Muck, Gluck, and Luck

[Orion White]

"Man, why are we even here, anyways?"

"I told you, we're goin' to the village to get some girls."

"No, I mean, why are we in this spot? We've already been here."

"Oh. Because Blaze is lost."

Blaze sighed; he, Orion, and Wikd had been running amok and killing things in this blasted swamp for quite some time; almost a year now; they were, in all ways, ready to get out. However, none of them had really bothered to try to remember the ways they were traveling; thus, of course, they were lost again. Fun. So far they'd been wandering about for five days, three hours, and twenty-one minutes. The very best thing was that they knew where everything was and what was edible and such; however, not knowing the way out meant they were SOL for what they considered edible food.

Suddenly, Blaze stopped them. "Shh! You hear something?"

[Deft]

Something whispered as she passed through the willowy grass- she was too loud- if there was someone dangers in these woods- with a sharp ear, she would be heard.

So she hopped from her mount, and began to wind through the grass- not so careful, now. If she was too be heard- she would let it be known she was there, at least she would not startle anyone.

As she came through a pass in the darkness, and saw a haze of three people- men, now that she was closer.

"Hello, gentlemen," she said; if they were not friends, then they could, perhaps, be fought off or out chased. "I couldn't help but over hear- if you are lost, I could show the way." She smiled, giving her horse a stout pat and trying to seem at ease.

[Aladrian Tlachtga]

Ariona had managed to get lost, lost in a swamp, with dirty and stagnant water. She shivered at the thought of the water she was trudging through. Ari had a love for clean water, and if the eco system of this area didn’t require it, should would probably set up shop for a couple of centuries to try and clean this darned water.

She went through the water slowly, not allowing herself to trot lest the water splash up to her legs and dirty them. Ari was controlling herself to not break into a trot to get out of here quickly.

It was then she spied what seemed to be a pond, it wasn’t too far in front of her, only about a few minutes at a fast trot, the pond was a clear blue colour. Her eyes shimmered blue at her excitement, she’d be able to wash the grime of herself. She would however possible destroy some ones water supply until she cleaned it when she was done.

With another flick of her mane she broke into a gallop more than a trot, completely oblivious to the fact there were people near the pond she was heading to. the mud spattered up to her body and splashed her nose and mane, the bottom half of her tail was coated as it was so long, It’s going to take me age to get clean again… she groaned slightly but stopped as she saw she was almost there. With a quick leap she landed smack in the middle of the crystal blue pond, splashing almost everything in the vicinity.

[Orion White]

Orion drew his knives; Wikd strung his bow with a string of white and set to it an arrow of light. Whilst they remained silent, Blaze looked plainly at the girl and asked, "You know, it's not a common occurance for people to be out in these woods. They say that for the past year in one area nothing has managed to come out of there alive; we're here to investigate this trouble. What, might I ask, are you here for?"

Wikd's eyes flickered as he heard a splash. "Be right back." He left to go investigate the noise. (He's still in thread.) Blaze merely sighed and drew his sword, a rather well-made rapier, in his right hand. "Regardless, we really must ask you your purpose out here before we make any decisions about help."

Wikd, his bow drawn with its string of light and arrow of light, spotted the pool and headed over there. "A unicorn, eh?" he called out loudly when he saw Ariona, over the noise of her splashing. Close enough to return to his allies if needed, far enough to easily defend himself in a swift kill, he stood still as he ccontinued to say loudly, enough so that only these two could hear it for now, "It's funny, isn't it? Unicorns usually don't live in areas wihout pure water, I've heard. I've also heard they can purify water with the tip of their horn, but that isn't what matters; your aura doesn't read you as a unicorn. Who are you?"

[Deft]

Her fingers curled around her sword's grip, but she did not draw: she would prove friendly to them. Because she had wandered by herself to long.

"I am a ranger of the west- I have come through this swamp as a short cut to another part of Rendoria. My business is my work; as most rangers, I travel alone, doing what I can. Now, put down your weapons, or I will be forced to draw mine." She paused, then added, "Please."

[Aladrian Tlachtga]

Ariona bent her legs slightly to submerge herself in the water before standing again and shaking the water from her body. It was when she was glanced at herself for any more signs of mad that she heard someone come up to the pool.

She span around to face the person that had approached her, she was startled and she almost growled as she rounded in the man, the water instantly responded to her time, waves seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and what with this being a fresh water pond in the middle of a swamp, Waves weren’t normal. ”I am Ariona.” she spoke with a little big of a growl still. Most people in this swamp weren’t overly nice; a few had already received a blast from her hooves.

The water around her was still obviously restless, but she decided to play the, I’m just a Unicorn card, A little long. ”I’m not a big fan of heard… I tend to wander more, albeit I dislike this swamp, the water is vile.” Her voice had calmed to a lulling sing song sound, the only thing betraying her mood was the agitated water around.

[Orion White]

Blaze narrowed his eyes and sheathed his rapier; Orion put away his knives as well. "Fine. We can put away our weapons. We have other strengths that can be used instantly if needed. We are, shall we say, possibly more dangerous without our weapons in hand." He grinned, then crossed his arms. "As for your purpose here, I see. You, too, are reluctant to let your toungue roll loose about your task. As for us, I suppose I can divulge a tad about ourselves from that; we are those without alliegence who wander about as mercenaries. Loyal to those we serve, but then again, that's all we are. Obedience is another story."

Wikd laughed. "Ypu're annoyed, and one who isn't a unicorn doesn't belong to herds. Those who have developed their strength good enough, we can feel a bit of our foe's strength or aura just by being around them. It's a skill that must be learned, never taught. Either way, the trio I'm with can tell you're not unicorn in a heartbeat, and I admit how many of us there are because we are strong enough to deal with almost any foe or foes."

