The Azoni Valley

A blue swarm of fireflies made themselves present as they lit up around Rose like an endless see of blue sparks. Rose stuck his hands out and caught one, watching it flash in his hands. He could feel the warmth of the insect with every flash that lit up. The insect crawled to the top of Rose's right hand and flew off to be with the others, vanishing the moment it lifted off into the darkness. 

A soft smile crossed the face of Rose as he laid witness for the first time on the insect. He had heard many stories but found them to be a myth since he was never allowed outside after dark in the expanse of the valley. Rose could no longer see the tumbling leaf, but the fireflies seemed to guide him along just fine. The worries of the night seemed to wash away as he grew happier and happier, the thoughts of what happened here slowly drifting further to the back of his mind. 

The insects began to fly off shortly after their arrival. With the darkness closing back in on him, his attention returned to the crunching of leaves and twigs around him. Once the insects were cleared, Rose could see a silver light ahead. The closer he got, the more he could see, like the old ruins the radiated the noticeable light. The he heard the growls and snarls of wolves. Rose froze in place and hid behind a tree. He was coming from the wrong side of the woods in new clothes and new magic, making him a target to the wolves. 

Rose was too far in for hiding to do any good and he knew he was being "escorted".  Rose turned to his right, then to his left, then behind him, but when he went to peak in front of the tree, he had a surprise waiting for him. A wolf the size of a bear was looking Rose right in the eyes with his gums pulled back to reveal the razor sharp teeth that could easily pierce through armor with enough pressure. Rose was startled and went to fall backwards until something furry caught him. When he caught his balance and realized it was a wolf, he pinned his back to the tree. 

A total of three large wolves were now present, the escort revealing itself. Their furs were brown and black with gentle splashes on white, giving the fur coat an armor look. A white diamond could be seen on the head of each wolf between their eyes. The wolves were the size of a Kodiak bear. Their muscles were well represented in their fur and their hide as dense as steel. The three wolves would slowly begin to circle around Rose, looking away from him and into the darkness. They were watching for something with all their senses focused.

After Rose marveled at their size and furs, he took notice of their stress. Rose looked off into the distance himself, trying to see if he could spot something. Shortly after the wolves formed their defensive perimeter around Rose, Sir Hoot returned to Rose.  When the owl was fully perched, he began to jerk his head to the right over and over. Rose tried the first thing that came to mind, to turn to his right. The theory was a success; the owl quit turning it's head and spread out it's wings while letting out a powerful screech.

Rose would throw his arm out to send Sir Hoot back into the treetops where he could do his best. The wolves began to growl and show their teeth, focusing in one specific direction.  Rose quickly took an aggressive stance that allowed him to be as ready as he possibly could be without a weapon. What he didn't know is he was in for his first debut with two Succubus that were around nine feet in height and armed.

A series of voices slipped into the mind of Rose, hearing the thoughts of the wolves. Their thoughts rested on battle and killing whatever came their way.  He could even hear the Sir Hoot in their network, but for some reason he could not respond to him. Rose kept quiet and listened while he formulated his own plan to coincide with theirs. In a split second Rose focused on the new sound of a scratchy scream and plenty of unpleasant words about an owl to follow. When Rose went to look at the wolves, they were gone. The sounds of the blood curdling screams and the ferocious barks and crunching of armor.

 While Sir Hoot and the wolves focused on the two Succubus, Rose was caught by surprise by a short Incubus of eight feet in height. He was armed with a short sword in his right hand and chains in his left. The Incubus had a green tint to it and resembled a snake in the face. He was bald all over and had little armor on, expecting to easily catch Rose. It didn't take long for the Succubus to attack.

A thunderous boom rang as the Incubus planted his sword in the tree, "My your a fine looking toy. We could do many things with your young physique and high stamina. I might just buy you at auction if you come available! Now you can come easily or I can make you come, and in more than one way." The Incubus finished off his last line as he winked at Rose.

