Dusk watched the two wild swings of his opponent flow right through where he stood. He felt nothing, of course, with his Ki pushing his physical form beyond the material realm and into the plane of ghosts. For a moment the landscape shifted into a misty version of itself, swirls of color mixed among the grayed out shadows of the physical realm.

The elf released the pressure of his spirit on his body and felt a slight breeze touch his cheek, the first feeling of being back to physical reality.

"Again you mistakenly claim one's race. Let me assure you, demons are much crueler than I," replied the elf.

In his one hand he held the dripping Adamantine blade. In his other now lay a silvery blade of his own, the steel an unearthly sheen that stood out against the dark metal opposite of it.

"Quel fara," said Dusk, the elven phrase for "Good Hunting" doubled as the command phrase for his blade. The steel immediately became bathed in white light, emanating a warm glow of positive energy. Dusk only smiled.

"Then, lye salkuva."

{Then, We shall dance.}

The elf moved forward, attacking the hunter in a flurry of slices while stepping to the side to try and get between the human and cub.

((Full Attack (Ninjatos): +11/+11/+6; (1d6+2)/(1d6+1)/(1d6+2)

5ft step.

P.S. Figured out the HP problem. I must've calculated it before I applied the -2 CON for being an elf. I would've rolled 9d6 + 6 + 20, and got an above average roll.))

Somewhere Between Wanqir and Aqinarr
Plains of Tiancann
Three Hours before Twilight
The hunter proves capable of dodging, as he sidesteps Dusk's first blow, but Dusk's followup with his other blade catches the hunter on the arm. The hunter winces slightly, but manages to position his shield in time to block Dusk's final slash.

The hunter lets out a cry as he swings his blade in a powerful arc, but it is too slow, and Dusk evades the blade easily. The hunter's followup holds no added power to it, but it nearly catches Dusk in the side as he sidesteps, missing by an inch.

Glancing back over his shoulder for a brief second, Dusk can barely see the young tiger, as it is lying as far down on the ground as possible, using the somewhat tall grass as well as it can to hide it. It appears that the hunter cannot see it, however, since he grits his teeth and hisses, "Get out of my way."

"No, I cannot permit you to slay a child. You may not judge!" said the elf. "Leave now. You have had your final warning. Your fate is in your hands."

Dusk rolled both blades over the back of his hands, letting the blood fall from the metal rather than trickle across the hilt and grips. His eyes watch his opponent carefully, waiting for him to make his choice.

((Dusk will wait for the hunter to move. If he attacks, or moves to attack, Dusk will make a standard attack with both weapons.

Standard Attack (readied): +11/+11; 1d6+2/1d6+1; 19-20/x2; slashing; Good/Ignore Hardness))

Somewhere Between Wanqir and Aqinarr
Plains of Tiancann
Three Hours before Twilight
"Why are you getting in my way?! Get out of my way!" The hunter snarls.

Seeing no other option, Dusk slashes the man twice, once catching him across the torso in a rather deep wound and once shallowly across the arm. The man grunts in pain, now bordering on the severely wounded. He steps back, but not to retreat. He holds his hand in front of him, and as he brings it to himself, he murmurs something just under his breath, causing his hand to glow white. Touching his hand to his breast, the whiteness surges into his body, which accepts it greedily. The man's wounds diminish as he looks at Dusk with a second wind, hatred brewing in his eyes.

The wind blows gently, swaying the grass, and it unfortunately causes the young tiger to become visible as she sneezes from a stray grass tickling her nose. The hunter's eyes glare at the young tiger, freezing her in place with just his malevolent will.

A Question for Renshiir:

Armand turned to Renshiir and thought of a response. “Is it not possible for us to return to Hylon and simply rent a local smithies forge? There are plenty of those, particularly here in Hylon who would be more than willing to assist any goals of which a Saint of their patron sets out upon., must we use this one man’s furnace in particular? I know little in the ways of smithing, but I would think if he will not be so forthcoming with aid we can find an alternative way. Either way however, yes, let us make our way for the city, we’ve had enough frolicking through the trees this night.”

Deunan rolled her eyes at the remark with a smirk, and Caduceus could only mutter. “Froclicking? Hmph.”