[Deft]

"I hold back nothing, stranger. I say the truth- unfortunately. I am terribly bored." She smiled and swung a leather-gloved hide foreword and smiled, ready to shake the other's hands. "Devendra's the name. Yours would be?"

Well- 'more dangerous without weapons;' welcome to the club, laddies. But they didn't need to know that, not yet, anyway.

"And, while we're speaking- will you except my help or no: I don't like swamps and I am as anxious to leave as possible. So, if you do not wish for a guide, you need not take one. But I beg you to choose quickly; I must move on."

[Aladrian Tlachtga]

Ariona cocked her head to one side and narrowed her eyes of the strange man. She began a slow walk forward and the waves flowed up and engulfed her totally, she exited the wave not as a Unicorn but in her human form. She heavily disliked travelling distances in her human form, hence why she was as a unicorn.

Her hair shone a deep black colour today and flowed down past her shoulders. She was also wear a dark blue cut down top and leather trousers. She strode from the pond to stand closer to the arrogant person who had interrupted her. As she exited the water slowly began to return to the blue colour it had been before she turned it into a bath.

“We’ll your right I’m not a unicorn.” She grinned through deep red lips, her eyes sparkled slightly silver like as they had done in her unicorn form. “Forgive my annoyance... This place isn’t filled with the trustworthy.” The water was still thrashing a little around her, the pond mainly, but the swamp around them was also moving as if a current had caught it up, again betraying her true feelings. She wasn’t exactly about to tell this person that she was said water.

[Orion White]

Blaze shrugged. "That depends; we don't often travel wit hthose outside of our group, and many have wound up dead because they followed us. I'd say the only true way to have us with you is to beat us three in a fight."

Orion slapped him. "Wikd's not here; there's only two of us."

Blaze slapped him back. "Still enough to beat something; she's bored, we're frustrated at the swamp, we can make a bet about it."

Wikd, meanwhile, was taking in the sight of the water maiden with much interest. At her words at the end, he grinned and his eyebrows raised. "Whoever said I was trustworthy? I never did."

[Aladrian Tlachtga]

“And I did?” she flicked her hair from her face and should were it landed neatly on her back, “You just expect me to reveal who I am to anyone who asks? I normally wouldn’t mind so much, but seeing where we are, who in their right mind would?” she laughed lightly and knelt to dip her hand into the frustrated water for a second. She couldn’t yet see these others that were with his and she wanted to know. Sometimes, the fact that this place was a swamp and was filled with water worked to her advantage, and she could see the other.

“Are you with three?... No you said two…” she straightened and tapped her lip with her finger lightly. “You got two strangers bump into you at the same time, how un-nerving for you.” She rested her hands lightly on her hips, openly smiling at the man. “So what caused, You, Alone to break away from your companions?”

[Deft]

"So you are telling me that I will need to fight to earn the right to travel with you?" She laughed sharply, hoping back upon her horse, "I have no doubt I could have a victory," she snarled- offensive little pucks... "but I am a proud creature, admittedly, and it would do my honor wrong to fight to with you. I do not need companions, even to quench boredom."

She started her horse off and said, "Good luck finding your way out without a guide." Ah well. She'd travel faster alone.

[Orion White]

Wikd laughed as he set his bow to a softly glowing light, revealing a very small but very dangerous razor-shap edge on the front and back of his bow, just a tiny little blade running the length of it, but sharp enough to cut through metal like butter. "I came alone because I am a very capable fighter, with very strong skills. I am using lighter shadows to collect the light, of course; this way, you can see the little blade. And as for revealing who I am, well, I haven't really done that, have I? If it was the fire-user, he would have, but we know to watch him."

Blaze laughed. "Heh. You get a good sense of the aura off her?"

Orion nodded. "Not somebody I'd want to tangle with without Wikd."

"It's a pity she doesn't know how strong we are; think she's here to investigate those disapearences?"

"Oh, you mean the ones you cause with your careless fighting? It wouldn't surprise me; you only killed them in cold blood, you ass. Now, come on, we should continue on our way; I've heard the sides of light and dark are both seeking strength; if we want to remain free, we have to remain neutral."

[Aladrian Tlachtga]

Ariona smirked before drawing her sword and holding it in an easily loose grip, as water seem to bring the seemingly bland weapon to life with a storm of water traveling up and down. “You have control of the Shadows then?” she shrugged and swung the sword loosely around her wrist, obviously enjoying the small arrogance match. “So a Shadow user, Traveling with a fire user…. It’s unlike many people in these realms to specify in one element; otherwise I’d believe you to be some human druids that got lost.”

Ari had sense obviously more strength that just a human from these males, but she wasn’t about to should that all over the place, she lightly skimmed her hand over the water again to see if the other two were still caught up with the other stranger, hoping not to run into a person who could control fire. “Your friend seem to bicker quite a bit…” the grin on her face was highly arrogant again.

[Orion White]

"Ahm, we use shadows, fire, and wind. One person, one element each. And we are, by no means, humans. We are, shall we say, far stronger than any humans that have thus crossed the thresh-hold of this place, and as for my friends, well, one's a slacker, one's a hothead, and myself's the medium component. Water controllers... it makes me wonder how much strength you yourself have; if you're strong enough, you could easily, I assume, purify some of this water, but I expect it would exhaust you." Wikd did not unstring his bow, strung with the shadows, and did not take his eyes off her, testing her reactions.