The first to wake on the cart, bounded yet at her hands, was Emilia. Sitting up she noticed the scenery is no longer that of a forest, but an open plain field of grass. " Oh, your awake already, didn't expect you to wake up just yet." Said a young gnome, probably at his thirties as he noticed the now yawning Emilia behind him. Climbing above the boar separating the un-cushioned driver seat from the sleeping men filled cargo area. "Oh, em, so we're doing this than, hello." The driver seems quite perplexed by her choice to move by him, yet, he slide to one side, letting her slip to the other.

"So, why did they chose you for the task?" asked Emilia, looking at the driving gnome with what seems like genuine curiosity. "I'm not very good with magic so I do tasks like this." The gnome looked at the other, sleeping, passengers. "And what of the elder? He didn't tell us his name." the gnome's eyes return now to Emilia " You mean elder Jumbo? He doesn't like when people use his name." "Really, why is that?" "I don't know, he's peculiar like that." And so forth the conversation continues for a couple more hours of the ride, speaking of this and that, until the gnome stopped the horses.

"Will you help me taking the others off the cart?" The gnome jumped to the grass covered ground and strode to the back. "Sure, but where should we go to?" Emilia asked as she followed him. The gnome responded to her while pulling Bolvar from the cart "Oh, yes, the town of Tonlin is two days south." Emilia carried Henry to the ground and than helped the gnome with Rolen. "Good bye, have a nice trip." The gnome on the distancing car returned the farewell words and vanished beyond a hill. Now alone, Emilia cut the ropes binding the other's hands and waited.

"Where are we?" asked Rolen as he woke up, standing with Bolvar's aid. "Were we teleported?" this time it was Henry, Yawning the question as he sit up. Emilia point south "There's a town in that direction about two days of travel from here." Not questioning the directions, the four of them began marching south. After a few minutes of travel, Emilia noticed the crest on Rolen's shoulder and, without a thought, unsheathed her rapier and pointed it at Rolen. "Why do you carry this mark?" alarmed by the unexpected occurrence, the three of them stop and both Rolen and Bolvar turn to face her.

Seeing the Rapier pointed at his direction, Rolen searched around for a moment before realizing she spoke of his family crest. "Do you speak of that? That's the Corenthell family mark?" She took half a step forward, preparing to fight. "And why do you carry it?" "well, it is my family's crest." Upon hearing that, Emilia immediately spoke, almost spiting the words toward Rolen "Did Casier send you?" After a long moment pondering, Rolen spoke "I not sure who Casier is or what he done but I will tell you I haven't spoke with my family for a long while." Tension released from Emilia's posture, yet, the weapon held high. "So, you are not connected to him?" calmer, now that he is less likely to be stabbed, Rolen answered "No, I am not connected to him, at least not directly." Emilia sheathed her weapon and began walking through the confused Henry and Bolvar and the relieved Rolen.

The four continued traveling and morning soon became noon and the green grass began turning yellow and the trees became scarce. At the mark of afternoon, Rolen noticed a path at the dry land, deciding to investigate, the came to the path to discover many footmarks. "What are those belong to?" Asked Emilia, unable to discern the marks origin. "It seems like lizardmen, from what I can tell." Responded Henry. Bolvar, after assessing the path Saied " It seems like a dozen or so." And Rolen corrected him "The mark are too deep, they walked in the footsteps of one another, there should be dozens of them, if not hundreds." "All going west?" ask Emilia in comment, to which Bolvar nod, asking "Should we follow them?" Henry answered "I don't think it's a good idea." "I agree, let's continue south" Emilia swiftly replied.

Night approaching, the day seems to come to pass faster than it should have been, but Emilia brushed that feeling aside, counting a day's worth of traveling distancing them from where the were dropped off. Deciding to camp and rest for the night, they found a comfortable spot, light a fire and ate travel rations before making to bad.

"So, who watch first?" Emilia's question paused all preparations that were yet incomplete. Henry, now having a spectral pygmy owl perched on his shoulder, was the first to answer "I and Icarus will take the first watch." "Than I'll do the second." Bolvar spoke before Emilia could offer to watch. "Than I'll be the third?" she Said, looking at Rolen. "If that will be all than good night." With those words Rolen leaned on a nearby tree trunk while Bolvar curled up on the ground. And so, with night creeping in and the bonfire slowly subside, Henry set on his bedroll and the tiny bird cruised around the camp, keeping watch.

Hours passed and no sign for danger emerged by the time which was decided to change guards. Henry walked silently as to no not wake the sleeping Emilia and over to Bolvar, who slept on the cold ground, nudging him with his hands. Bolvar abruptly woke up and jump to his feet, looking frantically around. Henry whispered to him "It's your watch now." Nodding in consent and set by still warm pit where a flame used to burn. Hours passed and yet again, no sign of danger. Gently nudging her with his hand, Bolvar woke Emilia for her watch.

