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**jborgon** · 03-11-2014, 08:56 PM

Ranger walked slowly into the darkness, feeling as if a rock had been smashed against his face. He had napped for about an hour after leaving the forest, then another couple of hours two days before reaching the cave, but his sleep deprivation had only increased after his battle with Nyx. He wasn't haunted by her, at least, but there was something within him that was keeping him awake regardless. Dara walked next to him, keeping a close eye in case Ranger passed out on the floor. But while he might have felt like death and looked like hell, Ranger still walked and acted with the highest dignity and pose. Keep a straight back, he looked at the Stari waiting at the entrance by his cousin. "Can any of you turn on a light, or are we hoping that the darkness will keep any creatures from hurting us?" There was no sign of emotion in his voice when he said this, and instead only kept a matter-of-factly tone constant.

**Shadow wing** · 03-12-2014, 12:03 PM

Narus walked into the cave with a few inches between his head and the ceiling. To his chagrin, however, Ranger did have to duck his head slightly. Slightly peeved, Narus walked to the front of the group, forming a ball of electricity in his hand that easily lit up the cave. Peering into the darkness, he saw that it spread in numerous directions. Probably an enormous tunnel system that ran through the mountain.
This could make an excellent base, assuming it has all that we need. He turned to the Stari.
"Alright, I want all of you to light torches and start looking around. Make sure to draw a map as you go, noting anything that could be important." He turned to Ranger as they got to work.
"And I want you to get some rest. You look like you could pass out at any moment, and I don't need my best man walking into battle asleep."
Giving him a look that brooked no argument, Narus sat on a rock near the entrance to the tunnels and pulled an old tome out of his pack. He had managed to pick up this book of magic on the way to the mountains, in the hope that he could learn something that would help combat Rhykim.

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 03-13-2014, 11:40 AM

Tara sat with Narus. She might like to explore, but that was the open desert. She disliked caves. Anything over her head, really, made her feel nervous. She very much preferred the open space of the desert any day. She'd leave the exploring to the Stari, who seemed to prefer the darker places. At least more than she did.
She rubbed her arms, trying to warm them. The atmosphere here was open and clear like the desert, but unlike her home, it was cold up here. She'd always noticed places felt cold when she'd first left the desert, but this was too cold. She shifted so that she was sheltered from the wind by a boulder, then pulled out the pieces to her latest project. The small blade was being difficult as she attempted to find a way to make the spring release when she wanted it to, without taking out a finger as it did so.

**jborgon** · 03-14-2014, 07:37 PM

Ranger didn't reply, but a tiny hint of a smile spread across his face at the best man's comment. He turned to where the men were heading off into the presumed cave system and followed after them. Dara went right by his heels, complaining about how his cousin was right. Ranger nodded. "I know he is, but I don't trust him enough to sleep in the same room." After a few turns he separated from the explorers and was immersed in complete darkness. He held on to the wall and continued a little longer until he could no longer hear the Stari walking around. At that, he slid down to the floor, removing his cloak and using it as a makeshift bed. He lay down and closed his eyes, though he knew it would be hard to catch some rest. Dara snuggled up to him and was soon sound asleep. He sighed, wondering what Rhykim and Amaya might be doing now. Surely they had already learned about the Battle for Bybourne Forest, and knowing Amaya she would be out seeking blood in the name of her sister. With that cheery thought, his mind finally gave into the exhaustion and dreams of Nyx ensued.

