Man VS. Monster (Eryss)

[Aello]

Winter 5, 511 AV Location: Unknown Aello walked through the fence the trees had formed, gliding through the openings the sun illuminated. Casting a golden glow along the diamond-patterned bark, and snow-covered terrain. She could hear her footsteps, sounding softly, muffled by the bed of white. Drowned away by the stillness of the forest, the unending silence which seemed to stretch onwards and outwards in every direction. The girl held her bow tightly in her left hand. She could feel its smooth edges growing cool. On her right hand, her sparrow Yune, had perched. Her tiny talons circling around Aello's fingers, gripping firmly so as to stay in place. "Where do you think everything has gone?" Aello whispered. "Into the trees? The terrain? Have they taken to the sky, or simply fled to other places? Warmer places?" The bird said nothing. Not that a bird truly could say anything. Of course, Yune may have chirped, but it was not a song that Aello could come to comprehend. "Warmer places it is then," Aello said simply, as silver smoke sprouted from her pale pink lips. "For not even those with the warmest blood wish to remain," she added, as she crept along, searching for shelter, or perhaps, something to eat. For several chimes, the two companions moved along in silence. Their breath becoming misty clouds about their lips, Aello's steps, hardened bits of frost imbedded in the terrain, soon to melt away with the season. Yet, after a time, Yune began to chirp. Quietly at first, and then far louder. Instantly, Aello came to a halt, which brought her bird's protests to an end. The aurist's ears prickled as she strained to listen. For several ticks, nothing came to her. Nothing broke the silence, save, perhaps, for the quickened beating of her own heart. But if she truly listened, she could finally hear it, a subtle drip, as though a point where melting off an icicle, and falling to the ground. Not only that, but there was something else. Crunching. Footsteps.

[Eryss Waldu]

[Damnable headache. Eryss might have made it all the way back to Sunberth were it not for the constant throbbing of his skull which hadn’t abated at all since yesterday. It’d caused him to seek refuge from the snow beneath a large pine tree in the later evening where he remained with eyes closed attempting to clear his mind for some time but to no avail. Magic definitely had its faults though the Mage wouldn’t have openly admitted as much unless he was forced to do so. No this would pass eventually and Eryss would just have to live with it until then.] [Meditating for much of the night Eryss had closed his mind to all but the most obvious distractions. Maintaining his Shield with a surge of djed that reinforced its tightly woven strands Eryss was well protected behind the barrier against most things. He need not fear steel from sword, spear or arrow and the flesh of men and the teeth of beasts would be tested if it tried to cross the threshold of the Shield though this did nothing to safeguard him against the coldness of winter. Indeed the Shield was good for many things but it could not keep him warm nor could it stop the snow from touching him. Maybe if he had made it differently but that was neither here nor there.] [Fortunately Eryss did have a way of keeping himself warm. When the cold became unbearable and he felt himself begin to shiver the Mage would extend his hand and concentrate, focusing beyond the throbbing of his head, until he’d created a small amount of res about the size of a peach. Igniting its outer shell in flame he’d hurl it at the ground and what looked like a collection of moss not far from him before transforming the rest of the res as well. Flames sprung to life from the ground where the bolt of fire had struck and Eryss would have been able to keep himself warmer for longer before eventually he succumbed to his own fatigue and drifted off to sleep.] [Now it was the morning and the Mage, eyes having peered open from where he remained still beneath the tree, would look in the distance as his vision cleared and he saw icicles hanging from a tree branch melting. At the distance he was at he couldn’t make it out very well when the next droplet fell but it seemed a bit warmer despite the fact he could see his own breath as a pale mist diminishing in front of his face. Not wanting to lie down forever Eryss would have climbed up onto his feet to stretch his arms, a subtle ache felt where he’d been cut by Aello’s dagger not long ago, and move from beneath the tree towards the icicles that he’d been observing. It came as a pleasant surprise to him, maybe due to the subtle calm of the environment but his head seemed lessened now even if this were a momentary occurrence and not one he could count on to last.] [As he emerged from beneath the cover of the pine tree Eryss would move towards the other where icicles had been dripping from its branch. Cupping his hands together he’d move them underneath the tree and let droplets of water fall into his hold before drawing his arms back and placing them closer to his face. The coolness of the little water he managed to catch was refreshing as he drew it back against his face. Yet this mild calm was brought to an end.] [Eryss thought he heard the sound of a bird chirping in the near distance and then there was nothing but his eyes remained alert and he looked all around himself while the icicles continued to drip behind him when he turned away. Eyes were moving from side to side but nothing came into view, he looked skyward and no birds were flying above, curious but he would not dwell on the matter for too long. Walking away, leaving the icicles dripping behind him, his footsteps made crunching sounds as he crossed the land and found a somewhat more open area where he could get his bearings.] [Once he was standing a little more openly Eryss would tip his head backwards and look towards the sky again but this time instead of looking for birds he was looking for smoke. The smoke from the Slag Heap of Sunberth could be seen for miles around after all so the Mage thought he would see if he could locate it and use that as a marker for his own location. Nonetheless Eryss knew the general direction he needed to move in and eventually discovering a road would set him on the right course but for now seeing the smoke would suffice.]

