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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3033068" data-attributes="member: 35788">The party walked cautiously through the tunnels for another hour before Ischarus showed any sign of slowing.  Once he was sure that they had traveled a good bit away from the last encounter he began to slow his pacing to allow the others to walk in a more tight formation.  “I think our horses could use a rest.  Considering all that has happened, I think that they’ve been remarkably well tempered.  Anyone else concur?”Rhema took full advantage of the opportunity to rest themselves and the horses.  “I don’t know that I can speak to the horses, but I am a bit worried about the wounds that you and Charis took earlier.  You didn’t stop to treat them before we left and I know at least in your case that Charis’ healing could not have cured all of your injuries.  If nothing else, a rest would provide us a bit of time to relax, catch our breath, check out your wounds, and talk about what lies behind us.”Semeion added to Rhema’s comments as he closed the distance between himself and Ischarus.  “Don’t forget about what still lies before us, Rhema.”Rhema answered Semeion’s assertion.  “Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly where this tunnel will bring us out.  And neither Ischarus nor myself knows Quehalost well enough to be able to know what to expect.  Talking about what lies before us may not be all that easy to predict.”Ischarus spoke up, intentionally ignoring the conversation path that Semeion and Rhema had chosen.  He felt it necessary to address his wounded state and alleviate any concern.  “Besides, I’m fine.  There’s no real reason to worry that I won’t be alright.  Charis healed me with her magic, I’ll be alright.”At this point Charis felt the need to step in and back up Rhema’s concern.  “And there’s no real reason that I shouldn’t have a good look at you, either.  The wounds that you took were fairly severe and my healing magic is not yet all that powerful.  I’d feel much better if you allowed me to examine your wounds.”A proud look of machismo crossed Ischarus face as if to imply that he didn’t need assistance.  Rhema saw the look and intervened on Charis’ behalf.  Her tone was not unlike a mother whose son was putting up a mild protest of willpower.  “Take of your leather coat and strip off that shirt.  Charis is a skilled healer and we’ve got the time.  Once we saw her skills we knew she would make a great addition to the party.  If we aren’t going to use her skills, then why are we risking her life?”Ischarus smiled as the instinct to follow Rhema’s command kicked in.  “Well, if the situation was a little bit different I’d think there was more to that command than merely wanting to make sure I’m healing properly.”The comment caught Rhema off-guard.  She glanced to Ischarus with a look of surprise upon her face, but Ischarus’ face appeared as stone.  There was virtually no sign of emotion as he slowly unbuttoned his leather armor coat and peeled it away from his skin.  As he did so, he winced considerably.Charis smirked as Ischarus winced.  “See, now?  Aren’t you glad that I demanded this examination?  You’re obviously still in some kind of pain.”Ischarus continued his macho protest.  “Stiffness from the wound that your magic healed, that’s all.”  Having removed his leather, he unfastened the metal hooks that held his shirt together around his body.  With another wince of pain he had this removed this layer as well.Charis snorted in amusement and set to examine his injuries.  “Well, it may be mostly stiffness, but your wound is still rather raw.  I honestly don’t think that it poses any immediate danger, but if we have a trouble free remainder of the day I’ll cast another healing spell on you before retiring for the evening.  That should go a fair way towards making the wound insignificant tomorrow.”When Charis was done examining him, Ischarus quickly donned his shirt and leather once more.  He spotted Semeion sitting up the tunnel a few feet, watching over the horses.  He slowly walked towards him, leaving Charis and Rhema to watch the tunnel from the direction that they had just come.  Semeion looked up as he heard Ischarus’ footsteps and spoke.  “You’ve honestly got no idea what those things were?”Ischarus smiled.  Semeion had read his mind.  “I was actually just about to ask you the same thing, Semeion.  In all of your studies you’ve not read of such a beast?  They seemed rather magical to me.”Semeion wrinkled his eyebrows as Ischarus concluded his thought on the possibility of their magical background.  He turned his head up the tunnel and stared into the darkness.  “Magical?  How so?  The things never once cast a spell – unless they have learned how to cast spells silently and without even a gesture!”Ischarus crouched down beside Semeion so that he could lower his volume, although he was not intentionally keeping this discussion from Charis or Rhema.  “The creatures didn’t have any eyes at all, Semeion.  There must have been some kind of magic behind them to allow them to see.  They were difficult opponents as it was.  I can’t imagine what they would have been like if they had eyes!”Semeion rubbed the stubble that had appeared since his last shave back at Rhema’s family villa.  “Do me a favor, Ischarus.  Sheathe your sword for a moment.”Ischarus gave Semeion a confused look, but didn’t see any reason not to comply.  As soon as the light from his sword was hidden both Semeion and Ischarus heard a shout from down the tunnel.The shout was from Charis who grew concerned at the loss of light.  “Everything alright up there?Semeion called back in a calm tone.  “Couldn’t be better.  The light will be back in just a second.”  