After finishing up within the town, the small army of orcs soon start to head into the forest, leaving the now empty and burning town behind them, now pursuing after where Caleldes was said to have gone.
Caleldes rushes through the forest, still carrying Duvainion and Buddy, and despite being worried about Duvainion, she continues on anyways, wanting to try and put as much distance between them and the Orcs as possible. "D*mn it... They're still the same old orcs, but they're... more organized then they used to be. What's going on?"
The orcs continue their pursuit, with just as much regard for the foliage and trees around them as they had for the town, that is to say, none. They trample or destroy anything in their way as they continue on in an attempt to catch up to Caleldes.
After a bit longer of running, she soon stops. "This isn't going anywhere, they'll catch up in no time at this rate..." She then gets an idea, and hides up in a nearby tree, concentrating for a moment, she then manages to turn invisible, for added stealth and protection. Or more accurately, she bends the light around her using her light magic in order to make her and Duvainion seem invisible. So there is still a slight chance that they may be found, but she seems to be counting on the rashness and stupidity of most orcs, so that they just pass right by them.
Soon enough, the small army of orcs that are in pursuit of Caleldes and Duvainion end up passing by down below them. Caleldes just holds her breath, not wanting anything giving them away, and she just watches as the orcs practically rampage past where they're hiding. She seems relieved once they're all past, letting herself breath again, though doesn't get out from where they are, and leaves the invisibility up anyways, just to make sure.
And not too much longer later, the large orc commander from earlier ends up walking past. But he seems more attentive, almost as if looking for what he knows the others would've missed. This does worry Caleldes, but she keeps as still and quiet as she can, just watching as the commander slowly walks past where they're hiding. He does stop and look around for a moment, though soon just continues on.
Relieved, she waits for a few more minutes, then lets the spell go, and jumps down from the tree, going in the opposite direction of the orcs, back to the town, mostly confident that all the orcs had left it, or if there are any stragglers left there looting the place, she's confident that she can take them, as the main portion of the small army is now gone.
Once back in the town, the buildings are either burnt down, or partially burnt, but it's all mostly just falling apart now, though the fires are at least out now, having finally burnt themselves out, eventually. She looks around the town for a bit, then finds a place that's the least burnt and falling apart, then cautiously enters. She carefully sets Duvainion and Buddy down, then proceeds to check the rest of the building, making sure that there aren't any orcs, or even any survivors, left. Once she's sure that they're alone, she goes back to check on Duvainion.
Caleldes checks Duvainion over, and he seems to be fine. "I suppose he just used up too much mana, or something... Whatever he did had exhausted him." She then checks Buddy over, as well. "He'll be fine, too, but I can't use my healing on him, though, as he's a darkness elemental beast." She does seem a bit regretful at not being able to use her healing on either of them, since her healing is light based, but she does seem okay now, knowing that they're going to be okay, given some time. She sits nearby, though she doesn't just lounge around, she keeps watch, making sure that no one will end up sneaking up on them, while also trying to keep as hidden as possible.
After a while, Duvainion starts to wake up, soon noticing Buddy on him, and holding him, he then sits up, looking around some. He sees Caleldes nearby, and gets up, about to go over to her, but then just stops and watches as she inspects something on her arm. Quietly headed over to her, he looks at what she's doing, seeing her trying to heal a bite wound on her arm, though there's a slight darkness that had started to emit from the area around the wound, and this worries him. "Caleldes...?"
Having been focusing on trying to heal the wound and the dark venom within it, she hadn't realized that Duvainion had gotten up. Looking over to Duvainion, she seems both surprised and relieved. Relieved that he's okay and up, but also not wanting him to have seen the dark bite.
"...Was that from the wolves?"
"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry about it."
"..." He heads closer to her, putting his hand on the bite, and the dark venom slowly starts to recede. After he's finished, the dark venom starts to drip onto the floor, as it seeps out of the bite.
"How? You don't even know how to control your powers..."
"I... don't know... It just sorta came to me, I guess... Because I really wanted to help you..."
"It's fine, it's nothing to worry about, I just wasn't expecting it, is all. Thank you." She carefully hugs him.
"Caleldes?"
"Yes?"
"What about Buddy...?"
"He should be fine. A bruise on his side, if anything. But I can't heal him, since he's a dark elemental beast, and my healing is light based. It'd just hurt him more. Though there's a chance that you could learn dark based healing. Except that it's much harder to train."
"I want to learn it."
"I'd love to be able to help you, but knowledge of light healing doesn't exactly transfer very well over to dark healing. And it's a much rarer form of healing, so it's not likely that we'd find anyone to help you."
"Okay..."
"... But I won't stop searching, for you."
"Really? Thank you."
"Of course. Anything for you, Duvainion."
-------
After about a week of uneventful travelling, they eventually find themselves near the border between the elven and human countries, Faelion and Adororia. But they soon stop, and attempt to hide, as various groups of orcs are constantly patrolling the border, on the elven side.
"This isn't good... We'll need to try and find a lesser patrolled area of the border. But that's highly unlikely. I might be able to sneak across, if I were on my own... But many of my abilities aren't too useful for multiple people, really."
"Can I try something...?"
"What is it?"
"I've been trying to learn how to do that hiding in the shadows thing that those wolves were doing. I think I've been getting better."
"...I don't know, you've just begun less then a week ago. And the puppy is too young to try, before you try that. It's just too risky, I'm sorry..."
"Okay..."
"I'm just going to try my invisibility again. But it'll be a bit risky, with so many orcs around. It's not a perfect spell, there's still a chance we could be seen, but it's our best bet." Duvainion just nods.
After watching the road that heads across the border for a while, and watching the orcs checking any carriages, carts, or travelers that pass by, and watching them taking any elves from the groups trying to pass, she finally sets her sights on a cart carrying some supply boxes and the like. Putting the invisibility spell over the three of them, with Duvainion carrying Buddy and sticking close to Caleldes, they head for the cart. Once at the back of the slow moving cart, she lifts Duvainion up onto the cart, then gets up onto it as well.
She whispers to him "Get towards the back of the cart, alright?"
He does as she says, and goes towards the back, then decides to go and also hide under a loose tarp that covers a few of the boxes, the invisibility spell still effecting him. Caleldes on the other hand stays a bit more towards the front, to try and keep a look out, as she keeps the invisibility spell active.
The cart that they're in soon reaches the orcs checkpoint, and the orcs soon start to investigate the contents within the cart. So far seeing nothing, they start to get closer to Caleldes' location within the cart, and she just tries to keep as quiet as possible, all the while the orc checking the cart is practically right up on her. Though they don't seem to notice her, just yet.
The cart is soon cleared, and starts to head off again. Caleldes seems relieved at this, but soon enough, a different orc speaks up, this one seeming to be in charge of the border patrols. "Hold it!" And the cart then stops again, making Caleldes nervous again, though she tries to remain as calm as possible.