A simple Plan - (the rescue mission)

[The Demon Auditor]

(sorry for the delay, folks)

*ODK's body was nearly healed by now, but that wasn't really why he had asked for an extra moment. He could still feel the icy grip around him. Something wasn't right, or something bad was going to happen soon, but he had no idea where or when this something would occur. Rather, like a dream, the details of his out-of-body experience slowly faded. Well, he hoped it had been an out-of-body experience, because otherwise it meant he was going crazy! While he enjoyed making people think that about him, he didn't very much like the thought of it being true, necessarily.*

*With a grunt, he lifted himself to his feet and turned to face the new arrival. While the memory of his vision faded, the sense of dread and evil still lounged on his heart, like a fat, lazy cat settled into someone's lap. He returned a slight smile as introductions were made, and he approched, nodding his head in greeting to Sekhem.*

'Afternoon. Sorry, I didn't catch your name? *ODK then offered his hand to Sekhem, much like Aridawn had. He then grinned slightly.* And, I'm not a demon, I'm a demon keeper. There's a difference. *He then tapped his nose with a finger, as if sharing a private joke with Sekhem.*

[Moridanu]

(( Excuse me for taking such liberties guys.. just want to move this thing along..))

*Moridanu watched on like a protective mother hen as ODK rose and exchanged social pleasantries with Sekhem. Relieved to see her lover somewhat back to his former self, she allowed a deep sigh of relief to escape her lungs before she turned back to the large pile of rocks and began to haul them apart once more. Calling over her shoulder

~Lets get moving shall we people? We don’t have much sunlight left…~ Moridanu began to blitz through the rocks, hoping the others would join in.

*******************************************

Hours later, her nails were ragged, her fingers torn and bleeding and she had dirt smeared at strategic places over her face and arms. Her golden leather coat had been removed and draped over a nearby rock, and with the late afternoon sun shining down on it, the coat covered rock appeared to be a large gold nugget. Pausing to take a breath, Moridanu gazed upon the golden rock, surprised to see the sun was no longer shining down upon it. Glancing up at the now night sky, Moridanu sighed as she could see the first sprinkling of stars against the dark purple sky. The sun had left them, as had most of the light. Only the appearance of a large full moon provided them with any light at all, but Moridanu did not care. She would search for Crowe in the darkest pits of hell if she had to. And now that the last few boulders were being removed, she prepared to look for him in the darkness of the ruined temple.

Retrieving her coat from the rock, Moridanu dressed quickly before turning to look at the three men before her.

~Thankye so very much for ye help.. I am afraid though, that this was t’easy job. Now is t’task of finding Crowe in t’rubble beyond this entrance….~ she trailed off as she heard a commotion of sorts coming from the south. A few minutes later, a group of twenty soldiers stormed upon the temple, coming to an abrupt halt as they saw Moridanu was still alive and well, and bowing to their respected Queen. Moridanu nodded slightly in acknowledgement of their servitude before they rose and the general stepped forward.

~M’Queen… please, forgive our tardiness.. we only just received word of your distress signal, and as most men were in training for the upcoming war, it took a few hours to rally this many troops. What can we do to help?~

Moridanu smiled her thanks, before she sent eight soldiers to secure the perimeter and another ten to make torches in preparation for the dark search within the temple walls. After several moments, a few men had ventured inside and secured several torches to the walls, allowing enough light to shine out at Moridanu and the men that stood with her. Smiling at them hopefully she murmured

~ Lets go find Crowe gentlemen!~ before she grabbed her own torch off a particularly helpful guard and made her way through the entrance of the temple. Reaching back with her one free hand, she felt around for ODK’s hand as she wanted him by her side as she searched for Crowe. The thought of finding his limp and lifeless body was one that kept attacking her brain with hard, ferocious nips and Moridanu trembled slightly as she contemplated a life without Crowe. With a quivering bottom lip, Moridanu sighed deeply, the sound seeming to echo throughout the ruined temple that appeared to be more of a tomb now. Her small light shining into the darkness, Moridanu took another deep breath and set out to find Crowe. *

[Catrux]

Finaly the Demon keeper rose, and corrected Sehkem that he was not a demon but a Keeper of Demons. "Ah I see, well I was close." Sehkem replied, with a chuckle. "I am Sehkem by the way."

