[NEXUS] The Weald III

[Gullara]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

Nothing happens for a moment, and all the pixies watched in hushed anticipation. If this doesn't work they lose their friend; No one there isn't on edge.

Then rainbow hair coughs a few times and picks her head up to look at the black haired, pixie. "Hey." The pixies all cheer. Black hair practically lunges at her, and she kisses her passionately. Sure, her leg isn't properly healed since it hasn't been set, but she's going to live.

[Reinholdt]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

Nadas thinks now might be the time to slip away before any nasty side effects decide they want to rear their head.

Or at least he would, if he were smaller and not practically a giant mach truck trying to slip away by comparison to the pixies. He'll just breath his own sigh of relief instead, though remains tense.

[Gullara]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

Redhead whirls around and points his spear up at Nadas. "You!" His tone isn't harsh, but something about the red painted fangs surrounding his mouth isn't comforting. "You are a friend to clan Bloodfang. We will take you back to our village and have a feast in your honor." The rest of the pixies cheer.

[Reinholdt]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

"Yay." Nadas says, enthused.

Still, best to at least try to go along with it. Especially with a tribe name like Bloodfang. "I am deeply honored." He says, a bit more sincerely than a nervous yay.

[Gullara]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

"Follow us!" The pixies gather up with rainbow-hair being carried. A couple of them will carry a pair of the pixie capturing jars with them. They go nice and slow so Nadas can keep up. They don't have too far to go before they arrive at the village.

It's actually fairly difficult to spot at first, until a few of the pixies break off and go to various locations. Up in the trees, either embedded in the trunks or constructed in the branched, are a number of homes. They're very simple, serving as little more than shelter. Interestingly, some of the buildings are seemingly randomly decorated with a number of colourful flowers.

For each pixie that leaves them, it seems that two take their place. They fly around Nadas, chattering questions too quickly to really be understandable. Soon enough they arrive before the biggest tree int he area and the most elaborate looking hut. It's decorated with pelts, feathers, and a number of trophies.

A woman steps outside and regards Nadas. She's older than any of the pixies the drow has seen so far, but she looks no less spry for it. Around her waist is a length of a fur pelt that serves as a long skirt. Atop her head is a headdress crafted from bone and small feathers. Paints decorate her skirt, wings, and bare upper body.

"Chieftess!" Redhead cries. "We return from the hunt. Not with prey, but with victory over orcs that wanted to capture us." He gestures to Nadas and another pixie prods the drow in the back to get him to step forward. "Chelsea was badly injured, but this elf kept her from the Last Hunt for another day. Tell the chieftess your name, elf."

[Reinholdt]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

Hmm... Nadas doesn't actually pull out his notebook to take notes this time, though he wants to. He does make a mental one, however, to ask if the flowers outside each home has some sort of symbolism to them.

When prodded, Nadas steps forward and kneels, head bowed. "My nomenclature is Nadas Xar'cha your grace."

[Gullara]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

The chieftess looks at Nadas for a moment longer, then her face splits in a grin. "Up on your feet, Nadas. My name's Samantha, but you can call me Chieftess like everyone else."

"We are going to hold a feast for Nadas and our victory, Chieftess." Redhead adds hopefully.

The Chieftess nods. "If I didn't know you, Kyler, I'd think you're just looking for an excuse to cook up that stag." Kyler scratchess the back of his head awkwardly, but the Chieftess just laughs. "Sarah's not here to object, so go ahead and prepare it." The redhead shoots off without further delay.

[Reinholdt]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

"Yes Chieftess." Nadas responds quickly, standing again, wondering who Sarah was and why'd they'd object.

[Gullara]

[Edge of the Weald - Pixie Hunted]

No doubt Nadas has many questions. With any luck he'll have a chance to ask them soon.

"Follow me." The Chieftess instructs and starts flying back the way they came. Already a pile of wood is being constructed for a bonfire. Not far off, the previously prepared carcass of a deer is somehow being carried over by only four pixies.

"Sit down. They'll be ready soon." Pixies are milling about excitedly. Talking, working, or playing all of them. Some land on the ground fairly near to where the fire will be. "This is all new to you, isn't it." It seems plain to her.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Nadas nods. "Quite Chieftess. I've never visually examined a pixie feast, or village for that matter. The majority of my life was contained underground, and inside a library or two at that." It's a miracle he's survived the wild, especially the Weald wild, as long as he has really.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

The Chieftess laughs. "You're really out of place here then. I bet you've never had to take a life to keep your own, now have you?" She says good naturedly. "What're you doing poking around these parts anyway? Bit dangerous for you."

