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[SaberatStoor]

Saber pulled Venasia aside and lowered her voice so that only the young wolf-kin could hear her words, "Kamish is the first Vampire that Marcus has ever encountered. When I first taught him about them, he was mortified by the idea of such a creature, but only for the sake of other people's safety. Marcus does not actually fear the Vampire because he knows all too well what he, himself, is capable of. Kamish has not given Marcus too much reason to hate him, but the wolf hates Kamish regardless, as the Werewolf and the Vampire are natural enemies. Marcus chooses to ignore it, however, and is constantly fighting to subdue the tiniest leak of the wolf's consciousness. Though the Vampire's mere presence leaves the wolf fuming, Marcus is strong and will rise above the wolf's basest intentions towards Kamish." She smiled proudly at Marcus and continued, "I think that, should Kamish accompany us, he will need sustenance. Marcus will understand, though he may not like it; also, the wolf's indignation would be channelled through Marcus as a kind of protective concern. When the wolf is so subject to Marcus's control, the two beings' emotions intermingle, turning the wolf's regard of the rest of us as potential food or challengers to a kind of guard dog loyalty in the presence of its enemy. Marcus will keep this in check, as well, but will choose to ignore it. " Her smile vanished then and her look turned dark; she raised her voice just enough to include Kamish in the conversation again, "There is no blood to be found in this area except for that which flows in our own veins. We could, of course, go back the way we came and look for some bloodbag to sacrifice to you, Kamish, but who knows in what numbers the kobolds await us down the path back there? Though kobolds are typically small and weak, they can deal nasty damage in great numbers."

Marcus cut in, "The potency of the smell festered by the kobolds and their lifestyle that wafted into my senses from the earlier path was strong, indeed. This leads me to believe that they exist in potentially horde-like numbers not far down that particular path." He sighed, "It is a shame that we did not have more time for preparation and rest before this surprise quest. To state a simple fact without bragging, I do not feel very weary at all. The wolf's spirit, for all that it is, floods me with boundless energy - at least, it feels that way. However, I cannot speak for the rest of you, although I am mournful to assume that few of you are in a similar condition." He turned to Kamish, his expression conflicted, "It is a shame, but I think we are beyond the point of turning back. I suspect that what has happened was more than the act of a small band of mischievous kobolds. For all we know, we may have slaughtered the members of the initial band of thieves without even knowing it and stepped over their bodies to continue on our quest with the scant details we were given. If this is true, then the kobolds were unimportant and something more sinister is at work. We cannot go back now - we must trek on. If that means that one of us must sacrifice a little blood in order to sustain a party member, then so be it." He paused and cast a mournful look at each one of his companions - could they even spare the blood? He continued, "However, if we do give you the blood that you need to continue, you must promise to stand by us and pounce to our aid when circumstances demand it. Do not betray us, neither by bringing overwhelming pain or death upon us nor by turning tail and running - for that is no different. If you vow to honor the blood transaction, then it shall be made. If you have no desire to make such a commitment, then feel free to leave now or drag your feet for as long as you can. Though I have no personal qualms with you, should you accept the blood and later betray us, your last association with a living being shall be with the wolf, not me, and he has no mercy for your kind."

[BloodShadow]

Voluntarily providing substance for a parasite was bizarre to him. "I do not believe I have ever met a willing victim." Kamish said being sure to omit the fact of all of his prior victims died painfully. Normally he would have outright refused any oath especially one obligating him to aid others, but the lingering aroma of the blood soaked ground was beginning to get the better of him. "You have my word and to my word I am chained, however, do not expect me to act as an unquestioning shield as I am a sword." The Irony of his own oath did not escape his notice, he in fact was quite unquestioning; he had joined the party without even asking for the nature of their objective after all. Feeling the sudden need for an arbitrary question, "Who is my benevolent donor then?"

