure out how to introduce himself. Did his name sound too… Jew-y? Deciding to play it safe and make something up, he thought of the most Christian-sounding name he could think of and prayed it wasn't too obvious. "I am Ariel Delacroix, Your Majesty," he said. "It will be an honor to fight for this country and its people."

Damian nodded to Abeni's point. It was... basically what he said, just a bit smoother and a bit less kiss-arsey to the king. Damian wasn't kidding when he said it would be best for Whitelock to tag along, however. He'd be able to guide them through this foreign land, as well as a sort of a right of passage in case they would need to go somewhere peasants could not. Still, the young man didn't exactly enjoy the presence of a man who very well could have killed them by bad-mouthing about them to the king. He supposed he'd just have to get used to the white-haired wizard.

Damian smiled at Mad's novel reference, basically stating that the relatively young sorcerer was the magical equivalent to zero. "Well, hopefully he's just as lucky... or not depending on which luck you're talking about." The magic archer muttered under his breath. Either way, that didn't exactly matter right now.

Damian watched as Ariel attempted to encourage the spellcaster, although he was still pale as his hair at the moment. He supposed both his and Mad's statements weren't exactly comforting, although the sorcerer did kind of deserve it, in Damian's opinion at least. He waited for Ariel to finish his own introduction before speaking again. "Your majesty, where exactly would you suggest we cleanse of this... curse of creatures?" The bronze-embellished bowman mentally pat himself on the back for that last pseudo-rhyme.

|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

((I'll post David's in the morning. Feel free to post without him, as I'll probably just keep him silent for this one))

Whitelock gave Abeni a betrayed look as she suddenly defended the idea she had previously condemned. Apparently her loyalty - whether to him or in general - was fleeting. He wasn't cheered up much by Ariel clapping him on the shoulder; protecting him and fighting the monsters at the same time would be a difficult task, one he wasn't sure they could pull off. And he dimly remembered another sorcerer saying that summoned heroes didn't die and merely 'went home'. On the other hand, he could have been speaking figuratively.

"Did you just volunteer to be my bodyguard?" he asked Ariel quietly, one eyebrow quirked sardonically.

The king considered Damian's question for a while. "According to my Commander of the Guard, the attacks were first reported in the village of Pentref Ddiflas, to fifty miles to the northwest of here. To be more precise, the first monsters emerged from the forest of Marwol Iawn that lies on the border of the village. The monsters have been slowly advancing from there ever since. You shall go there first, into the forest to see if you can locate the source of this corruption."

"Your majesty, you can't mean to send these... children into Marwol Iawn? Need I remind you how your grandfather once lost an entire army to that forest?"

"Do. Not. Gainsay. Me. Whitelock!" the king growled, warning dripping from every syllable. "I have had enough of your defiance as I can stomach today - I am the law around here, not some jumped-up witch!"

Madison raised their eyebrows as Whitelock shrunk into himself, muttered apologies for speaking out of turn. "Savage." they breathed.

Keen to leave before anyone stuck their foot in their mouths, Abeni straightened up and looked around the room. "Your majesty, with your permission we should go and prepare ourselves for the journey head. How shall we be travelling?"

The king waved his hand dismissively. "Very well. My servants have prepared a cart with all that you should need to go on. Guards, show them to the main gates."

Whitelock cleared his throat hesitantly. "I just need to... collect some of my spellbooks and equipment before I leave."

"And two guards will make sure you don't pull off any vanishing acts."

At this the king seemed to lose all interest in them. Abeni took it as her cue to stand and let two guards lead her to a set of large wooden doors at the opposite side of the room to the throne. Madison followed her, still a little weak-kneed and leaning on their staff.

"So we really are leaving, huh?"

"Yes. We are... No turning back now."

((Here's a fun fact: Whitelock's spell and all the place names (apart from Kaymru) are in Google Translate Welsh. And they all mean something. Pentref Ddiflas is 'boring village' and Marwol Iawn is 'very deadly'.))