Outskirts of Hylon Forest
Unmapped Area
Three Hours before Twilight
“Is it not possible for us to return to Hylon and simply rent a local smithies forge? There are plenty of those, particularly here in Hylon who would be more than willing to assist any goals of which a Saint of their patron sets out upon., must we use this one man’s furnace in particular? I know little in the ways of smithing, but I would think if he will not be so forthcoming with aid we can find an alternative way."
Renshiir's hand is raised to her chin as she thinks about it, "Well, the shape of the forge definitely would be the same, so the result should be the same, but I'm pretty sure only that pig's furnace gets hot enough for crystalsmithing. The others I've seen don't get nearly hot enough. I think there's actually a fire elemental in that forge, but I haven't been able to make sure."

"Either way however, yes, let us make our way for the city, we’ve had enough frolicking through the trees this evening.”
Renshiir nods, "Alright, let's go!"

The group makes their way back to Hylon City, the sun just beginning to descend past the horizon as they make it to the outer gates.

(Armand is now at Checkpoint 1, so no further posting is necessary from your end unless you'd like to backpost and do some more RP or something else)

Outskirts of Hylon Forest
To the Side of the Main Highway (Between Hylon and Fonhinqann)
Two and a Quarter Hours before Twilight
Overall, the setting up of their semi-makeshift camp ended up being relatively easy. The trees provides sufficient cover for whatever precipitation might occur, which seems unlikely given the clear sky. There is even enough fallen tree limbs to provide a suitable fire for the duo, and Qin had no problem finding excess.

Unbeknownst to Qin and Tristan, the stone bunny inside Tristan's bag has also moved, making itself look as though it is asleep. Its stone whiskers twitch as it dreams about stone carrots and other simple things that living stone bunnies dream about.

Qin on the whole also seems a bit tired, and his eyelids droop slightly. Soon, both Qin and Tristan sleep, with Tristan going to awaken in time to see the sun slip over the horizon.

(Tristan is now at Checkpoint 1, so no further posting is necessary from your end unless you'd like to backpost and do some more RP or something else)

Willow immediatly began to sense something off as she fell upon the crowd. Her steps become shorter and cease to hurtle her forward, rather now angled to absorb her momentum. Hey! She was one of the people knocked over by the same woman. Willow realizes. She attunes her sensitive ears to catch the complaint vocalized by the woman. This woman had also lost valuables, in the form of a purse.

Willow waded through these men and women complaining of displaced items of monetary worth, cries that she picked out carefully. She drew herself to one familiar vantage, to the side of the tree that had once granted her shade not so long ago. Willow peered at the alleys and streets surrounding this riverside location as she formulated her next plans. Enjoying in the coolness provoked by the tree's presense was an old man with sentimental thoughts of a time before petty thievery became common here.

"This seems to be the road of lost items these days, ever since this road became a delivery route." Willow glanced tentatively down at him, avoiding eye contact, to see if by chance he was expecting a response. She hoped not, but as the seconds of now awkward silence marched on, it seemed equally impossible to respond so late as not at all. She strode unhurriedly away down the direction that the delivery woman had first taken minutes ago.

Since this road became a delivery route, Willow considered. Obviously there was a connection between this 'delivery' business, and the exchanged possession of a number of people's belongings. Considering the number of people here this day with absent or thoughtful expressions upon their faces, Willow guessed that the business had been running in the area for a number of days, the only question now would be how long would she have to search to have her ring returned to her?

As she walked she left her eyes and ears open to input from her surroundings, looking for delivered-to customers or unwillingly delivered-from victims. Surely another clue would present itself, and until then all she had to do was hound the known and predictable path for long enough, turning about when the way ahead grew unclear. She would just have to keep track of where she had been and pay attention, though perhaps an iota of confidence when talking to strangers might draw this maddness to an early halt.

Pushed aside but not forgotten was her promise to her rival, to be waiting in her room in an hour. Surely it would not take so long to uncover information of a serial thief. . .