After the entrance was cleared, at the cost of blood and sweat, the cavalry arrived. Couldn't have shown up earlier and maybe help clear the entrance. Sehkem shook his head, his hair and chains dancing as he did so. He walked over and replaced his coat upon his shoulders, immediately his two ravens reclaimed their usual perch upon those same shoulders.

Sehkem followed as Moridanu walked off down one of the many corridors in search of this "Crowe" person, when he realized he hadn't the faintest idea what he looked like. Well I'm sure I wont need to know what he looks like, if I find a body there is a good chance that it is him.

It was getting darker as they pressed further on down the corridor, more light was needed. Since fire was the first branch of magic Sehkem had learned to control he didnt think twice about using it to light the way. He closed his hand, when he slowly opened it a ball of flame danced in his hand. The flame was quite simple to control since it spawned from within him, instead of by incantation or divine intervention, but this was another fact about himself and his people that Sehkem was not privvy to.

"Maybe you two could be of more use in the air than hitching a ride." He said lookin at each of his ravens, then whistled. As reluctantly as a bird can be, they both took flight in search of Crowe. "They will call or find me if they find anything." Sehkem stated for any one who cared to listen.

[Moridanu]

(( Rping session with Mori and Crowe))



*She nodded at Sekhem as he made a ball of light appear before him, its brightness illuminating the darkness of the caved in temple. Crushed marble pillars and broken bronze statues littered the small clearing that she had found. Standing upright once more, she dusted off her golden leather coat as she looked around. The cavern she was standing in held various piles of debris, each with its own twisted pathway that led further into the darkness. Pointing out four other tunnels, she motioned for everyone to split up as she called out ~I’ll take this one..~. Stepping carefully over large boulders and chunks of marble, Moridanu peered into the darkness ahead and murmered ~Butticulus Illuminatum~ before a small pure yellow butterfly emerged from her golden locks and fluttered past her fast. As the butterfly floated ahead of her, it gave out a soft golden light which enabled Moridanu to see a lot better as she continued her search for Crowe. Calling out to him with every fibre of her being, Moridanu tossed her amber curls back over her shoulder and continued climbing over the debris.*



*If it wasnt the shock, it must have been the many pieces of rubble that had hit him that kept him out for this long. His mind wandering in and out of the random concious thoughts that came to him. Most of them not surprising him at all because they were consisted mostly of Mori. He had been lucky to not be hurt too bad though injuries would have to assessed after he was found. He couldnt tell if he was in his subconciousness or not for whether his eyes were open or shut, he was bathed in the darkness of the now destroyed temple. He wanted to let go if he may for his strength was weening but then again there was some opposite feeling in him giving him strength and he felt that all this would pass, he would be able to look back on it as a narrow escape. *



*Cursing outloud as she grazed her leg on a sharp chunk of altar, Moridanu slowly made her way into what was once the main sacrifice room. Intricate carvings and heiroglyphics filled the few crumbled walls that still stood intact as Moridanus emerald eyes searched the wreckage for any sign of Crowe. Hoping that her voice would not disturb the few rocks that served as the cieling above her head, Moridanu called out in a low raspy voice ~Croooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwweeee??~ as she moved further into the temple. Although all hope was all but lost, she could not help but think that she could sense him somewhere nearby. The thought caused her eyes to brim with sudden tears as she thought of him being alive. ~Oh please..~ she prayed outloud to Morrighan. ~Surely ye can not have let one of ye own die in such a way?~



