"Wake up... It's your turn to take watch..."
Stannir opened his eyes and looked at the annoying woman in front of him. "Fine... Thanks for waking me."
"I'm going to bed. Don't do anything stupid..."
He sighed and shook his head at her. "I won't... How could I?" He stood up and stretched before stoking the fire with a large stick. He sat back and looked at the dark forest around him. "Do you miss the white and snow, or do you prefer this green?"
Stannir smiled as he watched Salina sit down next to him. "I prefer red..."
"Red? I don't see any red around here."
"What about the clothing you are wearing? I like that red."
He smiled as he saw her face start to blush. "Soo, what do you think of them?"
Stannir looked at the two bodies sleeping. "They are both strong and excellent in their own ways... It only took us a few days before we started to sync together well."
"Any dreams about your archer friend?" He heard Salina's soft voice in his ear, and shook his head. "The only woman in my dreams is you, and you already know it, since you can see my dreams anyway."
"Sweet talker... It seems you are getting better at it." Stannir smiled and held Salina's hand tightly. "It is nice to feel your touch..."
"Soon, we will be able to do more than that... Just be patient. We will get strong enough for that." Stannir nodded and stared into the fire.
"Ccccrack... Cccrack..."
Stannir looked up at where the sound came from and frowned. "There shouldn't be anyone out this deep in the forest."
"Should you wake the others?" Stannir looked at Salina and then the two sleeping bodies shaking his head. "No need. This is something I can deal with myself. Probably just some beasts or something, maybe even a thief or two."
Salina nodded. "As you wish... Let's go and see what is making all that noise than."
Stannir nodded, and stood up walking to where the sound came from. He lowered himself, and formed his long fiery sword in anticipation. He felt his heart rate increase. "We got someone around here... I can feel it."
"Where are they?" Stannir closed his eyes, releasing a pulse of energy from his body smiling. "I will find them shortly." He smiled as images formed in his mind and cursed. "It seems they have caught up to us... Too bad they did when it was my turn to take the watch."
"Sniff... Sniff... I can smell them. They are nearby. Master will be proud of us... Those at the tower failed, we won't. Go tell the others we found their camp. Send the Troliaths."
Stannir smiled and hid his body as low as he could to the ground and waited for them to approach him. He watched as he saw their shadows walk slowly past him. "Salina, they are using their noses to find us... Not their eyes. They are very strange. Any idea of who they are?"
"No idea. They are strange indeed. It also gives a reason for you to bath everyday." Stannir smiled and waited until the last shadow passed him and started to follow them. "The hunter becomes the hunted..."
"Hahahah." He covered his mouth. "I have always wanted to say that."
"Hahaha... funny man. If it was the old monster they would of been dead already... Stop having fun and deal with them, before the others wake up."
Stannir nodded, and moved forward grabbing the first shadow and covering their mouth before pushing his sword through their body causing them to turn into ashes instantly. "One down..."
He walked up behind the next shadow before quickly slicing through their head with his sword and throwing a small fireball at another shadow turning them into ash.
"Sniff... They are near... Find them and kill them quickly... Take their batterys they have stolen from the master."
Stannir frowned. "Stolen. He waved his sword and a line of fire swiped through the remainder of the small group turning them into ash. Stannir walked up to the final piles and looked at them. "Sending useless beings to try and kill us... Not going to happen when I am on watch."
"Should we wake them and ask for help... Or at least let them know they found us?" Stannir shook his head. "Let them sleep longer. I will keep this place safe for them to rest."
"Fine... Let's see if there are more." He felt a slap on his wrist and looked at Salina. "What?"
"They said there are others nearby, and also something called Trolaiths... Do you think it is those green blood beasts or something?" Stannir shrugged. "No idea, but we can go and find out about them."
"Do another pulse, a larger one and see if you can find them." Stannir nodded and closed his eyes releasing a larger pulse of energy that went silently out from him. He stood their and waited as the pulse returned to him creating a map in his mind. He opened his eyes and started running in the opposite direction of the camp, forming two swords in his hands. "There are many of them... I will get my exercise in tonight it seems."
He felt his heart rate increase and formed his armor as he ran. "The blood pumping in my head feels like drums beating loudly." He smiled. "I am going to enjoy this. I haven't had a good fight for a while."
He jumped through an open clearing startling some nearby birds. He kept running towards the map in his mind and stopped at the next clearing hiding behind a fallen tree. "Salina, there they are. Waiting..."
"What are they waiting for?"
Stannir smiled revealing his toothy grin. "They are waiting for me, to go wipe them off the face of Athlos." He looked at his body, and he could feel his body temperature rise. "What's happening to me? I feel so excited for battle... Look at them all."
"It is your bloodlust... It is coming out. There will be many of them dead by the time you are finished with them."
