Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=7#68 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/26/2021 at 4:32 PM She lets go when you pull back. "Oh, my apologies!" She exclaims with a bashful look. "Forgive me; my excitement has gotten the better of me, and I forgot my manners." Returning her hands to her front, folding them together delicately, she looks you up and down. "It is alright if you don't feel comfortable answering my questions now, time shall soothe our misgivings. I hope you are not hurt?" When you tell her your name, she simply nods and moves to address your question instead. "The Maison Marteillon is one of the estates of Seraphys," she explains. "If I am not mistaken, you must not know any of these places I speak of. Come, walk with me, and I will enlighten you." In a ripple of skirts and nacreous wings, she takes off at a leisurely pace, heading in the direction you were going in - the direction she had come from. As she walks, she extends an arm to the trees around you. "We are in the Course Forest at present. It is not usually open to visitors, but I have enough permission and arrived to collect some herbs and flowers. What a lucky day," she sighs. "I found you here." When she talks about you, she visibly gets excited. "I digress. The Course Forest is for the Chasers to conduct whatever activites they need for their training; this morning they set out, so we might meet one or two." Her gaze turns upward, and when you follow it through a break in the canopy, you see the glowing structure from before. "That is the city of Seraphys, and we shall head there now."

"It's fine," he forces himself to say. "I'm fine." Sand isn't that much of an issue. So long as he hasn't picked up a disease in this foreign environment, he's sure he is otherwise alright.

He decides to spare his dignity and just go along with it. He'd be fooling himself if he didn't realise there was something so alien about him it was obvious on sight, so in turn he wouldn't waste time trying to fool others.

He still felt a flush of vexation as he admitted: "...no. I don't." And like a little dog he followed - he tried to remember he was going this way in the first place.

Just until I figure out what's going on, he thinks. Once I do, it's my game. Maybe then he could let himself enjoy his new, individual place in the world she seemed to be so excited about.

He finds the strict, courtly behaviour - even out in the middle of a forest - a little concerning. It seems there's going to be a lot for him to pick up. Especially about this forest, which seemed to hold a place of reverence... the broken branch he still carries now feels incriminating, but he isn't giving it up just yet.

Seraphys is sounding more and more like a highly dignified place of nobility. Whether he likes it or not, that's where they're headed. He listens intently to her words. "The Chasers?" he asks, interested in the new topic. "What do they train for?"

Though she tries to be gentle with her handling of your wounds, her inexperience is clear when she doesn't control the amount of force she uses to clean the blood off your skin. She pours the liquid onto some rag that doesn't exactly look clean but good enough, and wipes it along your arm. Where it touches, pain burns like fire, hurting much more than the sting and ache you had felt when the cuts and scrapes went untreated.

As she works, she talks. "Is anything coming back to you?"

Health status update: Minor injuries - healing

Time drags. Rain continuously rages down from the cloudy skies, and it is so dark you can't tell what time of day it is. You could have huddled there shivering for hours, or maybe it was only for a few minutes. With so much water dripping down from above and soaking your shirt, it's beginning to seep downward into your pants. A shiver passes through you - you are tired and cold, but thankfully as far as you know, you have not caught a cold yet, or gotten a fever. The hazy light at the campsite continues to dance, unperturbed by the downpour.

You hear something else after a while. It isn't the rain; the sound is distinctly different from the whispery slapping sound of the rain. This sound is a series of intermittent clicks, rapid and loud like snapping fingers, fluctuating in pitch, stopping and starting again. Through the rain you begin to see something, a mass of dark that indicates there is more than just grass and hills and sky in the direction away from the camp. Whatever it is, it is heading toward you.

"If you ever are discomforted, or feel unwell, do not hesitate to tell me and I will do my utmost best to care for you," she assures you. "I do not know how long you have been wandering, so when we return I will have a bath drawn, a feast made, and a chamber prepared for you."

The two of you walk for a while, passing by more of the luscious green environment of the forest, more bright colours and beautiful accents layered upon the plants and rocks like frills and lace. Occasionally, Chantille requests a pause to step off the path and lower herself into a crouch where she pokes around in the grass to pull out some sprigs and reeds of all shapes, sizes, and colour which she places in the basket at her elbow. When she does this, she hums lightly, and you recognise that quality and clarity of voice combined with the tune. She is apologetic when she returns to you, asking you for a little patience for her frivolous activities.