**Shadow wing** · 03-25-2014, 04:33 PM

Narus rolled his eyes when Ranger went off into the cave, but didn't mind too terribly. Ranger could do what he wanted, as long as he didn't get himself killed. Turning his attention back to his book, Narus started to study the principles of magic, while doing his best to ignore Tara's tinkering.So you take the energy from where? Narus thought, struggling to wrap his head around the concepts talked about. Maybe if I...
Click.
Narus blinked, his train of thought completely gone. He glanced at Tara, who was obliviously tinkering away, not even caring to be bothered to at least take her noises elsewhere. Sighing through his nose, the Chief started reading again, doing his level best to ignore her.
Click.
Narus flinched slightly this time, glaring at the Gerudo. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Narus glanced at Felgrand, who was sleeping soundly. At least his noises were consistent and quiet, instead of the sporadic clicking. Narus started again.
Click.
This process repeated several times before Narus finally had had enough. Slamming the book shut, he rose abruptly. "Don't you have better to do?!" He snapped at Tara before storming out of the cave, taking his book with him. Felgrand, who had leapt awake, lowered his head onto his paws again and resumed sleeping.

Narus sat on a rock, trying to keep his brain from exploding. He couldn't believe magic was this difficult. Even the most basic spells were beyond his understanding. He was sure that, given time, he would be able to figure it out, but they were in the middle of a civil war, and time was a luxury he could not afford. Narus leaned back against the side of the mountain, breathing in the cool, fresh air. He looked out over the pristine mountain range, with the clear blue sky overhead. It was so peaceful. This is so boring, He thought, before turning his attention back to the book. Deciding to at least try the spell, he stood and walked to the cliff face. Sitting crossed-legged with the book open on his lap, Narus focused, and attempted the spell, a simple shield. Nothing. Not to be dissuaded, he tried again. And again. And again. He shouted in frustration after the sixth attempt. Slamming the book shut once again and stood, pacing around. Sighing in frustration, Narus decided to try working on his electricity. Maybe he could even attempt that technique.
Yes, maybe I could do that. Smiling, Narus formed a ball of electricity and turned to the cliff face.

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 09:07 PM

Ranger woke from his rest with a yell. He couldn't really call it rest, since he's mind had been busy working out different scenarios for him and Nyx and most of them turned out just how real life had. But at least his body felt a bit better. The pounding in his head had receded and his legs didn't ache anymore. Dara growled softly when he rose from the makeshift bed, but didn't wake. He knew Ranger would probably wander off but come back later. The only problem for Ranger now was that his eyes still felt heavy. Not that he could put them to much use, as the darkness of the cave now felt deeper than it had before. As he walked down the path and his eyes slowly adjusted, he felt a growing sense that he was not alone. He hated those feelings, as he never knew if there was a spirit haunting him, or if his mind was simply toying with him. Either way, he stumbled on, tempted to reach the end of the tunnel.
The fact that they were right by Smokehead Mountain was clear to him as the temperature steadily rose as he treaded on. It was only a few minutes before he was forced to take a break with the sweat piling on his forehead and his breathing shallow due to lack of oxygen. In the darkness he slid down the wall and listen to the sounds around him. There was a tiny scuttling of feet, probably bugs or spiders, and off in the distance the slow, dense gurgling of something. Lava, he guessed. "Narus, why are you doing that? Stop," he called out weakly and giggled. His eyes were now able to tell the wall across from him from the rest of the darkness. It wasn't that large of a passage. "Seriously though, you're gonna hurt yourself. And if the wall caves in, you'll hit Nyx. You should stop now." He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall, his breathing heavy but a smile plastered on his face.

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 04-07-2014, 11:15 AM

Tara glanced up in some surprise at Narus' abrupt comment. She almost replied that no, she didn't, nothing was better than her tinkering, when he stormed out of the cave. She frowned, wondering what had set him off, then shrugged and continued her work. She nearly had it. The blade came out with a quick flick of the wrist, and with some minor calibration, she managed to get it to come out in a way that left the finger in tact. The only trick would be to remember to keep the fingers splayed. She fixed the device to her own wrist, the right one, so it wouldn't interfere with her hand rose on the left. She flicked her wrist, sending the blade out with a quiet snick. She flicked it again and it retreated back into its sheath. She grinned, pleased with herself for managing to create the weapon, then stood. Since Narus was outside, she might as well try finding the Stari crawling around the cave like bugs. Maybe she could find someone who'd be interested in her device. It wasn't that she wouldn't use it, it was just that she didn't have the stealth necessary to make it a really beneficial weapon to her own arsenal.

