Lan wandered the rain forest as night fell. He had been wandering through here for hours and wandered if he had been going in circles. So he decided to stop for a while. The forest was still hot and humid at night but the vampire could not feel it. Lan looked in all directions and wondered which way he should head next. A noise then broke the silence of the night. Lan quickly looked up and gazed at the sky. He saw three crows fly from the trees cawing. The vampire shook his head and went back to making his decision. He was unsure about the direction he should take but figured if he walked straight he was sure he would eventually depart the forest.

"I hope this way will be the way out." Lan frowned looking to his left.

I hope Im right...I cant bare to be here any longer. Im already sick of this place. Lan thought walking left. With that he continued on listening to everything around him incase danger approach. He'd be ready for it.

Jogging in the rainforest without tripping or running into something was quickly becoming an amazing feat for Marinar as he swatted dangling vines out of his way, moving quickly through the dense underbrush as best as he could, his feet faltering under him once or twice but managing to stay on his feet despite that. Just what he was in a hurry to get to or away from, he was not sure, but his memories of the last time he was in the rain forest, being attacked by tribesmen was standing in the forefront of his mind. He still had the scars from that encounter, and on the dark nights, he swore he could still hear war cries haunting in the distance.

Marinar suddenly felt his equilibrium vanish as the humidity of the rainforest overtook him once more and he ended up grasping onto a tree branch and pulling his shoulder hard against the tree. He panted quietly and closed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his forehead and dragging his fingers through his damp hair, a rush of memories making him wince to himself. Reliving battles and injuries was the worst part of things at times… not that he would ever admit it- his pride got in the way from admitting that he had nightmares of past fights, or even worse: that he actually felt fear as a result of those memories and nightmares.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and grimaced to himself as he scooped water from a muddy puddle with his hand and quickly drank as much as he could, despite the foul taste of the muddy waters. He spit the mud from his mouth and wiped the remaining grains of dirt off his tongue and lips onto his sleeve. No one was around, he had no need for manners- not that he had many to start with. The sound of a voice in the nearby forest reached Marinar’s ears- it seemed like someone just as lost as he was. Despite having some memory of the lay out of part of the rainforest, this place was a dreadful maze and he had lost his bearings or had left the area he knew. He deemed that finding the source of this voice would be both their best bet, if the person was willing to travel along as well then it might alleviate some of Marinar’s anxieties as well.

After a few moments of pushing through the jungle, Marinar spotted the source of the voice- just a young boy to his eyes; so much for Marinar’s hopes of having another powerful warrior to travel with to the edge of the forest. The man mentally smacked himself for jumping to the conclusion that this boy was not strong- if there was one thing he should have known by now, it was that sometimes the smallest creatures are the most dangerous.

“Are you lost too?” Marinar’s deep, slightly gravelly voice asked as he kicked down a bush to step over it, doing his best to display as little hostility as possible without leaving himself open to an attack.

“Are you lost too?” said a voice behind Lan catching him off guard.

"Ah! Oh you scared me. Heh heh." Lan smiled at the man who approached him from the bushes. "Yes. Im lost. Ive been traveling around this forest for quite a while trying to find a way out. Only to fail. I keep thinking if you travel in one direction going straight you should eventually find your way out."

He looked at the tall man more closely. Lan could tell he was hot by the way his forehead was sweating. He didnt notice the heat because he was vampire but he could sense a little bit of it. This man was quite taller than Lan and looked way stronger than him. He was very muscular and a little dirty. Wow he looks very strong. Lan thought looking at him with a slight smile. Maybe I should introduce myself to him. It would be rude not too. This man seems nice enough.

"My name is Lan." Lan smiled stretching out his hand in a friendly gesture. "Im a mage/healer. Im working on learning more magic but mostly healing spells." Lan leaned on his staff for support as he mentioned that he was working on healing arts. "So what have you been doing? Besides trying to get out of this forest. Haha. If you dont mind me asking."

Marinar had half expected the young man to tell him to get away or snub him as much as possible; he had certainly not expected to be met with a full introduction and a surprising amount of benevolence. It was a surprising change of pace to be met with friendliness.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Trying to walk in one direction tends to be more difficult than we think… something tends to get in the way, usually winds up sending you deeper into the forest.” He replied to the boy. At the mention of him being a mage and a healer, Marinar nodded slightly- he was right, powerful creature in a small package. He lifted his hand from the hilt of his two-handed sword sheathed at his hip and crossing his arms, looking around at the trees for a moment, pondering just how to answer the question as to what he was doing there.

