The Winning Grin traveled north from Rephidim – where it was floating somewhere over the Reach – and on past Himar and into Nordika. The flight path kept it well clear of the Forbidden Zone known as Bosch, and instead took it over the rolling hills of Gallis. Gallis, despite its high concentration of poodles and other "breed dogs" and "mutts" (Gallees and Gallahs, respectively) and a mix of peacock-like Kujakus to keep things strange, is actually fairly aesthetically pleasing in places … especially as seen from a few hundred feet in the air.

If only the weather would match. A good deal of the trip was spoiled by rain, and the Winning Grin, not having an air mage to compensate for the lack of a "weather pocket" such as Rephidim has, wouldn't be able to comfortably sail at sky-island level in order to bypass the precipitation. At least having a water mage on board helped to make sure things didn't stay soggy once the rain passed.

At last, the airship passed over the border into Sylvania – Gallis-occupied Sylvania, that is – and made it all the way up to Spearhead Point, the location of a captured keep that represents the furthest that Gallisian Chevaliers have managed to penetrate into the scattered Counties and Duchies of Sylvania. It also represented the last safe spot to land before risking the worst of Sylvania's notoriously unreliable weather. (Despite the claims of a certain black Khatta, Sylvania shares one border with a shore of the Vykarin Sea … and its disagreeable weather patterns as well.)

The journey then continued by wagon. As it so happened, Madame Xanadu and her Rhian assistant, Bruno, were inclined to wander in the direction of Blackshire anyway, en route to Northern Shore. With only a token bit of hassle – and sappy, flowery words, songs and downright flattery from the foppish fox bard – the fortune-telling Korv actually agreed to give our heroes a ride so far as the Whispering Wood.

And so, on a particularly dreary, overcast, and occasionally drizzly day, the wagon of Madame Xanadu reaches the edge of the Whispering Wood … and the end to her obligation to ferry our heroes along any further. By the shadows, it is late into the afternoon, and sunset can't be far away.

The Aelfin settled in beside Jynx looks out the window on her side of the wagon. "There is so much water here. I have not seen so much since I left Ur," she remarks quietly as she takes in the gloomy countryside.

Jynx huddles down inside the wagon. Nobody told him that Sylvania would be so wet, and wet is one thing most Khattas don't enjoy being. He looks out at the Rhian pulling the wagon, then to the Korv. "How much further? Er, ma'am?"

In answer, the wagon rumbles to a stop. "Here ve go!" caws the old Korv. "Vizpering Vood! Zhu can valk rest of ze vay, ya? Zhu not happy in here, after all! *KAW!*"

The black Khatta's ears wilt as he looks out of the wagon. "I don't think I'll be much happier out there." With a sigh, he hefts his duffel bag, and jumps down from the covered cart.

The Rhian who was pulling the cart can't be any better off than the Khatta, really, since he's been outside in this gloom – an occasionally damp gloom – all this time, pulling the wagon. As usual, though, he wears a bored, emotionless expression, as he idly chews on a long piece of straw.

Jynx shakes his head, trying to remove the oh-so-annoying condensation from his fur. While waiting for his companions to disembark as well, he watches the Rhian. (That guy has to be insane!)

The foppish fox bounds out of the wagon in overly-dramatic fashion, his lute tucked under one arm. He pirouettes around and bows in the direction of the old crow. "I am most grateful for your kind and generous offer to ferry us so far. Alas, it pains me so to think that we should have to walk the rest of the way through a dark and forbidding forest, when the sun is about to set … but don't worry yourself one bit! No, no, we'll take care of ourselves."

The fox stage-sniffles, wiping away an imaginary tear.

"I von't vorry a bit!" caws the crow, who hmphs and abruptly slides her curtains shut.

Born-in-Shame, the cheetah warrior, climbs out more slowly. He is garbed quite unlike the average Savanite, wearing robes and pieces of armor, his face obscured by a helm that offers vision only by a roughly T-shaped slit. He has star-like emblems on each pauldron, and strange patterns on his armored mask and garb. He looks faintly reminiscent of a Knight Templar, really … and he looks a lot larger than he did outside of his armor. (Better to wear it, perhaps, than to keep dragging it around as luggage.)

"No doubt you won't," grumbles Jynx under his breath at the Korv. The feline walks over to Born-in-Shame to help the cheetah with the heavy chest, arching a brow at the cumbersome-looking armor. "I guess it's footwork from here on," he says to those gathered, taking a glance at his deed-map, "and it looks like quite a ways. We better get started."

