Lisette looks sadly around at the abandoned farm. "I hope this family is alright..." she wonders.

Shaking off the feeling, she says briskly to Lurel. " I'll help you refill the bottles. Carrying all of them when full could be difficult. Midge, you want yours refilled too?"

OOC> ShinJioh PM'd me to say he was away tomorrow. It is important that he posts before you leave the farm. However we can assume that he agrees to have the water bottle filled.

Padden offers to help you fill them. "Does anyone want to soak themselves as well?" It appears he is hoping Lisette might. He is still holding open the door to the cellar. No air emanates from within.

Lurel takes Ford's water bottle, and goes to look for the pump.

He pumps up some water to wash his face, then fills the water bottles with fresh water.

"That's better," he says, refreshed. "I wonder what happened to all the rain the shopkeeper told me about? A little bit of rain might not be so bad in this heat! Anyway, I'm heading for the cellar now - it's too hot to stay outside!"

Lurel picks up the full water bottles, and heads back towards the open cellar door. There he hands Ford his bottle, and makes for the cellar.

"Scared," he mutters, "Of course I'm scared. Whatever caused this fire here could happen again, and then I'd rather not be caught right in it. But we're not going to find out anything unless we go looking for clues - and so far we have precious few of those."

With that, Lurel descends into the cellar.

OOC> i have 20mins b4 i leave

Without saying anything, Midge bands down to check out the shiny object....
Midge uses one hand to swipe at the dust and picks up what appears to be a spoon of sorts.

"Strange," he says "This spoon was under a burnt overturned chair, almost invisible... but shouldn't the spoon have melted in the fire?" he examines it closer than offers it to Ford,
"what do you make of it?"

The interior of the cellar is lit only by the light that comes through the trap door. It is bright enough immediately beneath the opening but there are shadowy corners. It is naturally cool but to Lurel it is colder than it should be. As Padden had said there are heaps of sacks and the odd barrel or two. The atmosphere does not seem to affect Padden particularly. Ford is equally immune to the sense of cold, although the knowledge that something strange happened does not escape him. Lisette feels uncomfortable.

As Midge picks up the spoon he suddenly knows that there is something alien in the cellar.

Ford thanks Lurel and looks at the spoon.

"That is odd... it's not even slightly melted, perfect condition. I can't see anything else that survived the fire like that around here, either..."

He shrugs.

"Anyway, let's head into the cellar, it's boiling up here..."

With that he heads down into the cellar with the others.

"Wait!" Midge cries after them, i dont think you should go in there...
"i cant explain it but something is telling me there is something down there"

As Midge stares down at them, his attention becomes fixed on a large pile of sacks in one of the darkest corners of the cellar. There is nothing to be seen, nothing moving and yet... The spoon in his hand seems to vibrate and almost to be pulling him towards the spot.

Lurel shivers. After the hot sunshine outside the cellar feels cold. And yet - the chill Lurel feels is far from a welcome relief from the heat.

"I don't like this place," he mutters. "Feels more like tomb than anything else."

Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary - sacks and barrels, as you would expect them in any farm cellar. Yet Lurel is uneasy. The cellar is so cold....


Midge's shout makes Lurel jump, and he draws his sword. The heightened senses that come with a partial use of his Lycanthropy gift are what he needs now as he peers in to the shadows lurking in the corners, and he begins the transformation.

"What the???" Lisette jumps back as Lurel begins the transformation. Guessing that he wouldn't change without provocation, she takes out her magical dagger - just in case.

Thinking to herself I hope this works, she concentrates on creating a ball of handfire to better illuminate the room.

The illumination reveals nothing new but Lurel and Lisette both sense the coldness emanates from beneath the sacks that Midge has identified.

Padden has been scared out of his wits and has pulled out a knife to save himself from the wolf. If someone doesn't calm him down he might do serious damage.

Nothing around the sacks is moving. Perhaps it is hiding?

"What are you on about Midge... now everyone's gone psycho!"

Ford jumps down into the cellar and draws his sword. He looks over to Padden.

"Whoa whoa, calm down, it's just Lurel's lycanthropy powers... though I gotta admit he looks ruddy scary..."

Lurel realizes that perhaps changing without warning was a bit much for the others. And the enhanced senses of his wolf-state have told him enough. There is something unnatural in this cellar. He growls softly at the pile of sacks in the corner.

But if there is danger, then perhaps his human shape is more able to deal with it, and he changes back.

With an embarrassed grin he grabs his clothes and other gear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to transform all the way. A wolf's senses are sharper than those of a human. There's something about those sacks in the corner - some unnatural cold is coming from there."

He looks at the knife in Padden's hand. "You might want to keep hold of that - we don't know just what's hiding in that corner."

