(My apologies for the long entry this time.)

Mynamescox44 : (Would you believe that changed mid-write on me? I had him set to be a soldier on your side but it just felt forced. While thinking it over this route just sort of happened. Lol)

Eniitan : (Yeah it was a little more intense than even I intended but it's difficult to imagine a person with a calm and normal life being plunged into something like this and not being disturbed.)


A.
"Look, I know this is strange, but you need to come with me." you say, but he doesn't seem the least bit convinced.

"I don't know who you are or what it is that you want with me" he answers with his hand held up in objection "but I can't just run off and leave my shop like that. I'd appreciate it if you would leave now."

This is frustrating to say the least.

"Alright" you let out a sigh "Private Andrews" you call to one of the men that came with you who turns to look at you obviously surprised that you addressed him by his military rank "We tried, but this one won't come with us. Can't save them all I guess." both of the men that came with you look confused but go along with it.

"We did all we could." one says to the other and you all head for the door.

"Wait." Oliver calls out behind you, and you can't help but smile a little "Save me from what? Who are you?"

Wiping the smile off of your face your turn to look at him. "I'm Lieutenant-General Talyn..." what's your last name? No one has called you by it yet and you can't seem to bring it to mind no matter how hard you try, so you decide to leave it at that.

"Y-you mean you're with the military?" he asks, clearly shaken by your presence "You guys don't usually bother us so long as we provide our tribute. Are we behind? I'm sorry, please just have patience and we'll make up for it."

"I'm not with the emperor's army" you say, compassion in your voice "I'm...I'm with what you might call a resistance force." relief floods Oliver's face.

"Then what do you want with me?"

"I'm here on a mission to overthrow the emperor." Wow that was rather plain. The men with you stand staring at you wide eyed in disbelief. This from the one who's supposed to be top notch at secret operations and stealth? You just telegraphed your intentions to a citizen of the emperor's. To your relief Oliver looks glad to hear it.

"Oh thank goodness. Are you needing provisions? I can give you as much food as you need." he says gesturing around at the food on display "I'm sure anyone here would help in any way they could."

Wow this emperor must be a real joy to have as a leader.

"No, I..." you have to think this one over carefully "I have Intel that suggests" you pause again trying to think of the best thing you can say here to convince him to follow you "that suggests that the emperor has his sights set on you."

"Me!?" Oliver's eyes grow wide and his face pales "But... But why me? What have I done?"

You're fairly certain that did the trick.

"No time to explain. You just need to come with me. Now." you say with an urgency that catches everyone off guard, yourself included.

"O-okay." Oliver stammers as he removes his apron "but we might as well grab all of the provisions we can carry first. I won't be able to sell them after I get back anyway...if I get back."


On the way back one of the men asks you privately if you truly have such Intel on Oliver. You inform him that you do.

"Why did the General never mention it? Is it that secret?" he probes.

"The General did not say anything about it because the General did not know about it." you say calmly. The soldier you're speaking to clearly doesn't feel so calm about it though.

"It's from a source that high?"

"That high." you affirm. It was the truth after all, it doesn't get any higher up than the spirit realm, or so it seems based on what the woman you spoke with told you. The soldier clearly wants to know more but looks afraid to know as much as he does already and so backs off.

As you reach the cave you left your troops in you send the soldiers that accompanied you back in with the food while you call Oliver aside with you.

"Look, the assignment I'm on is a highly restricted one." you say sounding deadly serious "I am the only one in this troop -- perhaps the only one in this world -- who has been entrusted with this knowledge."

"What is it? How do I come into this? It doesn't make any sense!" Oliver says sounding distressed.

"I can't explain just yet, but I need your help. You are the only one who can help me stop the emperor." you tell him.

"Me??" he asks sounding as though he can't decide between laughing or panicking "But I'm just a baker! I can't fight! I can't do anything but bake! I can't even grill!" you can't help but chuckle at that last statement, but Oliver doesn't seem to find it humorous.

"You're more capable than you know." you say, and as you turn to look at the now setting sun you add "Heck, you're more capable than I know."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Just wait here." you tell him and head back to the cave. Oliver does as instructed and waits until you return with two silenced handguns and ammunition pouches.

"What are those for...?" he says a certain dread in his voice.

"Where we're going, you'll need it." is all you say then start off.

A confused Oliver scurries to catch up with you "What are we doing? And why aren't the others coming with us?"

"They need to stay and protect the wounded." you answer "Besides we're the only ones who can perform this mission."

"Whoa whoa whoa wait." Oliver says and stops dead in his tracks "You never said I would be fighting if I came with you. I can't. I won't."

You turn and walk back to him. Placing a hand on his arm you look him in the eye. That strange feeling of connection returns.

"Trust me." you say and turn to walk off. To his own dismay, Oliver follows you.


________________________________

You stand outside a fortified building surrounded with guards. This is where the Intel you found in the settlement lead you to. The emperor is here.

Hiding in the snow covered foliage you scan the surrounding area.
To the left you see an outer court filled with guards. They guard the front gate entrance and door.
To the right you see slightly fewer guards, but more than enough to crush you and Oliver in a flat out gunfight. They stand in front of the back gate entrance.
Straight ahead you see a ventilation shaft that you could easily break into. No one stands near it but you would have to climb the wall to get to it. You could do it with a boost but you can't ignore how easily spotted someone would be climbing over a snow covered wall in a black military outfit.
You also have a single grenade and a flashbang on your person. You could use one to create a distraction or even breach the wall, but would that be the best option?

What do you do?
A. Play the wreckless but bold move and toss a flashbang to blind the guards then go through the front gate and door.

B. Stay back and pick off the guards of the back gate entrance then head in, hoping you can shoot fast enough to not raise alarm.

C. Have Oliver boost you over the wall and try to sneak into the ventilation system.

D. Breach the wall with a grenade to draw the guards to the scene of the explosion, then head around to one of the then-abandoned entrances.

Talk about a tough choice lol.

I'm leaning toward B or C, since you're a covert ops guy, though D isn't a terrible option if you're willing to raise their alarm immediately. I'm a bit of a gambling man myself, so I'm going to pick C. It can only go 1 of 2 ways, really good, or really bad. Hopefully it doesn't backfire and get us killed before we even have a chance to see the inside of the building lol. 

( Also, I feel like the Intel we received will be wrong, be it intentional misinformation or not. That, or something along the lines of the Emperor having a double and that's who we end up meeting / killing Even if things go perfectly for this mission, I think there will be some twist that throws a wrench into everything as this chapter comes to a close lol.)

Sorry for not replying when I can. Now this chapter was something....I have read it before but was like not sure of what to choose. So I said I will come back and post then I forgot too....I say C is the best option if there are, that many guards I don't think you want to gain their attention, and do things smartly and quietly as well.

(This entry will be split into two parts as it was nearly 2,000 words. Lol No choice will be made this time.)

