Frontier: Vvardenfell

[Sloady]

"Qa'Mhirr is right Llarays." Leiden said, leading the group out of the camp, and back into the world. It was a grey overcast day, and their was electricity in the air. Bad weather was coming. "If we follow the coastline, we can't get lost."

[OblivionDuruza]

"Then it is decided," Thoryn remarked, "so let us be going while we can still make use of the better part of the morning."

[Sloady]

"Aye, lets." As usual, the trail wasn't really a trail at all. The remnants of the Dumner roads had all but gone. Instead, they walked along dirt paths carved by animals, making sure that the sea was in sight. There was a great humidity in the air, and the group felt the weight of the world hanging down on top of them. Until, finally, they could do no more. The sun was high in the sky, and they were losing water through sweat by the bucket load.

"Lets..." Leiden began. "Stop here." They were in the middle of a dense jungle, with a stream passing nearby. It was cooler than most areas, and shaded too. "We'll get some lunch, and continue on after the sun is lower in the sky." He wiped his brow, and sat down against a tree. Pulling his canteen out of his pack, the water tasted like the nectar of the gods it was so cold.

[Chaos the N'wah]

Qa'Mhirr sighed, 'Weak' 'Not everyone is born in Elsweyr,' he nodded, "Fine," showing barely any sign of overheating.
He took a quick swig of his water flask and put down his pack, walking over and sizing up a thick-set tree, looking for large branches.
Flinging himself up the trunk and grasping the first branch with his left hand, his progress was slow, but not as much as it should have been with his metal arm.
His mechanical arm snapped a lot of branches as he tried to climb further up, causing him to drop down to the previous branch; he didn't make much progress, only getting slightly above the group's heads.

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Llarays' mind flashed back to a memory. He looked troubled, but then he snapped back to reality. Quickly taking his flask of water and drinking a fifth of it, Llarays sat down and bit out of a piece of jerky.

[OblivionDuruza]

Thoryn took a moderated swig from his own flask as he rested beside a gnarled tree. "I'm going to have to catch something live sooner or later," he thought allowed as he chewed on some more jerky, thinking of how much he would enjoy a bottle of Flin or even Greef and a juicy nix hound steak. He was sick of dried scrib, but this was hardly the first time he had had to put up with rations, and not the last either, he supposed.

"Are we to wait out the heat of the day here, or press on?" he asked Leiden.

[Sloady]

"We'll wait for it to get cooler." Leiden said. "Besides, it'd be a good idea to fill up on water here." He said, trying to justify his actions besides needing a rest. His leg was hurting him, and he didn't want to strain it too much.

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Llarays suddenly took his pack and belongings, and bolted away. Hacking away plant growth, he ran quickly southeast.

[OblivionDuruza]

Thoryn leapt to his feet and watched as Llarays ran off into the scrub. "Should we follow him?" he asked the others, "he was acting oddly about travelling up the coast to Maar Gan, there must be more to this than we know."

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Running with all his might, Llarays stopped at a riverbank. Breathing deeply, he strove to gather his thoughts. But he couldn't. He couldn't. Starting again, he ran at a southern angle now.

[Roadcone]

Night-Runner had been on Vvardenfell far longer than any of his companions, he knew about the fluctuating temperature and had conserved his energy and water for the Scorching midday heat. He dropped his shield, sword and pack at the foot of the tree which the Khajiit had climbed. He turned to Qa'Mhirr and said,

"Watch these." "And stay here and rest, I'll see what the fool is up to."

He ran after the Dunmer at full speed. In his left hand he held his new spear, with his right he began to cast a spell to fortify his speed. His mucles tightened and he felt a burst of energy unlike any other. If there was anything Night-Runner prided about himself, it was his speed, In his platoon there had been many Argonians who could fight better then him, but Night-Runner was by far the fastest.

In seconds he had raced past Veriax, who was also chasing after Llarays, the poor dunmer had a look of bewilderment on his face. He came crashing out of the undergrowth and to the bank of a river, managing to stop just in time before going tumbling over the edge and into the water below. He knelt down and listened, behind him he heard the shouts of the others and Veriax clumbsily trying to make his way through the bushes. To his right tracks led off, back into the undergrowth, he could hear the sound of movement from that direction aswell. He sped off through the bushes, his suvival and tracking instincts were kicking in.

"What is this Idiot doing?" he thought to himself.

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Spoiler:

I'm not Thoryn.

Hearing his chasers' sound, Llarays turned around a tree and began to go a different direction. Placing a makeshift tripwire between two small trees, Llarays took his bow and notched an arrow. He began to run.

[Sloady]

"We'll stay here." He said, sitting against a tree. "I've had enough crazy for a while." He looked up at Qa'Mhirr and laughed. "You certainly helped with that."