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Nadas wishes he could say his hands were clean. But while many avoided him for his heritage and psychotic sister, there were those who hated him for his studies, or hated him because of his relationships, or...
Well.
In the end, Drow don't really need a reason to hate each other. All too often, they just do.

"Perhaps, but the Nexus has much that needs to be chronicled and cataloged. So much of it has remained undiscovered, and the Weald is a bastion of enigmas waiting to be investigated. There are many potential benefits to be found here amongst the unusual flora and fauna, including the plant that I used on Chelsea. So I'm present in this location to perform research."

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Research, huh?" The Chieftess strokes her chin thoughtfully. "Then it looks like this is a good chance for you to learn about our tribe." She says with a nod. What better invitation could he get?

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

One that didn't come from a tribe of murder pixies maybe?

"Well I'm certainly interested in your culture. And customs. And physiology and language and..." Better stop him before he gets as low as mating rituals.

Though eventually, whether stopped or not, he'll inquire, "I was curious as to whether the flowers outside the abodes held any significance?"

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

The chieftess just kind of stares at him as he goes through all the various topics. Wow, this guy sure can talk, and that's coming from a pixie. "Flowers, right. That's easy. The flowers mean the person living there is being courted. The person pursuing them will usually give them a flower every day they're courting. They use pixie dust to make it so they don't wilt."

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Oh yes. Speaking of pixie dust, what is it exactly? How do you control it to produce such specific effects?"
Nadas gets out his notebook and starts scribbling notes.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Well, we just have to think about making it and it comes out of our hands. Then we just have to think about what we want to happen as we sprinkle it on the target. Bigger effects need more pixie dust too." The Chieftess explains.

[Surtr]

Reinholdt's eyes seem to glint in the dark. "If you're tired. If not, then we can press on." Oddly, Rein hasn't seemed to have even broken a sweat. And certainly doesn't seem to be having any trouble finding his way around at night.

Alistair doesn't notice the glinting eyes nor the lack of sweat. Being a summoner and a blood one at that makes it hard to be surprised at a few differences to the norm. Tamashi on the other hand is not interested. "We'll continue then."

About a half hour since night fell the party is slowly being surrounded by a pack of Black Panthers, Wolves, Lions and Sabertooths. As to why these creatures are together or in cooperation, who knows? Tamsahi is now glowing blue and Alistair seems to have melded in the darkness wielding daggers in both hands.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"You need more? So there's a limit on the amount you can produce?" *scribble scribble*

[Path to Ruins]

"Wait. Let me talk to them." Reinholdt hammerspaces his sniper rifle before shifting into... a small blue kitty cat! So cute.

Kinda small too, even for a kitty. Could easily get lost in the underbrush, so he hops up to a tree branch and meows. Meow meow meow? Wants to know what they want. Though the dogs of the group seem to be the odd one out.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Yeah. We can make quite a bit, but if we use it too much we'll eventually run out. There's always more later, though." The Chieftess explains.

By this point, the pixies have already gotten the fire started in a few spots. In not too long it'll be a roaring bonfire.

[Surtr]

[Path To Ruins]

"If you say so..." Says a voice from somewhere in the darkness. He of course moves from that position to elsewhere in the dark. Tamashi's aura fades and he speaks, "So, we are a group of three magic users."

As to the Cat-Reinholdt question, the sabertooth answers this after its eyes go blank. "Soul Eater, Blood Mage, Eternal Being! Resist not for you three are but mere magic ingredients to be!" The beast returns to normal.

"That was a link made by an artificial life. These animals are but puppets, made at least thrice as strong as its old state it seems." Tamashi fades away all together. Though Alistair and Tamashi are nigh invisible at the moment they are fighting as well.

All five sabertooths have picked the small cat as their target. Four surrounds and one lunges to crush the cat with paw and claw.

[Reinholdt]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

Nadas pauses in some thought.
"What is your relationship to grigs?"

[Path To Ruins]

Boy Rein sure walked into that one. Darn trinity sacrifice things.

"Does anyone ever stop resisting when you tell them you're going to kill them?"
I guess it's a good thing he's already up in a tree. Admittedly, not high enough, which Rein quickly changes, hopping up and climbing further as they start making their moves, agilely avoiding the paw. Sure trees are dangerous in the Weald, but so is getting mauled. Hopefully the sabretooth proves to big to climb as well as Rein.

Rein stops playing around though and decides to show off some of his 'magic' skills by pulling out a grenade, taking the pin out and dropping it amongst the Pride before quickly leaping to another tree and taking cover on the other side of the trunk.

No, he doesn't warn his allies. Meanie.

