Completed Fallen from Grace II

[Radiant]

Matthew's hypnotism attempts worked... at first, but now the monster just changed its mindset from "playing" to "roaring rampage of self-defense". Matthew's attempt at intimidating the creature worked well, too well in fact. The Balicani suddenly stopped roaring and flew... quieter, an apparent fact that it was seeing these two two-legged beings as genuine threats, and that would not bode well for them both.

It stopped playing around and dived down, landing directly in front of Matthew and Sagitta, blocking them from the large tree. Both of them could somehow see that this Balicani was not delighted anymore, but angry, pure dark anger at the stunt Matthew pulled earlier. Its tail flexed and it suddenly turned its body sideways, almost crushing both Matthew and Sagitta if it wasn't for Sagitta's quick reflex by diving to the ground, bringing Matthew with her.

The Balicani then suddenly turned back, jaws open wide to crunch them, in their exhausted state, this would look like to be the end of them... but fate had other plans, another similar roaring sound could be heard as... a second Balicani swooped down and landed behind Matthew and Sagitta.

The two male Balicanis then immediately stared at each other, savage rivaly burning between their eyes. The first Balicani completely disregard its playthings and focused on driving this intruder out of its territory. Then.. they both charged and the ground seemed to shake and tremble at the sheer force made by the wrestling Balicanis, giving the Harlot and the Ethaefal a solid chance of escaping the ordeal

[Matthew]

Definitely Lhex. Matthew was sure that the God was messing with them at this point. He didn't ask questions, though. He didn't curse him or thank him, he just grabbed Sagitta (or she grabbed him, he couldn't tell) and ran. He picked the nearest opening in the treeline, the one that was in the other direction of the wrestling monstrosities, and he bolted. He made sure to drag the girl along with him (or she dragged him, he was still very unsure) and just kept going. They went and they went, until Matthew wasn't sure if he could go anymore. His legs burned, his breath was coming short, his vision was blurry and he couldn't really tell which way was which anymore. there were just trees, the very distant sounds of two battling monsters, rock, the faint sound of water, and the dirt of the road beneath his bare feet. Road. Matthew blinked, not quite believing it yet, staring down at the dirt and then glancing up to stare in the two directions it went. It wasn't only a road, it was a road he remembered. This was the road that taken him from Zeltiva to Syliras. That thought gave him pause, and he furrowed his brow, turning to face the direction they had just came. There should have been a Northern Kabrin road somewhere along the way, if they had walked from the ocean to here. Or perhaps this was the Northern road, and he really didn't remember it? Blinking, he stared at the dirt for a little while longer, trying to puzzle it out. In the end, he didn't really care. In the end, Matthew just flopped over, falling onto his back to stare up at the sun beating down on his bloodied and worn body. In a rare show, Matthew smiled, grinning up at Sagitta with a small bit of joy. They had survived. Barely, but they had managed to do it. It had largely consisted of running and more running, but luckily for them, here they were. "Want to lay in the road with me? This leads to a city." He continued grinning at her, blue eyes dancing, his toned and sweaty body scooting over a little bit in the dirt to offer her a place to sit. It could be a day or so before they even reached a city, or maybe longer than that. He didn't care though. He was just glad there was a road. He would figure out the details later. They had somehow managed to avoid becoming lunch for a large angry bird lizard thing, and he thought that deserved a little celebration. If one stared in the distance, they would actually be able to barely see the fortress of Syliras looming barely above the horizon. They were a lot closer than they knew, Matthew just hadn't noticed. He was obviously much too in love with the idea of a clear path to follow, one that was outside of the forest. Sure, there was still danger, but not as much danger. He was okay with that.

[Sagitta]

The world had gone mad.

The thought occurred to her as another serpent thing landed near them. They were done for. It had to be. One monster was impossible to escape - how about two? She wanted to scream at the whole world. She had just been thrown down and now what? The heavens decided they want her back?

Somehow, the Balicanis ignored the two humans entirely, instead snarling and roaring at each other before tangling into a fight. For a moment, Sagitta was dumbstruck, unable to process the whole thing. She simply stared and marveled at the turn of events. If it wasn't for Matthew, she probably would be caught in the middle of the chaos, staring. Once they started running, however, her mind came back to her and she followed as best as she could.

The Ethaefal did not know how long they ran, did not know from where they had gotten the strength to go on. Until at some point, their efforts were paid off.

A road! Oh gods. No one could describe how relieved she had felt, looking at the worn path. She didn't care if she didn't know where it leads, it will lead somewhere - that's all that mattered. No more stumbling aimlessly, no more guessing in the direction of which they should go. Giddy and maybe a little crazy, Sagitta laughed, her voice rang high and clear.