Mynamescox44 : (*in my Nathan Drake voice* Oh!! And there goes your day head! Blame MNC for choosing it, folks. )

Eniitan : (It's fine. Honestly I've been slacking on everything lately so you didn't hold it up any.)


C.

You decide it's time to go big or go home, so you go for the biggest win and try sneaking in entirely unnoticed. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Someone could kill you again? Been there done that, right?

Oliver squats by the wall and holds his hands out, fingers interlaced. You place your right foot in his hands and he lifts you up, up, up... But you can't quite reach the top.

"Okay, toss me." you say.

"What??" Oliver looks at you like you've lost it.

"Oh come on, I'm light." you say, feigning hurt.

"Seriously? Could you pretend this is as big of a deal as it is?" he argues "If they hear me toss you up there they'll kill us!"

"Don't take life too seriously: you'll never get out of it alive."

"I don't even know what to think of you." Oliver replies looking genuinely confused.

"Good. Now boost me like last time but toss me instead of just lifting."

Reluctantly Oliver listens and -- your foot in his hand still -- gives you a gentle toss upward. Together with a leap from you at the peak of the toss, the two of you manage it, but you hadn't realized just how difficult getting a grip on the top of a smooth wall would be. Somehow you manage to cling to it for dear life and pull yourself up and over it, but not before looking to make sure no guards are watching. Thankfully they all have their backs turned and you manage to slide over and drop down quietly enough that they don't hear you. Gently removing the vent cover and setting it aside you enter the ventilation shaft and start on your way.

As soon as you manage to climb to the top of the vent shaft you find yourself over an office not too unlike your old one in the realm you came from. A man in fancy clothing sits at a desk, and you hear him talking.

"Look, I don't care. I said get whoever did it, and get them now." he barks into his phone. A brief pause and he begins again, this time practically shouting "You'll get them, or you'll die trying! I don't care if they took out the entire patrol and the men you sent out, you WILL take care of them, do you understand me??" Get who? Did they find your troops back at the cave? Images of returning to more ruin and dead bodies fill your head. "Then how about this: you go take care of them yourself." another pause "If they kill you too? Ha! If you DON'T go I'll make sure you wish you were dead, and then I'll see to it that your wish is granted in a slow agonizing way! Now go!" and with that he hangs up.

There's no time to waste. You need to take this guy out and go save your troops now.

You pull your gun out, thankful you brought one with a silencer, and take the man out from above in a single shot. Once he falls from his chair you kick the vent out and drop down. Upon inspecting him and his office you discover this wasn't the emperor, but his general. Well at least you've damaged their military units at least. That much will help. You have to decide now: do you look for the emperor and eliminate him on your own, or go get Oliver in somehow? The woman in the spirit realm told you that you AND he could take The Dark One out, didn't she? Who are you to argue with her? You need to get Oliver in here now, but how?

As you debate this dilemma you see a window that faces the section of the yard you came through. In fact you can still see your footprints in the snow...and a dead body.

To Be Continued.

aww man big bro don't go putting a piccolo on me when it just got this good!

(Please read the comments at the end of this post and answer them in your reply)

Mynamescox44 :
Eniitan :
A dead body? You rush to the window and look again. No, not a dead body, three dead bodies! And they're all guards! Tossing caution to the wind you throw the window open and climb back outside: you have to find Oliver. Without him this mission is hopeless.

You look around, gun in hand, but see nothing but dead guards.

"Psst!" you look around for the voice and see Oliver standing in the shadows against the building.

"What the heck happened out here?" you ask.

"I...I don't know. They found me and I just started shooting and fighting and...I don't know how but I killed all of them." he answers sounding equally shocked and horrified.

"Wow. I really didn't have any idea of how capable you were." you say "Okay well, let's go get ourselves an emperor, shall we?"

"Okay...okay yeah, we can do this." Oliver says, his words carrying more bravery than his voice can match.

After seeing what Oliver can do, you hatch a new plan: you head back through the ventilation system, and he finds a way through the hallway outside of the general's office. You can't help but worry about him all the way to the vent over your destination, but you trust he'll be okay. Or you try to anyway. He can clearly take care of himself, right?

As you finally reach your destination the room appears to be empty, but you hear the door open and someone quietly steps inside: it's Oliver. You kick the vent out and drop down to him.

"He isn't here...odd." you say, trying to sound calm, but something doesn't sit right. You turn to look through a shelf against the wall opposite the door Oliver came in.

"No. No this whole thing was too easy." Oliver agrees.

"Well hello there." a man's voice calls and you turn to shoot but find he already has Oliver in his grasp, held in front like a human shield, his gun held to Oliver's head. "Put the gun down, Talyn."

"How do you know my name?" you ask shaken by the ability this man seems to possess.

"I know all of your names. Even the ones you don't know yet." he replies with a wicked smile. "I also know your precious little kitty here." he says with a nod toward Oliver "Thomas right? Oh no, it's Oliver here, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asks, his voice tight with tension and fear. "Talyn, what is he talking about??" he's beginning to panic.

"I don't know."

"Liar!" the man shouts and strikes Oliver in the head with that handle of his gun. "Tell him the truth."

"I will...I will once we take care of you." you say angrily.

"Such spunk! Where did you get that now? You certainly didn't have it a few days ago back at the office, did you?" the man replies, clearly having fun with this.

"Shut up..." you mutter through clenched teeth.

"Speak up, I can't quite hear you." he replies mockingly.

"I said SHUT UP!" you raise your gun to fire but drop it to the floor quickly as you hear a bang and feel a searing pain in your shoulder.

"Talyn!!" Oliver shouts and begins struggling against the emperor's hold for the first time. His resistance is met only with another strike, this time to his ribs causing him to cry out in pain.

"Now who should we kill and who should we let live to tell your troops that resistance is futile and if they don't surrender they too will be dead by dawn?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Me." Oliver answers.

"What?" you ask in shock.

"Me. Kill me. Let Talyn go." this man doesn't even know you, or he doesn't realize he does, yet something compels him to surrender his life for you. Tears sting your eyes.

"No, he's playing with us." you answer Oliver "He won't let one of us go. He has no heart. He'll kill us both and the troops for fun."

"Eh, the good officer is right, Oliver." the emperor replies "I love nothing more than chaos and taking a few lives. I had just hoped to see a good show first. You know, make you two squirm. Maybe make you turn on each other, but you had to go and play the hero." he says with mock disappointment "Well if the fun is over then we might as well move forward I suppose."

Bang.

"Nooo!!!" Oliver screams as you fall to the floor. The emperor shot you as you reached to retrieve your gun from the floor.

"This isn't the end" you manage to croak out both in comfort to Oliver and warning to the emperor.

Bang.

You watch helplessly as Oliver falls to floor motionless beside you. Everything goes black.

________________

You find yourself beneath the same tree as last time and waste no time rising to your feet.

"Well that could have gone better." you say to no one in particular.

"It was a bit of a disaster wasn't it?" comes a familiar female voice. You turn to see the same woman as last time.

"Hey, I didn't see you helping." you say with an odd smile. Awful cheerful for someone who has died twice in two days.

