[amapup]

The Drakelph sighed as she released the spell. She hadn't thought it was an illusion, and had merely been trying to create an illusion of sorts herself. Apparently, though, there was stronger magic at work here. If that was the case, there would be no use in trying to reword the spell. She turned her head as Valdemar spoke. "I can technically create illusions too, with my spells," she said at he remarked on Julian's ability. "However, for me it is is not really a skill or trait, so my view of her" - here she nodded to the Fellox - "is not as 'impaired'." Suddenly remebering the witchlights, which were now floating lazily along the ground, she made a slight hand gesture and the witchlights disappeared.

She listened curiously as they all revealed they were here for the same thing - a library. At Lok-Simai's question, she shook her head. "No, I'm here for something completely different. A... scouting trip, you could say." The Drakelph's tail twitched as her eyes shone excitedly. All this talk had piqued her interest. "What exactly is this library? Why is it so special?" she asked curiously. Her thoughts swirled as she remembered something Cipactli had just said. The most fantastical libraries pale in comparison. "Map or not, surely if all of you have come here, and are all searching for the same thing, then it must be nearby? You don't meet a lot of people wandering around the Tengel, and certainly not all searching for the same thing." Would there be books there, and ancient stories, on how to catch a Moonling? Mm, maybe. But it wouldn't be just that, of course not. There could be all sorts of scientific records there! She remembered the first time she'd gone to a library, with the two Tali, searching through the aisles. There had been that book written by some pompous narcissistic Magistry. She almost giggled at the thought, but stifled it, not wanting to appear to be laughing for no reason. There was no guarantee of finding it, but she'd probably get some scouting work done in it anyways. She'd help these people.

[Kodai]

Well, at least Cipactli hadn't injured himself. That would have been a problem, as Julian had no idea what sort of help he could offer a creature made out of stone. ...There wasn't really much he could offer someone made of flesh and blood, either, but that was besides the point.

"Ah, but that is the problem!" Valdemar announced proudly to the Lok–Simanai, deciding to explain before Julian could. "He sees too well! His vision, it goes straight through."

"He's quite right," the man added, trying to take control of the explanation before Valdemar had the chance to start confusing people. "Because I am trained in the art, I know exactly how to recognize illusions – the vast majority, anyway – and therefore they do not have their full effect on me." He stared at the Fellox a little while longer. "Your case is rather unusual, however... I imagine your form must already be quite transparent for you to appear as you do to me."

'Ja, it is," Valdemar reassured him, and then looked down at the Drakelph. "Like he says," he nodded towards Cipactli, "it is a rumor of a most fantastic and ancient library. Julian, he wishes to see what books could be there." Looking suddenly thoughtful (and more than a little mischievous), the cat turned to his companion. "Ehhh, you are not going to steal?"

Julian was quite taken aback by the accusation, staring at Valdemar blankly.

"W... What? Why would you even..."

The cat burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Dein Gesichtsausdruck ist unbezahlbar!" He failed to rouse himself out of his amusement for several minutes, but eventually managed to calm himself. "Ahh... That was... ahaha... but, for serious, what did you plan? You do not even have copy material with you."

"...I was hoping to find the library before I attempted to bring all that," Julian replied, having quickly recovered from his initial shock. "And frankly, I've no idea how I'd carry several bales of paper through a rainforest."

"Bales? That much, really? What, did you plan to spend the next 500 years copying?"

"...At any rate, we'll never get there by remaining here." The man looked to the others standing around. "Shall we move on?"

[Mousen]

Before Cipactli had a chance to open his mouth, a bright red four-legged creature whizzed past him before skidding to a halt. The four legged creature had bright blue eyes and a ballama floating dreamily about it's head. for whatever reason, it seemed to be in a hurry. Out of breath and panicking slightly, Nazahuatl turned to the hunter.

"Cip... Cipactli, y'know ... how you said to...  watch Taurmynt?" Naz, was exceptionally fast and not the kind to tire particularly quickly, but Cipactli had managed to travel some distance from the camp. Aside from sheer breathlessness, embarrassment and horror were scrawled across his face.