“Putting some fears to rest, I suppose… but officially, I’m just a wanderer doing just that: wandering.” He replied; the first part mostly just him thinking out loud than actually addressing the boy but the second part directed to answer the question. His head was somewhere else; fighting his demons so to speak.

“I’m Marinar… from the Ered Annon Mountains’ barbarian clan, the High Guarde. If you’re looking to get out of this place then I can try to be of some help… safer than traveling alone as well, there are a lot of angry tribes in this god forsaken place.” Marinar said, beginning to move once more, rather afraid of staying in one place for too long- now Marinar just had to hope that by looking for the added safety in numbers he would not lose the safety of moving at his usual quick speed.

"Its nice to meet you Marinar." Lan smiled at the man. "Sure I could use so help to get out of here. Thank you. I appreciate your help."

He noticed Marinar starting to walk foward and he began to follow him. Hearing about those tribes made Lan worry alittle. He wondered what they were like as he walked behind the man.

"Marinar...what are those tribes like? How bad are they?" Lan asked in a low quiet voice but loud enough so that his friend could hear him.

I hope there nothing to dangerous but I really doubt it. Lan thought while waiting for Marinar's anwser. I hope Im not bothering him too much.

Lan heard those crows again but this time thier cawing was distant. Like they were far away but thier cawing still sent a chill down the young boy's spine. To clear his concience of worry and help him relax a little Lan began to pray. While walking he bowed his head and closed his eyes while clasping his hands together. He also made sure that he wouldnt run into Marinar.

"Please let us be okay." Lan prayed silently. He didnt know really who he was praying too but he knew someone had to be up there."Lead us to a place. Guide us with your grace. Give us faith so we'll be safe. Amen."

“Bad enough.” Marinar replied to the boy’s question as he pushed through a thicket of vines, holding the heavy vines apart while Lan passed through. He listened to the boy’s quiet prayer… faith in the higher powers, whoever they may have been, was never Marinar’s strong point but he could manage to respect people who worshipped gods and goddesses.

He let the boy finish praying as he took the lead once more, keeping his eyes open for anything that he deemed dangerous- animal or person. His memory told him to look for things that looked just a bit too naturally placed… that would be where the tribe hunters hid. “Like all enemies they should be revered… they do what they deem is needed to survive and for that they should be respected. Aside from that… they are brutal… deadly… and if they catch you they will not hesitate to kill you. Provided they don’t think you’re too much trouble to keep alive until they are ready to eat.”

Marinar wondered at times if he was too straight forward and blunt. He had been all his life, even when he was a child it was difficult for Marinar to lie… and even when he did lie he was quite terrible at it, since then he rarely sugar coated anything. If there was a danger, he intended not to let anyone think otherwise about it.

“There is no shame in running from a fight you cannot win… if they come… you run. Stay away from any pathway that looks like it has been beaten down or used recently or any ways that are easy to move through… if it’s easy…” Marinar looked back at Lan. “It’s probably a trap.” the man turned his eyes forward once again and listened more closely to the sounds of the jungle.

Lan continued to walk behind the man while his faith began to return alittle. He was still a little unsure of what awaited them in the forest but he kept on reassuring himself that they would be okay.

"Bad enough." Marinar then answered his question as they continued through the damp foilage of the forest. “Like all enemies they should be revered… they do what they deem is needed to survive and for that they should be respected. Aside from that… they are brutal… deadly… and if they catch you they will not hesitate to kill you. Provided they don’t think you’re too much trouble to keep alive until they are ready to eat.”


"That does sound really bad." Lan spoke thinking about what he said. It sent a little bit of a chill down the boy's spine when he thought about it. Still Lan continued onward although he was uneasy. He continued to listen to his friend's advice. Lan could use every bit of it.

“There is no shame in running from a fight you cannot win… if they come… you run. Stay away from any pathway that looks like it has been beaten down or used recently or any ways that are easy to move through… if it’s easy…” Marinar looked back at Lan. “It’s probably a trap.”

"Okay." Lan nodded. "Lets just hope that they dont come. But thanks for the advice Marinar."

Lan hoped that they wouldnt face any danger as they walked through the forest. Even though he was told to run if danger approached Lan wasnt so sure he could do that. He wasnt sure if he could leave Marinar out here to fight them alone. Lan thought it would be kind of rude leaving him behind. The least the vampire boy could do was try to heal him if he had gotten hurt. Lan looked at Marinar and he seemed to be listening to the sounds of the forest. Lan leaned on his staff as he walked. He too tried to listen for any danger that might approach them. He really didnt have much else to say. Lan didnt want to bother him by trying to talk all the time. Besides that might attract some dangerous attention.

