Winds Of Freedom; Journey To The Heart Of The Storm

[Haylin Gafren]

Three strikes of crimson lightning fell in front of them and Haylin slipped behind one of the overgrown mushrooms. Shabuto looked at him like he was ready for anything, but hesitant to make a move, like all he needed was a signal and they'd jump into the fray. While he moved swiftly to avoid being stampeded by the Akuma fleeing the SEED lieutenant, their frantic departure parted around Cass who craned their neck as the Akuma clan sped past. Cass gave Haylin the same expectant look that Shabuto did, like he was wondering what to do about something, knowing they were supposed to be keeping a low profile. When one of your party is an 8 foot tall Highland Cassowary, that might prove to be more difficult than initially assumed, especially since Cass might have been able to meet the Lieutenant eye to eye.

Skraw? Cass seemed to ask in the wake of the small child hurtling headfirst into his demise. On the one hand, Haylin appreciated his gusto, reminding him of a younger version of himself setting out from the Gafren Heights to carve his own way without a Cassowary to call his own. On the other, just like Haylin, death was all but assured. But the gaze he and Cass shared brought them both back to their early days. when Cass was just a chick and Haylin stumbled on him alone without a flock or urizen bond. With pity on his mind and hope in his heart, Haylin gave Cass a nod and snapped his fingers low to his side, watching from behind the mushroom stalk. A flash of flame licked his fingertips and matched a similar glow that coated Cass's eyes, sharpening them from those of observant omnivore to powerful predator. Cass took off in a serpentine sprint through the escaping crowd of Akuma, keeping his head and body low to conceal his movements as much as possible with the terrified slaves on the run before breaking past the scorched ground of their lightning strike, and running down the little boy as quickly as he could to keep him from the smiting awaiting him at the hands of the giant guardsman before them.

1d20

Haylin turned to Shabuto and tried to nudge him along out of sight of the giant and the two women, comically out of place for their desolate environment. "Let's move, we'll be fine," he said, staying low and using mushroom brush to flank the entrance and try to make it into the stronghold where Shabuto's friends were hopefully being kept, any step towards being free of Rudral was worth the risk at this point. They expected resistance, but not necessarily before they even entered the space. Time was of the essence and Haylin really wanted to go home.

[Fate I]

He couldn't have imagined they would take him up on his offer, leaving him to face the uncertainty alone, damning him to a young death, an unfair consequence of his courageous action. Yet, there were signs.

His life in its entirety was spent on this islet and for much of it there wasn't anyone here except his family, The great tree, the leviathan and the few animals the populated the isles. In the short 11 years of his isolation he had never seen nor heard the word Hero before. Akuma had no literature that captured the essence of such a character, just an endless drove of the same cautionary tale -Never fight. Run and pray for mercy.

In the brief moments between him and the major, which seemed nigh endless at the speeds he was reaching, he thought back to that faithful day. He could recall the exact hour, the position of the sun and moons, the smell on the wind and the sounds the waves made as they crashed into the Veil. If asked he could paint that day in its precise likeness- the day he lost faith and his family.

Leviathan stalk these lands. Emotionless monsters of friegntning power, seeming industrucable beast whose arrival spell doom for all that gaze upon them. On that day, , the day I lost everything, two people close to my heart died and one thing was reborn within. She fought courageously, my sister, resisting the will of something far greater than her individual merits could overturn. However, she wasn't alone. The leviathan spawned at the center of her village and withing seconds had claimed more lives than any venom or disease could accomplish in months. She grabbed me and elder mama and took flight rushing from the murder scene;but, when the beast set it's sights on the village medical ward she stopped.

"I can't leave them...my legs won't move! "

She shouted, pleading with the village elder to rally the men and to unite alongside of her and protect the vulnerable. Naturally the elder rejected her idea, claiming her will was pure lunacy and the only thing that mattered was escaping. Without thinking she gave the elder a piece of her mind. Her words were sharp and cut through the thick miasma of the Akuma cowardice and apathetic ideology. Men began to question their choice to abandon their people a brief flicker of consciousness rose within the m.

Yet the words of the elder were sharper, the centuries of their prey like habits were too thick to be overturned in a single moment and fear...far greater of an adversary than we'd like to admit, won yet another battle. His words, now stuck in my head forever were short, simple and wrote the end of my sister.

