Nearing the goal

      They traveled without much concern, now, using the flower oil as needed. Maffy and Coffy were getting used to their scented gauze muzzle coverings, although they didn't care for them. On the bright side, they'd been eating extremely well. The companions both had grown quiet, perhaps sensing the end of their journey was near and was hastening towards its end. After their previous battles, they both wondered what possible challenges lay ahead. Van, understanding he had almost died at least twice, resolved to be more aware, but had come to a decision. Although he didn't want to die, He would do so to protect those he cared about. That included not using aspects of his power he considered too risky when companions were close.

     "Van," said Oolah, "look there."

     At present what Oolah was pointing at was some distant figures heading from the direction the were heading, straight at them at an incredible speed. It was too far for predators to be attacking, but it definitely looked like an impending attack. The first detail they could make out was that the were taller then normal. "Leghounds!" they both realized, and that assumption was soon proven right. A small army of lion elves were descending upon them with intent to do battle. They wore white robes, possibly with armor beneath, and as Oolahs well placed sling bullets took down the leading leghounds, the riders jumped deftly from them into a directed attack. Indeed, the leg hounds truly were extremely fast, and those attacks, had they landed, would have been devastating. However, they were harmlessly repelled by Van shields, which he'd been using to block the incoming arrows. When I say harmless, of course, the term is subjective. Oolah, Van, and their Erlokas were safe from the attacks, however the lion elves themselves were utterly destroyed by the unexpected impact.

      As the lead leg hounds went down most managed to change direction and start heading around them. However, a few less experienced combatants plowed into the falling, tumbling beasts, incapacitating themselves before the battle was hardly joined.

     As for the rest, they spread out an wordlessly attacked. They were perfectly willing to sacrifice their hounds, dismounting and sending them in before them as a distraction. Meanwhile, most of their number begin unleashing volley after volley of arrows, which made it difficult for Van, who disliked using the shields too close to his companions, especially the largish sort he was using now. He had created giant roundish shields, one in the center with the rest sort of rotating around it.  Oolah had no reservations about working near Vans shields, however, actively cooperating with his efforts and dodging behind them, from shield to shield. The Erlokas had met some of the charging leghounds and were dealing with them and were hence out of the line of fire. After all, they weren't the primary targets. Oolah, meanwhile, was taking strategic shots, trying to forestall the ones charging in with hand weapons, mostly bone hafted flint spears. Van took care of the rest of the charging leg hounds sending vertical shields to cut them to pieces between arrow volleys.

      They half expected this to be a diversion, pinning them down while more enemies would close in on them, probably another army. Ocasionally they'd chance a glance at one of the horizons, however, seeing only the occasional animal, usually dead, usually being eaten by giant carrion birds. However, they continued fighting conservatively, which was hampering them against these skilled opponents. In fact, the mellee fighters, most of them having dodged Oolahs usually deadly sling bullets, were almost upon them. "Go mounted," gasped Van, exchanging all his shields for one big umbrella as he created his sword. Oolah sprung from the cover between arrow volleys, and whistled for Maffy. They met on the run, Oolah easily mounting and began an attack on the first group of archers, an explosion throwing the majority into the air, as well as pieces.

     Van, covered by a giant umbrella began sword fighting earnest. The umbrella covered him, but also those he was fighting. An idea occurring to him, as he fought he'd dispel parts of the umbrella shield or move it slightly, felling a few opponents with friendly fire.  He danced about, as one does when fighting superior numbers, much of it just fancy backpedaling. They were, as most of his opponents, overwhelming him physically, only his skill and recent experiences keeping him from falling immediately. This bought him time to use his power. Remembering the way the shadowmen had manipulated their own body, he tried doing it with disastrous results... for his enemies. As one blocked a vertical slash toward the head, he bent the blade 90 degrees to impale him in the temple. This tactic alone nearly changed the course of his part of the battle. soon the were fighting him with a new caution, paranoid at what the sword would do next. This caution afforded Van new opportunities, as their more static movements were slower and predictable. Black spears sprouted from the ground in a fan shape, impaling all of them. Van rolled his eyes thinking, "should have just done something like that from the start."

      Meanwhile Oolah was finishing up the last grouped set of archers. Those from other groups that had managed to survive was either fleeing, or unable too.

     They resumed their journey, discussing the battle. What could they do better? Should they always assume reinforcements were on the way. Then they both resumed their quietly grim focus. Somehow they both knew this thing was almost over. The end of their mission was not far now. Oddly, Van would miss it despite all it's dangers and hardships. It wasn't difficult  for him to figure out why, and a great sorrow had began filling his chest. Oolah, an empath, was not at all unaffected by this and by nightfall both had grown sullen. Silently and without comment, they robotically set up camp. The soothing speech to the Erlokas as Van fed them was the only voice to be heard. They ate in silence, until Van quietly thanked Oolah for preparing. "Thank you, it was excellent," he had mumbled.

     The next day went about as well, both wanting to bring cheer to the other, but neither knew how. They ended up both lost in their own private thoughts, Oolah wondering what new torment had Van so down, and Van dreading the end of their quest. He had decided he was a danger to Oolah, and all his friends. He remembered in vivid detail the fate of Edvarti of Zon, who had started out as a bright eyed youth yearning for adventure and fame. He remembered his slow descent into apathy, then madness. Mostly he remembered his fate, the killing of the one he loved. He who was more talented, who was able to do so much more with so much less... It was then it occurred to Van, that may have been the beginning of his downfall. He was willing to risk more, to throw caution to the wind, even to excuse himself from some of the wicked methods his use of the negative energy led him too. He didn't have the benefit of a book by an earlier 'Edvarti' to teach him caution, restraint, and a healthy respect of the power. This line of thought would give him much to ponder. Perhaps it would be enough to save him, later.