Eventually, you come to see Seraphys clearer through the tops of the trees. A mountain rises up in the distance. It looks more like a spire, with how it is shaped, although it is most definitely a mountain, with chalk white cliffs and foliage of vibrant green bursting out where there is flat land. Something is built around the mountain - up the mountain - and it shines silver and pink and gold in the light, similar to the colour of Chantille's wings.

"The Chasers are our protectors," she says. "The world is not without monsters, and the Chasers are the best equipped to confront the most dangerous of them. They also do some other things at the Grand Scholar's request, but they are most renowned for their skill and courage. Everyone knows of them, and I have reason to believe even those outside of Seraphys have at least heard of their deeds." Once again, she has that excited and almost reverent expression. "The Course Forest is territory for them and their supervisors alone, granted by the Grand Scholar. Here they may practice combat or stealth or movement through difficult terrain - the forest is large and covers a wide range of land types, you have seen the bare minimum - and sometimes, for bigger trails, monsters are released for them to track down and hunt."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=8#73 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/28/2021 at 6:20 AM Time drags. Rain continuously rages down from the cloudy skies, and it is so dark you can't tell what time of day it is. You could have huddled there shivering for hours, or maybe it was only for a few minutes. With so much water dripping down from above and soaking your shirt, it's beginning to seep downward into your pants. A shiver passes through you - you are tired and cold, but thankfully as far as you know, you have not caught a cold yet, or gotten a fever. The hazy light at the campsite continues to dance, unperturbed by the downpour. You hear something else after a while. It isn't the rain; the sound is distinctly different from the whispery slapping sound of the rain. This sound is a series of intermittent clicks, rapid and loud like snapping fingers, fluctuating in pitch, stopping and starting again. Through the rain you begin to see something, a mass of dark that indicates there is more than just grass and hills and sky in the direction away from the camp. Whatever it is, it is heading toward you.

Crystal stays as still as she possibly can trying not to be noticed. People didn't tend to see something unless it moved. She hopes that whatever it is won't be any trouble but if whatever it was was trouble it would get a suprise it hopefully wouldn't forget.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=8#72 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/28/2021 at 6:14 AM Though she tries to be gentle with her handling of your wounds, her inexperience is clear when she doesn't control the amount of force she uses to clean the blood off your skin. She pours the liquid onto some rag that doesn't exactly look clean but good enough, and wipes it along your arm. Where it touches, pain burns like fire, hurting much more than the sting and ache you had felt when the cuts and scrapes went untreated. As she works, she talks. "Is anything coming back to you?" Health status update: Minor injuries - healing

Oris hissed a bit from the pain but otherwhise didnt bother struggling, thinking that it could have been worst even if it wasnt going to be amongst his best memories any moment soon. Once again, he was kind of surprise of how strong Baje was, especialy since she was smaller then him tho he brushed it up for now, maby goblins were just naturaly strongers then humans or somthing.

Hearing her question, he slowly shook his head. " Not realy, things feel sort of familiar but at the same time i coudnt even tell where we are right now. Now that i think about it i did woke up with a preaty bad headache so maby i got knocked out somhow but i have no idea how i ended up falling from the sky."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=8#74 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/28/2021 at 7:02 AM "If you ever are discomforted, or feel unwell, do not hesitate to tell me and I will do my utmost best to care for you," she assures you. "I do not know how long you have been wandering, so when we return I will have a bath drawn, a feast made, and a chamber prepared for you." The two of you walk for a while, passing by more of the luscious green environment of the forest, more bright colours and beautiful accents layered upon the plants and rocks like frills and lace. Occasionally, Chantille requests a pause to step off the path and lower herself into a crouch where she pokes around in the grass to pull out some sprigs and reeds of all shapes, sizes, and colour which she places in the basket at her elbow. When she does this, she hums lightly, and you recognise that quality and clarity of voice combined with the tune. She is apologetic when she returns to you, asking you for a little patience for her frivolous activities. Eventually, you come to see Seraphys clearer through the tops of the trees. A mountain rises up in the distance. It looks more like a spire, with how it is shaped, although it is most definitely a mountain, with chalk white cliffs and foliage of vibrant green bursting out where there is flat land. Something is built around the mountain - up the mountain - and it shines silver and pink and gold in the light, similar to the colour of Chantille's wings. "The Chasers are our protectors," she says. "The world is not without monsters, and the Chasers are the best equipped to confront the most dangerous of them. They also do some other things at the Grand Scholar's request, but they are most renowned for their skill and courage. Everyone knows of them, and I have reason to believe even those outside of Seraphys have at least heard of their deeds." Once again, she has that excited and almost reverent expression. "The Course Forest is territory for them and their supervisors alone, granted by the Grand Scholar. Here they may practice combat or stealth or movement through difficult terrain - the forest is large and covers a wide range of land types, you have seen the bare minimum - and sometimes, for bigger trails, monsters are released for them to track down and hunt."

