[h3][center][b]Inside Szazah’s Tent[/b][/center][/h3] The blind monk was unsure of what to make of what was going on inside this tent. The hard voice of the man who spoke, and his dismissal of the body that she had brought told the story of a man who had seen many battles, and had lead many more to their deaths.There wasn’t much more she could lable it as other than the traits of a military leader. With a tent of a man who had been through rough times. Raux’s chin dipped downwards to look to the body on the ground. It was interesting to see such a man as this lost soul around someone like that. Perhaps something changed this leader? Which ever it was, it was unlikly she were to find out. For now, she decided to stay in case this man wished to question her about what had happened. And so she listened. Her ears picked up the heart beats of others. She had a hard time identifying them with her nose with the scent of alcohol so strong and trapped inside this tent… but she was eventually able to make them out. The first one, and the one that stood out the most was a Capbykin. There was a strong scent of kindle and ash that lured her senses to her. If her memory served correctly she had past a tent that was burned till it was no more. There were no questions or sense of alarm among the pedestrians… so it must have been a controlled burn. He was no mere arson… the smell of blood and urbs clung to him. A doctor? Then there was likely an infection that needed to be culled. The next… this one smelled of strong alcohol, as if the water of his sweat had been replaced by it. There was a unique scent she had trouble with identifying. Not from unfamiliarity, but from rarity. A drunken beard with legs, a companion had once told her. Colloquially known as dwarf. She wasn’t able to pick up anything that would suggest a function, but stories suggest that there is never a dwarf who couldn’t beat someone to death with a door they ripped from the hinges. There was a human, he did not smell of alcohol. His breath smelled of herbs, and there was a rough tint to his scent. He sat away from the others. Did he mean to isolate himself? There was the scent of a horse on him. A knight? Cavalier? An elf. His scent was unusually pleasant. He smelt clean, saved for the few dollops of sweat that would come from moving around. He was odd… Raux had all the reason to believe he was not the sort to take to hard work… but he smelt leather and iron on him. Armor and blade. A musky dragonoid with a large hint of soot and char in the mix. It was hard to not pick this scent up. It was strong. That was not to say foul, just very noticeable. A tribal most likely. The scent spoke of a proud warrior, she could imagine him easily towering over herself. Her head tilted slowly, would he be considered average or exceptional in his tribe? His precense was definitely putting up one hell of a fight against the bitter sting of the alcohol that drifted in the air. Another human… there wasn’t much that she could identify on him of anything significance. Perhaps he was the most normal one here. Maybe she is wrong. Regardless… she continued to listen intently. The man spoke of a people, whom sounded familiar. Similar to the story that the bard she had traveled with had once told. Though his stories were more detailed and elaborate than just mere snow people. Bards had a way of making even the dullest things fascinating. But here it was rather… odd for her to hear such a plain tale. In fact… she found herself recalling the story that had captivated her. The vivid imagery. The sounds so well described by weaving words intricately to forming an atomsphere. It was like she was there herself. It was a beautiful tale. And one… that now had brought her some intrigue. The bard has said that there are truth in stories and legends. Perhaps this is such a case? But… something had caused her thoughts to come to an end. Her ears swiveled as she picked up a very light thumping. A thumping of a heartbeat somewhere behind her. She tilted her head inquisitively and turned to look to the exit, though seeing nothing. Her nostrils flared, but she couldn’t find any new scents. Well… it is possible it was a child. And it wasn’t much longer till the speech was over. The warlord… had walked past her without a word. She supposed… she didn’t have to stay. But hearing this conversation had intrigued her. In a way… she wanted to witness this wonder for herself. She had no obligation to follow, and she was not expected to. But from what she could understand… these people who were in the tent were expendable enough that no one would care, and chasing legends no one knew was true or not. She spun on her heals, following after the human with the eyepatch. Her ears flicked when she heard the familiar hiss of the afternoon rain hit her hood. The cool water even ran down the sides of her snout. Her nostrils flared for a moment. She picked up many different scents. But most importantly, those of the group who left. Each one had ran off in their own directions… one apparently joined by another. She slowly sturned about and walked aimlessly through the camp. She had no plans on stopping anywhere. She simply wanted to be left to her own thoughts. She continued to poke about, her staff occasionally knocking against a stationary object to warn her of it’s presence before she tripped over it, or bumped into it. But… eventually she found herself in an area of the camp. The ground felt as if very few people often come here. Her head slowly swiveled. Her ears rotating to find any signs of distractions. And all she could hear were the sounds of children playing. Satisfied, she lifted a foot and spun on the other. She spun in place, her