*It had been several moments lost in the dark before his intelligence told him to attempt to move his limbs. He realized that when he tried to move, there was a great deal of difficulty involved. Somehow he knew that he was among the realm of conciousness for as he was able to wiggle his fingers small pieces of stone moved at the small force of his movements. He tried to move his eyes then and realized that a small trace of light made just the shadowed outlines of a small amount of things apparent to his view. Then as if calling from the beyond he heard a voice, it took him a few moments before he was able to identify the small tones as Mori's voice and he tried to call out* M-m-mo...*It was more of a constant "mmmm" sound as he tried to make any contact, that is if it was really her*



*She sensed him a good five or six seconds before she heard the slight "mmmmm" sound that told her where he was. Moving so quickly through the debris towards the sound that she failed to care if she cut her legs or not, Moridanu almost ran towards where she thought the sound was coming from. Once she got there however, she couldnt tell just exactly where the sound was coming from. Large chunks of broken pillar, altar and statues filled the small area, with only a tiny space for air. If he was trapped in here somewhere, Moridanu knew she had to get him out quickly.

~Crowe?~She called out again. ~Please.. if ye can hear me, help me and show me where ye are..~* She began picking up random pieces of debris, hoping against hope that he would be underneath one of them. *



*He was completely unaware that he was not only being crushed but suffocated in the small area where his body lay in the debris. He continued to make the small sound listening to her voice as she spoke to him. He started to wiggle those fingers he could to try and see if she could see any movements that he was making. He was unable to make any sort of cast to make it easy for her to find him. He continued in this attempt of wiggling his fingers to try and get her to find him but he realized with each passing moment that he became weaker and more faint. His mind slipping farther and farther away from his rational thought*

[Moridanu]

After a few more precious moments of pulling up various pieces of debris, Moridanu gasped as she pulled away a large board of bronze plated engravings to reveal an arm. Wiggling fingers moved weakly in the dust, and Moridanu screamed as she began pulling the rest of the debris off him. ~Crowe!~ she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, ~I knew ye were alive! I knew it..!~ Soon, she had nearly pulled everything off him and she gazed down at his face as he lay there, motionless with his eyes closed. He looked.. dead.. and with a trembling hand she reached out to touch him. ~Crowe? Ye are alive are ye not?~*


*He felt a great bit of weight off of the top of the pile come off of him and as he heard her voice he began to make the "mmmm" sound even more in a desperate attempt at contacting her. He then felt as everything was off of him and he brought himself to open his eyes the smallest bit and look at her. He was still unable to speak from the amount of suffocation that he had suffered as a result of the amount of time underneath the rubble. He brought himself to make the "mmmm" sound again and though his body was rendered unusable by the weight of everything he was still able to stare up at Mori as he had wanted to in the darkness he was consumed by*



She gasped in happiness as his eyes opened slightly and she gazed down into those familiar dark pools. Blinking back the tears as she hovered over him, Moridanu quickly continued to brush off any remaining debris. Touching him carefully, she tried to sense if he had anything broken, though it was difficult for her to tell in the position he was laying. ~Crowe.. can ye try to sit up? Are ye able to talk? Where does it hurt?~ She knew that was a lot of questions, but she just wanted to make sure that he realy was okay.*

[Crowe]

He moved only alittle bit and his eyes stayed on her, taking in new breaths of fresh air he was able to feel some strength returning to him. He turned his head alittle bit to get a better view of her and his mouth opened so that his airy words could come out.

"Mm-Moridanu, I'm ok..." His words faded on as he coughed alittle bit his body being cleansed of the dusty oxygen poor air he had been forced to breathe for quite a long time.

[Moridanu]

*Practically sobbing hysterically with happiness, Moridanu grinned blindly through her tears as she reached down with both arms in an attempt to help him to his feet.

~Do ye think ye can stand?~she asked softly before leaning back away from him and yelling out ~I FOUND HIM!!~ over her shoulder. It had only just occurred to her that it was probably a good idea to let the men know that Crowe had been found. Preparations needed to be made, she would need to send soldiers back to the castle, to inform them of the tragedy and continue to search for more survivors or bodies. While she mourned for the lives lost, Moridanu could not help but pay secret thanks to Morrighan for sparing the two men she loved more than life itself... Crowe was alive!

