Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Avenpeak Mountains

as written by Vaifal

Dakoren out of sight and Bahamur a bit bored at the current moment, not being around anyone in the day time meant he could sleep at these times so all in all he had a very small amount of interaction with them over these three days. Though he lacked social companionship it didn't refrain him from being bored in the night. Instinctively he liked bloodshed but doesn't allow it to become a focal point of his personality.

On this fine night he didn't shelter with heat like like the rest. Even without the fire in his lungs he would be fine, the thick hide of dragon scale covering him from the neck down was more than enough to make him extremely resistant to the cold and high heat. Instead of sleeping The draconian would walk around his homeland some more, though he hated being trapped in this place, he would still miss it, and in the end separated from his mother.

Walking around the icy peaks that he sometimes called home he noticed more defining factors now, ones he didn't notice when he lays in the sky. He proceeded to walk to a small icy bridge down to a cliff face below and simply proceeded to slide down on his feet and looked at the view down into a deep black hole in the icy exterior of this section of the mountain. it was vast and compared to it was just a mere pea in a bowl.

"At least he's not out in the night..." Looking up and muttering the silent words to himself send a small chill down his spine, not many people could make him feel cold, but he could. "I should head back..." Jumping back up to his original altitude with ease he darted forward and proceeded to glide at a fast rate close to the ground and relatively silent, not much would notice him, but his want for bloodshed ceased when he thought of the only person who challenged his reign over these peaks.

Minutes later he was near the area where the rest were and stood firm and silently on the ground. He proceeded to enter the more enclosed are and sat just outside facing away, growing accustomed to try keep watch at some point over the night he knew it was best if the others slept in the night and if he needed it, him in the day.v
 
as written by Sokka and Vaifal

Ejon sat by the fire he had been having trouble sleeping and finally stood and decided to take a short walk. He was going out of the camp when he spotted Bahamur. He hadn't really had a chance to meet the man.

Walking toward him he spoke "I uh don't think we actually official met. " He said bowing slightly before extending a hand. He wasn't sure of the customs of this man so he figured a bow and a hand shake would cover two bases.

"I'm Ejon, I uh tend the animals or did we don't really have that many left." He said frowning. "Thankyou for you know uh everything. "

____

"It's nice to see someone who isn't hostile or on edge..." He took the mans hand and shook it firmly and greeted him with a smile. "There's no reason to bow to me though my friend." Coming up from the ground, he then returned the bow and glanced back up at the men. "But I will show you the same respect you show me."

"My name's Bahamur Leviath, and I'm thankful you've come to me in a respectful manner brother." He then stood back upright and walked next to Ejon. "So where are you going brother?"

____

Ejon would smile and shake the mans hand. "I'm just stretching my legs, I'm having trouble sleeping I suppose. "

"What's your Dragons name?" Ejon asked. "I work with animals for a living though I've never had the chance to see a dragon." He said with a smile.

____

"Then Stretch your legs with me friend." He proceeded to walk away from the camp, a small glitter of the metal shards embossed into his body falling behind him then cycling back into his clothes and hair, even his sword seemed to become somewhat dust like at this moment in time.

"In The Dragon Tongue my name translates as Gruin Tah Liisunvaar, which is Dread Pack Leviathan in our tongue, Bahamur is just a name I adopted to make myself more understandable to people who aren't of my race, people can be scared of the word Dread you know?" He proceeded to laugh and continue to make a few paces. "I'll keep you protected out in these harsh lands, don't worry brother..."

____

Ejon would nod, "Interesting, I've never seen a race such as yourself though."

"I suppose that name would be a tad intimidating." He said with a laugh.

"I'm glad you're willing to assist us, but what dangers are actually out there? I mean are we talking wolves, barbarian tribes, or something more align with the supernatural? I've seen many strange things in my lifetime but this place is so alien to me." He said as he walked with Bahamur.

____

the gentle mountain breeze that seemed so constant in the night time kept swaying the metal dust from Bahamur's clothes and hair like a candle in the wind, the snow becoming an ever passing thing on this night as he an Ejon walked further away from the camp. "I'm unique, there isn't many if any other dragons with a man like structure anymore, most of them died when this world delved into darkness, of course I wan't there then I'm just repeating what my mother has said to me..."