“Needn’t mention it… but I hope we don’t find any of them either.” Marinar replied. That was only half true… were he honest completely, he wanted to face the hunters once more, wanted to face and brutally put down every single one of the men that attacked him and wounded him so deeply. Vengeance was a power- and dangerous- force particularly when it was in Marinar’s hands. While he was generally slow to anger, he was stubborn and his hate and anger burned for a long time.

The silence was almost comforting… knowing his new traveling companion understood the gravity of the situation made Marinar feel slightly better. He was most definitely not a babysitter and he was glad he would not have to act like one. The boy was particularly mature, despite the fact that Marinar did not know his age, he knew that he was old enough. There was something else about Lan that Marinar found strange, but he could not put his finger on it yet. He was unaware of what species Lan hailed from, if he had known the truth he probably would have been much more reluctant to provide aid… Marinar had never been fond of vampires. But, at this point Marinar had no reason to distrust Lan and he hoped it would stay that way.

The sound of a snake slithering along the ground caught Marinar’s ears and he quickly drew his two-handed sword, exhaling slowly as soon as he saw the cause of the sound. He loathed being this jittery.
“Just a snake.” He muttered, mostly to himself as he used the tip of his weapon to push the snake away and toss it into the underbrush. He cursed at himself under his breath for being so nervous and began to move faster through the forest, still hanging onto his sword in his hand, his fingers almost white knuckling while holding the grip.

“Needn’t mention it… but I hope we don’t find any of them either.” Marinar replied.

Lan nodded at Marinar's reply signaling that he understood him. As he walked Lan listened to the sounds of the forest once more. He so concentrating on making little noise as possible that he jumped alittle when he saw Marinar move a snake into some underbrush.

Lan sighed and continued to walk once more. He tried to remain calm but something he found was just not right. Lan looked to his right and saw the bushes moving as if something were trying to pop out. So he backed up a little and waited to see if anything would come out. After a moment three rabbits came scurrying out of the bushes. "Its just a bunch of rabbits....whew...." Lan whispered to himself releaved that it was nothing too dangerous. Ignoring the rabbits he pressed onward.

While walking Lan wondered if he should tell Marinar that he was a vampire. But he didnt want him to distrust him. So he kept his mouth quiet about that for now. Lan figured he would find out sooner or later. He had high repects for the man and he didnt want to ruin the trust between him and his new ally.

Keeping one hand on his staff while he walked Lan looked from side to side occasionally trying to see if anything else might come at them. He seemed to notice an occasional rustling in the bushes but the young vampire boy figured it was just the wind.

Marinar furrowed his brow for a moment, seeing the rabbits… they were so out of place to him- everything in this place seemed to be venomous or vicious, a dog eat dog world within the rainforest, so to speak. Then he realized just how out of place they were. They must have been caged, brought in by someone else- possibly one of the tribes… the fact that they were alive still meant they had not been escaped for long.

“Go, start running now!” He ordered the boy, a surge of adrenaline pouring into his blood as he thrust his weapon into a bush and when he pulled it back, the entire end of the blade was marked with crimson. He would get his chance to face his fears, it seemed.

Their cover was broken, the tribesmen hunters realized, a single foreign shout was followed by all the hunters in the area screaming their war cries. Marinar put himself between Lan and the direction the screams had come from- the body of the hunter he had stabbed falling over into the mud. Marinar grasped the corpse’s spear and jammed it into the ground, a charging hunter who was following right in the barbarian and vampire’s footsteps unable to slow himself in the mud and becoming impaled on the spear.

Marinar put his hand on Lan’s back to urge him to move faster away from the assailants- he realized that the boy was not hot at all… in fact, it seemed as though he was completely devoid of temperature. He had to shake off the questions and pivot on his heel while walking backwards to strike down another pair of attackers. The fact that the tribesmen wore virtually no clothing and knew the terrain meant that they would eventually catch up with them, Marinar knew. But he had decided already that despite that fact, if Marinar could cut down enough of them to keep them from being captured then there was a chance of escaping the tribe’s hunting area.

Each bloody strike of the blade seemed to become more powerful, as Marinar’s anger and hatred began to surface. He was brutal, vicious, and eventually, as he began to recognize faces from his time as a target of the hunt… he became animalistic. A primal rage flowing through his veins as the targets of his vengeance were cut down, one by one.