"Oh I was there, you just didn't listen in time." she answers simply. "Remember the feeling of unease in his office?"

"That was you? You could have said something sooner you know."

"You didn't listen." is all she says.

"Where am I?" you hear a man's voice. You don't even have to look, you know who it is.

"Hey there. Welcome back to the land of the living...sorta." you call as you turn to see Oliver.

"Talyn? Okay, what's going on here?"

Soon enough Oliver is caught up on what's going on, much like you were last time. That's all well and good you suppose, but you know you have only a short time here and there is still more that you want to know. You decide to ask as soon as the woman finishes explaining to Oliver what's going on.

What do you ask her (pick two)?
A. Ask for more information about The Dark One. How is he always in the realm you pick? Even you can only be conscious of your mission in one realm at a time.

B. She called you "traveler" last time you were here. What does that mean? Are you, Oliver, The Dark One and the dark ones not the only ones traveling between these realms consciously?

C. What is your goal? If you defeat The Dark One in one realm, won't he just fight in another realm like you?

D. Do you possess all abilities of all your forms at the same time, or are your abilities limited to the form you are in? Could Talyn have used a computer like your first self? Or fought with a sword like your second?

E. What happens if The Dark One wins? Will he destroy the realms? Enslave them? Why isn't the spirit realm fighting him itself?

F. What effect does your death in one realm have on your form in another? Any? And if all of the realms mirror the spirit realm, why can you die in one but live on here or in other realms?

G. Will Oliver/Thomas/Jaguar/whoever he is remember you as you remember him in each realm now? And does he have a name in the spirit realm? Remembering all of these different names is getting confusing.

H. She spoke of dark ones. Decievers. How can you know them from others? You recall not knowing if Alex was one or not, and this information seems vital to you.


______
From now on would you guys prefer getting smaller u pdates and more say in the details of each story (like you do in this one) or should we keep the larger u pdates and just control the big decisions as before?

Wow, things just got real lol. (I know I like to rant, I'll try to keep this short lol)

I knew something was going to happen at the end, but jeez. Also, I was hoping for maybe a little more info in this chapter, but I guess it's coming in the next one depending on our choice.

My first pick is H. More information on the enemy we are facing is essential. You can't have a battle plan if you don't know your enemy and what they are capable of.

My second pick would be A (for the same reason). We can find out more about ourselves as we go, as we seem to have a knack for utilizing our talents in a pinch. 

Regarding the updates thing, I would prefer to keep it how it is. I would rather just have input on the important decisions and leave the minor details to the author. Plus it could make the process a lot more tedious to constantly be posting short sections of the story and spending a lot of time waiting on replies. Though if it comes down to me wanting it this way, and someone else wanting it the other, just go with the other way. I'm a chill guy, and I'll enjoy this ride either way

Um sorry for not posting when I should had....a lot on my mind. I'm really not so sure where to go with this really since its a tough decision to make the storyline is really building up *BIG* which would result to making difficult decisions when it comes to ending the chapter as in you know choosing the right path.....I'm going to go with H this was really hard to  do.

Sorry for the lateness. Life has been crazy.

Mynamescox44 : Lol Hopefully that means it's interesting then. And this chapter may disappoint, as it's mostly information with no action. Makes you want to read it now, right? xD Sorry about that. Also you may or may not get a chance to find out everything. I don't see the tale lasting long enough to afford time for answers to all of the questions I listed.

Eniitan : Yeah the decisions will likely only get more daunting as we go, but in the end they all matter. Even I don't know the ending yet, I'm genuinely letting you guys choose how it goes. I only know portions of how it might go depending on what you choose. The ending is still being shaped by the tale, though some parts of it are starting to formulate.


_________________________________
A&H

"So then The Dark One...is he in all realms and aware of them all, all of the time?" you ask.

"The Dark One is everywhere all the time, much like myself and the other inhabitants of the spirit realm." the woman answers "And he is fully aware in all realms simultaneously, yes."

"Other inhabitants of the spirit realm?" you ask, slightly shaken by this revelation "So he's here? I mean he's not normal like me?" you wince as soon as the word 'normal' leaves your lips. To your relief the woman is actually giggling at your comment.

"I understand, don't worry." she says with a smile "No, he is not a mortal. He originates from the spirit realm and is a spirit like myself, but with the power to manifest himself through various means. Simply put, The Dark One is a spirit that acts through things, and yes, through people."

"How am I supposed to defeat a spirit???" you ask, suddenly rather frightened. "I can't fight a spirit! I'm just a human! Until this whole thing started I didn't even believe spirits existed!"

"Look back at the happenings of your journeys: do you honestly still believe that you are alone?" she asks "Do you not realize that where there is darkness, there must of necessity be light? Otherwise darkness is no longer darkness." she looks intently at you as though she can see the meaning of her words slowly sinking in.

"So...you mean..." you stammer out slowly.

"Yes." she answers with a slight smile and nod "You are not alone in your battles. And if the darkness is your enemy, then the light is your comrade. You are not fighting alone. We are with you in each realm. The light is with you. The light is on your side."

"Wow..." Oliver says almost inaudibly.

"So then there's a battle? This isn't just one man or spirit trying to terrorize the realms?" you ask.

"Indeed." she answers solemnly "There is a war going on continually. The Dark One has his followers, these are the dark ones I spoke of. They too are in all realms, however they are not aware of the various realms, and none of them travel like you two." she says gesturing to you and Oliver.

"So how do we know the dark ones from the rest of the people?" you ask, beginning to feel distant as though you're on a vehicle that's moving farther away from her as you speak.

"You will know them." she answers.

"No, please tell me more. I don't understand." you plead, feeling overwhelmed and like you're losing something as you grow farther from this realm.

"I do not have to." she answers, her voice sounding far away now "When you see light, do you have to ask if it is light?"

"No..." you reply.

"And when you see dark, do you need to be told that it is dark?"

"No." you answer, her meaning taking hold finally.

"So you will know the dark ones. Light cannot be hidden, and darkness is equally conspicuous if you have your eyes open. Only those without vision cannot tell between the two. Look traveler. Look and listen." her voice fades completely along with the surroundings, leaving you in a black void.

"No...wait..." you say softly and hang your head. You need to know so much more. Then you hear it, or do you feel it? A single word:

"Look"

But how?

"Talyn? Or...whatever your name is." Oliver speaks up behind you. You turn to look at him and see three doors before you. "Looks like we choose our next realm." he says "Where to?"

"I have no idea." you say, suddenly despondent and wishing you could be back in the spirit realm again.

"You have to choose." he replies calmly. "She said you would hear, and you would see."

"What? But what about you? You can see and hear too." you say, slightly aggravated by this whole thing. First you have to keep this traveling and fighting thing up, and now this guy suddenly wants you to do all of the work?

"I don't know, and I'm not risking it." he replies firmly "Who am I to try deciding what a messenger of the spirit realm means? If it's all the same to you, I'd rather take her literally." You can't deny he makes sense.

