Quill watched as Kraithee and Namura began their botany lesson. Interesting. It seems the Kraithee has been able to grow stronger since we last met. Quill then shifted his gave over to 
Buama, who was drawing at the time. Approaching her, Quill asked, "Pardon me for asking, but what are you working on? If you are a specialist in the workings of Aether-powered machinery, I may have some questions for you."

Buama's quill skips across the page as someone suddenly talks to her. She smiles as she looks up at Quill.

"I am one of the ones in the party that knows such things. Flux," she points him out, "is the other. I tend to the side of also knowing how to make things go boom or not go boom."

She waves a hand at her mechanical servant that looks like a lizard with funky long feathered bird wings. It has horns on its head, stands on its back legs only more like a raptor, and there is a saddle and bridle attached. Then she looks down at her drawing noting the marks she made when startled.

"Oh, that accident actually gives me an idea of how to better shape that piece." She throws in a few more lines to the sketch.

Quill can see it looks like a humanoid construct that she is drawing.

Quill shrugged, and turned to Flux. "Buama has said that you know about Aether devices. I have some interesting things that I would like to know about." With that, Quill produced a belt with a number of orbs on it. Each one had a slight glow to it, proving that each one had a small dose of Aether inside of it. "On my way out, I picked this belt up from one of the armories that the demon masters had. I was wondering what it might be."

"That looks like something that I made the other day. Mine allows you to throw one of the orbs, and something is created from it. Ladders, Pits, Iron Doors, even animals are possible I think, though they are obviously lifecraft."

Flux pulls their belt out of their satchel, showing that they have a near identical belt, the only difference being the number of orbs.

It's dark... so dark.

There's something ahead but he's not sure what it could be. He reaches for it and his finger feels wet... like it rained that night. But he knows there was no rain, as he'd been travelling all day and night and there's been no indication of moisture. His mind tells him it's condensation and that the puddles beneath his feet are nothing more than water that has gathered in pools. There's no other explanation for it. He taps his foot in the puddle as he waits, creating soft little splashes with the water. It reminds him of his youth, of a better time where death didn't mean a thing.  

Tap, splash... tap, splash... tap, splash... 

Surveying the landscape it is beautiful, even in the dark. An island, a lake, the trees surrounding him. For a moment he thinks he could live here. If only it didn't rain so much...

The rain is coming on hard now and the puddle is getting bigger - tap, splash... tap, splash...

He finally sees someone climb through the hatch. It's a familiar face yelling as she points at Lero. It's almost as if she's shaming him for something. Confusion spreads across him - Who is this woman?

He pulls his lantern and sets it alight.  There's no rain. No puddles... Nothing but blood drenching the deck. Tap...splash...

He sees the lifeless bodies of his family being drug off by abominations that breath red aether, the woman ahead of him lunging at him with dagger in hand. He reaches for it but he's too late. The dagger plunges into his chest.

Lero wakes with a start. He'd only been asleep for an hour and everyone is still awake around the campfire. The smell of his stew is still in the air.

Panting, he looks around for his rapier before he finds it still attached to his belt. Eyes wide, he looks around for a threat that isn't there. When realization finally hits him, his face contorts into a sort of grimace. He turns from the group, and rising from his log he makes his way deeper in the forest.

For some reason Buama looked up to notice Lero wake up and disappear into the forest quietly. She bit her lip debating on what to do. Her eyes lowered to Elto's life craft. She suddenly stuffed her journal away and rose with Elto's life craft cradled in her arm. She followed Lero into the trees hoping not to lose track of him though she could send a servo looking if she had to.

Thankfully he seemed to be strolling and collecting his thoughts. She moved a bit closer and quietly called, "Lero." When he looks at her she blurts out. "Maybe you want to talk to Elto. He can't talk back yet, but I put ears on him. I'm not sure he can hear for sure, but well, it is recording everything and maybe it would also make him feel better." She held Elto up. "He's like my security blanket at the moment because I'm not sure how to process any of this. Elto was also the one I really got to know and I want him to live fully again."

Lero wipes his eyes when he sees someone approaching, masking his emotions as best he can. "I'm fine," he says breathing heavily. "It was only a dream..." His fists clench and relax in a sort of rhythm as Buama offers him the lifecraft component. 

"That's stupid," he says hastily, still taking it from her hands. "He's dead... like the others."

He sees the sincerity in her expression, and knowing her skills the truth of Elto's situation cannot be doubted. He might actually be able to hear everything that has been going on around him. "I... thank you Buama..." Lero turns to head deeper into the forest, away from prying eyes. The realization that he might be able to actually speak to one of his friends, his family, about the events that took place that night seems to provide a sort of relief he has needed the past few days.