Lan grasped a hold of his heal staff as Marinar urged him to run forward. Lan ran about ten feet before he stopped and turned around to see if Marinar was okay. He seemed fine but Lan didnt want to leave him out here alone. Incase Marinar would be in need of healing Lan would be there. He had minor skills but he was sure he could be of some help...even though he had no magical abilities yet. Lan watched Marinar cut a man down and he grimaced at the site. Lan had never drank any human blood in his life...just animal blood. He wasnt quite used to see people die yet.

A nudge on the back brought Lan back to the matter at hand. Marinar urged him forward and he continued to defend from the attackers. He also noticed while they were running that Marinar seemed to be getting more violent. Which worried Lan a little. He hoped he wouldnt get in his way. Lan was alittle worried about getting hit by the man's sword.

Still he continued to run on while Marinar fought off the intruders. He would continuously look back at him to make sure he wasnt hurt. If so he would try to heel him as best as he could. Lan ran on until he saw a man appear infront of him. He stopped running and looked at the tall muscular man. Intimidated by his size Lan froze in his tracks. It aleast lasted on him for a good while before he shook it off. The wild man was carrying what appeared to be a long sword and he swung his sword at the young boy. Lan dodged barely dodged him in time...atleast so he thought. He quickly slipped by the man and left Marinar to take him out.

I hate to be such a burden to Marinar...Lan thought as he passed the wild man. I wish there was something that I could do to help him...I feel so helpless. Lan put his hand on his neck and after a moment he pulled it back down to his side. Lan noticed blood on his hand. Blood?...how did that...I must have got cut... Lan pressed his hand to his neck and spoke the words of the spell dark regeneration. Soon he healed his wound and looked to find Marinar. He seemed to be fighting his own battles. So Lan looked at the man and saw him come at him again with the longsword. Lan smiled and jumped back when he tried to hit him. Next Lan slid underneath the wild man as he tried to hit him again. The wild man lost his balance because of Lan and he fell over and his sword flew out of his hand. He quickly grabbed the sword that landed near him in the grass. Lan pointed the sword at the man's throat. Before hitting the man Lan prayed again.

"Let your soul find rest in the afterlife." Lan prayed. "Please forgive me for what I am about to do sir..."
With that Lan stabbed the wild man in the heart. The man yelled and soon was dead on the ground. Lan put the sword back in the man's hand so his tribe would know that he died honorably. Lan prayed for his soul quickly and soon Marinar caught up with him. Lan smiled at him with a look of success and alittle bit of sorrow. Together they kept on running trying to avoid the wild men as best as they could.

Death was now something a part of Marinar’s life that had very little recourse, he had been raised to fight and he had seen so much death both first and second hand that it was just another part of life. He felt no remorse, no second thoughts of what he did to these men, for he knew that if one killed him, they would feel exactly the same way towards him. Under different circumstances Marinar would have been proud to fight these men, they were skilled adversaries and for that they deserved respect according to the way Marinar lived. He spotted Lan as he stabbed the man and sighed to himself, disappointed that someone as young as the boy was thrown into a situation such as this.

An arrow impaled itself in a tree and Marinar cursed under his breath quickly- even if he had ranged weapons to fight back, there was virtually no way to spot where the other archers were, let alone be able to defend one’s self while being attacked by men with melee weapons.

“Lan, weave between the trees up ahead!” Marinar called out to the young ally before throwing his fist into one man’s face as he leapt from the bushes, Marinar quickly snapped a vine from the trees and wrapped it twice around the stunned man’s neck. Gripping both ends of the vine and ramming his knee into the hunter’s back, Marinar snapped his neck and quickly pulled the limp body up, holding his sword in one hand and the vine ends in the other. He had just made himself a human shield.

An arrow drove into the body’s chest before Marinar ducked behind a tree. He tossed the body to the side, which drew the archer’s attention away while he ran to catch up with Lan. “Move into the denser vines, which should keep them off our back and get us some more time.” He said quickly, throwing his shoulder into the thick carpet of vines and letting Lan pass before stumbling through, panting quietly while refocusing himself.

“Hopefully they’ve lost our trail and we’ll be able to get away now… another…” Marinar paused, catching his breath and thinking, mumbling under his breath. “Hour… this way… should get us out of the rainforest.”

Lan nearly freaked out when he saw arrows hit the trees near hit. That definately took him by surprise. The vampire didnt expect something like that. He tried to figure out where they had come from...but that was useless. Since it was night that would make it even harder to try to spot the archers.

“Lan, weave between the trees up ahead!” Marinar called out to him.