Returning her gaze to his dirt smeared but still agonisingly handsome face, Moridanu stared down at him sadly before her lips slowly curved into a slight smile as she looked into his eyes. ~Come 'n m'love..~ holding out her hand to him, she waited to see if he could rise to accept it.

~Please Crowe.. try to stand up.. lets get ye out of here... Or, do I need to call for help?~*

[Crowe]

He looked on at her and as he looked at her face his eyes gave way to but a few tears he could spare, the small droplets of water cleaning away some of the dirt on his face. Her voice was a relief to him and all together he was happy to be alive again. To see her beautiful face was enough to revive in him enough strength so that he could open his eyes more. But when she spoke "m'love" inside him was invoked a certain strength that he really had needed to get out of here.

He still could not speak but as she offered him a hand he took it and agonizingly came to his feet with a great deal of pain. He held his ribs with one arm and threatened to fall down just as he had stood up. His voice came to him but he was not his full bodied tone rather a soft voice.

"My ribs Moridanu...They are broken"

[Moridanu]

*She nodded grimly as she winced and placed an arm carefully around his waist, careful of his ribs.

~I feared as much.. ye could not survive such an accident without somethin broken..try not too breathe too much..~she joked as she tried her best to help him manouvre through the thick debris of rubble.

It took longer than she anticipated but they were soon back to the main entrance of the temple, where the rest of the guards were still waiting for ODK, Aridawn and Sekhem to get back. Helping Crowe over to a large wooden beam that had been set up as a bench, Moridanu gently lowered him onto the wooden bench asshe called for one of the guards to fetch the medic. Within moments the medic arrived and asked Crowe to take his shirt off so that he may inspect his injuries.

Moridanu blushed slightly and looked away as she peered into the dark tunnels ahead for any sign of the other three men. *

[Crowe]

He couldnt laugh though he had wanted to. He didnt have his wits about him so he couldnt give her an answer back to her. He just smiled alittle bit and as he made it to the bench he sat down and looked around staring at Mori for a few seconds before his eyes turned on the Medic. He complied with the medic and went ahead and took off his shirt. He sat there as his body seemed almost unscaved despite the internal injuries shown by the small amount of purple rising the surface of his skin right where his ribs were. His eyes travelled lazily around, before his eyes once again rested on Moridanu. It was her that was keeping him from giving out underneath that rubble. He didnt know it then but now he knew that the thought of her had kept his lungs working as long as they did.

[Elethaire]

Aridawn heard Moridanu call through the darkness

"I found him!"

Aridawn sighed deeply with relief, things could finally move on know, the work protecting Morthika could re start, but the chilling feeling of total hopelessness never left Aridawn, he shook his dark mane, trying to work out what was stirring up these feeling, then it hit him, like a sudden thought or idea. Elethaire. Elethaire hadn't been heard of for days, he should have arrived back at Kendelah days ago, yet he didn't…

Aridawn began to follow Moridanu's voice, he stopped suddenly as images began to twirl through his mind, his brother standing his bow drawn, Elyza stood in front of him, or at least the perversion who was once Elyza, she struck, again and again until Elethaire lay motionless on the ground. Aridawn fell. He hit the stone floor hard, raising himself off the ground, he groaned once more, there was a forest, he could see it, the Black Moss Forest, yes it had to be. Aridawn ran

"Moridanu! Elethaire he's dead, I'm going to the Forest!"

He called out as he put a hand on Moridanu's shoulder, ignoring the ailing Crowe, he ran in the opposite direction, out of the temple ruins to the Black Moss Forest.

[Catrux]

It is not that Sehkem wasn't releived that the one he was searching for was found, he never felt the anguish of the loss so he was unable to feel joy at the man still living. He never knew Crowe, didn't even know what he looked like, naturaly he would not feel a great pain at his possible death.

Sehkem barely had time to see who this Crowe actually was before the Elf ran off, speaking of a death in the forest. At this point Sehkem would have been content to let the Elf go while he whould stay and watch the rest of the events unfold here. As he turned back to the rest of the group, a thought flashed into his mind If someone is dead in the forest there is a good chance that who ever killed it, would still be around.