Aqinarr City
Side Road
Five and a Half Hours before Twilight
It didn't take long, maybe a few minutes at the most, until Willow found something that could be of help. Well, quite a few people thought it could be of help, and are all crowded around in the building and even past the doorway of the new parcel and delivery service. From inside, a man can be heard yelling. The man's yelling is comprehendable from even outside where Willow is, and is rather sporadic, talking with different people.

"NO! I do not know anything about your missing- What!? You're accusing my employee?! Get out! Oh, yes, you there?... NO! Like I told you before, chances are you just misplaced that ring... Look, I appreciate your advise, but the more crowded this place gets, the more time it takes for her to get through to deliver anything, and the more she becomes late and rushes! She is a kind, dedicated employee, and I DO NOT want to end up firing her just because she's falsely accused... I'm losing my voice here! Everybody OUT!"

It takes a while, and a few more shouts of "OUT!" from the manager, but eventually everyone is pushed outside and the door slams shut behind them. Uncertain what to do, the crowd slowly thins and dissipates as people wander to search for their lost things.

Willow soon discovered the locale of a delivery company of which might have a lead. The worries of multiple delivery companies operating out of the same area that she may have had were dispelled when she saw the number of others who came to the same realization that she did. From inside the headquarters for the operation itself came cries ranging from the dissatisfied to the downright angry.

She took perspective of her surroundings, gathering a sense of the area. This is where the woman works, pondered Willow, soon she and I may have to have a talk when we 'run' into each other next. The background to her thoughts included the sporadic cries and shouts of the business owner, who at length convinced the crowd to seek elsewhere for their mislocated items.

He certainly places a high level of confidence in his employees, I hope that confidence is not poorly placed. Willow approached the door that everyone else was departing from while inside she hardened herself for what must come to pass. Her hand raised to the door and hesitated as she considered her plan again, trying to make sure that she would not suddenly come into a loss of words. Then she struck her knuckles against the door, and waited for the reply.

*room for call and answer*

{Assuming that sooner or later Willow gains entrance to the building}

Willow took a seat and waited for the man to be ready to take her delivery order. "Do you-" she asked, her fists in her lap balling as she fought the nervousness of everyday conversation, "Do you make deliveries to the Barracks not so far from here?" she asks.

(again, assuming yes)

"I would then like for you to have this ring here delivered to a friend of mine who lives there." She says, drawing from her pocket the signet ring she had. "I will give you the Barracks Mailbox Number if you will just allow me to write it down somewhere for the deliveryperson."

As she writes her own mailbox number, she tries to make what hopefully sounds as friendly conversation, "So is business good?" she asks tamely.

(response)

"Do you have many employees running your deliveries?"

With this simple question so uttered, Willow begins to get at what she came for, a few more clues for the vault about this mysterious delivery-thief.

(conversation perhaps)

If anything lucky were to come of this day, the person who delivered her ring to herself would be the woman in question. As unlikely as that is however, Willow made plans to get whatever more information could be obtained out of one of her co-workers perhaps. She paid the dues of the deed and left to return to the barracks, where soon Yin would be knocking on her door. The time of delivery would be later this day, no sooner than the next hour, allowing time to accept this gift that Yin felt he had to give to her.

Aqinarr City
Side Road
Five and a Half Hours before Twilight
A moment after Willow's slight knock, the door opens a crack, and the manager wearily asks, "Are you another person who has lost something?"

(provided entry convo is successful)

"Do you-" she asked, her fists in her lap balling as she fought the nervousness of everyday conversation, "Do you make deliveries to the Barracks not so far from here?"
"Not often; people usually don't send things in that direction." The man says.

"I would then like for you to have this ring here delivered to a friend of mine who lives there." She says, drawing from her pocket the signet ring she had. "I will give you the Barracks Mailbox Number if you will just allow me to write it down somewhere for the deliveryperson."
"That won't be necessary; I have a document that lists all the mailboxes in Aqinarr." The man says, smiling, "When would you like it delivered?"

(response)

"So is business good?" she asks tamely
"It's OK. The consistent accusations against Casia puts a bit of a black mark on our reputation though, however, since the misplaced items are always found, it's more of a temporary thing than anything else. Apart from that, it's about what I expected."

