Unbeknownst Calamity

[Askyre]

They trudged through the open plains, horizon now dotted with signs of a settlement. The plush green earth wilted sadly beneath each pressing sole, struggling to regain its composure once passed.

A warm breeze whipped by, pulling long braids with it, struggling to move past large wings. The two were not so much a common company, but through past events had wound up along this forsaken path.

"Be on your guard.. We enter less-than-friendly grounds to our kind," One mentioned. His partner noticed the slight stiffening of the speaker's body, how his hand twitched near his only physical weapon.

Off in the distance, many different types of Beast-Men could be seen from the way their ears protruded from atop their heads. It was as if the rivalry between the brute strength of these beasts and the magickery of his own kind were carved into moonstone; it was unavoidable, even if he was only passing through to his homeland.

This was the reason those with magic talents ended up on Fasemoor--to travel through Lepudum was considered taunting the reaper.

The smaller man flinched slightly as his companion shifted his wings, bringing about an unfamiliar noise which he was not prepared for. Noticing this show, his friend laughed heartily, despite the glares he received to,

"Keep quiet!"

They were nearing the first of the settlements now. A few more suns and moons and they would be in a safe haven. There had been no reason to return to his homeland, but something drew him back; something pulled on his very being to once more visit his roots, as if to say goodbye properly.

The fog dictating the distance between their location and their acclaimed enemy's hold was dissipating beneath the rise of the morning sun. The dew clung lightly to their feet as they routed towards the cliff wall.

"We'll have a better chance of sneaking by this way; I'd rather not fight them if the need does not arise." He explained their actions briefly to his companion whilst pushing past tall foliage. He was not uneducated with these people; no. Rather, he knew far too well what they were capable of, and wished nothing more than to obliterate every last soul.

Well, every last one except a certain acquaintance--

"Watch out!"

Startled, the Imp found himself shoved hastily forward, chin cracking off the face of the cliff earth. Adrenaline pumping, he twisted himself around, balancing himself precariously up against the face of the cliff, eyes darting for the cause of such an uproar.

He had not sensed the presence of one of the Beast-Men, nor had he heard anything suspicious enough to incur danger. He lay his eyes upon his partner, who grit his teeth painfully whilst beads of sweat began to perspire upon his brow line.

"Caine..?"

The Imp questioned cautiously, darting his head slightly in case this became an opportune moment for the enemy to strike an ambush. Only after glancing back and forth a few times did he look further down. To be precise, to notice his leg. His eyes widened.

"Nyosik..."

With situation adressed, the Imp swiftly loosed his dagger free, wedging it between the teeth of the trap and wrenching it from his friend's flesh. The pangs of guilt racked through him, old feelings resurfacing.

"Sorry," He grunted, breath witheld as he worked to free the leg. "I should've expected them to stoop to such dirty methods as these. Perchance we were but small children exploring? Nyosik...."

Now he felt numb. He sat back on his heels as his winged partner limped out of the trap, the blood thickly beading down his leg. He caught himself on a tree, steadying and adjusting himself to the new hindrance.

Unsure of what to do, seeing as he had no skills in healing, let alone mending wounds, the Imp jumped up, attempting to offer his friend a bit more support.

Frowning, he asked, "What should we do now?"

[Caine Faerin]

It was still surprising to me that Askyre had let me come with him on this journey. Had asked me, even. I'd woken up in the inn in Iumre to find the imp standing at the foot of my bed, and since I was needing to head into Lamia anyways it'd seemed a good- albeit distracting- chance to get a native guide.

Askyre seemed a bit terrified at the prospect of entering his homeland even as he seemed driven towards it. I kept waiting for him to insist we turn back, especially with a town now visible in the near distance. I tried a couple times to joke a bit, but received only withering glares in return. Of course, from all accounts the Imp had reason to want quiet and to stay out of sight, but his increasing nervousness worried me.