"Alright" you say with a sigh and look at the doors before you. They stand open, revealing a small peak at the worlds behind them.
One looks futuristic, but otherwise normal. There are no people in the view, but there are tall buildings that look more architecturally advanced than those from your first form's time.
The next looks primitive, maybe like something from the first century A.D. You can see old stone structures and a cart rolling down a brick street.
The third door looks like something you've not seen before. This isn't futuristic looking, but it doesn't look like a world from your first form's time, nor does it look old. It just looks strange. Vegetation you've never seen spreads out as far as you can see.
"I'm leaning toward that door." you say as you point toward one.

Which door did you point toward?
A. The futuristic looking one. You've always wanted to know what technology in the future would be like.

B. The ancient looking one. You find the ancient world fascinating.

C. The strange one. The oddness of it stands out to you, and you feel compelled to see more of it.

Jeez, way to throw out a choice that can't be answered through logical reasoning I mean we are basically just picking one blindly, more or less lol.

Time travelling is super played out, so my vote will be C. I want to see what kind of strangeness you have up your sleeve XD

I really wasn't expecting to hear The Dark One would be something of an omnipresent being, which is interesting to see. 

Oh boy....this just got weird...I would say this was the craziest chapter yet.....I go with what cox said C. @.@

C.!! The stranger the better! Curiosity never killed the- Oh wait, it did. D= ... Well, that's never stopped us before. =D *Casts Kaizel* Let's C it anyways! XD

Okay...I really plan to get daily updates rolling again starting now. Sorry...again. Lol


Mynamescox44 : You would pick the one that makes me work my brain the hardest wouldn't you? Is this payback for the lackluster chapter? Lol

Eniitan : We miss you!! Lol Hopefully you enjoy this weirdness when you return.

Yuna1000 : That poor cat. Thanks for dropping in! Also very punny post.


_______________________________

"That one?" Oliver repeats "Are you sure?"

"Not really, no." you answer with a big smile and chipper voice that you don't really feel "See you there!" and with that you walk blindly into the unknown, hoping you got this listening thing right.

______________________

"Gaaaahhh!!!!" an awful cry of pain fills the air around you as you open your eyes and see yourself surrounded by green trees and orange grass. Where was the sound coming from? You can't see anyone anywhere nearby. "Nnnugh...." It's coming from you! The realization hits you at the same time as the pain.

"You alright?" a voice asks from apparently nowhere.

"Do I look alright to you?" you snap back through gritted teeth.

"That thing nearly got the better of you." the voice answers, ignoring your comment.

"Looks to me like it DID get better of me."

"Ha! You're alive aren't you?"

"Not so sure that's better than the alternative right now." you reply with a sarcasm that makes the voice giggle "Where are you anyway?" perhaps a better question would have been who are they?

A figure drops from a nearby tree and lands beside you. You turn your head quickly and see a dark skinned woman crouching next to you, though her hands are all that show as she's wearing a long gray robe, sleeves that come down to her wrists, and a gray hood with an orange stripe on it.

"Hey! It's you!" you cry out excitedly "What are you doing here??"

"Where else would I be?" she asks as she pulls her hood back revealing her face. Definitely not the woman from the spirit realm. This woman -- perhaps girl would be more accurate -- sports the same coffee colored skin as her, but she has eyes that are a strange step between golden and orange, and long white hair. Looks like something you might see in an animé...an animé about elves you decide as she stands to her full height and appears to be all of four feet tall.

"Oh...sorry. I thought you were...you reminded me of someone I know." you say, disappointment filling you.

"You DO know me." she answers sounding as confused as you feel "Are you okay? Maybe that Ptratagon got a better piece of you than I thought. Can you stand?"

Looking down at your right leg you doubt you can -- legs aren't supposed to bend that way -- still you give it a shot only to find that you were indeed correct, and you won't be walking anywhere anytime soon.

"Here, lean on me and we'll get you back to the village." the girl says as she places an arm around you. With her help you manage to hobble along.

_______

After you hobble and hobble, and then for a change of pace, hobble some more, you arrive at the village...or at least that's what your friend says. All you can see is even more dense foliage than the part of the forest you're already hobbling through. However after pressing a good fifty feet into the thickening trees and bushes you emerge in a clearing and what you see nearly takes your breath away.

Houses, shops, stables, schools, and every other structure you'd expect a town to have (and some you might not) are all here in front of you, all made of wood. Some of the buildings sprawl along the ground as usual, but many are suspended several feet above the ground sitting atop a wooden walkway that seems to support the larger part of the city. Somehow this walkway -- which is more like a floating floor that covers almost the entire village -- is supporting these buildings without any pillars underneath it. Instead it's tied off to each tree it runs past and those that it encompasses, and has supports fastening it to them beneath.

In your amazement you halt, taking it all in. Something your friend wasn't accounting for, and as a result she nearly jerks you down as she continues walking.

"Hey, what are you doing??" she asks without so much as trying to hide her aggravation.

"Oh I'm sorry. I just...I got distracted." you reply sheepishly and begin hobbling once more. "Where are you taking me anyway?"

"The healer of course." she says as though you're losing it "Did you hit your head or something?"

"I have no idea what happened. I don't remember anything." you answer honestly, hoping she'll throw you some information. Instead she stops to look at you, and you nearly run (or hobble) over her.

"Really?" the concern showing in her eyes moves you. Clearly you have some sort of emotional connection to her, but what you can't put your finger on.

"It's okay." you try to comfort her "It'll come to me soon, I'm sure. Now let's get to that healer, shall we?"