"Not again, Nazahuatl, surely he didn't manage to slip by you again?" The previous Cipactli, the lighthearted tree-conversationalist, seemed to have vanished. In its place was a rather tired, exasperated one. It wasn't Naz's fault, he couldn't be expected to watch the man like a hawk. Even then, if Taurmynt (who was, by the way, one of the more dangerous people Cipactli knew) got it into his head to leave, there wasn't much the boy could do. Taurmynt's daughter however...

"That's not the problem, Cipactli."
"What do you mean it's not the problem, you just told me what the problem was. Surely your brains didn't leak out your ears during your marathon, eh?"
"No! I meant that Cualli left the village with some guy and Taurmynt wasn't impressed."
If Cipactli wasn't made of stone, most of the colour would have drained from his face. "Oh dear, this can't end well. Oh, I do so hate head hunters. They give us jungle dwellers a bad name, especially if every time a Nabias boy chases after Cualli they end up missing a few limbs." Still, maybe there would be less dismemberment if Cualli would stop chasing them first.

After thinking about it for several moments, Cipactli turned to the rest of the group. "Well, there's been a bit of an incident, or there will be, if I don't go and sort things out. Erm... I like to avoid incidents if I can. As much as I'd love to help you find the library, I find myself in quite the predicament. If you find anything, feel free to drop by my village. It's to the west of here, I believe. We may be able to help you in some way." With that apology he and the suncheeka disappeared into the foliage of the jungle.

(( [Nazahuatl and Cipactli have left] One thousand apologies, my dear friends. Deadlines dislike me... I find them morbid.))

[Shieba]

Well, the Hunter had taken Julian's idea of "moving on" quite literally or so it seemed. The Lok-Simanai watched him disappearing into the jungle until even she, up in the air, couldn't see him anymore. She had absolutely no clue what he had been going on about, but well, it seemed to be important and possibly dangerous as well, so it was good that he would be dealing with it. The Lok-Simanai was pretty much invincible unless someone attacked her mind thanks to her form, but she still hated seeing war and bloodshed since she also found herself unable to do anything if it happened.

"Well, that was quite the interesting fellow." She looked down at the remaining group. "I doubt he'll return, so I suppose we really should move on." Suddenly, she was part of a team, how very interesting. "I have scouted around this area for days and found no trace of a library. But I also am a stranger to this world and, unable to bring anything material with me that is not attached to my body, have no access to a map or anything of that kind." She looked down to Julian. "You will most likely be the one with the most information. Where should we move on to?"

She wondered if the Drakelph was right and them meeting all here meant their common goal was nearby. "A scouting trip, you say? Well, would you be interested in joining our cause? Your abilities might be of great use." It was an odd group, that was for sure, but different talents also meant more possibilities for their search.

[amapup]

(Sorry for the late reply. I'm just doing a summary thing so you know how to reply, since I really dont have time for a full one right now. I'll be gone over the weekend, but I'll try to carve time out when I come back to brush this up)

The Drakelph nodded at Valdemars answer but frowned, still unsatisfied. When the Suncheeka landed, she approached the Ballama curiously. She had never seen one before, especially a red one. The Ballama just turned it's head though, so she backed away. At the Hunter's departure, she said "Hope to see you again soon!" At the Fellox's words, she said "Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Look at the other two she asked about the legends, in terms of location, descriptions, etc. Her tail snagged on a branh and she turned around to try and get it off.

[Kodai]

Both man and cat watched curiously as the Hunter was approached by a Suncheeka with a Ballama and called away. How unfortunate... Aside from being interesting company, he might've been able to help with navigation. Turning again to the others, then out to the depths of the rainforest and back, Julian admitted, "I've only a general idea of what direction to go, but I'm confident that I'll be able to lead us there. Progress will be slow, however, since navigation is considerably more difficult without at least a compass..."

"That you did not take. Tsk tsk!" Valdemar chided him, trotting off a few steps and then sitting so that he could look up at the man. "Really, I should leave you to fate."