**Shadow wing** · 04-10-2014, 07:27 PM

Narus stood facing the cliff wall with his hands placed against it. His face screwed up in concentration as he pushed more electricity into the rocks, forcing it not to be absorbed. Sweat poured down Narus's face as he pushed harder, spreading the electricity throughout the cliff face. Finally, when he deemed enough to be in the rocks, Narus made it move, agitating the electricity and causing it to break the rocks apart at a level so small as to be imperceptible. Soon the effect was noticeable, as the electricity broke the cliff apart, and quickly reducing the rocks to dust.
Narus smiled as he looked as his handiwork. The cliff looked as though a giant hand and scooped a chunk of it out. Narus suddenly gasped, falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. He coughed, causing flecks of blood to splatter onto the rocks. His vision swam , his head felt like there was a rabid animal inside of it, and his entire body was racked with pain. Rolling onto his back, Narus stared up at the sky. He started to chuckle, but immediately winced. Instead, he simply settled for a weak smile.
Well, that will take some work. At least I have proved that something on this can be done.

Nearly half an hour later, Narus had recovered enough to move, and returned to the cave. By then, the majority of the Stari had finished their reconnaissance and were compiling their findings into making a map. Narus smiled slightly at their initiative. Looking around, however, he failed to spot Ranger anywhere. Deciding to leave the Stari to what they were doing, he wandered off to find his cousin.

**jborgon** · 04-12-2014, 12:03 AM

He kept stumbling through the passage. He could hear them chasing him. Who or what they were, he had no idea. His breathing was fast-paced and his heart was beating a hundred times faster. He pushed through the air as fast as his feet allowed. He could hear voices now as well, calling out to him from all sides of the cave. They were drawn out and deep, like an echo, and he could feel chills creeping up and down his back. "Stop it!" he yelled, "It's not what it looks like." He couldn't get more than a few words out at a time, seeing as every time they crawled up his throat he could sense the creatures pursuing him drawing nearer. The walls became fiery red and started closing in around him. Soon the tunnel up ahead was no bigger than the size of a window and his eyes felt a piercing pain growing. Out of the darkness a bony hand shot out at his feet and pulled them out from under him. He came crashing down on the floor, and then woke up.
He was still in the cave, back on his cloak with Dara sleeping soundly next to him. Sweat drenched his skin and his heart was still racing, except now he was able to realize that what he had been experiencing had not, in fact, been real. A nightmare or a hallucination, whatever it was had been enough to put him in a state of shock. Now he remained immobile, waiting, letting a sense of awareness slowly flourish back within him.

**Shadow wing** · 04-29-2014, 06:12 PM

Narus slowly walked through the dark tunnels, his hand gliding softly along the wall. It wasn't that he truly cared where Ranger was-he could take care of himself. No, Narus just wanted to postpone going to war with Rhykim for as long as possible. As a result, he had neglected to bring a torch, or any light of any kind. Sighing softly, Narus let his thoughts wander, not paying any attention to where he was going. He paid for it moments later when he collided with a wall, followed by two stubbed toes and another wall.
Growling in frustration, Narus created an orb of electricity in his hand that illuminated the tunnel he was standing in. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness, Narus took a step further down the tunnel, when an idea came to him. Awkwardly, he reached into his carrying pack with one hand and pulled out his book of magic. Flipping through the book, he found the spell he was looking for.
Focusing, Narus cast the spell, and an orb of light blinked into existence, hovering a few feet of the ground. Narus smiled. Small victories, His father had told him. They are what truly count. Narus allowed himself a moment to dwell on his accomplishment before continuing on, the orb automatically following him and lighting his way.
After several more minutes, Narus walked around a corner, finally committed to finding his cousin. It wouldn't do to simply wander around tunnels, trying to escape from his problems. Just as he was wondering where he was, Narus's foot caught on something. Quickly jumping away before he tripped Narus whipped around to see his foot had caught on his cousin's and pulled it. Narus uttered a string of curses as Ranger jolted upright, staring around in fright.