staff swinging off with her momentum and sliding in her hands. Her grip tightened as she felt a notch signaling she was near the end of the length and prevented it from going any further. Her spin came to an end with the lifted leg tucking it’s foot behind the other’s knee. The staff continued with the momentum spinning around and clapping gently against the back of her kneck. Her other hand reached up to grab the free end and hold it in place. With one deep breath, her standing leg lowered her body to the ground in a sitting position. Another deep breath, and one hand fell from the end of her staff and into her lap. The other guided the butt between her legs, and allowed the length to rest on her shoulders. The fur of her cheek lightly brushed and kissed the smooth wood. She breathed deeply once more, and soon her sightless eyes were closed behind their coverings. She drew her next breath. The world began to feel as if it was speeding up around her as she exhaled. One final breath… and it felt as if the world around her didn’t exist. Soon, she heard her own voice in her thoughts, singing. There were no words, but a beautiful harmony echoing in the abyss. A gentle creature brushed past her hands. A light bleat drifted into her ears. She felt it stroll around from her back and into her lap. Soon she was gently petting a creature she could not see, but very clearly describe. A lamb. [h3][center][b]The Moving; Nearly an Hour later[/b][/center][/h3] The lamb stirred in her lap and lifted it’s head. It quickly hopped out of Raux’s lap and landed on nothing. And as strange as this was… she heard the sounds of hooves in the abyss when the creature trotted away. The monk sighed, her breath made no sound here. Suppose it was time to return to reality. The world soon returned with a distinct sensation. She felt and heard everything in a matter of seconds. Footsteps rapidly slapping the ground and veering off in many directions. The few curious footsteps that drew close but not near enough to wake her, before wandering off. The rain drilling into her for mere moments before finally letting up into nothing. Her breathing returned to it’s normal rate, just as the world began to slow down. Her eyes opened. And soon she rose to a stand. She took a deep breath and gave her legs a light shake. She pushed one out to the side, and crouched down to stretch the muscles, and did the same for the other. Once done, she turned and began to retrace her steps. It wasn’t long till she was back at the area in front of the tent. The rain had stopped and her hood had been let down. She took a sniff. The scents of those that were going on this journey were still there. But they had veered off in many directions. Following one may leave her to be tardy as she’d only be retracing their steps. She could not explain it… but instincts and simple knowledge allowed her to find her way, somewhat, in the wild. She felt a ‘tug’ that usually leads her to her next destination. The occasional whisper, or conversation guided the course of this tug to her next desired location. But in cities? It disappears. It still was not a problem as the layouts were often predictable. But here… She frowned when she found that left only one option that wasn’t foolish. An option she hated… relying on someone else. The edge of her lips diped downwards as she turned herself to the sound of a footstep. It felt as if her pride had already slipped the noose around its own neck. She held out her hand and a hard shell meet her palm. Metal. The soldier looked down to Raux with a raised brow. He was about to respond with a generic response and well practiced response till he realized what had stopped him. His eyes lit up, and he nearly choked on his own breath. [b]“O-oh! A Raksha! I don’t believe I have seen many of your kind,”[/b] The man’s voice ringed out. Outside of the excitement in his tone, his voice was young with rough edges. A middle aged man with enough experience in his belt to potentially become a mercenary later for a free company when this war was over. Should he survive. [color=salmon]“I do not believe I have seen much of my own kin either,”[/color] Raux spoke in her soft voice. She smiled at her own small joke. [color=salmon]“Now I do not mean to be a burdon, but is it possible that you can take me to the exit? This place…”[/color] She looked around blindly. [color=salmon]“The layout is a bit alien to me.”[/color] The soldier’s brow quirked confusedly till they found the wrappings covering her eyes. He made a soft sound and a nod. [b]“Of course! But… ma’am… where do you plan to go?”[/b] Before she could answer, she felt his hand take hers. A tug and the splatter of mud told her they were moving. She felt her cheeks burn furiously, and her tail waved to display her annoyance when she stumbled along. If he had noticed, he didn’t show it. [color=salmon]“An adventure,”[/color] She chirped when she managed to bring her feet back under herself, and matched the pace of the other. The man bawked in surprise, like she had said something ridiculous. “An… an adventure?” [color=salmon]“Yes,” [/color]And that was all Raux said. She could feel the discomfort in the notion through the man’s hand. She could even hear him nervously scratching under his helmet. [b]“Uhm… miss… are you… really…” [/b]He looked behind himself down to the wrappings that covered her eyes. The monk smiled, and moved a thumb under the wraps. She pushed the cloth away to reveal the worthless organs, and allowed her hand to fall back to her side. Now uncovered, they shifted a bit and slowly rolled to blindly follow the sound of the man’s breathing. When they stopped, he could see them clearly. Silver had completely overtaken the eyris and had completely covered the pupils. If she was born without her birth defect, she’d have greenish-blue eyes as evidence by a barely visible ring where the iris should be. She felt the man’s hand tighten around hers. [b]“That…”[/b] there was a hint of pitty in his voice. Her tail flicked and her smile soon warped to a frown. The man’s voice caught in his throat when. He understood very quickly that she was one of the sorts who valued independence. He inhaled through his teeth and spoke again. [b]“Ma’am are you serious? It’s not safe out there!”