Out of place (IC)

[flagisthief]

When returning to his apartment from accounting 102, Christopher decided to take a shortcut down an alleyway to skip past one of the busiest streets in his neighborhood. About halfway home, he hears a strange scraping sound and shortly afterwords, someone shouting. He looks up just in time to see an air conditioning unit and a large black man about twenty feet above him, falling rapidly. Before he can react, the machine crashes into the ground next to him and the man stops, inches away from seriously injuring or killing them both.

Christopher finds himself unable to move and slowly losing consciousness, his life literally flashing backwards before his eyes. The images speed up and continue and even pass his birth, showing his father as a young man, his grandfather as a child, strangers living their lives in reverse, fighting monsters he had never seen before.Slowly the images came to a stop and he could hear voices, thousands of voices all around him, speaking in languages he had never heard before.

Finally he found himself laying in a dark room, on some sort of hay. Two voices were having a hushed conversation close by and it sounded like they were talking about him. What do you mean the wrong one, you showed me who you wanted, he has the face."
"I wanted a hero, not someone who happened to share the same face with him, for all I know this human is more incompetent than you are on a bad day."
Don't say that, I always do what you need, besides, what matters is his blood anyway, so long as he is related, you can give him as much power as he needs."
"Just because he has power doesn't mean he'll know what to do with it. Whatever this one is, it comes from a time where magic no longer rules, what am I supposed to do with a useless child?"
"First of all, 'IT' is a he, and he is awake."
"You told me I had three days-"
- a week ago."
"Damn it all."

Somewhere behind christopher, a torch was lit and looking around, he could see a short tanned man with a large nose and even larger ears, his greasy black hair hung like a mop over his eyes and his smile showed only about half his teeth. My name is Gein, it is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Vale.

[Lexin]

Chris is most of all confused. He was walking home as always and then all of this weird **** happened! It was impossible! And how could a week have passed?
But after a moment he calmed down. There was a simple explanation to all of this... He was dreaming, and it was a dream he could interact with his own will! Magic was also mentioned, when else would he get the chance to experience a fantasy setting like that!
'... wait... but if I am dreaming... it means I am either asleep or unconscious... and the last thing I remember is someone falling at me... I might be dying right now!'
...and so, he panics again...

The above took only a few seconds, his expression confused, calm, happy, panicked... finally settling on blank incomprehension followed by a weak.
"Hi."

[flagisthief]

Gein looked behind himself towards where light gave way to darkness and asked his unseen companion. "Am I allowed to give him some water or a potion to calm his nerves, we just pulled him out of his era."
Do what you will, I must be careful in any intervention."
"I was hoping that wouldn't be for a while." He turned back with a mug suddenly in his hand and offered it to Chris. Here, this will soothe your nerves, there is much we need to explain before your time with us is over and keeping you too long could be dangerous.
Chris can only see about twenty feet around himself before the shadows take over, but he appears to be in some sort of cave with straw bedding the ground.

[Lexin]

Assuming that "Shadows take over" doesn't mean Chris loosing consciousness.

Chris drinks what he is offered automatically only to think 'Weird... that feels kind of real...'

"Where am I?" he asks hesitantly.

[flagisthief]

Gein smiles, taking back the mug. "You are in-"
"NO." The other voice intercedes loudly, and Gein flinches, slowly looking behind him. "That is not your place to tell him."
"Of course." He offers a bow to the shadows and turns back to Chris, an apologetic smile on his face. I can only tell you where you are going, it is a small town called Vale, where an ancestor of yours was born, the people there will likely think that you are him since your features are so similar. We need you to prevent a gate from being opened. Garroth, god of chaos was sealed by the over-diety eons ago and someone seeks to release him, but we are not allowed to stop it. My master will grant you the power you will require, you just have to learn how to use it and let it grow inside of you."
"Little human, you are not the only one we give this mission to and you are allowed to seek aid from the others. Just a warning before you go, you are the only one out of your time and place and as such are the only one to have seen Gein here and will be the only one to have heard my voice. Do not tell anyone of this meeting. A large scaled arm appears from the shadows, reaching towards chris as he sits, unable to move away from it. It places a single claw gently on his forehead and his body goes numb. "Do not misuse your gift, and do not disappoint us."


Just a line of sight thing.
He is no longer numb by the way.