He finds himself taken aback at Chantille's offers of hospitality. He must really be something special here. It makes him squirm, and he hasn't even reached the city yet. He's not ungrateful, but he feels uncomfortable not knowing why he's earned all of this attention.

I haven't heard of these 'Chasers', he thinks to himself, and I'm certainly not from Seraphys. What does that make me?

He finds the blooming forest a strange place to host training drills, with such low visibility and so much plant-life and foliage getting in the way all the time. Then again, what does he know? But he does as she asks, and tries not to fidget too much as he waits on her, looking at the majestic city in the distance with the longing for the promise of answers.

Falcon is glad, though, that he came across Chantille before any of these Chasers and their target-practice monsters. He's not sure the stick would have been much good against the latter, and wouldn't have made such a good impression with the former.

"Who do you think I am?" he asks after the stopping, waiting and starting grates too much on his nerves. It comes out a little harsher than he intended. "I just turn up and you're acting like I'm some long-lost hero. What is it you think I've done to deserve this... reputation?"

The curtains of rain part as the source of the sound comes through. What had first started off as a small smudge of darker darkness against an already darkened background grows larger as it comes closer. The clicking grows louder, too, and it seems to be directed toward you. Soon, you begin to make out features of this mysterious creature.

It has to be taller than the trees you hide under, at least. It has long, gangly limbs with far too many joints, and its arms are connected to wings which it folds and stabs into the ground to walk. A thin, whip-like tail lashes behind it, cutting through the rain and shearing grass off the ground as it whips down. Its eyes are a dull white, pupil-less, but with a chilling feeling you realise it is looking toward you. Almost as if it is looking at you.

"So the last thing you remember is falling out of the sky. Huh." Baje roughly finishes bandaging you up, and rolls everything back into the small sack of medical equipment, tying it all with a length of cord. "I guess I can get you to the nearest civilisation," she says, though you can sense some sort of hesitance as she looks at her plane.

"Come on up, then." Without saying more, she clambers up into the cockpit, which has been flipped open. For something small climbing on what seems to be smooth metal, she is surprisingly deft at moving and not slipping off the sides, especially when the wings were higher than her head. For you, the wings are an inch or so above your hair.

"I know you are Falcon," she says matter-of-factly. "And nothing else. Of course I don't believe you are some long-lost hero; you are simply lost here in an unfamiliar environment. I offer you hospitality because it is a good thing to do, and you will find that most others in Seraphys are no different on this point. You do not need to deserve care in order for others to offer it. All it comes down to is whether or not you will accept this care." Her mouth is set straight, the slightest bit tenser than the gentle curve it forms when her face is relaxed. It seems she is almost offended at your question.

There is a bit of silence after that as she continues walking, now no longer stopping to pick any grasses or herbs. Until, she says, "Please understand I don't mean to be harsh. I know you are still trying to grasp your surroundings, this was my mistake."

After some more walking, the two of you come upon a structure. The path opens up into a stony circle wide enough for you to lay down ten times from end to end. Around the circle at intervals are spikes, curved inward to form a domed shape like a cage. You cross the circle and step onto the path that is a continuation of the previous path which had been broken up by the smooth stones. A few moments later, something bursts out of the forest down the path on one side of the road and plunges into the brush on the other side - it is so fast you only see a dark blur, but you can be sure that it is something large.

"You really are good luck!" Chantille exclaims at that. "Come, quickly." She picks up the pace.