[Aello]

Aello listened to the footsteps drifting away, and then coming back around, towards the area in which she and her companion lay in wait. Her eyes darted around the forest as her breath fogged about her mouth. Her muscles tensing, coiling as her body lowered itself into a further crouch, waiting to be sprung as she willed herself into action. Yune remained silent as they waited. Refusing to spread her wings and take to the sky, lest she should reveal Aello's location. After a time spent like this, waiting, the aurist grew uneasy. She could no longer hear the footsteps, but she thought it was more a function of their having come to an end, then their being too far away for her to hear. For before, she had been able to make them out, and now, there was nothing. Sighing, Aello whispered, "maybe we should go find them," before setting off, moving as quietly as she could over the crisp terrain. Leaving her mark upon the earth, wherever she tread, made her somewhat uneasy, but, given the weather, she knew there wasn't much she could do about it if someone or something was of the mood to sneak up on her. For several chimes, Aello wandered in circles, weaving through the trees at a casual pace, searching for the source of the footsteps, or perhaps the things themselves. But, she never did find the footsteps, instead, she found something she had not been expecting to see, which caused her eyes to widen a little bit, but not so much as to be obvious. "Hello Eryss," Aello called, as she came to a halt several feet away from him. "Surprised to find you still out here," she added with a small smirk. "You seem the type to run for your city's strong walls whenever you are threatened." The girl paused as she brought her right hand a little higher, and kissed the top of Yune's head rather gently, before pulling her hand away. "No need to fear this one," Aello mouthed to her, as she fluttered onto her usual perch; Aello's shoulder. The aurist smiled weakly, not at all surprised that her companion had thought to free her hands, just in case the newcomer proved even remotely hostile. With a slight flick of her head towards her shoulder, Aello gestured to her sparrow. "This is Yune. A companion of mine," Aello explained. "You never did get to meet her yesterday... anyway, what are you still doing out here Eryss?"

[Eryss Waldu]