[Lexin]

"...a gate... god of... chaos... overdeity? ... out of time?!" he starts to panic a little once again.
"Wait... is this some kind of joke? Did my friends get me into some kind of LARP game, without me knowing?"
It would explain things if it was something like this... but it does not explain the numbness, or the scaly arm... or the darkness... or anything else actually...
"Gift?" he says only. A stray thought hits him... he should feel ashamed, he just sits there and babbles incoherently. If it is not real, panicking wouldn't help. If it is real, it was something he dreamed of. ... but the thought was surrounded by others, telling him to panic after all... so it takes time for him to calm down, and decide to take this seriously until proven wrong.
"Can I get a short summary? I am... in another time, right... and need to stop a god... I am sorry to tell you this, but I had trouble stopping Johnny during the Kendo practice, and the guy is almost a feet shorter than me..."

[flagisthief]

"I'm sorry, time is short, you'll just have to accept what we've told you. First of all, he just opened your soul to his power. He has bestowed you with the power of the warlocks, a series religious sects that worship powerful beings in return for incredible power. This gift has a chance of opening more doors to you and by the looks of it actually succeeded. Some things will start coming naturally to you. Your ancestor was a quite skilled assassin and I expect you to gain a few of his abilities." Gein looked back towards the darkness and waited.
"Not all warlocks devote themselves to the beings that grant them power, some meerly make their contract and never see it again. Demons and devils like worshipers, which is why Gein usually assumes a demon is behind such things, but dragons and in rare cases, an angel or archon will give the gift of power. I am giving you power so that you can find out and stop whoever deems it necessary to destroy this world. A small weasel with glowing red eyes appeared from the shadows and the voice continued to come from it, its eyes glowing a little brighter with each syllable. Sadly enough what I am prevents me from influencing these events, there are rules to the universes."
"You picked Cemo, why in the nine hells would you do that?"
"I have received permission to use his form whenever I do not wish to reveal mine."
Gein rubbed his temples and brought his torch closer to Chris. I want you to raise your arm, point it at the floating ferret and focus on the numbness you felt when the dragon touched you. It should change to a warmpth and feel powerful, focus it through your arm and outward, towards the, ah, ferrit."
He's a weasel." The voice commanded.
"Yes, focus it towards the, ahem, weasel."

Case you're uncertain, he's telling you how to use an eldritch blast.

[Lexin]

Chris was well beyond the state in which he could be surprised.
He simply rises his hand and follows instructions...


I will make his adapt a little faster than I would, I think. Although I think I will go for slight mental breakdown later on... :smalltongue:

(If needed)
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

[flagisthief]

A bolt of red energy shoots from Chris's hand and flies straight at the weasel, which dodges it easily. "Gein, get your sodding ass out of my domain." It shouts, some unseen force pulling Gein into the shadows. "Damned bastard, been wanting to do that all day. Impressive child, I'm surprised that you are still thinking clearly enough."

[Lexin]

"Thinking... No thank you, it hurts too much at the moment..." he says looking with wide eyes at his right hand, as if it wasn't his.

[flagisthief]

"Good enough for now." With the words, knowledge floods Chris' mind, knowledge of abilities that were not his own. "Sleep child, when you wake, you will find yourself in another place, one not familiar to you. This weasel you see now will be waiting for you, and no, it cannot speak." The light goes out an Chris' mind starts to fog.

Will save if you will my friend, there is always a change to succeed.

[Lexin]

"I said 'no thanks'..." he says faintly, his head hurting with the flow of knowledge.


Yeah. Right.
[roll0]

[flagisthief]

Chris headache started to cease with all other thoughts as he fell asleep.

Sometime later, Chris woke up to find the weasel inches away from his face, staring at him as though it were trying to decide if he was a treat. Whatever he was laying on was nowhere near as comfortable as the hay. As he noticed something poking into his side, he also felt like a strange weight was on top of him.


Its eyes no longer glow.

[Lexin]

He simply stared at the weasel, not moving even a little, not even breathing... but when his lungs began to hurt he sighed 'not a dream... or at least not something I can wake up from, or this one would work...' he thinks and decides to look where was he and what was on him, and poking him.

He ignores the weasel for now.

[flagisthief]

Chris finds that there is a dagger strapped to a belt that he is now wearing and the weight on his chest is a bag of what looks like camping gear. As he looks through the bag, the weasel finds a way to jump through his arms and land curled on a silk rope. "Sorry about that, he doesn't like being ignored." To Chris' right is a man about 5'6" and quite thin. Aside from the fact that he is wearing armor apparently made out of some kind of dried leaves, the strangest thing about him is that he seems to have ear pointier than Spock's from star-trek. "My name is Veigh, it is nice to meet you." He held out a hand, apparently offering to help Chris stand up.