Having departed from the wagon, the Aelfin gathers her small leather sack and attaches it to her belt. The small one seems to have brought only very little, since this is all she removes from the wagon. Now that she is ready, she walks over to the others and takes a moment to look between those in the party, staff in one hand, and a strange misty little apparition in the other.

The foppish fox bows to the Aelfin, as the Rhian picks up the pull-bars and rolls the wagon on past. A wheel rolls right over the fox's tail.

"YELP!" shrieks the fox!

"YELP!" shrieks the fox again, as the other wheel rolls over it! His reflexes must be a bit rusty from being cramped up in that wagon for so long.

"Eek!" replies the Aelfin as the sudden noise gives her quite a start. She clutches her chest and grins a bit, reaching a hand to point at the fox's tail. "You should be more careful, sir fox," she tells him before giggling softly.

The Khatta smirks at the fox, lifting his inherited trunk off the ground. "Gotta watch yourself out here. Never know what's gonna get you!" The cat starts off in the direction as indicated by the map, ears set back at the dampness.

The wagon rolls on, out of sight. The fox looks after it, whimpering, and clutching his tail. "Well … at least I got us a ride this far. It could have taken us months to get out this way, without a ride! Why … you should be so grateful … that … you would be willing to listen to a song I composed about you, Master Kurai?"

The armored and robed Savanite carries the other end of the trunk. His armor makes a whine and a grating noise as he does so. Perhaps it's the moisture.

Jynx glares at the fox. "Okay, I'll give you credit for the ride, but if you sing, we're leaving you here!" He trudges off, cheetah in tow.

Once she stops giggling, the Aelfin looks between the Khatta and the bard for a moment. She seems about to comment on the fox's singing before Jynx's words cause her to close her mouth again. She smiles a bit and nods to Jynx's threat of leaving the fox behind. Then, she skips along after the black Khatta as he begins moving. "Should I work a spell to dry you, sir?" she asks him.

The fox protests, "But … you need traveling music! And … music keeps the monsters away! That sign did say monsters, didn't it?" He glances about, and jumps at something … but it's just a weird-looking tree that, from the right angle, might possibly look like some sort of monster. It's obviously not moving anywhere, though.

"No thank you," the cat grumbles down to the Aelfin, "I'll just take my chances." He looks over his shoulder to the fox, "Knowing your singing, a monster might mistake it for a mating call, so keep quiet! And hurry up, we're not going to wait on you."

"Oh, all right," replies the Aelfin, a bit disheartened. She steps away from the black Khatta and glances around again, frowning. "This is so very spooky. Do you really think there are monsters here?" she asks no one in particular. Just in case one decides to pop up and answer her, she clutches her staff a bit more tightly.

There's a rustling in the bushes off to the left side of the road. The fox lets out a yelp of alarm … and leaps up onto Jynx, clinging to him, wrapping his legs about his waist. The lute lets out a discordant *sprang* of protest as it bounces onto the ground.

"Ack!" protests Jynx, dropping his side of the trunk as the frightened vulpine leaps into his arms. "Dagh gonnit, get off!" The feline grabs the bard with claws out, shoving him to the ground. "It's probably just a Creen or something; get a hold of yourself!" Grumbling, he picks the chest back up.

The fox yelps again, as he tumbles to the ground. Wet leaves plaster themselves to him and his foppish attire, and he bounces against the lute, which protests noisily once more.

Born-in-Shame's visored eyes turn toward the bush … as a little fuzzy white form bounds out of the foliage. It's … a rabbit? No, not a Lapi … but just a plain, ordinary 'rabbit' – the kind that doesn't walk on its hind legs, or talk or anything like that. Of course, you don't see any of those in Rephidim.

The white bunny sits there, wiggling its pink little button nose.

The Khatta halts at this. It looks like a Lapi, but… smaller and on all fours? "What is that?" Jynx points, "I've never seen one of those before… "

"Aww! How cute!" the Aelfin gushes when she spots the 'terrible monster'. She begins walking towards the little creature with a smile, slowing when she nears it and lowers herself some so that she seems even smaller and thus less frightening. "It's a rabbit, but not like the Lapi. A forest creature that looks very similar to the Lapi. Isn't it cute!" she explains while trying to get the animal to come near her.

The little rabbit wiggles its nose, then bounds toward the Aelfin. Who knows what that little beast might do to the poor defenseless mage?

Jynx's fur stands on end. "Well, leave it alone. It's eerie looking. Besides, we can't waste anymore time if we want to get to the castle before dark, and I don't want to be stuck out here." Giving a nod to his Savanite companion, the Khatta starts to head back towards the way to their destination, going as fast as he can.

There's another rustle in the undergrowth, and a large white stag steps out from between the trees in front of Jynx, then slowly turns its head to look at him. It looks remotely like a Cervani … except that it, too, walks on four legs, rather than on two like a sapient being usually would.