[/b] [color=salmon]“I am aware.”[/color] Her expression went flat, and her gaze turned towards the direction they were heading. Her grip tightened on her staff. [b]“Ma’am… I can’t in good conscience let you go alone.”[/b] The beastkin tilted her head thoughtfully. That was a curious statement. Her tongue flicked out, and slid along her hips before she spoke. [color=salmon]“And why not?”[/color] [b]“Because it is not right… you’re blind! There’s wild creatures, cliffs, rivers, and bandits! Ma’am you should know that there are some men out there so fowl they will have no mercy to give you! They will do more than take your belongings, they may try for your body or your life!”[/b] Her ear flicked. [color=salmon]"But what would damage your conscience more… letting a blind woman have her freedom and live a short life and die by her own means - and be happy till the end. Or to be miserable, and taken care of. To feel as if you are a burden by forcing others to take time out of their lives?”[/color] The man clamped his teeth together, creating an audible clack. This question just felt like a mine field. One answer would be going against his internal morals, and she’d win the argument. The other would align with his views… but give her ammo to play the guilt card on him. [b]“Now that is not fair!”[/b] The woman grinned, and began to giggle. [color=salmon]“Yes… that question was designed to put you at a disadvantage.”[/color] Her head tilted to one side. [color=salmon]“I do realize the-”[/color] She cut herself off when her nose picked up some horrible stench. She gagged, and made a horrible noise when her hands quickly moved to clutch her nose. That horrible and overbearing musk had practically set her nerve endings on fire, and sent a swirl of nausia into her mind. She nearly collapsed to her knees from the sudden blast if the man hadn’t caught him. [color=salmon]“Ma’am!? Something wrong?! Ma’am!?”[/color] the soldier called out in alarm. She raised a hand to silence him. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She was able to identify it very easily. It was the scent of a stallion in rutt. It was a very sharp stench with a bitter afterbite that mingled with a smell so unique… it could only be described as ‘horse’. Pheromones teased her nose like no tomorrow, they had no effect on her, but they smelled horrible. What’s worse is they were hard to ignore each one was unique, as each one had came from a singular mare. How many mares has this damned horse been with?! She tasted bile on her tongue when it swirled in her mouth. She swallowed, then open her jaws to take a breath. Oh what a mistake that was. She could taste it. She could taste it all. She wretched, more bile rolled on her tongue and she was quick to swallow. [b] “Ma’am? Are you ill?”[/b] The Cougar like beastkin slowly shook her head. She was about to respond… but she heard a strange commotion. Someone being ordered off of their horse. There were voices going back and forth. One angered, one calm. And one… that seemed interested in a fight. She mentally cried when she dared to smell the air once more. She inhaled deeply with her jaws open to taste the air. The musky and horny horse rolled across her tongue and nearly caused her to vomit once more. She fought it back with teary eyes. But… there were two scents she was familiar with. The human who sat alone, and the dragonoid. Her head lifted up queasily, and she tugged the man’s hand. [color=salmon]“What is happening ahead of us?”[/color] [b]“Uhh… looks like a fight’s about to start. A little one sided though... “[/b] he trailed off when he felt the woman’s hand leave his. He looked down to his side, and managed to just catch her making her way to the group. He reached out to try and stop her… but he paused for a moment. He thought about what she said, and gritted his teeth. One foot was already raised to chase after her… but it lowered… she wasn’t going to do anything stupid… right? Raux, made her way blindly. Her ears swiveling and her staff lightly teasing the ground in front of her. She worked her way around the skin heads, and soon stopped next to the Dragonoid, and the Human. The scent of the horse… thankfully was downwind of her. She could still smell it… but at least it wasn’t as bad. [color=salmon]“If you do not mind, I have decided to come with you on your quest…”[/color] She said softly with a polite bow. Her snout soon slowly turned to face the six men. Her ears swiveled to each one. Six heart beats.. Many were elevated. They were planning on a fight… there would be no way to disarm this situation peacefully. [color=salmon]“... and it appears this adventure has already been waylaid. Why are these men eager to make a stand against you two…. Erm…… uhm…..”[/color] She paused for a moment, and tilted her head. She didn’t even know their names. But they knew hers. [color=salmon]“I am afraid I know not your names. Would you mind sharing them now, or later?” [/color] --- Summary: She's gotten accustomed to the scents of those in the tent. She waited for nearly an hour. Had a soldier lead her to the bout. Asked for names. For continuity purposes, her eyes are currently expose.