A bodyguard? Hardly. Ariel still had problems with a wizard who had summoned children (well, young adults) to do his dirty work and couldn't stand the thought of going with them on their dangerous mission. But he just raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Whitelock's question. "Depends," he muttered back. "Who's going to be mine?" And with that, he turned his attention back to the king, who was now trying to explain their mission. His mind was distracted by the foreign-sounding names, but he got the gist of it. They were going into a dark, dangerous forest that had killed dozens if not hundreds of trained soldiers. Perfect.

When Ariel heard Abeni's suggestion he couldn't help staring doubtfully at her. She seemed to be slipping right into the role of a knight of the kingdom. Was she really so ready to go after hearing the dangers that lay ahead? But then again, what was the alternative? Staying here forever until one of them provoked the king's wrath? He shook his head in distaste, but when he saw Madison his expression softened. They looked even more scared than he was. "It's okay," he said, quickening his step to catch up with them. "We're all in this together." Unbidden, High School Musical came to his mind, and he tried to ignore it. "Nothing's gonna happen to us, Madison. It'll be an adventure."

Madison smiled a little sardonically - and a little shakily - at Ariel as he tried to buoy their spirits. "Yeah, getting killed is the last thing that's going to happen to us." They chuckled at their own joke. They fell silent as the two guards sent to guide them opened the doors and Abeni strode confidently through. Somehow she was playing the part of the noble knight perfectly. "Look at her go! You'd think she was born in Camelot and wore armour as a babygrow."

For her part, Abeni was equal parts eager to ride out in defence of the realm and half eager to leave the castle and the king. King Ethelred seemed volatile and hard to please; she wasn't confident that her party's ability, and to be honest her ability, to not insult him any further. Madison's failure at magic had first almost doomed them and then saved them. She didn't want to risk a hat trick of... tricks. The idea of dying didn't really bother her. The idea of dying before anything interesting happened did. And since it was a dream, what was the harm in playing pretend for a while?

Unconsciously, her usual stern expression softened as she looked forward to her adventure. "When a knight won his spurs in the stories of old," she hummed under her breath, remembering the tune she had been taught in primary school. "He was gentle and brave, he was gallant and bold..."

Meanwhile, Whitelock didn't look or feel brave, gallant, or bold as the guards led him through the little side-door. In fact, he looked more than a little queasy.

Damian gave an enthusiastic albeit sarcastic smile to Whitelock as it was confirmed that he would tag along. Turning his attention back to the king, the young archer listened intently. The names in this dream were a bit strange, but he supposed not much was supposed to make sense in dreams anyways. He continued to keep his smile as the king scolded Whitelock, just wanting to get out of the throne room as quick as possible. Once the two were done speaking, the magic marksman spoke up once again.

"Your will shall be carried out, your majesty. We shall not return until we have purged this Marwol." Damian was itching for some action in this dream, and his destiny was laid out perfectly before him. With that, the bronze-embellished bowman turned on his heels and followed closely behind the paladin and the two guards.

"Hey, think of it this way, at least we get to go kill some monsters now, Mad. I've got your back." Damian said, clapping the young mage on the shoulder. Deep down, the young man supposed he was a bit nervous about whether or not they would actually survive, but hey, it was all just a dream. At this point Abeni was singing some kind of nursery rhyme to herself, but that was beside the point. Once the two large wooden double doors closed shut behind them and the guards kind of scurried back to the front of the group, the young archer let out an audible sigh.

Dropping his humble smile, Damian rubbed his chin. "I do not enjoy talking to royalty. Manners and all that are too strict, and it's like walking through a minefield trying not to offend anyone." Damian tapped one of the guards on his pauldroned shoulder, "Hey, what is it like being in the king's court for most of your day? I cannot imagine how it is in... you know, the king's court when he isn't seeing anyone."

|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

David at this point couldn't care less whether or not the sorcerer tagged along. They had a single task to do, and that was go to some weird village, kill some monsters, and wake up to a new day in the Big Apple. The wood-clad man was disliking the king less and less, however. He was certainly a man who easily dealt with back talkers. How quickly and viciously he dealt with said back talkers wasn't exactly the best, but at least he had the power to do whatever he wanted.