Gear inside the backpack
Bedroll
Map with case.
a few pieces of chalk
Flint and steel
3 torches
a small steel mirror
Small sewing kit (a few needles of varying thickness, thread)
Three days trail rations
A small silver medallion with a deer head on it.

[Lexin]

Chris looks with suspicion at the pointy-ears guy, but in the end shrugs and grabs the hand, standing up.
"I am Chris." ... he bites his tongue at the "live long and prosper" comment and tries not to stare (failing miserably).
After a longer moment he adds "Nice to meet you too."

... he has no idea what to do... or even think about in this situation. He was in a different time, a good reason to panic. His ancestor might be around here and is an assassin, good reason to panic as well. There is an attention seeking weasel ("Uh... hi...?"), which, he could swear, was flying some time ago... spooky... and of course there was the Spock guy too...

"Umm... could you tell me where am I?" he says looking around.

[flagisthief]

"Yes, I know, I'm not exactly here for the scenery." He gestures around at the remarkably sparce field with a dirt road just a few dozen yards away. "You are roughly three kilometers north of Galserth. Cemo, get out of there." As the weasel jumps from the bag, the man turns his head and watches Chris' eyes closely. "Is there something wrong my friend?"

[Lexin]

He was just about to say no, but instead says "Other than me waking up in an unfamiliar place? ...And all of...that..." he concludes with a wave of his hand, trying to convey a specific message: "everything is wrong actually, thank you for asking, sir."...
But he tries not to stare anymore...

"That somewhere near Russia perhaps?"

[flagisthief]

Veigh gives a confused glance and blinks a few times. "I apologize, but I do not know where Russia is. I do however, know that there is no place named Russia on any of my maps. I take it you are not from around here." He crouches and the weasel climbs up his arm and makes itself comfortable on his shoulder. "Don't worry weaselfriend, you've already made a good first impression, you will fit in before long."

[Lexin]

"You could say that..." he says and looks at the weasel "Do you often talk to it?"

[flagisthief]

"He is a weasel and does not speak, but for animals, actions speak much louder than words, he likes you, would have bitten your nose off a few minutes ago otherwise."

[Lexin]

"That's... reassuring?"

'... why is every single thing I hear so hard to cope with?...'

"Ehh... okay then... So you found me here, wherever it is and decided to.. help me? Very nice of you."

...now, what is the only thing I know about this place?...

"Do you know where a town named Vale is?" he asks hesitantly, part of him hoping that there isn't any town with that name. (it would mean there is no evil god either)

[flagisthief]

"But of course I know where Vale is, that is where I just came from. I am here because I received a vision of you a few days ago lying here. Come, if we leave now, we shall arrive before dark." Veigh smiled again and gestured to the road.

[Lexin]

"But of course I know where Vale is, that is where I just came from. I am here because I received a vision of you a few days ago lying here. Come, if we leave now, we shall arrive before dark." Veigh smiled again and gestured to the road.

"Oh. ... that... doesn't explain anything. A vision, you say? Do you often receive visions?" he really tries to ask this question without it sounding almost exactly like "are you crazy?"...

[flagisthief]

"Not usually, but for some reason, my goddess Ehlonna decided that you were important, although I do not know why. Come now friend, I expect your journey to be quite interesting."

[Lexin]

"I think it already is interesting... as in this chinese saying..." he says, but starts walking... it is not like he has anything better to do...

[flagisthief]

"You humans say the strangest things sometimes." Veigh laughs, patting Chris on the back as he leads the way, whistling a joyful tune as he leads the way.

Veigh will talk as long as chris has questions, but if you would like, I can throw in a time-skip.

[Lexin]

Kind, of depends... this conversation could go for hours (IC)...

Would a RPG fan recognize this guy as an elf now?, or do I need to roll Knowledge check (I don't have ranks in Local though... it wouldn't make much sense if I did at this point...)

And Knowledge Religion on Ehlonna (if it works...)
[roll0]

Chris once again looks at his new companion... especially the clothes. He looks at his own, trying to see why didn't his suit jacket seem weird to the-guy-in-the-leaves. But he decides to talk about something else.
"Yes, it is what we do." he says with a shrug, deciding not to worry too much for now "So... let's pretend I am from really, really far away... which is kind of true, by the way... anything I need to know?"

[flagisthief]

Elfs generally look a little different in rpgs, but I'd say he's close enough to most of them for Chris to make the guess.

