Degren and Auron head to Applevale!

[Degren Brightforge]

Degren and Auron hurriedly pack their bags in the Knight's Camp. Their small table is covered in a large array of items such as weapons, food, clothing, and much more.

[Asher Fairchild]

Asher emerges from the path to the grove, approaching Auron with a small canvas sack shes stocked with snacks and letters.

"How long will you be gone for?" She asks, a slightly worried look in her eyes.

[Degren Brightforge]

"Aww, that's cute. Don't you worry, Asher, I'll take care of old Auron here. We've been through much longer trips than this before, and through much more dangerous territory," He gives Auron a hard punch to the shoulder, "We once got caught up in the deep, frozen north for a year, waiting for the snows to clear. That was the hardest journey we ever made, fraught with danger around every turn-- snowstorms, breaking ice, starvation, dark spirits and hungry cannibals were just a few of the dangers we saw. I think we'll be safe going to Applevale for a few weeks, especially with the tethers holding as well as they have... Hey, if you're so worried, you're welcome to join us if you like. I wouldn't mind having someone prettier than Auron to look at!"

[Auron Warfield]

Auron smiles at Asher as she approaches, but he sees the worry in her eyes. "Hopefully this trip will only take a week or two, but we really don't know how long it'll take to find the people we're looking for. We'll be fine, though! Degren is right when he says we've made far worse trips." He speaks with confidence in his voice. "And, like Degren said - you're more than welcome to come with us."

He turns to Degren. "Have you had the chance to talk to the other Knights or the Council about our trip yet?"

[Degren Brightforge]

"Ah, the council has been rather slow, of late. With Val and Grayfeared having been gone the last little while, I believe I've earned myself a bit of a respite-- don't you?" He busies himself with work as he speaks, "We'll leave behind a few of our fighters, just in case something goes wrong while we're away. As for why we're going, the people who need to know, know."

He pulls out a bundle of finely made ,silvered swords, and places them on the pile of items,
" I trust the town will survive while we're away, no matter what. They're a stubborn lot, and they'll find a way to make it through, even if we get murdered on the road," he laughs, "Just in case, though, bring a sword."

[Asher Fairchild]

“Famous last words, Ser Degren” She smirks.

“I’d love to join you on another adventure, but I’m afraid I have a few things to take care of here.”

She runs her fingers through Aurons hair, and places her forehead against his.

“Be careful. It’s been a little too quiet around here lately. Like a calm before a storm.”

[Auron Warfield]

Auron holds Ashers head against his own for a long time, knowing that it will be the last chance he gets to do so until he returns. "You stay safe too. If this calm means danger is coming, it's likely to come here first." He looks into her eyes, before saying with a smile: "If anything does come looking to stir up trouble, I'm sure you'll make them regret it." He kisses her, and then lets go.

He wraps a warm fur cloak over his freshly polished armor. "Alright Degren, I think I'm just about done preparing. Do you have anything else you need to take care of before we go?"

[Degren Brightforge]

Degren eyes the great mound of armor, "We're going to Applevale, Auron. We're not going to Minkai, you don't need all that armor. Just bring your sword, maybe your shield, and you'll be fine. I might bring my chainshirt, but that's the most I'd bring. After a week or two of walking, you'll just wish you hadn't brought it... We don't have a carriage this time-- or the culinary expertise of Donald Mac. Pack light, if you can." He begins rolling the items into a packed bundle suitable for travel, " Say your goodbye's, then we'll be off." He finishes his preparations with his sword, worn at his hip, and his bow and quiver, slung over a shoulder.

[Auron Warfield]

"You never know when we might get attacked on the road. Wearing my armor doesn't bother me - I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it." He stuffs the remainder of his things into a packed bundle, equips his sword, and whispers a final goodbye to Asher.

With the preparations complete, Auron is ready to depart. "Let's go, old friend. We haven't forgotten anything, have we? It feels like we're forgetting something."

[Degren Brightforge]

Degren scowls, " who are ye calling old? I don't think we're forgetting anything, but I'm sure we'll be fine. I have my trade goods packed, food, weapons, clothing, some rope and a large sheet of cloth to make a tent... some sleeping rolls. Reminds me of the golden days. Let's go."

Together they do a last check for any forgotten items, say their farewells, and leave for Applevale.