[Engrossed in his own thoughts for what seemed like an eternity to him the Mage hadn’t initially noticed that there may have been someone else in the vicinity. It wasn’t that Eryss wasn’t observant, quite the contrary actually, but the combination of his own momentary reprieve as well as the throbbing ever present in the back of his head had made him somewhat distracted. Noticing Aello before she’d spoken to him Eryss hadn’t known that it was her and yet he looked at her quietly when he saw who it was, recognizing the girl almost instantly, before quietly acknowledging her with a nod of the head as she came to stand several feet away from him.] [Glancing at her Eryss would have to turn so that he could square himself with Aello, his expression mostly indifferent to her, he’d just been in the process of locating the landmark that he’d been seeking by finding the smoke from the slag heap in the distance when she’d spoken. Yesterday Eryss might have taken some exception to Aello telling him that she’d thought he would run to city walls whenever he was threatened but today he wouldn’t be goaded by her quite so easily. “Oh, Aello.”...he began as though he’d expected more before continuing on by saying...”It’s only you.”...a rather cryptic remark to be sure seeing as how he all but ignored what she had said and now seemed disappointed she wasn’t something else, maybe someone else.] [Eyes had flickered shortly afterwards to the bird, Yune, and something it Eryss gaze seemed to brighten considerably as though the bird had jerked a curiosity inside of him yet he said nothing of this to Aello nor did he make his new interest to obvious. Yet Eryss couldn’t look away from Yune for a moment as though he were captivated and suddenly he heard it in the back of his mind...”You shouldn’t stare.”...accompanied by the tsk’ing of what was a feminine voice. With a brow arcing as Aello finished introductions though Eryss half wondered if it had been the bird who had told him that or it had all just been a product of his own mind. Shaking his head once he’d raise a hand and place his fingers against one of his temples before rubbing slowly and exhaling a breath.] [When Aello asked what he was still doing out in the wildlands Eryss didn’t try to disguise the truth as he told her...”Yesterday after I left I sat down to rest. Over there.”...he’d motion Aello towards the tree he’d been under when he awoke before continuing...”It must have been my headache. It’s a nuisance that just won’t seem to go away.”...then he went silent again as though he were thinking of something. Eventually Eryss attention would stray back to Yune and he’d have said...”Your companion? Yune you said her name was. Very pretty.”...unexpectedly, at least for those who knew him, Eryss wasn’t all that unpleasant when it came to animals; he found them far more tolerable than people anyways.] [Distracted by the sound of something else Eryss would turn his head before being able to tell Aello something. Listening he wasn’t sure what it was but he thought he might have heard footsteps, maybe several of them, and with his head turned away from Aello he’d hear again...”They’re coming Eryss.”...in the same distinctly feminine voice which caused him to answer...”Yes I know.”...except that Aello hadn’t said anything nor had anyone else. Who was the Mage talking to? It was the Sweet Whispers but not the kind that others might expect. Since he’d increased in power he sometimes heard them in the back of his mind, male or female, telling him things but no one else could hear them. Often he ignored them but this headache seems to have worn down his mental fortitude to an extent. Looking back at Aello he’d ask...”Do you hear that?”...the voice might have been in his head but what he thought were other footsteps definitely wasn’t, they didn’t really even sound like footsteps, it was almost more like a shambling.] [Trying to focus Eryss was dividing his attention between Aello and the surrounding area. Scanning the trees and the forest. It was difficult for him to pinpoint where he heard the sounds from being out in the wilderness, they really could have come from anywhere, but eventually the Mage would raise his hand and point east before saying...”That way I think.”...and then shifting on his feet as though he intended to investigate a little more closely.] OOCSorry it took me so long to reply. Work and I've been feeling a little under the weather. The talking in italics is all in Eryss head too so you know. Essentially a manifestation of the Sweet Whispers that occurs all on its own sometimes, sort of like his magic has its own personality.

[Aello]

Aello simply nodded as Eryss took the time to explain himself. She didn't find it all that interesting an explanation, or that important. What mattered was that he was still here, in a portion of the forest she was inhabiting, and he was beginning to get in the way. Mind you, not as much so as he had the day before, when he finished off her hunt a bit early, but, it was enough to rattle the girl's nerves a bit, causing her to tighten her grip on her father's old bow, as she stared into the mage's eyes. As she listened to him, Aello came to realize that he was hearing something, or at the very least, talking to himself. Whatever his mind seemed to whisper, without realizing what he was doing, Eryss was replying to its words out loud. As he kept on going, Aello could only strain her ears to pick up a one-sided conversation, a conversation that made no sense, especially when the mage seemed to catch himself, and remember that she was there. That he should be addressing her, and not some strange voice. "Hear what?" Aello asked, her tone betraying her confusion, and mounting level of irritation. "The wind rustling the tree branches? The way the wind howls? Whistles? Each of our breathing?" Aello paused, "you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that love, for me to know what it is you're referring to." The girl's eyes sparkled as she waited, as she whisked her auristics to her, causing the forest to light up, in several shades of green. Like the aurora back in Avanthal, which she had seen on occasion, on the nights she had chosen to stay up late, or simply, could not fall asleep. The aurist smiled with the beauty of the colors, as she took note of her surroundings. A series of trees, the occasional squirrel resting in a hollow, nothing at all out of the ordinary, at least, where she was looking. As Eryss directed her towards the sound he was hearing, the girl tossed her magic in that direction, by simply, concentrating on the colors, and wishing they were in another place. Being as obedient as they were, she soon found them there, but couldn't seem to find much out of the ordinary there either. "Are you sure you're not just hearing things?" Aello asked, as her pupils dilated. "The remnants of your dreams perhaps? For there seems to be nothing there."