He did as he was told and made his way through the trees up ahead. Lan turned around to see if Marinar was behind him. He watched him kill and man and use him as a shield. Lan was amased at how he was able to do that.

“Move into the denser vines, which should keep them off our back and get us some more time.”

Lan nodded as Marinar gave him another command. Lan moved into the area with all the vines and think foilage. He nearly tripped getting there because of the many vines but he caught himself with his staff in time. Lan sighed as he stopped hoping that they would be safe for a moment.

"I hope they lost our trail too." Lan said looking back at the way they had come.

Lan heard Marinar say something about it taking them about an hour a certain way till they got out of the forest. Lan nodded and waited to see if Marinar began walking again so he could follow him.

Marinar's somewhat unbelievable brutal streak seemed to vanish as he regained his breath. He plucked a wide fern leaf off a plant on the ground as he retook the lead, using the leaf to wipe the dripping crimson from his blade. Marinar's appetite for revenge had been satiated- now only his desire to live and get Lan out of the danger of this place survived. For a few moments, Marinar eyed a long wound across his left bicep, the result of a slash from one of the tribesmen, it seemed- the adrenaline keeping him going making the pain all but unnoticable.

"Lan... you said you were a healer, correct?" Marinar asked, discarding the bloodied leaf while he moved through the forest, keeping his ears open as best as possible- believing that the pair may have accidentally found themselves outside of their attacker's range, which would have been a fairly mixed blessing. On one hand, their assailants would no longer be on their tail, but on the other hand, they could easily be walking away from one tribe, directly towards another.

"I think I may need you to tend with a few cuts I sustained in that fight... nothing serious, it can wait until we're a safer distance away from the hunters." He clarified, assuming that his first question was a bit too vague to be of much use to Lan.

Marinar mumbled to himself something about wishing the tree canopy was not so dense, that he might be able to see the sstars or moon by some chance of fate and aid their passage out of the jungle- unfortunately, merely wishing rarely made much difference, and Marinar was forced to resign himself to following his instinct and his guess work based off what he knew of the lands. Certainly not an ideal situation, but it was the best he could do given the circumstances.

Lan continued through the forest as Marinar wiped off his blade with a leaf. As they were walking Lan wondered if they were safe now. Only time would tell that. As long as Lan had his heal staff he was sure that they'd be alright...for now.

"Lan... you said you were a healer, correct?" Marinar asked him as he discarded the leaf that was now covered in blood.

"Yes. Im a healer? Are you hurt?" Lan began to ask.

Before he could finish he spoke again, "I think I may need you to tend with a few cuts I sustained in that fight... nothing serious, it can wait until we're a safer distance away from the hunters."

"Okay." Lan replied a little bit more louder. He figured he didnt hear him the first time. "But I can heal you now. I dont mind taking a few mintutes to rest here if you need healed." Lan smiled. "Im sure you dont like walking in pain."

Even though Lan was a vampire and couldnt feel pain he could sense other's pain. No matter how bad or minor it was. Even though he was a vampire and pain was no longer a liability for him he couldnt stand to see others cut up or even bruised. Thats one reason why Lan became a healer. So he could mend other's pain and suffering.

Marinar managed to chuckle to himself at Lan's final statement about how he surely did not like walking in pain. He looked over his shoulder at Lan with a very mild smile. "My friend, I never cease to walk in pain. It is just a part of life. I'm sure I can manage a few dozen more meters." He replied before pausing to listen to the sounds of the jungle. Hearing the sound of water moving, he jogged through the underbrush, going just fast enough to keep within Lan's sight before he splashed into a shallow river running through the jungle.

"I think we need to thank who ever it is that you were praying to to get us out of here. This is perfect." Marinar said, his mild smile holding on his lips as he looked downstream, his memory of this river standing out in his mind- this was how he had made his escape before.

He made a quick survey of his wounds, one on his bicep, another on his outer right thigh, two on his back- other than that he was fine. Marinar knelt into the water and scooped up a handful of the cool water, splashing it over his face and down the wounds he could reach. The water trickled down through his hair, along his neck and stung slightly in the two long diagonal slices in his flesh on his back, making him realize just hwo deep they were.

"I think now would be a good time to handle my wounds, if you wouldn't mind." He said, dragging his fingers through his water darkened hair.

"My friend, I never cease to walk in pain. It is just a part of life. I'm sure I can manage a few dozen more meters." Marinar mildly smiled at Lan.

Seeing Marinar smile made him smile. "Sure. As long as you dont mind." Lan replied.

