[center][h1][color=yellow][b][u]Karamir[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

[hr]
"So that's it, then. He's gone."

Karamir looked to Shynir and nodded sadly.

The four sat under the shade of a large tree. All three of Karamir's siblings now wore furs and animal skins. Fenris had donned the garments without complaint, while Shynir and Gorm had tried to protest the necessity of clothing, but Karamir managed to convince them otherwise.

Now, a melancholic mood had swept over them, their initial reactions to their new forms swept aside as the topic that brought them to Karamir in the first place inevitably came up again. Kalmar's death.

"We walked these lands for years," Fenris said, his gaze downcast. Even in his Vallamir form, he was still missing an eye. Either he had chosen not to give his new form one, or he had been unable. "We guarded it against threats. Kept order. All for him. And now, he's gone..."

"I killed so many ghouls for him," Gorm whispered, staring at his hands.

"Does Melantha know?" Shynir had asked.

[color=yellow]"Melantha?"[/color] Karamir asked as Fenris looked up. The wolfman and the birdwoman exchanged a glance, while Gorm seemed confused.

"The Goddess of Darkness..." Fenris said.

"They were close," Shynir added.

Karamir sighed. [color=yellow]"If I ever see her, I'll tell her,"[/color] he told them. [color=yellow][i]Like I've had to tell everyone else...[/i][/color] Everytime he spoke of it, it became easier to talk about, yet it still hurt.

[color=yellow]"Listen,"[/color] Karamir said after an awkward silence. [color=yellow]"You're the closest thing I have to siblings."[/color] Fenris and Gorm nodded immediately at this, while Shynir bit her tongue. [color=yellow]"Our father wanted me to take up his role as protector of this land, and I intend to honour that request. But I can't do alone. Whatever obligation you had to Father, I won't hold you to it. If you wish to move on, you are free to leave and pursue your own goals. But... I would appreciate it if you stayed."

"Oh, brother!" Gorm grinned. "Of course I'll stay!" He pounded a fist on Karamir's knee, causing the Hunter's Son to wince slightly.

"I see no reason to abandon my duty," Fenris said seriously, with a nod of his head.

"Leave this land?" Shynir shook her head, and smiled. "I've watched them for years. Now, I can finally [b]be[/b] one of them..."

Karamir sighed with relief. [color=yellow]"Thank you,"[/color] he said.

"So, why don't you tell us of your own travels?" Shynir asked him.

[hr]
And so, he had. Everything from when the point where he left the Palace of Dreams. But eventually, he reached the point where he had visited Laurienna. He realized he would have to tell them about Laurien, which meant he had to tell them about her attempt to kill Orvus so they would understand why she tried to kill him. And while he was at it, he figured he might as well mention that, as revealed to him by Arae, it was Laurien's attempt to kill Orvus which led to Abraxas's creation - the being that killed his own father.

So, Karamir opened with Laurien's attempted patricide and Abraxas's creation, and [i]then[/i] described his visit to Laurienna, eventually concluding in the decayal of his soul and his escape.

"She did [i]what?[/i]" Shynir asked, wide-eyed, as Fenris grit his teeth and Gorm clenched his fists.

[color=yellow]"She tried to kill me to keep a secret that wasn't even a secret, and then decayed my soul when that didn't work, yes,"[/color] Karamir confirmed bitterly.

"And all for... for [i]nothing...[/i]" Shynir hissed, as anger overtook her and her own fists curled into balls. "We should flay her alive... and make her eat her own skin..."

"Smashing in her skull would do it," Gorm shrugged.

"So long as she dies, it doesn't matter how," Fenris said drily, before looking to Shynir. "Though, the longer it takes, the more likely the prey is to escape..."

Shynir returned his gaze but then dropped it, conceding the argument. "Fine," she said, and then looked back to Karamir. "She'll still die for this, right?" she asked.

Karamir hesitated for a moment. [color=yellow]"We need more information,"[/color] he said, after a moment's thought.

"More information?" Fenris asked, perplexed. "What else is there to know? She nearly killed you."

[color=yellow]"I need to know why,"[/color] Karamir said.

"But you know why!" Shynir protested. "She thought you were going to learn that she tried to kill her own father, and wanted to silence you before you found out."

Karamir shook his head. [color=yellow]"That's not what I meant,"[/color] he said. [color=yellow]"Why did she think killing me was the best way to keep her secret? Why did she try to kill her own father in the first place? Who else has she killed? What drove her to do all that?"[/color]

"Does it matter?" Shynir asked. "Whatever happened to her, she still chose her path. She's the reason our creator is dead!"

[color=yellow]"It does matter,"[/color] Karamir said quietly, not entirely believing it himself. In truth, there was a part of him that wanted to see Laurien dead. To run her through with his sword. To smile and gloat while she suffered, as she had done to him. To find out how to decay a soul, and then rip hers to shreds. To return the pain that was inflicted on him. And to succeed where she had failed, so she would never hurt anyone again. He then imagined her city in flames and ruin, and its people...

No. No.

He shook the thoughts off. Vengenace would not serve him. The only thing that might be gained from the death of Laurien is the knowledge that she couldn't hurt anybody again, but he needed more information to determine if such a permanent solution was [i]truly[/i] necessary. And her city? Some had tried to overthrow her and her 'royal family.' Whatever fate she deserved, surely not all of them deserved to share in it? 

Then there was Arya. She would not condone him for such an action. She would hate him for it. And somehow, that reason alone proved almost as compelling as his previous argument.