[Eryss Waldu]

[Shaking his head the Mage didn’t seemed convinced that there was nothing beyond the trees even though Aello could detect nothing and went so far as to ask if it may have just been the wind that he was hearing. When he had stared into the trees a short time longer Eryss would eventually shake his head and resign to the idea that it might have all be in his head, the remnants of a dream as Aello had said, and his imagination spinning a yarn out of control. Eyes turned back to the girl then as he conceded that everything may not have been how he had thought it to be.] [Looking back at Aello he would have told her...”You must be right. Just the wind or my own imagination. I suppose there is nothing there.”...though the way Eryss had said that would give the impression that while he accepted the answer he was not entirely sold on it. There was a nagging feeling that remained in the back of his mind and threatened to creep over his spine. Watching Aello from the short distance that divided the both of them Eryss was able to pick out how her hand seemed tighter around the wood of her bow. “Unhappy to see me?”...he’d ask; Aello seemed a very possessive individual in his opinion so the Mage wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been disappointed that he was still lingering in a part of the forest that she also inhabited.] [At the moment it seemed as though the voices he had heard briefly were subdued again causing Eryss to inhale a breath of the fresh air easily before his attention was caught again. Using his right hand he’d motion to the bird, Yune, before remarking...”Your friend seems very delicate. Do you ever worry that something might happen to her?”...which would seem a rather cryptic statement, ambiguous even, though Eryss gave no indication that he had meant the avian any harm and would then continue by adding...”Maybe you should look into some form of protection for her.”...maybe Eryss was just getting at something. Regardless the bird posed a certain attraction to the Mage seeing as how he had begun to identify a closeness between it and Aello just by looking at the two of them.] [Thoughtfully Eryss had let his mind wander briefly in the following moments while letting silence exist between both himself and Aello. Adjusting how he stood he’d turn and off a side profile to Aello while glancing back in the direction of the sky again. “Do you intend to stay out here much longer?”...he’d begin by asking before going on to say...”You can always tell which way Sunberth is by the Slag Heap rising in the distance. Thick, dark smoke.”...pointing out the smoke, which could be seen in the distance, by tipping his head in its direction so that Aello could see. Sunberth was definitely an easy city to find as long as you were in the general vicinity; the smoke being the most obvious marker.] [Of course Aello shouldn’t have taken what she had been told the wrong way either. Eryss wasn’t asking her to come with him to the city, merely pointing it out to the girl, she likely wouldn’t have appreciate the den of villainy inside its walls anyways. The Mage himself only really cared for Sunberth because it was lawless. Anything could be done there.] [It happened suddenly then as Eryss turned to look back in the direction of the trees where he’d been looking before Aello had questioned whether what he was hearing was real or not. Nagging in the back of his mind he wondered if he’d heard something again. Not wind either or some stray animal but something else. Gazing into the trees Eryss began until his back was almost fully turned towards Aello before he’d cant his head to the side and say...”No this is not the wind. There’s something nearby; I know it.”...he didn’t expect Aello to believe him but he was convinced that the two of them weren’t entirely alone, maybe someone was even watching them.] [Moving away from Aello then Eryss would have went on to say...”Lets take a look. You might find something you can use that bow of yours against.”...and not him either though the thought had crossed Eryss mind that Aello might like nothing more than to notch an arrow and put one into his back. Eryss would walk towards the trees and when he made it to them he’d have looked back once to see if Aello would come with him, deeper into the wilderness.]

[Aello]

