Following his resurrection in this foreign world, Icarus had taken quite some time to recover.  He was fortunate enough to have been found by a former member of his Order of Eris, the elite order of warriors he had created in Dae Luin.  Unfortunately, it seemed she was the only survivor.  

After recovering fully in one of the scattered villages of the Bohar region, he set out again, hoping to venture north toward the great city of Mamluk for work as well as information.  He knew nothing of this world and decided upon it being as good a start as any.  At the very least, he could make use of his talents to create connections and perhaps find out if there were any other survivors from the realm he was forcibly expunged from.  

By either luck or sheer chance, the locals had granted him a few supplies as well as equipment to keep him out of his rags.  Gaea only knew how long he would last without even a weapon and only torn clothes to his name.  Now, he bore two weapons, a broadsword a little too large for his liking, as well as a longsword given to him out of the kindness of a young child's heart.  For most, it was a heartwarming scene when he left and the child presented it to him.  It was the last thing the villagers had given him after toiling for a few days in the fields while healing. 

Now, he was only just reaching the edge of Bohar, traveling into the Laeto Rainforest along one of the roads used by traders.  He'd heard numerous rumors about it being rather dangerous in some areas.  It seemed likely the best option for him would be to stick to the roads as best he could.  Without the ability to draw shadows in, he would be using his own life essence to power that magic, a very dangerous proposition as it would age him.  Icarus didn't know if the aging would have a multiplicative factor or entirely no effect on him, but he'd rather not take the chance of dying immediately considering this was a new life he'd begun less than a week ago.

The first drops of rain began to fall upon him, reminding him of the Beastlands south of his own empire in Nataki.  He expected rain-laden jungle, but it seemed the tree boughs were even more densely packed, leading to pitch darkness in some areas slightly off the beaten path.  Given the amount of plant life in the area, it seemed equally probable there were a vast array of herbivores and predators that could be lurking in the immediate vicinity.  

Taking a deep breath, Icarus closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts, sharpening his senses.  He was several days away from his intended destination and it seemed rest would be inconvenient along the route.  Still, a small campfire could usually keep predators away and allow him to sleep.  That was a worry he would think further on later.  It wouldn't be the first time he traveled for days on end without sleep.

Walking along, he began his journey into the heart of the jungle.

Hiro was lost.  The raven-haired boy had traveled into the rain forest, expecting to find his way to the nearest town, having just begun his journey across the land.  But now he was stuck here, unsure of how to get to Mamlak city.  The swordsman wiped the sweat off his forehead.  It was just so hot and humid out here.  His father told him he could train inside the heat of a volcano as if it were nothing, while wearing full plate mail!  If his mother was a fire elemental, and his father was fire attuned, shouldn't he be able to handle this kind of heat?

Something wet dripped down upon his head.  Rain?  Yes, it was rain, it was starting to come down on him.  This day couldn't get much worse.  Walking through this twisty, windy rain forest, the young man pushed all kinds of vines, tree branches, and what not out of his way with his toned arms.  His muscles weren't as developed as his father's were.  He was still growing after all, he was only sixteen years old.  His sapphire eyes searched for any sign of civilization.  He pushed back a large branch that quickly whipped back and smacked him in the face painfully.  He stepped back onto an unsteady rock that rolled to the side underfoot, causing him to lose his balance.  He didn't even realize he was on the ledge of a slope!  He tumbled down the slope with a cry, until he crashed to the ground.

"Gods be damned!"  Hiro yelled loudly, mumbling a few curses afterwards.  He landed on his back, looking upwards at the sky through the forest canopy.  He heard something in the brushes nearby,  Footsteps?  He sat up, and reached to his belt, looking for his sword.  It wasn't there.  It must have came loose in his tumble.  He cursed again in his mind.  "Who goes there?  Friend or foe?"  His voice was shaken, but he tried to put as much confidence in what he said that he could.  He couldn't let whatever monster or person there that he was vulnerable.  What if it was some kind of orc?  A rain forest orc.  Did orcs live in the rain forest?  He didn't know.  He hoped he wasn't just caught flatfooted against an orc.