"I can't keep them waiting." He looked over the tree log and stared at the strange sniffing ones, and the green blood beasts. "Those beasts must be what the sniffers call Trolaiths." He shrugged, "not important to me." He swung his swords together and released a wave of flame arcing towards the group. He jumped over the log and started sprinting towards the group swinging and slicing his swords through whoever he went against, covering the ground with ash. He stopped moving and looked around. "There is no more... that was too quick. I don't feel sated yet."
"Search for more. I am sure that there have to be more." Stannir nodded and released another pulse looking for more. He stood and than smiled and started running through the forest heading towards the next group. "This one seems to be moving towards the camp." He clenched his jaw. "Not while they are sleeping."
He ran and jumped cutting a path through the surprised group, and threw a fireball into a nearby Trolaith before slicing another with his sword. He ducked as a sword swung towards his back and rolled before slicing the sniffer in half from top to bottom. He turned and released fireball after fireball before stopping and looking at the empty area. "They are gone..."
He let out a long breath before letting his armor and weapons fade from his body. He looked at the scratches and cuts on his body and shook his head. "I didn't even feel that when they got me."
"You were in bloodlust... You wouldn't of felt anything, even if your arm or leg was cut off. You wouldn't even know it until you stopped and calmed down." Stannir nodded, and looked around wiping the sweat off his face with his hands. "Salina... Where am I?"
"You are deep in the forest. No idea how far you ran to get here... Do you think we can make it back to the camp before they wake up?" Stannir smiled and jumped into the air releasing his wild wings of fire. "I don't think it will be too much trouble. He flew into the sky and released another pulse to find the camp, which caused him to open his eyes in surprise. "We went that far from them?"
"That's the problem with bloodlust. When you start hearing your heartbeat like a drum in your head, you lose all sense of time, direction and distance. I have heard those under it sometimes also attack their allies... So be careful if you experience that again, don't be around them."
Stannir nodded and flapped his wings flying towards the camp as fast as he could. He turned looking behind him watching the sun rise behind him and cursed. "They will wake soon. I better hurry."
He saw the camp between the trees and landed, making his wings fade and walked into the camp to see both of them still asleep and the fire had died down. He set up some dry twigs and started the fire again, sitting and closing his eyes. "It is time to feed..." He felt the mouth open, and large amounts of energy started to fill him up. He could feel his heart race in enjoyment and reluctantly shook his head.
"Feeding is up. Time to stop feeding." He looked down and watched as the mouth slowly closed. He could feel an imediate emptiness in his body and sighed.
"I really must be careful, each time I feed it feels amazing." He looked at Salina frowning at him. "We have talked about this many times, it does feel amazing, that is why you need control. Don't lose control... You make me worry every time you feed, as I know how enjoyable feeding is."
Stannir nodded. and held Salina in his arms. "With you here, there is no way I am ever going to lose control... Just don't go anywhere on me... I couldn't lose you after what we have been through, and I am sure in our future we have more danger and trouble to go through together hand in hand."
"Fireball and sword." Stannir smiled and nodded. "Fireball and sword."
"Hey... What happened to you? You are covered in scratches and cuts? Did you do anything stupid last night?" Stannir shook his head, "not at all. I had a quiet night here watching the camp."
"Firewarrior..." Stannir turned and looked at the now awake Harnio. "Yes."
"Why does the air smell like ash?"
"Cough... cough..." Stannir covered his face. "I uhhh... was training while you slept."
"Really?" Stannir nodded. "Yes... That's right, training. I ended up rolling around in the forest, which is how I got these scratches and cuts."
"Can I ask you another question?" Stannir nodded. "Why is some your clothing seem to be melted, like it was touched by those green blood beasts?"
"You mean Trolaiths?" Stannir's face went red and he covered his mouth.
"What in all hell happened last night?"
"We were surrounded by those sniffers and I attacked them while you slept, because they were waiting for a signal from a scout group I found."
"How do you know the name Trolaiths?"
"That is what those sniffers called them. I took them all down. This forest is completely empty of them." He scratched his head. "I might of went a bit overboard, but you were both able to sleep peacefully."
"Next time... I hope to be woken for that. It would of been great experience for us to learn about working together." Stannir nodded. "Agreed. Next time I will wake you."
"Firewarrior... Are you sure you didn't go to far from the camp?"
He looked up at the floating Harnio and smiled sheepishly. "Not too far. Still within reach of the both of you sleeping."
"Harnio what do you see up there? Should I beat this stupid idiot for you?"
"No..." He watched as Harnio landed back on the ground, and stiffened as Harnio approached him. "Wake us up next time... It looks like they intended to circle us and trap us here. Yet, this firewarrior defeated them all on his own... Next time you must wake us... You may not be lucky next time."
Stannir nodded. "I will... I already said I will... Can we go now?"