"So you've brought it, then," Julian said simply, crossing his arms.

"Das will ich meinen," replied the feline, proceeding to partly ignore his companion by raising his claws and inspecting them.

Sighing, Julian rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Very well. I'll wait. Do remember, though, that we're not the only ones here – some people may wish to leave this forest before the end of the next century."

That statement made the cat grumble a bit before finally stating exasperatedly, "Bah! Okay. But it is just for die Damen." Quite suddenly, there was no longer a cat sitting there. Instead, a short, fair-skinned humanoid with spiky black hair had taken its place. Reaching into the folds of the cloth that served him as clothing, Valdemar fished out the compass and strode forward to hand it off to Julian. "You should not be so lucky next time, to have me do this."

"Danke," replied Julian graciously, taking the small object in his hand so that he could determine the direction they ought to be going in. After a few moments, he nodded and slipped the compass into one of his coat pockets. "I wasn't too badly off-course, after all. Shall we be going, then?"

[Shieba]

The Lok-Simanai watched the exchange below her with great interest. The ether translated all of the words into her native tongue for her, just like it translated her own to the language of Evelon when she spoke to others, but it intrigued her that there were obviously two different ones spoken right now. Maybe these two weren't native as well? Or at least not to this part of Evelon?

Well, the...not-anymore cat surely was an interesting creature like the Lok-Simanai had never seen one before. Talking felines were obviously not uncommon to this world, but those who could turn into really small-looking humans? She hadn't seen that much of Evelon yet, but that seemed a bit unusual, even for this world. And he was really oddly clothed for this place, too.

"How very kind to think of us ladies", she replied. "Be assured I am grateful that you brought the compass." It was nice that someone would have a clue where to go. She had been stuck in this green place for far too many days. "Will you be fine, though, Mr. Valdemar? You are not ethereal like me and clothed like this, you might get injured. I am sure some of the plants would scratch your skin quite badly if you stayed in this form." Julian didn't seem bothered by the idea that his friend would get hurt. "I myself am good to go, yes. I hope we aren't that far away. I can not keep up the spell which keeps me in this world without rest, but I should be able to do so for a few more hours. If there is anything I can assist with - scouting or the like - please don't hesitate to tell me."

[amapup]

With a couple fierce tugs and a small grunt, the Drakelph freed her tail, stumbling backwards in the process. She looked at her tail end, dismayed by the ruffled appearance and the tuft of fur that was now stuck to the bush. Ugh. She licked her tail, smoothing out where some fur was now missing. She was about to turn back to face her new found party, when a glint from under the bush caught her eye. What could that be?

Crouching on all fours, she crawled partway under the bush.Her paw grasped whatever it was. and she wiggled out the object in her hand. The Drakelph gave a brisk shake and adjusted her hat, which had been about to fall off. Then she turned to the object held in her forepaws. A white stone. What a human would probably consider a pebble. She rolled it from hand to hand, examining it couriously. Nothing remarkable about that. There were two things that caught her attention though. There were very few stones in the Tengel, much less ones that were pure white. She should know - she felt that exploring the jungle floor for the past few hours  gave her the ability to find such. And two - she thought the felt a trace, the absolute smallest, of magic on this stone. She held it up to her eye level. "Uuh ro uuy?" she asked it quietly. "Iiw ro uuy reeh?" She didn't expect an answer, and she didn't get one. She redirected her attention to the group, her eyes widening to see the little man now there. My, Valdemar certainly proved to be an interesting character. And the language they spoke casualy was not one that she had ever heard.

She could tell, though, that her question hadn't been answered. Maybe they hadn't heard her? Though there had to be some - the compass and accompaning reactions proved it. She'd ask again. "Aren't there any more parts to the legends? Kiil nushaakool? Raew ti zi, uuh tlib ti, eene zeludir, zeluzup, zuulk?" The Drakelph was so eager in her questioning, and hearing the constant change between languages, she didn't realize she was speaking in the wrong one.