[Auron Warfield]

Auron spends the first couple hours of walking thinking about his past. 'Self-reflection is how we learn from our mistakes', his father used to tell him. He decides to include Degren on his reminiscing, rather than to continue thinking alone.

"Hey, Degren..." he says, still maintaining a vigilant watch on his surroundings. "Do you remember Sandpoint? The town we stayed in for a while before going to Minkai? I've been trying to remember some of the work we did around there before we left. Might be fun to talk about the past, don't you think?"

[Degren Brightforge]

Degren laughs, " Oh yes. Sandpoint. A fine no name backwater if ever I saw one. They had an infestation of Goblins, remember? We did a few small tasks around the town then we were hired to take care of their camp. When we arrived, they'd been attacked by undead, and we just had to take care of Chief Rendwattle Cutwad's scattering of feral goblins. The goblins were tough, but once we finished with them, we followed the undead tracks back to a secluded cave. Do you remember that cave, friend?" he kicks rocks as he moves, rolling his left shoulder to relieve it from the weight of his pack.

[Auron Warfield]

"I also seem to remember the both of us getting very separated and very lost within those woods. I spent an entire day wading along a river looking for any trace of you." Auron says with a smile. "I also remember the cave very well. It's where we encountered that undead swordsman. He challenged me honorable combat and I obliged. It was by far the fiercest fight of my life up to that point. After he was defeated, he told us of an evil man inflicting great damage on the far side of the world - and of a way to stop him."

[Degren Brightforge]

Laughing, Degren responds," No, I remember that undead thing saying something to you in a language we didn't understand... Then I said "Yes?", and suddenly you were in honorable single combat. It told you about the state of Minkai, but it was the letter we found in his little sword that led us to Ameiko. Remember? It was from her grandfather to her father? It spoke of some deep dark secret hidden within some ruined keep called Brinewall. She wanted to go, so we went with her-- first for pay, and because she wasn't too hard on the eyes,eh?"

Degren stops, having heard some distant noise, then continues, " That castle was chock full of monsters. Harpies, undead, you name it-- wicked little crow monsters. And beneath it all, a locked vault-- haunted, might I add, by Ameiko's grandfather!"

[Auron Warfield]

With a nod of his head, Auron begins to remember more about what happened. "Right, of course - Brinewall! What a dreadful place. Was that the day we encountered that nest of Hell Wasps? Awful little buggers."

"The vault contained the Seal of Ameiko's family - the Amatatsu. Touching it set us on our real journey, didn't it?"

[Degren Brightforge]

That night ,As Degren huddles close a lively fire, he looks up from his plate of dried venison and roasted potatoes, " it's frigid tonight... colder than Jenny's rotten tit... do you remember Kalsgard? That place was freezing. Id spent my life infront a forge fire, and I hadn't even known what cold was. Everything was ice all the time. We got there, you me and Ameiko's old caravan friends, and began searching for that old sword, Suishen. We needed a guide, but that sword was the real reason we stopped at that frozen land of salt cod and frozen night. We jumped a burning funeral pyre on a BOAT to get it-- only to learn the damn thing wasn't there. Once we found the damn thing, We had to cut our ways through Ravencraig to get it. That damned castle nearly killed us both. Then we saved Ulf, the guide, from certain death only to have him tell is we needed to winter in that shite hole until the passes opened up... I worked... for eight months under a mean, cruel, STINKING man for almost no pay... just to spend my days by a forge."

[Auron Warfield]

"Searching for Suishen was one hell of a chase. For a while it felt like we'd never find it... But it was more than worth it in the end." With a quick movement, Auron draws his sword from its sheath and holds it into the light. He stares into it for a while. "This blade has saved my life almost as many times as you have. There are times when I still expect to hear him speak, but those days are gone." He sheathes his sword again, and moves closer to the fire, trying to get a little warmer. "If I recall correctly, Ravencraig is where that Oni Mage mind-controlled me and nearly succeeded in making me kill you. That would have been a rather unfortunate end to our journey."

He pauses for a while. "Painful as it might have been, that eight month stay in Kalsgard was the last time we saw any kind of sane civilization for... how long was it? I don't even know how long we were on the ice." He shudders with the memory of the cold, and moves even closer to the fire. "I'm enjoying listening to you tell the story of our journey, feel free to continue."

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