Narrowing her eyes to slits, Emilia looked around in the dark, waiting for a sign of danger, yet, no such sign appeared for the first hour and a half of her watch. It took her a few long seconds to notice the two dim glows staring her and a few seconds more to understand they are eyes. She looked at the watchful, inhuman yellow eyes as she put one hand on her rapier's scabbard and sending a leg forward, nudging the sleeping Bolvar awake with her foot without breaking eye contact with the creature. Noticing her unusual movement, the eyes closed and disappeared.

"What happened?" Bolvar jumped up, awake and alert, looking around at the surrounding darkness for enemies. Emilia, now staring at empty void answered whispering " Something was here, but it disappears the moment I noticed it." Bolvar straighten up and sheathed his longsword " Do you want me to stay up to watch with you or patrol the area?" She looked at what little she could see in th moon's light of Bolvar "No need but please do stay at a foot distance." A warm, amused smile spread on her face, reassuring Bolvar back to sleep. The rest of the night went and passed without any other appearances of the being and with the new day, all woke up, some quickly, some slowly.

Morning turned noon as time seemed to pass quickly for the four, six with the pygmy owl and the sprite. The yellow, dry turf, made way for the rolling hills which have revealed in turn the gaping mouth of a cave. "Should we check the cave? Should we check it?" Emilia looked about with expectation and excitement in front of an adventure. "Let me check first." Rolen pick up a stone from the ground and held it in his hand momentary as it began to glow. He threw the glowing rock into the cave and waited for a response. A laughter came from the cave, and following it came six hyena-like humanoids with spears in hand.

The gnolls ran at Emilia and Bolvar, two charged at each while the last two, just arriving at the mouth of the cave, looked about to fathom the situation. Emilia ducked under one spear while the other hit her at the shoulder, yet, instead of being pushed back by the power of the attack, Emilia used it to accumulate momentum, drawing her rapier and sliding the blade between the miss-fitted pieces of hide from which the gnolls made armor off of and pierced the side of the creature as she yells to all "Gnolls." Bolvar, deflecting one spear with his shield while another hit his chainmail vest and fly off to the side, answered the call "We know."

Rolen raise his hand, showing a coin shaped amber stone, and shoots with it as a catalyst a bolt of dark blue energy, which gave Bolvar the edge he needed to push the gnolls with his shield. Bolvar swing about his longsword, impelling it at the shoulder of the gnoll singed by Rolen's spell. A ball of flame whizzed by Emilia as she stabbed her attacker with the dagger in her off hand and sat ablaze one of the gnolls at the back, which now aimed at Bolvar and Emilia.

Bolvar pulled his sword from the corpse, but was hit by the attacks of the two gnolls still by his side. Emilia, overwhelmed by her three enemies attempted to step back away only to leave opening for their spears to penetrate her armor and her flesh. Painful darkness filled her vision as the last thing she saw and heard was a ball of flame cruising above her in its way toward the gnolls and someone screaming her name. Bolvar was hit by one spear who passed between the rings in his armor, stopping him from shuffling to the fallen comrade.

Bolvar continued shuffling until he stood above Emilia, breathing shallow heavy breathes. He touched his holy amulet, the mark of his belief and the oath he took upon himself, and utter words in an alien, sweet and old language. Dark aura surrounded him and tendrils of shadow crept from him, taking hold of the gnolls and Emilia, squeezing life force from them.

Emilia's eyes abruptly opened, the stench of blood and fresh burning corpses filled her nose. She jumped on her feet to see four gnolls surrounding Bolvar, piercing his armor with their spears. She ran toward Bolvar, piercing one of the gnolls in the skull and another in the chest as the first fall, yet the teeth and spear ware faster than the magic accumulating in her fingertips. As she dropped yet again a barrage of flame and shadow filled her vision and beast feat steps above her, marching toward Rolen.

Henry launched another bolt of flame from a tear shaped ruby while Rolen shoots chaotic blue bolts, another gnoll dies while the other two attack Rolen, hitting the lightly armored man. After another barrage of spells another gnoll falls and the last one turn tails and run for his life. Rolen point at him his finger and his sprite companion fly chasing after him.

When Emilia woke up a musty smell hang in the air and silence replaced the clashing of metals. She raised herself to sitting and put a hand on her pounding head, this clash with death was a close one for her and merely the notion of surviving was tiresome. Emilia looked about to find Bolvar, looking better than her, conversing with Rolen and Henry. "Oh, good morning. We searched the cave, there's nothing there but torn sleeping bags." Said Rolen. "Than, will we camp here for the night?" asked Emilia to which Henry answered "We still got a few hours of day, let's continue moving."

And so, they continued in their advance, stoping yet again in a field. "Will we follow the same guarding regime as yesterday?" Emilia asked as she unpacking her sleeping bag. "Sure, I'm fine with that." Responded Rolen while searching for the most cushioned patch of grass in the area. Boalvar stood and took from his backpack a flute made of bone with a rat's skull decorating it. "This thing needs someone who is good with wind instruments in order to use it." Emilia's hand was raised high by this point. "I, I can use it." And thus, Bolvar gave Emilia the pipe. After a peaceful night, in which Emilia fell asleep and Rolen contemplated his desire for a writing instrument, they continued on their way and by noon of the rising day, they found the town they were searching for.