Aello glanced over at the sparrow on her shoulder, and then back at the mage who stood before her, who seemed to be entirely convinced that there was something about that her magic couldn't sense. Aello couldn't see how though. Her magic always caught every little thing, as far as she was concerned, nothing could so much as try to slip by her, without being detected before it drew near. Shrugging, and finally coming to the conclusion that all his magic use had caused him to lose his mind, Aello's eyes simply fixated on Eryss' own. "Yune needs no other protection," Aello replied, "she has myself and my companions to look after her." With that she simply paused, her gaze hardening as she took the mage in. "Especially when all you can manage is to invent trouble when there is none. There is nothing in the forest Eryss... at least, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that could pose a threat." The girl paused as she took a moment to turn away from him, and look out over the endless sea of trees, to the pillar of rising smoke. Apparently, that was a part of Sunberth. Shrugging silently to herself, she considered going into the city a moment, at least for supplies, but then decided she'd hold off, at least, until her companions could come with her. No need for her to be lost alone in a strange place. But she wasn't about to tell the mage that. As soon as she had had her fill of the sight, Aello's gaze returned to Eryss. "If you insist," she replied. "Lead the way, since you seem to know where you're going," she added, as she fell into step behind the mage, and called her magic back to her, she didn't want it tiring her out any further.

[Eryss Waldu]

[No response was offered when Aello told Eryss that Yune needed no protection though inwardly the Mage had wanted to laugh at Aello. Indeed, the girl thought she was so superior it seemed to him, what would she do if he decided to attack her small companion. Surely she would react adversely and likely strike out at Eryss but Yune would not survive and Aello’s folly would be completely proven regardless of the later outcome. The Mage said nothing though as he moved away from the girl who chided him about finding trouble where there was none and maybe that was the case, Aello probably would like it to have been, but Eryss wasn’t convinced.] [Wandering into the sea of trees with Aello in tow, seeing as she had decided to accompany him, Eryss would move further away from where he had been found as though he were searching for something; knowing that they were not alone. Maybe he really had lost his mind. Yet the further that the both of them went the more Eryss would have been convinced that they were getting closer to it. What started out as Eryss moving into the tree line turned into him wanting to investigate further. Quietly he’d look at everything, all around the both of them, as though he were expecting that something was going to leap out and attack or he might be able to see what was watching them from the corner of his eyes.] [Nothing though. Eryss was leading them on a wild hunt that had no end. Eventually after he had taken Aello far enough into the forest and they stood with trees all around the both of them, surrounded by nature, he would stop and seem as though he were in disbelief. Looking back at Aello then Eryss would have finally said...”Perhaps you were right. There might be nothing out here except the two of us.”...but just when Eryss was ready to give up, resigning to defeat in the matter, he heard movement again and this time not so far away. Gazing into the trees over to his right he’d look hard as though searching for something and that was when he finally saw it and his eyes seemed to widen as though he knew they weren’t alone.] [At a distance it seemed as though it were a man, or at least the silhouette of a man, but Eryss thought he saw soil embedded in its skin, which was cracked, and the Mage almost immediately knew that this was no man at all. Whatever it was had seen Eryss as well, and maybe Aello too, and stared back at the Mage before issuing a high pitched shrill that cut through the air and echoed out across the forest; then it was moving closer. Shambling ahead. It wasn’t alone either. There were other silhouettes that appeared as well all resembling the same shape and size of men of varying degrees and heights with at least one or two being no larger than children and the rest adults. There must have been at least close to a dozen of them if not that many.] [Despite the dull throb of his headache still apparent in the back of his mind Eryss, upon hearing the high pitched shrill, would grimace and raise his right hand with palm open. With only a minimal amount of concentration he was able to channel djed through his body until it formed a sphere of thin gaseous res roughly the size of a cantaloupe. Then, eyes trailing towards Aello, he would have said...”Ever see anything like these before?”...curious to know if she had ever encountered these creatures; Eryss himself may have had an idea of what they were though he’d never personally ran afoul of them. Still he wasn’t anxious to let any of these –men- get close to him.] [Igniting the outer layer of the ball of res that he’d created he would watch as the gaseous sphere was adorned with flames before hurling it at the closest of the creatures, the same one he’d first seen. Mentally guiding the fireball Eryss would only ignite the last of it when he was sure it would hit, consuming the remainder of the res, before watching as it slammed into the man thing. Blasting into the body of the creature the fireball would have torn into it with flames as well as the pure concussion blast of the impact, incapacitating if not killing outright, and leaving a large smoking crater in its wake on the body.] [Backing away to put a little more distance between himself and the creatures who were approaching though Eryss would be heard telling Aello...”Maybe you can finally put those daggers of yours to good use. I doubt these things are here to talk with us.”...then he was looking, ensuring that all these things were approaching from one direction. Eryss was no tactician but he knew he didn’t want anything moving around behind him.] OOCThought I'd get us into meeting some Yukmen rather than wandering around looking for them. Eryss didn't really know they were there it's more just a case of running into them after wandering a ways.