"I'll be sure to engrave on you burial stone that with great passion she damned all who listened" l

He didn't wait for a reply and immediately turned his back on my sister, the men at his side and the vulnerable who were being decimated while they debated a course of action. One by one...they all left. Ignoring the cries and pleas of my sister and vulnerable being slaughtered. My sister eyes filled with tears, so were mine and our mama. Our mother was old and ill, she lacked the strength to walk unassisted, feed herself or any form of basics agency;but, for the first time in my life she rose to her feet alone and embraced myself and lastly my sister-sharing what would be her final words that day as well.

"My dear Alice...I can tell you want to fight and after listening to you stand up against that demon in human flesh...I can see how I have failed my entire life. Except at being a mother and raising you. I know you want to fight and I know we're holding you back. So let me give you all that I have to offer"

Both me and my sister were confused but she embraced me gingerly and told me to leave her and my sister, citing that I hadn't yet unlocked my anthem and could pose as nothing more than a hindrance to their battle. Then as I made my escape she hugged my sister and took her last breath, releasing the sum of her will in a flash of light, that was immediately absorbed into my sister. I was young and didn't know what had happened there, I thought.... everything would be ok and I left my sister as my mama had told me. The last I saw her she was rushing towards the sentinel of death just as I am now. Eyes blood shot from the pain, filled with tears from the betrayal and fist clenched desperately holding on to the courage that kept her moving forward.

"Today, I get my wings. Today! I live and die as a hero!" *The boy shouted now within arms reach of the Behemoth and his accompanied twins.* " see you soon...Alice and mama"

His fist still clenched with all his fury struck the Major jaw dead on, the behemoth, despite the boys speed, fury and power, posed no manner of defense. Eating the heroic boys strike without so much a wince of pain and returning the favor with a blow to his stomach. The likes of which blew a literal hole through his belly.

Major:It's a shame that fate has wrote us as enemies;but, such is the cruel nature of our world. He said as he grabbed the boy's neck, his massive hands engulfing the whole of his face. Yet, despite bleeding from the crater in his stomach, the boy rebeled and with great fury continued throwing blow after blow into the majors face. The likes of which sent shockwaves across the barren plains, tearing the husk from the trees but leaving not even a scratch on the titans pale skin. His lieutenants at his side were ordered with a simple glance to pursue the deserters and the fleeing Akuma, leaving only the major and the desperate and cornered boy.

Major: I will remember your courage, young Hero.

The major, intent on crushing the boys face like a fruit he wanted to juice. Squeezing down on the young man's head, but found his will interrupted by a surprise strike to his rear. A bird that he'd overlooked as a common creature delivered a mighty blow to his rear, not quite strong enough to harm the behemoth;but, just strong enough to loosen his grip on the poor lads head. He turned to engage the avian creature, dealing a mighty blow to the bird, reminding it whose boss. However the child escaped his grasp and both the avian menace and the courageous youth used this opportunity to escape. Leaving the major the last man standing. Just as the major was about to pursue the fleeing child, he received word from his lieutenants.

Lieutenants: We've got a problem. Leviathan's...several of them.

The major glanced over his should and could see the towering titans from his current position.

Major:Stay alive until I get there.

He knelt down and tensed his muscles for just a moment he hesitated and glanced over at the entrance to the lair than back to where the small boy fled. "It would seem fate wrote you a different ending, young Hero. Perhaps the gods aren't always so cruel."

With a single bound he leaped into the air, crossing incredibly distance to arrive and aid his comrades.

[Shabuto Venkage]

With only seconds to act Shabuto had to admit he had underestimated Haylin’s resolve. Shabuto knew of bloodshed and its stain does not wash off easily. Haylin had been here on this hell rock for over ten years whatever assumptions Shabuto had made on his character only went to show his surface based his perception of this Gafren was. No doubt living in the lawless lands of Erosia had Haylin learned a thing or two of the darker side of life. Needless to say he was impressed Shabuto himself never once thought about letting two birds fly at the same time.

Still though Shabuto assumptions were not entirely without merit as the Gafren still ended up acting on behalf of the boy who so courageously ran towards death. The searing emotion pouring from the lads heart struck a cord in Shabuto’s own.

As one who once had been willing to die for the sake of another.

Now? He wasn’t so sure but for the moment all he cared about was keeping his promises. With a mighty leap the Major left, taking to the skies. Shabuto without second thought and impressive burst of speed stealthily slipped through the ravaged doors keeping out for grunts.

“Quick thinking there Gafren, you sure Cass will be alright?”