As the group began to leave, David gave a quick bow and followed the others, once again bringing up the back. Thankfully the dream seemed to be moving along quicker than when it started, with the long winding hallways. The others seemed to be babying Madison, as they seemed to be suddenly much quieter than before, which did worry David a bit. The king must've reminded them of something from their past. "Or someone." the wooden warrior thought to himself.

At this point they were outside the doors to the throne room, when that annoying boy began speaking again, telling them stuff they really didn't need or probably want to know. In an attempt to muffle the sound of the boy's chit-chat with the guard, David donned his stag-like semblance once again, to no avail of muting the white and blue robed boy.

((Step-Dad's having a huge birthday party Fri/Sat/Sun? so I might be gone for a couple days. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves. :) ))

"True! Should be a laugh." It wasn't obvious whether Madison was being serious or sarcastic with that remark; either was possible with them, if the truth was told. They began to wonder what the monsters looked like. Were they orks, goblins, or ogres like in Warhammer or Lord of the Rings? Trolls? Dragons? Elves? Or something strange and different? They were starting to look forward to seeing what their strange brain could literally dream up next. And they probably would never have to speak or even be in the same room as the horrible king ever again.

The guard blinked in dull surprise when one of the foreigners he was escorting tapped him on the shoulder. Nobody had asked him a question like that before and he wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "I, er... It's alright, I guess. A bit dull but the pay's good and it keeps you out of the rain." The guard scratched his stubbly chin with a free hand. He had a strong Kaymru accent, what anyone from Earth would call a Welsh accent. "The king's usually not that... shouty, though. Ever since the monsters came he's been in a real mood."

"Understandable. Having his people attacked and killed would put any leader under stress." Abeni commented. Now that she thought about it, the king's foul mood made perfect sense. His people were dying, his soldiers were helpless, and now a group of what seemed to be little more than adolescents were supposed to defeat these unstoppable monsters. People under that much stress could be expected to be neither logical nor cordial.

"Hrm. Right. And you caught him in a real bad time, too. I heard another guard telling the king some poor mite got pulled into a well by a monster - right in the middle of a village! Right in front of her poor mother! Good help 'em both. ...But don't tell anyone I said that, right? It's supposed to be a secret."

"I will be the soul of discretion." Abeni glanced at Madison, who was fiddling with something in their coat pocket. They looked up in confusion when they realised they were being looked at. "Madison?"

"Oh, um... Right. My lips are sealed. I don't even know what I'm not supposed to be talking about, but okay."

Ariel couldn't believe his ears. He already thought that Damian's simpering was a little overdone, but now Abeni was not just acting like a knight, but singing about one too?It was annoying at first but finally it occurred to Ariel that perhaps this was his dream signaling to him to take on the role a little more. He straightened up, pushing his hood back, and tousled his curls a little. Sure, he had no idea of his practical significance here, and he didn't have any weapons beyond an insignificant-looking dagger tucked into his belt, but he was sure things would turn out in his favor. Unless this was just a very strange nightmare that took forever to get to the point, but he somehow doubted that.

"Maybe we should be a little more like her," he muttered to Madison, but no sooner had he said so than the guard began speaking and he thought it prudent to listen. He sighed and shook his head when he heard word of the catastrophe. Could he really defend against something like that? The answer was clear; he had to. "You won't be accompanying us all the way, will you?" he asked the guard. "I think we could benefit from your presence but I suppose the king needs you."

(While I know it's late in the game, would you accept a new character? :>? )

((Yeah, sure! I mean I could easily think of an 'in' for you. Whitelock goes back to his chambers, starts thinking 'The heroes aren't good enough' and summons another.

So feel free to post an application form. The more the merrier.))