"I had guessed and do not worry, I will fit you with some real clothes when we pass through Galserth, I'n not certain where you found those at. Chris thinks he remembers Ehlonna from a game when he were a kid, a god of nature and unicorns, yeah, probably when he was a kid. "From far away is it, well Chris from far away, I hope your time here proves beneficial, whatever it is you are here for."

[Lexin]

Pointy ears and leaf armor was a good clue.

As they walk Chris tries a few things. First he tries his cell phone, not expecting great results, after that he tries to stay a little behind (so the elf doesn't see) and checks if this weird laser ray thing (eldritch blast) still works, or was it some kind of even weirder dream.
Finally he takes out his wallet, and after a brief pause.
"What kind of money do you use here?" He somehow doubted that he would say USD...

[flagisthief]

"Our coins have an eagle on them, but I'm certain wherever you come from, the gold is good, here." Veigh pulls out a small coin purse and pulls a few gold and silver coins from it, an eagle's head stamped on each one.

[Lexin]

"Oh, I see." says Chris, looking with doubt at his own coins.
Are US dollar coins comparable to silver ones?

[flagisthief]

"What troubles you my friend? Ever since we met, it has seemed like there is something on your mind."

You could pass one off as a silver coin from another place, but eventually someone would realize its made from some other metal.

[Lexin]

Chris just stares at the elf for a while, then sighs and says
"...Well, I was somewhere entirely else, then I was teleported here, without any time for preparation and told to do something way beyond my abilities. It also seems that my money wouldn't be accepted here..."

BTW, did the cell phone and eldritch blast work?

[flagisthief]

"I see why I was sent here, in an unfamiliar place with not but a knife you would not last to long, unless you are incredibly skilled of course.

Eldritch blast: yes. Cell phone: no.

[Lexin]

"Who knows. Good thing I don't have to test it..."

I suppose it is good time for a time skip, unless Veigh has some wisdom to share.

[flagisthief]

The trip to Vale is quick, Veigh only stops twice, once in Galserth to get Chris a change of clothes and again in mid-afternoon when Veigh decided it was time to stop and eat. He disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a few rabbits tied together with twine. He made a quick stew before continuing the march.

"I hereby welcome you to Vale." Veigh gave a short bow as he gestured at the few building barely enough to be called a village. "I'll give you a quick tour but my task is done and I do not know where else you are supposed to go."

[Lexin]

Chris thanks Veigh a few times at least for the food, until it was mentioned he hasn't realized he was starving... He is in much brighter mood from this point.

"Your task is done, meaning you go back to... wherever you live and I need to cope with the whole Ragnarok business myself?"
*sigh*
"I expected something like that anyway...
Any information about this place would be appreciated though... any place where I can sleep around? Anyone who could hire me, so I earn enough money for the lodgings... and finally, any bloody demons running freely around the place?"
He asks all questions with the same, eerily, slightly cheerful tone.

[flagisthief]

"I have no idea what you are here for and as such, I cannot really help you. Come, you can stay with my brother and I until you know what needs to be done. In town there is the one inn, blacksmith and a few other stores. We don't see that many visitors, I don't plan on leaving you right now and did you say demons, I haven't seen one since I retired ten years ago." Considering that he doesn't look a day over thirty, its rather difficult for Chris to believe he is retired.

[Lexin]

...must have served in an army, to be retired that early... still... ten years?... also he has seen demons? I meant it as a joke...

"Thank you. It is very kind of you." he says surprised that his new companion would take in a complete stranger.
"I would like to know what I am here for... there aren't many things I was told. Something about someone from my family living here, similar to me in appearance, but I've never met him... something about starting my journey here and that there are others with the same mission...
...
...
... Ah, there was also something about stopping a god of destruction.
... or is it the god of destruction... I am not sure, I was a little dazed at the time..." he says a little to calmly. After the comment about demons brought next to none reaction from the elf, it was now his personal mission (side quest if you will) to surprise somehow his new friend.

[flagisthief]

"I know nothing about your family, but this is a small town, if you walk it, maybe someone would recognize you. God of destruction, could be Balsereth, that would be a possibility, it is a greater deity but has few followers. Only the mad and evil will worship something that wishes to destroy the world." He shrugged and led the way to a small series of thatch huts and called out when they got close. "Thane, get out here and meet our guest. You'll like my brother, he hasn't left the town for a while so he might know of your family.

[Lexin]

Chris simply stares at him, wide eyed... then give a long sigh and follows, feeling as if he lost some kind of battle...

"Yeah, that would be nice." he says and waits for Veigh's brother...