"Care to explain why you're out here in the middle of nowhere, cousin?" Narus almost spat the last word out, crossing his arms glaring down at the man as one would an wayward child.

I can breathe again! sorry this sucks, which I'm sure it does

**jborgon** · 06-28-2014, 02:05 AM

Dara had been startled by Ranger's sudden movement, and now growled in warning at Narus. Ranger soothed him quickly then looked back at his cousin, who had certainly startled him. The source of light was bright and hurting his eyes, so he couldn't determine what exactly it was. It made his skin look paler, particularly more so after the nightmare he'd just experienced. Sweat still clung to his tunic, as did strands of hair to his forehead. His breathing was heavier than normal, but he attempted to steady it and regain his composure before responding.
"Well, sleeping of course. Rather, trying to at least. Was that not what you asked of me, Narus?" He rubbed at his eyes gently, attempting to lessen the impact of the light. However, he couldn't deny the slight warmth that came with it was already making him feel better and calmer. "I dare admit, even your company and hostile nature is welcome, cousin, after an ill-fared dream. You were right in saying the lack of sleep would be harrowing sooner or later." Dara made a noise deep in his throat and rested his head on Ranger's extended legs, clearly wanting to keep resting. Ranger scratched behind the cheetah's ears and looked up at Narus once more. "I trust Rhykim didn't storm into the camp while I was gone?"

**Shadow wing** · 09-06-2014, 05:33 PM

Narus sighed in exasperation and rubbed the bridge of his nose. While his cousin was right in that he had ordered him to sleep, these caves were a maze, and it would be easy to get lost in them. It was only by chance that they had met at all.

“No, cousin, Rhykim has no idea that we’re here.” Narus spoke as if explaining something to a child. “In fact, I doubt he has any idea of the fate of his General.”

Narus brushed some hair off his forehead. He hadn’t bothered to trim it in awhile, and it was starting to show. “Just get some sleep, and find your way back to the entrance. I would detest having to waste Stari manpower looking for you,” The Chief said with cold indifference, before turning and stalking off. He really would need to get his cousin to show him some respect sometime, but for now, Narus simply put the event in the back of his mind. He had better thing to deal with than his idiotic cousin.

It was nearly two hours before he returned to the antechamber, where the Stari were fully engaged in plotting out the caves. those who noticed his near-soundless arrival started slightly before bowing their heads slightly in respect. Returning a few, but ignoring most, the Chief made his way to a stone slab in the middle of the room; which had been cleared out extensively to making for a large room where all of the Stari could gather with only relative discomfort.

Narus made his to the center, where a somewhat crude map had been drawn, based on what had been explored by the various groups. From what he could tell, there would be plenty of room and rooms for nigh anything, ranging from sleeping quarters to training grounds. Completely ignoring what the self-appointed Stari Commanders gathered around the table were saying to him, the Chief looked over the map of the caves, and of one next to it showing the whole of the country, and began to make plans; both for the cave, the Stari, and the country of Logata as a whole.

One month later

Narus looked around. The caves had changed quite drastically in the past few weeks. The Antechamber had been expanded further to allow the entire group, their Cheetahs and their weapons to fit comfortably inside, with room to spare. As of now, however, it was almost completely empty; all the Stari having been sent to do various tasks, foremost being the looting gathering of supplies. The rations they had brought from the forest, as well as a few other places, had been dwindling, slowly but steadily, over the past month. A number of squads had been dispatched a number of days ago to find and intercept as many of Rhykim’s supply caravans as they could, with Ranger leading one such group.