The guard chuckled. "What, me? Fight monsters? I'm just a palace guard - all we do is stare at the opposite wall all day and try not to nod off. Haven't seen any trouble bigger than sticky-fingered servants since I took up the job."

"So nobody's tried to kill the king or anything?" asked Madison curiously, wrinkling their brow in thought. They'd studied history at school - not that they'd paid much attention - and read a new fantasy-medieval books, and it seemed to them that the king was always a target for assassination and murder attempts. And this hasn't happened here, at all? Maddy knew it was a dream but this was just a bit too silly.

"Not while I've been here." confirmed the guard. He glanced at his comrade, who was older and more grizzled. "Owen?"

The old guard shook his head. "No, me neither. Now the king's father on the other hand... He had a way of making enemies and one of them took his life. King Ethelred learnt he couldn't let them get that close. You have to stamp 'em out early. Shame it didn't work on those monsters."

( I hope this is okay :)

Username:Luka_Megurine

Name:Eira (This is not the right pronunciation but I like Ay-ee-rah) Gethin

Age: 19

Preferred Pronouns: She/her

Archetype: Nightblade, a mixture of an assassin and a spellsword. Eira thrives in the shadows and is able to cast illusion and destructive spells albeit for a limited time. She is also gifted in poison-making and wields a Khanjali (double-edged dagger).

Looks: Eira's appearance has been described as strange yet familiar. She stands tall, slender and olive-skinned, yet bears pale blue eyes and snowy white hair which she keeps at just over shoulder length. Her face supports sharp features with uneven lips. Scars of varying degrees of size and intensity line her arms and shoulders, though they remain hidden thanks to her line of work. In Kaymru, she wears a black leather breastplate and greaves over a black tunic, maroon-lined black hooded cloak, a lower face mask, and cloth pants. Her right arm is protected by a leather spaulder, cowter and vambrace as it is her dominant hand.

Personality: Eira is highly intelligent and eloquent but rarely ever speaks to others unless it is necessary. She is a serious person, though, at times, will break into sarcastic banter if she is in a good mood. She is a very guarded individual: she refuses to speak about her past or let others get too close. Due to her abilities and history, she doesn't have a strong moral code and will take whatever path is easiest, even if that involves brutal tactics, dividing her among most people. In battle, she is calm and collected, only speaking in gestures so as to keep her location hidden to enemies.

Skills: Despite her well-rounded repertoire, she is not without limits. Her illusion spells require heavy amounts of concentration to sustain and she can only cast short bursts of fire and ice spells in a pinch. She is agile and able to scale buildings with relative ease; however, this is due to her lightweight armor that keeps her exposed. While she thrives in the shadows, she sticks out like a sore thumb in the light limiting her ability to surprise her enemies. Eira is also knowledgeable in herbalism and can craft deadly poisons that induce a number of effects on her targets and, unfortunately, herself.

History: Eira comes from a home with her alcoholic mother and an absent father. Her early life was harsh, riddled with abuse and bullying but, in spite of her troubles, she attends a university in the hopes of leaving her past behind forever. She currently works two part-time jobs at a clothing store and a cafe to pay what financial aid would not cover and studies chemistry and botany at her university.

Equipment/Weapons: Khanjali, pouch of poison herbs and elements, mortar and pestle, antidotes for a select few poisons, a pouch of pebbles for distractions )

Damian listened in silence as the guard spoke, soaking up any kind of info he can. He gave a slight nod of his head as the guard mentioned that the king wasn't usually as angry as he was just a moment ago. Abeni had a good point when she stated that the slaughtering of one's people would stress out anyone, but the young man thought it was probably more the fact that one of their own bursted into his throne room unaccounted for. If Damian was the mighty ruler of a great kingdom, personally he wouldn't enjoy a group of unknown individuals storming into his court. But that was beside the point. Pushing away a few locks of dark brown hair from the corner of his vision, the boy looked over his shoulder to the rest of the party members, namely Ariel, Madison, and David.