Uuh ro uuy? - Who are you?
Iiw ro uuy reeh? - Why are you here?
Kiil nushaakool? Raew ti zi, uuh tlib ti, eene zeludir, zeluzup, zuulk? - Like location? Where it is, who built it, any riddles, puzzles, clues?

[Kodai]

Valdemar actually seemed to be quite surprised that the Lok-Simanai had understood what he had said. Sure, she could have inferred that he had been referring to herself and the Drakelph, but the fact that she knew the term specifically had been 'ladies' was what got him. "Eh, eh, I think I cannot say anything wrong now!" the humanoid laughed, looking up at the ghostly Fellox. As for her other statements... "Haha, you are not concerned for me. I simply go as this–" here the humanoid gave a rather fancy flip and transformed into a blue fireball again, "–and there is no problem!" He floated up to his favored perch on Julian's shoulder, watching curiously as the Drakelph appeared to find something. As for the man himself, he only turned his attention to the Lok-Simanai and nodded at her offer of assistance.

"That would actually be much appreciated. Since you are able to travel above the treeline, you might be able to help with navigation, as well. If you would be so kind as to tell me the position of the sun...?"

It was at that point that the Drakelph repeated her query, causing Valdemar to turn back into a cat momentarily for the express purpose of smacking Julian upside the head. "You are being asked a question! Be attentive!"

Having had his attention refocused, the man replied, "I can't understand her, and you know that. You need to be my translator, Valdemar."

The flame tilted sideways a little. "Feh, but that is no excuse to ignore her." Never mind the fact that he himself had missed her question the first time around. "She is asking about die Legenden, for the library."

"Ah… Yes, I have heard of one," Julian answered, turning his gaze to the Drakelph (as she was the one that had asked). "The scholars of one of the older civilizations of this region, seeing the chaos their people had fallen into, decided to protect the knowledge they had gained over the centuries by placing their writings within a library. As protector, they chose a Kasuga, giving it their blessing so that it would serve faithfully for eternity. However, one of the demi-gods of the Triumvirate's Death God, Xai're, sought the knowledge contained within the library. It could not gain entrance, though, due to the ingenuity of the guardian, and was forced to return to the heavens. The guardian, in turn, was cursed by the demi-god, and ever after desired vengeance…" He paused. "I've no idea if any of it is true, but a bit of extra caution in an area such as this wouldn't hinder us."

[Shieba]

The Lok-Simanai gave Valdemar an amused look. "The ether translates all languages to me as long as it knows mine and those of yours - and since the ether is touched by all of our souls, there is no language you can possibly speak that it doesn't know. I don't speak your language, but you understand me well, too. Another spell I've woven into my appearance here." She watched how Valdemar transformed again. "What an incredible skill. Though I can transfer my mind, my appearance stays the same. This must be quite convenient."

She nodded at Julian's request. "I will check." Hovering up and down was far more difficult for her than moving back and forth, but she was experienced enough with this world's ether by now. Having no compass herself, she could only spot the sun's general direction before flying down again and beckoning with her head to the left. "It's almost midday, or so it seems. The sun stands in this direction."

The Lok-Simanai listened silently to the legend Julian told. It had been smart of the Drakelph to ask. Her master had known nothing but that there was a library, but nothing of its lore, as he wasn't from this world to begin with. "A Death God's servant cursed a holy being?" She sighed. Was the battle of light and darkness raging on in all worlds she visited? "I can assist in battle only if it involves the ether, for I can manipulate it freely. Not as good as the one in my world, but I am quite sure I could stop the casting of spells for some time. Physical, however, I am helpless. While invincible in that regard myself, it also means I can make no impact on creatures this way, either. Let us hope there will be no battle awaiting us." She wondered how powerful this little group was. The little Drakelph seemed to know quite a few spells and Valdemar seemed to have powers as well. Julian was adept in illusions, but how well could these serve in a fight? She could only hope for the best. Yes, she was a battlefield messanger for her master, but that did not mean that she enjoyed seeing fights.

