Sarah, Albert, and Nina prepare for their journey. There is so much of this world that Sarah had yet to see, even the glorious knight Albert only heard stories of the land that lies beyond Denebe. Heihaff, a frozen wasteland with towering entities the size of buildings, and rumors that the Saint of Blades sleeping there in his supernatural slumber after his lost battle with Abaddon. Little do these two know though, that Nina has seen all of that with her beautiful rose colored eyes, and much more. More...that Albert wanted to know more about these two beautiful women traveling with him, or was it the other way around? Probably so, but be that as it may, Albert is a dude, so he thinks he's the kingpin, the alpha male of the pack. Well, this "alpha male" is already getting lost as he seeks to navigate through the hills and grasslands that he thought he was so accustomed to.
"And then we take a, umm, right here at this hill, yeah..." Albert said as his muscular body began to tense and uncertainty swept over his mind.
This has happened before and was an all too familiar experience for the knight. Traveling with friends to different towns with him in the lead would cause much stress for Albert as he would make a wrong turn, or miss the road they were suppose to travel on. That same quiet tension and embarrassment as he would finally muster up the courage to say: "guys, I think I'm going the wrong way" and his travel mates would resound all in one synchronized voice, "Albeeeert!" There were times however, that he thought he was going the wrong way, but it turned out that they were on the right track, much to Albert's relief. Nevertheless, this was not one of those moments.
"Albert, are you lost?" asked Sarah with a sharp sweetness.
"...yes..." said the knight, shoulders drooping and all.
Sarah sighed. She didn't know the way either, and Nina all throughout the walking, did not say a peep. She wasn't used to this kind of prolonged activity; growing up with other Incar mages, little attention was given to their physical fitness. Not to say mages are out of shape, but those sexy legs and ass are not for walking long distances. What are they for you might ask? In situations like these, sitting down with legs bent in a horse drawn cart of sorts or using their magic to dash short distances during combat with no physical exertion, but rather drawing from their mana. Imagine a princess...yep, that image. However, Sarah was far too mannered and kind to belittle the already embarrassed knight. She looked to Nina.
"Nina? Do you know the way to Denebe?" Nina nodded, and pointed to a sign that said "To Denebe." Albert was too hasty in his glance toward the signs before as to which path led to their destination.
"Would you like to lead the way?" Sarah asked. Nina shook her head no, and ever so cutely tugged on Albert's arm, until he was in front of her and lightly pushed him on the back, as if to say "keep leading." Sarah thought this was a bit odd, seeing Albert get the group lost the first time. Then, Sarah realized why Nina was doing this. She was told by Valerie to follow them, not lead them. Even in so much as walking in front of the group, Nina would not do. Loyal and true to her word, despite her lack of spoken word.
"Right, err, thank you Nina!" said the gleeful knight as he finally knew where he was going. Nina simply smiled and looked on. The group continued to walk, this time in the right direction. It was a gorgeous sight to behold; Giant Moths fluttering around as Argamas basked in the sunlight atop grassy hills. Every so often, one would see Lizard Men moving about, probably hunting Argamas to sell them on skewers. They wouldn't attack you, unless provoked, or a Lizard captain perceived you as a threat and commanded them to ensue a fight.
As the group neared Denebe, they entered a Marshland.
"Be careful, there could be Water Reapers around" said the cautious knight as he took out his shield and sword, moving while protecting his upper torso. Sarah took out her wand and lowered herself beneath the tall grass. She learned of this creature during her lectures and research, how it was capable of spitting balls of fire. Nina, who already knew of the dangers Marshlands in Haran posed, preemptively placed her hand upon her whip, but did not remove it from its holster. She walked confidently through the tall grass, damp as it was, back straight and head held high to see of any possible sings of danger. She turned to Sarah and grabbed her shoulder, hoisting her into an erect posture.
"Nina is saying to stand straight up when facing Water Reapers. They are less inclined to shoot at people who look them in the eyes on a leveled plane or taller than they are" Albert instructed, as he too held a confident posture. It made sense, as being able to see them from a distance gave you a better chance in either avoiding their trajectory or ambushing them.
The three of them approached the town of Denebe and immediately they knew something wasn't right. There was no one in sight; not one living thing. With even more alertness than they had before with the threat of the Water Reapers, they moved cautiously through the town.
"Over there!" exclaimed Sarah, as she pointed to a deactivated teleportal.
There lying on the ground was an Augur, mortally wounded or so it seemed. The group rushed to the Augur's side. Albert kept a watchful eye as Nina began a healing incantation with Sarah watching on in amazement. Never before had she the work of a Segnale, as bloodstained wounds and torn flesh began to weave itself together, even the blood on the floor finding its way back to its once dying owner. To see their work in real life was a sight to behold, somewhat grotesque at first, but nonetheless miraculous.
"This was the reason why they weren't able to teleport here before" Sarah said in a low voice, trying not to distract Nina from her precious work.
Both her and the knight nodded in agreement. Nina removed one hand from her healing process and used it to point to the deactivated device. There was a glyph placed there with rune words not normally on a teleportal. It looked familiar to Sarah. As she neared it, it was apparent as to what it was.
"Its an arcane block; someone used magic to negate the normal operation of this teleportal. Even without an Augur, one would usually be able to transport themselves here, just not be able to go back to where they came."
Sarah began to draw some other hieroglyphic words and marks. Dispelling a negating glyph is in some ways like a puzzle to a magician. With some time and the figuring out of the pattern laid by the original caster, another mage could undo the lock so to speak. And in a few moments it was finished. The negating glyph disappeared and a normal glow emanated from the device. Nina looked up and smiled, as if to say good job. She then turned to the knight and gave him a blank stare, as if to say what have you done so far you useless twat.
"Hey, I'm standing guard, isn't that enough?" retorted Albert.
Nina shook her head no. Sarah chuckled at the knight's plight. He's not doing that great of a job impressing the ladies. With all kidding aside, the Augur began to cough as he began to breathe again. It was as if he was brought back to life. If the injuries aren't too severe, a trained Segnale can bring anyone back from the brink of death. The group huddled around the Augur, and what he was about to tell them would mark the beginning of an action packed adventure of which the three have never before experienced, not even Nina.
Until next time!