Lurel, too picks up his sword. He begins to move forward slowly, then thinks better of it.

"We need a pole, or a long stick, something like that. Just so that we can shift the sacks without getting too close. Was there anything like that lying around outside?"

OOC> keep on, I'll post again on Sunday am uk time. Cheers

"Move back, Lurel. I've got something to poke that pile with."

Lisette concentrates on the dagger and it transforms into a spear. She gingerly begins poking at the closest sacks, moving them away from the corner. she doesn't want to hurt whatever is back there, just reveal it.

"Well, its something, but if we don't know what ity is just yet, i dont think we should touch it. Go around it would be the safe option i'll stay here and watch for any movement... this spoon's vibrations are getting to be a litlle annoying"

Lurel peers into the corner, ready to open a chasm in the floor or throw up a barrier of earth between the party and whatever may be lurking in the corner in case it is hostile.

"We can't just go around it, Midge," he says without taking his eyes off the sacks and Lisette's spear. "We have a task to accomplish, and little enough information to go by as it is. This thing cannot be natural, so maybe it has a bearing on our task. We can't just ignore it."

He spares the briefest of glances for Padden.

"Oh well, you've probably guessed by now that we're no ordinary travellers. Look, if you wanted to leave now, we'd all understand. You've already done a lot for us, and been very kind and generous, and we're very grateful to you for showing us the way. But - well, there might be danger here. Doesn't seem right to expect you to get mixed up in this." He hesitates, and mutters: "Though we could probably use all the help we can get."


His gaze is once again firmly fixed on the corner, and he is poised to take whatever action may be required.

Ford keeps his eyes fixed on the corner, hands firmly gripped on his sword.

"Geez... why don't we just go over and poke it with our weapons? The suspense is killing me!"

The removal of the sacks reveals four slight mounds of earth. You can guess that they are graves. Somewhere long forgotten in the back of his mind Lurel recalls Zekic travelled with a boy called Sammi. He had become a Windrunner, like Zekic. Had his name been Moldo?

Lurel struggles to recall the Windrunners' story.

Out of the earth steps a girl. At first sight she seems normal but there is something about the angle of the head...

Padden, who is in a total funk about everything, gasps out "Allia?" and presses back away from her.

Midge can hardly hold the spoon it is jerking around in his hand so much.

The girl is walking slowly towards Ford.

"Get back!" Lurel yells. He guesses that this girl is undead - who knows what her touch might do?

To gain time he tries to slow her advance by using his earth magic in an attempt to soften the ground beneath her feet. If she was to sink into the ground to the waist, Lurel reasons, it should stop her - or at least slow her enough to give them more time. But he is doubtful whether his earth magic will prevail against something that just stepped out of the ground.

Windrunners! If only one of them were here, able to catch this...undead creature...in a net of air! Zekic or Sammi...what was that boy's name? Lurel is sure that he must have heard Sammi's second name somewhere.

"Padden!" he gasps out. "Did a young boy called Sammi live here?"

He hastily puts aside the sword, and snatches a silver dagger from his belt, anxiously watching to see if his spell had any effect on the creature's progress.

Lisette sees the young girl walking towards Lurel and decides to take decisive action. She swings the spear behind the girl to sweep her legs, trying to get her to fall back away from her companions. Hopefully that will slow her progress.

Midge drops the spoon, watching it vibrate further while on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Cries Midge,
"It might take your act to slow it as acts of hostility and then we're in trouble"

*Midges runs in front of Emry in a desperate act to stop Emry from hitting her target.

The 'girl' is unaffected by Lurel's earth magic. Lisette's spear is deflected by Midge's efforts. It trip's Midge who lands uncomfortably winding himself. The girl continues to walk towards Ford.

Padden does not know what is going on but can tell it is not natural. He levels his knife towards the girl.

"Sammi Moldo - yes." He yells at Lurel. "And this looks like Allia, his older sister. But I don't think it is."

Ford feels a cold chill head up his spine as the girl nears him.

"S-stay back!!"

He steps back away from her.

"W-why is she coming after me?!"

He starts jumping back from her whenever she gets close, keeping his sword pointed at her.

"I got a sword! I'll use it if I have to!!"

He seems hesitant to strike something resembling a girl, especially since she's made no hostile movements yet.

The girl speaks in a high whining voice...

"I need... I need... I need food!"

She launches herself at Ford diving with incredible speed below his sword. As she rushes at him, the head falls to the floor revealing a dark triangular head with scarlet eyes and a row of razor sharp teeth. The teeth tear the cloth from his breeches by the calf of Ford's left leg. It is clear Ford is to be the meal.

Padden throws his knife. It embeds itself into the girl's back but has no other effect.