So they continued to walk through the dense forest and they came upon a shallow river. "I think we need to thank who ever it is that you were praying to to get us out of here. This is perfect." Marinar said looking down the stream. Lan watched him wet his hair for a moment. He really didnt need to was off. Well maybe his hands. So Before tending to his wounds he washed his hands in the shallowness of the water. "I think now would be a good time to handle my wounds, if you wouldn't mind."

"Yeah." Lan said looking at his wounds. Lan held up his heal staff above the wound on Marinar's bicep. He spoke the words of the minor heal spell. His flesh began to seal up signaling to Lan that, that wound was healed. Lan smiled and placed his staff over the wound on his right thigh. Lan repeated the same process and the wound was healed. Next was the two wounds on his back. Placing his staff over the first wound Lan said to words to the minor heal spell. Soon that wound was healed as well. Last was his other wound on his back. Lan repeated the same process to heal this wound as well. When all Marinar's wounds were healed Lan smiled with a look of success. "There. All done!" Lan was happy that he could be of use this time.

Watching closely as each wound he could see began to heal itself, Marinar was left rather astonished- he knew virtually nothing of magic, other than it was a powerful force he wished he had the capacity to tap into. He had encountered his share of mages and witches along the roads he had walked but had always been too disconcerted by the fact that he knew nothing about magic to allow it to be used on him often. He chuckled at Lan's happy "all done!" it was rather amusing how someone could be so easily pleased after the events of today.

"Thank you." He said, giving Lan a pat on the shoulder before starting to walk downstream, thankful that the river was neither fast moving nor deep at this point. "Now that that has been taken care of, we should get moving... we still have a fair distance to cover before we are out of this place."

Marinar splashed downstream into the ankle deep water, as one might expect, he had no issues getting his clothes or feet wet. Evidently, doing things that mot average people would have had second thoughts about because it would not be comfortable was not something that applied to the barbarian wanderer. In reality, he actually enjoyed the water and getting muddy and all sorts of things that decent folk would not be interested in- which was a concept he enjoyed: he was far from being one of the decent folk, and eh was very okay with that.

"Thank you." He said, giving Lan a pat on the shoulder before starting to walk downstream. "Now that that has been taken care of, we should get moving... we still have a fair distance to cover before we are out of this place."

Lan laughed happily as Marinar patted him on the back. After that they continued to walk down the stream. Lan couldnt feel the wetness of the water while he was walking through the stream.

Lan tried to remember what he had come into this forest. Oh, yes, to search for more answers to his questions. He had many.....why he had become a vampire? Why he couldnt remember his past? Lan wondered how all this happened. He couldnt even remember who his parents were. Were his parents even searching for him now? Or did they give up thinking he was dead? There were so many questions that Lan needed anwsered. He continued to walk behind Marinar making sure he was alert to danger in case the time arose again.

(OOC:I know its kinda short...but its all I could think of. Sorry. ^_^;)

Marinar continued down stream, the memory of being here before running through his mind, letting him at least attempt to have a bit of foresight of what was coming up ahead- at least in the static sense. There was no way to tell what people or animals lay up ahead, but at least he knew the lay of the land... vaguely.

"Now that we're... relatively safe... I suppose... what brought you out here, Lan?" Marinar asked, glancing back at Lan for a moment while moving through the water still, finding his feet sliding a little on the slick stones under foot. The smell of smoke was heavy on the air, but Marinar payed little attention to it til he could see the thick grey cloud billowing over the river ahead of them- the fire was burning in the upper canopy of the forest just ahead of them. This could complicate things.

Marinar had intended to lead them up into a series of treetop bridges and the like, keeping them safe from attacks by animals and not out in the open before returning to the river downstream. The tree walkways had been abandoned last time he passed through- apparently that escape route was now blocked... which meant following the river further and hoping that they could get by without any problems.

(OOC: Looks like I've got a case of the short posts too.)

"Now that we're... relatively safe... I suppose... what brought you out here, Lan?" Marinar asked Lan as they walked downstream.

"Well, kinda of alot of reasons." Lan explained. "I dont know if you know this, Marinar...but...Im a vampire. I wasnt always a vampire though." He paused for a moment trying to summarize his past. "I used to be human but I dont remember much after that. I mean about being human... All I remember is being attacked by a vampire....and collasping from exuastion...and thats basically it. I dont remember much of the attack either. I have no idea what made me forget all this. I dont remember who my parents were...or if there still looking for me. Or if they think im dead. I have no idea where i was born or where i came from.... So I came to this forest thinking maybe I could find some anwsers. All though I havent found any yet. Thats basically why Im here. "

I hope he doesnt hate vampires...cause every person I meet seems too... Lan thought after telling his story.