[SaberatStoor]

OOC: Okay, so because I decided to backtrack and make absolute sure that Saber hasn't actually been injured (silly me), around midnight/1 am-ish, I went back and basically re-read the whole damn rp starting with the Tavern. @_@ God, it's awesome to read, but I really should re-adjust my sleeping schedule. xD It is now past 4 am. So, yeah, not a freakin' SCRATCH on this lady. I'm actually kind of disappointed. It means she hasn't been participating enough. :( Everyone else has been taking damage and Saber hasn't got so much as a bruise or a papercut. Lame! :P Everyone knows you're not cool unless you're bleeding. xD

IC: "You'll forgive me if I am not surprised," mused Saber, "but I feel that, at least this once, the circumstances demand it." Saber listened quietly to Kamish's oath and nodded, satisfied, "I understand, thank you. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. Your oath of loyalty and valor is much appreciated and comes as a great relief to us all." Marcus nodded wordlessly in agreeance, a slight smile on his face.

Marcus then returned his attention to Tixanhi, "Are you certain that you will be alright?"
"Well enough to continue," grunted the wizard, who busied himself dusting the lower half of his cloak. "I know no one wants to hear it, but we have to get moving. I have a feeling that we will get to the bottom of this very soon."
"So do I," muttered Marcus under his breath. "You're right. Even if most everyone is all but spent, we have to keep pushing forward. We're not leaving without the staff." With that, he returned his attention to Saber, Venasia, and Kamish.

Saber nodded solemnly to Tixanhi, "Yes, we shouldn't dawdle here." She then reverted her attention to Kamish when he voiced the question that had been burning in everyone's mind since she first put forth the offer to Kamish.
Before she could speak, Marcus cut in, "As you well know, I am a Werewolf. Though not by choice, we two are enemies of blood. Because you have vowed to aid us in our quest, I would gladly sacrifice a small, but sufficient, amount of blood in order to maintain your health. However, I know very little about our two different conditions, and I do not know for certain whether it would be healthy for you to injest my blood, due to the taint of the curse. If you know better, then please, take my blood. I know that I can spare it. However, if the idea of drinking the blood of your natural enemy makes you uneasy, then I must regretfully withdraw my candidacy." With that, he fell silent, his jaw working as he fought to subdue the wolf's temper, as it was wild with rage at Marcus's willingness to make such an offer to its greatest enemy.

Saber glanced to Venasia, replaying the fast and ferocious battle between the two wolves in the Tavern in her head. "I fear that Venasia has lost quite a lot of blood already and her body has only had just hours to heal, most of them spent on her feet." She then turned her gaze to Tixanhi, "Tixanhi, too, has expended quite a lot of his energy this night, and should not be expected to donate vital fluids, as well." A burning flush of blood crept up from her shoulders to her cheeks as the realization of what she'd done hit her - the damnable process of elimination. Of course, there was no reason that she was not eligible. She had not lost a single drop of blood, nor become very deeply engaged in battle throughout the entire night. True, she was tired, but she was by no means weakened. Her companions had all risked their lives without question when the situation demanded it and, for the most part, she had stood by and let them. Her unease converted to determination; she owed it to her companions to make a sacrifice for everyone's sake and she refused to let them down. It was her turn now, and this was only the beginning. Finally, she spoke up, her voice unfaltering with the confidence that she was doing the right thing, "I will do it." She swallowed hard, her stern gaze delivering the unspoken message that burned in her mind, 'Just don't get carried away.'


OOC: Be gentle! :P
Also, Chad's really super busy these days, so he's handed me control for a bit (*chokes back maniacal laughter*) until he can find time to post again. Don't worry, I won't do anything to distract from the story. I'll just steer us back the way we came, down a corridor or two, throw in a kobold encounter here and there, and that'll be the extent of it. Nothing huge or complicated. Just filler stuff, basically, but it'll serve to move the story along. :) By the time Chad has time to post again, we'll have made enough progress in order for him to pick up where he left off and steer the story the way he meant to in his next post! ^_^

[BloodShadow]

OOC: I hate this post, but I'm too tired to change it.

IC:Kamish tentatively took Saber's hand and bit into her wrist, instantly dissolving his hunger. Having sustained himself on mainly kobold blood for some time it was like experiencing his very first bite again, although his first bite resulted in him getting a dagger stabbed into his shoulder. After taking a minimal amount of blood, he released his bite licking the remainder off his lips. Still holding Saber's hand, he placed his free hand over the wound easily healing the fang markings. He then released her arm regretfully and gave a slight nod of thanks. The prospect of returning to kobold blood was rather disheartening.