Up in the branches, a squirrel clambers about. Forest creatures … they're … everywhere!

As if that weren't enough … a little blue bird alights upon a branch right next to the Aelfin, and begins to chirp merrily.

The Aelfin waits for Jynx to continue on his way before she opens her left hand.Local mists seems to gather in her hand, forming a small white crystal of ice which rotates slightly from time to time. The girl looks between this and the rabbit before closing her hand again and schooping the bunny up. She quickly follows after Jynx.

The Khatta's fur sticks out in bottle brush fashion. "This… this just isn't natural!" he exclaims, attempting to sidestep the weird Cervani-ish thing. "What is it with this place?"

The bunny leaps into the Aelfin's hand, and wiggles its nose again. The stag takes another step, blocking Jynx's path. It snorts, and paws the ground with its hoof.

The bunny blinks … and when it opens its eyes again, they're blood red.

Jynx freezes, then slowly starts to back away, "N-n-nice… uh… thing." He darts his head left and right, looking for a way to evade the beast. "No n-need to do th-that… "

Rabbit in hand, the Aelfin hurries to catch up with Jynx. It is not until she is a few steps behind him that she looks back to the rabbit and notices the blood red eyes it displays. The Aelfin's ears shoot back and up, and her eyes go wide. She freezes, staring at the creature and her staff slips from her grasp to tumble to the ground beside her.

The rabbit's nose wiggles again … and then its mouth opens … and opens. Its jaw doesn't seem natural in the least. Its mouth opens back through its head, down through its neck, and somewhere back where its chest cavity should be, spreading unnaturally wide to show sharp teeth too large to have fit inside such a small form. It roar-hisses more loudly than lungs in such a creature should be able to permit!

The stag lets out a bellow, as it rears up … and its form starts bulging in strange places, as stony eruptions spread on its hide, and sharp, wicked spikes burst forth! Its hooves turn into talons, and its mouth fills with fangs quite unlike the teeth of a herbivore.

The fox, lute back in hand, shrieks for all he's worth. He runs and hides behind the armored cheetah. "SAVE ME!" the fox yelps.

Snapping out of her terror-induced stupor, the Aelfin screams as loud as her lungs will allow, dropping the rabbit and staggering back away from it. "Un… unreal! Unnatural! M-m-monsters!!" she gibbers loudly in pure fright.

The black Khatta's jaw drops, as does his side of the trunk. "O-okay… best thing to do now is… RRUUUUUN!!" Turning on his heel, the feline bolts in the opposite direction of the stag, clumsily fumbling at his dagger.

The warrior cheetah unsheathes a broad – metal – sword from across his back, and adopts a defensive position, the fox hiding behind him.

The squirrel starts chattering more loudly, and contorts in form, its shoulders hunching up and sprouting horns. It starts flinging acorns … acorns with sharp thorns sticking out of them. The fox yelps in pain as several strike his posterior and adhere.

The monster-stag gallops after Jynx … but the black Khatta proves to be fleet of foot! For now, he's outrunning the wild beast.

The mutated rabbit falls to the ground, but it crouches down, looking ready to spring. The blue bird seems to have vanished in the chaos, meanwhile.

Finding all possible routes of escape blocked, Jynx runs back to his cheetah companion, pulling out his dagger shakily, and getting back to back. "Th-there's no where to go!" (I wonder if that stupid dress had anything to do with this… )

The Aelfin clenches her fists and raises her right hand to the sky, and begins to chant as she stares at the rabbit with tear-filled eyes. It seems quite obvious the young mage is about to cast some sort of magic spell at the creature in front of her, for the mist begins to gather.

The black Khatta gets in a defensive posture, ready to fight should he be attacked. His nervousness, however, is very apparent.

The rabbit appears ready to pounce … but it hesitates, for some reason, though its baleful gaze does not leave the Aelfin for a moment. The stag, meanwhile, shows no such hesitation, as it charges the Khatta and the cheetah. They barely manage to roll out of the way as it charges past.

Jynx attempts a slash at the strange malformed beast. If he can't get around it, he'd do just as well to dispatch it if possible.

The black Khatta slashes with his dagger, and the warrior-cheetah attacks with his sword … while the fox just scrambles for cover. Alas, the attacks glance harmlessly off of bony plates covering most of the monster-stag's hide.

A few spike-acorns sail overhead, missing all targets by a wide mark.

"He's passed – Let's make a break for it!" The Khatta makes a sprint up the pass towards the direction of the castle – deed-map, dagger, and duffel bag in paw – abandoning the heavy trunk for now.