[Haylin Gafren]

A mighty blow indeed, it slammed Cass to the ground and gave the boy just barely enough reprieve to leave his head intact with all it's natural juices. Haylin didn't pay it much mind, confident that Cass could hold his own, even playing chicken if he had to. Upon the resounding boom of the Major taking flight, Cass made the rolled over next to the boy, cradling him in the fiery warmth of the Gafren fowl's ample plumage. Even if only for a second, Cass could wait and recover from its hefty strike and hope the boy was still alive, then venture into the depths of the base behind Haylin and Shabuto.

Haylin moved with Shabuto into the mouth of the base, hands still hot from Cass's directive.

"We made it through The Fall together, that was nothing."

Haylin stuck to Shabuto's six and moved cautiously, about as close behind him as he could muster. Shabuto was fast, moving quite like the wind, and it emboldened Haylin's resolve. Whoever these people were to Shabuto, whether comrades orr like family, Haylin appreciated that Shabuto would dive into danger to recover them from the grasp of the enemy, especially considering the type of opposition they could face if that Major and his ill clad lieutenants were any kin to the forces remaining inside.

[Fate I]

The serene aftermath of narrowly escaping danger is palpable, a quiet calm settling in as adrenaline gradually fades. Yet, a lingering thought persists, tempting the party with the danger of visiting the underground prison of the occult-mercenary group, seed. Yet both parties entered the prison. They were met with a mix of curiosity and caution intertwining in their mind. The eyes are quickly met by a litter of slain bodies sprawled over the floor. Some the bodies of the Akuma, clear by their obsidian black skin, while the others were slain Seed merc and a few of their priest.

The inside of the lair was murky and hot, a clear sign of poor ventilation. Yet a more pressing concern were the harrowing howls of what could only be tortured animal or Akuma kind. It was difficult to decide where the screams were coming from, given the many corridors and cells of the underground prison

In the stifling confines of the prison, the air carries a nauseating blend of fresh blood, burning skin, and decaying flesh—a sickening symphony assaulting the senses. Mice scurry with brazen audacity, their tiny forms darting among the shadows, unfazed by the presence of humans. They seize upon the remains with voracious hunger, picking bones clean and rummaging through the pockets of officers without a hint of trepidation. In this macabre environment, even the smallest creatures wield a semblance of power, their survival instincts sharper than the steel bars that bind their larger counterparts.

Roll 1 d20 for clue

[Shabuto Venkage]

They way Shabuto moved it was like he was walking on air rather than earth. Fluent and calibrated steps but made swiftly to take full advantage of this slip of an opportunity. No amount of preparing could’ve prepped him for what he seen next. Piles of partially decayed flesh, clean skeletal remains and a gruesome stench that nearly knocked him on his backside. The dark complexion of the dead were the same as the lad who tried to take down the Major.

Were they somehow important to SEED? And if so, to what end that would warrant such flagrant disregard of their bodies? Some piles carried the SEED uniform. Must’ve met a bad end to wind up here like this. Shabuto began to wonder how many lives were lost and would be lost by the end of this excursion and even though his plan was not to vanquish SEED could he really sit by and let a place like this exist?

“Places got caverns everywhere.”

He wondered how he would even find them here in this cavernous maze. The thick hot heat clung to the skin like a murky blanket the air ripe and saturated in death. The more callus life lost he witnessed the more concerned for Mara and Zane’s wellbeing he became. The blood curdling howls did not make it any better

“There gotta be something around here..”

His eyes saw the voracious rats cleaning the bones of the departed clean. Sheepishly trying to see if there was a lead anything they could use to figure out which way they should go. To find out where the prisoners were being kept.

[Haylin Gafren]

Haylin was speechless, unable to verbalize the disgust that washed over him as theyr moved through SEED's sprawling base. The sights and smells were like that of other scenes he witnessed in his time on the island, corpses and mangled remains littering whatever scene they were unlucky enough to be uncovered by the ruthless forces. These situations kept Haylin from venturing much further beyond the city's limits as the voracious nature of SEED's grip on the island was never enticing for hom to combat with only Cass to back him up.

They both would have spent another decade begrudgingly if there wasn't a damn good chance that at the end of this adventure was a way off the island.

Haylin stuck to Shabuto, paying as little mind to the unfortunate souls around them as possible.