When she finished her stew, Namura retreated to the branches of a nearby tree. She liked being up in the boughs, it made her feel like she was above all of the problems of the ground. It also meant that she could see an ambush better, which she would insist to anyone who asked was the only reason. The elf planned on waiting for a few hours before trancing, a common practice for her. She liked watching the others fall asleep, it was one of the few times many of them were truly relaxed.

Lero did not look peaceful in his sleep, which bothered Namura more than she cared to admit. Perhaps it was because he was normally so calm in sleep. It didn't take him long before he jolted awake, storming off into the woods.

Already masked by the foliage, Namura disappeared into the forest. Leaping silently from tree to tree, she followed Lero to make sure he was alright. She also listened to every word of his exchange with Buama. She lay across a branch in an especially tiger-like position, gazing down at two of the most confusing people in this group. You are a prize fool, Namura, she thought to herself. ((OOC: 24 on Stealth))

Lero spent a few hours out in the forest reminiscing with Elto about their time spent together. It allowed him to share the stories they had together while remembering those that had departed. It was a sorely needed relief. He eventually poured his heart out, apologizing for being too slow and admitting he didn't even want to go back for them. Often times he blamed himself for their destruction, but he swore he would see this mission through until Peema was cleansed of these demons. He told Elto about one of the hardest decisions he had to make, allowing Arial to believe everyone was dead and all was lost. He feared it would haunt him forever.

In the end Lero made his way back to camp. He found 'everyone' asleep and strode over to the smoldering fire. Once there, he tossed the venom dagger in. It was a reminder of the tragedy that started this mess and he wanted to be rid of it. He delicately placed elto next to Buama, kissed his finger, and placed it on her forehead lightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

In the Elven house he was barely able to sleep... but he finally found rest next to the log in the middle of this mysterious forest.  

Quill, after thanking Flux for the information about his belt, decided to leave most of the party alone, preferring instead to fiddle with his new toy. The incident with Lero and Buama he observed from a distance, but paid it little mind. Emotions weren't his strong suit. He was far more interested in the second item he had obtained, though this one he already knew what it did. As night fell, he decided to give it a test run.

"What did he tell me the command word was again..." Quill muttered as he ran his hands over the strange mechanism his patron had given him. "I think it was...Vindr?" As Quill spoke the command word, the device lifted off the ground, humming with the flow of Aether. He mounted the strange device and focused on it. "Here we go," Quill said, lifting off the ground a few feet. He flew a few low circles at a gentle speed as he attempted to get the hang of his gift. This is really hard to maintain balance on, Quill thought as he fell a few feet before regaining control. Allen flew beside him, accompanying his master while the two floated around the night sky. Quill was able to easily see the city to the north, and the party below. "Flying is really nice, don't you think, Allen?" Quill looked to his side, awaiting the bird's usual response. Sure enough, the regular caw could be heard. "Yeah. I should let them try it out sometime. Maybe Kraithee. Or the scary one. She's alright, isn't she, Allen? Or the pirate man. He seemed to need some time alone. Flying can give you just that," he said, flying a lazy loop above the camp. "I suppose I should use my empathy abilities to help them, now that we're travelling together. Even though I'm not very good at that. Maybe Flux does that for them? Or Kraithee? I suppose I should land before they get worried. But just a little longer." Quill circled above the camp, watching for potential intruders into the space. Every now and again, he looked down at his fellow Aetherborn to see what they were occupying themselves with. Then he returned to circling, only landing when he saw the first rays of the sun.

Buama only shifted a little in order to put an arm around Elto when he was returned to her side. She felt the finger on her forehead and heard the thank you, but thought it best to pretend she was sleeping. She had hoped it would help and could only doze until she knew for sure. She slept well after that with a smile on her face.

The night passes by uneventfully for the party. Quill's scouting grants him beautiful vistas of the glowing forest beneath him, as streams of aether flow through the tops of the trees. Off in the distance, the city glows of Gonjibil and her tall towers can be seen, though still dwarfed by the massive lhaesvinbiir which tower above everything, providing clear guidance to those who navigate the forest from above.

The morning rays of sun begin to shine through the foliage above the sleeping group, causing the forest's glow to subside and the party to awake. Preparing themselves for the upcoming day, the party gets ready for the new day, and begin to cut through the forest, making a bee-line for the heart of Peema.

Being an elf had its perks, among them being that Namura could stay up far later than everyone else and still be the first one up. Unwanted thoughts had kept the ranger paralyzed in her snooping tree long after Lero had left, but eventually exhaustion won. She returned to the sturdy tree near the campsite and tranced there, her brain racing with fears for the future.

Her eyes fluttered open just before the first light of morning, a few stars still dotting the horizon. Namura nimbly leapt from her perch, waving good morning to the aetherborns who never slept. "I'll be back in a few," the elf said, running her fingers through her hair. "Just going to forage for a little more food. I saw a mithaee berry bush not far from here that I'd like to raid for breakfast."