________________________

You lie awake staring at the ceiling. It's been several hours since your arrival at the healer's place. The healing process was quite interesting, the healer -- a pale woman with blonde hair and gray eyes, roughly the same height as the girl that brought you here (are they full grown?) -- dipped her hands in a sweet smelling liquid that rather reminded you of cinnamon for scent and cooking oil for texture, then placed them on your leg. She began speaking in a language entirely unfamiliar to you, and a soft cool feeling akin to a gentle current of water began to flow through you. It was quite a pleasant experience surprisingly and you hated to see it end, but end it did. Afterward the healer instructed you to remain in bed until the morning. Since then you haven't noticed a difference, but something definitely happened. You could feel it.


~~~~~~~~~
To be continued tomorrow. My apologies for the long two part entry, but this realm will likely offer a much more substantial amount of story than previous realms and so requires a proper foundation.

Mynamescox44 :
Yuna1000 :

(Note: Aoife is pronounced "ee-fa", ptratagon is pronounced trat-uh-gon, and gruonhaar is pronounced grune-harr)

________________________
At some point you finally drift off to sleep, but it's a troubled sleep plagued by terrifying images. Images of a beast shrowded in darkness attacking the village, of a herd of strange animals surrounding you and the girl who brought you here. The two of you fight fiercely but stand no chance against so many creatures and eventually one of the creatures gets ahold of her and drags her away screaming as she fades into the darkness they issued forth from.

"AOIFE!!!" you scream at the top of your lungs.

"Sheridan!!!" she calls back. And you try to find her as you fight your way through the sea of beasts, but it's in vain. All you can see is the darkness and the foul creatures that issued forth from it.


"Aoife! Aoife!!!" You sit upright in your bed, breathing heavily. You woke yourself screaming. Casting your eyes all around the room you search for the girl or the creatures but see nothing. Moments later the front door flies open and the girl rushes to your side looking frightened.

"Sheridan! What is it??" she says panting even harder than you were when you awoke. "Are you alright? I heard you screaming for me all the way from the stables."

"Aoife..." your eyes mist a bit. That's her name? Yes, of course it is. You clearly recall it now. This girl isn't a kid, she's a woman. "Aoife that's... That's your name. That's you!"

"Of course it is." she says confused once more.

"You're my best friend." you say as though bearing some great revelation to her "We grew up together. My mom raised us together. My dad trained us together. We played together, learned together... You love mushrooms and the color purple, and"

"And I'm best friends with a raving lunatic." she interrupts "Why are you telling me all about myself? I know me quite well." but your only answer is a hug. A hug that catches her off guard but is soon returned.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Aoife." you mutter into her shoulder.

"You were the one that was hurt you weirdo." she says softly "But I'm glad you're okay too."

"Aoife," you say as you let go and lean back again to look her in the eye.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." you say with tears. This is the weirdest thing to happen to you yet. You barely know her, yet you know that you've known her your whole life. And she's the most important thing to you, or so it seems right now.

"I love you too, Sheridan." she answers with a soft smile.


"Well I see you're awake." a woman's voice cuts in from behind Aoife. It's the healer "Your leg should be good as new this morning. Have you tried it yet?"

You hadn't even thought of your leg. Looking down at it you realize it's pain free and decide to give walking a try. Sliding off of the bed you take a few steps and much to your amazement you can't even tell it was ever hurt at all, much less broken.

"Alright then, off ya go." the healer says "I've got work to be doing."

With a nod of appreciation, you practically run out the door with Aoife not far behind. Once again you stare in amazement at the village, but this time it has a certain familiarity to it.

"What's gotten into you?" Aoife asks as she bounds up to you smiling.

"I'm just remembering everything." you say, though obviously she has no way of grasping the full meaning of those words.

"You mean you forgot everything yesterday?" she says with concern in her voice.

"Yeah...sort of." you answer carefully "Hey, what were we doing out there yesterday before I got hurt?"

"Hunting." she answers "We were hunting Ptratagons. They and the other beasts have been getting in the habit of roaming too close to the village."

Other creatures? Your dream flashes back into your mind for a moment, but you dismiss it as quickly as it came.

"I see... Perhaps we should go and hunt again." you answer calmly.

"But you just got"

"I'm fine." you cut her protest short and smile "Now let's go." Aoife doesn't look too happy about it, but she concedes, likely because she knows she can't stop you.

______________________

"Ready your bow!" you shout as you dodge the large creature's lunge and slice at it with your blade. As it turns to swoop at you again, you run away causing it to give chase. Just as it's about to dive again an arrow strikes deep into it's chest causing it to fall to the ground where you finish it off with a final blow. Ptratagon hunting. The large creatures dwarf you, not that dwarfing you is a huge feat since you're not all that much taller than Aoife, maybe a few inches above four feet. Still these beasts must have a wingspan of ten feet, their skin is leathery, and they have talons like an eagle's only much longer.

"Nicely done." Aoife says as she drops from her perch and retrieves her arrow "That makes four. I think we should be heading back to the village now. We've put in a day's work and it's about to get dark."

"Ahhhh!!!" a man's voice screams.

"Come on!" you shout and run toward the sound.

"But! Sheridan you're gonna get us both killed one day!" shouts a frustrated and tired Aoife from behind you.

You keep running toward the origin point of the sound until you finally see a man running from a large creature that resembles an enormous cat, but much uglier. This thing has scales and a long pointed tail. It stands what you guess must be at least eight feet high on all fours.

"A gruonhaar?" Aoife says in shock "What is a gruonhaar doing here??"

You've no time to ask what she means, this man is cornered and only you two can save him. As the beast closes in on him, you run up alongside it and stab with all your might at it's undercarriage which thankfully is soft, or at least not scaled. The blade pierces it but doesn't do much damage. The large creature turns toward you and tries to bite, but an arrow from Aoife strikes it in the eye causing the beast to stagger backward, leaving it vulnerable while you leap at it and plunge your sword into it's mouth, piercing up through the roof of the mouth and killing it.

"Thank you so much!" the main exclaims "You saved my life!"

"Where did that thing come from?" Aoife asks.

"I was traveling with a group of traders and we were attacked by several of those things." he answers, terror in his voice.

"Where?" you ask.

"Just on the other side of that hill!" he says pointing the opposite direction of your village. You look at Aoife.

"Oh no..." she protests "no no no."

"Aoife, what chance do they have without us?" you plead.

"And what chance do they have WITH us?" she answers "You saw how close it was with that one. It nearly got you!"

"But it didn't." you answer stubbornly.

"Only because I saved you at the last moment!" she's growing angry.

"We can't just leave them like that, Aoife." you reason.

"Dang it, Sheridan!!" she shouts as loud as she can and slams her bow on the ground, the gesture causes the man you saved to jump backwards "I can't always save your butt!!" her voice doesn't lower any, and her eyes are practically glowing with an almost unnerving anger "Even I can miss a shot, Sheridan." her voice softens slightly and now sounds more like a plea than an outburst "And you're not invincible. We saw that yesterday. When will you learn?... You can't always be the hero." she turns her back and stoops to pick up her bow and clean off the mud. But you think you see her wipe at her eyes, despite her apparent attempts to hide it.

"Aoife..." you start softly.

"What?" she bites the word off, halfway feigning the anger to seem tough.

Another man's voice screams from beyond the hill.

"Aoife," you begin as you place your hand on her shoulder

What do you say?

A. "Aoife, I understand you're scared. That was too close yesterday. But there are people in need of help. What would dad say if he knew we walked away from them?"

