Valeria placed her hand on Elyan's shoulder. "We'd be happy to help look for Ella." She said. "I really don't want to think of what the King would do if he found her..." she paused for a moment; "..it really took everything in me not to cut him to shreds when I saw Ella back at the palace." She tightened her fist.

Elyan lowered his head and tried to keep calm.
"Yeah...I know what you mean, Valeria. I think we all do."
He raised his head back up and looked over to Mathuriel.
"And just for the record, no matter how well-trained that hawk is, it's not going to cover the entire forest on its own. Not only that, it might miss something from up in the air that someone on the ground might see more easily. I didn't suggest this just to make us feel better. I said something because I think we have a real chance of finding her. Don't go into it thinking that it's useless."
He then turned to Allora.
"Well, it looks like you've been volunteered to stay behind. You gonna be okay with that?"

Allora shrugged
"I don't mind. If she happens to come back I'll send spirit to find you"
she walked over and sat on a chair leaning back on it




off in a distance loud noises could be heard, almost like explosions slowly getting closer

Mathuriel took his scepter into his hand.
"You guys hear that? I think our time just might have run out." There was an ominous silence following this statement.

Elyan pulled out his bow and a single arrow.
"Yeah, I'd say that's a fair assessment."
He leaned up against a nearby wall for cover and took aim at the entrance.
"Weapons out, stay on your toes. Whatever's coming this way, I get the feeling it won't be happy to see us."

Valeria silently drew her sword, and stood on the other side of the door. "Let's try to keep whatever it is, contained in here...if we can." She whispered, then looked at Elyan.

The noise got louder and louder then suddenly a bolder came flying into the building lighting everything on fire. Outside and evil laugh could be heard slightly in a distance
"Come out come oooooooooooouuuuuuuuuttttt!"
Standing on top of an elephant was a woman dressed in all black, her eyes glowing the color of blood
"OH this power feels sooo GOOD, and soon....."
She raised her hand in front of her and formed a fist as if she was crushing something
"The king will meet his end"
she let out an evil cackle
"Take them as prisoners"
she commanded her men to attack
"I'll create and even bigger army then the king"


"Welp looks like its time for us to leave"
she swung her crossbow around aiming it at the direction of the noise

Thunderous dark clouds swirled above the approaching woman, her mighty elephant crushing all which lay in her wake. The sky darkened, and the air seemed to turn cold and icy, clawing the hope out of our heroes with evil fingers.

Mathuriel couldn't resist.
"Madam! I hope you have a license for that elephant! And furthermore I know that it must suck to be on your period but there are other ways of coping!!"
Another boulder nearly reduced him to a magical pancake so he ducked back inside the door.
"So," he said breathlessly. "I think she likes me."

Valeria reacted quickly, and 'blew' Elyan out of the path of the boulder, then lept out of the way...narrowly escaping being crushed. She looked at Mathuriel, as a second boulder zoomed passed her. "Maybe she just wants to see what's underneath the candy coating?" She said to him.

Mathuriel considered.
"Listen!" he shouted out of the hole in the wall. "That desire to have unrelenting passionate sex with me, it's normal - everyone gets that! If you stop throwing boulders and call off your elephant, I promise, I will let you lick the lollipop!"
He popped his head back in.
"Do you think that will work?"

An arrow went whizzing by his head just skimming along his cheek enough to break the skin.
"Sure come right one out here"
she laughed maniacally
"I'll do to you like I did the others"
she gave him an evil grin

Valeria resisted the urge to facepalm herself...though she did shake her head after she sighed heavily. "I'm thinking: no." Valeria replied to Mathuriel, upon hearing the woman's retort. "We have to get out of here, and find Ella." She spoke quietly, then looked at Allora. "Do you think you can get away from here without her," she nodded her head towards the hole in the wall; "noticing you?"

Elyan quickly regained his footing after Valeria knocked him out of the boulder's path. He then looks over to her and nods.
"Thanks, that was pretty close."
He gave Mathuriel a dubious look after hearing his exchange with the mysterious woman.
"I can't tell if you're being serious or not, but I'm pretty sure you're not helping things!"
He then glanced back to the woman, then back to Mathuriel.
"I mean...unless that thing she "did to the others" was something sexual, but I honestly doubt it. Even if she was into you, I'd stay away from her. She's probably into the weird stuff."

Mathuriel put his hand to his cheek, examining the cut.
"99% sure she's flirting with me."
He pointed for Valeria to sneak off to the left of the barn out of a side door, up a stony ridge. He also silently motioned for Elyan and Allora to make their way into the forest on his right.
"I'll draw her fire," he mouthed. "Go, quick."
Then he opened a dimensional rift just above the barn, one through which gallons upon gallons of sea-water came pouring towards the lady on her elephant.
"By the way, that wet feeling in your panties? That's not the seawater, that's either me or your period!"

Valeria nodded her head once, again trying very hard not to facepalm at Mathureil's choice of words.
Valeria silently moved towards the side door. She merely waited a moment, making sure that Mathureil's distraction was working, before moving towards the stony ridge.