"Brother some things you're better off not knowing, but you made the mistake of asking..." He retorted to Ejon but his voice wasn't so nice anymore, no he seemed a darker and more threatening being altogether. "His name is Vaifal Dominus, the mountain creatures call him 'The Dominant One' and they call me 'The Leviathan' quite interesting that our rivalry extends so far really..." He sighed and let his eyes close for a moment before opening them with an awake look. "Of course this place is alien brother, but you haven't seen much yet..."

____

Ejon would nod and listen to Bahmur as they walked. He was a bit take aback by the darker voice but he tried not to let it show. "I suppose we shall see what we run into then." He said.

Stretching and yawning he would slow. "I think I'm going to head back to camp and try and get some shut eye. If you need any help with anything or you need a break and want me to take a watch just wake me." Ejon said as he waved and walked back to the camp to catch up on sleep.
 
as written by Tiko and Sokka

Their journey continued to prove largely uneventful, and perhaps timing was on their side. With the winter months still clutching the lands within its icy grip much of the wilderness lingered on in deep slumber awaiting warmer weather. For how long their fortune would remain was difficult to say though. Occasional sightings had lent glimpses of the craigwolves that had dogged their heels for several days, but ravenous hunger hadn't been enough to drive the beasts into braving the open. The animals it would seem had abandoned the prospect of meal as the group had descended from the mountains to the foothills below, and there had been no further sightings.

The weather had improved once they left the mountains behind, and there was a warmth to the noon-day hours that spoke of the arrival of spring not too distant in the future. For now the land remained layered beneath snow though, and progress both arduous and slow. Rather than lightly packed snow easily plowed through, or a thick crust to aid in travelling atop the snow, the warming air had turned the snow heavy and wet as each step proved more exhausting than the last. They took turns breaking the trail, while the rest trailed behind.

When they finally broke for camp only two days from their destination, it was a welcome reprieve from the days walk. Shelter came in the form of a dense thicket within the gnarled forest. It wasn't much, but there was ample wood and the space was clear enough of trees so as to not risk dislodging snow from overhanging branches with the heat of a fire.

"We'll break for camp here. Ejon and I will scout the surrounding area," Jason instructed.

Ejon dismounted his Manka cat. Normally he would have taken the beast but it needed rest and he needed to stretch his legs. Walking up to Jason he pulled his bow off of his back. "Ready to go Jason?" He asked.
 
as written by Tiko and Sokka

The sun was sinking low into the sky and casting the woods in a dim twilight by the time Jason and Ejon had made their way far enough from the group to avoid prying ears.

Jason was tired from the long days trek, but with their destination so near at hand, there was a matter of some grave importance that needed to be addressed.

"Ejon, I need to know that you're with me, in all matters," Jason said finally.

"I'm always with you Jason, but what's on your mind?" Ejon asked as they walked.

"Nagala," Jason answered.

Ejon would nod slowly. "She's been a bit of trouble hasn't she?" He said with a small sigh.

"That's one way to put it," Jason answered. "The moment she has men under her command again, she's going to order us all killed."

Ejon sighed, "I agree but do you really think there's anyone even at that ship though?" He asked.

"Do you want to take that risk?" Jason asked before shaking his head. "We need to leave her, tomorrow. We can send her off half a days trip from the ship, with a pack of supplies. That will put us a days travel between us by the time she reaches it."

Ejon would pause, thinking for a moment. "I don't like risking sending people to their deaths, but I think you are right. We can't take that risk, I'll back you up on this, but once she goes we're going to need to high tail it before she comes back to kill us because after we do that I can guarentee it."

Jason let out a wry chuckle. "Just keep an eye out and be ready for trouble," he said. "In the event she tries anything once we lay the situation at her feet."

Ejon nodded, "So with that done are we still scouting or are you ready to head back?" He asked.

"Let's do a sweep around the west side, then head back," Jason said.
 
Come morning the decision to part ways with Nagala wasn't the only thing settling heavily on Jason's mind. The newest addition to their small group, Bahamur, was missing. No one could recollect having seen or heard him depart during the night, and there was no trace of him or his dragon companion come morning. Not even so much as a track upon the earth to suggest they had simply gotten up and walked away. And surely he couldn't have flown out of camp during the night without rousing anyone.

Everything about this land was proving strange, and equally dangerous. Three hours they had waited for his return before Jason made the call to move out.

"If he's still in the area, he'll find us easily enough. He found us once already," Jason rationalized.

