The Black Mage

Players:

- Gliz Caldo
- Seras Caldo
- Andi

This war fought over control of our lands, the lands that belong to us, the Catfolk. Humans think they can control everything, believe there is some divine right in being Human. Us Catfolk are seen as savages, an undesired race like the Goblins, Orcs, and Imps. We aren't bent on destruction like they are. The Humans are more closely related to those 'Green-Skins' than anyone. Hypocrites. This war was hopeless until we learned in a nearby Human outpost, a very powerful mage was being kept within. Our leaders then sent out the battalion that I am but just a private in ranks to do our best in getting the mage.

Within the back of one of the carts the Catfolk use to transport their troops, Razor periodically looks over to the road they are following to approach the enemy outpost. As soon as the outpost came into sight a large ballista bolt was fired at the cart. The large arrow took some Catfolk soldiers off the cart. Razor hops off the cart with the rest of the Catfolk as they made a charge to the front of the outpost. Arrows were constantly fired at the Catfolk as they made their way to the gates.
Once at the gates a few Catfolk at front of the lines turn around and crouch to give a boost to the soldiers. Razor quickly placed his foot on the hands of one of the soldiers volunteering as a 'Troop Launcher'. As Razor was being throw up, he also jumps adding to the momentum. Some of the soldiers land on the walls or beyond it. As for Razor, he landed in between. Right on the edge of one of the walls he bounced off and landed in the dirt beyond the wall. He can hear the Catfolk soldiers fight and release the gate to let the rest of the battalion in. He remained laying as if he was dead, watching the rest of his fellow soldiers slaughtered.
Was this cowardly? No, I can make this work. We need that mage. This won't be a failure.

Shara sits on the floor, in the dingy cell the Humans have placed her in. Day in and day out, they ask, again and again, "Where is the legendary mage?" Each time, Shara replies simply with a shrug, resulting in a punishment from her captors.

She places her feet up against the wall, kicking again and again softly, when she hears some sort of commotion from outside the outpost, seeing Humans run past her cell. She wonders what could be going on, and pushes the brim of her hat up slightly. "Savages," she thought to herself, resuming her rhythmic kicks.

It seemed like forever but soon there came Human soldiers to finish off the wounded. There isn't that many Humans around. Soon the yard was empty save for one human who's by himself removing the corpses. Soon as Razor got the chance, he runs up silently to the Human, and with a claw-shaped knife he stabs it into the back of the corpse-collector's head. Removing the knife Razor stays low and keeps out of enemy sight, occasionally killing some Human soldiers once he needs to. Soon he finds himself in the cells, this is where they might be holding the mage.
Seeing there are some human guards there, two of them. Throwing a knife at the human who's farthest away, it managed to slides the human by the throat. As the knife was thrown Razor ran towards the other guard. Pouncing on the guard Razor stabs a knife at the side of the guard's head. Recollecting his throwing knife he used it to break the door's lock, and kicks it open to ensure it stays open.

She pushes her hat up a little more, to get a look at the person who saved her. "I might have figured it'd be a Catperson. Not like anyone else gives a shit about we Enlightened." She thinks to herself, as she stands up. She doesn't introduce herself as she walks out of the cell, but bows her head in thanks to Razor.

Razor blinks in confusion, was this the mage they were trying to save.

"Wait, are you the 'Legendary Mage'?"

With how the Catfolk speak, it is almost like an actual cat speaking. Though when it comes to r's they just naturally roll them. Even Razor and his friends when they are younger tried to speak like Humans one time. If there is anyway you can tell the difference between a Catfolk and a human is by the eyes, pointed ears, and how they speak. Also Catfolk can only grow up to five feet as the tallest size, then there are also their tattoos that looks like Tiger stripes.

"Please let this be the mage we were fighting to save."

"Well-known, but a legend I am not. But I am the only mage in this outpost." She says to him. "I am Shara, mage of black magic." She picks up her staff, which was being held outside her cell by the guards. "And you who so bravely rescued me? What might your name be?"

Well she's a mage at least.

"Razor. More than two hundred Catfolk came here to save you from the humans. They are all dead. Possibly you can prove to me that you are powerful by, destroying this outpost. Easier to escape and will avenge the Catfolk who died to save you."

She begins to chant, hitting the bottom of her staff on the ground three times. A blinding light begins to shine out, from where she'd stuck her staff against the ground, erupting from every crack and window, the structure beginning to crumble around the two of them. "Now is the time to move, Razor." She says calmly, rushing for the door. In her haste, she trips over her robe and lands face-first.