Lan listened to the sound of the river as he waited to see what Marinar would say.

The second that the word 'vampire' slipped out of Lan's mouth, Marinar tensed his shoulders and back muscles slightly. He hated those creatures so much, but Lan had given him no reason to distrust him, or do anything other than continue to protect the boy. Pushing his prejudices aside, Marinar listened to the story. It seemed that he had the capacity to get along with a vampire, provided it was a child and had amnesia.

"This... would be a strange place to find answers to questions of your origin." Marinar said to break the silence. He did not want to give Lan the impression that he was going to judge him based off his race alone. The barbarian had long held a distain for the vampires, and as a result he had developed a bit of a talent for killing them. In the back of his mind he hoped that somewhere along the line he had killed the vampire who had converted Lan- this was a good kid who did not deserve the pains of being among the "undead."

"You'll have to forgive my... coldness to the situation, Lan... a long time ago there were vampires who took what mattered most from me." Marinar said looking over his shoulder to the boy. "I didn't always wander... I used to have a home, friends, family... a wife... and they were all killed. I know you aren't to blame for that... it just makes it difficult, as you might be able to imagine." Not a day went by Marinar did not think of what had been stolen from him, nor did a day go by that he did not wish he could make those responsible suffer. A thirst for revenge in the hands of Marinar was a dangerous weapon- merely being on his bad side was a dangerous, to have the half barbarian wish you dead often times meant you soon would be.

((OOC: Sorry for the wait.))

Lan saw Marinar tense alittle bit, which in turn, made him nervous alittle bit. Not that many people liked vampires...even if about five percent of them were good.
Silence filled the air for a little while until it was broken by Marinar, "This... would be a strange place to find answers to questions of your origin."

"I know." Lan replied. "But its kinda safer for a vampire to explore the woods than an walk out in the open in a town or city. Well for me it is."

True. Vampires couldn't just walk out in a town and hope no one would care. There are always those who would rather kill them than ask what they were doing there. A forest was much safer for Lan to be in than being a city.

"You'll have to forgive my... coldness to the situation, Lan... a long time ago there were vampires who took what mattered most from me." Marinar said looking over his shoulder to the boy. "I didn't always wander... I used to have a home, friends, family... a wife... and they were all killed. I know you aren't to blame for that... it just makes it difficult, as you might be able to imagine."

"Oh my..." Lan gasped as Marinar told him his story. "Im sorry. That is...really difficult." Lan closed his eyes and wandered if Marinar's loved ones had found peace. He had hoped so. "I dont know why...people kill like that. I'd like to tell other vampires there are animals out there instead of humans...but....they'd probably laugh at me." He sighed. "I take no offense to your hated towards vampires, Marinar." Lan added looking at Marinar with a slight smile. "Its common to hate your loved one's killers...in turn...I too...somewhat hate vampires...for what they did to me. Its okay Marinar. Your a good person, I know. I dont distrust you. I just wish life wasnt so hard, you know?"

Lan didnt mind his hatred nor did he distrust Marinar. He was glad to have someone strong like him to watch his back. He had hoped a didnt state anything that would make him mad. Lan was only speaking what he truly thought. Marinar was a good man. And Lan wasnt going to judge him for hating vampires. He really had no reason too.

(Thats okay i dont mind. sorry 4 making ya wait. Ive been really busy lately and havent had the time 2 get on... ^_^;)

Retelling the story had made Marinar withdraw into the shell that came up when he spoke of his family, and what had happened to them. It was a painful memory, to say the very least. Almost as though it were on cue, the sky seemed to open up with torrents of water, Marinar's thoughts were elsewhere and he continued to splash down the shallows of the river while he listened to Lan speak.

"I'm surprised... most people would decide that I was some sort of bigot or xenophobe if I said I hated their race..." Marinar replied, ignoring the rain as much as he possible could, blinking away the droplets that ran down his chiselled features. "I can see why you could hate that... being forced to change into something else... something you never wanted to be not to mention that it makes you forget where you come from..."

Curiosity began to eat away at Marinar's insides, there were questions that he had always wanted to know but had never gotten into a conversation with a vampire before- not one that did not result in a brawl, anyway. He opened his mouth to speak again but it was drowned out by a crackle of thunder, Marinar stopped for a moment and waited for the noise to subside as much as possible, the pouring sheets of rain against the flowing river making things that much more difficult to speak over.