He didn't care to remain stationary any longer than was necessary. Fortunately the nights rest had proven good for Nagala, whose color had improved with rest from the previous days vigor. Her injuries were healing swiftly, and the damage done by misguided healing attempts was finally beginning to be offset by the restoration of balance for the nanites within her system that had only days earlier attacked and nearly killed it. This helped ease his conscious over what he was about to do...

---​

It was nearly noon day and progress was getting better now that they were down out of the mountains. The rocky foothills still proved trecherous at times, but overall they had maintained a steady pace through the day.

Nagala's device put them at about half a days travel from the ship still, and they could reach it by nightfall if they pressed on. They didn't though and Jason came to a stop before exchanging a glance with Ejon.

"We'll be stopping here," he told the others.

Something about his voice and expression likely hinted to Nagala that something wasn't quite right.
 
Cináed had endured the trek with little in the way of complaint. Although Jason's lessons with the sword had seemed to improve his mood somewhat by comparison to the previous days, he had remained subdued throughout the journey, offering no attempts at conversation. He answered when spoken to, but no more than was necessary to avoid slighting his companions by his silence. He forced a smile here and there, to try and keep his gloominess from pulling the group's morale down any further, but he'd never been very good at disguising his emotions.

The boy had been staring at the ground when the halt was called, and he looked up with mild surprise when he heard Jason speak. Nagala had said they could reach her ship within the day, and they had plenty of hours of daylight left. Had something happened that he hadn't noticed? Either way, he trusted Jason's judgement enough not to question it.

He didn't voice his confusion, but looked to Jason as though expecting some kind of explanation to follow.
 
The Admiral was the slightest bit suspicious when Jason mentioned they should stop. Her eyes stared quizzically at him as she retrieved her datapad, and pulled up a blank readout of the area, without topographical or satellite measurements, nothing provided an overlay for the datapad, only her own beacon, and that of the ship were present on a dark blue background.

"Why are we stopping? We can still reach the ship if we--" Nagala was cut short at the sound of thunder. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, but the rumble of thunder was evident, yet distant.

Immediately following the distant rumble, there was a swift breeze, crisp and sudden coming from the direction of the Forest, the breeze lasted several seconds before it subsided. There was another brief chime, a locator beacon that was worn like a watch around Imperial officers wrists, integrated into a multipurpose watch. The datapad was picking up a brief signal.

'J. Steele.' Were the only letters in Anquietas that displayed next to the blue beacon roughly half a days walk from their location. Tapping the beacon, Nagala's face darkened with worry. Whoever had that beacon was taking rads, and when the beacon suddenly cut out, she was even more concerned.

The beacon for the ship was also gone.

"Frak." She cursed under her breath. The beacon was gone, and Nagala was furiously tapping at the screen to try and get it to come back on. "Piece of dren." She grumbled, then looked up at Jason. "We need to get to that ship, I want off this damn rock." Something seemed off with Jason though. "So help me if something happens to that ship, or me, You'll all be made to answer before an Imperial inquiry, and I'll personally sign your warrants of execution!"
 
"We patched you up and got you this far," Jason explained with a shake of his head. "How quickly you forget that. If you press on you'll reach your ship by nightfall," he explained as he shrugged his satchel from his shoulder to drop it on the ground in front of her. "There's enough food and water in there for three days, as well as your gun. More than enough to get you where you're going. We have no intention of stopping you, but neither are we coming with you. We'll be parting ways here on out."

He glanced to the Taiyou man next before nodding his head as if indicating he join them.

"You, with her, or us. Your choice."

He didn't much imagine the Taiyou man intended to walk himself into Aschen custody, but none of them could guarantee they would find another way out of this place if they abandoned efforts to reach Nagala's ship. So he left the choice to the man on which route he wanted to take.
 
"Is that..?" Cináed trailed off, cutting himself short of undermining Jason's authority. The youth looked worriedly across at Nagala. Difficult and abrasive or not, it felt wrong to be abandoning her to fend for herself in this hostile land. If she died... It would be their fault, wouldn't it? How could they justify that?

It was clear that the boy wanted to say more, but he bit his tongue, looking between Jason and Nagala with an uncomfortable frown.
 
Nagala looked at the pack of supplies, her lips curling down into a distinct frown. They were abandoning her, leaving her to fend for herself on an alien and hostile world, there was the slightest tinge of well concealed fear, but she buried it deep as she started to approach Jason.