[flagisthief]

A man with similar appearance to Veigh walks out of one of the huts, wearing a simple tunic. He stops the moment he see's Chris and stares, obviously surprised by something. "Veigh, why did you bring a known murderer to our village?"
"Thane, this is Chris and not only has he not killed anyone, but he is a stranger to this land."
"Marcus Vale is a man who left our village almost twenty years ago and became an assassin, killing for no more than money and pride."
"Then clearly this is someone else, Chris is much younger than Marcus has to be by now."

[Lexin]

...well, at least I managed to surprise one of them...

"Murderer? Oh joy... maybe I should forget about looking for my family then...
Yeah, nice to meet you by the way, I am Chris... 18 years old." he says to confirm the non-violent-assassin status.

[flagisthief]

"Yes, as I said Thane, he is young."
"Well, Marcus was the last of the Vale's living here and now that he is gone, I know nothing more of any family you might have."
Veigh disappeared into the hut, poking his head back out after a moment. Come now little one, I'll show you where you can sleep." Inside are four hammocks strung up along one side with a makeshift kitchen on the other. The design is simple and utility based with few ascetic additions. "We all share hammocks, whoever falls asleep first gets first pick until each has an occupant, this rule applies to each hut. We generally check the hut closest to where we came from until finding an open hammock. Get some sleep, I expect you will have questions in the morning." Veigh gestured again at the hammocks and started taking his armor off, wearing similar garb as his brother underneath.

[Lexin]

Chris, who was dead tired says only "Thank you." before preparing to sleep. He lies for a longer moment in the hammock thinking about everything that happened.
Some part of him was actually happy, this was a scenario he dreamed of for years... but at the same time he was anxious... what if it wasn't real... what is going on in the times he disappeared from? With these unhappy thoughts he falls asleep.

[flagisthief]

As Chris drifted off to sleep, he found himself once again in the cave, lying on a bed of straw. Light floods the cave, coming from an opening behind him with the cave closing in on itself a short distance ahead of him. Two figures are huddled near the cave opening, covered by dark and intricate designs.

[Lexin]

He stands up and looks around.
"Great. I am in a freaking Inception movie..."

[flagisthief]

One of the figures jumps to their feet, throwing the cloak away, pulling a very thin sword from seemingly nowhere. After the first shock of a sword being drawn, Chris notices that the wielder is a very attractive red-headed woman not too much older than he. "Clara, I would like you to meet Mr. Vale, he is the man I have requested to assist us in our quest. Mr. Vale, remember that Gein and myself are they only ones who know the truth and it shall stay that way. Mr. Vale, I understand you meet an elf, a most surprising turn of events I must admit, I did not foresee that. Clara will be with you before long and shall assist you in whatever it is that you need, I had planned on sending Gein, but he had a small accident and can no longer assist you." The second figure remained cloaked while speaking, Chris can easily tell that it is the same voice as before.
"How did he get here?" Clara asks suspiciously, not sheathing the sword.
"He is not here, I am merely pulling his spirit for a conference, all he can do is communicate by sight and sound, no more than an illusion."

[Lexin]

"Great. I will have help with whatever I need to do. Sounds nice, I must say.
...
...
Now, what was it, all you told me was that I need to visit Vale and the final goal, some hints of the in-between would be nice. " he says, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

[flagisthief]

"But of course, where we were before was in, lets say, flux. I could not control the situation and if you had spent too much time there, you could have died. Now, I can only hold this for a couple of minutes so I will outline what I can. Balsereth has been trapped for a very long time and I expect that considering his record, he will not be the most gracious guest of this world. I am fairly certain I know how to track down the one intending to release Balsereth. He gestured with an albino white hand at the hay. "Sit. Three centuries ago I hid a scrying pool made of pure diamond, it is the most powerful scrying artifact I know of, some paranoid wizard decided he wanted to watch all of his enemies at the same time, even though he did not know where they were. Sadly enough, he died from not being able to contain the information in his mind, melted his brain. If you find it and return it to me, I should be able to find whomever it is I search for." He offered a sigh, and paused, allowing Chris to ask any questions.

[Lexin]

Chris just stares for a moment, but decides that there would be time for shock later on
"Any idea where to look for this diamond thingy? Or where to find someone who can find it?"

[flagisthief]

"Thats why I need multiple people looking for it, when I hide things, I make failsafes so that anyone looking through my mind cannot find them, even I do not know where it is. Clara will explain what she can when she reaches you, unfortunately, she is in a small town called Galserth, which is a few days travel from the metropolis called Vale and since I cannot see where it is you currently are, I do not know if you are both going the same direction. It bothers me that I lost sight of you soon after you left this cave." Clara sat again beside the cloaked figure, sheathing her sword and closing her eyes, listening to his words closely. "As for where my diamond bowl is, I left a map with you, it should outline the places I think may have some clues, there are few people old enough to remember the wars, but they might know something I do not."