B. "Aoife, I'm sorry. I know you're right. Let's go back to the village. At least we managed to save this one. Let's get him to shelter."

C. "Aoife, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. You can head back if you want, but I can't walk away from someone who needs me."

C. "Eirinn, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. You can head back if you want, but I can't walk away from someone who needs me." =P Actually, Aoife should take the other man back to the village (run!) and then return with some help or support (if there's any in the village), or at least evacuate everyone out of the village. In the meantime, let's see if it's possible to find out more about the situation while being as careful as possible while alone?

*Casts Kaizel again* Might really need it this time... Let's do this! RAWRRR~~

Just out of curiosity (oops, again, curiosity killed the- nevermind ^^0 ), is this one of those adventure stories where people could eventually have a terrible ending? oO;; Maybe I'm just not being overly optimistic here, but I'm not seeing how any of these choices could turn out too well (except for maybe B), but if whatever is out there decides to head for our village unchecked and we don't make it back in time before they overtake us (because we're moving more slowly with someone that can't fight), we're going to have to fight them without any support (while defending that other person) and that's probably not going to go too well. Perhaps if we send Aoife back now with the other person and they could manage to get back to the village while the one that stays here stalls the enemy, there's a chance it could buy us enough time for everyone (minus the one at the frontlines) to make it out of this alive?

Ok first... OMG Eirinn!!!! This is amazing!!! Why have I not checked this out before now?!

Ok I'm done gushing now to business. I choose A. I'm tired of trying to run and sneak around. Plus we can't leave the innocent traders get hurt! That would just be wrong!

Also I like the names in this. I may snatch a couple for my stories if you don't mind. Finding names is ridiculously difficult at times.

Yuna1000 : Aye, terrible (and completely avoidable) endings and such are possible, as you're about to see. ._. RIP kitty

The Star of Music : Hey! Thanks for the kind words! And yes, feel free to use any of these names. The newest ones are actually just names I grabbed from an Irish baby name site. Lol Both were selected for a special reason though. I'll leave figuring those reasons out up to you guys. I always choose the people's names for a specific reason. The creature names (gruonhaar specifically) are the hardest part for me.

________________________________

C (was chosen first).


"Aoife, I'm sorry, but..." you pause as you see her lower her head even more, she knows what you're going to say already "but I have to do this. You can head back if you want, but I can't walk away from someone who needs me."

She stands back up and sighs looking to the sky, and after a brief moment looks back down at her bow.

"Yet that's exactly what you're doing." she says softly. "Go." before you can say anything she walks off, her eyes never leave the ground. The man you saved rushes to catch up with her.

"Aoife." you call, but she doesn't slow down. You start to call again, but another voice screams from beyond the hill interrupting your thoughts and causing you to turn back. "Here goes..."

As you arrive at the scene of the attack, you see two gruonhaars, one dragging a dead body off, and one glaring menacingly at a man who stands with his back to a wall, a sword in his hand. At least someone among the group had the foresight to pack a blade, though he certainly couldn't stand a chance at taking this beast down on his own.

You decide to sneak up on the creature and stab it from behind but it's keener senses are not to be fooled and it meets your approach with a firm blow from it's massive tail. The hit sends you sprawling to the ground, landing on your back with a thud. Before you can rise to your feet the gruonhaar is looming over you, it's eyes locked on yours, and it's hot breath washing over you as it sizes up it's next kill. It lowers it's head all at once to snag it's meal, but your size plays in your favor as you manage to roll onto your side, causing it to get nothing but a mouthful of dirt and grass. You shove your blade as hard as you can at the back of it's leg just above the paw. The flesh here is too tough to cut very deep, but your blow does send the beast off balance affording you a chance to escape.

Rising to your feet you steal a glance toward the man you're saving in hopes that he'll help you slay this creature, but to your dismay he's nowhere to be seen.

"Coward." you mutter and turn your gaze back to the now recovered gruonhaar. It lunges for you and you evade with ease, as you do so you turn to slash with an upward slice at it's stomach but it's too quick. Spinning around you come face to paw with it and once again find yourself on the ground, but this time it has no intentions of playing around and brings a giant paw slamming down at you. Fortunately for you, you're playing a step ahead as well and again roll to one side while placing your sword where you were, blade up. The beast's body may be covered in protective scales, but it's paws are relatively soft on their undersides and your sword pierces it with ease, all the way to the hilt.

The gruonhaar reels granting you a chance to rise to your feet and strike once more. As it raises to it's hind legs in reaction to the pain in it's front paw, you lunge at it's gut and strike deeply. The creature emits a cry and falls over to it's side. You waste no time putting it out of it's misery, as much a mercy to it as a move to ensure your survival.

The battle won, you slump to the ground and breath hard for a few moments. Your body aches, your face throbs, and your ribs feel like they've been struck with a metal rod, but you're alive. Your celebration is cut short as Aoife comes back to mind. You need to speak with her, and you hope she can understand why you did what you did.


You head back to your village, but as you draw near you hear shouting. Immediately your adrenaline kicks in and the pain fades as you begin running as fast as your legs can carry you until you reach the village. Several beasts are attacking it, and images from your dream come flooding back. You scan the area desperately searching for Aoife, but to no avail. Scrambling to the second floor of the village you search some more, ignoring the fight around you. Still no sight of her. You continue your search until an arrow flies past your head, barely missing it and you hear a screech behind you. A Ptratagon lay dead only a few feet away. You turn back fully expecting to see Aoife standing there with her bow, but instead it's a man.

"Quick dawdling and start fighting!" he shouts as he takes aim at another target and let's an arrow fly. You listen and begin defending your village, all the while hoping Aoife is alright.


______________

You lie awake again tonight, despite the exhaustion you feel. You can't quit thinking about Aoife. The village was mostly saved but a few villagers were lost, and Aoife is missing. You passed through the entire village twice but she was nowhere to be found. All the while her words kept playing through your mind. Why didn't you listen?

Listen

That word seems to be a real problem for you lately. Had you failed to listen to the spirit realm's guidance again? Was that dream your warning not to leave Aoife's side today?

"Okay," you say aloud as you sit up and slide your feet off of the bed and into your shoes which you placed close by to avoid your feet touching the cold wooden floor -- apparently some things never change -- "I can't take this. I've gotta find her." and with that you grab your sword and head out into the dark alone again.

As you reach the edge of the village you stop to think about what it is you're doing. Having seen the beasts of this place, do you really want to go out there alone, in the dark, this exhausted? But do you want to wait? What if Aoife is in trouble?


What do you do?

A. Go out now. Aoife may be in danger. You owe her this much.

B. Search the village once more. Maybe now that everyone is asleep and the chaos has died down you'll have more luck.

C. Stay and rest tonight. You couldn't fight well enough to help her like this anyway. Besides, it's too dangerous around here to be out at night.

First a quick thing I noticed though I am not sure what you will do with this info but when the character stabbed the beast's paw that would have probably been difficult to get the blade out from that angle without trapping you beneath it again as you would have had to pull downward to get it out and it would bring the creature down on top of you. If you wanted to keep that you could say that the cowardly trader left his sword behind maybe and he used that. Just a thought you don't have to do anything with it.