Hours passed and it seemed the rain kept returning intermittently as Icarus pressed further along the road.  Continuously scanning the vicinity as he tread onward, Icarus had yet to see anything more dangerous than primates off in the distance.  He wondered if they were the territorial sort until they looked at him and turned away, disinterested in the newcomer.  He was thankful they weren't on the road or he would have had significantly more trouble.  It was one thing spotting them a ways away in the jungle, but walking haphazardly toward them in an attempt to follow the path was entirely different.  

All around, he could hear the sounds of nature, their own form of music soothing him.  The scent of wildflowers and dew upon the leaves as droplets rolled from the top of the canopy wafted strongly in the air.  The sickly sounds of a wounded animal could be heard from a distance he could only calculate as being too far to be relevent to himself.  Indeed, it seemed at least one of the predators of the jungle would not come for him seeking to fill its belly.  

The jungle is alive with the sound of mu… "Gods be damned!" … sic, Icarus thought to himself, sighing at the interruption.  Well… seems like some fool has fallen somewhere judging from that yell and the thump of earth against an empty skull.

Icarus turned in the general direction of the ruckus and proceeded cautiously.  In the best case scenario, Icarus could hopefully get directions from whoever it was.  In the worst case scenario, however, he'd be stuck carrying some injured person that twisted their ankle walking through the jungle.  

After a few short minutes, Icarus could hear the person talking and some rustling in the bushes ahead of them both.  As it was, he stood on the opposite side of the person from the sound.  Now that he could hear the tone better, it seemed more accurate to say it was a boy barely old enough to carry a sword for battle.  

At last, a slight growling could be heard and Icarus ran forward, pulling the broadsword, still sheathed, out to bear.  Clutching it in both hands, he lunged through the bushes in time to swing and make contact with some large feline creature somewhat smaller than the average man.  "Piss off, you prick!" he said through clenched teeth and the blow sent the predator reeling back, letting out a frightened sound and running away.

Taking a moment to place the broadsword back over his shoulder, Icarus turned around to face the boy.  Truly, it may be a bad idea to trust him, but for what it was worth, he didn't have anything worth stealing anyway.  He reached a hand down to him to help him up.  "I think it's a bit fortuitous that you didn't land about six inches to the right," he said as he heard a squelching sound underneath his own boot when he took a step forward to help the boy up.  "Shit…" he said as he shook his head and looked down.

A mysterious stranger came into sight through the thick underbrush of this rain forest.  A large muscular man who appeared to be a seasoned warrior of some kind.  Luckily for Hiro, it seemed this man wasn't a foe, there was the sound of growling nearby, the man fearlessly charged toward the source of the noise, and smacked away the predatory cat with a single blow of his sword.

"Wow, that was impressive, sir.  You're very strong, I can tell."  The man walked back to the fallen boy, and promptly stepped in some animal waste.  Hiro snickered and started laughing.  "I'm sorry, that was too funny.  I'll be all right, I'm uninjured."  He took the man's hand and got back up to his feet, dusting himself off.  He was a tad more dirty than he was before, but he managed not to twist his leg or any other injury other than some scrapes and bruises.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  Thank you for the help.  My name is Hiro Kouen, and I'm a tad lost here, I'm sorry to admit.  I'm having difficulty navigating this forest.  You wouldn't happen to know the way to town, would you?"  The boy looked at his savior and smiled, his eyes were the shade of the deepest sapphire blue.  He was told he had his mother's hair, but his eyes were his father's, despite both his mother and father having blue eyes.  It was something about the strength in them, he was told.  Hiro's frame was toned from exercise, he wore a black shirt, covered with a red jacket with a golden phoenix crest.

Strong? Icarus thought as he helped the boy.

Icarus merely had an intestinal fortitude about himself that came from his experience.  He feared few things aside from spiders, but that came from his own experiences as well.  Nothing like seeing cocooned people filled to the brim with eggs to make one develop a phobia.  His form was lean and only moderately more muscular than Hiro's own, an effect of finishing puberty and having additional testosterone.  By this age in his previous life, he already had finished his training with Cain and his physicality showed it in his almost acrobatic body structure.