Not that I wasn't nervous about the place, myself. Lepudum, Itis and Lamia has always been a strange land, with even stranger inhabitants; the source of black magic and dark creatures such as the plaguebeings. There wasn't any real concrete evidence to the validity of such claims, other than travelers were rarely seen after entering the land's boundaries, and those who did find a way out were never quite the same again. I hoped that with Askyre's help I'd have something more definite to give to Fasemoor's council and my Father. Unfortunately, a lone Dragonette among the Beast Men was like putting an orange into a basket of apples. With an Imp at my side, we'd have to be careful of stirring up unwanted trouble.

As it was, we've found plenty of trouble despite the pains we took to avoid it. The land was filled with strange flora, strange fauna, odd and pungent smells, and the ever-present dampness of a tropical climate. Very different from the mountainous region with it's abundance of low-laying plants and widely varying temperatures I grew up with. Coupling that with the Beast Men's natural suspiciousness and predatory maliciousness, the odds weren't currently in our favor. I glanced down from searching the sky and it's shifting wind currents in time to see my travel partner's path.

"Watch out!" I lunge forward and push Askyre away from the trap buried in the spongey earth, only to feel the bite of its teeth sink into my calf. I grunt at the pain and try to hold still so the thing wouldn't tear and rip my flesh, my wings flaring to help keep my balance. The imp looks wildly about for danger before realizing what's happened. I draw in a sharp breath as he manages to pry the trap out, wincing as the trap's teeth pull out of my leg and I stumble out and away from the thing to lean a moment on a tree, my wings fanning the air and stirring up a small cloud of debris.

I raise an eyebrow in response to Askyre's question. "Now? First, we should bind this, probably… I think I still have some bandages in my bag and herbs I somehow got Tino and his… brother?… to give me before we left. After that…" I shrug and move to dig in my bag for the first aid "kit", pulling the dwindling supplies out and finding the roll of bandages. "You know this area better than I do, Askyre. I want to find out as much as I can about this place, especially about the plaguebeings, as possible on our way through. If we can get to Fasemoor without anything worse than this, I'll be more than happy. For now, let's get away from here and figure out where we can get more food; we're running out of that, as well." I undo the lashing holding my canteen to my belt and poor water over my leg, trying to wash it off as best I can. At least I know the trap wasn't poisoned. If it had been I'd have started feeling something by now, wouldn't I?

I pause and glance up towards the top of the cliff, squinting in the bright light of the sun. For a moment, I'd thought I'd heard something over the sound of the wind through grass and leaves. Something like rocks grating under feet, though it could have been ourselves. I didn't think so, however, and continued to scan the rocks to our side as I bent to treat my newest wound.

[Askyre]

Askyre stood over his companion, a frown distorting his porcelain skin.

"I'm really sorry, Caine... and I don't mean to push you, but we sho-- MMFF!?"

The dragonette had little time to respond to the sack thrust upon the imp's head before he found himself blinded by threads as well. Askyre grunted as he hit the ground hard, his limbs, contorted and bent backwards, swiftly bound with skill and precision. He managed to connect his foot with something--a beast man's chin, he surmised--before those too were bound and put out of commission.

Incapable of struggling, he strained his ears. The least he could do was try to learn a bit about their ambushers, though they proved to be the less than talkative types. He heard Caine howl in pain as he assumed the man's leg was being bent and tied, the wound not yet treated properly.

Frustrated, although bound, Askyre attempted breaking away, although his capturers simply hoisted his weight off the ground, their arms hooked under the crooks of his shoulders. The imp growled, inwardly cursing the sudden attack.

"I suppose I should be thankful such beasts as yourselves had the decency to not inflict injury upon two humble travelers." The imp mocked the person to his left. His comment earned a snort, with a hint of smirk.

"Judging by the state of your friend here, it doesn't look like injuring you was something that fell into our duty."

Askyre snarled, pissed off at being called out on his lack of caution, as well as the fact that this beast-man was female.

Remembering Caine's condition, the soft moans of pain increased in volume suddenly, snapping the imp's attention over. Unable to see, Askyre craned his neck in the direction he heard his friend, only to be jerked painfully a few times. Unrelenting, he called out.

"Caine? Are you alright? Is your le--GGH! AHH!"

The throbbing was overwhelming, and blackened what little vision he had.

"...skyre? ...... Ask....!"

Caine's voice faded with the light.