"Let me make something abundantly clear." She said, her voice low, seething as she reached out and attempted to grab him by his collar and pull him close.

"You go through with this, there won't be any turning back; if I make it home I'll burn windcrest to the ground, and then I'll put a price on your head so large; you won't be able to go near a civilized system." She spat, shoving him away.

"Consider your actions carefully, Jason, they might be your last as a free man."

She didn't share the fact that she lost the ships signal, the distant rumble tipped her off to something awry, but she hid it.
 
"You already made clear your intentions if we do go through with you to that ship," Jason pointed out. "Way I see it, we go with you, you have us all shot anyways. And I'll take my chances that your superiors aren't going to destroy a lucrative business venture for your empire over your personal beef with me. And don't forget who it was who kept you from bleeding out on the floor after you were shot. I saved your life because I thought you just might be worth saving, but now you're well enough to make it to your ship. I need to take care of those under my protection. This is as far as we go."

His resolve seemed hardened, and he hadn't so much as flinched when she pulled him close by his collar. He wasn't going to risk subjecting those with him to the whims of the psychotic woman in front of him once she had men back under her command again.
 
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"You saved my life only to leave me to die, the fact you saved my life is the only reason I haven't gunned you down right here and now." Nagala retorted.

"And all my superiors have to know is that my ship had a sudden and unexplained weapons malfunction." She added, picking up the rucksack and throwing it over her shoulder, staring at Jason.

"You're all as culpable as he is!" She called out. "Each and every one of you are enemies of the Aschen Empire and I will personally make sure each and every one of you are hunted down!" She shouted. "You better pray to whatever deities you worship that this world consumes me because once I make it to that ship, I'll burn this entire continent until it's surface is but glass!" She screamed, pointing angrily at Jason, reaching for the inside of the bag.

Turning around, she pulled out her datapad and tried to triangulate Steele's subspace transponder.

"Gods damn fools, I should just turn around and kill them, loot their shit and move out to Steele's location." She said under her breath, fishing out the disruptor pistol she stopped.

"Surrender all property of the Empire to me at once, you are no longer permitted to possess it." She demanded, turning back around, gesturing at what few Aschen supplies remained, as well as the disruptor rifle Jason had taken.

"If I can't carry it you're going to destroy it, right here."
 
Nagala wouldn't find any Aschen supplies as she turned and looked around, due to having already made the same demand back at the tower. Jason was quick to remind her of that fact.

"As I recall, you already made that demand," Jason told her. "Which is why your surpluss Aschen supplies are still back at the old outpost. You're more than welcome to climb back up the mountain to retrieve them if you wish."

There was no humor in his voice at his words though as he pointed out the absurdity of her outburst. Her fishing around in the pack hadn't gone unnoticed though, and his hand hovered near his side within easy reach of his pistol.

"No one's left you for dead. You have food, water, a weapon, and a bearing," Jason reminded her. "We got you where you wanted to go, and we have nothing of yours. All you need to do is walk away."

Nagala would find no sign of the disruptor rifle either. The one slung over Jason's shoulder was a Taiyou rifle, and it would seem that her disruptor rifle likely remained back at the outpost with the Aschen supplies Nagala couldn't carry.
 
"You're a dead man walking." Nagala said flatly. "I get to my ship, first thing I'm going to do is drop a nuke on this gods forsaken place, and pray you're caught in it." She said, before she grabbed the pack, and turned to leave.
 
"I hope you find what it is you need, Nagala," Cináed called softly after her, his voice sorrowful. "And I hope you make it home safely. Light guide you."

For all Nagala's vitriol and abuse, Cináed couldn't bring himself to hate her. She was afraid of dying. Afraid of an alien landscape wrought with danger. It was only to be expected that she'd lash out like this upon being told to leave. But for all that he sympathised with her, Jason was right. They couldn't afford to be wondering when one of their own would turn on them. At least this way, nobody would be harmed due to tempers flaring, or due to mistakes brought about by argument.
 
The tension in Jason's gun arm eased as Nagala began to walk away and he let out a sigh of breath. He didn't move though and instead watched Nagala for a time as she put distance between them in her departure.

Only once he was certain she wasn't going to turn around and try anything he looked to the others.

"Alright," he told the others. "We are going to want to put as much distance between here as possible before nightfall. Amethea, I want you scouting ahead and making sure our route is clear. I don't want us losing time backtracking," he explained. "We'll be traveling west. The rest of you, shed any unnecessary weight. I'm going to be keeping a hard pace."