Damian gave Ariel a smile as the older boy confidently pushed back his hood to reveal himself. The more hope they had in this little party, the better. The bronze-embellished bowman turned his sapphire blue eyes back to the guard, who just finished his statement about the recent attack.

"That's gotta be real unfortunate... My lips are sealed." Damian said, slightly pursing his lips. He knew it was just a dream, but he still hated the idea that a poor little girl was dragged away by monsters. Why would he even dream about that kind of crap, anyways? That was a strange thing for his subconscious to conjure up, but he supposed he's had stranger details in stranger dreams before. Snapping out of his macabre thought process, the college student sharpshooter looked from the stone floor as Ariel began to ask whether or not the guard would care to accompany them. It was understandable that the guard was reluctant to fight hell-spawned monsters that poured out of weird woodlands.

"Speaking of, where's Whitelock? Do you think he bailed?" Damian asked aloud, more towards the group than the guards themselves.

Ariel finished his little transformation by rearranging his jewelry so it was more comfortable and gripping his staff, which up until now he had just been dragging along. "I suppose that's why we were summoned up, huh?" he asked the guard. "Something of a last resort. Do you know of anyone who's seen these monsters and escaped? What… what kind of monsters are they?" His conversation was interrupted when Damian asked after Whitelock, and Ariel glanced around, not seeing the wizard.

"He wouldn't do that," he said uncertainly, knowing that in all likelihood he absolutely would. But really, couldn't he at least wait until they were officially on their way? Did he have to run off as soon as the king had dismissed them? Ariel shook his head and sighed. Now it seemed as though they truly were alone in a land none of them knew. At least Ariel was beginning to see it as more of a challenge than a death sentence.

(You're in!)

"Creepy monsters, I bet." commented Madison when Ariel asked what the monsters were like. "Gibbering, squamous, eldritch abominations from beyond the veils of reality. They'll open your skull and eat-"

"Madison!" chided Abeni, cutting the mage off with a warning glare. "Let him answer the question."

The younger guard had looked a little disturbed by the mage's words, but quickly recovered. "I heard they looked like shadows or living smoke. Big, black things with glowing eyes and sharp teeth." He shivered at the thought of it. "And they scream, according to the tales. They scream and cry like dying men. I heard people'll hear them and think they're people, go off to help, and never be seen again..."

"...Well, I was right. They are creepy."

The older guard shook his head at the idea of Whitelock leaving - he didn't understand Damien's modern slang, but the meaning was plain enough. "I've known Whitelock since he came to the palace as a boy of nineteen. He's a coward, but he's not cruel. And he's not stupid, either. The king would have his guts for garters if he ran, he knows that."

Meanwhile, the very much unbailed Whitelock was just finished preparing his circle for another spell. Like he had presumed before, the sorcerer was able to set up the hero-summoning spell in a much quicker and more efficient way than he had used before. It only needed two sticks, a boiled egg, and a small vial of mouse blood. And a good thing too, as the guards were getting impatient and starting to insist that he just get his books and move on - now. Or else. And don't try any funny business.

He chanted the spell quickly, almost stumbling over his words as he did so. Hopefully this new hero would give them more of a chance against the monsters; hopefully this one would be older, more experienced, and a lot more powerful. Apart from the mage's utter disasters of spells, he wasn't even sure if the rest of them could do magic or use a weapon. There was yet again a flash of light, a sound of sizzling, and a figure appeared from nowhere in the middle of the circle. The guards stumbled back in surprise at their sudden appearance, but Whitelock didn't budge an inch. He smiled at the newcomer, trying his best to cover up his disappointment and dismay.

"Welcome to Kaymru!"

"Oh, God help us all - I've summoned another child...

Dreams were an escape. In dreams, anyone could be anything: caged birds were free, the crippled could walk. For Eira, however, dreams were more hit-or-miss. She was either in a blissful dream where she was far away from her hometown and free of the past that chained her down or she was in a nightmare where she couldn't escape her past. Images of her troubled past displayed around her over and over, trapping her for what seemed like an eternity until she woke up. Eira found herself stuck in such a dream when she found a break in the horrid monotony.