Elyan nods to Mathuriel and starts making my way up into the trees while trying to avoid drawing attention.
"I'd like to save as much power as I can for the fight, but...I also don't want to fall. Better safe than sorry, I guess."
Thinking this to himself, he uses his psionic power to give him a slight boost through the air while jumping from tree to tree. Using this method, he keeps a pretty good pace through the forest while remaining mostly quiet. He briefly glances back to Mathuriel and the mysterious woman.
"What's the next move, Mathuriel? What kind of weird plan is going through your head now?"

Mathuriel's hands worked like lightning, his mind going at it's fastest.
A portal opened up directly above Divinity's head, which resulted in roughly two gallons of seawater and an octopus to fall onto her head.
"How's that then? Are you into that sort of thing?" he yelled.
Then he opened up a preter-matter sonic rift, then another, then spoke quietly into them. Elyan, Valeria and Allora heard him as though he was whispering directly into their ears.
"Pincer movement. We attack from three sides at once."

Elyan stopped for a moment to listen. When he heard Mathuriel's message, he muttered to himself.
"Message received. I'll get into position now."
He continued moving through the trees until he made it to the distant side of the mysterious woman, where he laid low in the trees until everyone else was in position.
"Technically, a pincer movement only comes from two sides, but I get the idea."
He couldn't help thinking this to himself as he drew his bow.

The sounds of birds chirping, a stream flowing in a soothing manner. The air thin and the amber color surrounded Carlyle. He was at peace for once in a long while. For what seemed an eternity Carlyle found himself again, originally breaking off from the group for his own reasons, he began to miss the ones he began to adore. "It's been months since they last saw me, They'll never recognize me at this point. I don't even know if they still roam together." He let out a sigh. "Maybe one day we'll see each other again, maybe when this forsaken earth is no longer a warzone and we live normal lives."

Carlyle now bearded, with the same old clothes, blood stained and covered in dirt leaned over and washed his face in the stream. Taking quick sips as he did so. Enjoying the calmness that surrounded him. Nothing could ruin the moment he was having to himself, and any silent watcher. Suddenly, the crunching of leaves were heard behind him when he turned around to look it was an old friend.

Upon seeing Carlyle an old hearty smile became his countenance. Walking closer to the stream Jericho took a seat respectfully on the side of Carlyle. And took out an empty flask, he ran it through the stream to collect water. Taking a sip he offered it to Carlyle. "It's been years since I had a conversation with you kid. If you were my son I'd be proud of what you've accomplished. I've matured since I've wanted to kill you. Now it's a matter of who's side you're on."

Carlyle took the flask from Jericho and took a gulp of the water. No need to be conservative. Normally they would both be hostile. However the atmosphere didn't call for it. "I understand. You working for the king naturally makes you a pawn to his game. I don't question your decisions as you're a better tactician than me. But no matter how I look at it, I don't see your angle."

"Nor do I expect you too Carlyle. We're both working towards the same goal, we just have different ways of going about it. Later on today I am planning to visit the castle. You will hate me for what I do, but you will forgive me in the end, I am not as bad as you want me to be, and I apologize for that. But keep your eyes on the big picture son. You'll attain what you set out for."

Carlyle just nodded, and a somber tone came over him, He knew in the end he had no choice but to kill Jericho, he also had to choice but to resist with the group he was with. He handed Jericho back his flask.

Jericho grabbed it back and tucked it away in an inner pocket. After doing so he unclipped a sheathed short sword from his belt. He placed it on Carlyle's lap. He also unseated his own shortsword. "I've always kept a spare in case one broke in battle. And I know I've taught you well Carlyle. For old times sake, let's duel, the only difference now is we can lose something."

Carlyle nodded in agreement, And readied for battle.

Valeria paused near the top of the ridge, keeping her gaze locked on the woman. She merely nodded her head once to Mathureil's plan, and readied herself for the attack.

'So much for having the element of surprise.' Valeria thought to herself, as she jumped to her feet. She noted the men charging towards her. She tilted her head slightly, and said: "Oh..you have no idea what kind of hell you're in for." As she said this, sure created winds strong enough to rip the trees from the ground...almost like a low level hurricane, or a very strong tornado. However, mixed in with these strong winds, were pieces of ice, that had formed on the palms of Valeria's hand without her knowledge.

Mathuriel pouted. A moment later his scepter twirled and the octopus that had landed on Divinity's head suddenly vanished.
Another spin and a large boggy quicksand appeared out of nowhere directly underneath her, not enough to drown the elephant but enough to ensure it wasn't going anywhere.
"Listen!" Mathuriel called to her. "If you lay down your weapon, call off your men, and take off your shirt, we promise we won't hurt you!"

Elyan groaned a little.
"Yeah. He's full of it."
He moved from tree to tree to get a better vantage point, slightly behind the elephant. When he made his way there, he took aim at the guards.
"Weapons free."
He unloaded arrow after arrow into the guards, either killing them instantly of knocking them off of the elephant.
"I'll only get one chance at this...better make it count."
He decided to take advantage of the elephant's immobilized state. He focused his energy directly behind himself and with a sudden burst of power, propelled himself forward in the blink of an eye with enough force to land him on top of the elephant, directly behind Divinity. He took out two arrows and aimed them right at her.
"Sorry, but you'll have to postpone whatever plans you had with the perverted one down there. Stand down."