[Surtr]

[Path to Ruins]

Well his allies are busy elsewhere fighting the wolves, lions and black panthers so they aren't hit. The two sabertooths caught by the grenade are damaged. Normally a grenade would have killed the sabertooth but it is an enhanced type. The two will be attacking the tree to get him to fall or break the tree which should bring about the same result. The other three are watching his movements.

[Gullara]

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"We don't have much to do with them most of the time. They're nothing but trouble makers most of the time. We have one that's living around here, but she's different." The Chieftess may have misunderstood what Nadas meant when he said relationship.

[Reinholdt]

[Path to Ruins]

"What're you beav-?" Reinholdt's taunt is interrupted by the tree falling. Reinholdt jumps and... turns thoroughly pink and floats up in the air.

"I ever mention I've been to the Weald once before? Had a nasty run in with will o'wisps actually. But enough playing around." Reinholdt shifts back into human form, still quite pink and still floating. But now. Now he's got a very special gun he has picked up but has yet to use. To be precise, it's a chaingun chainsaw with flamethrower. It starts revving up loudly, flamethrower sputtering to life as well. The downside, admittedly, is that Margret takes a little time to warm up which does give his foes a chance to react.

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Full description from original owner:

Now I know from a lecture that was delivered to me by a lumberjack that chainsaws aren't, within the confines of strict, stark, bleak reality, good weapons for slaying anything but trees. They stall and liquid getting into the machine really gums up its works. That's why this particular chainsaw's blade is a projection of heated hard light. A bent, grooved laser beam, no less. Gripped from the back and top as it is, with sleek leather insulating pads lining both of these areas, the chaingun barrel could only be mounted inside of the weapon, the laser ripper chain projected around it. The chaingun is fed bullets through a box on its right. The loaded bullets at current are gyroscopically stabilized fragmentation bullets. Mounted underneath is a tube which spews fire with the press of a trigger near the back grip. Squeeze the back grip itself to fire the chaingun and set that chainsaw a spinning with a quick smacking of the big red "Chainsaw On" button on the side.

Oh, and the midnight black weapon of death seems to have a name engraved on its side too. That name is "Margret".

[Weald - Pixie Camp]

"Might I ask how so?" What makes her different from the rest? But I don't think the Chieftess misunderstood.

[Surtr]

[Path To Ruins]

Upgraded the beast maybe but they aren't immortal. Being shot with a chainsaw made of light-beams while being flamed by a flamethrower kill and most likely mutilates the sabertooths. On Tamashi's side The black panthers were all limp and dead with no visible wound. Alistair is still duking it out with the wolves and lions, 5 each. Without a battle summon, he's having a hard time. With ten pairs of eyes on him, he can't hide so well. Some of his foes have wounds in their vitals though.

[Reinholdt]

[Path To Ruins]

Errr... well they were supposed to get a chance to react before getting mutilated to balance out the... oh nevermind. Seems the fight isn't over anyways and there's no way Rein would use this thing with allies so clearly in the way, even if he was willing to grenade them earlier. Margret gets put away and his classic infamous sniper rifle comes out.

This weapon doesn't actually seem to have any special properties really. It's just Rein's sniper rifle. Reinholdt will take position to cover Alistair and shoot at critters that try to move in on him.

[ThirdEmperor]

Approaching the Edge of the Weald

Through the thick grass and catching brambles comes a Wizard wandering, eyes sweeping the horizon for any sign of life or civilization on the edge of the great forest looming up before him. In truth, he wasn't precisely sure of where his employer was, trepidation filling his mind at the thought he might have to wandering blindly through the dark woods in search of him.

These second thoughts had caught him on the road, as the well-laid cobblestone gave way to an overgrown trail of trodden grass, then to no more than a scattering of moss-ridden cairns to mark the route. Now, when even those landmarks have been swallowed up by the briars and undergrowth, they had grown into a cacophony of better judgements, urging him to turn back.

But still, five hundred gold for the simple task of gathering a few herbs. It was too good to pass by out of silly, childish fears.

[Surtr]

[Small Shack]

The wizard should notice after walking a bit more that there is a small but well-maintained shack that matches the description in the quest poster. The wizard should also hear wood being slashed in half in contrast to being chopped. If the wizard has goo eyesight he will notice it is only a boy 12-14 years of age. He is wearing normal clothes with bits and pieces of armor strewn here and there.

[ThirdEmperor]

Small Shack

"Hail!" The Wizard calls out, waving a hand in the air to draw the boy's attention as he walks towards the tidy hut. "Is your father around? I think I have need to speak to him." The conjurer is notably without weapon nor armor, clad chiefly in a thick woolen coat too warm for the climate and sweating heavily because of it.