He nodded to the others and said "I think it best if I go with him. It is not wise to run alone into a forest were a predator may lie in wait." He then turned and ran after Aridawn, calling out "Wait, I shall come with thee."

He then whistled, seconds later his ravens rejoined him. As soon as they would get out of the temple, he would take to the sky. There is a better chance I will notice somthing in the air, one never knows what lurks in forests.

[Moridanu]

*The air inside the ruined temple was oppressive and hot. Worried emerald orbs squinted against the heat as she peered down at Crowe once the medic had finished with him. Those same green eyes found the eyes of the medic, and it was only after he had smiled at her and shook his head, did she finally allow herself to relax in the knowledge that Crowe would be alright. Nodding her thanks and returning the smile, she grinned down at Crowe.

~Ye will need t’rest some but ye should b’alright dear friend. All we need t’do now is wait for the others t’join us… they should have heard word that y’were found by now..~ just as she spoke however, Aridawn appeared out of the darkness of one of the catacombs, yelling about something to do with Elethaire in the forest as he ran straight past herself and Crowe. Blinking in surprise she looked back to Crowe and murmered

~Uhh.. that be Aridawn, brother of the elf Elethaire, an’keeper of the Dragons Den Tavern. Ye remember him? I do believe ye an’him have ‘ad a few interactions and conversations as such.. ~ she trailed off again as the newly arrived Sekhem then appeared out of the darkness, only to tell them that he thought it best to join Aridawn before he too ran out of the temple.

~That one I don’t believe ye have such interactions with as we only met him a few hours before… once the temple collapsed, I sent out a flare t’call for help. He was the first t’arrive to offer such help… seems a nice enough lad..~ she shrugged as she peered back into the darkness, expecting her lover to appear at an moment.

It seemed it would be only the three of them travelling back to the castle, and she blushed slightly as she thought of being alone with both of them. Crowe was bound to be in pain, and not his normally intense self, but she hoped that ODK would also be able to keep himself in check. As her lover, he had every right to feel jealousy towards her born protector, but it was a jealousy both wasted and misused. Now was the time to concentrate on the planned attack. She needed to focus her mind on the upcoming war and leave the two men in her life to sort themselves out. With a slight laugh to herself, she nodded at her resolve as she peered into the Darkness and waited for ODK. *

[The Demon Auditor]

ODK couldn't help but notice the idea of moving rocks from one area to another was rather self-defeating, since instead of opening the entrance and allowing escape, it would serve to open the entrance in one direction, and close it off behind them. So, he took to tossing rocks over the cliff when he got the chance. After awhile, lugging rocks from the entrance to the cliff was too much of a strain, so he took off his coat. He wasn't exactly a large fellow, and in fact seemed a bit wiry without his coat, but he could still pull his own weight. With the coat laid flat on the ground, he would pick up a rock, and drop it in. The rocks should have formed a nice pile on top of it, and in some scenarios, using the coat to toss the rocks over the cliff would have been an excellent idea, but instead the rocks simply fell through as if there was nothing there at all. For in fact, there wasn't.

Rock after rock simply tumbled into the inky depths of the coat, while ODK was sweating balls alongside the rest of them. Finally, they finished, and the guards arrived. "Oh goody," was all ODK could say. Mori rushed off ahead of him into the temple, and while he would have loved to say 'oh no, don't do that, you'll be killed if the temple collapses any more than it already has', he could only watch. He grumbled to himself and followed with the others.

ODK was a bit distracted now as they split into different directions. Conflicted, more like it. He didn’t bother with any illumination -- the dark caverns of bottomless pits and unruly hells were his home. His eyes adjusted easily, and instead of searching for light, they searched for darkness.