Razor squints his eyes at seeing the mage tripping over her own robe. He sighs and picks her up. Running out he can see the Humans trying to run out of the outpost, but seeing Razor some of them try to kill him. Archers cannot get their aim on him, swordsmen can't get close enough without getting hit by stone. Razor made it out with Shara on his shoulder. To not appear ans a kidnapper though it would of been faster that she was on his shoulder, he sets Shara down.

Shara is embarrassed, as she dusts herself off. "Was that a good demonstration of my power?" She asks, looking at the rubble of the outpost.

"Fair enough. Now I'm going to take you to the Catfolk lands. We need your help to stop the Humans from filling us all. We don't want to take over their lands, we just want this war to stop. Having you as an ally might make them stop."

"Humans will never stop, they are greedy creatures who simply desire to own everything there is, and then take no pride in their gains." Shara says, pushing her hat up a little. "We Enlightened are still at war with the humans, we have been for over seventy-five thousand years." Her green eyes meet his. A very uncommon color. Razor can see the outline of her face, is young and feminine, unlike any mage met before. She is indeed the legend, though she refuses to speak of it.

"Been around for that long huh? I guess you can tell us other ways we can prevent other Human attacks."

Razor leads the way by walking down a path he just came from on the cart. The carts that were used for transport were destroyed and the animals that pulled them had run off. They will have to go on foot until otherwise. The Catfolk lands won't be too far. There were a few villages on the way.

"The Enlightened ones have been around for many many years, transcended the heavens and time itself." Shara explains, walking with him. "Though now we are dying out."

"Why is it that you are dying out? Isn't there a spell that can prevent death? Something like that?"

Not too far, there is a village, and what looks like a human patrol had just recently stopped inside.

"Rrr, the Humans must be searching for Catfolk reinforcements in this village. They know we like to cause ambushes in places like that, but we don't antagonize the town. We just wait for the soldiers. We will have to go around."

Stopping on the trail Razor looks to his right, this path enters the forest. From the forest Razor can feel something unpleasant was in there.

"Up to you, enter a town where there are a lot of Humans where they won't mind attacking both of us or enter a forest that most likely has a Terasque."

Shara remains quiet, not answering why the mages where dying out. She trips again, falling to the dirt, her hat falling from her head. She grabbed it, tucking her pale blue ponytail back into her hat, fixing the collar of her robe, to hide her face again. Finally, she spoke. "The Enlightened are dying because the earth is losing it's ability to sustain mystic life."

She pauses. "True Enlightened, we are born, not created. Mages who become mages, who go through schools to learn their spells. They feed on the magic in the earth. And it's killing us." She stumbles again, trembling. "There are humans ahead." She murmurs.

"Yes there are Humans ahead of us, but that's why I asked if we must go through the town or through the forest. Chances are from what I feel from the forest is that there is something really nasty in there. Whatever it is, I don't see it, yet at least."

"There's a larger grouping in the forest, and another presence in there as well." Shara begins to say. "But the humans in town, they've been alerted of my disappearance from the outpost. The ones in the forest, are deserters from the Human armies. They'll attack us, but lack military-grade weaponry, and are weaker."

"Well if it's Humans in there that's setting me off then I'd rather go in the forest."

Razor heads right into the forest path. The place is quite dark, to a regular creature's eyes. To Razor he can see perfectly. He stopped and his ears twitched a bit. Looking off to the side he sees it at first just a pine-tree branch that had fallen and touched the ground. Until it moved off to the side. Razor steps back and looks around to see where the leg has gone, but he cannot tell, there are so many branches that look the same.

Shara trails behind Razor, something inside the forest making her feel weaker, and uneasy. "I feel something ancient in this soil." She murmurs, trying to reach and take Razor's hand. Her own tiny hand is revealed from the robe, and gives Razor another glance at how young she really is.

"The faster we get out of here the better."

Razor kneels down and puts her on his shoulders. Then he starts to sprint, but knowing he has the mage on his shoulders he is considerate enough to bend down forward to allow her to not get hit by low branches. Though it kinda puts a strain on his lungs to give them less space to move as he sprints, he knows that this is his mission to bring the mage to the Catfolk lands.
Down the path he can see the same kind of 'branches' moving. Looking to see all of them, he counted eight. Eight 'branches'.

"Those branches," Shara began to say. "They're... moving. Without the wind." She pushed her hat up a little. "And... the presence... is getting stronger. Move with caution Razor... I feel we could be in danger."

"Hell yeah it's getting closer."

Razor looks up, seeing all eight 'branches' are connected to a body of a spider. Recognizing the creature Razor starts running faster.

"We have a Dire Woods Spider above us."

"A spider. It just had to be a spider." Shara thinks to herself. She wraps her arms tighter around Razor and trembles. "Hurry and keep moving," She whispers, in a tiny, trembling voice. "I hate spiders..."