As for what to do next this one is tough... I say A. It may be dangerous but the way the character feels at the moment makes me think he is thinking his is guilty for leaving her. I would definitely want to help her if that was the case if only to clear the Cognitive Dissonance away. Of course I would also just genuinely want to help her as she is my friend and by the sound of it a possible love interest as well whether or not you follow that route. 

Waited a bit to see if we got any more replies. I'll go ahead and post now. This is going to be two parts as this particular scene left us with a lot of ground to cover. I'll try to post part two tonight or early tomorrow.

The Star of Music : Like I said in PM, I thought of it but decided to cut out some detail for brevity sake. I left it up to imagination but essentially the blade handle was in your hand when the creature reared back.
I'll be cutting less detail from now on though.


_____________________________
A.

Dangerous or not, you have to do this. You can't sit back and rest while Aoife may well be out there needing your help.

You head through the thick foliage that shields the village from the sight of outsiders, listening carefully for any sounds that might hint at danger. Around what you would guess to be halfway through the dense growth you realize you brought nothing with you to light the way. Bob would be proud of your incompetence today.

At last you reach the clearing, such as it is, and to your surprise the entire area is well illuminated thanks to the bright light of the moons.

Moons?

You look again. Sure enough there are two moons up there, but after the things you've seen since this whole journey began, nothing really surprises you too much.

Lowering your eyes back down to the ground you continue on your journey, but to where you're not sure. After what seems like an eternity daylight begins to break. You stop dead in your tracks and hang your head. "This is useless" you think to yourself "I have nothing to base my search off of. I'm literally wandering around aimlessly hoping for a miracle." A miracle? Yes, that's what you need right now. Miracles are spiritual, right? So maybe...

"Hey," you begin as you look to the sky "I guess the spirit realm is up, right? So yeah...if you could give me some help here it would be great." it's all you know to say since you aren't quite sure what you're even doing or if you're doing it right...whatever it is.

You look back at your surroundings but see and hear nothing. With a sigh you scold yourself for even thinking to try something so silly. Defeated, you sit on the grass against a tree and lay you head back on it. You remember the sadness in Aoife's voice as she walked away from you earlier, and it hurts again, worse now than ever. A tear slides down your face as you realize she's really gone and you might have prevented it had you turned back and not left her.

look

You hear a soft familiar voice, not quite spoken, but not exactly inaudible. It sounds more like a word carried in the wind. You listen more closely.

look, traveler.

Your eyes fly open. You know you heard her that time, the woman from the spirit realm. Someone had heard you. She told you she was with you, didn't she? She and the light.
"Look at what though?" you ask.

look

"But I don't see anything!" you say a little too agitatedly. Probably shouldn't be rude with the spirit realm you suspect.

look

Somehow the meaning takes hold this time. Closing your eyes you focus and suddenly feel as though you're being lifted up, or rather you feel as though your heart is being lifted up and going to the northwest. Opening your eyes you rise to your feet and break into a run in that direction, knowing you're being led there. Each step you take seems to breathe life into you, rejuvenating something inside of you, until finally it stops. This is where you were supposed to go, but why?

Scanning the are around you, you see nothing still, but before you can question it, you hear a commotion off to your right. Rushing over to see what it is, you're greeted by a small troop of warriors -- six in all -- and they're all much taller than you, though they're likely of normal height, everything looks bigger to you in this body.
One of them spots you and signals to the others who look at you menacingly. You draw your blade, not sure how you're going to make it out of this one.

"C'mere small fry." one of them calls as they charge you.

"Oh you had to go there, didn't you?" you answer and easily dodge his pathetic attack while letting your blade lag behind, slicing him as he skids past. Turning about you pierce through the wounded man finishing him. Removing your blade with a swift jerk, you turn back to face his friends "My, such skills. And here I thought you might be soldiers." you say with a disgusted tone "Just a bunch of common thugs."

If you were trying to set them off, that did the trick as they all rush you. You manage to dodge again, but you can't take them all at one time. Spreading out they effectively surround you. This is it, your time is up.

Just before they strike however, one of them falls down dead, an arrow between his eyes. A woman drops down beside you from a nearby tree.

"Always saving your butt!" she says with a sideways glance and reaches to ready another arrow.

"Aoife!" you shout "You're alright!"

"Yeah but neither one of us will be for long if you don't start swinging!" she answers and lets another arrow fly.

You turn to face your foes just in time to raise your sword in defense and block an overhead strike. The attacker tries to overpower you as he presses his sword down against your blocking sword. His size gives him a distinct advantage, but your fighting sense is all the upper hand you need. A swift kick to the gut and he staggers back, dropping his blade. You take the opportunity to strike, piercing his gut. As he drops to his knees you remove your sword and let him fall to the ground. Taking advantage of the opportunity, you come down on the back of his neck with a downward slice, ending the fight.
Turning about you're met by another man, this one less aggressive and more balanced in his maneuvers. You block a few if his strikes and he in turn blocks a few of yours. You back up a few steps and the two of you stare intensely at each other trying to read their next move. Before he can do anything though, he falls to the ground with an arrow between his shoulder blades. She really does have a knack for stepping in at the best time possible.
A quick glance around reveals that Aoife has made quick work of the others as well, dispatching them before they could make it to her. Now that the fight is over your mind goes back to the relief of seeing her alive and well.

"Oh thank goodness you're alive!" you say as you sheath your blade and run up to Aoife, throwing your arms around her. She stiffens but doesn't move "I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you. What happened?" she still isn't returning the hug.

"Let go of me please." she says coolly.

Shocked you listen "What is it?" you ask "Are you still upset?"

"Hey!" a man shouts from behind and you turn to see who it is. "Hey, whoa! Don't shoot!" he shouts as he looks at Aoife who has an arrow drawn back on her bowstring. "I was just going to see if you kids were okay. Looks like you are though." he says as he looks at the bodies around you, then turns to you.

"Oliver?"
"Talyn?"
The two of you call out at the same time.

"You're...short." he marvels at your compact size.

"Thank you captain obvious." you reply.

"You know this guy?" Aoife asks confused.

"Yeah, this is Oliver." you answer as you gesture toward him.

"Actually Talyn," he says "my name is Sidhe here."

"Sheridan." you correct.

"What?"

"My name is Sheridan."

"Are you sure you two know each other?" asks Aoife, bow still drawn back.

"Yes." you chuckle "Now please don't kill him."

"Yeah sure, funny for you, short stuff." Sidhe says, hands raised.

"Don't tempt me to tell her to shoot." you say with a smile.

"Yeah right." he answers "You know you look up to me."

"What? Why would I look up to you?" you ask confused.

"I think it's another short joke, Sheridan." Aoife says dryly as she lowers her bow "And isn't it a bit morbid to be palling around amidst a bunch of dead bodies like this?"

"Oh. Right." you answer suddenly aware of your surroundings again. "Why don't we go back to the village then?"

"No!" Aoife replies with a start.

"Why not?" you ask surprised by her reaction.

"Sheridan..." she says in a low voice and pulls you off to the side "We can't show an outsider our village. You know that."

"Uh guys." Sidhe cuts in from behind "Sorry to interrupt but it looks like a storm is moving in."