[Lexin]

"Umm... town called Galserth? Few days from a metropolis called Vale? All I know that there is a small village Vale, only few miles from Galserth... Do they have a lot of places with this name?" Chris didn't have good memory... but he somehow remembered the name of the village... he also didn't think of Vale as a metropolis...

[flagisthief]

Clara laughed at Chris' words, probably thinking him a fool. "Closest village to Galserth is almost a days travel, thats how Galserth survives, its the perfect distance for a traveller to stop in between villages."
"Chris, if you are indeed in a village that someone told you is called vale, you should probably wake up and get out of there. I doubt you will live long otherwise. The figure stood, reaching a little over seven feet and walked towards Chris, his voice become harsh and resounding off the walls. "I thought I asked you to wait for the weasel from before to come collect you. No matter, Clara will collect Cemo on her way to you, light a large fire so that she can do her task with more haste. Which direction did you walk, no, cannot trust your eyes. Chris, I want you to open your mind to me, focus on everything you saw since leaving here."
"Master, that is highly illegal." Clara started to interject, but he waved her off, her mouth snapping shut.
"I will deal with Sarok later, this is much more important."

[Lexin]

"But... there was a weasel! ... and how exactly do I 'open my mind'? This sounds a little too Zen for me..."

[flagisthief]

Chris hears a growl that almost sounds like a sigh and shortly afterword, he feels a small headache.
"What you feel is me breaking a very important law in my land, I am trying to access your memories. Focus on the past day and ignore the pain, it will cease as soon as you let it wash over you." The pain turns to fire in Chris' head with the man's words.
"Soza." Clara warned, taking a step forward.
Silence. He roared in return, focusing all of his attention on her for a moment. She dropped to the ground, frozen by some unseen force.

You can purposely fail both or just one of the next two will saves, either way, let me know.

[Lexin]

Just to try it...
Sense Motive [roll0]
(...and if it gets me nothing)
You need to trust someone. Failing both!

Chris struggles to follow instructions despite the headache. He would prefer to simply talk about these things... but whatever. He suspects that this scary guy who brought him here is either some kind of deity or demon, you don't try to oppose these guys...

[flagisthief]

As soon as Chris does as he is asked, the fire in his head turns to a sauna, a little uncomfortable, but by no means painful. "Every single time I have something that needs done, that bastard Thane steps in. Listen kid, you have to wake up, Thane is probably prepairing to kill you when the sun rises, he only needed you long enough to know if his trick still works. It is time for you to wake up, get out of there and start as large of a fire as you can before heading north." Darkness started to seep from the back of the cave, moving straight towards Chris as the man turned away. And child, I am not a demon, but your other guess isn't far off. With that, Chris fell asleep again, only to awake back in the hammock, feeling fully rested.

[Lexin]

...yeah, I probably shouldn't have thought that when he was in my head...

He tries not to show that he is awake, but look around at the same time, thinking that quiet escape would be better than a loud one.

He looks where are others, how many there are, where are his things and if he has a clear path to exit.

[flagisthief]

There is only one other person in the hut and his gear is on the floor nearby. With closer inspection, the person looks like Veigh, eyes half-open and rolled back in his head. Somewhere in the back of his head, the voice sounds again. You should always be careful of what you are thinking.

[Lexin]

...wait, he is still there?... Hey, if you are still there, what about the weasel? It was with the elf!... he thinks intensively and waits for answer.

[flagisthief]

One, I can perceive your innermost thoughts, you do not need to shout. I am much too far away for me to hold this for long, after that, there will be a slight fragment. When I looked in your mind, something was wrong, I am not certain as to what. And what elf? There is a slight pressure behind Chris' eyes for a moment, and then the elf disappears. You have a few moments before the effect wears off, it is a trick that used to be called true sight, lets you see what is real.

[Lexin]

...true what...? he thinks not too brightly, and looks around once again. Just to be sure.

[flagisthief]

Nothing else had changed, his bag still lay on the floor and he is now alone, curtain hanging over the doorway ominously.

[Lexin]

... let's see then...

Chris tries to move as stealthily as possible. He takes his equipment, and stopping only for a moment to listen if there is anything waiting for him he peeks outside.

Stealth [roll0]
Perception [roll1]
Edit: That's... wow.