[Aello]

Aello followed along behind Eryss in silence, allowing him to lead as she simply concentrated on the terrain, on the flickering lights of various auras. The shimmering green of trees, the deep reds of the occasional squirrel or chipmunk. The blacks and browns found in rocks. As she glided along, mindlessly, keeping an eye on everything to the best of her ability, she found herself concentrating more and more on the ground. The cold earth. The subtle rise and fall of it, the gentle slopes, curvatures in its bed. The way her feet crunched against it, nearly inaudibly. The way she left a trail in her wake. She followed her trail, with her magic, back from whence she had come. Studied the deeper indentations of her heel in the dirt. Studied the gentle curves of her feet, inwards, into her toes. As she moved, Aello concentrated on how her toes would press down into the earth, before her heel, as she lifted her other foot, and then placed it down. She concentrated on how her socks caused her feet to slide around the smooth leather soles of her shoes. She concentrated on how her ankles felt as though they were being pinched by the supple leather. How her toes ached against the ends of the boots, as though they were getting to be too small, or perhaps, her foot was simply sliding too far forward with each step she took. As she created a strong mental picture of her foot, of her boot, and the imprints it left upon the earth, the girl took it a step further. She imagined a lavender-colored pool of water dancing around her feet. Sloshing around her boots, slithering between her toes. She imagined it seeping through her soles, sinking into the ground, into each footprint she left behind. Imagined her boots picking the moisture back up. Imagined it slowly running upwards, across her boots, until everything was covered. Aello imagined the purple liquid encasing her boots. Imagined the moisture shimmering in the light. Shielding her foot ware. Blocking out all sound. As she glanced down at her feet, somewhat nervously, after a time, she thought she could see the leather shining. Sparkling a bit. She smiled to herself, thinking that she had successfully created a shield, although she wasn't certain. Vaguely aware of her surroundings, the girl continued to step, listening to the sounds of the forest. Her own steps dying down a bit, but not because she was being any more cautious. Not because she was trying to move more stealthily, but because she had created a shield to aid her. Not a very even one, but something that seemed up to at least part of the task. Smiling to herself and her small victory, Aello found it rather unnerving to hear Eryss' voice again. For although she could see him ahead of her, and hear him too, it didn't feel like he was really there with her anymore. "Guess so," she stammered uneasily, as her boots stopped shimmering, and the noise she produced picked up again. Thanks for petching everything up, she thought, as she picked up the pace, so that she could walk beside the mage. As she moved, she eyed him uneasily as she began to pick up something in the distance. Instantly, she wanted to know what it was, but found that her magic had fizzled out. Frowning, Aello stepped a little closer to Eryss, as she strained to see what the peculiar silhouette was. But she couldn't tell, not when it was running. Running alongside a few others. Many others? "This can't be good," Aello whispered, as Eryss prepared himself, and the first shriek reached her ears. Instantly, her blood ran cold. Her body went rigid, her heart nearly stopped as her eyes grew a little wider. Yukman... Aello could feel her head nodding, slowly, softly, as her heart picked up the pace. She could feel it hammering against her rib cage as she stared at the dark outlines of various monsters. She could feel herself backing up as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and mechanically laced it onto her bow. She could feel it lifting as she closed her left eye, and pulled the string back. She could barely feel the arrow resting between her fingers as she listened to the nearly inaudible creak of the string, more shrieking. "Can't use two if this thing is in my hands," Aello whispered, as she drew the arrow's point over one of the monsters Eryss had not blasted. She inched the bow upwards before letting go of the string, sending the arrow flying as it whistled at Aello's shot. At how good her aim seemed to be. Idly, she watched the projectile soar, and then cut right through one of the yukman's cracked necks. Spilling blood, as the arrow drove all the way across, and imbedded itself in a nearby tree. "These are yukman," Aello explained as she lowered her bow, and watched the shorter monster tumble to the ground. Watched blood bubbling in his mouth, pouring out of the ends of his pale pink lips. She knew it was choking on its own fluid. A painful, merciless death. A death she felt no shame in delivering. No sorrow for calling forth. She didn't so much as feel disgusted with herself anymore, when she ended life. If a yukman's life could truly be considered life... "They're not strong on their own," Aello shouted, as her right hand lowered, and slipped past the slit in her dress, towards the hilt of her dagger. She could feel her fingers winding around it. Hear a sharp metallic hiss as she drew it from its scabbard, and inched it out into the open, holding it out and to her side. The metal tip held behind her, resting against her elbow. "So they hunt in packs. They will kills us if we're not careful... obviously... it's best to end this quickly, before more of their kind show up and overpower us." Chirp! Chirp! Yune screeched as she flapped her wings, and hurried off into the sky, to relative safety. "Stand back to back with me. She may have sensed more coming... they won't be able to sneak up on us like that... hurry!" Aello screamed as more tumbled out of the trees towards them. She thought she felt her shoulder brush up against something, as something sharp hit her square against the side, pushing her back.