Rose stood two feet shorter than the Incubus at 5'8". Rose would stare into the eyes of the Incubus, ignoring every word he said and focused in on killing it. Rose's eyes began to shift into their slitted form and his teeth began to morph. Once the eyes were fully complete, the human side of Rose was gone. His lips would peel back to reveal an set of fanged teeth that resembled that of a wolves in many aspects. His muscles would slightly grow, stretching his armor just a bit more. 

A deep growl escaped the esophagus of Rose and was followed with a serious of words in a very low pitched voice, "You will die. They will die. Every last one your kind will die. When I am done here, I will turn to the Holy. They will pay for the creation of you and your evil."

The Incubus was not pleased and punched at Rose with his right hand, leaving his sword in the tree. This fist did not reach its destination of Rose's face. Rose's right hand shot forward and wrapped around the fist. Rose's feet dug three inches into the ground immediately, forcing his left hand to grab the wrist of the fist. The fist stopped inches from his face that carried a smirk that he made sure the Incubus seen.

"You thought you were fighting Rose? Do you think that boy would have threatened you? He doesn't know his own power... but I do. Here, let me show you what it is!" Rose's form laughed when it was done speaking. 

Razor sharp claws ripping through Rose's fingertips, sending blood flying like a popped pimple when they first broke through. Once the tips broke from Rose's skin, they would begin piercing through the skin of the Incubus. As the claws grew, Rose tightened his grip, digging the claws as he could into the wrist and fist of the Incubus. The Incubus attempted to come in with his left hand, but as the Incubus tried, Rose dug his right foot into the groin of the Incubus. The Incubus hit the ground holding himself with his free hand while Rose still held the other. 

"Bow before me, filth!" Rose shouted at the Incubus as Rose twisted the Incubus's arm in a counter clockwise motion to move with the joints and placed himself behind the Incubus with his foot planted into the right shoulder joint to push the Incubus into the dirt and break his should while doing so.

A red pulse surged from the pendant on Rose's neck. The blood that drained from the Incubus began to rise into the air and flow back into it. Behind the Incubus blood was Rose's blood. Rose showed no mercy as he flipped the Incubus over with his mangled arm, making sure to break the bones even worse. He'd plant his left foot on the throat of the Incubus and smile that seemed so innocent.

In the snap of your fingers, the fight was over. Blood shot through the Incubus's skin in the exact pattern of it's veins. There was no mess until the chunks of flesh started to fall. The blood swirled in mid air as it would have inside the Incubus, but it ripped through the body like it was a razor line. Once the body came out of shock and the Incubus realized what happened, the remainder of the body fell apart into strips of flesh and bone. 

After the defeat of the Incubus, the Rose and the current mind in control, would have an argument of who needed to be in control. Rose used a very factual discussion and the Darkness used a more theoretical approach. The two knew they needed each other to live, but one believed in working together while the other wanted full control.  By the end of the discussion, Rose assumed control over his body again and was back in his normal mind.

Rose couldn't hear anything around him, hopefully meaning his allies were successful, and they were. The wolves were just returning from their fight when they noticed the cubed body lying under Rose. Like the other Incubus bodies, the wolves would consume the remaining chunks of body to rid of it. There was magic involved in the reason they ate the meat, but it also tasted delicious. 

When the remains were gone, the wolves nudged for Rose to follow them. The group would head towards the lighted ruins once again, this time having no more issues. Sir Hoot had decided to perch on Rose's right forearm again, this time having blood stains on it's, primarily his talons. When the group reached the ruins, they were greeted by dozens of wolves in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. In unison, every wolf, even the escorts, turned to Rose and let out a howl like they would to the Moon. When their howl was done, more howls throughout the valley could be heard; some close and some so far their howls were but whispers.

Azoni Wolf Pack home.

The communication Rose had earlier re-established itself and a scratchy elder male voice spoke to Rose, "Child, your father tended to our sick and wounded. He never betrayed our location or asked for payment. The time has come for us to repay him for the many years he blessed our pack. Please come with me, we have much to discuss!."