He had to wonder to himself why he should care for Crowe at all. Crowe was Mori’s protector, yes, but Crowe was also ODK’s rival for Mori’s affections. Those two weren’t brother and sister, and yet they were. ODK hated those sorts of twisted confusions. It just made his life a whole lot harder. What would he do if he found Crowe alive, on the verge of death? He mildly entertained the thought of letting the poor man die if that were the case. Come back to the entrance, inform the others of the grave loss, mourn with Mori, ease her pain, tell her it was time to move on, and let her run into his arms. A smirk crossed ODK’s face. And, if Crowe were alive and not on the verge of death? Well, surely ODK would ease the transition. It was the least he could do. His smirk grew sinister.

A yell down the rabbit hole he had found himself in jarred him of his senses. Mori was yelling jubilantly, incoherent to him at this distance, but the tone was unmistakable. ODK’s shoulders slumped slightly. It seemed Crowe’s untimely demise would need to wait for another day. Making his way back to the temple entrance, he pondered the outcomes if Crowe had been found dead. Would the land fall before Lucien? Would Mori be so wrought with grief she could never love another man? Would Mori be killed in an epic battle with only ODK at her side, and not Crowe as well? That last one depressed him. Life without Mori seemed...distasteful at this point. Like delicious chocolate milk gone sour. Hmm...that didn’t seem like a bad idea, actually...

As he returned to the entrance of the temple and found his way to the makeshift camp set up by the guards, he finished off the last of his bottle of chocolate milk, which he had procured from his trench coat. He felt much better already, forgetting those dismembering thoughts of Crowe entirely. He even waved cheerily to both Crowe and Mori as he returned.

“Back on your feet, eh buddy? Took ya long enough!” ODK grinned to both of them. He casually tossed the bottle back into his coat. “Where’re Fancy Pants and Baby Face?” ODK would let Mori and Crowe decide for themselves who Fancy Pants was and who was Baby Face from Sehkem and Aridawn (in no particular order).

ODK’s head turned suddenly as he felt something nearby. His eyes carefully scanned the forest beyond the ruins, and for a moment, he felt the world slide away from him. All he could hear were strange sounds: clicks, then slithering, then the crackling of fire, followed by the groaning of trees. The world resumed its normal texture around him, and the only sound he heard now was the pounding of his heart in his ears. In a flat second, his eyes were back on Mori and a smile plastered to his face as if nothing had happened, “I’m sorry. Did you say something, sweetheart? My mind walked out of my body for a moment.”

[Moridanu]

*While she waited for ODK to appear, her straying emerald orbs betrayed Moridanu on more than one occasion. As they drifted lazily over Crowes’muscular naked torso, Moridanu felt a deep burning sensation that seemed to grow hotter as the moments passed. Whether the blush that rose to her cheeks was the result of this sensation, or the deep sense of shame she felt at feeling such a sensation, was a question she loathed and feared at the same time.

She was spared from further self-loathing by the arrival of ODK himself. From all appearances he seemed his usual jovial self and Moridanu relaxed her scrutinising gaze for a moment as her green eyes flickered back to Crowe. Once again, a furrow of concern creased her forehead as she looked back to ODK.

~We have t’get him back to the castle m’love…~ she trailed off and peered down at Crowe. ~Do ye think ye can walk all the way back?~

Nodding at his answer, she walked over to ODK and stood slightly on tiptoe to place a soft kiss on his slightly scruffy cheek.

~Baby face and Fancy Pants hmm?~ she murmured. ~ Ye would think a man of ye calibre would be able to conjure more.. mature, if not, kinder nicknames.. As for where they are, it appears there was pressing business in the forest. Aridawn said something about Elethaire being dead, though I am sure he is mistaken. Sekhem thought it best to join him, leaving the three of us to return to the castle.. alone. ~ she smiled faintly and rolled her eyes as he spoke of his mind walking out of his body.

~That tends to happen a lot with ye doesn’t it now? Perhaps one of these days it shant return, and then where would ye be?~ Crossing her eyes at him to illustrate her jest, she hoisted a thumb at Crowe.

~Help me get him t’his feet, will ye?~ Moving over to Crowe, she offered him an arm to lean on should he need the assistance to stand up.

~Here old friend, let me help ye..~ *