The Aelfin squeaks a bit, tilting her head slightly. "I… I… " she stammers, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I do not want to hurt it." She hesitates for a moment before reaching into her pouch and removing some dried vegetables which she tosses to the rabbit. "Please, sir rabbit, I do not want to fight. C-can we… not… be… friends?" she asks it pleadingly.

"Forget the stupid beast and run!" Jynx yells to the Aelfin over his shoulder.

The rabbit, however, hesitates no longer. It leaps up at the Aelfin, fangs glistening …

… and then splitting off and flying in different directions, as a heavy blade slices through the fluffy form. The rabbit's severed hide bursts into a deep red puff of vapor … which sinks down and into the ground.

Jerking her hands to protect herself the Aelfin cowers away as the rabbit leaps for her. Likely she would have fallen right then and there were it not for the actions of the swordsman.

The cheetah warrior grabs the Aelfin about the waist, and starts to run after Jynx. The foppish fox bard gives the trunk a vain tug … then rushes after the Khatta as well!

As she is lifted by the man the Aelfin turns her attentions to the sky and bites her lip. "I am so very sorry we could not be friends," she calls back quietly. Lifting her left hand towards the sky, she says,"Here are my tears for you. Tears of Sinai's life blood, the falling crystal sky." A magic spell. The mists gather again…

Panting, the Khatta only gives a brief glance over his shoulder towards his companion. A wave of relief passes over him as he sees them follow, but it is laced with a tinge of anger at having to leave the trunk behind. "Don't stop until we get some distance away from them!" he calls back.

The horror-stag turns about, its eyes burning with unholy rage. It tears up a large chunk of the ground as it digs in with its talons … and then begins galloping after the fleeing adventurers.

The black Khatta never stops running, glancing about for some sort of shelter he can take from the horrid beasts. (When did we hit Bosch anyway?!)

There is a sound of hail hitting the ground. No … a shard of ice, which shatters against a broken stone tile. Then another. And another.

A swirling mass of mists gather in the sky above where the first few ice shards struck the ground. Within moments this swirl of gathering moisture casts down a hail of ice crystals the size of small knives. The falling crystal sky – as the Aelfin referred to it – shreds the area behind the party like a thousand blades from the heavens. Some ice shards wedge into trees, while others impact tiles and explode like small bombs.

The stag is struck down by a few blades and tumbles, before more of the sharpened hail rains down on it, reducing it to a puff of red vapor. The other creatures follow suit, even the mutated bluebird that was hidden in the trees.

Jynx skids to a halt as he hears the commotion behind him, and does an about-face. His eyes go wide as he takes in the scene. "… wow… "

A wind whips through the trees, blowing away what last remnants of the red vapor haven't sunk into the ground already.

The cheetah warrior stops, looking back at the scene. His gauntlet-covered handmoves to form a sign of the Star across his chest. The fox, however, is still shrieking (my, what lungs!) and running full-speed down the path.

As the bard zips past him, Jynx slowly walks back to the cheetah and Aelfin, eyes never taking themselves off the area the just left. "Okay… so… uh… " He scratches his ear. "Maybe you're not so bad to have around after all."

The Aelfin pants softly in the arms of the armored Savanite, catching her breath from the draining spell. After a moment, she opens her eyes to peer at the results of her spell … but she observes for only a moment, before her arms wrap around the Savanite's waist and she begins to sob softly with her head pressed into his armor. When Jynx addresses her she doesn't respond, as she seems rather intent on crying.

A light drizzle begins to fall from the overcast, gray sky.

Jynx grimaces at the small creature. "Hey, they would have killed you if they had the chance." He sighs, and starts to walk back to the demolished area. "Come help me get the trunk again," he signs to Born-in-Shame.

Born-in-Shame nods, and gently sets the Aelfin down to the ground.

Scarlet hiccups a bit as her tears begin to mix with the rains. The little Aelfin sobs quietly as she wanders back the way Jynx went to recover the staff she dropped near the chest.

The black Khatta hefts his side of the trunk, waiting for the cheetah to do likewise. He sets his ears back as the drizzle begins to fall, but his expression softens when he notices Scarlet. "Hey, by the way… thanks." He smiles for a brief instant, but his face fades back into gloom as he lugs the trunk along.

The Aelfin gathers up her staff and shakes the dirt off the item, regarding it sadly. She lowers her head for a moment and takes a deep breath before exhaling and turning to Jynx to listen to his thanks. For a moment the Aelfin smiles as well, perking her ears a bit. "I said I would help you. A-and, those animals were just not very friendly," she tells the Khatta as the rain pours across her fur.

Jynx doesn't say a word, and just trundles on.