[Chaos the N'wah]

"Crazy!?" Qa'Mhirr crushed the branch in hand and fell down on the branch below, "We are NOT crazy! We were many! We all shouted to be heard!"
He shook his head, "K-khajiit put his soul into that assault, for YOUR ire, YOUR outrage!" he snorted loudly, "This better be worth it."
Qa'Mhirr drove his mechanical fingers into the tree's trunk and started climbing up again at a much faster pace without trying to use his new arm to grasp branches.

[OblivionDuruza]

Thoryn shook his head, "What have I gotten myself into with this lot," he chuckled to himself.

[Roadcone]

Night-Runner heard the snap of a wire underneath him. He'd sprung a tripwire! He thew himself to the floor and brought up his arms to protect his head from whatever was about to fall on him. He lay there, spear in hand for a few seconds. Eventually he turned to look upwards.

"Was there even anything attached to that tripwire?" he thought to himself. He cursed under his breath and got to his feet, brushing himself off. Within a few seconds he had gotten up to his previous speed. Somebody had crashed through the bushes to the left. He followed. This Dunmer was fast, but Night-Runner was faster, he'd catch him, soon.

[Sloady]

"Oh, Qa'Mhirr!" Leiden yelled, climbing up after him. "I was joking." Leiden was not nearly as agile as the Khajiit, but managed to hail himself up eventually - though not before Qa'Mhirr was on an even higher branch. "I know what you did for us, and I know whatever it is hurt you." He said. "But I need you strong right now. If you're going to freak out on me at every opportunity, you might as well leave now. But remember why you came here - gold." Leiden took the ashmask out of his pack. He sighed, and looked at the Khajiit. "I was going to split this between everyone," He said. "But given you've given up so much, I think you deserve it more." He placed the ashmask on the branch, and jumped down. "We need to get moving soon again. Those three better come back soon."

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Jumping over a fallen tree, Llarays ran, ran, ran, then ran again. He kept on running. Then, he placed another trip wire, but now he used it to make some big rocks drop. The trap took a minute, but he started to run very quickly again.

[Sloady]

"Y'know what?" Leiden said. "We're moving on. We don't have time for this. Veriax! Night-Runner!" He yelled, picking up his pack, and gesturing to those he still had left. "We're not waiting for that S'wit anymore. We're going."

[Chaos the N'wah]

Qa'Mhirr quickly jumped down on the branch, next to the ashmask and scooped it up; he scaled down the tree and grabbed his pack.
"You Mer are so sentimental," Qa'Mhirr laughed as he put the mask in his satchel, "Consider us even," he smirked as he hugged his pack with wicked glee.
Collecting himself, Qa'Mhirr slung his satchel on his back, "No worries, unlike the others, khajiit didn't come here for reasons other than wealth and glory."
He looked at the thicket that Llarays had burst through, "It seems that the lizard and holyman aren't the only ones with counter motives for being here."
"You think Llarays is avoiding that village or he's looking for something inland?" the dagi-raht asked Leiden as he walked over to him, looking up at the Dunmer.

[OblivionDuruza]

Thoryn watched Leiden and Qa'Mhirr's exchange thoughtfully, before taking up his pack and joining them. "So we're just going to leave Llarays?" he asked.

[Roadcone]

Spoiler:

I don't really understand, a trap like that would take hours to set up... but I'll play along.

Night-runner rounded another corner to see the dunmer knelt by the base of a tree. He looked up, seeing Night-Runner he bolted away into the undergrowth behind, leaving whatever he was fiddling with.

"What in oblivion is he doing" Night-Runner thought to himself. He continued running, leaping over the tripwire (he wasn't falling for the same trick twice) and crashing through the bushes. The dunmer was alot closer now, his delay by the tree had cost him the precious distance he had from Night-Runner. Night-runner could hear his ragged panting breath. He readied his spear, not knowing what madness had taken over Llarays. But he wasn't going to risk being unprepared for a fight.

[AddictedtoMorrowind]

Llarays suddenly turned towards Night-Runner and stopped. "Just no Gnaar Mok," he said, walking towards the direction of the camp now.

[Sloady]

"If we must," Leiden said. "As far as he goes, if he won't travel the route, he doesn't have to be here. He can leave anytime he wants." He walked through the undergrowth, guiding the group along. "NIGHT-RUNNER!" He called out again. "Where is that blasted Argonian? NIGHT-RUNNER. WE'RE GOING."

[Chaos the N'wah]

"Hmmm, maybe if we're lucky we'll find some vintage swill...or some sugar..." Qa'Mhirr purred, 'Disgusting', he sighed inwardly at the voices.