Amethea shifted her weight restlessly as she looked in the direction Nagala had departed before nodding to Jason. Wheeling about, the centaur woman was off. With the mountains behind them, her agility and speed allowed her to easily cover vast distances and scout out clear routes while the trailing group made their way behind.

Jason was confident Ejon could keep pace, but Cinaed was young and hadn't the seasoning that the two militiamen had. If need be though they could shed some of the supplies on Ejon's manka cat, and the boy could ride if he couldn't keep pace. His other concern was the Taiyou man. Months of isolation and hunger hadn't left him in the best of physical shape for long distance endurance.

"We'll rest here for five minutes, then move after Amethea. That will give her time to get some distance ahead of us, and time to discard any non-essentials that will weigh us down."

While the others saw to that, he swung his rifle around into his hands and stood watch. There was a tightness to his eyes, and the press of his lips as his eyes scanned the surrounding forest intently. He intended to have a full days travel between them and Nagala by nightfall.
 
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Cináed had little in the way of excess weight to discard, and spent most of the resting time gazing after where Nagala had vanished amongst the trees. He hoped that her bravado was not misplaced, and she truly could survive the coming peril. Turning to watch the others, he sighed to himself. He hoped that they could, with no idea where civilisation lay or even if there was any. He wrapped his arms about his chest, and waited for the signal to move on.
 
Ejon watched Nagala walk away, he was temped to put an arrow in her back after that last comment but he just clenched a fist around his long-swords pommel. Maybe she would freeze or get attacked by some local wildlife before she got to that ship. He grabbed his gear and assisted Jason in loading up the Manka Cat then he made ready to move out when Jason gave the signal.
 
The matter was done and it was time to move out. Nagala and her ship lay to the south, while only the unknown lay elsewhere. He had chosen their bearing based on the simple fact that it gave them a geographical landmark to follow - the mountain range. If they followed it northward, logic dictated that it would eventually reach the coast - and hopefully back into lands familiar to Jason. The thought that they no longer walked the lands of Valore had yet to raise its head as a certainty. The thought did dawn upon him that the mountain range might well not be the icy peaks of the northlands though. But eventually all things reach the coast, and coastal cities were an inevitable eventuality if they followed it long enough.

His words of warning proved truthful as they pressed back northward. For Ejon the pace would be easier matched, but for Cinaed the long distance endurance wasn't something he had yet been conditioned to during his time at the temple. Equally the Taiyou soldier's conditioning had declined from his months of poor nourishment and isolation in the mountains. They would no doubt both find their stamina well taxed as Jason pushed them onward with the urgency that spoke of his belief that Nagala's words - though not feared - had not been made in idle threat.

The best way to ensure the safety of those he was responsible for, was to put as much distance between them and Nagala as possible before she reached her destination.
 
Several hours later...

Jason had not mislead the group with his warning as to the pace he would be setting, and save for occasional brief breaks he had driven them onward. The mountain range and the sun provided them a bearing, and each footstep the promise of distance between themselves, and the likelyhood of retaliation from the Aschen woman once they reached their destination.

They were strangers within this land though, and strangers to the dangers it held.

It was Jason who first noticed something amiss.

"Slow down," he told the others - who would no doubt be glad of the reprieve.

It was a subtle change, but a peculiar one for certain. The forest around them had gradually fallen silent until not even the chirp of a bird remained to fill the air.

"Ejon, keep an eye out...."

Jason took point, choosing his steps carefully. Surely Amethea would have alerted them to any danger along the route, but there was always the possibility that misfortune had fallen the centaur woman before she could.

Fatigue settled into his limbs and he wondered if perhaps he had pushed them too hard. If he was struggling so, he could only imagine the condition of Cinaed and the Taiyou man at his back. How had he have not noticed sooner?

His thoughts rapidly grew sluggish though as he turned to look to the others. It was then perhaps that he realized something was very wrong. The forest around him spun alarmingly, and he had a vague sense of impact against his knees as he sank to the forest floor.

"Something's... not..."

He blinked blearily at the others who were equally succumbing to the exaustion that blanketed the group.

"not... right..."

He withdrew his side-arm but a moment later it hit the dirt, along with Jason and the others. An abrupt and deep sleep would claim them all for they had unwittingly strayed into the Valley of Reverie.
 
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