All the wolves but one old white and grey wolf left. This wolf resembled a Timberwolf in his looks and figure. This wolf walked towards Rose and right past him towards a smaller structure within the ruins the was probably one of the least attractive structures here.  The architecture was dull and the plants were consuming the cracked stone walls, breaking them even more. When the two reached inside the elder wolf's home, Rose noticed he had a fire going. The elder wolf made his way towards a burrow he had filled with cushion to form a comfortable bed for his old body. 

"My boy, it has been a long night for us and I am feeling weak. I am going to rest for awhile and you should do the same. I have so much to tell you and prepare you for before you reach your tribe." The elder wolf communicated before lying down and turning his head away from Rose.

Rose had no use for sleep, nor did he want to, but leaving somewhere safe to possibly be eaten by another wolf was not on the agenda either. With a slight huff, Rose pulled out a frosted plum from his sack to settle the hunger he faced that wasn't for normal food, and ate it before lying down on the soft leaves and going to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day and he didn't have much he could do on this night but go to sleep.

The Enlightened Knight and @keyes would ride down to the Village. It seemed to be one of the places that the near almighty corruption was heading towards, yet somehow the cold had not yet engulfed it.... Still the village had it's own evil powers emanating as well, the Knight could sense it. He himself rode with his Mace in one hand while his shield was in the other. A Lance had it l's uses, but I'd pounced upon by a monster a mace would be a better idea. In the places that are dark he would hold the mace high, the weapon glowing like a torch. His Lance was partially un-strapped however in case someone needed to be impaled. He would follow the road from which the unholy power would resonate, keeping an eye out for ambush, and deception, but partially relaxed for unholy beings would suffer just from being in his presence.

The Knight would ride on unphased. If anyone would do the unsettling it would be the 9'7 armoured hulk and his carnivorous horse! He would not notice the change in heat, but he would wave his hot mace around anyway, just to make a point and for there to be more light. If with him he would politely tell the Bishop to stop, dismount and cover his eye-slit with his hands. If one paid attention to the sun they could coincidentally imagine it appearing like an eye? With even more confidence than he already had, the Knight would re-mount now knowing St least some of the local geography.

The Knight knew it was faster to simply cross the river, but he knew he could do it on his own terms.... 

Odilon would nod and rest while the knight worked. While he could help using the power of Great Pretender, he did not find it beneficial to reveal the extend of his power at this time. He would keep a look out for any danger, but would not spot anything particular as the natives likely knew how to make their way through the jungle without making too much noise. When they began to cross the river he heeded the wolves' howl, the valley had been quiet to them until now and this reminded Odilon of the potential dangers out here. Once they crossed and made their way down the path he would ask what the Enlightened One thought.

"O Enlightened One. Night is falling and there are beasts prowling, whether you think we should make camp or brave onward is your decision. If you think we can continue traveling without worry we should continue, but if you believe we should rest I won't oppose, perhaps a campfire would deter predators." Odilon told the knight the options, he would stand by whichever he chose. He knew the Enlightened One was a capable warrior that could handle mere beasts, but he was also a man, and men require rest. "If you're thinking of what option would be best to keep me safe, put that thought aside. I may be a Bishop of Autumn years, but I am more capable than meets the eye. If beasts do come upon us, whichever decision you make, I will fight alongside you."

"That sounds good." Odilon dismounted his horse and would get in a meditative position. He closed his eyes and began to rest, replenishing his spiritual energy.

The young lad was listening to an Incubus give a speech. It seemed to warm him from the inside. But it felt... wrong. The doctor who healed him was always kind, he could not imagine him straying. He must have done dark deeds behind his back. Yes, that was it! He disobeyed his good masters, surely!

Odilon was irritated by the mosquitoes for a while, but after a while he had respite. His rest was interrupted thought by the roaring, he awoke from his rest immediately and stood. He was intrigued as these natives seemed to have the capability to morph into animals. They spoke of an approaching danger and it would seem it is coming.

"I don't believe they are attempting to deceive us. Let's follow them." Odilon kicks dirt onto the campfire and mounts up to follow the pride.