[Fate I]

Die Roll:13(Success) Map and other items are in the satchel. *Shabuto Notices one of the mice is struggling to remove a rolled up piece of paper from a small satchel that was attached to a seed officers hip.*
*Haylin gained 1 stress counter from the sheer filth.*

As the screams of the prison and the smell of the filth faded to the fore ground of the adventures mind, the footsteps, of what could only be seed's foot soldiers marching ,would spring to the front of their attention. Their marching boots crashed into the stone floors of the lair, echoing through the wet cavern. They were close. Fortunately for the adventures, they had several exits, each far away from the approaching footsteps and the pile of bodies the small rodents were beginning to viciously fight over.

As if the approaching foot soldier wasn't bad enough, above your heads, through the unclosed lid of the lair, you could hear the thunderous boom that forewarned the coming of Leviathan. There were 3 burst, each right after the other, followed by their heavy foot steps crashing into the ground above. No more than a moment after the enigmatic monsters appeared and shook the dirt lose from the ceiling with their massive bodies. Did the clear and unmistakable voice of the Major, come swimming down the Seed lairs open lid. Arbiters could be heard being shouted from the Major and his subordinates. They were here to fight the Leviathan, which was clear from the brutal war they waged against the beast, but the majors commands gave the impression the battle was nearing its end.

Investigating the satchel and avoiding the Major was an easy task, if not inevitable; but getting the satchel and avoiding the approaching guard isnt possible, without casting an arbiter. Both of the adventures would need to pick a door to exit the room to avoid alerting the guards, only one adventure needs to investigate the satchel. There are several doors exiting the entrance way:North, south and west exit. With seed approaching from the north, near the satchel.



.

[Shabuto Venkage]

As his eyes darted through the dimly lit base he noticed a mouse scurrying through a satchel. In its struggling paws it wrested with some kind of parchment. Shabuto took a step in its direction but his march was halted by the abrupt putter patter of foot steps.

“Shit”

He whispered with Haylin beside him. They didn’t have much time to move as the foot steps were not to far beyond them and seemed be to getting closer. He had a way to retrieve the satchel but just as he was about to spring it into action the very walls of the cavern shook as if the earth was convulsing. Three diatribe quasi earthquakes that were followed with the voice of the Major who tried to slaughter both Cass and the boy they rescued. If they had already circled back here in such a short time then luck might not be on their side afterall.

“On both ends? Really?”

One thing for certain they most definitely could not turn back now. Doing so would just get them caught in the middle of the war which was in all honestly the lesser of two evils. Should the come face to face with the Major… well they were gonna try to avoid that as much as possible. Shabuto worked well under pressure, Good thing the kid was not only resourceful but a quick thinker to boot. A light green Naten whisked around his hand coalescing into a wisp of air shaped like his hand. The fabricated breeze would mimic his movements grabbing the satchel and startling the rodent. With a flick of his wrist he retrieved it opening the map in front of Haylin his eyes running over it.

“Looks like We’re here”

He said pointing at the their location

“ By this map theres an area north of here that looks like a pair of cages. They could be keeping my friends there. I say we check it out.”

His eyes looked over to the north exit . The west one looked like it led to some sort of garrison no doubt sprawling with grunts. This route could lead to his friends and also a way around the garrison area. Should Haylin agree he would hastily make way for the north exit.

“Push backs?”

It was less of an invitation than his tone portrayed but he couldn’t afford Haylin deciding to venture off somewhere else. They needed to stick together at the very least till they doubled their numbers after finding his friends. Zane an incredible mage and Mara a fearsome warrior. Then the party could find the relic here and escape the island. They were close, closer to the fulfillment of his promise… and the reinstatement of his chains to the Nightmare Wolves. To Grixas…

[Haylin Gafren]

"Geez it's filthy in here," Haylin grunted to himself, dashing through the stagnant musk of the SEED outpost. Shabuto's quick move to rob the rodent went off without a hitch, providing Haylin with some much needed confidence. Heading North on the map would put them directly in line of sight of more soldiers sortieing to take on whatever it was the Major was fighting above them. Outside, chaos was afoot and Cass, after taking a hefty single blow, recovered and darted into the base after Haylin and Shabuto. Haylin assumed they would be rejoined by his companion soon and had no other objections to moving to free Shabuto's comrades. "Let's keep moving."

Upon accepting the offer to help free Shabuto's comrades from the clutches of SEED, Haylin made a foolish assumption this mission could be completed with stealth. Having arrived in the middle of what felt like a siege on the base forced Haylin to reckon with the unfortunate reality. The likelihood of this mission turning deadly increased tenfold, so he readied himself for the hunt. Haylin's body pulsed with a warm, soft glow as he and Shabuto made their way down the corridor.

Rolling for Cass to catch back up with us.
1d9