Once he was sure that the women at the other end of their horse pack wouldn’t be yelling anything more, Semeion dragged his fingers slowly across the tunnel floor until he found what he was looking for.  His fingers wrapped around a small pebble not more than an inch in diameter.  After picking it up and shifting his grip, Semeion threw it hard against the far wall of the tunnel.  He could hear Ischarus shift his feet in the direction that he had thrown the rock.  Semeion smiled as he prepared to continue the lesson.  He never considered how far he had come since ceasing to be the pupil under his master.  “Ischarus, how did you know to turn the way that you did?”Ischarus replied without hesitation.  “Well, that’s rather easy.  I heard a noise against … oh.  I see what you did here.  So you honestly think that those creatures didn’t have any magical qualities about them, its just that their other senses are so much better tuned than ours?”Semeion nodded, not realizing that he could not be seen without the light of Ischarus’ sword.  “That would be my guess.  They might be magical, but if they are I have never heard of such beings.  My guess is that they have lived among the darkness of the mountains for so long that their eyes have merely vanished.  Why carry around a liability like an eye socket when it serves you no purpose other than to be injured?”Ischarus thought for a moment at Semeion’s assertion before agreeing.  “Interesting.  If you are correct, that would explain the thick patch of skin covering the place where their eyes should have been.  The skin would help protect the vulnerable spot since it wasn’t needed.”Semeion continued his thought a bit further.  “That would also explain their skin.  You and I have color in our skin because we dwell on the surface.  Our skin has to be able to change colors as a defense against the sun.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that people tan the more they spend time outside in the summer months.”Ischarus drew his sword, having had enough of the darkness.  Talking about not being able to see made him uneasy.  This discussion reminded him that in darkness the creature’s ability to not be reliant upon sight actually gave them an advantage.  “So if they seldom had contact with the sun – perhaps even never – you are saying that their skin would lose its color and turn that shade of gray?”Semeion smiled at Ischarus’ mental curiosity. “It is only a guess, Ischarus.  But you do show great promise.  There may be hope for you as a spell caster yet!”The pair of men enjoyed a hearty laugh as Ischarus began to talk to Semeion about a few of the spells that Brandt had helped him discover.  Neither of the men saw the smiles that appeared on the women as they heard the men laughing together and healing the emotional wound that had been opened before their last encounter.  Perhaps there was more sense in stopping to rest and heal than they first thought.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]The party walked cautiously through the tunnels for another hour before Ischarus showed any sign of slowing. Once he was sure that they had traveled a good bit away from the last encounter he began to slow his pacing to allow the others to walk in a more tight formation. “I think our horses could use a rest. Considering all that has happened, I think that they’ve been remarkably well tempered. Anyone else concur?”Rhema took full advantage of the opportunity to rest themselves and the horses. “I don’t know that I can speak to the horses, but I am a bit worried about the wounds that you and Charis took earlier. You didn’t stop to treat them before we left and I know at least in your case that Charis’ healing could not have cured all of your injuries. If nothing else, a rest would provide us a bit of time to relax, catch our breath, check out your wounds, and talk about what lies behind us.”Semeion added to Rhema’s comments as he closed the distance between himself and Ischarus. “Don’t forget about what still lies before us, Rhema.”Rhema answered Semeion’s assertion. “Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly where this tunnel will bring us out. And neither Ischarus nor myself knows Quehalost well enough to be able to know what to expect. Talking about what lies before us may not be all that easy to predict.”Ischarus spoke up, intentionally ignoring the conversation path that Semeion and Rhema had chosen. He felt it necessary to address his wounded state and alleviate any concern. “Besides, I’m fine. There’s no real reason to worry that I won’t be alright. Charis healed me with her magic, I’ll be alright.”At this point Charis felt the need to step in and back up Rhema’s concern. “And there’s no real reason that I shouldn’t have a good look at you, either. The wounds that you took were fairly severe and my healing magic is not yet all that powerful. I’d feel much better if you allowed me to examine your wounds.”A proud look of machismo crossed Ischarus face as if to imply that he didn’t need assistance. Rhema saw the look and intervened on Charis’ behalf. Her tone was not unlike a mother whose son was putting up a mild protest of willpower. “Take of your leather coat and strip off that shirt. Charis is a skilled healer and we’ve got the time. Once we saw her skills we knew she would make a great addition to the party. If we aren’t going to use her skills, then why are we risking her life?”Ischarus smiled as the instinct to follow Rhema’s command kicked in. “Well, if the situation was a little bit different I’d think there was more to that command than merely wanting to make sure I’m healing properly.”The comment caught Rhema off-guard. She glanced to Ischarus with a look of surprise upon her face, but Ischarus’ face appeared as stone. There