Namura made a point to talk to the small birds that crossed her path as she gathered her berries. She didn't expect much information-wise, but she was curious how the tigers of Peema were doing, as well as the forest in general. Birds may be notoriously flighty, but they did have an excellent view of all of the gossip. Naturally, the birds demanded gossip in exchange, but a small part of Namura was happy to get some things off of her chest. The vast majority of the information she received was about a hawk that had flown away from home because his parents "didn't understand him," but it was nice to talk to animals without fear of judgment.

"Nuts and berries," Namura announced her arrival, holding up a satchel containing a decent amount of both. Her fingers were stained blue from the mithaee juice, as was her tongue, but she seemed in slightly better spirits than she had been in the night before. "Glad to see you haven't killed everyone while I was gone, Quill."

"My apologies. I'll do better next time," Quill replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. "In case you were wondering, I doubt that I could handle the full power of this group on my own. Perhaps in one-on-one combat, I could dispatch each of you, but as a group I would find it difficult." He returned to the care of his device, looking for some sort of switch. When he found what he was looking for, he managed to collapse the strange flying contraption into a small pack that he wore on his belt with the rest of his orbs. Turning back to Namura, he said, "I hope that you understood that my comment was a joke. I would not enjoy the task of killing any of you. Just to clear up any confusion you might have."

Lero slept soundly late into the morning. He was exhausted after the events from the past few days and the soft ground made for a very comfortable resting spot. He felt reinvigorated when he woke and ready to take on the journey ahead. 

When Namura offered the nuts and berries with her teeth stained blue, he actually laughed as he accepted them. They were delicious compared to the dry goods he ate last night. The fresh steak wouldn't last too long, so he salted a few of them, wrapped them in cloth, and placed them in his pack.

"You've spent more time in the presence of these fiends than any of us," Lero says to Quill as he approaches it. "Is there anything you can tell us that might help us in ridding this place of them? Where they took you, what they were doing, their ultimate goal or who is creating them?" 

Buama took some time waking up having not slept much during the time Lero had Elto. She smiled noting Lero seemed to have found some way to get past all the bad stuff. She whispered to Elto, "Thanks for letting him chew your ear off." She chuckled as she rechecked the lifecraft. She arched a brow because the pulsing inside seemed more active. "Oh, you liked that, too. Don't worry, I plan on making you able to talk with him again."

She walked over to Lero while he was still salting some of the meat. "It helped him, too." She pointed at the activity swirling inside the lifecraft. She smiled, but moved away before he could respond so she could catch up with packing her gear.

"Quill, I've decided to like you. Don't prove that decision to be a mistake," Namura laughed loudly, something she hadn't done in several days. "Although I doubt that you could best me even in one-on-one combat." The ranger threw a berry into the air and caught it in her mouth. The arrival of someone who may actually know how to get to the Darksite had lifted a huge weight from her shoulders. Quill was more likeable, and more trustworthy, than Lefelynn had been, and something about their arrival had changed something within the group. Even Lero appeared in better spirits, although that was probably more because of Buama.

"You've spent more time in the presence of these fiends than any of us," Lero asked some of the important questions. "Is there anything you can tell us that might help us in ridding this place of them? Where they took you, what they were doing, their ultimate goal or who is creating them?"

"So far, they've bled when we've cut them," Namura shrugged, continuing to accost Quill with questions before they had a chance to respond. "As long as we get close enough, I am sure that we can take them down. The most important thing is that you be able to take us to the Darksite, can you do that?"

"I don't know much about the demons themselves. There was one called 'Chad's Doom' or something. I hope none of you know anyone named Chad, I guess. It's pretty warm down there, though. Where I was, I mean. Lava and stuff. They might have been using prisoners as sacrifices, but again, I spent most of my time in a cell. As for reaching the darksite..." Quill shrugged. "I remember being dropped off at some sort of docks. On the west side of the Heart or something. Then we went to the lhaesvinbiir, and went through some passageway beneath a root. North side, I believe. But it's a bit of a maze, so we might end up guessing our way through."

Seeing that everyone had their spirits up, Kraithee joined Namura and Quill and said: Well, at least we now have someone that was at the dark site, you might recognize it by just walking by it and, be ware of Namura, she is vicious when angered or you take her cinnamon rolls from her.

With that said, Kraithee enjoys his time watching everyone morning routines. It is intrigued by what sensation "eating" has.

"Chaxaxeuduhm," Lero says, "We've heard the name before. Did you get a look at it at all? Any indication of who that could be?" Lero steps forward and his demeanor darkens at the mention of the name. "Chaxaxeuduhm destroys nearly everything in its path, slaughters villages, and no one knows who the **** it is."