Lisette swears to herself as Midge falls to a heap beside her and advances from behind on the"girl". She condentrates to shorten the spear into a javelin - something better to stab with. Being careful to avaoid Ford, she plunges the javelin into the upper back of the thing, attempting to pin it to the floor.

"All of Sammi's family were killed!" Lurel yells. "That's why he left with Zekic. There could be more of these undead creatures here - get out!"

He grabs one of the sacks which had concealed the graves, and swings it at the creature's head, hoping to confuse it long enough for them to put some distance between themselves and it. He leaps away from the creature again, just in case it decides to counterattack.

Again Lurel uses his earth magic, this time his intention not to soften the ground, but to open it under the "girl" - just wide enough to swallow her, but not anyone else. They need time to get away from this thing.

"Lisette!" he calls out, "maybe fire will work on it!"

He looks at the creature again, and shudders. "It struck like a snake. And that head - it looks a bit like a snake too!" Hastily Lurel tries to recall anything he might have learnt about snakes - perhaps it will help them fight this creature.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! HOLY..."

Ford runs cold with fright, almost faster than his legs can take him back towards the ladder.

"Wh... what the ruddy... hell is going on here?!!"

He's turned a bit white from the shock, as he tries to regain his breath. He keeps his sword pointed at the thing.

Midge, while lying on the floor in pain, rolls over and picks up the spoon which begins to ibrate again and he throws it straight at the girl in a LAME attempt to cause something to happen.

Where the weapons hit the 'girl' bits of flesh begin to fall away. Whatever is beneath is living creature inhabiting the body. It walks on two legs, speaks as you have heard but it is not human. It's skin is leathery and grey and impervious to the weapons, even to Lisette's magical spear.

But the sudden glint of light on the bright spoon distracts it. It picks up the spoon and stares at it. It raises it's muzzle and emits a chilling howl. And then it is simply not there. The shell of the girls body falls to the floor. The spoon drops with a thud onto the ground and is at once old, rusty and fire-blackened. Those with magical skills feel the temperature slowly beginning to rise.

Ford has a nasty bite on his leg. Midge is bruised and winded but otherwise not hurt. Padden is being sick.

Ford clutches his leg in pain as it bleeds.

"That was the most disturbing, disgusting thing I've ever seen..."

His face has turned very white now, starting to feel rather ill himself.

"What kind of unholy... thing... could have done that?!"

Lisette looks at the carnage from the dead girl's remains and grimaces. Looking over at Ford she says, "Lets get out of here. I don't think that ...thing is coming back, but I'd feel a lot better out in the warm sunshine. Plus, we got to get that bite cleaned up and bandaged. I just hope that thing wasn't poisonous."

She takes a bit of the sacking material and wipes off the spear, concentrates and returns it to a dagger form. After that she walks over to Padden. "Come on Padden," she says gently, "let's get you out of here." She helps to lead him to the stairs.

Once they are all outside again, she asks "Does anyone have an idea how a spoon caused that creature to disappear? That wasn't a gate, was it?"

Ford climbs out of the cellar, wincing every time any pressure is put on his leg, and sits down with a thump outside, breathing heavily.

"Phew. That was not nice..."

He looks to Lisette.

"I don't know. It seemed to return to it's normal state after it got rid of the undead... mouth... thing, maybe someone put some sort of spell on it?"

Padden responds to Lisette seeking reassurance that he is not going mad. He looks at Lurel. "You seem to know something about what happened here. I don't mean just now but before. As if you've met Zekic - where is he? What happened to the Moldos? Who are you?"

Lurel has a look at Ford's wound.

"I don't think it's infected or poisoned. Let's wash it and bandage it as Lisette suggested, and rest for a little bit while we have something to eat. Then we should probably get as much distance between us and this place as we can before nightfall."

He offers his arm to Ford for support. "Want some help to get over to that water pump? A bit more wholesome than this burnt-out shell, I think."

Then he turns to Padden to answer his question.
"Yes, I've met Zekic. I don't know where he is right now - he's got something to do, just as we have something to do here. He and Sammi and us four here - we're just some of the people mixed up in this. That creature which attacked us - it's part of what we stand against. That thing - I haven't seen anything like it before, but I think it must be part of what we fight against, too."

Lurel pauses while he tries to recall what Zekic told him about events here.

"Yeah alright, thanks. But finish your story first..."

Ford grins slightly, beginning to regain a little of his colour.

*Midge is still lying on the floor winded and hardly able to speak but gets out...

"Hello? why did you just leave me here when clearly i am in need of medical assitance?"

Midge rolls over in pain and rolls near the sppon he picks it up with one hand and it ibrates no more.... what is going on here?

Ford looks over to Midge.

"Ah stop being such a melodrama queen. At least you're not missing a chunk of your leg!"

He grins at him cheekily.