"What's it like, being a vampire? I mean... it must be... unbelievably different from being a human..." Marinar asked, slowing so he could walk next to Lan, rather than in front of him now that there was a fairly large area of shallows they could walk through.

Rain began to pour down from the sky as Marinar spoke to Lan. While he was walking he heard a big clap of thunder and nearly tripped over his own feet. It kinda startled him. Ahhh.... Lan thought as he caught himself. He almost fell but didn't. He would have to be careful not to trip while walking in the stream. The rain was going to make that arduous.

"What's it like, being a vampire? I mean... it must be... unbelievably different from being a human..."

"Well its...like....hmmm." Lan said thinking for a moment. "It sure is different. I mean the fact that you have to live off blood now makes things...a whole lot more complicated. Its not as if you could just walk around like a normal person anymore. I haven't really been a vampire that long to know any major differences. Sorry if i couldnt tell you much."

Lan did feel bad for not being able to decribe what being a vampire was like.

"Well Im not really like other vampires." Lan smiled happy that he wasn't some dark evil killer. "And Im glad Im who i am."

The wind began to pick up and the rain began to get more heavy. Lan heard a loud clap of thunder and was caught off guard again. But he was only surprised.

"It seems as if the storm is getting stronger, Marinar." Lan replied. "Are we going to be okay? I haven't seen any lightning yet."

(OOC: Sorry it took me so long 2 reply. Its been a few rough days for me lately. :( I will try to get on as much as i can. ^_^; )

Marinar’s long gait from his impressive height made walking through the running waters mildly easier as he listened to Lan’s reply, seeming focused on walking but his concentration actually being split between the two tasks of walking and listening. It was arduous enough to talk about vampires with all his preconceived ideas and biases but to not only be around one that broke the rules he had made up in his mind to villain-ize the creatures and be helping him was a boggling thing.

Regardless, perhaps there was some chance Lan could be turned back to a human. Marinar had no idea how that might work but he hoped that it was possible, for the boy’s sake. “We’ll be fine, as long as the river doesn’t surge.” He replied, speaking over the sound of the rain and river, glancing back over his shoulder to see Lan’s mild struggle against the waters. He hoped the river would not get too deep- Marinar had trouble sometimes expecting everyone to be his size and thusly have no difficulty moving at the same pace as him.

”Are you the type of vampire that turns into dust if you come into contact with sunlight?” Marinar asked, seeking to keep Lan talking to make sure he was alright without having to constantly watch him.


((OOC: No problem. Sorry for the delay and shortness again.))

“We’ll be fine, as long as the river doesn’t surge.”

Lan wasnt familar with that word. "Surge?" Lan asked unsure of what is really meant. It couldnt have meant anything good. It had to be bad.

”Are you the type of vampire that turns into dust if you come into contact with sunlight?” Asked Marinar.

"No. Ive been in sunlight before." Lan laughed.
"I guess its cause im a good vampire. I dont really know why."

Another clap of thunder and Lan was sure this was going to be a big storm. the wind picked up even more causing Lan some difficulty moving through the water.
Lightning bolts began to struck the ground.

This doesnt look good......

At the questioning repeat of the word 'surge' Marinar started to realize just how inexperienced of a traveler his young ally was, or perhaps how extremely experienced Marinar himself was. "Surge... it's a flash flood, would wash us clear down the river." He replied over his shoulder, damp locks of brown hair falling before his eyes before his fingers pushed them back. "It would be helpful if it wouldn't kill us."

The crack of lighting followed instantly by thunder made Marinar more wary to be moving through the water, he had some understanding of electricity moving through water and that being struck by lightning equaled death in most cases- not a death he was interested in experiencing.

Marinar made no reply to the comment about being a 'good vampire' and being able to be in the light, he had long thought that the only 'good' vampire was a dead vampire, unable to hurt anyone or destroy anything. It was almost frustrating that a young boy was able to alter Marinar's view of things so quickly.

(Sorry for the delay in reply)

"Well that doenst sound good...." Lan remarked after hearing another clap of thunder.

I hope Im not being a burden... Lan thought as they walked along. He didnt normally like to ask questions because he didnt want to bother anyone. But Lan did wander sometimes. Still he knew that keeping quiet in this part of the forest would be best. Lan didnt want to attract any unessicary attention.

Walking in this particular part of the rainforest made Lan alittle uneasy. He didnt like the sound of the rushing water behind him.


(OOC: Im sorry it took so long and that my reply is alittle short. School has just keep me busy lately.-_- Im trying 2 get on as often as i can.)