[amapup]

The Drakelph sighed as she realized her mistake. What was wrong with her today? Well, it ws too late to take it back now, And Julian was already replying. Despite being an animal, the intent look on her face was unmistakable as she listened to the legend. "Hmm.." she said, her tail twitching as she absentmindedly brought her paw to her chin. So there would be a guardian; a Kasuga, to be exact. She had only scarcely heard the name though. "I'm afraid I don't know much about Kasugas..." Although legends weren't proven to be true, it was the only thing they had to go by. It was best to be prepared.

Wait. Memories flashed into her mind, from when sh had been trying to find out more on Moonlings, the two Tali's she'd lost contact with...

The library! The huge one in Lamenolai was sure to have something on Kasugas... assuming she could find it in all those shelves. Her eyes lit with excitement, she was about to voice her thoughts. Th Lok-Simanai started talking irst, though, and and the Drakelph ad to hol her tongue for a while as she cocked her ears at the Fellox. She hadn't really thought about battling, though it was a good point. Her mind wandered back to the battling arena. "That would be a good idea, but my magic is the only thing I can really fight with." She
held er paw above her head. "I'm not exactly good 'physically'."

"I do have another idea real quick though," she piped up. "I know of a library, in Lamenolai, that has a lot of books. They're bound to have something on Kasugas, and possibly even the legend. Assuming their is a guardian, I could teleport there quickly ad see if I could find anything? We never know what could be helpful or not." She sat on her haunches, looking around for reactions. She hoped that Valdemar would translate for her, Julian's input was needed on this as well. It could also be a bad idea, leaving the group behind. And she didn't know how long she would be gone.

[Kodai]

"Well, that is something, then!" Valdemar remarked. "To translate all speech... You would be lucky to have that, eh?" His attention turned to his companion, and though he had no visible face, his tone had the hint of a smile. "Or maybe you do not need this? You know so many now, hahaha!"

"I may know more than most, but I hardly know that many," Julian replied, and then dropped that subject to focus on figuring out their position. Even though he now had the compass, he wanted to find out if he had been going in the right direction from the start and how badly off-course they were (if at all). As he did that, Valdemar once again focused on the Lok-Simanai.

"Battle, what? You are thinking of that so fast?" he asked, sounding quite surprised. "Why do you think this? We are not Diener des Todes; why it would want to fight us?" The flame fell quiet for only a moment before adding, "Perhaps of course it may be true, that it would attack, but I do not think you should worry about that so much."

Suddenly Julian gave a short "Ah!" and faced the others, looking pleased. "I wasn't so badly off as I feared, though admittedly I've been doing my best to avoid losing my way. Now... What were we discussing?" He had heard the Drakelph chittering away, but without Valdemar offering a translation (hah! a language that he didn't know!), he couldn't be sure what she was saying. Perking up, Valdemar danced as he explained the Drakelph's words.

"She says maybe she can teleport to Lamenolai, to find information on the Kasuga. They are both thinking we are to be in a fight, when we find it." He still seemed to be amused by this. "How interesting that would be, eh? Four Magier against the holy beast!"

"If the legend is true, and if it still happens to be there," Julian replied. "At any rate, I don't believe there'd be much more information on that particular individual than what I've told you. As for the species itself, I know that it is a deer-like creature possessing cold-fire... but I couldn't tell you if it has any special abilities beyond that. If you'd like to try to gather more information, please feel free... assuming you can find us again?" He had no idea how the Drakelph's teleportation ability worked, but if she was offering, then she must know how to return. "I don't think it'd be difficult to find information on the species, and I have no trouble with waiting until you return." It was up to the Lok-Simanai to decide if she wanted to continue or not, though it was likely that she wouldn't mind having more knowledge to work with as well.

"Heh, you are all taking this so serious," sighed Valdemar, still hovering in his spot on Julian's shoulder. "I still do not think there is a reason for worry, but I guess it is like they say: Ich gehe auf Nummer Sicher."