"Yeah, but im only eight years old, gimme a break" says Midge as he gets up realising there is a sore spot where he jumped in front of Lissete..

"Maybe we'd better leave"

Lisette walks over to Ford with her canteen out. "let's get this wound cleaned and dressed. Do you want to do it yourself or will you need help with the bandage?"

Looking over at the rest of the party, " I'd like to put some distance from this farm if possible. We don't know if the viper-thing is going to come back....with friends. The sooner we leave the better. Ford, you going to be okay for walking?"

Padden is clearly still unhappy. He says: "I was going to suggest you spent the night at the last farm but I don't understand what is going on. What were you saying about Zekic?"

(Posted on behalf of Theta who is away for a few days)

Lurel reassures Padden. "You remember the battle last year?"

Padden, like all those who were there, can only vaguely recall it.

"Zekic and Sammi had to flee their homes. Sammi's family was killed by monsters - perhaps that was one of them. Since then they've both been helping us keep Zorlon free of evil. I would have said something before except I've only just remembered the details."

Padden looks at his feet. "Makes me look pretty useless, doesn't it?"

He shrugs then adds: "I don't know. You don't seem to be bad people. Come on. You'll have to eat as we go. Do you need any help, Ford?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, thanks..."

Ford washes the water over the wound, wincing slightly as he does it. He tries to get the bandage rolled round and just about does it, if a little makeshift.

(OOC: Erm, what can we use to seal the bandage in place so it won't just unravel as he walks?)

Lisette walks over to Ford to help with the bandage.

"Fold a clean bit of cloth to act as an actual bandage. Then take a strip of cloth and wind it around your leg. Rip one end vertically to create a "Y" and then tie the two ends on the Y to hold the bandage in place. That should keep secure while we're walking. We could use the sacking from the basement to making the holding strips if someone doesn't have spare cloth in their packs."



(OOC -former firefighter. we learned how to improvise! )

Ford blinks, an increasingly bemused look appearing across his face as Lisette talks.

"Ok... I think I may need some help with that one."

He grins slightly.

He calls to the rest of the group, "Anyone got some spare cloth? And scissors?"

Padden proffers a knife. "We need to be away."

It is hard to tell what has made him so jumpy.

"You can tear a bit off my shirt if there's nothing else. I have plenty more at home."

"Yeesh, you are in a rush. Fine, if no-one has anything spare I'll just have to improvise..."

Ford pulls out one of his flame red shirts and uses his sword to cut a square out of the side of it. He folds it and places it over the wound, wincing slightly.

"Now what?"

He looks to Lisette.

Lisette takes the folded cloth. "I'm sorry you had to sacrifice your shirt. Could I take some more of it? I'll get you another one next time we are in a town or city." She cuts of some strips and ties them off around the wound. "That should hold. We should also save the rest in case there are any other injuries."

Looking to the rest of the group. "Is there any reason to stay? I'd like to move on and put this farm behind us."

"Yes, let's get away from this place," Lurel says, taking a last look at the cellar door, and turning away with a shudder. "Padden is right, we can eat while we walk along."

He turns to the youth. "Useless? I think all of us must have felt like that at some point or another. But even if you doubt yourself, it's important to go on. At least that's how I feel."

Lurel rummages in his pack, takes out some grapes.
"That will do me for now," he mutters. "I don't feel like eating, really. Which reminds me..." - he looks up at Padden - "... we still need to buy more supplies somewhere. But as far from here as possible, I think."

He glances at Ford. "Are you ok? Maybe we can take some of your stuff, so you don't have so much to carry - you probably should take it easy for a bit."

Lurel shoulders his pack, ready and waiting, and starts nibbling on some grapes.

"Thanks Lisette. Yeah, keep it, you never know when some spare cloth might come in handy. I've got 3 spare shirts just like it anyway, don't worry about it."

Ford smiles and gets up from the floor and shoulders his pack, looking over to Lurel.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm not really that hungry, either."

He pulls out an apple and starts munching on it, then looks to the rest of the group.

"Shall we get going then?"

Padden sets a cracking pace. It isn't easy to eat without falling behind. The road continues much as it had until just as the sun has the evening reddishnesss about it, it begins to degenerate.

"Only three more farms from here. I'll stop at the last Konnell's decent enough. You can camp in his long field."

He continues, without slackening speed. Where the rutted track finally disappears you can see a low farm house. A man in his early thirties is hoeing a small plot of vegetables. When he hears you he looks up and smiles.

"Padden Timberton, I thought you'd ceased to exist. Visitors, a lady too - hmm! If I'd known I'd have worn my best clothes."

The man comes over to you. He limps badly, favouring his right foot.

"So, I'm Konnell. What can I do for you?"

He is sweating profusely. But by now, so are you.