[flagisthief]

Chris easily manages to gather his gear and peek outside the hut, the other huts are close by with no one around. Wait a few moments, then run to the forest, Clara is only a few hours away, start a fire as the sun rises. A crow caws in the forests and chris notices an owl perched on top of one of the huts. The owl saw you, run child, hope that you are not caught. I can no longer hold my bond with you, do not die on me.

[Lexin]

...I sure don't plan to!...
... and he starts running. ...run north...run north... would be much easier if I knew where the north is!...

[flagisthief]

Chris can see the forest in the distance and starts towards it, running as fast as he can. The owl hoots and a shout comes shortly afterwords. As he reaches the woods, he hears a rush of wind and an arrow shoots past, followed by a few more. I can help with that. Suddenly Chris knows which direction is which and turning his head, knows that he is looking perfectly north.

[Lexin]

...that's nice thanks... what the?! they are trying to kill me!...
... and there it goes. He panics once again. There is something good about it though, the rush of adrenaline seems to be good for him, he wasn't that good runner, but now he runs really, really fast, without looking back.
He takes a swift turn behind one of the trees to run north, and, is he is still shot at, he turns from time to time, so it is more difficult to aim at him, but he still tries to keep running north.
Maybe voices in one's head isn't a thing to brag about, but this one just saved his life...

[flagisthief]

I cannot do much more, sadly I only have a fraction of the power that spawned me. All I can do is buy time. With that, several clones of Chris appeared and started bolting in different directions. Run child, you should be able to escape. Chris hears shouts from behind, the trick seems to have attracted away some attention. Continuing to run, Chris finds that he is not running out of breath as quickly as normal.

[Lexin]

...you need to teach me this one!...
He ...says? ... thinks? ... and continues running, not as panicked anymore. There is some excitement and even joy in this pursuit... probably just the adrenaline, and he would just sit somewhere shaking after this is over... but still, he enjoys the feeling while it lasts. (although he avoids outbursts of mad laughter in fear he would be spotted to easily...)

[flagisthief]

One time thing, not enough power for multiple times. After what feels like hours of running, Chris finds himself at a river, raging to the southeast.

[Lexin]

Can he tell more or less how far did he run?

Chris stops for a moment and takes a moment of rest, leaning on a tree so that he has cover from the side he came from. He also tries to see if anyone is still chasing after him.

Take 20 on perception. Would take 30 second to 1 minute but would give the final result of 24.

[flagisthief]

Chris is fairly certain he ran at least a couple of miles and cannot see anyone behind him.

[Lexin]

... okay... I should be safe for a moment... now, the fire... he thinks, and not letting the fear catch up just yet he decides to act. He looks around for a fallen tree... or pretty much anything large and easily flammable.


Perception? Survival?
[roll0]
Yep. A natural 1! (had to happen sooner or later...)

[flagisthief]

Child, you have been granted power, use it. The voice in Chris' head was beginning to fade and weaken.

Nothing of note from the survival check.

[Lexin]

...Huh? ... I am not sure if the death ray would help in finding dry wood... but he shrugs and tries to shoot the laser at the nearest tree. The voices in his head were giving him only good advice so far, why not try it again?

[flagisthief]

Apparently the blast has instability, because it leaves a large scorch mark and a small fire burns for a moment before going out. Keep forgetting you are a child. No matter, keep doing that and eventually you will make a fire, but I suggest you travel upstream and keep an eye out for dead trees rather than live ones, they burn easier.

[Lexin]

...Upstream... everyone knows dead trees are upstream... he thinks a little grumpily but follows the instructions. He feels much better about torching a dead tree anyway.

[flagisthief]

The river flows to the south, meaning you must go the opposite direction, hence upstream.

[Lexin]

...hey! Even I know what upstream means!... he answers and walks north once again. On the way he looks around trying to find dead or fallen trees.

[flagisthief]

The walk is slow and dull, it must be early spring because most of the trees are leaf-less, which makes telling the dead from the live difficult. Chris walks for a few hours before finding a tree obviously dead, torn in half by what looks like a lightning strike actually.

[Lexin]

...Ha! I knew I could find a dead tree!... he thinks happy, steps far enough, so he thinks it is safe and prepares to shoot the death ray...
...
...
... and just in case decides to look around a little to see if he wouldn't burn the whole forest with it...
Survival? [roll0]
...If he considers it safe (or has no idea) he tries to set the tree on fire.