Given the current circumstances, it seemed likely the boy could more than hold his own against him if he were to turn on him.  Icarus could remember only fractions of his previous life and the thought of having carried himself as a figure with more muscle mass almost made him laugh.  He had no idea what he had been thinking using a giant sword, regardless of whether it was sentient and felt light as a normal sword or not.  When the boy rose to his feet and introduced himself, Icarus couldn't help feel a slight familiarity when he met his eyes.

Part of him envisioned, for the scantest of moments, another man whom he spent an equal amount of time as and ally and an adversary to.  If he could recall, it had been some sort of political intrigue that had placed the other man in a position of danger despite a noble title.  Icarus had interfered with his reign over some station to bring attention to the fact the nobles of some court were plotting his demise.  He remembered well enough to know the man hadn't entirely forgiven him, either.  It was the name that made it stand out in his mind to a greater degree.

"You can call me… Cain," he said, using his master's name to avoid potential confrontation if Hiro knew of his name from his father.  "I only know the way to one of the villages in the Bohar region.  It's still a full day's walk away by this point.  I came from the road a short distance away and was planning to head north to one of the trading posts.  You're free to come with me if you'd like," he explained, not giving away his final destination of Mamluk quite yet.

For travelers, it could be dangerous at times to impart such knowledge to strangers.  If there were some conflict or they held differing objectives that brought them to a point, it could give others some measure of an advantage in knowing their objective.  He had some idea pertaining to prior experience with the other man, likely a relative, that this boy was not the sort to cowardly strike a man from behind.  Turning toward the road, Icarus began to lead him through the forest and toward his eventual destination.

The man introduced himself as Cain, no last name.  Maybe he was someone who wanted to stay somewhat distant?  Perhaps he wanted to hide something, maybe he should be cautious around this person.  At any rate, Hiro was on his feet once more.  The man told him he could help him to the nearest trading post.

"Ah, I see.  The nearest trading post will have to do, then.  Thank you, Cain.  I'll be able to stock up on supplies there, and find direction toward the nearest full sized town."  He started walking alongside the man through the rain forest.  It was quiet walking alongside him.  He seemed overly serious.  He turned toward the older man to talk to him.  "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here?  I'm trying to find work so I can build up a good reputation, and my wallet.  My goal is to be a great hero that people can look up to."  The young man wondered if he would mind talking small talk with him, or if he'd be one of those secretive types that didn't like sharing too much.  They continued to walk down the rain forest path.

{Bleh, wasn't sure what to write, so sorry it's so short}

Icarus looked back to his new traveling companion.  If this individual was also heading to Mamlak, it made sense that they would travel together a bit longer than either had originally intended.  As it was, they certainly would need more provisions if they were to head to the capital of the west.  For that sake, they would travel together at least to the first trading post they came upon and then it would be negotiable how far they would continue together.

"I need information and a bit more coin.  Until those have been satisfied, it's likely I'll remain at one of the larger hub cities," he explained.

The boy's goal was naive to say the least.  Then again, he seemed to have a similar streak as his father when it came to being a glory hound.  The minor differences aside, he at least hoped he wasn't as much the hothead that believed himself to always be right, even when the evidence contrary was in his face.  He likely would have been on better terms with the boy's father if that were not the case.

Wandering cautiously so as not to become lost, Icarus wound his way back to the path, trying to lead Hiro without being too far ahead lest the boy become lost once more.  With any luck, they would be able to continue without any further issue.  As Icarus gazed up toward the canopy as the few rays of light overhead began to turn dark amber, he realized that with night approaching, it was unlikely at best.

He'd heard a few rumors about the sort of predators that stalked the jungle when darkness fell.  They would have to be extraordinarily careful to keep from being just another pair of victims.  After all, his new life had only just begun with his resurrection.  Icarus had no right to die so soon.

The man didn't say much, like what the information he wanted was for, but the guy seemed to want to keep his motives a secret.  Information and money.  That's what he was after.

"I see, I wish I could help you with the information thing, but I'm new to the area.  But it looks like we're heading in the same or similar direction."  Hiro stole a glance at the sword on his side, just to make sure it was still there.  He had to keep that close, so he wouldn't be caught off guard in case something attacked.  They continued through the forest, but as they traveled, it seemed to get darker and darker.  The sun was setting, and the moon would soon be out.  The sounds of animals of the night started to get louder.  Animals like lions or tigers would prowl in the dead of night, he figured (though he didn't know which of those two lived here in this jungle/rain forest).