"Do you have many employees running your deliveries?"
"No. I would've liked to employ more people to do the deliveries, but with all the accusations going on, it's bad enough with just Casia. Fortunately, she never takes any of it seriously, and doesn't hold any grudges, since she knows she's a bit clumsy, and that people tend to attribute that clumsiness to be thief-like behaviour. She is unorganized, and a bit of a clutz, but she is reliable and a dedicated person. In actuality, I know what Casia is like with schedules, so I arrange the delivery to be made earlier than it is supposed to be, so she actually delivers it on time." The man chuckles.

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight

"Why of course!" the orc says, laughing, "We cannot leave you with just a small blade now can we? This blade may look pretty, but it still is a blade, and a fine one at that. If Xira cleaves it like the other blades she's cleaved, that's hardly a loss as well; Tenarr makes beautiful blades, people just don't give the lad enough credit! Or time!"

Still laughing the orc plunks his greatsword blade first into the sand in front of Manalagna, the handle left at the perfect height for him to grab.

(The greatsword is a Medium sized Masterwork Greatsword)
Manalagna Hammer just stared at the blade in the sand, deciding to leave it where it was, satisfied knowing that Ken held no value for his weapon and that the Charismatic Announcer was certain that the Masterwork GreatSword would be broken by Xira during the course of the battle!

"Thanks Ken! If I need it I know where to find it!"
Ken, as charismatic as ever, stands in the center of the arena, waving to the crowd. Manalagna is positioned to one side of the arena, approximately 50ft from Ken. Xira has not shown up yet, but her starting position is marked 50ft from Ken in the other direction ...

...Xira walks forward to her starting location, now clad in black full plate armour, however, the armour has no guantlets, and she is not wearing a hood or helmet. Her bandaged hands contrast sharply with her armour, and cradled in her arms almost protectively is a polished metal scythe. As Tenarr said, on Xira's back there is a second scythe, this one covered in bandages not unlike how her hands are covered. Her long, black hair cascades over her shoulders, and her empty, dark brown eyes simply glare ahead at Ken and Manalagna. She mutters something unheard by Manalagna, although he can guess that it is along the lines of "Spare me the theatrics."

"Behold, the champion Xira! Wielder of the Chaos Scythe and the Black Scythe! Just look at that determination! Nothing will stop her from securing victory!" Ken continues, now on a roll.

"Now, onto the challenger, the wanderer Manalagna Hammer! Wielder of the Volcano's Might and the Earth's Grandeur! Look at those eyes! Is this the burning will that will take Xira down?!" Ken roars, taking in all the excitement of the crowd and returning it tenfold.

Already the crowd has decided to take sides, with about half cheering "Hammer! Hammer!" and the other half cheering "Xira! Xira!" with both cheers sounding on the same two beats.

Ken stomps on the ground, causing a podium of sand to lift him to his announcing platform on the side of the arena between Xira and Manalagna, facing the center.

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" Ken roars as he actually punches the huge gong behind him, sending a very loud reverbating note throughout the arena.
The Dwarven Druid took in the glory and the grandeur of the arena spectacle and its spectators with one deep breath ... then exhaling slowly as he eyed Xira from afar ... contemplating his first course of action.

"No sense in wasting my time and energy by running across these sands to engage my foe!" declared Manalagna Hammer to himself as he pondered what to do in the brief fleeting moments as the vibrations of the great gong began to subside.

"It would be mighty interesting to see how Xira would handle a Swarm of Bats or Rats! Problem is ... she is too far away to use that spell ... and besides ... the rules of the arena forbid the Spells of Summoning!"
Manalagna Hammer chuckled to himself at the thought of Xira battling a Swarm of Bats or Rats ... then he quickly composed himself ... deciding upon a First Strike of Action!

"Try This On For Size!"
The Dwarven Druid stood his ground confidently as he began to draw upon his Electricity Evocation ability to Call Lightning against the arena champion Xira!

"Welcome to the Sand Dance! Courtesy of Manalagna Hammer!"