was virtually no sign of emotion as he slowly unbuttoned his leather armor coat and peeled it away from his skin. As he did so, he winced considerably.Charis smirked as Ischarus winced. “See, now? Aren’t you glad that I demanded this examination? You’re obviously still in some kind of pain.”Ischarus continued his macho protest. “Stiffness from the wound that your magic healed, that’s all.” Having removed his leather, he unfastened the metal hooks that held his shirt together around his body. With another wince of pain he had this removed this layer as well.Charis snorted in amusement and set to examine his injuries. “Well, it may be mostly stiffness, but your wound is still rather raw. I honestly don’t think that it poses any immediate danger, but if we have a trouble free remainder of the day I’ll cast another healing spell on you before retiring for the evening. That should go a fair way towards making the wound insignificant tomorrow.”When Charis was done examining him, Ischarus quickly donned his shirt and leather once more. He spotted Semeion sitting up the tunnel a few feet, watching over the horses. He slowly walked towards him, leaving Charis and Rhema to watch the tunnel from the direction that they had just come. Semeion looked up as he heard Ischarus’ footsteps and spoke. “You’ve honestly got no idea what those things were?”Ischarus smiled. Semeion had read his mind. “I was actually just about to ask you the same thing, Semeion. In all of your studies you’ve not read of such a beast? They seemed rather magical to me.”Semeion wrinkled his eyebrows as Ischarus concluded his thought on the possibility of their magical background. He turned his head up the tunnel and stared into the darkness. “Magical? How so? The things never once cast a spell – unless they have learned how to cast spells silently and without even a gesture!”Ischarus crouched down beside Semeion so that he could lower his volume, although he was not intentionally keeping this discussion from Charis or Rhema. “The creatures didn’t have any eyes at all, Semeion. There must have been some kind of magic behind them to allow them to see. They were difficult opponents as it was. I can’t imagine what they would have been like if they had eyes!”Semeion rubbed the stubble that had appeared since his last shave back at Rhema’s family villa. “Do me a favor, Ischarus. Sheathe your sword for a moment.”Ischarus gave Semeion a confused look, but didn’t see any reason not to comply. As soon as the light from his sword was hidden both Semeion and Ischarus heard a shout from down the tunnel.The shout was from Charis who grew concerned at the loss of light. “Everything alright up there?Semeion called back in a calm tone. “Couldn’t be better. The light will be back in just a second.” Once he was sure that the women at the other end of their horse pack wouldn’t be yelling anything more, Semeion dragged his fingers slowly across the tunnel floor until he found what he was looking for. His fingers wrapped around a small pebble not more than an inch in diameter. After picking it up and shifting his grip, Semeion threw it hard against the far wall of the tunnel. He could hear Ischarus shift his feet in the direction that he had thrown the rock. Semeion smiled as he prepared to continue the lesson. He never considered how far he had come since ceasing to be the pupil under his master. “Ischarus, how did you know to turn the way that you did?”Ischarus replied without hesitation. “Well, that’s rather easy. I heard a noise against … oh. I see what you did here. So you honestly think that those creatures didn’t have any magical qualities about them, its just that their other senses are so much better tuned than ours?”Semeion nodded, not realizing that he could not be seen without the light of Ischarus’ sword. “That would be my guess. They might be magical, but if they are I have never heard of such beings. My guess is that they have lived among the darkness of the mountains for so long that their eyes have merely vanished. Why carry around a liability like an eye socket when it serves you no purpose other than to be injured?”Ischarus thought for a moment at Semeion’s assertion before agreeing. “Interesting. If you are correct, that would explain the thick patch of skin covering the place where their eyes should have been. The skin would help protect the vulnerable spot since it wasn’t needed.”Semeion continued his thought a bit further. “That would also explain their skin. You and I have color in our skin because we dwell on the surface. Our skin has to be able to change colors as a defense against the sun. I’m sure you’ve noticed that people tan the more they spend time outside in the summer months.”Ischarus drew his sword, having had enough of the darkness. Talking about not being able to see made him uneasy. This discussion reminded him that in darkness the creature’s ability to not be reliant upon sight actually gave them an advantage. “So if they seldom had contact with the sun – perhaps even never – you are saying that their skin would lose its color and turn that shade of gray?”Semeion smiled at Ischarus’ mental curiosity. “It is only a guess, Ischarus. But you do show great promise. There may be hope for you as a spell caster yet!”The pair of men enjoyed a hearty laugh as Ischarus began to talk to Semeion about a few of the spells that Brandt had helped him discover. Neither of the men saw the smiles that appeared on the women as they heard the men laughing together and healing the emotional wound that had been opened before their last encounter. Perhaps there was more sense in stopping to rest and heal than they first thought.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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