"Cain, it looks like it's starting to get dark.  Maybe it would be wise to stop to camp for the night.  I don't think traveling at night would be safe as it gets darker, and who knows what lurks in the dark here?  Also if we travel all night, we're bound to eventually get tired.  I can build us a fire, since I have fire magic."

The boy was as green as could be in some things.  Certainly, the sky above was beginning to darken, but the problem they faced was that the canopy was so dense, the sun could scarcely be seen to begin with.  That and with the dense underbrush, there was the distinct possibility they could be subjected to a fiery death as they slept.  At least he could be.  The boy was naturally tolerant to such things if he recalled his father correctly.

Still, he had a point.  Resting would be the proper course of action, though entirely falling asleep may not be the best idea.  They were both strangers, despite his understanding of the boy and it was unlikely he could entirely trust a man such as himself either.  To conserve strength and enter a near-sleeping state, it was likely he would enter meditation for an extended period of time, allowing his body and mind rest while remaining attuned to the surroundings.  

Monstrous snakes or any other number of creatures often shyed away from fire, but it was not a guarantee if the beast were large enough and hungry enough that it would work.  A short distance ahead, there was a small clearing.  It would serve their purpose fairly well for the night and there was little chance of an ember striking dried vegetation in the immediate area.

"All right, if you need rest, we can stop here for the night.  We can do shifts if you want or if you can meditate, we can both rest at the same time.  I leave it to you," Icarus said, scanning the area for fallen tree boughs.

For him, times of sleeping in the wilderness were common.  He had often done so and was aware of the potential dangers associated with it.  Finding several heaps of leaves, Icarus produced his sword, prodding about it and searching for serpents and poisonous insects that could strike him were he to carelessly place his hand in hit.  Only a few of the piles were worth fussing over, little spiders and the like running away as he disturbed their homes.  Oh, how he hated those little bastards.

It took him a full ten minutes, but he eventually found enough leaves to make a comfortable seat for himself.  Doing his part in finding tinder and kindling, Icarus brought an armful of sticks to the center of their makeshift camp, scraping a trench around a circular location where the fire would be made.  He took as many rocks as he could, piling them carefully to try and form a ring around the site.

"So you can use fire magic, huh?" he said in an almost expectant tone.  "Let me guess, you're out here because your father wanted you to toughen up a bit and be more like him?"  It was something he actually expected the boy's father to say, if in fact he was related to him.  The name Kouen made it fairly obvious to him, but it could have been coincidental.

Hiro didn't know how to meditate, his father hadn't taught him such a thing yet.  But he was feeling a bit tired after traveling the whole day.  "Father hadn't taught me how to do that yet, but we can take shifts.  I don't mind."  Maybe it would be best to sleep with one eye open, in case this guy got any strange ideas.  He pulled out his cloak, he could wrap himself up in it to keep warm.  He built himself a cushion to rest with his backpack, since he didn't feel comfortable resting on leaves like his companion did.  When the camp was built, he knelt over the pile of wood, piled them up in the proper manner, then summoned a flame from his hand, lighting up their camp fire.  The fire should give them some form of protection from forest animals, even if it wasn't complete protection.

"Yeah, though I haven't been able to learn the other elements yet, I always had a knack for fire.  I actually went out here on my own accord, though father agreed to let me do this.  It was my idea.  Mother had to be convinced.  I want to make it out on my own, not to leech off my father's fame.  He gave me one of his mundane swords that he forged, a shield, a few of the essentials, and then I found a mage that could open a portal to anywhere far enough away from home.  Ended up near this forest.  But I want to be more like him, I want to be stronger than him, actually.  I've heard so many tales about him, I want to be talked about just as much if not more than him.  I want people to look up to me, like they do with him.   So that's why I'm in the forest, to get stronger, build a name for myself."  The way Cain spoke to him almost seemed like he expected to know what Hiro was about to say.  Did this guy know his father perhaps?  Or maybe this guy just knows a lot about kids like him?  Maybe he had similar experiences like Hiro had.  That seems more reasonable.  "Did you go out into the world as a young man like me when you were younger?  Do you have any kids or family?  If I'm to travel with you, I'd like to know a little bit about you."