She sprung to her feet in confusion. Armor lined her body, leather clung to her like a second skin. Patting herself to ensure she was all there, she felt the hilt of a blade among other items hanging at her hips. "Wh-" She mustered before she felt sparks jump between her fingertips. She rose her hands to her line of sight and flicked her wrists to see her hands become engulfed with flames. Her eyes shifted to the guards and robed man. "Kaymru?" She asked, closing her fists and extinguishing the flame. Upon closer examination, she could see cracks in the robed man's visage, small signs of negativity. Something didn't feel right about any of this.

"Drop the smile, you're not fooling me." She said, her voice stern. "Who are you?" She stepped carefully forward. "Why am I here?"

The guards became more defensive as the young woman in the circle sprung to her feet, her fists even setting alight. Whitelock waved them down with his free hand as they raised their weapons. But he had to admit he was a little intimidated by her flames and her demands, and he held his staff in readiness to cast a defensive spell if needs be.

"My name is Gregor Whitelock and I am the chief sorcerer of King Ethelred of Kaymru. You're here because I have cast a spell designed to summon a hero, though I realise now the inventor of the spell and I have very different definitions of the word 'hero'. But I digress. I have summoned you here because the kingdom is under attack from a plague of monsters that haunt the forests, and in desperate need of someone to not only stem the tide but stop the infestation." He paused, taking a deep breath. "There are five others you will be joining on your quest, as well as myself - I have been, ah, volunteered by his majesty to be your guide. And no, I'm sorry to say that the king is not taking no for an answer. You are the kingdom's only hope, I'm afraid."

Whitelock paused, looking the newcomer from head to feet appraisingly. "Any urgent questions?"

Eira rubbed her temples confusedly, the complexity of her situation finally reaching her mind. Spells? Monsters? She almost thought that this was all some cruel prank if she didn't just see her hands alight in flame a moment ago. Still, the idea of her being a hero was a concept that was almost laughable. She had told herself long ago that heroes were as nonsensical as the comic books they existed in; however, the prospect was not something she could ignore. She had no choice in the matter after all. She removed her hand from her temples and stared intently at the sorcerer in front of her.

"Does your kingdom have an apothecary? Perhaps one that dabbles in more sinister concoctions?" She asked, examining the pouches at her side. She wasn't going to be a conventional hero but she would redeem herself heroically. She found herself obsessed with poisonous plants in her botany classes: Belladonna, Foxglove, Hemlock. All so useful and terribly misused plants but she could tell this would be more of an accommodating place for their use. "I can craft poisons, potent poisons. Perfect for disposing of these 'monsters.'" She paused, realizing her words sounded sociopathic at best. "I'm no hero but I can act like one for your king's purposes. I don't know why I'm here or why I of all people was chosen but I do know that I will not be able to leave until the task is complete."

She turned her eyes to the guards. "If I am to meet the others, I suppose I should start moving, no? Unless there is more instruction that I must receive."

"His majesty is..." Going to have our heads on a platter if we anger him again. "...most eager that we fulfil our duties and make the kingdom safe as soon as possible. So it would be best if we left... well, now actually. A cart has been prepared for all of us. There'll be time to get to know each other on the journey there."

Whitelock crossed to the door and pushed it open, revealing the same long corridor that the other 'heroes' had walked down not that long ago. "As for supplies... I'll admit I'm not woodsman, but the forest should have all you need. The locals will know a lot more than I do." he added. Whitelock may have been born in a small village, but he had left for the city when he was barely a teen and not looked back since. He didn't like the countryside, or farming, or farm animals. They were far too messy and stinking for him. In his opinion all those plants and all that dirt just lying about was unnatural. It needed a good tidy-up. "Follow me, please."

((Would now be a good time for us to hop back in?))

((Going to my Dad's till Sunday/Monday. He doesn't have wifi; might be able to check the thread at the library but I'm not sure. Post stuff while I'm gone if you want to. Sorry if I reply late!))