[flagisthief]

After shooting a few eldritch blasts at the tree and causing little more than a small fire that barely spreads across the tree, Chris heard a laugh in his head. I'm a little surprised you actually tried that. You have torches in your bag as well as something to light them with, just light a torch and set it against the tree.

[Lexin]

...So. Very. Funny. ... (:smallannoyed:)

He looks through his bag and takes out a single torch... but sees nothing that would help him with lighting it. ... he uses the small fire, already on the tree to light the torch and then uses the torch to help the fire spread...

[flagisthief]

As Chris lights the torch, he notices some of the burning pitch rolling down the tree, catching a little more on fire. Using this to his advantage, he manages to get a fire going, which seems to be taking quite nicely. As it burns, smoke begins billowing into the night sky, forcing him to take a few steps back.

Hours pass as he waits for anything, and the voice in his head has stopped communicating with him, going silent shortly after the fire started.
Perception time:smallwink:

[Lexin]

Chris takes several steps away from the fire so he isn't an easy target for archery practice hides in shadows (or hopes he is hidden) and waits till something happens.


Perception [roll0]
Stealth [roll1]

[flagisthief]

After an hour or two, then sun starts to rise behind Chris, sending long shadows ahead of him. He notices that the smoke is obscuring a good amount of sky, which will probably bring attention to where he is, whether the good kind or not. Chris can suspect that anyone within ten miles can make out the smoke.

[Lexin]

... I was supposed to wait after making the fire... Sounds like a good idea... he thinks and chooses a place to wait somewhere within 50 meters from the fire. When he waits, there, hidden the adrenaline rush is long gone. He is too scared to move from this spot at this time, he only shivers from time to time at the thought that he might have died today. In this state of mind he is waiting, at least till few hours after the sunrise.

[flagisthief]

More hours pass before Chris notices movement, someone is skillfully passing through the underbrush and he is barely able to spot them before they reach his burning tree. He recognized the cloak to be the same as Clara and the mysterious man wore in his dream and the size is roughly the same size as the woman Clare.

[Lexin]

...okay, all or nothing...
Chris thinks and slowly walks towards the tree.
stealth [roll0]
He tries to walk quietly but when he is about 30 ft away he says quietly "Umm... Hello...?"

[flagisthief]

Again, Clara is quick with the sword, bringing it to bear on Chris before he can respond. She holds for a few long seconds before sheathing it again and taking a more relaxed stance. "He said you would need a new weapon and some gold for when we get separated, damn bastard always doubts my ability." She offers a small sack filled with coin and an odd shaped sword. "Have you ever handles a scimitar before?" She asks, drawing it and examining the blade. She makes a few cutting motions with it and frowns before returning it to its sheath.

[Lexin]

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." he says quietly but comes closer and accepts the gifts. "Thanks." he adds, checking how much money does he have and then hiding it in his backpack. Then he reaches for the sword. "Umm... Not really... Other than the basics... Like holding the blunt part and attacking with the sharp one..." he says hesitantly, but tries to swing the sword a couple times... What does it hurt to try?

[flagisthief]

As Chris swings the sword, his body moves of its own accord, dancing back and forth in place, throwing well aimed strikes all around himself as though he had been fighting with swords his whole life. Clara eyes his ability, not too impressed al though she gives a short nod. "Yes, very clever, at least you are passable, you shouldn't have too many troubles in the near future."

[Lexin]

...well... ... ... that's nice! After half a year of kendo I barely learned how to hold this thing right and swing without hurting myself... and now this... That's pretty awesome!... He thinks really happy, forgetting for a moment about all the danger he is in right now, but doesn't say anything, thinking he would look much cooler that way...

"What now then? Are we going to Vale? Or is there something else I... or we need to do now?"

[flagisthief]

"Yes, we have to go to Vale, come along then, we haven't all week." She turned and walked off, not even bothering to check if Chris was following, picking her way through the underbrush as she went. Clara sets a much more difficult pace to match than the previous day, not stopping until nightfall and ignoring and questions or comments Chris makes.

[Lexin]

Even though she ignores all his comments he spares one or two every ten minutes, just to show her that he is still alive. When they reach a place where he can walk without worrying about tripping and further embarrassing himself, he looks through his new equipment. Focusing mostly on the map...

Sorry for not posting. I can access internet only from time to time.

[flagisthief]

Chris is fairly certain he knows where they have been but he doesn't know what the scale of the map is or how far they have travelled. He is somewhere south of a well drawn mountain labeled Hell's Peak and north of Galserth and the nameless forest they just travelled through, but the map places Vale barely an inch from the forest and is nowhere in sight.