However, not all Stari were busy abroad. Several of them had been dispatched through the tunnels: a few on recconasaince, while the rest were working on the rooms that had been found; expanding, building, and repairing. The living section had been completed, giving the Stari a places to eat, sleep, and relax in relative privacy, as well as whatever else they may wish to do. There was also a cool room that was being used to store what little food supplies that remained, an expansive area for training and practicing, and even plans for some farms or gardens in which to grow food.

Narus rose from his seat next to one of the fire scattered around the room and headed for the entrance. It would be nice to get some fresh air, and he could keep an eye out for the returning raiding parties. Passing by the lookouts that were stationed in hidden point around the path, Narus sat on a cliff overlooking the valley, while a stream gently trickled along beside him. Perhaps when this war was over, he would retire here and live in peace. Narus smiled at the thought.

**jborgon** · 09-06-2014, 06:29 PM

Ranger raised his hand, giving the signal to move in to the members of his group. There woods weren't too thick in this part of the country, but whatever trees they had the Stari took advantage of. Their green-colored cloaks kept them hidden from all but the keenest eyes. Ranger focused on keeping the leading horse from moving with his powers, forcing the entire caravan to halt. In the confusion as to why that was happening, the volley of arrows rained down on the supply's escorts. Panic ensued as the men began shouting orders at each other, barking at the invisible foe behind the trees. Some of them began nocking arrows and shooting them at the trees in hopes of hitting their targets. The more cowardly ones began trying to run away. The Stari moved quicker than human eyes could process. As Ranger shot down a man from his horse, he could see out of the corner of his eye two more being knocked to the ground by water, and a third catching on fire. More arrows were let loose, and soon all the men of the caravan lay dead or dying. One, however, had managed to get back on his horse and was galloping off into the forest. A Stari by ranger raised his bow to shoot him down, but Ranger halted him. "The trees are a mischievous labyrinth, it'll be a while before he gets out. Even if he does, he will be asked what became of his party. Shadows among the trees, cloaked figures in the night. Let the boy cry wolf, and the knight be made a fool of," he explained softly. The Stari nodded and put away his weapon. Ranger did the same as he jumped from the branch where he had been posed and landed softly on the ground. Four wagons he thought, pleased with their work. "Search the bodies. If any lay alive, give them the sweet relief they so desire. Gather any weapons of use to us, leave the rest. We are not thieves," he called out to the group he had been leading, "gather the horses as well. All those that welcome your touch, you may keep. Those who don't are to be set free, not hurt." Finally, he approached the wagons himself. The first one was filled with crops, from corn to wheat to potato. He grinned and moved down the line. The second and third wagons had some barrels of wine, as well as a few swords and shields. As he approached the third, the Stari were finishing their scavenge of the fight. He turned to them. "This will do for tonight. Ajira, Boas, ride ahead. Make sure the road back to the base is clear, we'll follow behind you," he ordered. The two swiftest among the Stari group nodded and did as they were asked. He approached the last wagon, wondering what else the caravan might have been taking to Rhykim.

**Shadow wing** · 10-03-2014, 06:19 PM

Eclipse huddled in the corner of the wagon he had stowed away on with, clutching his head in his hands, attempting to make himself an inconspicuous as possible. He had only hidden on the wagon to hitch a ride, but now it sounded like the wagon train was being attacked by someone.
Most likely bandits, Aria said.
Eclipse looked up. His sister was sitting on one of the crates next to him, as unconcerned about her situation as always. He nodded, too afraid to speak, and lowered his head back into his hands.
Then, just as soon as it has started, the noises ceased. Eclipse raised his head again when he heard a man speaking.
It’s probably just the caravan master regaining control, he thought to himself. Aria nodded in agreement. Gingerly, he rose, and started gingerly making his way to the back of the wagon to, against his better judgement, see what was going on.
He was almost at the back when the flap covering was suddenly flung open to reveal a blond man looking into the wagon. Eclipse froze, not having enough time to jump back behind something.

sucky post, i know

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