[Eryss Waldu]

[Were Eryss watching Aello as he lead her deeper into the forest he might have expressed some satisfaction for how she had used her Shielding seeing as how the effects were both practical and efficient. Shielding was one of those rare disciplines that a person with ingenuity could use to create unique effects without anyone else ever having known it and Eryss had only taught Aello the basics but there was much more she had yet to learn. Maybe in time if they kept meeting like this he would be willing to divulge other subtleties of the art to her but until then the both of them had bigger things to worry about. They were alone in the forest after all.] [Indeed the appearance of the Yukmen had created something of an intense situation between them and while Eryss had managed to dispatch one of the creatures and Aello another there were still more running towards them. Maybe others circling around them too. This presented an especially troublesome moment for Eryss seeing as how the dreadful headaches he suffered from would keep him from actually casting his most potent magic. The Mage might throw a fireball or two easily enough, as it was only a novice level application of reimancy, but the concentration required to create something truly destructive and intimidating was beyond him at the moment.] [More shrieking. When Aello drew her Daggers Eryss would follow suit. Withdrawing his own Dagger from the confines of his robes with his right hand and turning it into a reverse grip just as Aello had taught him when they were engrossed in lessons yesterday. Aello called them Yukmen and Eryss began to understand what they were which is why when she called for them to stand back to back he would heed her words. Especially when Yune, the bird, chirped loudly and flew higher into the air and more of the creatures tumbled from the trees. How many of them were there? No time to find out now though.] [Like Aello something had moved to hit Eryss in the side, a Yukman descending from a tree, but the Mage did not suffer the same results as the girl. Already Shielded his protective barrier would flare to life and the Yukman, ramming into it, would be thrown backwards harmlessly while the Shield that Eryss had covered himself with rippled as though it were a pool of disturbed water. The Shield began to fade then, unbroken by the Yukman, but with all of them closing in on the duo and Eryss unable to handle a blade the same as Aello he’d have summoned the magical energies inside himself so that he could place the both of them back on level ground at least.] [Eryss only heard the last thing that Aello had said to him which was to fight back to back which is why as he swung around and moved to take his place behind Aello the Mage would have channelled his djed through himself and exhaled it as a res which transmuted into a powerful wind. Yukmen were dropping from the trees all around the two of them and without quick action they may have been overcome regardless of their ability to fight with one another. Exhaling a breath laced with res Eryss, while circling around behind Aello, would transmute his magical energy into a powerful wind the rolled out away from him as though it were the tide crashing onto the surf of a beach. It hit in a wave that wasn’t especially devastating but was strong enough to hammer into whatever was ahead of it and throw it harmlessly away, stunning it maybe, and force it to recover.] [Nothing would have been behind Aello, or beside her, when Eryss had finished. Nothing except Eryss himself anyways. The Mage felt as though he had just exhaled all the air out of himself and was forced to breath well afterwards but the Yukmen that had been coming at them from his end were stalled and picking themselves up for the moment. It was a good thing because Eryss felt a sizeable stinging rip through his head just then as the headache intensified again and he hissed before snarling out a few words...”They can’t touch me Aello. You can use me for cover. Move around me.”...if that made any sense at all but Aello could literally impose Eryss between the Yukmen and herself if she felt she was about to be overwhelmed. Massed they might break his Shield but a few blows here and there wouldn’t penetrate it.]