No sooner do the words leave his lips than a loud crack of thunder fills the sky and rain pours down in sheets.

"We have no choice but to take him to the village Aoife." you say, practically shouting to be heard over the rain.

"No, there's a cave to the West!" she answers "I stayed there last night!"

You would rather just go home, but you decide not to go against her wishes this time. She knows more about this place than you do right now, and so you head for the cave she mentioned to wait out the storm.

EDIT: Eep. Forgot to summon anyone.

______________________________________

The storm stayed all day and all night, so your cave shelter ended up being your bedroom for the night.
The next morning you awake to the sound of Sidhe snoring more loudly than anyone you've ever heard. Sitting up you see Aoife sitting in the mouth of the cave, looking out at nothing in particular.

"Mind if I join you?" you ask softly.

Wordless, she pats the ground beside her. You follow the gesture and sit quietly next to her, and for a long while no one says a word.

"Aoife" you finally break the silence "I know I upset you, but I don't understand why you're still so mad at me." you say it as meekly as possible so as not to anger her. This is something she's quite passionate about, but you don't know why.

"Sheridan you nearly died two days in a row. You survived by luck. I barely got the shot off both times. Do you have any idea what it would have done to me had I missed and you were killed??" silence follows.

"Aoife, I"

"Do you know how my parents died, Sheridan?" she cuts you off "They were hunters too. They protected our village. They played the heroes too much, like you." she pauses and looks down at her hands "And one day it caught up with them. They never came home and the next thing I knew your mother came to our house and told me I would live with your family from then on." she laughs softly "At first I was excited. I didn't understand what it all meant. I thought my parents would show up soon and we could all just be happy and live together like one big family." she stops and swallows hard "Then you start acting rashly like you did and it just...I know what happens next when a hunter does that. They go out and they don't come back." her voice breaks on the last words, and she turns her head toward the wall opposite you, her shoulders heaving slightly.

You reach a hand out and place it on her back in a comforting gesture. After a few moments she regains her composure and wipes her eyes before turning to look out of the cave entrance again. You can still see the damp trails left down her cheek as the early morning light shines on her face.

"I grew up hating my parents for that." she finally says.

"What?" you ask surprised "Why? They died heroes you said."

"No." She says firmly and for a moment you think she might break into a shout again, but she doesn't seem angry, just resolute. "I didn't say they died heroes, I said they died playing the heroes." she looks at you, her eyes reddened from the crying "They died trying to run an errand for a stranger who was too afraid to do it himself. They didn't have to do that. They shouldn't have done that. They had a little daughter back home who wasn't old enough to understand. They should have thought about her first." she turns her head back to the entrance and stares at the sunrise. You can see the pain etched in her face as she continues "I swore to myself when I became a hunter that I'd never do that. I swore I would use my head no matter what my emotions told me out in the field. That's something you still haven't learned to do, Sheridan." she says, her voice holding no malice, but rather concern. "You did just what my parents would have done." a pause follows and she studies her hands once more "Sheridan, I have no one now. My parents are dead, your parents are dead, I have no siblings, my family was all wiped out when our old village was discovered and attacked. You're all I have left." she looks at you as a tear escapes, finding it's way down her face. As it falls it lands on your hand that you're supporting yourself with. "When I saw you do what you did...I saw my parents all over again. And I guess I wasn't as angry as I was scared. I don't want to lose you too."

"I won't go anywhere, Aoife." you say as you try to keep your voice even, but fail when a sob escapes. "I promise to be more careful."


Behind you Sidhe begins to stir.

"Oh thank goodness!" Aoife says as she looks back at a groggy Sidhe "I don't think I could have taken much more of that horrid snoring!"

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." he croaks out, his voice still thick with sleep. "Where's the chow?"

"Beats me, you're the baker." you say as you rise to your feet.

"Not here," he answers "here I'm a trainer. I tame animals for ranching and hunting."

"Good on you, catboy." you answer.

"What does that even mean?" Sidhe asks. "First the emperor and now you. What's with the cat stuff?"

"You two make no sense, you know that?" Aoife chimes in. "Anyway we need to head back now Sheridan. There's no telling when the village might be attacked again."

"Again?" Sidhe says sounding surprised. "When were you attacked last?"

"Night before last, why?" you ask.

"Really? Where is your village?" he probes.

"And why should you care?" Aoife bristles.

"Aoife, calm down." you say as you hold your hand out toward her palm first. "He's okay."

"No!" she answers indignantly "I wanna know why he's suddenly so interested in our village. You might trust him, but I don't."

"Look I...it's complicated." Sidhe says, a hand raised to his head.

"Then explain it." she says sharply.

"I can't. You wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway." That answer clearly didn't improve Aoife's mood nor her opinion of him.

"Aoife trust me." you say as you place a hand on her shoulder "Please."

After a brief pause she finally gives in. "Alright" she acquiesces. But before she can answer his question an overwhelming sense of dread grips you.

"Wait." you say cutting her off.

"What is it?" Sidhe says, his voice laced with concern at the look on your face.

"I'm not sure," you answer "but I think something bad is about to happen."

"What? What are you talking about Sheridan?" Aoife asks as she instinctively looses her bow from the strap holding it on her back.

"I don't know." is all you can say as the dread is becoming so powerful that you can scarcely think. Images start flashing in your mind, but none of them make any sense. A dark mist, a gruonhaar, a fire, rubble, a dead body surrounded by the dark mist...Aoife's dead body. Sweat begins beading on your forehead and a near panic sets in, causing your breathing to grow shallow.

"Sheridan, you're freaking me out." Sidhe answers sounding quite shaken. You don't answer but instead keep staring off into space breathing rapidly.

"Sheridan!" Aoife shouts as she grabs your shoulders and begins shaking you.

That snaps you back to reality "We gotta get out of here."

"What?" Aoife says puzzled, but Sidhe immediately heads for the cave entrance in a near run.

"Now!" you shout as you grab Aoife and run outside. You drag her several yards away from the cave entrance before slowing down.

"Sheridan, what are you doing??" she shouts as she struggles to stay on her feet.

You finally stop when the feeling eases up, but nothing seems to be amiss.

"I don't know." you answer. A few moments pass and you begin to feel a bit silly for how you acted.

"What was it?" Sidhe asks as he scans the area "Did she tell you something?"

"What are you talking about?" Aoife asks sounding frustrated by all of the cryptic talk. "I didn't say anything!"

"Not you." Sidhe answers plainly.

"No." you say, then shaking your head you change your answer "Yes...I don't know. I don't know if it was her or not...or them...or...I don't know."

"Will somebody tell me what in the world you two are talking about?!?" Aoife shouts.

Before you can answer the sky grows dark despite it being midday, a dark mist rises up from the ground that reaches all the way from the cave to a stream several yards behind you, covering your legs clear up to your thighs. Two gruonhaar appear from behind the cave, and a bolt of lighting flashes through the sky, striking the cave entrance and nearby ground as the grounharr rear back and emit their terrifying cry. The lightning strike causes the cave entrance to crumble and flames to lick up from the ground nearby.
The images...only one thing is missing. You look back at Aoife who looks as frightened as you feel, but at the same time has a determined look in her eyes as she reaches for an arrow.


What do you do?

A. Tell Aoife to run from the mist while you and Sidhe fight these things. This won't end well if she doesn't.

B. Stay near her and try to protect her from whatever this is.

C. Fight alongside her as you would on a hunt.