Entrance~
A moment after Willow's slight knock, the door opens a crack, and the manager wearily asks, "Are you another person who has lost something?"
"I am here to request a delivery," Willow states, speaking truthfully by avoiding the question. I have lost something, but that is about to be taken care of
Of Mailbox Numbers and Deliveries~
"I would then like for you to have this ring here delivered to a friend of mine who lives there." She says, drawing from her pocket the signet ring she had. "I will give you the Barracks Mailbox Number if you will just allow me to write it down somewhere for the deliveryperson."

"That won't be necessary; I have a document that lists all the mailboxes in Aqinarr." The man says, smiling, "When would you like it delivered?"
"Oh, uh, the exact time is not important; later today, in about an hour or two," Willow responded, her heart still returning to normal rhythm down after an unexpected turn in the plan, "delivered to one Ms. Hiswena." As the man scribbled down the delivery order and consulted his reference document, Willow hoped that the change of her last name had trickled down to even here.

"So is business good?" she asks tamely

"It's OK. The consistent accusations against Casia puts a bit of a black mark on our reputation though, however, since the misplaced items are always found, it's more of a temporary thing than anything else. Apart from that, it's about what I expected."
"So people always find what they lost? That's very good to hear," she comments. VERY good
"Do you have many employees running your deliveries?"

"No. I would've liked to employ more people to do the deliveries, but with all the accusations going on, it's bad enough with just Casia. Fortunately, she never takes any of it seriously, and doesn't hold any grudges, since she knows she's a bit clumsy, and that people tend to attribute that clumsiness to be thief-like behaviour. She is unorganized, and a bit of a clutz, but she is reliable and a dedicated person. In actuality, I know what Casia is like with schedules, so I arrange the delivery to be made earlier than it is supposed to be, so she actually delivers it on time." The man chuckles.
Willows body jerks in indication of a soft chuckle. She allows the corner of her mouth to turn up slightly, as she ponders to herself. He seems honest enough, perhaps I will have nothing to worry about. If what he says is correct, I should be seeing this 'Casia' for a little talk later. Nearly at the end of her will to talk. She places the two copper fee upon the table and leaves, trying not to be self-conscious as the foolish part of her mind gave her the impression that the man was watching her leave.

Outside again, Willow directed her boots back toward the barracks, once again becoming aware of the sore and slightly battered state of her body and limbs. Suddenly returning to her bed at the barracks seemed a very compelling idea, regardless what else would have to be done today.

Fonhinqann
Gladiator Arena
Five Hours before Twilight

"Try This On For Size!"
Manalagna twirls his scimitar in a complex weave around him, sparks flying off of the blade as electric charges form and grow around the arena. "Now! Behold the power of Lightning!"

With a flash, a large lightning bolt descends from the sky, to hit exactly where Xira stands, causing an upheaval of sand that obscures all vision.

"Welcome to the Sand Dance! Courtesy of Manalagna Hammer!"
However, just before impact, Xira can be seen spinning out of the way of the bolt, then the sand cloud obscures further vision of her. The crowd gasps, but then Xira leaps out of the sand cloud, looking almost unscathed by the bolt, her scythe in hand as she runs directly at Manalagna. Her eyes are cold, and there is no emotion on her face as she rushes forward, almost looking like a grim reaper. By the time Manalagna reacts, Xira is a mere 40ft in front of him.

Aqinarr City
Soldier's Barracks
Three and Three Quarter Hours before Twilight
(Willow has healed 20 nonlethal by this time)

Willow had just been lying in bed, letting the aches in her limbs fade, and just relaxing. A few of her muscles still ached, but for the most part she felt just fine.

There is a knock at the door, which is likely Yin, but before Willow can even get up to answer it, there is a crash in the corridor.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going!" Casia's voice can be heard.

"What is wrong with you!" Yin shouts angrilly, "Most people I know tend to keep their eyes open while running!"

"I'm very very sorry! I was checking all the room numbers for this delivery. Normally I'm to leave the package at the mailbox, but I found all those mailboxes kind of confusing, and a few actually need to be relabeled, since theirs is either peeling off or is missing, but I would've been quite late if I had to wait for that."

Yin sighs, and can be heard getting to his feet, "Who's it for anyway?"

"For a Ms. Hiswena." Casia replies automatically, also getting up from the floor from the sounds of it, "Do you know which room she's in?"