[Shieba]

The Lok-Simanai was taken quite by surprise by Valdemar's words. While she lived in a world of peace, the master she assisted was at war and she had seen rarely something else but battlefields the last years. Had it affected her so much already? "I apologize. It seems my normal profession as spy and battlefield messenger comes through. I am...sadly not used to see people find peaceful solutions to conflicts." That was the downside to fighting along a white god against a dark one - there was no agreement there at all. She should probably spend more time with mortals, where there was no true black and white.

"Teleport?" She looked at the Drakelph, surprised. "That is quite the ability." In her world and the world of her master, only gods and their subordinates knew that skill. Having no idea if it was a common magic in this world, though, the Lok-Simanai didn't ask further questions and concentrated more on the matter on hand. "I know nothing about Kasugas, being not from this world, but yes, more information would always be very welcome. Then again, as I said, I can not hold the spell bringing me into this world forever and need to rest, too. While I'm fine for a few more hours, this could pose a problem if research would indeed take so long."

Yeah, what would she do if she had to rest and would lose the group this way? She had no real way of finding them again. Valdemar left a rather special signature in the ether, but it was nothing she would be able to sense from a great distance. "I admit I don't know how I would find you again in the case we got separated, so I would prefer if we would move on", she finally had to admit.

[amapup]

The Drakelph put her paw on her chin, carefully thinking of her response to the quetions. Though she didn't have much time after the Fellox spoke, as she didn't want to destroy any of their confidence. "I can teleport anywhere I've been before, or that I have a good enough idea of where it is," she said slowly. "...I could go to the library and gather the information as quickly as I can, then when I teleport back here I could cast some sort of spell to track you guys down..." Or I could use my nose if all else fails. I'm not a canine, but it's certainly better than a human's. She looked up at the Lok-Siminai. "You guys could continue without me; it should be easy enough to catch up." They had been in the same place for a while, and she could sense their irritation. You can't exactly conduct a search when you're rooted to one spot.

A look of determination crossed the Drakelph's face. She wasn't going to hold them back any longer. "I'll be back soon!" she promised, grinning. "Don't wait up! Kaat eem uut uth eeraerbiil ni Iiloonemal."

And with a puff of green smoke, she was gone.

(ooc: Really sorry for the delay, I've been busy and distracted and so on.    Considering she's at the library, and I have school starting up soon anyways, feel free to skip my turn. She is coming back though. )

[Kodai]

Julian was about to address the Lok-Simanai's concerns about time when the Drakelph started chittering away and then vanished in a puff of green smoke. Ah, well. It looked like the little creature had made her own decision. "What was it she said, Valdemar?" he asked the flame beside his shoulder.

"Eh, she says to keep going," he replied in a tone that suggested a shrug. "She does not think it so hard to find you again."

"Very well, then," the man nodded, and glanced up at the floating Fellox. "Let's move on." Compass in hand, Julian began moving through the dense tropical undergrowth, seemingly unhindered by the relatively tall plants. As he walked, he spoke, trying to both navigate and hold a conversation at the same time. "I'm afraid I must admit that I'm not sure how much further we have to travel. It's entirely possible that we may end up spending several days in our attempt to reach our destination, and I would like to have a plan in case you are forced to return to your plane, but I am not quite sure what I might do to help."

"You are Illusionist," Valdemar pointed out. "Make something and put it above us. It is simple."

The man faltered slightly in his response. "Ah… Well… I suppose that could work, if…" He trailed off and then looked up at the Lok-Simanai, which made him pause in his walking (and subsequently earned him a flare-up from Valdemar, forcing him to look forward and start going again). "It may sound a foolish question, but can you see illusions, Lok-Simanai?"

If the Fellox didn't think his question was foolish, the flame sure did. "How useless! Just because you are Magier and do not see illusions so well, it does not mean everyone making illusions is this way! She is seeing you well enough now, ja?"

Julian paused again, but not because he was turning to speak with the Lok-Simanai. "That's… There's no reason she wouldn't," he said simply before continuing to pass through the plants.

If Valdemar had possessed a face in this form, he would have given his companion an odd look. "You… You are not keeping with the time, are you?" he asked, before letting out an exasperated huff. "You are so very poor with this, if there is no Zeitplan."