Valley of Unending Night

He bowed in a sweeping motion, perfectly matching the diagrams in his Adventurer's Handbook Volume 5. "Marius Pontmercy, spellsword and adventurer at your service."

He straightened, wobbling a little, but keeping the charming smile on his face. "And you would be?"

Her eyes narrow, unsure of this newcomer. "Tasha. Tasha Hunter."

"And your injured friend?" He stepped towards Darian. "Mind if I take a look at that? Healing isn't exactly my area of expertise, but I know enough to get by and the value of a second opinion."

"Where did you come from?" Amy asked the newcomer, as she brushed a sweaty strand of hair back under her snapback. It seemed that all of magic - the shape-shifting bow, the disappearing girl, the glowing healing wand thing - had finally shocked her in its newness and strangeness to the point where she was numb. So she just focused on what she could understand.

Darian turned his head with a sigh to the man he did not recognize, yet was packing bags under his orders. "Leave our supplies behind. Take only light with you, and find a cavern in which we may take refuge from weather and attackers...and birds."

He turned back to the man jabbering on about his wound. "If you lack so much faith in the gods of this world to heal a simple pierced muscle--" He winced. "--have your exam now before the spell completes its regenerative process."

He blinked, seeing that the sound was practically healed already. Apparently this man has a far better relationship with the gods than he did. "Dare I ask what you mean by birds?"

He turned to the young women then and grinned, pointing over his shoulder. "Well, I came from that direction. But if you want specifics, I grew up in a small town called Spielburg. Lovely place. Not much going on though."

Leon had been listening to the conversation, trying to figure what was going on and what he should say. It was a hard thing to do - the man had appeared so suddenly that he hadn't had much time to react.

But Marius seemed to having the ability to use healing magic, and that was a good enough conversation starter for Leon.

"So you can cast magic?" he eagerly asked the newcomer..

"I can! Not that I'm particularly skilled in any one area, but I know a little bit of everything. And I always have this." He tapped the hilt of the sword at his waist. "It's like my Adventuring Course said, practice what you're good at. And I am good at dabbling."

This was the best lead that he had found in months! Even if Marius wasn't able to help Kane himself, he surely knew of some way or some person who could turn him back to normal! "If someone was cursed to become an animal, do you know how to break that curse?"

Well that seemed personal.

"It would depend on the type of curse I think," he said slowly. Then gestured towards Darian. "I'd assume the healer would be more familiar with the topic than I am."

"And just putting this out there: assume I know nothing. Just fyi," Amy commented, blankly staring out past Tasha.

As they converse, Tasha backs off, her hostility becoming more of a passive wariness. She doesn't put her knife away, but instead starts idly flipping it in her fingers as she watches the conversation in silence.

Marius relaxed a little, relieved that the scary one looked a little less about-to-stab-someone: namely him.

He grinned self-deprecatingly at the strangely dressed woman, running a hand through his hair and tousling it. "Well, that makes two of us. This valley feels wrong, but I don't have anything more than that."

The Course never mentioned anything like this!