[color=yellow]"We need more information,"[/color] he insisted.

[hr]
Of course, no such information could be found on Kalgrun. So, for now, Karamir would continue doing what he was doing, and it was time to resume his travels.

He had decided that of the three, one would accompany him - acting as a guide and giving him advice. Fenris seemed best suited for such a role. The others - Shynir and Gorm - would fall back into their role as guardians of the continent. Karamir also showed them the Knife of Friendship, and how they could call upon it.

"Just be sure to take me next time," Shynir had smiled.

"Good luck, brother!" Gorm had said, before unexpectedly throwing himself forward and embracing Karamir in one of the dreaded spine-cracking hugs.

Afterward they had parted ways. Karamir and Fenris simply walked across the water, with Fenris in his human form, while Gorm and Shynir transformed back into their original forms behind him. Karamir smiled. Despite their eccentricities, he liked them both.

So, for days, he and Fenris wandered, taking the time to teach mana to whoever they came across. He had given Fenris the Blackened Bow, because, while unatturally strong and powerful for a Vallamir, the man still needed a weapon.

They walked through the swamps situated around the Hunter's Eye lake, with Karamir at one point having to wrestle a crocodile to death. They had given it to a nearby band of hunters, who had been grateful enough... only for Karamir to once again dash someone's hopes by breaking the tragic news of Kalmar's death.

In the meantime, he continued to practice and teach mana. Abilities which took him months if not weeks to begin to pick up could now be grasped in a matter of hours or minutes. Fire, earth, plants... even his personal control over the naturally-volatile raw mana had increased. Wherever the golden streams could be found, he had power.

All he asked of those he taught was that they spread the news regarding the death of Kalmar, his own ascension, and his teachings of mana wherever they could. Karlyn had said that people needed faith, and so, he would give it to them.

Then days became weeks. They followed the Nuhe River eastward. As they met new people, Karamir discovered fascinating new details regarding the culture they had developed. One of the tribes they encountered was performing a ceremony called a 'marriage', taught to them by the Goddess Arae, in which two people pledged themselves to each other for life. 

"It is a mating ritual," Fenris had tried to explain, but Karamir realized he had heard of this concept before. Keibrik had warned him against it, back in the Palace of Dreams. Yet in this particular instance, the two people who were at the center of it all seemed genuinely content. For once, he decided to withhold revealing Kalmar's fate, not wishing to spoil the mood.

For a moment, he wondered what it would be like if had someone who made him feel that way... and felt the same way about him. But he was a god. Did he truly have time for such endeavors?

Eventually they reached the coast. Karamir began to hear whispers of something called 'The Endless Bridge.' He looked to Fenris for guidance.

Fenris only shrugged. "It was built by Li'Kalla," he said. "When the Vallamir were created, she led thousands of them across it. They never came back."

[color=yellow]"Nobody knows what happened to them?"[/color] Karamir asked. Many had claimed they knew, but every story was different. Usually the conclusion was that they were dead, they had found paradise, or they were still wandering to this day.

Fenris shrugged. "Some tried to follow them afterward. The ones that come back say it's endless. That they found the bones of others who tried to walk the same path, only to starve to death."

The ones who starved being the ones who didn't come back. That was clear enough. [color=yellow]"Someone has to find out what happened to them,"[/color] Karamir decided. [color=yellow]"Let's go."[/color]

Taking Fenris's hand, it did not take them long to reach the bridge's location. They could have travelled the plains at a similar speed, but Karamir had opted for a more thorough and intensive exploration.[color=yellow]"It's made of... solid water?"[/color] he asked, stepping on it with one foot to confirm. [color=yellow]"I suppose she is the Goddess of Rain..."[/color] he marvelled at its design for only a few moments, before extending a hand to Fenris. It was time to continue.

They sped across the bridge, stopping only at the occasional skeleton or set of bones. It was terrifying to think about. The idea of a lone soul wandering a seemingly endless expanse. Not knowing if it would take him anywhere. Hunger and thirst slowly waring him down. It reminded him of his time in the Infinite Maze. He shuddered. He had been lucky then. But now... he feared what he might find on the other end of this bridge.

They dropped the bones into the ocean below. It was better, he decided, than leaving them to be worn down by heat and rain.

Eventually they did reach the end, and they found not a vast field of bones as Karamir had feared, but another landmass. A landmass with vegetation, and life.

[color=yellow]"I'm not sure this is paradise,"[/color] Karamir said, inspecting a tree. [color=yellow]"But at least it means most of them might still be alive."[/color]

[hr]
[hider=Post Summary]
Karamir and the three beasty dudes talk about Kalmar's death and about Laurien's attempt to murder Karamir. The three former beasts unanimously agree that Laurien has to die, but Karamir isn't so sure. Inside, however, he feels a desire to see Laurien suffer for her actions, which he suppresses by trying to see the situation in an impartial light, and then thinking of Arya.

After that he decides to explore the continent with Fenris alone. They go on adventures, observe the Vallamir, teach them more mana. Karamir engages in solo practice. After a number of weeks, they eventually reach the coast. Karamir hears about something called 'The Endless Bridge' - a bridge made entirely out of solidified water, with no end in sight.

Karamir tries to find the other end. He flies across it, only to discover a new land at the very end, which comes as a relief.
[/hider]

[hider=Might Summary]
Nothing that can't be discounted to 0.
[/hider]