She rested down beside Matthew, not really noticing the rough, gritty road. It felt as good as any bed would that moment. When she looked back at the harlot, she was reminded of the blood. "What happened to you? You were . . . you were . . ." Her soft voice drifted off as her whole world blurred. And then it was black.

**********

Gods know how long until Sagitta was shaken awake, either by Matthew or the sound of an incoming caravan. The ground itself seemed to rumble. Groggily, her eyes pried open. She held on Matthew's arm, just to reassure herself that he was still there. Her heart thumped. Had the creatures came back for them? She certainly hoped not. Sagitta was sick of it. Sick of the heart racing actions they've been getting. There was the sea and then the cliff and then the monsters. The gods should have enough of messing with them. She just couldn't take it anymore.

It turned out to be good news. Her grey eyes were trained on the incoming vehicle. A wagon of some sort, led by a couple of horses. Someone perched on it waved his hand and called out to them. The horses sped up and soon enough the group of travelers came up to the two ragged-looking figures. As far as she could tell, they were all men.

Does that mean they didn't have to walk? Thank the gods. They can simply hitch a ride and head off to some city somewhere. Maybe they'll even have food or water or proper clothing.

The worn girl was not thinking clearly. All she could see was that it was a means of transportation to the nearest civilization and that's all she needed. The men could be a band of bandits for all she care. If they are, well, all she got was the golden necklace she had found, at some point wrapped around her wrist. She couldn't remember when exactly.

Let it be bandits or knights or merchants. She just wanted to get out of here.

[Matthew]

His eyes hardened for a moment as she started to ask about his magic. He wasn't all that comfortable clueing her in, at least not with her mysterious origins. She had secrets, even if she couldn't help it. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to know his, especially whenever her memories came flooding back. What would she turn into then? He opened his mouth, preparing something to feed her ears that would hopefully satisfy her curiosity. He was cut off by her eyes rolling back, and the soft groan that she let out as she slumped. He reached out an arm, catching her before she hit the ground, eyes a bit concerned for her condition. Reaching for her neck, he checked for a pulse. Steady. A few more touches here and there, and the harlot was eventually satisfied that everything was okay. He let her rest. She deserved it. He just sat there, quiet and thoughtful, one arm holding her against him. He would wake her up after a little while had passed, and by then he should have his breath back. Taking a deep gasp of air, he closed his eyes, calming himself. Centering himself. He didn't know how meditation worked, but he could use some spiritual rebuilding at the moment. Matthew would spend the next hour simply meditating, with his body completely still and his breaths coming at a slow and gentle pace. He let himself soak in his surroundings, melting into them and becoming one, hearing the wind whistling through the nearby leaves and the sound of a few chirping birds. His distant mind faintly chuckled at how peaceful it was now, when just mere moments ago it had been complete chaos. Biting his lip, he centered his mind again, abandoning the thought. There was only him and the rest of the world. He let his body rest and his mind wander, eyes remaining closed. He kept a loose arm on Sagitta, reminding himself of her presence. Any sudden jolt from her would rouse him from his attempt at meditation, but she was still for quite some time. ******** It was the clattering of wheels and hooves upon the dirt that ended up jolting both Sagitta and Matthew out of their rest. He felt her fingertips dig into his arm, and he gave her hand a comforting touch, rising to his feet and helping her up. Stepping aside, he waved down the approaching caravan. He was quick to tell them of the monster they had encountered, and thankfully, they were familiar with it. Apparently there were talks of forming a party to hunt down the creature, as it had terrorized more than just the two haphazard travelers. Matthew wasn't very interested. He was just interested in the offer to take them back to Syliras. He was quick to arrange some clothing for the nearly-nude girl, doing what he could to keep her covered, even if she didn't care at this point. He would then help the girl onto the caravan, and follow along after her to sit close. A stroke of luck had left them completely stranded in the wild, and now a stroke of luck had given them a way out. Once on the caravan, he would return to his meditation, and watch over her if she returned to her sleep. Hopefully they would figure out the rest once they reached Syliras.

[Radiant]

Matthew :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+1 XP
Running	+3 XP
Acrobatics	+1 XP
Auristics	+2 XP
Hypnotism	+2 XP
Meditation	+1 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Kriital: Big Fat Black Bird

The Kriital's Foul Bile

Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire

Balicani: Terror of The Sky

The Odd Strings Of Fate

Achievement Unlocked: Survivors!

Consequences

Mild Overgiving: Eye muscles twitches and spasms that would go away in a week. Provided Matthew doesn't exert himself with his magic during the period.

Sagitta :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+1 XP
Running	+3 XP
Acrobatics	+3 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Kriital: Big Fat Black Bird

The Kriital's Foul Bile

Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire

Balicani: Terror of The Sky

The Odd Strings Of Fate

Achievement Unlocked: Survivors!

Loots

Notes :

Congratulations! You both survived the Balicani-jack! Yarrrr!

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.